Save Your Chakras and step away from the needles!

Oh dear, something has gone terribly wrong here... [collective deep breath]  Put your needles down for now and go do something fun.

~Lisa

Passing Along the Passion

Some years I vow to become the World's Most Selfish Knitter, to only ever again knit for myself. When this feeling overtakes me, if I stop to examine it for a few moments, I figure out pretty quickly what's going on. Usually it means that I've had a few too many requests, or I've taken it upon myself (without being asked) to make a few too many gifts for others. And it also probably means that I've been hankering to sink my needles into a sweater for me, and each new gift I stop to make-- great or small-- is coming between me and that sweater.

In truth, I actually like knitting for others. But as the Yarn Harlot pointed out many years ago, it's pretty important to only knit things for people who actually appreciate your efforts. And you can tell the difference very quickly between people who aren't duly impressed and those who are so thrilled to be on the receiving end of handknits that likely they will wear your gift even in the summer. 

Toward that end, there's a pair of young sisters here in Austin for whom I've been knitting since before they were born. Literally. I made them each their first handknit caps. And then, when the elder outgrew hers, her mother sent me a very funny picture of little Annabelle, her head crammed into the cap, with a note saying that, no rush or anything, but A's brain was getting squished and might I knit another, larger hat for her?

That next hat because a reward for potty training, of all things. It was pink and had kitty cat ears and was a major hit. So when I ran into Annabelle at a dinner party recently, and she asked if I would please make her another hat, how could I refuse? 

This time, we really had some fun. Since Annabelle is four, she knows how to make choices. She very decisively told me that she wanted a lemon hat, with arms and legs and eyes and a smile. I promised her she could come along to the knit shop with me to pick out the yarn. So she and I and her mom and her little sister made an adventure of it, the little one rooting through baskets of yarn and tossing them about, and Annabelle focused on her task. We scored some super lemony yellow yarn.

Next step-- I asked Annabelle to sketch just what she had in mind. The photo her mom sent me of the sketch is, as you can see, priceless. After some consulting with the mom-unit about how much liberty I might take, I have come up with a plan. At the very top of this post, my youngest child, Rebound, is modeling the actual hat. You can't tell in the picture, but it comes to a lemony point at the top. 

Now, I am making i-cord arms and legs. I went hunting for sew-on googly eyes to no avail. I did find some doll eyes, but I'm realizing now if I attach them it's going to make the inside of the hat uncomfortable. So I think I'll sew on the eyes and the smile, and hope that Annabelle agrees that I have brought her vision to life.

After that, I'll whip up a nice orange hat for her sister-- must always give gifts to both girls (as a middle child, I know this better than anyone). And then I'll get back to the socks I was making for me. And hopefully I can squeeze in a sweater or two before the girls outgrow these hats. 

I'm thrilled they appreciate my efforts and though it's a long way off, I'm already imagining making them sweaters of their own for when they ship off to fancy New England colleges, fifteen or so years from now. 

And you? For whom do you knit? And what? Have you had any ridiculous requests? I want to hear. 

Chakra Can! A Free Pattern for a Lovely Pillow Set

Hi Y’all,

We are just thrilled—both the Monhegan Island Knitting and Yoga Retreat and the Vermont Retreat are just about full. We can’t wait to see you and the way this year is whizzing by, it won’t be long now before we join forces to knit and stretch and hike and eat amazing food together.

In the meanwhile, because you can never have enough knitting projects, Lisa has a gift for you—a free pattern for her Chakra Pillow Set. The pattern is below. Please note that you can use any yarn that offers rainbow color choices, just remember to adjust to the proper needle size. Depending on if you bump up or down, of course the pillows will follow suit, winding up a little bigger or smaller. But that’s the lovely thing about knitting pillows vs. a fitted garment—pillows are great fit no matter the size.

See ya soonish!

Spike

Chakra Pillow Set

Seven stackable pillows in graduated sizes

Nashua Handknits Julia, 50 gr balls

A Geranium (6085) - red

B Orange (0121) - orange

C Golden Honey (2163) - yellow

D Spring Green (5185) - green

E Bright Blue (4037) - blue

F Midnight Blue (6416) - indigo

G Purple Basil (3158) - violet

Needles

Size 7 (4.5mm) needles.

