Tuesday Tips – How to Block a Gauge Swatch
- At April 01, 2014
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting, Tutorial (Tuesday Tip)
2
Blocking Tips – How to Block a Gauge Swatch
I was recently swatching for a new design and I was truly practicing what I teach. I thought I’d take a second to talk about the most commonly asked questions I get, how (and why) to block a gauge swatch.
Read More»The Procrastinators Guide to Knitwear Design
- At March 25, 2014
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting, Tutorial (Tuesday Tip)
- 3
. . . or “10 easy steps to becoming a Knitwear Designer”
I often get asked by my students to talk about my “design process”. So, since it’s just us, I’ll let you in on Patty’s 10 easy steps to knitwear design.
The most important thing to do when you get an e-mail for a “Call For Design” from a book or magazine, is to note the submission deadline, then save the e-mail as new, and don’t think about it again until the day before the submission is due. I will not count that as a step, because the real work has yet to begin
Step 1:
The day before the proposal is due, review the types of designs the publication is looking for and check your sketch book and existing designs to see if anything you have fits the bill. You see, I have a tendency to design for what the buyer is buying. It’s all well and good if you are a baker that’s committed to Key Lime pie, but if all the bakeries are buying apple . . . well, you’re gonna get stuck with a lot of pies.
Step 2:
Go to your bookshelf and gather all your stitchionaries for inspiration, which causes you . . .
Step 3:
to notice what a mess your knitting books are in, and decide it would be a good time to reorganize your bookshelf. Pull all the books off the shelf while you try to decide if you are going to organize them by author, or type or . . . .
Step 4:
wait, you now notice how dusty the bookshelves are, grab a swiffer and dust all the shelves in your office until . . .
Step 5:
the freshly dusted shelves show how dusty the floors are. Sweep all floors in apartment, then wonder. . .
Step 6:
What was I doing? Oh yeah, organizing my knitting books. Put them all back on the shelf, step back and admire your work which causes you to notice . . .
Step 7:
how many knitting magazines have piled up that haven’t been added to your Ravelry bookshelf. Gather them all up and sit down to the black hole of knitter’s time suck affectionately known as Ravelry, and start adding them all to your library. As long as you’re there . . .
Step 8:
Look at what you’re friends are up to, which leads you to their blogs, and well, while you’re there, you can click through to Twitter and Facebook, and then two hours later notice . . .
Step 9:
You are quite hungry as it’s now nearly dinner time. See what leftovers are in the fridge, heat up a wonderful meal while you reflect on all the great work you’ve done today, but wonder . . .
Step 10:
if you forgot something. Check your e-mail, see the call for design spend the next three hours, madly swatching, sketching, drawing schematics and hit send on the e-mail at 11:59 pm!
Ta Da – 8 hours before the deadline. Now go to bed and start fresh in the morning. Oh, look I have a design due tomorrow . . . ah well, as Scarlet O’Hara would say “tomorrow is another day”.
Dear Abby for Knitters!
- At March 07, 2014
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting
- 0
Dear Abby for Knitters!
I’m so excited to announce my new column for KNITstyle magazine. The magazine has been totally reinvented by the new editor Cari Clement, and I’m so proud to be a part of it . . . but I need your help. I need letters from you amazing knitters out there.
From KNITStyle’s press release:
Coming soon in KNITstyle magazine! A new knitter’s advice column called “Patty’s Purls of Wisdom.” We are looking for great, funny, interesting e-mails to feature from great knitters. We are here to talk about ANYTHING: techniques, tips, how-tos, knitting etiquette, lifestyle questions, you name it. Doesn’t matter how silly you think it is (in fact, we encourage the silly, as it helps us keep our life in perspective).
Questions like:
– What’s the best short row method for a scarf?
– What are the tricks to keeping your sanity when knitting lace?
– How do you avoid killing your spouse when he moves your shawl off the couch making your delicate stitches slip off the needle and your stitch markers tumble to the floor?
