June Readers Who Knit: Susan Lutz Kenyon

It’s time to meet our Readers Who Knit for June.  DestiKNITters, meet Susan Lutz Kenyon.

Susan tells me she crocheted this necklace!

Susan, what’s on your needles right now?

I just finished a jacket from Sally Melville’s book, The Purl Stitch.  Using size 13 needles I knit with one boucle yarn and one chenille together.  It was finished a while ago but when I went to sew it together, I noticed a mistake with one sleeve and had to re-knit it. 

What feels like your favorite/greatest knitting accomplishment?

Learning to knit.  I taught myself to crochet in 1967 and am a charter member of Crochet Guild of America.  In 2002 I decided to learn to knit because my aunt, who had knit for me, my children, and grandchildren, was in her 90s. I wanted to show her her legacy would go forward.  Continental knitting works best for me.

What feels like the worst knitting mistake/foible/wrong choice you’ve ever made?

The first sweater I knit was, again, from a Sally Mellville book, The Knit Stitch.  I love the sweater but, according to the pattern, the right and left fronts are each a different length and each is different from the back length.  When I tell people this is the first sweater I knit, they usually say “oooooh” as that explains the uneven lengths.  I feel I should carry a picture of the pattern to show I knit it correctly but I just laugh.

Straight or circular needles?  

Circular

Metal or wood needles? 

Mostly metal but it depends on the yarn.

White chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate? 

White Chocolate

Coffee or tea? 

I drink decaf green tea every morning.  I do like decaf coffee once in a while.

What’s your favorite Allie novel? 

A Heart to Heal.  This book felt personal to me for several reasons.  I have a scar from my knee to my ankle on my left leg from a fire when I was three years old. When I was in elementary school, girls couldn’t wear slacks to school so I was teased.   Currently I knit and crochet for Project Linus servicing kids in crisis. I also started a prayer shawl group at my church.

What are you reading now? 

Girl Three by Tracy March and also All by My Selves by Jeff Dunham who is a very talented ventriloquist.

Do you have a favorite knitting character from a book, movie, or television show (Allie books not included)?

Casting Off by Nicole R. Dickson is a fiction story about a woman who goes to Ireland to research a book on Irish knitting.  The back of the book says it has “characters as complex and beautiful as the Irish sweaters at the heart of the story.”  I absolutely agree.

Give a shout out to your favorite local yarn store:

Three Bags Full

1927 Cherry Lane

Northbrook, IL

www.threebagsfullknittingstudio.com

(The store was featured in this DestiKNITions post if you’d like to know more)

Thanks to DestiKNITions and Cascade Yarns, Susan gets some nice goodies for being featured, including a copy of Saved by the Fireman, a Cascade Totebag, and ten hanks of Cascade 220 in Azalea.  Her friend gets a copy of Bluegrass Courtship, too.  

If you'd like to be featured, send an email to allie@alliepleiter.com for application information.

Lovikka Mittens from Three Bags Full - Done!

Double Digits!

Mittens are so conflicting for me.  They never, ever come out identical, and my control freak nature wars against the injustice.  This is why I prefer to do two-at-once on circ’s--it makes me nuts when they don’t come out exactly like each other.  

Oh, don’t get me wrong, these are close. It’s only the fingertips that really don’t match, but aren’t those the most visual part of any mitten?  Sigh.  And the thumbs, they’re not identical.  Close, but not identical.  

Structurally, I need to reaffirm that these are great mittens.  Nice and snug, warm, well tailored.  

Then, we get to the decorative stitching.  

Let’s just say decorative stitching can never be called a strength of mine.  Granted, this is my first attempt, and I’m reverse-engineering off the product photo, not specific instructions on the pattern.  So, were I not the knitting perfectionist that I am (which is funny, because I’m not a perfectionist in any other area of my life--any psych students want to take a crack at that one?), I could cut myself some slack.  But I don’t.  I want it to look like the photo, not like my handiwork.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, we’re missing the key point here!  There’s something huge to celebrate: there are TWO mittens.  I have a closet of single mittens to attest to the importance of this achievement.  I didn’t make them simultaneously and yet still managed to make both of them!  Hooray!  Given the choice between a perfect single and an imperfect pair, I’ll go with the double digit warmers.  