Tapestry needle

Cable needle

Sewing needle

Notions

½ yd cotton fine weave muslin, natural color

Flax seed

Various herbs and crystals (see below for ingredients), optional

Sewing thread to match fabric

Gauge

20 sts and 24 rows to 4 inches (10cm)

Special Instructions

Wrap & turn (w&t):

RS: Slip next stitch purlwise, yf, slip st back to lefthand needle, yb; turn work over and work row.

WS: Slip next stitch purlwise, yb, slip st back to lefthand needle, yf; turn work over and work row.

Note on yarns:

Any natural fiber yarn can be used for this project as long as it coordinates with the indicated colors of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Needle size would be determined by yarn choice and actual pillow sizes would vary depending upon the gauge of the chosen yarn.

Pillows

Beginning with the red pillow working in color A, read pattern instructions thus to coordinate each individually sized pillow with its special color:

A (B, C, D, E, F, G).

Work the following repeat 5 times for each size pillow. Repeat is complete when * is reached in instructions. At this point begin a new repeat.

Cast on 17(15, 14, 12, 11, 9, 8) stitches.

Row 1 P12(11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6) sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts,

cast-on 12(11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6) sts.

Row 2 K12(11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6) sts, P5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, K2, w&t.

Row 3 P2 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, P2 sts, w&t.

Row 4 K2 sts, P5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, K3 sts, w&t.

Row 5 P3 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, P3 sts, w&t.

Row 6 K3 sts, P5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, K4 sts, w&t.

Row 7 P4 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts sts, P4, w&t.

Row 8 K4 sts, P5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, K5 sts, w&t.

Row 9 P5 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, P5 sts, w&t.

Row 10 K5 sts, P5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, K6 sts, w&t.

Row 11 P6 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, 2) sts, P6 sts, w&t.

Row 12 K6 sts, P5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, *) sts, K7 sts, w&t.

Row 13 P7 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, 2, *) sts, P7 sts, w&t.

Row 14 K7 sts, P5(4, 4, 3, 3, *, *) sts, K8 sts, w&t.

Row 15 P8 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, 3, *, *) sts, P8 sts, w&t.

Row 16 K8 sts, P5(4, 4, 3, *, *, *) sts, K9 sts, w&t.

Row 17 P9 sts, K5(4, 4, 3, *, *, *) sts, P9 sts, w&t.

Row 18 K9 sts, P5(4, 4, *, *, *, *) sts, K10 sts, w&t.

Row 19 P10 sts, K5(4, 4, *, *, *, *) sts, P10 sts, w&t.

Row 20 K10 sts, P5(4, *, *, *, *, *) sts, K11 sts, w&t.

Row 21 P11 sts, K5(*, *, *, *, *, *) sts, P11 sts, w&t.

Row 22 K11 sts, P5(*, *, *, *, *, *) sts.

Fabric Filler pillows

After completing each individual pillow, place the flattened knitted piece on top of cotton fabric and trace outline of pillow onto fabric with a pencil. Cut out 2 traced circular shapes. With matching cotton thread sew fabric pieces together with a stitch small enough to prevent flax seed from slipping through seams. Leave a ¼” seam allowance and a 1” opening for filling fabric pouch.

Fill fabric pouch with flax seed until it is firm but not hard packed. Optional filler items such as herbs, crystals, or essential oils (see list below) can be added now if desired. Carefully sew closed opening to pouch and trim loose threads.

Finishing

After creating fabric filler pillow, carefully stuff inside knitted pillow covering and close seam using a Mattress or reversed Kitchener stitch, tapestry needle and matching yarn.

Additional, optional Pillow Fillings: Each pillow is designed to coordinate with each of the 7 chakras in both size and color. In addition to the flax seed filling, there are other ingredients that may be added to the fillings of each pillow which are also associated with the various chakras.

Below is a list with its special significance and coordinating crystals, and herbs or oils. Select any or all of the items listed below to personalize your own pillow set.

Crown chakra (violet): Connection and alignment with source, sense of being guided in life. Amethyst, diamond; lotus, lavender, rosewood

Third eye chakra (indigo): Intuition, inner knowing, vision of desire. Lapis, blue sapphire; star anise, camphor, patchouli

Throat chakra (blue): Individuality, manifesting the voice and ones personal truth. Turquoise, lapis lazuli; frankincence, tea tree, cypress

Heart chakra (green): Self love, wholeness, love of the heart.emerald. Rose quartz; lavender, rose, eucalyptus

Solar plexus chakra (yellow): Self will, boundaries, self reliance. Amber, topaz; peppermint, lemon grass

Sacral chakra (orange):. Creativity, self acceptance. Carnelian, coral; gardenia, rose, jasmine, bergamont

Root chakra (red): Strengthen presence in the world, grounding, soothing anxieties. Ruby, garnet; cedar, clary sage, rosemary

Just a Quick Howdy and a Little Reminder-- We're Almost Sold Out!

