Thanks to everyone who played and shared their memories of Budapest. A gorgeous place – though it was almost 100 degrees while we were there. Whew. Quite a thing for a gal used to Portland!

Now let’s play some more Where in the World is Emilyshmemily!!!!

Here are the rules (note slightly different from last week!):

• If we’re friends and you actually straight up know where I am, sit on your hands and give someone else a chance.


• The prizes are pretty rad (I think). A crafty souvenir from this place AND a copy of the pattern in question. I’ll even pay for slow as molasses shipping if you live in the US or Canada. (When I get back to the States!)
• First person to post on this blog post with the correct answers to all of the questions below wins the prize!

Name the city I’m in, the *specific* monument and *specific* spot/title of this part of it that I’m at, and what is wrong with my BSJ in the photos below!

I had to tear out quite a bit of my BSJ… Can you spot the reason why? (Just saying I don’t pay enough attention doesn’t count!) Even if you haven’t worked this pattern you could be able to see why. I don’t need a specific line number – just the basic description is fine. Note that you can click on the pics to see a bigger version.

I’ll be back next week with another photo and another chance to win something cool.

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Courtney and Ann were both super close, too, though, so I’m going to send them some free Twisted patterns, cuz it was a pretty hard quiz. To the winners – please email me (emily at twistedpdx dot com) so we can get you your prizes!

Now let’s play some more Where in the World is Emilyshmemily!!!!

Here are the rules (note slightly different from last week!):

• If we’re friends and you actually straight up know where I am, sit on your hands and give someone else a chance.


• Also, since I’m leaving soon for somewhere else, I won’t be back to moderate for about a week. So keep guessing until then!
• The prizes are pretty rad (I think). A crafty souvenir from this place AND a copy of the pattern in question. I’ll even pay for slow as molasses shipping if you live in the US or Canada.
• First person to post on this blog post with the correct answers to both of the questions below wins the prize!

Name the city and knitting pattern in the photos below!

Both photos show the same city. Note that you can click on the pics to see a bigger version.

I’ll be back next week with another photo and another chance to win something cool.

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Well, it’s time to play Where in the World is Emilyshmemily!!!!

Here are the rules:

• If we’re friends and you actually straight up know where I am, sit on your hands and give someone else a chance.


• Also, since I’m leaving tomorrow for somewhere else, I won’t be back to moderate for about a week. So keep guessing until then!
• The prizes are pretty rad (I think). A really neat, crafty souvenir from this place AND a unit of the yarn in question. I’ll even pay for slow as molasses shipping if you live in the US or Canada.
• First person to post on this blog post with the answers to all three of the questions below wins the prize!

Name the city, monument, and yarn in the photo below!

I’ll be back next week with another photo and another chance to win something cool.

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ANYWHO, yesterday everyone’s favorite Twisted teacher/intellectual property lawyer/my friend Parna joined us! She talked about copyright law – both why/how not to infringe and how to protect yourself against infringement. Lord knows I’m a nerd, but I think this stuff is fascinating. Parna also talks about the classes she’s teaching this weekend at the Black Sheep Gathering (which her boyfriend says sounds like something vaguely occult) down in Eugene.

ANYWHO, check out yesterday’s episode here!

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This hat is worked from the earflap cords up to the crown. The earflaps are knit separately, left live, then joined together by casting on stitches for the rest of the hat. The secret to its perfect fit is a longer front brim than back and short rows in the earflaps. Sure to keep you toasty warm even on an all night train ride. (Ask me how I know…)

Buy a hard copy from our online store, or download it from Ravelry.

Yarn: 130 (150) yards worsted weight yarn. Regular earflaps show in Dream in Color Classy color Chinatown Apple (100% superwash merino, 250 yards/100 gram hank). Optional longer earflaps shown in Berroco Blackstone Tweed color #2647 (65% wool/25% mohair/10% angora, 130 yards/50 gram ball).

Gauge: 4.5 sts = 1″ in stocking stitch.

Needles: US 8 (5mm) double pointed needles and 16” circular needle.

Notions: Stitch marker, cable needle.

Sizes: Regular [Large]
Regular fits 22″ or smaller heads, 20” finished circumference (130 yds)
Large fits 22” or larger heads, 21.5” finished circumference (150 yds)

Please note these are printed patterns – not the finished object! For electronic versions of any of these patterns, please check out ravelry.com

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(photo by Bettie Newell)

Handmade in Portland is full of fantastic how-to’s (customized embroidery, ice cream cupcakes, crayons, interchangeable bra straps), interviews, events, and in general mad PDX flavor.

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She finished knitting and seaming it on the drive from Indiana to Colorado, where my parents were meeting me at the airport so we could do a family camping trip. On the morning they were picking me up, Mom was feverishly finishing so she could triumphantly show me the finished sweater when we met. In her haste, well… a picture is worth a thousand words…







So, lesson one here is always bind off loosely!!! Especially for things that need to stretch a lot… like turtle necks.

Lesson two is that even the best of us make mistakes. Knitting isn’t something that you’ll ever do perfectly every time on the first try.

Lesson three is that knitting mistakes are fixable! Unlike sewing where you cut your piece of fabric and then that’s all she wrote, with knitting you can just rip out a bit of yarn and redo it. Easy peasy. Maybe not as fun the second time around, but if you want to you can. So, with only a little extra work you’ll have that perfect sweater after all!

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When women spend a lot of time together, their monthly cycles oftentimes sync up. I am completely convinced that brains can sync themselves, as well. It has already happened, quite completely, to Emily and me. We can barely form a cohesive thought alone anymore; we’re almost one very Twisted organism. But last week, the cosmos proved that Star and I are brain-syncing, too. Look out, world!

It all started on a Wednesday. I was in the back room at Twisted, plugging away on the old computer, when Star came back, and said, “I have a VERY important question for you!” She told me that she and her special someone were obsessed with this cheesy saxophone solo, but could not for the life of them remember the name of the song. She then proceeded to air-saxophone that solo like she was Charlie Parker himself, and I recognized the tune, but couldn’t quite place it. I knew I needed reinforcements, so I immediately video-chatted Stefan (my go-to person for all queries obscure), Star air-sax’ed the heck out of him, and he, too, became obsessed.

The solo hid out in the back of my mind, jumping to the surface every once-in-a-while until a few days later, when Stefan called me to let me know he was on his way home. He told me to grab my computer, go to YouTube, and type in “Gerry Rafferty, Baker Street.” That sweet sax started wailing, and I knew my man had come through yet again. I copied the link, pasted it into an email, and sent it to Star…at the very same moment she was sending the exact same link to me! I kid you not, folks, her man was on a mission, too, and had discovered this sax solo at the same moment mine did!

We giggled and I.M.’ed and giggled and I.M.’ed all the live-long evening – I mean, come ON, how often does something that bizarre happen? As I was sending the link to her, she was sending the link to me. I think our emails may have even high-five’d as they passed each other in the ether…

So, without further ado, listen, my friends, to the sweet sound of synchronicity…

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Gauge: 24 sts per 4 “/10cm, although gauge is NOT super important
Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needle (24” or longer)
Yarn: about 350 yards of a light-fingering or fingering-weight yarn. Sample shown in Black Trillium Merilon in colorway Coraline.
Notions: stitch markers, darning needle
Skill level: Enthusiastic beginner
Finished measurements: 54” wide, 16” deep at middle. The shawl pictured was fairly vigorously blocked.

Order a hard copy of Alma Lou on our web store.

Download an electronic copy of Alma Lou from Ravelry.

Also, today is my mom & dad’s 38th (!could that be right?) wedding anniversary! Yay for long-lasting love!

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