Please write them in letter form, just like the old letter’s to Dear Abby. We’d love to feature the full letter in the column, not just the questions, so have fun with it! Let’s all learn from each other and let’s start talking knitting! So e-mail your questions to:
E-mail Patty’s Purl’s of Wisdom (patty.lyons@knitstylemag.com)
We look forward to reading your letters, and stay tuned for the first column of “Patty’s Purls of Wisdom.”
Contacts for Knit Style mag:
TNNA & Vogue Knitting Live New York
- At January 28, 2014
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting
- 0
Catch up blogging part two . . . when last we left our heroes . . .
TNNA
Jan began with TNNA our annual trade show. It’s a great time to reconnect with your business contacts, you friends, see all the new yarns and fashion trends coming in the Spring.
The “Wall of Yarn” is a great place to see what great new yarns are coming!
My first official appointment was on Friday for the Teacher Meet and Greet. This is an event where all the national knitting teachers sit at a table, and in a bizarre shop owner version of speed dating, folks walk up and down the tables sussing us out.
Here’s my nutty friend Melissa Leapman and I amusing ourselves with a selfie in the slow times
I decided to come a day early and take the rare treat of being a student. I took two classes that were like the designers yin and yang, art and science. First I took my pal Lily Chin’s draping class. I’ve really wanted to break out of the flat pattern drafting world I’m in, to the 3-D world of draping. I immediately came home and started shopping for an adjustable dress form – of course the problem is, I have NO space for it. ah well. I did put the theory into practice when I got home by draping an old t-shirt on myself to design a neck line for a new sweater. I can’t show any pics because it’s not published yet. It was such an interesting experiment, once it’s published, I’ll write a blog about the whole trip from sketch to weirdly draped t-shirt, to swatch, to pattern, to garment.
In the afternoon I took on the science part with an excellent class on Excel taught by my other pal, Edie Eckman. This was the perfect companion to the draping class. I use Excel for pattern grading (changing the size of the garment), but knew I would learn some new tricks from Edie. Better than the tricks was seeing how Edie uses excel to help her think through the pattern. I use it in a very similar way when I grade, but she had a spin on the “if this, than that”, way of thinking that was really great.
Saturday was spent in meetings and walking the sales floor collecting all sorts of wonderful new yarns for swatching . . . now all I need is a moment to play.
One of my favorite things about walking the floor was discovering my own designs hanging in booths. Not going to lie, that was kind of a thrill. Here I am geeking out over seeing my sweater at the KnitStyle booth:
Geek out #2 came at seeing my design hanging up at the Vogue Knitting booth:
Vogue Knitting Live New York
Speaking of Vogue Knitting, shortly after getting home from TNNA it was time for one of my all time favorite times of year, Vogue Knitting Live New York! I love all my teaching shows (mother loves all her children equally), but there’s a special place in my heart for VK Live NY, as it’s in my own hometown and it was the first big national show I ever worked.
I arrived before the sun was up. An unique experience in Times Square
I hardly took any pictures, or in fact did anything but eat, sleep and teach. I had a wonderfully, crazily full schedule and rocked a record (for me) of 20 hours of teaching in 3 days! Here’s a few shots from my classes.
Next up, since I thought it would be nice to teach in WILDLY contrasting temperatures . . . Madison Wisconsin and Stitches West.
Knitting by Fires
- At January 26, 2014
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting, Travel
- 0
Catch up blogging . . . Part One
2014 is starting out to be an insanely busy time. This being my first year as a full time knitting teacher and knitwear designer (goodbye office hours and subway commute – yippe!), I’m still learning where the crazily busy time are. October / November was one of them. Holy Kermoly, did I feel shot out of a canon in October . . . The Knit and Crochet Show, Houston Knitting Guild, Interweave Webinar, three designs due, Vogue Knitting Live Chicago, Stitches East and to top it off, my two Craftsy classes launched!
