My afghan needs to cuddle someone. ...a request from Bobbie

Right after the shootings on the Va Tech campus, Bobbie Reich, owner of Ewe Knit Kits & Yarn order 100 skeins of Cascade 220 Superwash in Va Tech colors with the intention of knitting "something". Her something is complete. Here's her request and her pattern:



If you know a Virginia Tech student who lives in the Hampton Roads area and who you think needs to be cuddled, please write a paragraph explaining why and we will be happy to present the afghan to the needy sophomore, junior or senior.

All entries need to be in on or before June 15, 2007. A selection committee will be
appointed to choose one of the students.

We strongly suggest that you consider knitting or crocheting an afghan so that ALL
Virginia Tech students can be cuddled and we can show our support for the harrowing
experience they have had to endure.



Virginia Tech Afghan


Approximately 48”X60”

Yarn: Double strand worsted weight yarn. I used Cascade Superwash in both the VT colors.. 7 skeins each.
Needles: Any size from 10.5 to 13 (40" or higher circular needle). I used 10.75 (because they were handy. The blanket is very dense).

Bottom border: With both colors of yarn (double stranded), cast on 160 stitches. Knit 8 ridges (16 rows).

Row 1 of pattern: Knit 10, *(Purl 20, Knit 20), repeat from *2 more times, Purl 20, Knit 10.
Row 2 of pattern: Knit 10, *(Knit 20, Purl 20), repeat from * 2 more times, Knit 20, Knit 10. Repeat rows 1 and 2 for a total of 20 rows.

Row 21 of pattern: Repeat row 2 of pattern.
Row 22 of pattern, Repeat row 1 of pattern.

Repeat rows 21 and 22 for a total of 20 rows.
Repeat both sets of blocks for a total of 13 blocks.

Top Border: Knit 8 ridges (16 rows). Bind off on the 16th row.

If desiring to change the size of the afghan, increase or decrease by 40 stitches, to retain exact pattern as written.

If using another weight yarn, please do a gauge and figure a good size: For example: If you get 4 stitches to the inch and you want 50 inches wide, that would be 200 stitches.








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10 or so things....

1. This is Nixon. Nixon stayed with us while his parents were on vacation. I guess you could say he was on vacation too.

2. Nixon and Bailey after walking 1.5 miles and then chasing each other around the sofa They were like this for almost 3 hours.

3. I bought an MP3 player. A cheap one. Lots of memory. 200 songs loaded and just 1/2 full. It's expandable too.

4. Just put a hold on 3 of the 6 Harry Potter books on CD at the Library. I'd like to reread them but need to get some knitting done for a November show.

5. 3/4 of the way finished with the blanket for my soon to be born great nephew. Pictures will come when it's complete. Right now it's a big white thing.

6. A small white thing is my summer Pi...aka Arlyn. Pictures would show a small white thing. People ask if it's a hat. I'm on the 48 rows 244 stitches section.

7. I love free breakfast. These came in the newspaper yesterday.

8. Need to purchase more memory for my MP3 player. See #4.

9. Overheard at the B&N Cafe: Mother of a 4ish year old to her friend with a toddler and infant. "He's getting a chocolate cookie and hot chocolate. I'm getting him hopped up for story time."

10. Chesapeake Jubilee is winding down. Think mini state fair. Held in the city park about a mile or so from my house. Country bands all weekend, fireworks last night.

11. Blogger auto saves now...cool!

12. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had saved the fact that senior discount at Regal Theaters was 55. I was wrong. (Pout) I could've saved some money this summer.

13. Where is the senior discount age at 55?

14. I have to renew my drivers license by this July. New picture after 10 years. How should I fix my hair? What should I wear? I mean it's gotta look undated for another 10 years!

15. This is one cool needlework book.

16. Bought Charmed Knits. Have knit both house hats from stash yarns.

Maryland Sheep & Wool May 5, 2007

The Guild sponsored a bus to MS&W and on Saturday 28 knitters left eNorfolk at 6:00 a.m. still a little sleepy. After a short stop in Newport News to pick up 2 more knitters we were off down I64. (There was another stop for biscuits and coffee at Hardee's). Arrived at the road leading to the fair grounds at 11:15 and finally parked at 11:45. We wasted no time!

The hills are alive with the promise of yaaarrnnnnn!!!!




One really nice perk in taking the bus is the parking near the entrance.


