For the past few years, right before Christmas, I have made a habit of asking Kris this question:  “So, would you like to go up to Pittsburgh to see a hockey game for your birthday?” My question is usually answered with a sigh – not because he doesn’t want to go to see our FAVORITE HOCKEY TEAM ever, but because we usually have some other obligation on the plate.  However, this year, in an unprecedented move, he actually answered YES!  And I was so happy about it – since his birthday is the day after Christmas, we rarely do anything special to celebrate it.  Plans usually involve eating leftovers and laziness… this year, we did a little bit of shopping with the family, then we came home and packed the overnight bag in order to head up to Pittsburgh the next morning!

I offered to drive the four hours up to western Pennsylvania, but Kris laughed it off and said “You need to work on my sweater, remember?” Of course, that made me happy because I would much rather knit than drive… so, we took the scenic route, stopping for some lunch and enjoying the beautiful views of the Allegheny mountains.  We got to our hotel and were absolutely thrilled to see that we had a *perfect* view of the arena!  We donned our Penguins gear and were off to see our team play at the famed “Igloo”!

Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Montreal Canadiens game – 12.27.08

I wish I had photos of the inside of the arena, but evidently cameras with big lenses are verboten.  They told me that they would have to confiscate it because it is longer than 3 inches. I tried to get Kris to take it and re-enter with a different security guard… no such luck…  So, I ran back to the hotel room to drop it off – luckily the hotel was right across the street and we were back in time for the pre-game warmup.  I SO wish that I had brought the smaller lens so that I could have something to show of the game!  Wouldn’t you know that this was the night that we had the most incredible seats?  we could see the players’ faces! (and what fine faces they are!)  The Penguins played a great game, but ended up losing to Montreal 3-2.  I was hoping that our presence would be the good luck charm that they needed… despite the loss, we enjoyed the game immensely.

We woke up on Sunday morning with a plan:  see a few designated spots in Pittsburgh before we had to head home.  My priorities quickly fell to 1) FOOD and 2) YARN.  So, we found some great vegan-friendly eateries to check out…

Quiet Storm is a vegetarian coffeehouse with loads of vegan options.  The staff was friendly and the menu was eclectic – Sunday brunch is a good time to check it out.  Included on their menu was a list of all of the local producers of their food and their wares – even down to the tables and chairs inside the cafe.  It was great to see that level of sustainable commitment.  They had so many different kinds of coffee and tea brews – I had a delicious orange spice tea and the vegan breakfast burrito.  Kris tried the frittata (with eggs) and fresh OJ. 

Next stop was Coco’s Cupcake Cafe for a little treat for the road trip back home… I cheated a bit on my diet with the sugars and gluten in the cupcake, but I didn’t have to worry about the vegan choice – Coco’s offers several “regular” cupcakes as well as many vegan options of cupcakes and brownies.  I got the vegan Vanilla Mint, one of their holiday specials, and Kris got the Chocolate Bliss cupcake. They offered vegan Red Velvet as well as several vegetarian options (buttercream frosting with sprinkles at left). There were just so many options at the shop, it was hard to decide! It was a great cafe.

…and it just so happened that on our way out of town, located right next the interstate highway, was Pittsburgh’s premiere yarn shop, Knit One. I swear, I couldn’t have planned it better.  We got there right as the doors were opening and were welcomed by Julie, who hadn’t even turned the lights on yet (but the door was open!).  A few minutes later, I recognized Lizzytish from Ravelry come into the shop… nice to see you! The shop was huge and filled with so many lovely yarns, books, and knit samples.  Kris even spotted some of my favorite yarns and said “Oh, come over and see this!” And while I oohed and ahhed and felt my way through the shop, Kris shot some photos…

As he was snapping away, he even caught me in a jawdropping moment when I realized that one of the lovely yarns that I was feeling was actually 30% off… so, the lovely Simply Shetland Silk and Wool yarn – 246 yards per skein for $7.00 each – came home with me.  There were several skeins of the lovely Craignish colorway – a green/brown/rust blend – in the cubby hole, so I put them right into my basket.  It was just too perfect.  Oh yes, I have some options for this yarn too.  I am thinking they would be perfect for one of Connie’s Interweave Knits patterns…the one that first came to mind was the Henley Perfected from Winter 2007 issue.  Just a thought for now…

Oh Pittsburgh! you are a great city.  I look forward to visiting you again very soon!

[See the whole Pittsburgh photoset here!]

