KAN:2 - Getting Worked Up!

I know I have been a little silent - I have been wanting to keep the KAN teaser up for as long as possible - but I have soooo much to blog about & annoyingly so little time!  The good news is I have now finalised the workshops for KAN:2 & I am really excited to have 10 workshops confirmed across a wide variety of topics.  I just have a few last details ironed out, but for those who want to get their planning in place this is where I am so far....

James in last years Persion Poppies workshop

KAN:2 - Knit August Nights

Knitters Retreat in Historic Hawkes Bay

August 26th – 28th 2011

Hosted at Napiers iconic East Pier situated at the entrance of historic Port Ahuriri. Like any waterfront location Ahuriri is a vibrant village overflowing with cafes, bars, galleries, deli’s & Napier most famous landmark, the Art Deco Rothmans Building. The K.A.N:2 venue has unimpeded views onto Hawkes Bay & sits adjacent to the Harbour View Motor Lodge.

K.A.N Registrations are now open.

Email Maree for a Registration Form

‘Merino’ registration is $130 pp
This includes: Access to exclusive Traders Market, ONE workshop, Design Spun factory Tour & Skeinz shop visit, access for free knit time at East Pier, public traders market & a KAN goodie bag.

‘Alpaca’ registration is $200 pp
This includes: Access to exclusive Traders Market, TWO workshops, Design Spun factory tour & Skeinz shop visit, access for free knit time at East Pier, public traders market & a KAN goodie bag. PLUS the KAN Retreat Dinner & Awards on Saturday Night. East Pier is a landmark Napier Eatery & will be providing a three course dinner designed especially for KAN (drinks own care).

‘Cashmere’ registration is $230 pp
This includes: Access to exclusive Traders Market, THREE workshops, access for free knit time at East Pier, public traders market & a KAN goodie bag. PLUS the KAN Retreat Dinner & Awards on Saturday Night. East Pier is a landmark Napier Eatery & will be providing a three course dinner designed especially for KAN (drinks own care).

Accomodation

KAN’s preferred accommodation provider is Harbour View Motor Lodge. Call toll free 0800 668 432 or http://www.harbourview.co.nz/ – Hosts George & Zoe.

This year I am encouraging retreat goers to arrange their own accommodation. I have a number of rooms set aside for Retreat goers at discounted rates – these are booked under ‘Maree’s Knitters’. I am setting up an accommodation thread on the Ravelry KAN group for people to arrange their own roomies, prices & room configurations will be there. If you get stuck, email me & I will help get you placed with other retreaters.

Other accommodation options within walking distance from the venue.
The Crown Hotel – 06 833 8300 or www.thecrownnapier.co.nz
Portside Inn & Backpackers – 06 833 7292
Anchorage Motor Lodge – 0800 422 266 or www.anchorage.net.nz
Bluewater Hotel – 06 835 8668 or www.bluewaterhotel.co.nz
Also check out www.holidayhomes.co.nz & enter ‘Ahuriri’ into your search.

Ahuriri is located close by to the airport. Average taxi fare is $15 there is also a Napier based Super Shuttle http://www.supershuttle.co.nz/

KAN:2 Workshops

Friday Afternoon 3pm – 5.30/6pm

Mastering Entrelac - Susan Hagedorn will be demystifying this alluring style, Entrelac is a knitting technique that creates a stunning textured plaited or diamond patterns. Entrelac can be knitted flat or in the round, often using colour or textured stitches to create different patterns and effects. This workshop will introduce the method of knitting squares and triangles in different orientations to make textured fabric. The technique can be adapted for use in garments, blankets, bags and accessories. Skills required for this Entrelac Workshop are ability to k2tog, p2tog and pick up stitches knitwise and purlwise. Ideal for advanced beginners upwards.

Getting set from the Top Down -  Turn traditions on their head when you learn how to master top-down seamless set-in sleeve construction. Seen more and more, a technique that is a revelation to your knitting style once mastered.  Morag  McKenzie is one of NZ’s most accomplished tutors & the owner of Vintage Purls yarn boutique.  This workshop is excellent for people who have started working in the round & want to expand the technique or those budding designers who want to sharpen up on the hottest design trend of the last few years. Knit a mini jersey that gives you all the skills to translate into a garment for yourself.  Get the right fit and never sew in a sleeve again. Intermediate – Experienced knitters.

