As part of the BlogHer shenanigans in New York City last weekend, the kind folks at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia held a cocktail reception for a few hundred bloggers and Martha fans. I piled into a taxi with my new pals Unlikely Mama and Working Mom Fence and headed off to the MSLO building.

Having just pressed a quilt top for one of my bee quilts, I know that this seam-flattening trick isn’t well-known. If you’ve ever sewn a four-patch and always pressed to the dark side in both steps, you know how quickly that seam gets bulky. The 5 layers of fabric can turn into a hard nub that will break needles when you try to quilt over it later. I had a look around online and while there’s one or two references to this trick, there are not many clear photos to show the beauty of it. This works for 4-patches, 9 patches and anywhere you’re joining a whack of squares where you don’t want a bulky seam allowance.)

A few weeks ago Bestitched mentioned an exchange she had with a coworker about a handknit skirt she was wearing. The coworker sneered something along the lines of, “aren’t you just the sweetest in your homemade clothes.”

You know how it seems like it’s been FOREVER since I posted about knitting? I mean, really really posted about knitting? Not just a swatch or a stash enhancement? Truth is, I’ve been knitting. A tonne. And I’ve been working with designers. And patterns. And tech editors. And the inimitable Stitchy McYarnpants.
Behold, Knitting it Old School!
It’s up for pre-order on Amazon now, so we can finally let the cat outta the bag. Lookit! Lookit!

Stitchy and I made a book! And it’s GORGEOUS.
I’ll end up gushing about it a lot over the …

And heaven was in Port Ludlow, WA.

You know how Stephanie and Tina have been organizing those knitting retreats in Port Ludlow? Ok, maybe you didn’t know, so I’ll tell you now. They planned an entire weekend for 45 of us to learn about silk. Knitting, dyeing and spinning with silk. Three glorious days on the Olympic Peninsula. We had the entire hotel to ourselves. It was ah-may-zing.