December was lovely. No traveling, not one business trip! Just time to catch up on working on the designs that were due, meeting up with friends, eating great meals and knitting by the fire.
The end of December David (the hubby) and I headed up the Hudson with three of our friends for a brilliant 3 day get away in a perfect house by a lake. I packed up a giant bag of yarn (for the many projects and proposals that were due) and we brought wine, games and food . . . the ingredients for a perfect weekend.
This was the view that greeted us each morning:
The trip was exactly what I needed after such a busy fall, there were walks in the woods by the icy Hudson
We took an amazing walk, during the magic hour, to a lighthouse and marveled at the sight and sound of the ice breaking up on the Hudson, followed by a perfect sunset, and warming ourselves by the fire (note the glass of wine by the fire!)
This was just the rest I needed before being shot out of cannon # 2, called Jan / Feb in this biz . . . more about that in the next installment of – “Tales of a Traveling Knitting Teacher: TNNA & Vogue Knitting Live”
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things – Gifts for Knitters (pt. 2)
- At December 14, 2013
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting
- 0
Last Minute Gifts for Knitters (pt. 2)
A few days ago I started to write about my Gift List for Knitters. I realized I had a LOT of things I loved, so here’s part two!
Everything listed in this blog are items I own* and adore. Since I have quite a few things I adore, this will be part one, stay tuned for more later this week.
So, in no particular order, here are a few MORE of my favorite things:
Knitter’s Keep & Knitter’s Blocks by Coco Knits
This little marvel arrived at my house a few days ago. The inventor, Julie Weisenberger (the inventor of another one of my favorites of all time – The Knitter’s Blocks) was nice enough to send it to me. It’s an ingenious little magnetic wrist band and all the handy notions that always end up in the cushions of my couch. I gave it a test run and I loved it. The first thing I loved is that the wrist band itself (also magnetic) could wrap around, even my ridiculously tiny wrist. The magnet is really strong. I was using the small stitch markers and I dropped one. I couldn’t see it in my rug, so I just kind of waved my wrist towards the floor & up it flew in the magnet – super cool!
Anyone who’s taken my blocking class knows of my affection for my knitter’s blocks. I bought my set in 2007 and it’s holding up beautifully. It’s all I use to block and I love them!
Flatter & Soak by Soak
Speaking of blocking . . . since I generally travel everywhere with my knitting (and that included quite a bit of subway riding) I always like to wash my knits in a proper wool wash before I block them. I’ve been a user of Soak for many years, but in October I saw the Soak booth at Rhinebeck and I noticed a new product called Flatter. It was supposed to be for fabrics and for spraying before ironing. Hmmm, I thought, when we knit we make our own fabric, so I’m going to try this for spray bottle blocking my knits. It works great. It didn’t leave any residue or sticky feeling, but it helped relax the fibers nicely.
Lavishea Lotion Bar
There’s nothing worse than having rough skin catch on your knitting. I have several solutions at hand to get me through the winter. Two of my favorites are listed here. The first one is this little lotion bar. Since it’s a solid, I feel okay about having it in my knitting bag. No need to fear any tragic bottle or jar breakage. Plus, I love the it leaves my hands almost water proof!
Long Island Livestock Company
For sheer knitter’s love, nothing beats having skin care products coming right from the animals we love. Long Island Livestock company created a line of lotions, salves, soaps and (my favorite) lip balm that are full of sheepy goodness. I love my honey lip balm that smells like honey scented sheep. Which, before you ask, is a good thing.
Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book by Vogue Knitting
Someone once asked me for a knitting book recommendation. This is nearly impossible, as there are SOOO many books I love. Just this year alone has added some brilliant design books to my collection. However, I have a special place in my heart for the only knitting book that actually lives on my coffee table. That’s Vogue Knitting: the Ultimate Knitting Book. I realize this may be, at least in part, a sentimental and emotional choice. I remember when I first bought it. I was still working on Broadway at the time. The book had not been out for long, and it was just when I was beginning to think seriously about “wouldn’t it be great if somehow I could earn money knitting” . . . and the rest is history. No really, it’s not, but anyway, it’s a great book and a must have for anyone’s knitting library.
