• Where Are the Designers of Tomorrow?
• From the Prairie to the Big Woods
• How I Spent My Summer Vacation
• The Yarn Garden Knit Shop
• The New Designer on the Block
• Magpie Yarn Shop

The New Designer on the Block

One designer I met was Nancy Rieck, who has been designing for quite some time on her own. Her Web site is KnittingGourmet.com. Nancy practically bubbles with enthusiasm for all things knitting/food related, and she’s contagious in the nicest way!

Design called Summer Wild Oats.

While I was in the shop, she modeled many of the samples for the patterns you can see on her Web site, and they are clearly the works of a master knitter. She has been perfecting concepts for knitting from the top down in her designs and has some intriguing options for increases which blew me away in their originality. I hope to have one of her designs in the future for Creative Knitting magazine to bring you her fresh take on what’s new in knitting.

Meanwhile, the patterns for sale on her site are things you might enjoy. I especially liked her Blue Skies and Summer Wild Oats tops. The first features carefully placed patterning, so the neckline is quite pretty. The second is knit with beads to further embellish a very flattering pattern. Her design 4Joy uses techniques for cabling which may be new to you too. Sleeve options are plentiful as these are knit-down; you may make your own most-flattering style. Just be sure to purchase more yarn if you desire a longer version!

Thursday afternoon found me at Yarn Garden again, this time to sit and knit with the self-titled Underground Knitters. They have yarn totes emblazoned with their group name to prove their status too! You can see that tote proudly held by Catherine on the lower right.

From left to right: Nancy Rieck, Mady Hardy, Sharon Murphy, Lamanda Rhodes, Catherine Ponn and Pilar Grace. I hope Sharon will forgive me for catching her with her eyes closed in the only photo I have of this group!