I am well known for showing up to the retreat with some of my kookier knitted creations. Can you guess what this is?

Hello Everyone,

Hope this note finds you super happy and knitting up a storm. I'm just here today to tell you that we are getting close to full for our 2012 retreats on Monhegan Island and in Vermont! If you haven't signed up yet, may I gently encourage you to run don't walk over to Knitting and Yoga Adventures main website and SIGN UP! Oh boy are we going to have a swell time.

Just how inspirational is the trip? Well I've been on the Maine jaunt several times, and honestly hardly a day passes when I don't imagine myself back on the island. Last year, I even took my man there for a little vacation and we had such a super time that I just finished the first draft of a book I wrote all about what Monhegan Island does for me-- which, as noted, is enough to fill a book.

In the meanwhile, as we count down the days, I'm down here in Texas, having more fun with yarn than should be legal. And now, a few pictures for your enjoyment.

This is Kelley Deal from the Breeders. Her band R. Ring played at a party I hosted in Austin, at Hill Country Weavers, during our massive SXSW music festival. Kelley is a big knitter.

We gave away supplies so folks could knit Kelley some mic stand cozies.

I had friends in town from Paris/NY for SXSW and I taught them to knit, too. I just can't stop myself!

Because Knitting Is Everywhere...

Oh knitting, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways! How much do I think about knitting y'all? Pretty much all the time. And my love of the craft is so well-known among my friends that they assist me in my constant knitting thinking.

For example, I was visiting my friend Doris Ann the other day. I hadn't seen her in ages. I walk in and she excitedly tells me she's got something to show me. Then she disappears into her room and comes back out with this amazing hand knitted red sweater. I love the pattern, I love the weight of it, I LOVE the color of it. She tells me her husband, Bart, found it for her IN A THRIFT STORE!

Okay, who sends knitting like that to a thrift store? I think. But before I can get irked with this person I'll never know, I console myself with the thought that at least Bart and Doris Ann found it, and that now it is in a home where it will be appreciated forevermore.

Does this make me dorky? That all of my adventures, including tea time with friends, somehow tie into knitting? OF COURSE NOT!! (Or should I say OF COURSE KNOT!!) One of the ten million things I love about my knitting habit is that no matter where I am in the world, all I have to do it look around me for evidence of the pervasive power of knitting. I've even got my man joining in on this spot-the-knitting game, too. More than once he's leaned over to me at a dinner party and said something along the lines of, "Say, isn't that a cabled sweater that woman is wearing?"

I also love knowing that if I need some instant friends when I'm traveling, I need only pop into the local knit shop. This I did recently. I was on a short jaunt to Houston, a few hours from my home in Austin. I'd been to a really cute knit shop down there a year or so before-- it's called Knitting in the Loop. I decided to pop back in and when I arrived, I discovered they had moved-- but not far, just to the building next door. The MUCH BIGGER space next door.

I walked in and a half-dozen knitters looked up from their spots on overstuffed couches and chairs and grinned at me. And I grinned right back. We were all in our happy place and we took a moment to savor our shared secret with knowing smiles.

I don't think I really knew, when I picked up the needles back in 2000, just what a big world would open up for me. But in the past dozen years, I'm not exaggerating when I say that knitting has totally changed the way I see the world, and the way I travel. Everything gets viewed through knitter's eyes now, and I have to say I love the perspective.

And then, there is our trip to Monhegan Island, which is like this super-concentrated dose of Knitter Happiness for me. On the island I'm one of the ones on the couch, looking up and grinning whenever someone walks in the door of Monhegan House and peeks over to see what "that group of ladies" is laughing about. Me? I'm laughing in large part because my everyday knitting joy is compounded exponentially on the trip, thanks to being in the company of others just like me-- fanatics who can't go five feet without noting something that reminds them of knitting.

A Gift You Can Bank On

Here's something that I predict will surprise absolutely none of you: I knit pretty constantly. My hunch is that you probably do, too. This never ending knitting passion of mine elicits ongoing, full-spectrum remarks from friends and family. I hear comments ranging from, "Will you knit me a sweater?" to "It's rude to knit at the dinner table!" and everything in between. Once, I was listening to our local NPR station-- I do some commentary for them-- and I heard the morning DJ talking about me and how "Every time I see that woman she's KNITTING!"

