MK Carroll

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.”

If you are here because you read Karen Iwamoto’s article in the Dec. 05 2008 Island Life section of the Honolulu Advertiser, um, hi! Karen did a great job interviewing me (she’s very easy to spill your guts to – good thing I’m not in politics), and Rebecca Breyer, the photographer, did a great job too (and we even small-worlded it and figured out that she used to live in the same town in Wisconsin that one of my friends grew up in, and where I saw snow up close for the first time).

Links!
O’ahu has several yarn shops, and I know that there are shops on the island of Hawai’i (the “Big Island”) and Maui. I’ve been maintaining a list of yarn shops and a list of craft stores that carry yarn; if I’m missing any, please let me know. The list of yarn shops in Hawai’i is also available as a Aloha Knitters (and crocheters and spinners) on Thursday nights at Mocha Java (Ward Shopping Center, 7 – 9pm) Please join the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! Group for the most up-to-date information including when/where for Windward and Leeward meetings. It’s free, open to all ages and skill levels, and it’s fun!

Etsy is a fantastic online marketplace for handcrafts and handcrafters. I have a storefront there where I sell patterns in PDF format (you can also buy them as instant downloads if you use the links on the left sidebar of this page). Occasionally I sell finished items as well; if you really really really want a hat or scarf from one of my patterns but do not knit or crochet, you can check my Etsy Favorites for Etsy sellers who have finished items from my patterns, or use the Alchemy feature to find a crafter for hire. Etsy also has a Shop Local feature (Honolulu!) so you can find items from local crafters, like The Opalescence (handspun yarn and stitch markers) and Acornbud (project bags, stitch markers, and adorable stuffies like Snowball the Cat With a Christmas Hat).

Knitty is a free online magazine, edited by Amy Singer, with patterns, articles, and a forum. The Womb pattern was published in the Winter 2004 issue because Amy has got a sense of humor like mine; if you have any questions please check out the Womb FAQ first.

The Alt Fiber show (curated by the super-talented and always on-the-go Shannon Okey) took place at the Assemble gallery in Cleveland, Ohio, in January 2006.

The hats shown in the article were all knit using the Top-Down Ribbed Beanie Recipe, which you can download for free. It’s easy to customize, and a great way to show off unusual yarns like the handspuns used for two of the hats in the photos.

Mobile Monster Piggy is in the Stitch ‘N Bitch Nation book, edited by Debbie Stoller. You can find it in the craft section of most major bookstores, along with the original Stitch ‘N Bitch, Stitch ‘N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker, and Son of Stitch ‘N Bitch (featuring knit and crochet patterns for men).

The crochet Sushi Pillow pattern is in the book Get Hooked!, edited by Kim Werker. It is also available through many major bookstores.

The Rosetta flower hairclip is a crochet pattern in progress, as are the scarves seen in the photos (yep, there’s a lot of crochet going on in the photos – it’s okay, the yarn muggles generally can’t tell the difference between knit and crochet and ultimately I don’t think it matters. I love both.). Feel free to nudge me into getting those patterns formatted, photographed, and published…but know that I am really, really good at procrastinating.

Interested in learning to knit, crochet, and/or spin? Check out this post for Honolulu.

…and if you still need a reason, please read Page 197, or 10 Reasons To Knit a Sweater in Hawai’i.

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I read a lot. With the sheer volume of reading that I do, buying new books would outstrip my income quickly. I am a big fan of the public library system, and borrow a lot of books. I also have a tendency to run up a lot of overdue fees, and there are also the times when I want to take a book to the beach, or on an airplane, or be able to just toss into my bag and not worry about too much. This is where used bookstores come in. I like bookstores that carry new books too, and it’s nice to be able to walk into a bookstore, look up a title, and get it off the shelf quickly. The lifespan of a book can be very short when it is new and quickly disappear from the shelves of the big shiny bookstores, yet have a relatively long life cycling through the stacks of used bookstores. When I travel, I like to check out the used bookstores (which is how I wound up reading Langston Hughes’ The Big Sea while in Dublin); used bookstores tend to be small and quirky, with no two being the same (and then there’s Powell’s City of Books – huge and quirky).

The Google map I’ve put together includes more than just books – there’s a lot overlap with books, music, comics, and games, so Stylus (music and clothing) winds up on the map even though there are no books there. This isn’t a complete list of all the used music/book stores on O’ahu – I’m limiting this to the ones I go to and can give at least a partial review of.