It’s Hip to be Square - Nanette Cormack from Yarnz works her magic with colour & translates modular quilting ideas into knitting. A great workshop if you love colour and have plenty of unused stash to transform into something wonderful. This workshop is very satisfying as the techniques are easy to learn & you can achieve a great deal in a short time. You just need to know how to knit, purl - great for beginners upwards.

Saturday Morning 10am – 12.00/12.30pm

Discover Area 51 - Nanette will give you the chance to clear out those UFO’s & help motivate you to complete them or redesign them into something new. She will help inspire & guide you around online searches & other resources. This is the perfect time to dig out those project bags gathering dust & reinvigorate them, or alternatively if you have yarn burning a hole in your stash but struggling to find an ideal pattern this is the session for you. A very relaxed low key session, knit, chat, search, brainstorm all over some coffee & cake. – Beginners upwards.

Knitting with Unspun Fibre - Why should the spinners have all the fun?! Beautiful handyed spinning fibres can be used as yarn, and the knitting can then be stabilised by felting. Learn how to prepare hand dyed top for knitting, make a project or two and take away a piece of knitting ready to felt. We will also explore knitting with silk hankies. The tutor will provide: 115g merino top, a silk hanky and full instructions and patterns for you to take away. Extra fibre will also be available for purchase. You need to bring: 10mm needles (80+cm circular if possible), darning needle, scissors. About the Tutor - By day Jessicah works in a microbiology lab, by night she hand dyes fibre and yarn in her home studio as Spinning a Yarn. She can usually be found surrounded by multiple projects in various stages of completion.

Knit to Fit - Sick & tired of starting a large project, especially for yourself, toiling away for months only to finish it & be completely disappointed by the results! This is the workshop for you, after a couple of hours here you can feel confident in: Finding patterns to suit different body types. Explore examples of what a pattern fails to tell you. How & why patterns will not fit & making the necessary adjustments so that it will!
Lyn Adell’s passion for knitwear shows in her creations. Read & see more of Lyn Adells creations here at her website. Beginners Upwards.

Saturday Afternoon 3pm – 5.30/6.00pm

Drop Spindling - Hot from Homemade in Wellington, Frances Stachl will take her very popular Drop spindling tutorial. Learn this ancient technique that will have you make yarn right before your eyes. She will be bringing some of her stunning hand crafted spindles to KAN - works of art on their own! You’ll need to book quickly for this tutorial, interest is already very hot! – All skill levels.

Seeing Double - James Herbison will take you through the technique of knitting with two strands to create a reversible contrasting fabric - a wonderful technique to master for scarves, hats, wraps, bags, anything that you would like to have fully reversible. James will challenge you to stretch the boundaries for colour & design – James is a fun vibrant tutor, the hours will fly by! – Advanced Beginners upwards.

It’s a Wrap! – Hand knitted shawls & wraps are one of the most popular accessories in fashion today.  Morag McKenzie will take you through traditional shapes (e.g. triangles, squares and circles) and other constructions. Examine how to fit stitch patterns into a chosen shape and the pros and cons of each. You'll learn the skills to build your own patterns and advice on the best yarn selection, stitch patterning & finishing for your vision.  Intermediate upwards.

Getting the Chop - Norwegian Steeking with Stella Lange. Imagine taking a pair of sharp pointy scissors and cutting into your hand knitting! Most hand knitting here in New Zealand is knit to shape using printed patterns as guides, but not all knitters shape their knitting that way. Many people shape their hand knitting by cutting, folding, neatening and picking up stitches. This is called Norwegian Steeking and is what we will be doing in this workshop. Yes cutting your first steek is at once exciting, scary, terrifying and full of danger – and some would say a rite of passage for any adventurous knitter. This workshop invites you to steek and finish samples using only the knitting tools you already have in your knit kit, yarn, darning needle, knitting needle, crochet hook, scissors. You will steek one knit sample and create two edges, finish one as a folded facing and the other with a knit on edging. During the class we will look at the various methods used to construct a steek and finish it in a garment, as well as ways of using steeks in general knit projects. Stella is a lecturer in Otago who is best known to Ravelers as knitfrogknit. She can be found musing away on her very entertaining blog - KAN:2 is very excited to be luring Stella so far north!

