Yarn: Tasted!

So the yarn-tasting at the Hawai'i State Library downtown this past Saturday went well - but I didn't take any pictures, and when I realized that, immediately thought "great, now nobody is going to believe me." I had capped attendance at 25, figured we'd be lucky to get 20, and then 30 people signed up (and I think a couple more showed up).

Fortunately for me, Nadine Kam from the Honolulu Star-Bulletin was there, took photos, and blogged about it (thanks Nadine!)

Yarn 'Tasting' at the library (Fashion Tribe)

There were a couple of things I wish I'd managed to do differently - I'd wanted to talk more about knitting/crocheting for charity, and I also wanted to chat more with the attendees! I did get to talk briefly with a few people, but I wanted to hang out with *everyone* who attended - I hope I'll get to see some of them at an Aloha Knitters meeting, 'cause like I said at the tasting, you people are the ones I need to talk to - you don't need to be listening to me. Seriously, you should have seen some of the gorgeousness being kipped/cipped in that crowd! Thanks to all who attended, and for reals, I want to hang out with you all.

Most of the yarns in the tasting came from Isle Knit. The Maui Yarns came direct from Sara, and the Peaches & Creme came from Wal-Mart (and as I mentioned at the event, Wal-Marts nationwide are closing their craft departments - Ben Franklin has Sugar 'n Cream; if they don't have Peaches & Creme you might want to ask them about carrying it).

Oh, and someone had asked about a knit clothes hanger cover pattern in a book - I knew I'd seen at least one.

Twinkle's Weekend Knits by Twinkle Chia, and Glamour Knits at Home by Erika Knight both have a pattern. However, the library doesn't have those books at this time. There's a free online pattern by Sara Golder (Easy Coat Hanger Covers), though!

WWKIP Honolulu

A bit last minute, but just in case anyone has been wondering and didn't get the updates on Ravelry, Twitter, and the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! Group:

Worldwide Knit In Public Day: June 13 2009 (today!)
Aloha Knitters will be meeting in the center courtyard of the Aloha Tower Marketplace from 2 - 5 pm. I've added the marketplace to the map below in case anyone needs directions (the red marker sitting in Honolulu Harbor). If you plan to drive, I recommend finding street parking downtown and walking over - the Aloha Tower Marketplace does have a pay parking lot, and it gets very full rather quickly. Also, the Kamehameha Day Parade is today - it starts in downtown and goes to Waikiki; by 2 pm I'm thinking downtown will have cleared up but just in case, you may want to allow a little extra time for traffic.


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Yarn Tasting at the Hawaii State Library

yarn-tasting-flyer


My current plan is to have a short talk on the library collection of knit/crochet books and specific books particularly applicable for our climate, and then a quick review of the yarns. I haven't chosen and acquired all the yarns yet; Blue Sky Alpacas Organic Cotton and Skinny Cotton, Cascade Eco Wool, Lana Knits Hemp for Knitting, and a seacell/silk blend are on the for-sure list, though.


Quick update:


"Come to the library for quick reviews of knitting and crocheting books in the library collection and a yarn-tasting! Sample bags will include mini-skeins of yarns good for tropical-weather garments as well as yarns good for use in felting and making warm garments and accessories for cold-climate friends, relatives, and charitable organizations. Feel free to bring a project to work on during the presentation, or to show off afterwards if you like. There will be a brief Q&A session if you have any questions about knitting/crocheting in Hawai'i. No how-to knit/crochet/spin lessons will be given at this event; reviews of instructional books, videos, and DVDs will be included in the presentation, though, and a handout of yarn shops and where you can take lessons will also be available."

How Not to Crochet a Flat Circle

Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton (pickle, shell, shrimp, sky) Blue Sky Alpacas Dyed Cotton (pickle, shell, shrimp, sky)

How to turn 'beginning of baby beanie' into 'oh I was just swatching for fun' - forget the really simple, basic guidelines for crocheting a flat circle, and start with 8 sts when working in single crochet, and wind up with a circle that begins to ruffle. I think single crochet at this particular gauge was going to wind up too firm anyway, so score 1 for color study.

This will vary based on gauge, yarn, desired results, etc., but for a basic flat circle I use the following guidelines:

single crochet: begin with 6 stitches, increase 6 stitches each round.
half-double crochet: begin with 8 stitches, increase 8 stitches each round.
double crochet: begin with 10 - 12 stitches, increase 10 - 12 stitches each round.
triple crochet: begin with 12 - 14 stitches, increase 12 - 14 stitches each round.

For those using UK terminology:
US single crochet = UK double crochet
US half-double crochet = UK half-treble crochet
US double crochet = UK treble crochet
US triple crochet = UK double-treble crochet