Jelly’s Comics & Books
‘Aiea (Central O’ahu)
98-023 Hekaha St # B1-9
Aiea, HI 96701
phone: (808) 488-5245

Kaka’ako (Honolulu)
420 Coral Street
Honolulu, HI
phone: (808) 587-7001

The ‘Aiea location is big, with a mix of new and used music, books, games, and comics. The book buyer is selective, which I think works well for the mix of books on the shelves, but also means that it would be a good idea to call ahead if you have books you’d like to sell. There is a craft section, and I’ve found a few knit/crochet books there, but it’s a small selection. The fiction/literature selection is good, and there’s a shelf of seriously marked down books that can yield fun items like an Italian phrasebook from the 1940′s.

I haven’t checked out the new location in Kaka’ako; I think I’d like to do so on a day off when I can also have lunch at the medical school cafeteria (the desserts are excellent). I’ve heard that it’s big and airy, with a music section reminiscent of Amoeba.

Rainbow Books & Music
Honolulu/University
1010 University Ave
Honolulu, HI 96826
phone (808) 955-7994

‘Aiea (Central O’ahu)
9-185 Moanalua Rd # 100
Aiea, HI 96701
phone (808) 487-8867
website: www.rainbowbookshawaii.net

If you like sifting through stacks, you’ll like Rainbow’s. When I say stacks, I mean as in stacks of books on the floor, books shelved two deep, and piles of books that creep into other sections. They also do some business in previously owned magazines. They buy books (including textbooks at the University location). Both locations are small and densely packed, so you’ll want to be prepared to scoot around for other customers. Parking is tight at the University store; you can pay for parking in the Puck’s Alley structure across the street or the Varsity parking lot. The ‘Aiea location has a parking lot behind the building. Please note that both locations have an adult section; the ‘Aiea location has it curtained off with a sign, and the University location just has it down at the end of the same aisle that carries best sellers.

Book Rack
4510 Salt Lake Blvd # C7
Honolulu, HI 96818
phone (808) 487-8350

Located in Stadium Mall, the Book Rack is convenient to Pearl Harbor, COMPACFLT, and Camp Smith. You can trade in books for credit towards more books based on price and category (they do only trading, no buying of books), so some of the books will come back into the store repeatedly. The selection includes lots of mystery/crime, sf/f, romance, military history, and westerns. It’s a small family-run operation; the patriarch is a charming conversationalist on just about any topic and can make recommendations if you aren’t sure what you are looking for. There’s a table of books on sale for less than a dollar each – great for finding something to take to the beach.

Bookends
600 Kailua Rd # 126
Kailua, HI 96734
phone (808) 261-1996

I don’t go to Kailua very often, and I’ve only been in the store a few times. There’s a larger selection of children’s books than I’ve seen elsewhere, and a bit more space to move around in than most of the other stores.

Gecko Books & Comics
3613 Waialae Av
Honolulu,Hawaii 96815
phone (808) 732-1292

I’m going to tinker with this a bit before I insert it into the longer blog post reviewing the shops. If I missed a shop, please let me know!

Hawai’i Yarn Shop Google Map

Edited: I removed the embedded map and replaced it with a link; the embedded map is problematic for some web browsers. The map includes craft shops that carry yarn and shops of potential interest (needlepoint, fabric, quilting, beads and a Japanese bookstore that carries knitting/crocheting books).

The list of yarn shops is still available as a free PDF download too.

We went, we knit (I crocheted), and then we had dinner.  The Aloha Tower location was a good one – plenty of seating, a coffeeshop for beverages, and validated parking.  We adjourned to Gordon Biersch afterwards for dinner, which worked out well.  Even our youngest Aloha Knitter had a good time! 

(Wondering how to join?  It’s easy – just sign up with the Aloha Knitters Yahoo! group.  Free, no dues, attendance requirements, etc. and the announcements and whatnot get sent to your email address! More info in this blog post).