The Sunday Knitters Market


On Sunday morning (9am – 12pm) KAN will open to the public for a Sunday Knit Market. This will be extensively promoted through local media & retail outlets. We would love to have you take part. Stands are only $40 each & we provide one trestle table & a couple of chairs. Last year we saw hundreds of knitters flow through & plenty of traders going home with empty cases! Email Maree if you're interested.
I hope to have my very own KAN website up & running soon, so please bear with me if not all payment options are available immediately, but I know as many have to travel, it's good to get organized as early as possible.

KAN:2 - Knit August Nights Two

Genny Stevens aka GrannyG hosts her very popular workshop at last years KAN.

I have been busy ferriting away in the background on the second Knit August Nights bespoke knitters retreat.  So far it looks like there will be 8 workshops to choose from, traders galore for the private retreat traders market on Friday & the public Knitters Market on Sunday.

KAN:2

Knit August Nights 2

August 26th – 28th 2011

East Pier, Ahuriri, Napier

Join Ravelry Group ‘Knit August Nights’ or email Maree  to register your interest.

Just a hint at what was available at the knitters market.

A chance to knit, learn & meet other knitterly individuals all whilst enjoying the delights of Art Deco Napier. Hosted in one of the most historic suburbs, Ahuriri, Knit August Nights is part retreat, part learning & part Winter escape. Spaces are very limited, so make sure you express your interest with Maree. So far eight workshops are planned, with a factory mill tour & a chance to shop at Skeinz – NZ largest mill factory store. All culminating it a knitters market open to the public Sunday morning. If you have items to sell at the market or wish to attend the retreat make sure you email Maree today.

KAN:2 is proud to have the support of...

Skeinz - The Natural Yarn Store

Vintage Purls - Sock yarn & premium accessories

Entangled - digital magazine (available soon)

JOY - Joy of Yarn Sock Boutique

Sir Bob?

February 22nd was my fathers 69th birthday.  A day to remember. A day to rejoice, unless you live in Christchurch.  Unless you have been living in a cave for the past month you will be away of the devastating 6.3 magnitude aftershock that struck Christchurch on Feb. 22nd. It terrorised those who were in it & paralysed the rest of the country as we took a deep breath & anxiously waited for the dust to start settling.

The constant figurehead through this crisis has been mayor Bob Parker.  Day after day, hour after hour in those first few harrowing weeks it was Bob facing up to the media furore, marshaling his troops & trying to bring news, peace & closure the best he could to his shattered city.  Everyday that enduring figure of silver hair & trademark black & orange jacket met the world.  His years of media training stood him in good stead, his strength, clarity & compassion bolstered us all.

So what I propose is this - a message to John Key, when you are compiling the names for the Queens Birthday honours list, put Bob at the top of the list.  I know there have been many hero's during this crisis, shining examples of individuals & communities coming together, but if there is one man how shines above them all, it's Bob - or please, Sir Bob.

Deco Delights

We got a great view of the airshow!

Napier hosts a world famous Art Deco festival every year.  Thousands from around New Zealand & the world come to Napier to be transported back in time, a world of cutting edge style, colour & cars.

With all the upheaval in our family in February we had no plans this year for 'deco', but we got a stunning airshow clearly visible from our back deck.

The best way to show you the magic of 'deco' is pictorially - the full series of pictures can be found here  - enjoy!



Just mesmerising!



Hugo's determined to 'shoot 'em down'!

Crikey - Did Hugo hit one?

Watch out below!

Deco belle's enjoying the sunshine.

This Art Deco is hot work for Max.

Vintage Deco

Friends Jill & Naomi - Just beautiful.

Perendale Paradise.

Yesterday I took the boys' for a wee adventure.  I had a small photography assignment to do for a friend's new digital magazine.  She needed pictures of sheep.  Not just any sheep mind, Perendales.  As my friend is sadly city bound, I was only too eager to help.  But where to find Perendales?  Easy right? - Wrong!

