Trying to boost my popularity.....

So a couple of sites that promote my free patterns are having a contest.  All I have to do is post links to their site and they will promote my blog and site.  So I am posting here and at my business site:

www.stitchingforewe.com

I am also adding these sites to the favorites at the side because they truly are great sites to find patterns.

The first is:

They have featured several of my patterns and there are quite a few great patterns organized by type for you there.

The next site is:

For those of you who don't knit, this site has plenty of other crafts for you to enjoy.

So if you are crafty, check out one or both of these sites.  I'm sure you'll find something that you will enjoy!



Finally sharing South East Men's Knitting Retreat

So as I am trying to slow down just a bit I thought it would be nice to share the details of the first annual South East Men's Knitting Retreat.  If you are unfamiliar with these retreats, please visit the site for Men's Knitting Retreats.  You will find lots of info, pics, and reasons why these wonderful retreats were started.
I shall first start with the Venue.  I searched the internet for a few months before deciding on Asbury Hills Retreat Center.  I will give you a scenery sneak peak:

The Center was just above Greenville, SC in the mountains.  To say it was beautiful is an understatement.  I have more pictures and I will put a link to the album at the end of this post.
Many had arrived when I got to the center (I got stuck in traffic in Greenville) and were ready to check in.  This is the view inside our "Cabins":

Cabin was not the word I would have used.  These were very nice lodges with mini-kitchens, hotel style bedrooms each with its own full bath, and a wonderful seating area (plus a flat screen tv and dvd player!).









Some rooms were private, and others could accommodate up to 3.  They were lovely well kept rooms.









Friday:
The first evening, after a wonderful meal, I hosted the "I'm dyeing to meet you workshop."  We all were given mini hanks of yarn to dye in crock pots courtesy of Sheila Trunzo at "Wool 2 Dye 4."  We used  unsweetened drink mix to create lovely hanks of blue, green, orange, and red mini hanks.  Doug even dyed his hank green and red variegated.  After the workshop we retreated to some living quarters to knit and talk together.

Saturday: 
The center treated us to a wonderful breakfast buffet, after which we started class with Steve Tracewell.  Steve took the morning to teach us toe up socks, magic loop style with a fleegle heel.

This took most of the morning and we had a great mexican buffet lunch.  We needed it after learning for 3 hours about socks. 

After lunch we loaded up in several cars and headed to North Woods Farm and Yarn Shop.  The owners Teri and Larry Gabric treated us to a tour of their Mill, Farm, and Yarn Shop.  They were very gracious hosts and I learned a great deal about fiber, spinning, machines and more.  Even with the proper equipment, a great deal of work goes into the production of a great yarn. 

We returned to the Retreat center for dinner and yet another class.  This one was my foray into Fair Isle.  We practiced knitting a swatch in Fair Isle and how to manage 2 yarns, trap the yarn, and carry it so it is not too tight. 
We then had show and tell.  Here is a preview:

After class we enjoyed knitting and a movie in the "lodge". 

Sunday:
Such a short weekend!  :(   We had another great breakfast and then were treated to a lesson in Twined Knitting by Charles Gandy.  I can safely say I need a lot of practice and maybe a few more lessons.  The results are gorgeous. 

We said our goodbyes and all headed back home just before lunch.  I am very geared up for this year to be even more fun!

To see more pics click here:  SEMKR 2012 Photo Album

My friend Joseph also took pics:  Joseph's Album

Way too long....

I know you are probably wondering where has Small Town Knit Guy been? 

Why have his blog posts been so few and far between? 

I am going to try to answer these questions and elaborate on the past 5 months over the next few blog posts.  To start with here is a question for you:

Have you seen one of these?

Or one of these?

If you knit or crochet chances are you probably have.  I have been "tangled up" in the latest scarf craze.  On November 17, 2011, my wife and I took all our knit and crochet "wares" to the annual Bazaar at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Ahoskie, NC.
Since then we have had non-stop orders for scarves, baby buntings, baby sweaters, and more.  Our "on the side" business has made us enough money to attend a weekend Knitting Retreat and purchase the kind of yarn with which we like to knit things for ourselves.  We have also started our own website:
Stitching for Ewe .  We have been teaching regularly and I have not designed anything in months. (I still have several ideas in my head, I just have to get them down on paper.)  There have also been several other things going on. 

In November I coordinated the first ever South East Men's Knitting Retreat.  I plan to write about those three wonderful days over the next week to let you all know what a wonderful time we had and to share pictures.

So between knitting orders for people, teaching, knitting very little for myself, and working my full time job, I almost forgot about this blog.  I hope this will help me get back to my blogging.

Next week is Easter/Spring Break for those of us who chose to be teachers.  I am hoping to get in a lot of knitting, blogging, and designing while I am resting and taking a week off.  If you get some time off, I hope you enjoy it immensely and check out our new website above. 

I'll return soon with an entry about the SEMKR (South East Men's Knitting Retreat).


Take some time to knit today.