Next up, we travel to Louisiana...land of alligators, hospitality, and pie.  Ahh.

Lovikka Mittens from Three Bags Full - Day 4

Hands down...

Hands are the tedious part of mittens.  You just chug along until you get to the appropriate point to start the decrease.  Cuffs have the excitement of a newly started project, gussets hold the promise of the thumb, but hands?  Well, they’re just the part between the thumb and the finish line.

Now, in some mittens, this is where your pattern gets to show off.  In last year’s spiffy alpaca models, the hand was a collection of fabulous colorwork.  Here, not so much.  All the action in this pattern lays in the wonderful cuffs.

The nice part here is that you can try the mitten on as you go.  It’s a little goofy looking, but gratifying to know the thumb and fingertips are lining up exactly where you want them.  Custom mittens, if you will.

Next up?  The final structural elements: thumb and fingertips.

Lovikka Mittens from Three Bags Full - Day 3

Mittens aren’t exactly linear.

  

Unlike socks, where the knitter starts at either the top or bottom and just plows on through, Mittens always need a detour for the thumb.  Gusset or set in--I’ve done both--they always mean knitters need to circle back and enclose the thumb.  

This only enforces the basic truth of sock, glove, and mitten knitting:  reaching an end doesn’t mean you’re done.  Either you’ve reached the end of the hand and you’ve got a thumb to go; or worse yet--you’ve finished the left and you’ve still got the right to go.

Which brings me to an embarrassing admission.  I’m not sure how it happened, but in following the directions for a left mitten I somehow ended up with a right.  I think it had to do with how I handled the fingertip end--I don’t like round-ended mittens so I opted to kitchener stitch it up.  I find the kitchner stitch gives the right balance between a pointed/flat mitten tip and the bunchy drawstring approach.  I suspect this foible means I need to be extra careful which stitches I kitchener (is that a verb?) next.

The fit--even if it is snug--is very nice.  A tailored, close-fitting mitten that doesn’t bunch up or make it impossible to grasp your car keys.  Well done!

Two extra bonuses today:

1) "Colin Smith" and "Gina", according to the trusty random math at Random.org, each of you has won a copy of an Erica O’Rourke novel from our February Authors Who Knit feature--please email me at allie [at] alliepleiter [dot] com with your snail mail address so we can arrange for shipment

2) Here, for your viewing pleasure, is a little non-fiber art: a shot of me at the Chicago Auto Show in a car decorated entirely by Sharpie markers.

Lovikka Mittens from Three Bags Full - Day 2

Simply grand...

The mark of a really good pattern designer is that they can take simple skills and wield them for lots of impact.  The cuffs on these mittens are a perfect example.  Knit and purl and the salt and pepper of knitting--as basic as you can get.  Here, however, our designer alternates them, changes direction, and turns them inside out to create a nifty little channel that will hold decorative stitching when we’re done.

It took me a couple of readings--and peering at the photo of the finished object--to realize how all this worked.  Now I’m impressed instead of confused.  Decorative ingenuity aside, this pattern creates a snug cuff, which is something I value in a mitten.  It won’t matter how toasty my fingers are if my wrists are cold and wet.

If you have big hands like mine, you might want to opt for the man’s sizing.  I didn’t, and they’re feeling a little snug (not something I like in mittens).  I’m withholding judgement on how snug until they’re washed and blocked, but I’m making a mental list of mitten-worthy friends for gifting just in case they end up too tight.

They are very wooly without being very scratchy--another high value for me.  I like the feel of this Cascade wool against my bamboo double pointed needles.  A bit on the rustic side (tweedy yarns always feel rustic to me), but with enough style to feel ruggedly artistic rather than woodsy.  Of course, your choice of wool will be the ultimate factor in how they look--I could see these in a black wool with a wildly colored contrast yarn for the stitching.

Next up, I tackle the thumb gusset.  Don't forget, you can still leave a comment (voting for your favorite chocolate) to win one of Erica O'Rourke's books from our February Authors Who Knit episode!

Lovikka Mittens from Three Bags Full - Day 1

Ah, mittens. 

