Oh how the time passes. . . 

August 24th, Green Valley Weavers and Knitters in Colorado Springs, CO http://www.greenvalleyweavers.com 

invited me to teach Swing Knits® Autumn Fusion Shawl http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/swing-knits-autumn-fusion-shawl.  

We had a wonderful afternoon!  As usual, I always ask for permission to publish peoples' photos.  These are just a few of the participants who were there.  

See you again in February 2015!

 Kathleen Orr, Owner

Swing Knits® Weekend Retreat at Lonesome Stone Alpacas

August 15th-18th

Early arrival for a fabulous weekend!
(R to L)  Linda, co-owner of Lonesome Stone Alpacas,
Brigitte (moi), teacher, Connie, Yvonne, and LaDonna

Oh my goodness!  I don't know if it was knitting, eating, relaxing, learning, or laughter that came in that order for the entire experience of Lonesome Stone.  The photo above encompasses all six----and then some!
(We're doing this again next year!  Y'all come!)

Knitting. . . .

Jo, Dori, and Roxanne are working on Lesson One.

Connie and Patty are learning the basics of Swing-Knitting™.

Connie and Patty are learning the basics of Swing-Knitting™.

LaDonna and Darlene are concentrating too.

A little Red Velvet Cake for dessert.

Although it was chilly, we couldn't help
wanting to watch the alpacas graze while
we "grazed" also.

 Eating. . . .

Saturday was a magnificent day!  Linda's pasta salad was delicious!
(The others were inside filling their plates.)

Relaxing. . . .

Dori unwinds on the porch
from a delightful day of knitting.

LaDonna is enjoying the serenity of
watching the alpacas graze.

Marv, co-owner of Lonesome Stone
Alpacas relaxes after a hard day.

   

                                                       

Learning. . . . 

This is a new color way for the
new yarn line.  Yummy!

Yvonne finished this Swing Knits®
Autumn Fusion Shawl in one week!

Lesson One examples of the
new color ways 

Laughter. . . .

Marv's Margeritas are "Marv"elous!

Linda, co-owner of Lonesome Stone
and the most hospitible hostess--ever! 

A little comic relief
from the concentration for Roxanne

                               Ahhhhh, and of course, the alpacas and a cat. . . .

Raven

Irene

This is Purl, the "mouser" who delighted in giving us a "gift."

Newsflash!  

We have not one, but three winners!

Three hats (Swing Knits® The Carver pattern) were submitted to the 

2014 Laramie County Fair in Cheyenne, WY. 

Blue Ribbon winners were Nancy Scribner and Connie Wise. 

A Superior Ribbon was awarded to Sherry Cram. 

Congratulations, ladies! Job well done.

The hat pattern is available through Ravelry.com

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/swing-knits-the-carver-hat

It's been a very busy time.  The grandchildren visited for 11 glorious days full of hugs for Grandma and Grandpa while the parents flitted from DC to Denver, San Francisco to Miami, and back to Denver.

One of the outings while they were here was to visit Lonesome Stone Alpacas.  They had so much fun hand-feeding some of the herd (mainly the boys--the girls were in the far meadow).  "Alpaca Grandpa" (Marv) and "Alpaca Grandma" (Linda) were fabulous hosts, as usual, and made the day
memorable.

After lunch I got to see some of the beautiful hand-painted yarns Linda produced for me.  I left with a number of color ways which range from subtle to vibrant.  We all have our personal tastes in colors and that makes it a bit challenging to get "out of our boxes."  Take a look at what you normally wear and think about what color of yarns you gravitate toward in the yarn shops.  Chances are they are the ones that compliment your skin and hair.

Oh, and by the way, these yarns will be featured in a forth-coming pattern on Ravelry.com.

A Day with Maggie Sefton, Mystery Writer 

at 

Lambspun Yarn Shop, Fort Collins, Colorado

A reunion of friends!  It's been two and a half years since I saw Maggie.  

She's been very busy writing her new, Molly Malone Suspense Mysteries, 

http://www.maggiesefton.com/molly-malone/ 

As some of you may know, her Kelly Flynn Mysteries have been popular with knitters for a number of years starting with her first book in the series, 

 Knit One, Kill Two and her latest book is Yarn Over Murder.

http://www.maggiesefton.com/index-knitting.php

Can anything be more fun than "breaking bread" at the Back Porch Restaurant with friends and spending the day in an environment that exudes beauty and creativity? 