Just Lovely Girls

It appears that the majority of woolly lovelies you see nibbling, frolicking  & bleating their happy existences, are a cross breed of one variety or another, little bastards are bloody everywhere.  So I donned my detective hat & called the local Elders Wool office (my Dad works for Elders in Gisborne & is well known by the locals here), which pointed me in the direction of the Doohan Brothers farm. Serious dedicated wool growers who only run Perendales - bullseye! (or should that be Rams-eye?)

Steve was a star, he has a small flock of 4 year old ewes that he brought down into his yards, which had a couple of small outside holding paddocks off the side, making it much easier to get the shots I needed.  Perendales are very astute, they will look you dead in the eye & if they don't want to do something, they won't.  Not adverse to being stroppy & challenging to work, but they make for great subjects to shoot - photographically that is.  Just a quick note on Steve too, he's a real sheepish romantic.  When I called to set the meeting up it was Feb. 14th, Valentines Day.  Where was Steve?  His wife had to let me know I couldn't talk to Steve, he was putting the 'Ram out to the Ewe's' - whoever said romance in NZ sheep farmers was dead.

Raw Perendale Fleece at the Mill

The boys' were entranced. "Sheeps Mummy" squealed Hugo. 

"What to sheeeep dooooo?" asks Louis.
"We shear the sheep & take off all their wool so Mummy's work can then making it into yarn for Mummy's knitting"
"Oh" ponders Louis "You make Louis a jumpers from these sheep Mummy"
Oh to cute!



After a little magic in the mill - all ready for the needles



On the needles and others stuff.

I am still ploughing my way through the Ombre shrug.  Now that I had the moment of clarity around my fundamental cock up in the back, I have frogged back & picked it up again & it is looking much better.  I am one slipper down on the pair to warm Mum's toes this Winter - so not been completely idle - just bloody slow.
 However it has been pretty rough time for Dr. Phil & I over the last three weeks.  Firstly Dr. Phil lost his younger brother very suddenly & unexpectedly.  It has been horrific for his parents & investigations into his death at this stage are still ongoing.  Also Louis first couple of weeks at school were not the smooth transition that any of us had hoped for.  So the decision has been made to return Louis to pre-school for another 6 months to help further ready him for being a big school boy.  He's actually really relieved, whilst he loved 'Big Boys school', he confided in his pre-school teacher that it was 'really hard & they try to make him eat food he doesn't like' - not easy for a wee man who is the fussiest eater on the planet & the school provides the meals.  That's boys' for you! I am just hoping that the family gets a gentler few months ahead -we could use the break.

An Englishman in..... Napier

Dr. Phil & I were one of the lucky twenty five thousand fans that saw Sting perform his final concert of the Symphonicity world tour.  The Napier Mission concert is an international event in itself & this year was no exception.

I am a HUGE Sting fan, so it was going to be hard for good old Gordan not to produce a show that I would absolutely love, but even as a bias one eyed fan, this concert was something truly special.  Backed by the NZSO, Sting payed a collection of his greatest hits from his Police & solo careers.  Now if you were going just to hear him trot out his Police hits, you would have been disappointed, however if you own the Fields of Gold album you would have herad stunning renditions of almost all the songs from this album, plus the back stories behind what inspired him to write them - gold, pure gold.

First Day.

Louis looks so handsome in his school uniform.



Louis had his first day at 'big boys' school' this week.  He was jumping out of his skin with excitement.  I can't believe how quickly it has come around & I am confident my new school boy will thrive.  He's had a few hiccups, like all new entrants.  But when I ask him what the best part about school is he emphatically announces 'All of it!'



On the needles...

I have completed the Hitchhiker & am thrilled with the result.  I am just waiting for the steamy weather here to subside so I can wear it.  I am also still boxing on with teh Ombre Shrug.  I have to admit I am 'losing the love' for the shrug, but I have come so far that I am going to box on & complete it.  I am seriously concerned at how it will fit & am hoping that after blocking it will improve.  Hoping.

I have also been doing a little bit of guest blogging, checkout my Ahuriri Ample post on Granny G's blog, in the meantime I have boys' to referee, I a fanciful notion that I might get some knitting in this afternoon.