This has not even scratched the surface of the many amazing gifts out there for knitters, so go forth and shop for the knitters in your life – they deserve it!
*Although most of these items I purchased, a few I received as samples from the vendors. However, all of the opinions in this blog post are my own and I received no compensation for the writing of this post.
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things – Gifts for Knitters (pt. 1)
- At December 12, 2013
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting
- 1
Gifts for Knitters – It’s that time of year again . . .
So, maybe it’s the recent TV airing of The Sound of Music (no comment, not falling down that rabbit hole), or perhaps it’s the season, or perhaps it’s the multiple e-mail requests I get asking “what’s a good gift for a knitter” . . . whatever the reason, I thought it was time for a round up of some of my favorite knitting goodies.
Everything listed in this blog are items I own* and adore. Since I have quite a few things I adore, this will be part one, stay tuned for more later this week.
So, in no particular order, here are a few of my favorite things:
Go Knit Pouch by KnowKnits
I have one of these in every size. My first bag (a purple medium size) was purchased over six years ago, and it looks like new. I am NOT kind to my knitting bags. They ride the subway, get dragged on planes, and get schlepped all over the country as I travel around to teach. These bags truly take a licking and keep on ticking (a reference that clearly shows my age). No needles poke through (even when I use my Hiya Hiya extra sharp), and I love the inner loop to feed yarn and the outer loop that can hook to a chair or your belt loop – yep, sometimes I knit and walk, especially when I’m on a deadline.
Pattern Wallet & Magnets by Slipped Stitch Studios
There are many cute items for knitters out there, but this is one that is both adorable AND incredibly handy. I use mine everyday. The pattern slides into the wallet and it can flip open and stand up, or snap shut and be shoved into a bag (again, subway, plane, hotel). As if that wasn’t cool enough, the magnet can be used with or without the wallet to keep your place in your pattern or chart – LOVE
Yarn Pop Bag by Top Shelf Totes
Okay, I admit it, sometimes I’m a sucker for an adorable fabric. I need MANY notion pouches. I can’t stand having to search for things, so I have a kind of nutty habit of having a small notion pouch in each one of my project bags. I love the fabrics of Yarn Pop, but I also love their uber heavy duty wide zipper that seems like it’s unbreakable (remember, we’ve established, I’m not easy on my things)
Zuma by Namaste Bags
I am not a bag girl. I have nothing against bags, I’ve just never been one of those gals that goes nuts for bags . . . but then I met Namaste. My current Namaste count is four – yeah, four (Monroe, Mini Messenger, Boardwalk Bag and the Zuma), . Each one has their own vibe, but they all have one thing in common (well, two actually), they hold an AMAZING amount of stuff, and they are very knitting friendly. Sometimes I feel like they are the magic bag in Mary Poppins – can’t believe how much you can pull out of these bad boys.
Needle cases by Della Q
Knitters have a lot of needles. This might not be news to you if you are a knitter. It may seem like an embarrassingly lot of needles to a civilian, but if you are a knitter (or worse, a knitwear designer / knitting teacher), you never seem to have enough needles. So, what’s a girl to do, you gotta put em someplace – thank goodness for Della Q. I will not tell you how many Della cases I have. I was too embarrassed to photograph them all. They are all both functional and beautiful, and stand the test of time. The combo case (the green one on top) is years and years old, and I’ve stuffed it to the brim with straights and circulars and it’s holding up like a champ.