I love them, really I do.  They feel so much friendlier than gloves to me.  Mittens keep our fingers together in cozy codependency, which makes them warmer then gloves, where it’s every digit for themselves.

I must confess, my last pair of mittens--the gorgeous Winter Wonder mitts from FiberWild! was an artistic success, but not a practical one.  Mostly because I’ve never finished the second one.  I need to, because I love them and I’m proud of them.  That mitten’s singularity makes starting this pair from Three Bags Full feel a bit, well, adulterous.  Which is ridiculous.  It’s yarn, not a relationship.  

The whole thing reminds me of this satirical IKEA  commercial:

I admit, I fell for it...feeling sad for a desk lamp left out in the rain.  “You’re crazy--It has no feelings!”  says the guy with the harsh accent. That’s what I keep telling myself as I cast on the cuff of this mitten.  Still, I feel the abandoned mitten’s sad alpaca fuzziness mocking me from the “unfinished projects” drawer.

“You need too much attention” I retort, “I can’t knit you in meetings and busy places.”

If you cared enough to finish what you started, you’d make time, taunts the mitten.

“I want to start these nifty new ones,” I defend.

You felt that way about me once, too, pouts the mitten.

“I’ll get to you, you fibrous nag,” I sneer, ignoring how long it’s been (which is almost a year).

I start rummaging through my circular needle collection to see if I’ve got the right tool to cast on two of these at a time, just to make myself feel better.  Of course, I don’t, and I refuse to let this petulant earlier mitten add unnecessary expense to its current sin of guilting me out.

Honestly people, I need to make more HUMAN friends.

CHICAGO'S NORTH SHORE: Northbrook, IL

Northbrook

We’re going to start off a little southeast of this town, launching our adventure from a small retail nook known as The Shops of Northfield Village Square.  Tucked onto Happ Road just south of Willow Road you’ll find a little collection of shops and eateries that are the kind of places DestiKNITters love best...really good but just off the main path.  Start your day at

Three Tarts Bakery and Cafe

301 South Happ Road

Northfield 60093

847.446.5444 phone

http://www.threetartsbakery.com

Their advertisements claim “everything’s good here,”--and I found it to be true--but their real claim to fame are their decorated sugar cookies.  You can order these moist and tasty works of art in dozens of styles and shapes for a special occasion, or just munch on what’s out for the day (ghosts, in my case).  Half the fun is watching the tutu-clad little girls from the nearby dance studio come in and get a post-class cookie.  Partial to cake as I am, I was impressed by the display and the coconut cake I ordered lived up to its hype.  Good coffee, some actual food should you want nutrition (but why?), and nice seating.

A stroll down the collection of stores will land you some very charming shopping in a nice variety of stores, but don’t forget to look to the north where you can explore a whole different kind of stitch-work:

The Canvasback

1747 Orchard Lane 

Northfield, IL 60093

847-446-4244

http://www.canvasback-needlepoint.com/

I’ve come across many knitters who dabble in needlepoint, or want to. I found this friendly store a welcome place to consider the craft.  A nice selection of classes and a truly helpful staff mean you get excellent service--this store hasn’t been in business for 37 years for nothing.  

When asked for a good first-timer’s project, the staff pointed me toward this lovely small handbag with a removable/changable stitched flap.

When you’re done, keep with our “three” theme and make the 15 minute-or-so drive to today’s fiber stop:

Three Bags Full Knitting Studio

1927 Cherry

Northbrook, Il 60062

847-291-9933

www.threebagsfullknittingstudio.com

Don’t go looking for a big sign--there isn’t one.  I had to call the store even though I discovered I was sitting in the parking lot right in front of it.  Despite its huge size and deceiving retail-ish location, this store manages a homey feel, right down to the couch in front of the fireplace hearth.  

Three Bags Full has grown in each of its three moves, achieving a wide selection for an adventurous clientele.  “I’m out to create more knitters,” owner Lynette Swanson says, and her enormous schedule of classes and the loads of enticing project samples in her store are there to back up that claim.  If you’re looking for what’s new, chances are she’s got it.  Her long pre-store career as a knitting teacher is evident everywhere you look--there are incentives to enhance your skills in every nook and cranny of this store.  

