Knitters Gather in Aberdeen

The "Knitters, Etc" group has been meeting monthly in Aberdeen for close to 10 years. We're grateful to have a wonderful place to gather: the Red Rooster Coffee House on Main Street. Owned by Dan and Kileen Cleberg, the Red Rooster is a sponsor of art and creativity in Aberdeen, a place where all can gather and be welcomed.

Here's Dan, ready to put out some more fresh fair-trade coffee.

It seems there's always a special spirit of community and joy when we gather at Christmas. Every eye got a bit misty when Kathi Taylor shared that her newest book would be dedicated to our group. It's been inspiring to see Kathi's creativity and productivity as she prepares her felting and knitting books for publication.

Kathy modeled this beautiful hand-knit sweater, all made from her handspun. What fabulous colors!

LaRheta and Cassie worked together for years and retired together. Their minds are still on the same wavelength:

We had a good laugh when we heard how they downloaded the same embroidery pattern and made these sweatshirts without the other one knowing!

At every "Knitters, Etc." meeting we have Show and Tell,to share recent projects and ideas. Here, Jean and Karen admire Roberta's work on a prayer shawl.

Spinning with Tiny Tim

My two spinning wheels are both by Majacraft: the Pollyanna and the Tiny Tim. Both are discontinued models, but continue to serve me well with their compact size, next-to-nothing maintenance, and effortless spinning.

Here's the Tiny Tim. It folds over
and has a handle at the top for easy carrying.

Last night was a "finish-up" night for some spinning projects:
plying and setting the twist.
For plying, I use the jumbo plying bobbin and "Wild Flyer"on the left.

Here are the 5 skeins plied last night,
rinsed and weighed down with towels to set the twist.

The yarns are spun from hand-dyed Falkland top.

The two skeins on the left
are plied with variegated quilting thread,

the other three with Crystal Palace Kid Merino.

Crazy for Cowls

I just wanted simple, mindless, big-needle knitting for our Thanksgiving drives to and from Minnesota.


Erica- Knits Chunky Knit Cowl Pattern got me going. It was fun to try different yarns and combinations. With each project, I made a few tweaks to the pattern, adding some ribbing and making the cowl a bit snugger around the neck. My version of the pattern is below, following photos of several cowls. Enjoy!

Yum! Baby alpaca and angora

Betty's handspun with mohair curls

Arucania Lumari: wool, alpaca, silk

Laines du Nord Giglio: Wool, viscose, acrylic



Black Forest Naturwolle Handspun


Rowan Cashsoft and Crystal Palace Kid Merino

Betty’s Bulky Knit Cowl

(based on Erica-Knits Chunky Knit Cowl Pattern)

Yarn: 115 yards of super-bulky yarn, or combination of yarns to attain gauge

Needles: size 17, 24-inch circular

Gauge: 2 stitches/inch

Loosely cast on 60 stitches, join.

Rows 1-2: Knit even

Row 3: For an edge with minimal rolling, purl around; otherwise knit even around

Rows 4-10: Knit even

Row 11: *Knit 3, knit 2 together* around

Rows 12-20: Knit even

Row 21: *Knit 3, knit 2 together* around, ending knit 3

Row 22: Knit 2 together, purl 1, then *knit 1, purl 1* around

Rows 23-32: *Knit 1, purl 1* around

Rows 33- 48: Knit even (adjust length with more or less rows, as desired)

Cast off loosely.

Cowl may be worn as a neckwarmer or pulled up over head as a hood.