Guilty as charged!

One plus side of having such an out-in-the-open pastime is that it nets me lots of great knit-related gifts. For example: I gave some little friends of mine a drop spindle, they sent me back a ball of homespun. Every Christmas-- though I insist on no gifts-- I always wind up with at least a couple of gift certificates for my favorite yarn store. And for my recent birthday, a good friend of mine gave me the little bank you see pictured above. Isn't that hilarious? I laugh every time I look at it.

Last night, I was hosting a dinner party, and my partner, Ori, was jokingly "bemoaning" how I drag him to knit stores around the country. Truth is, he doesn't really mind. Like the rest of my inner-circle, he knows that the fastest way to make me happy is to do something knit-related with me or for me.

So all this has me thinking-- going on the Knitting and Yoga Adventures retreats is this magnificent gift we give to ourselves. I so look forward to Monhegan Island that the minute we finish one retreat, I have the next one blocked off in my calendar. In one short week (that, thanks to island time, feels luxuriously long) I totally recharge my batteries, stretch my mind and body, and just feel so much better about life. Then, when I get back to civilization, everyone who has the benefit of coming into contact with me-- from the guy sitting next to me on the plane to my four dogs waiting at home for my return-- benefits a thousandfold. I mean, it is a win-win-win-win-WIN situation.

Which is all my way of saying-- if you've been thinking about attending but haven't quite decided yet, please consider this: sure, sure, it's a gift you give yourself. But really, it is the gift that keeps on giving and everyone you know will be so happy you went.

For more information on the Maine and Vermont retreats, just check out the website.

Spike

p.s. I'm working on a knitted yoga mat bag in preparation. How about you?

Shhhh... It's Quiet Time...

Hi Everyone,

Since some of you are new to this blog, let me introduce myself. I'm Spike and I live, write, and worship dogs in Austin, TX. I'm also lucky enough to be part of Lisa's retreat Knitting and Yoga Adventure team. My jobs on retreat: 1. blog about our daily adventures 2. dress in a manner that makes everyone feel better about their own fashion choices 3. provide fodder for evening fireside chuckle sessions.

When we're not on retreat, I post updates over here just to remind you why you really should come away with us to Monhegan Island in September, and Vermont in November. I can list a million reasons all by myself, but this week I want to share with you someone else's thoughts. Because Lisa and I both really enjoyed an article in last Sunday's New York Times called The Joy of Quiet. The author, Pico Iyer, explores the wonders of unplugging, stepping away from all the screens that seem to rule our lives, and just... well, being quiet for awhile. He points out that some people will pay truly unbelievable sums to be ushered to places where they can escape not only the busyness of other people, but the busyness of electronic devices.

It's a great story and guess what? While we truly appreciate Iyer writing it, really this wasn't news to us. Because one of the great things about Knitting and Yoga Adventures is that you can be as absolutely unplugged as you'd like. Sure, sure-- if you insist you can use the Monhegan House wireless. And if you're willing to hike to the cemetery and stand atop the highest tombstone at a particular hour of the day you might even get a phone signal (not to worry-- Monhegan House has a good old-fashioned landline just in case).

But if you want a chance to know what it feels like to not drive, to just sit, or-- if you prefer-- to hike out into the woods and then breathe deeply on a massive rock cliff overlooking the sun's diamond light skittering across the Atlantic Ocean below... well guess what? We have got a retreat for you!

Something I love about arriving on the island and showing up for the first night's briefing: Lisa will remind us all that we don't have to follow rules. You don't have to clean your room or make your bed. You can attend as many knitting sessions and yoga classes as you want. You can go on as many hikes as you like. But also, if you want to just chill, wander off alone for a spell, sleep in late, have some meditative solo moments? These are all options, too.

So check out the article. And imagine this-- imagine an adventure that is the best of both worlds. You'll get community, hilarity, and late night laughter if you please. You'll also get quiet sunrises and peaceful sunsets. I'm getting so simultaneously calm and excited thinking about it all that I might just have to show up a week early an stay a week after the fact. I mean, trust me-- Monhegan is Magnificent. And soon, I'll tell you more about Vermont.

For more information and to reserve your spot on one or both of our Knitting and Yoga Adventures, please visit our website.

See you on the island!

Spike