Final Days
While others get frantic about cyber-Monday sales (or not), I’m feverishly working to get last minute knitting and organizing products for my last craft show of the year.
NJ and PA Readers
The gratitude and appreciation I have for the loyal supporters of my blog is more than I could possibly acknowledge. Just know that you all are represented well by the local followers of QueerJoe with the folks who come out to see me at local craft shows.
I am not one of those professional crafters who do shows all year long and travel far and wide to do so. I choose only high-end shows that are within 20 miles of where I live, so this year (and last year), I only ended up doing two shows each year.
Asking a favor…
Can folks who know people in the NJ and Eastern PA areas please go to the page for my upcoming show, and “Like” the page and “Share” the page with anyone you think might be interested?
The show takes place in a beautiful old river mill complex that is maintained by a local historical foundation. Shoppers walk around huge old wooden gears and grist mill equipment and at the same time get to see some of the finest local artisans and craftspeople in the Hunterdon County, NJ and Bucks County, PA area.
The Page for the event is here on Facebook –
<a href=”https://www.facebook.com/PMFCandAS/”;https://www.facebook.com/PMFCandAS/</a>
The Event (where you can RSVP or indicate interest in attending is here –
<a href=”https://www.facebook.com/events/126457998062370/”;https://www.facebook.com/events/126457998062370/</a>
Thank you all in advance for any support you can throw my way…it is very much appreciated!
The photo above represents my knitting production for the month of November…3 shawls, four scarves and a hat. I’m hopeful to have another couple of hats and one more scarf finished before this upcoming weekend! Wish me luck.
Readers’ Questions/Comments
Annec writes: “A question about the Indian cross-stitch: why do you slip the sts knitwise from the left needle to the right? Does the resulting twist help with maintaining the length of each st? (I finished a shawl that included this pattern st and the double-wrapped sts were slipped purlwise)
When I slip the 8 stitches knit-wise, and then knit those stitches, it puts a twist into the elongated stitches that minimally changes the length of the stitch, but mostly it’s done so that the stitches hold the cross-over a little bit more firmly. In my experience, slipping the stitches purl-wise allows the loose/long stitches to worm out of place more easily and the extra twist holds them a bit more snugly into place. Either way works just fine.
Current Knitting
In one weekend, I was able to bang out another Knitted Cross Stitch Scarf, start a new linen stitch scarf, start a new Maypole hat and knit up a swatch to help a friend.
The latest Cross Stitch Scarf is a bit brighter than most of my other work…the teals and peaches in it, give it almost a Southwestern feel, and while I would never wear this colorway, I am quite pleased with how it came out.
This swatch is a pattern stitch called Dandelion Stitch. It was made to support a botanist friend who is doing a lecture on dandelions. She has dozens of examples of where dandelions are represented in ways other than just the flower itself, so I suggested she knit this stitch as an example. When she asked me to knit it, I was thrilled to do it and have my knitting be a part of a botany professor’s lecture on some about which she is an expert.