Interchangeable Needle Set – Hiya Hiya
Speaking of needles, that brings me to my most used favorite thing, my Hiya Hiya interchangeable sets. I have the stainless steel, the bamboo and the sharps. There’s no beating around the bush – I love them. I love them. I mean, like, I would marry them if it was legal, love them. They are my pride and joy, the lights of my life. I know that is sounding dangerously close to the opening line of Lolita, but I just really love them. They are light weight, feel great in my hand, the cable is smooth and memory free right out the package, the join is amazing, and they knit like a dream. Did I mention I love them.
Heirloom Wooden Crochet Hooks – Furls Crochet
I know the title of the post is gifts for knitters, but every knitter should learn how to crochet – and this hook will make you want to learn. I first saw these gorgeous hooks at the Knit and Crochet Show last summer. I will admit, they are a splurge, but I feel special every time I pick it up. Mine is Tulip wood and sometimes I just pet it to make me happy. However, these hooks are more than just a pretty face, they are ergonomically designed to balance in your hand perfectly and you can crochet for hours with no hand pain. If you are looking for a really special gift, this is it.
That’s all for now. There will be more to come in my next post: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things – Gifts for Knitters (pt. 2)
*Although most of these items I purchased, a few I received as samples from the vendors. However, all of the opinions in this blog post are my own and I received no compensation for the writing of this post.
Stitches East – Amazing!
- At November 14, 2013
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting, Travel
- 1
Next up in the live out of suitcase life of a traveling knitting teacher . . .
STITCHES East
This was the view from my hotel room window. Yes, I woke up that early.
I hope you enjoyed that picture . . . it’s the only one I took. I was too focused on teaching at my first STITCHES to remember to take out my camera.
The thing that is amazing about teaching at STITCHES is how many years folks have been coming. I had students in my classes that have been coming to the show for over 15 years (gulp, that’s a lot of pressure). The students are CRAZY good. I taught some hard design classes, and the students were so on it. It was amazing. I was really excited that some of my students said they had already registered for my Craftsy classes (that’s pretty finger on the pulse, as they haven’t even been officially announced yet by Craftsy!)
. . . And then there are the teachers! It’s like old home week with all these amazing teachers who have been teaching together for years. There’s a real short hand between them. Luckily, everyone was very welcoming and I was so happy and proud to be a part of it.
There’s nothing I love more than hanging out with my fellow knitting teacher pals. They are (however) a terrible influence, and getting to bed on time was not easy. First there was my roomie, Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton, who kept me up WAY too late talking politics. She may be a brilliant designer, but now she has seen me in the morning before I’ve had coffee, so now she must die.
Then there’s the intoxicating influence of the peer pressure duo of Brooke Nico and Carol Sulcoski. I can deny them nothing, they are the boss of me, and hanging out with them is like living in an after school special. I adore them. They are brilliant, and wickedly funny.
It’s hard to explain how much fun it is to be with so many talented folks in one space – Melissa Leapman, Lily Chin, Fiona Ellis, Franklin Habit, Marly Bird on and on and on. They humble me, delight me, and make me laugh so hard I want to pee.
Is it February yet . . . is it time for the next one? Can’t wait.
So looking forward to STITCHES WEST!
Vogue Knitting Live Chicago!
- At November 12, 2013
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting, Travel
- 0
Okay, so admittedly, I’m the worst blogger ever. I’m trying to catch up because there’s been SOOOO much going on. I’ll start with a couple of weeks ago when I was lucky enough to get to go to my home town – Chicago.
Vogue Knitting Live Chicago
I don’t get to go home too often, so I was doubly excited to get to teach at the Amazing VK Live in my own home town.I headed out a few days early and was able to see my family and some friends (missed a few – Boo Maggie and Amy), and then it was time for the show.
If you’ve never been to the Palmer House in Chicago, it’s hard to describe the “they don’t make them like they used to” elegance of it all, but here’s a shot of the lobby to give you a sense.