I look back at Friday and I think just how much I learned in two days. It feels like an initiation in a way: like a new language that I have been given the key to… words and concepts that did not quite make sense to me before are now true forms in my mind. I now understand what treadling is, how to read a draft, how heddles work, and how to warp a loom; all such foreign concepts only three days ago.

Morning walk near The Mannings

It started with a drive up to Pennsylvania… E met me at my house, and we drove together. I drove and she knit socks while we talked about our excitement for the upcoming weekend. We took a leisurely drive to The Mannings, stopping at the yarn shop and then stopping for dinner. We arrived at the school and got set up for the night (you can stay on the premises with the owners if you are taking classes). It would have been possible to actually stay at home and drive up the next morning, but E and I agreed that staying there would help with the whole immersion part of the weekend – it truly felt like a getaway where we could focus on the art and practice of weaving.

The studio at The Mannings has dozens of looms for workshops and demos – it is fascinating to look at the construction of the looms and how each manufacturer differs. There were floor looms and a few tabletop looms, and by the afternoon of the first day, we each had a loom to use, and a project to work on. We spent a large part of the morning learning about all of the preparation – undoubtedly the most complicated part of the process – and preparing our warps. We chose kits that we already cut to length, but we still learned the process of using the warping board, measuring your yarn/thread, and how to determine the technicalities like “ends per inch” and “picks per inch”, which in theory are so very similar to the knitter’s preparation for projects: finding the right gauge, yardage, etc.

There were two kinds of kits available for students to use for their first woven scarf: E and I both chose the wool kits – Harrisville Shetland Tweed 2 ply and Mountain Colors Mountain Goat for the warp and weft. Many of the other students chose a nice cotton kit with Brown Sheep Cotton Fine and a pretty novelty beaded rayon thread. E chose a beautiful red/rust colored colorway, while I chose deep purples, indigos, and blacks.

E and me “slaying our reed”, not as gruesome as it sounds

There are so many processes involved with weaving, and taking the photos really helped solidify the steps in my mind. The slaying of the reed, and threading the heddles are the most time-consuming part, although I did find pleasure in these seemingly mindless preparation tasks – they are simple and repetitive motions that you can completely immerse yourself in. I kept on thinking how nice it would be to have a good audiobook to listen to while I was doing it!

…and finally, after all of the warping was finished, we could start the real weaving!

We went to dinner and came back to weave “after hours”. We stayed at the studio until about 10pm, when we returned back to the room and rehashed everything we had learned. E practiced a drafting diagram in our textbook while I read through complementary copies of Interweave’s Handwoven magazine: it was clear that we were both hooked! I was hoping to fit some knitting in, but my eyes got pretty heavy, and E reported that I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

We woke up early on Day Two and were excited about learning how to finish our day one knitting (cutting it off the loom, knotting a fringe, and washing). The finishing measures are equally important in weaving as they are in knitting: a sloppy finished weave can mess up a beautiful woven piece. As the pieces were drying after a dunk in some conditioner and warm water, we began prepping for our second project.

The looms for day two were pre-warped, which made a huge time difference. The warp was a nice perle cotton in ivory and brown, and we we chose the colors for the weft. The project was designed to teach beginning weavers about twills. We learned the basic concepts and the importance of treadles (which are so similar to pedals on a piano or organ) and how they can be used to change the designs of the weave.

We were all amazed at the beautiful work that came out of this sampler – and how each one looked so different due to the colors we chose. I went with a beautiful light brown with a pink sheen. I wanted something neutral and subtle, and I was very pleased with how it looked after a few rows of weaving and beating.

Linda’s sampler in orange

Weaving is a beautiful rhythm: when you get going on a piece, it feels like time just stops and it is just you and the loom, shuttle and thread in hand. As we were working, the studio fell silent, and it was a peaceful time. We were all progressing and learning right there. Within a short time – no more than three hours – we had beautiful samplers. The same patterns, but so different with the colors represented.

…I could definitely get used to this feeling…

I did not come home with a loom, but I am shopping. I have some space constraints, but I also want something that I will really use. The true testament to the durability of the looms came when Carol, the owner of The Mannings, told me that the loom I used on day one had seen hundreds of students’ hands (and their mistakes) and was still working beautifully after 23 years. That particular loom seemed like a great fit – E was on a similar loom, and she agreed. Now I just need to find one… Although I didn’t come home with a loom, I did pick up some other goodies, and of course, I brought home TWO handwoven pieces that are my real pride and joy.

…and you can see all of that in tomorrow’s post…