Posts filed under 'Classes and workshops'
I am loving Spring and enjoying Nora’s lovely blogs on her new book: Noni Flowers. Yes, those flowers in the picture above are knitted!. Aren’t they lovely? We have been enjoying looking at the book – it’s one of those books that one wants to buy for the coffee table first. It’s beautiful and I spent an indulgent afternoon reading it cover to cover and dreaming about making all those flowers.
We are thrilled to announce that Nora is coming back to Nine Rubies in August 2012 to teach a workshop based on her book. We are one of only two locations on the West Coast that Nora will be coming to this year.
This is an intensive two-day workshop on learning how to make flowers and once you have the hang of this, to go on to pick/design the flowers that you would like to grace the accessory of your choice – Nora calls these canvases. A cowl needs a decorative element to make it special for the person who is getting it as a gift – the canvas is the cowl and you get to pick(make) the flowers. The canvas can be a felted bag, a sweater, a cap… The possibilites are endless. I think I am going to take Nora literally and use a real canvas. In her book, she has examples of projects that you could do: the first is putting flowers at the end of a shawl to make it a little more special.
Or for a more dramatic look, try this awesome cowl with dramatic sumflowers. I feel like I am drinking coffee in Provence when I look at this.
On the first day of the workshop, you will learn to make flowers using knitted elements, wire, beads and all the other little things that you might need. On the second day, you will learn to design and make the specific flowers you will use for your canvas. Come join us for this wonderful workshop on Saturday, August 25th and Sunday, August 26th.
For more details on the workshop, see the classes page on our website.
May 3rd, 2012
This is a new version of this blog post. A previous version of this blog got mistakenly deleted because of technical idiocy. It’s a re-creation of the original and not the original itself – there are differences.
And then there are the samples that Sudha makes. She like the challenging ones because she thinks they are all easy, so easy. The latest one she just finished is Alchemy’s Waterfall Scarf. She chose different colors than the ones in the original. These colors in this scarf were originally chosen by the fabulous rep for Alchemy yarns – Jan Hurwitz. The scarf is knit up with two materials – wool and silk and then felted. Because the wool and silk will felt at different rates – the scarf gets a fluttery look and feel.This felting technique is called Shibori.
This pattern was inspired by the Wisdom Wrap also designed by Gina Wilde. Look at the projects for this pattern on Ravelry and you will get a better feel for the felting and fluttery look of this scarf. Keep in mind that Sudha’s scarf is very lightly felted and she is planning to felt it a little more when she has a bit more time.
The Waterfall Scarf pattern uses 3 colors of the Alchemy Silken Straw and 1 color of Alchemy Sanctuary. The Silken Straw like the name implies is a the pure silk yarn and Sanctuary is the wool which is used for the i-cord dividing the silken straw rectangles. Very unusual yarns from a local supplier – we love their yarns and colors.
The fabulous Jan, who introduced us to the Alchemy yarns, is teaching the Shibori workshop at Nine Rubies! She will get you started on making the Waterfall Scarf or the Magician’s Scarf. Sudha knit up a sample for the store and you can see the stunning results. In Suhda’s version she ended up using most of the yarn. This is what she had left:
Make this your own by picking the colors that you think would work best for you – see the available colors on our website. And come join the class on Shibori Knitting with Jan on April 21st. For more details check out the class schedule on our website.
March 28th, 2012
A scene from last year's double knitting workshop
Come on over to Nine Rubies for our free staff-led workshops! A great addition to this year’s line-up is a reprise workshop on Thursdays during the afternoon – great for those customers of ours who can’t get out of the house on evenings.
The following is our schedule as we have it now, although it is subject to change (this will be the place where we will change it, so bookmark this post if you like). All Wednesday workshops occur from 7pm-8pm, and Thursday workshops will be held from 2pm-3pm. Stop on by and learn a new skill and catch up with fellow knitters!
October 12, 2011: Lace Squares
You’ll be learning a simple lace pattern suitable to beginners and creating a square for the Palo Alto Veteran’s Hospital Charity Blanket. Bring US 7 needles and about 100 yards of Worsted Weight yarn.
October 19th & 20th: Splicing Yarn
Need to join a new ball of yarn to a project in process? Learn various methods of splicing yarn with Christina. Bring scrap wool yarn, sharp tapestry needle, and scissors.
October 26th & 27th: Multiple Cast On Methods
Learn a variety of casting on methods for every occasion with Christina. Bring 2 contrasting colors of smooth worsted weight yarn and size US 7, 8 or 9 needles.
November 2nd & 3rd: Hexapuffs
Everyone is crazy about the Beekeeper’s Quilt by Tiny Owl! It’s a great way to use up leftover bits of sock yarn and you end up with a warm and cozy quilt for the winter. You’ll be addicted in no time! Get started with Saloni. Participants should buy the pattern beforehand, or we’ll help you buy it via Ravelry at the shop. Bring fingering weight yarn and US 4 double-pointed needles.
November 9th & 10th: 3-Needle Bindoff Once you learn this technique, you’ll be using it for everything. It’s a great way to join two pieces of knitting invisibly! Learn with Saloni. Bring two stitch swatches still on the needles and a third needle of the same size or slightly larger.
November 16th & 17th: Introduction to Toy Knitting
We will be knitting a ball and stuffing it to learn the basics of toy knitting.
October 11th, 2011