(for all you eagle eye knitting fans . . . yes, that’s the one and only Brooke Nico running through the lobby. We were really hungry and heading out to dinner)
There was too much fun, fiber, and fashion to describe here, and I was terrible at taking pictures. A few incredible highlights included the market place, the cocktail party and the amazing gala dinner with the one and only Alice Starmore . . . yeah, we got to see the actual samples from her new Tudor Roses. Made me feel a little swoony.
As much as I love all the other bits, for me, it’s all about the classes. I taught three days of classes with over 130 AMAZING students. I’m so grateful for their patience and humor and brilliant ideas. We had days of fixing mistakes, blocking, gauge, stripes, and more.
Fixing Mistakes Class
Stripes Class
I had some really special students this year. I had a knitter who had stopped knitting a year ago after making a cowl, and came to get her knitting mojo going again, a great mother and daughter team in my Stripes class (what a supportive mom!), one of my students from Vogue Knitting Seattle who decided to come across the country to Chicago to hang with me again, and so many other really special knitters.
Here’s a brilliant little yarn management solutions from the Stripe class . . . yeah, those are socks
It’s always fun to look at the pictures my students take on my phone. I gave my camera to one student during the blocking class and she took some great shots (and a TON of shots of me making the weirdest faces . . . I’m really facey when I teach). There were some good shots despite her wildly un-photogenic subject.
At the end of the camera after the shots of wet blocking, and steam blocking, after pics of the swatches, of pinning out sweater piece after pictures of me making crazy gestures with one big piece of hair sticking up . . . after all of those there was one more.
It was left as a secret message to me. It was so nice and it’s what all the teachers want to say to all of the students and to the organizers of VK Live.
It was a simple picture that made me smile and took the words right out of my mouth.
So New York, it’s your turn next. VK Live NY will be here in no time (Jan 17 – 19) and I’m launching two brand new classes: Knitting Bag of Tricks and Fix It! Knitwear Alterations and Repairs. I’m particularly excited about the Fix It class, as it includes some of my very favorite knitting magic tricks.
Hope to see you all there!
Fun at Craftsy
- At October 26, 2013
- By Patty Lyons
- In Knitting
- 2
Craftsy
By now, it’s safe to say, that unless you are a knitter that has been living in a bomb shelter, does not believe in computers, or has been frozen in ice, you are familiar with Craftsy classes.
A few months ago, I was lucky enough to get to spent a bit of time in Denver filming some classes. I can’t tell you what they are (yet), as it’s all rather hush hush until they launch. BUT . . . you won’t have long to wait, because they will launch next week! (if you can’t wait to take an online class with me, you can click here to check out my Knitting Daily class)
Filming is a unique experience. The days are long, but fun. There were many things that you don’t think about in your day to day life, that you have to deal with while filming. One is, I’m not really a “hair and make up” gal, so teaching wearing lip gloss was a whole new world for me! The amazing Danica made me look good (I’m convinced she can make anyone look good), so I didn’t have to think about it too much.
Another was the HEAT. Shooting for hours under hot lights didn’t really bother me. Remember, I’ve spent years dressed from head to toe in black in very hot backstages, so a little heat doesn’t wilt this girl . . . but, one unique challenge was when my hands got so sticky that the yarn wouldn’t really feed through my fingers anymore. BTW – great tip for that, alcohol based hand sanitizers, or baby wipes, they dry your hands right out!
There are a lot of differences between teaching live and on film. One thing, is my students aren’t in the room. I know that sounds obvious, but I missed their energy. Luckly the energy of the crew kept me going. They were a funny bunch.
At one point I mentioned that my shooter Jarrod might be purposly trying to startle me with the clapboard (the little thing that folks snap shut when they say “take 104” in the movies). After I did, of course he started to get closer and closer to my face. Here you can see him trying to snap my fingers off!
Discount code!
The nice folks at Craftsy have given me a 50% off sale link to use for my students. If you’d like to get the coupon code for my two classes, add your name to my mailing list by November 15th., and I’ll send you the link!
as they say on Craftsy “see you on the platform”