Much mahalo to Franklin and Dolores of The Panopticon for permission to use Franklin’s artwork and Dolores’ image for our flyers
I think I may have missed the deadline made it just under the wire for the Official WWKIP Day webpage (drat this persistent upper respiratory infection), and I’ll post everything here. 
Aloha Knitters welcomes and includes crocheters, and there has been talk of spinning as well.  Non-knitters are welcome, but we will have to draw the line at pets (no matter how much they love knitting – park policy takes precedence).  Light potluck of snacks and non-alcoholic drinks (I plan on bringing a 6-pack of soda and a bag of something crunchy), bring something to sit on, and don’t forget the sunblock.  If you can walk, take the bus, or carpool, all the better – the park is always busy on the weekends, and there’s a parade that finishes up at the park around noon.  If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave a comment here or email me (link in the left sidebar, up top).
added 6/02:
Kapiolani Park: at 500 acres, I’d better give you a link to a map, which also gives you a link to a .pdf download, courtesy of the Kapiolani Park Preservation Society.  The archery range is on the Diamond Head end, going away from Waikiki. 
Thank you thank you thank you to the members of Aloha Knitters who have been getting flyers out to the yarn shops and posting about the event on their blogs.  Drat this respiratory infection again!
If I managed to get the info in on time, the Honolulu Weekly Calendar should have a listing this Wednesday (6/07). 
For the potluck, think:
* easy to carry
* does not require refrigeration, especially to prevent food poisoning
* easy to pack out or dispose of the debris
I’m planning to pack a 6-pack of soda into a small portable cooler with frozen gel pack and bring a bag of something like arare.  If you want to get fancier, go for it!  I just don’t want anyone feeling pressured into doing something complicated.  All we need are little snacky things to keep our strength up and fluids to keep us cool and hydrated. 

Save the date! June 10 is Worldwide Knit in Public Day (WWKIP). The Aloha Knitters are currently planning to meet at Kapiolani Park in the afternoon, with a light potluck (snacks, non-alcoholic drinks). Specific times and a location in the park will be announced as soon as we can get consensus. Bring sunscreen, something to sit on, something to knit/crochet/spin etc. Non-knitters/crocheters/spinsters are welcome, although we may have to draw the line at pets. T-shirts, tank tops, and tote bags are available at The Panopticon Cafe Press Shop. Get them quick unless you want to pay steep shipping fees – the lowest shipping rate takes an estimated 7 – 10 days (and since we’re in Hawai’i, tack on 3 more days).

Leah will be relocating to Chicago with her kids on June 11th, so if she can make it, it will be her last Aloha Knitters meeting until 2007.

Last night I know I ordered decaf, but I don’t think I got decaf, which is why I was up late again last night. Has nothing to do with realizing 3/4 of the way through the Aloha Knitters meeting that I’d fouled up the provisional cast-on for the short row toe on the second sock and had to frog it and start over (Trekking, wool, not going to my mother because Trekking makes a thin fabric and she wants, basically, a smallish sheep wrapped around each foot). I love short rows and I love making a perfectly cupped toe on two needles, but I could have held off until my work commute later today. At any rate, I read through the sweater section of Knitting Rules! and, on page 197, “I Could Never Knit a Sweater”: Ten Reasons Knitters Give and What I Wish I Could Say to Them, I got to number 9. “I live in Hawaii. Well, okay, fine, but don’t you have an aunt in Wisconsin?”

I know. She’s just sayin’ (and she’s right, having friends and relatives who live in colder climates is a contributing factor to wool stash). However, if Ms Pearl-McPhee happens to find herself, on her book tour, in a warm climate like Hawai’i or California, Louisiana, Texas, etc., it’s not likely that she will have to give us a reason to knit a sweater.

10 Reasons to Knit a Sweater in Hawai’i
(in addition to Ms Pearl-McPhee’s reason)
(…which would give us a list that goes all the way to eleven!*)

1. Microclimates. I’ve mentioned these before. If you’ve been to Manoa, up on Tantalus, to Kula, Volcano, etc., you know it can get quite cool, especially at night and in the upper elevations. When I lived in Manoa Valley, my walk to the UH campus would take me from misty and cool to dry and hot in 20 minutes. I learned to layer. Up on Haleakala, you can tell which visitors are staying at the same hotel you are, because they have the same style blanket wrapped around them.

2. A 20-degree drop in temperature is a 20-degree drop in temperature. When it goes from 80F to 60F, you will notice. It can get cold here, really. Houses often lack a certain amount of weatherproofing. My parents house, for example, has glass louver windows that have frozen into position, mostly open or partly open. This is usually not a problem, but at some times of the year, it can drop down into the 50′s and 60′s at night. In this weather, the concern for children and the elderly is wanting to keep them warm but also making sure they can still move under all those blankets.

3. Aggressive air-conditioning. The Aloha Knitters Honolulu meetings take place in an enclosed shopping center where management believes that what customers want is proof of civilization in the form of powerful air cooling. We aren’t wearing sweaters (and shrugs and shawls) to the meetings just to show off. I’ve worked in a hermetically sealed, centrally controlled office building where my typing speed would begin to slow as my fingers grew numb from the cold. I looked calm and professional above the desk. Below the desk, I was wrapped in an afghan. A nice cardigan suitable for business would have been perfect, but I knew that by the time I finished knitting one, the job would be over (I was temping). Movie theaters and grocery stores are also known for keeping the AC on full blast, as well as May’s boyfriend, who enjoys creating his own microclimate in his car.