We don't have to fight this parking lot. (click on the picture to enlarge and see just a small bit of the parking lot)


The face of a first time sheep and wool festival goer as she aproaches the front gate.

I didn't get to taste Fried Twinkies, but I can tell you Ribbon Chips are fantastic!



A few animals on the hoof....


And off the hoof.....

Kiki and I shopped together. She bought Golding and Journey drop spindles and enough roving to keep her busy spinning until next year. We both bought MS&W caps. We're both short and it was a great way to find one another in the crowds.

"I must buy a broom "



A little music .........


...........and alot of yarn!

I missed lunch with the KR'ers, but caught up with Shelia From NY, Marfa and Jen at Jen's Spirit Trail Fiberworks booth. I also purchased some beautiful lace merino from Jen. And I ran into Lissa.

Stopped and spoke with Tilli Thomas. She showed us the samples of the wool/beaded yarn and a few of the pattens that will be out this fall. Wait until you see it felted!!!

My must find list had 3 items: Morehouse Farms, EZ Workshop and Spirit Trail Fiberworks.

I picked up a few lace wt kits from Morehouse Farms. Love their yarns, and buying the kits you get the pattern for free.

EZ I found at YarnBarn.

And some gorgeous lace wt Merino from Jen.

Walking to the Broom vendor we passed Tess's Designer Yarns. First time the crowd was thin enough to look. I found lace wt in 3 shades of pinks. My first thought was that it will become a wide "Mary" but now I'm not so sure. Maybe another pattern could be in the works.

At 4:00 Kiki and I went back to the bus and dropped off 4 hours of shopping, changed shoes, snacked on a few bites of Terry's Potatoes, grabbed a sweater and went back to see what we missed. The crowds had thinned a bit. Kiki purchased a bit more roving from Spirit Trail Fiberworks and I debated on the purchase of a sheep mask (decided it was just one more thing to dust).

We left the fair grounds at 6:00pm, stopped at Cracker Barrel for a quick dinner and back in the parking lot at midnight. It was a fantastic day!

My purchases: Morehouse Farms, Spirit Trail, Tess's all lace weight! and EZ's Workbook.

All good things come to an end

I'm afraid it's over Interweave Knits. We must end our relationship......

I first saw you on the magazine rack at the Borders in San Francisco.

You know the one I would walk to each Monday evening after flying in from the east coast and working until 6:00 PST which was 9:00pm EST and since I had been up since 4:00am EST I needed that time to unwind. I'd check in at the Grand Hyatt (usually a room above floor 8 that had "16" as the last numbers), unpack, walk across the street to Lori's Diner to have a burger or scrambled eggs, then armed with a chocolate milkshake (with the whipped cream in a seperate cup becuase they didn't have cups big enough to put it in) head over to Border's (isn't that a great store front?) Three stories of books, magazines, music, movies and coffee.

And one night in the Fall of 2001, there you were. Your cover called my name. Page after page of knitting patterns the like I'd never seen. I couldn't wait to get you back to the hotel room and read you cover to cover.

You see I was just getting "into" knitting. I mean I always knitted, but never with the fever that had hit me that September. And you articles, your advertising, your pictures and patterns....I read you cover to cover. Every turn of the page brought a new surprise and always one more pattern. The layouts were what I wanted, needed. Warm and cozy. And over the months until the next issue you're what I tucked into my briefcase to take with me on those long cross country flights. I'd read you over and over.

And at Guild meetings, when members bring in their magazine stash to "share", I push and shove old ladies out of the way to get to your older issues. (hanging my head in shame...naw...they've got canes they could've used)

Oh sure, there were other magazines. But they were to flip through and see if a pattern caught my eye. Too flashy and shinny for me. To steel and cold for me. No warm and cozy feelings there.

And IK, it's been that way ever since that first day.........well ever since the Spring of 2007 when you changed your format. I remember turing the pages looking for those surprises in the back pages. Nope, nothing there.

But, I decided to wait. Give the change time to sink in. And now after the second issue of change, I'm pretty sure it's over. No warm and cozy feelings drifted from your pages as I eagerly flipped through you. Just sterile pictures like the others.

I'm am sad it has to end IK. It was a good few years. But the subscription will end. You will be flipped through at Ewe Knit Kits & Yarn and decision to take you home will be made.

"My Favorite Shawl" ..........

..............is now available at Ewe Knit Kits & Yarn and The Knitting Vault and it can be knit from your stash!