L-R:  Gail, Maggie, and Kim

Maggie, Writer
http://www.maggiesefton.com

Gail and Kim, Owners of What's Needling U?
https://www.facebook.com/whatsneedlingu

The Backporch Cafe http://thebackporchcafe.com 

is attached to Lambspun yarn shop.
http://lambspun.com

They share a beautiful, relaxing venue 
for spending a day in their historic surroundings.




After a scrumptious breakfast which included the Backporch's baked goods and in-house made breakfast sausage, we sauntered into the glorious, colorful rooms of the yarn shop.  It was a "feast" for they eyes and hands.  (You know you can not resist touching the colors and textures.)

Their associate Anu, has been busy knitting and giving classes for the Streamlines stole:

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/streamlines

Shirley, the owner of Lambspun and every associate were delightfully hospitable which was evident by the happy customers they were serving.  Their shop caters to not only knitting and crocheting but also to those who spin, weave, and hand-dye yarns and fabrics.  Thanks for the wonderful experience, ladies!

Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival 

May 3rd and 4th, 2014

My sweet, dear friend, Lois (extraordinary spinner, knitter, and bridge instructor) picked me up early in the morning to drive us through country roads destined for my first visit at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival.  From a distance, the many peaks of the white tents aroused my senses knowing that there was a "playground" of sheep, yarn and related "toys" before us.

We had to park in a vast field that fortunately had willing volunteers with antique tractors give visitors a ride to their destination.  As we pulled up to the long walkway to the entrance, it was lined with a yarn-bombed fence and trees.

Once we got in the park, it was bustling with vendors

offering a plethora of gorgeous hand-dyed yarns, roving, spinning wheels, looms, drop spindles, shawl pins, etc.  Did you every stretch out your hands and exclaim, "I want it all!"?   

                                                   

It wouldn't be a wool festival without the sheep.  It is amazing how many varieties there  are.  Lois used to be a fiber judge and knew the characteristics of the sheep like the back of her hand.  What a thrill it was to have her educate me pointing out the various properties of their fibers.

Obviously we left with more yarn, tired feet, and smiles on our faces.  Thanks for a great day, Lois!

April-May 2014 Continued. . .

Another venue added to my teaching schedule was 

Yarnover 2014 

https://www.knitters.org/whats-yarnover in Minneapolis, MN, 

hosted by the Minnesota Knitters' Guild.  

The exciting event was bustling with vendors, yarn, classes, fiber artists and students.  Shelley Hermanson was amazing as she and her wonderful Guild members organized this event.  One of the most memorable moments was when 

Franklin Habit 

http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com

delivered his keynote address: 

Five Women, Five Shawls; Love, Wisdom, and Yarn Overs

My favorite departure gift was a treasured, new friend, Shelley.

As you will see in the following photos, we were surrounded with top-notch designers and teachers who are crazy, wonderful, fun-loving people.  

L to R:  Mary Scott Huff, Carson Demers, and Daniel Yuhas

L to R:  Sally Melville, Fiona Ellis, Marly Bird, 

      Brigitte Elliott (me), and Amy Detjen

L to R:  Betsy Hershberg and Marly Bird

At the same time, 

Steven Be 

http://stevenbe.com 

was hosting his yarn shop classes on Sunday which coordinated with Yarnover 2014.  It was there that I had the most remarkable visit with Steven Berg's mother, Christa.  She is originally from East Germany and bravely escaped on foot, for an eight hour hike at night in the pouring down rain through the woods!  Her generosity, and knitting knowledge shined through when she offered to teach me a German technique for a stretchy cast on which is especially useful for a top down sock or sweater.

                           

                                Steven and Me                                     "Mama" Christa

Steven Be's is packed with a glorious selection of yarn!  As you will see in the following photos, the shop is a treasure trove of color, texture, design, and extraordinary taste.  Check out the beautiful chandelier.  Franklin Habit was teaching a class in an area which was sectioned off by beautiful oriental screens.  Take a tour. . . . 

    This is the opulent foyer of Steven Be's with Jeremy and Bridget.      

Shelley is showing off her "pearly whites" under the chandelier.

Every wall is a gallery of yarn, samples, and tactile delicacies.

Carol, Leslie, and BarbAnn of  http://passiontocreate.blogspot.com

Yours truly and Melissa Gower-Pence of Craft Cruises http://www.craftcruises.com