4. Lace. How about an exquisite, dainty, fine-gauge lace sweater, tossed over a camisole? Knitty’s Spring Fling, perhaps, or Arisaig. Look at that photo of Arisaig – the model is running around on a beach in it! [I know the water temperature is probably a little different there. shh.] Teva Durham’s vintage-inspired Cashmere Lace Blouse is another example – I can’t find a photo online, so if you haven’t seen it, trust me. I have a fantasy involving knitting it up in something non-cashmere and just tossing it on with a pair of jeans and looking fabulous.

5. Plant fibers. Bamboo, linen, hemp, cotton, and soy, for example. Bamboo and soy are especially nice in warm climates, feeling very comfortable against the skin in warm weather.

6. Silk. I know you are thinking about the cost. Think about how silk is appropriate for so many temperatures and seasons, how you could wear it all year-round, and then think cost per use (it helps if you plan to wear it every day). It can be casual, it can be elegant, it can be purchased in a blend that is a bit easier on the finances. Some of those blends are even machine-washable. If I ever manage to find a good source for Regia Silk, I may just have to save up my pennies and then knit that Cashmere Lace Blouse, adding on small and dainty vintage buttons and crocheted button loops so that the front does not keep gaping open while I am leaning over the dairy case at the grocery store, looking for the organic 1% milk.

7: Ice Palace. (Keohinani)
Hey, nobody thought we’d have snow in Hawaii either, but we do have snow on the Big Island occasionally. Since the mountain ranges don’t quite reach that high on Oahu, we have to settle for an ice skating rink, i.e. Ice Palace. If ever one wanted to simulate cold weather in the dead heat of summer or any other time of year in Hawaii, that’d be the place to go. I have an aunt whose sons play hockey there. I’m sure she would love for me to teach her how to knit a sweater so she can both entertain herself and keep warm at hockey practice.

8: Because You’d Make More Use of A Sweater than a Knitted Bikini. (Keohinani)
Let’s face it: there are only so many people who can wear a knitted bikini. And of those people, most of them would rather not worry about droopy sagginess that was their knitting that would result from a romp in the water. If you don’t go into the water at all, a knitted bikini is fine and dandy. But for those who would rather avoid the harmful UVA/UVB rays and self-consciousness altogether, a sweater would be more practical anyway.

9. The Joy of Knitting. (Barb, who just finished knitting the BPT sweater from Knitty)
What other reason do you need?

10. Travel. Going to visit family and friends in, say, Toronto, early April? How about that trip to New York in November? Sure, you can go shopping when you get there, but what are you going to go shopping in? A blanket from the hotel? Plus that plane ride can get chilly.

Why stop at 10? Add ‘em if you’ve got ‘em!

*I watched This Is Spinal Tap a few times when I was a kid. Just humor me on this, okay?

Recently on the Aloha Knitters board*, Keohinani wondered how we could get the Yarn Harlot to Hawai’i on her booktour and Monday night I very nearly tripped over Keohinani trying to get to a shiny new copy of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s latest book, Knitting Rules! The Yarn Harlot’s Bag of Knitting Tricks. Monday night I also left out the decaf part of my drink order, and was up until 1 am reading the book. It’s a book that is both informative and funny, and I’m putting it on my bookshelf next to Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Without Tears and Annie Modesitt’s Confessions of a Knitting Heretic. If you’d like a DIY, get in control, punk as Henry Rollins** book on knitting, this is one of those books.

However. Page 49. “I understand that my affection for wool probably seems silly to Hawaiian knitters.” Without going into the semantics of Hawaiian knitters vs. knitters in Hawai’i,*** or that it takes more than one knitter to prove this point, or that she’s just sayin’, y’know, and there very well may be knitters in Hawai’i who think wool is ridiculous, may I direct your attention to Exhibit A:

These are Araucania Nature Wool worsted weight 100% wool socks with holes in them. The holes came from constant wear. Oh, did I include sunny blue sky and flowers behind them? Kind of hard not to.