Oh, and did I mention there’s a Starbuck’s only yards away?  Ah, the salted caramel hot chocolate is heavenly this time of year.  Also heavenly are these projects that caught my eye:

Thrum Mitten

It’s hard to come up with a mitten I’d call original, but this one does it.  The kit, which features a knit mitten stuffed with toasty roving that molds to your hand, is available in a riot of colors at the store.  

It looks like it’d never be comfortable, but after poking my hands into one of these, I was hooked.  Or is that needled...

Cool Hemp Ponchette

This asymmetrical garment pairs simple and complex stitch patterns to make a statement beyond the standard scarf.  A versatile pattern, it can be done up in 4 skeins of any DK weight cotton-type yarn.  Not every pattern like this translates as nicely with variegated yarn as with a solid, but this one will, so you can go luxe or casual.  I loved the drape.

Cotton Classic Jumper

How much cuter can you get than this little girl’s dress of Lynette’s own design?  Think of the fun you could have with colors--all it takes is 3 balls of any cotton dk-weight yarn.  Make the little girl in your life one of these, and you could win Grandma of the Year.

Our Knit Along from Three Bags Full:

Lovikka Swedish Thick Wool Mittens

Any dog-owner will tell you a good pair of mittens means the world when you’re out strolling Fido (or Fidette in my case) on a frigid morning.  This pattern by Linda Lutz pairs a sturdy mitten--from Cascade’s “Ecological Wool” 100% Undyed Peruvian Highland Wool--with an artsy cuff by overstitching with Zitron’s Trekking.  If color combining isn’t your strength, get help like I did from a member of the staff so you’re assured a spiffy result.  Lynette advises checking out U-Tube for a video on gusset instructions if you’re new to that technique.  I can’t wait to get started on these.

Lynette’s vote for favorite gadget?  Clover’s Kacha-Kacha stitch counter.  It’s so much fun to say, how you not want to own one?

Now that you’ve fed your fiber appetite, it’s time to meet your gastronomic cravings.  You’ve got three meal choices just outside your door:

Marcello’s

1911 Cherry Lane, Northbrook, IL, 60062

847-498-1500

www.marcellos.com

You can see Marcello’s from Three Bags Full’s window, and the store staff claim their broasted chicken--which you can get six different ways--is “absolutely to die for.”  I love family establishments, and this one’s been pleasing customers since 1947 so I suspect they know their stuff.  If you’ve needing a gluten free pizza, head here.

A quick jump across the street (look for Sunset Foods) will land you at two other options:

Georgie V’s

1139 Church St

(between Cherry Ln & Keystone Ave) 

Northbrook, IL 60062

847-753-9638

Good breakfast and lunch places are always worth finding.  If you managed to miss the apple pancake in Highland Park, this spot boasts a pretty good one, too.  The California Wrap was the Three Bags Full staff recommendation, although several on-line reviews cited outstanding omelettes as well.  No frills and friendly, this is just a good honest neighborhood eatery.

just steps away you’ll find:

Francesca’s North

1145 Church St

(between Cherry Ln & Keystone Ave) 

Northbrook, IL 60062

847-559-0260

More of a dinner spot to Georgie V’s breakfast vibe, we were told the fish of the day is the way to go here.  The menu--mostly classic Italian--changes daily and keeps it’s regular customers coming back.  I met people who said they’d been coming here every week for five and six years--you can’t create that kind of loyalty without hitting the right notes.   

If you’re up here during the summer, I’d top of either your Highland Park or Northbrook adventures with an evening at Ravinia.  In my humble opinion, it is quite simply one of the nation’s most outstanding outdoor concert venues.  Hosting every kind of music, Ravinia takes the cultural picnic dinner to an art form you can barely imagine if you’ve never seen it. Click here to see photos from their most recent “ultimate picnic contest” to see what I mean http://backstage.ravinia.org/ravinia-gallery/rutherford-hill-ultimate-picnic-contest/ One of this area’s prime knitting in public spots...that is until the sun goes down.

Two down, two to go.  Stay tuned, the North Shore treasures just keep on coming.