Exhibit B:

These are Peace Fleece wool/mohair worsted weight slipper socks with fleece-lined soles. Note the way the right slipper sock appears to be warped. That is because the sole is splitting. I would repair it, but the wearer would have to take them off. She says I need to just make her a new pair already (already? I gave her that pair at the end of December!). She is wearing a pair of cotton socks under the slipper socks. It is 85 degrees Fahrenheit outside. Hawai’i is known for its microclimates, and it can get quite cool in some areas and *(^%#@!! freezing in others (ask me about the time I was up on Haleakala for sunrise and realized I’d left my shoes in my car parked at an airport on another island). Even though my mother is standing on a linoleum floor in an area known for being hot and dry, her feet are encased in wool all day long.

Exhibit C, to show that you can love wool even if your mother does not have a severe, chronic case of cold feet:

My take on the Interweave Crochet Textured Tweed Clutch by Mari Lynn Patrick. My version uses two skeins of Peace Fleece worsted weight (color: grassroots), minus the bobbles, and with a buckle from a thrift shop belt. I made a few alterations to the buckle strap to accomodate the belt buckle.

Zeke agrees that it is a fine handbag, large enough to carry the necessities, including a sock in progress.

I have a real thing for Peace Fleece. My stash is organized into storage bins, sorted out as:
synthetic fibers
plant fibers
Blue Sky Alpacas Cotton
wool
Peace Fleece

Yep. I have a storage bin full of assorted wool yarn, and a storage bin dedicated to Peace Fleece wool yarn. My stash, admittedly, is on the small side, and you’ll be needing a larger sample to understand the love of wool shared by many knitters in Hawai’i. I’m counting on other members of the Aloha Knitters to flash a little stash around (especially someone who has sock yarn exceeding life expectancy, *cough*keohinani*cough*) and talk about wool lovin’.

La Harlot gets much love for knowing that there are knitters in Hawai’i. Well, we are everywhere, we are legion, after all. Kelli-the-wonder-publicist, care to give us a chance to prove it in person? We’re just getting started. We haven’t even mentioned the island which has cacao farms, coffee farms, and vineyards (all on one island!), and a yarn shop too!

*in an attempt to raise our visibility, we also have a MySpace Group (groups.myspace.com/alohaknitters) and a MySpace profile page (www.myspace.com/alohaknitters).

***Hawaiian is an ethnic designation, confusing as, for example, if you are from California you can be called a Californian, but Hawai’i has the dubious honor of having been a sovereign nation prior to being annexed by the US. One can be a Hawaiian knitter or a knitter in Hawai’i , but only one of them gets preference when applying to Kamehameha Schools for admission.

Here’s the deal: Aloha Knitters collects no dues, you are not required to show up at meetings, there is no leader/owner/boss, and the age range of members goes from "still in high school" to "has grandchildren".  You do have to join the Yahoo! group in order to read and post, but it’s so that we don’t get inundated with spam.  We don’t require a novel for the "why do you want to join" – that’s to screen the spambots as well as to get an idea of where people are coming from and how they are finding the group (it’s nice to know if you will just be visiting, for example).  There is a good mix of experience levels going on, and everyone has been very open and welcoming to new members and visitors of all stripes.  If you are worried about being weird or shocking, don’t be.  Honey, have you seen what I design and knit?  The Mocha Java meetings can have anywhere from 5 to 10 in attendance, usually.  If you want to have dinner, Mocha Java has a full menu that includes vegetarian options, Shintani diet options, and breakfast all day.  They do ask that we not bring in outside food or drinks.  If you don’t know if we are the sort of people you would like to hang out with, you can always show up one day, get a drink, and casually sit at a table or at the counter with a magazine, observing the group in action.  Huge sunglasses optional.  If you are very new and would like some pointers, please post to the group and let us know when you will be coming, if you have your own supplies, and if you’ve been trying to learn from a specific book or leaflet. 
We’ve also got a MySpace Profile (www.myspace.com/alohaknitters) and a MySpace Group (http://groups.myspace.com/alohaknitters).  You don’t need to be an Aloha Knitters member to be added to the friends list or to the group.

Aloha Knitters Yahoo! Group

Frappr! Map

Honolulu meetings are every Thursday at Mocha Java, Ward Center, inside. This may change, so check the Yahoo! group before making plans!

There’s also a Hawai’i Knitters Webring, so you can even sort of meet us before you meet us!

Currently, there are no regularly scheduled meetings outside of Honolulu, but members will post to see if anyone wants to meet up at a particular location/time/date. All ages, backgrounds, and skill levels are welcome! You don’t even need to knit, crochet, or spin! If you’d like to learn, just post to the list and let us know.