Wednesday Wonders #7: Jody Hennings AKA KillerPeach

In honor of her recent birthday, I thought I should honor my erstwhile knitting companion, Jody Hennings, this week. Long-time readers will have been hearing about her for years, but we can always learn more, can't we? So, what's so special about dear Jody?

I met Jody pretty soon after my local yarn shop opened up. She was young, funny and a pretty good knitter. I enjoyed hanging out with her. Then she disappeared for quite a few months. When she came back, she was a GREAT knitter. You see, Jody's mind works differently from some of ours. Where people like Suna have lots of hobbies and dabble in some other things, Jody's mind is compelled to learn everything about whatever takes hold of her interest. She could never be someone who knitted simple patterns to pass the time. No way. She was driven to master the most complex construction methods (whoa, can she do short row shaping on a sweater), the most technical uses of knitting stitches (things she did with cables make yesterday's sweater look like a kindergarten project), and the most artistic possible projects (that woman, she can make lace sing).

The nicest thing about Jody's intense drive for learning is that she has an equally intense drive to share what she learned with her friends. When we all three lived in the same town, Jody would regale Cheri and me with technical details on yarn composition, dye, needles, construction of garments…you name it. It was like our own little University of Knitting. She used to share a lot of this stuff on her blog, and I hope she gets back to it some time, because everyone enjoyed the writings of KillerPeach!

Another wonderful thing about Jody is her generosity. She made me the incredible shawl you see at right as a birthday gift (that counted as a gift for like the next ten years) that I will always treasure. Silk and cashmere, in my favorite colors. Ahh. I wish I had a photo that showed it off better. But that's just the start. How can I ever thank her for buying and then spinning the yarn for my wedding shawl (see below)? She had to mail that yarn from the Netherlands, even!

I've been the beneficiary of a couple of Jody's other intense learning experiences. Though I'd been studying tarot cards and how to use them for many years, her knowledge of it quickly surpassed mine as she immersed herself in that topic a couple of years ago. She found decks I'd never have found for myself, and happily shared all her new ideas and thoughts on tarot.

And we can't forget dyeing. She, Tina and I spent a memorable evening dyeing yarn with KoolAid a long time ago…Tina (Chemical Pink) and I have stuck mostly with KoolAid, but not Jody. She bought wonderful professional dyes and spent long hours perfecting deeply shaded and incredibly nuanced semi-solid yarn. I got enough of one sample to make my Garden Path socks. It's the prettiest brown I ever saw. I hope she is able to actually get that business going, because I'd sure be among the biggest customers.

Then there was spinning (at left is my wedding shawl, of yarn she spun). Once she got serious on that one, she didn't produce lumpy masses of strange colors and textures. No way. She purchased only the loveliest of roving, got her own drum carder, and spun on her incredible new wheel some of the most beautiful yarn I ever saw, with glorious flecks of color or shimmer, but nothing gaudy or overly showy. That lets her knit the yarn up into mind boggling lace and garments. Shoot, I haven't even managed to spin a spindle's worth. I need me a new spinning mentor, that's for sure!


I've mentioned it before, but it was very sad for me when she followed her man to another country last year. It's a great adventure and I am hoping it gives her wonderful memories. But I miss having her around to share whatever new enthusiasm is growing within her. When she is on to a new topic, she's a sight to behold! Get out your notebooks and take notes, Dutch people!

Since I don't get to see her any more unless she has a few minutes during a visit with her family, I'm glad to at least get to look at her work often. Whether it's a shawl on my own stair rail, the lovely things she knit as yarn shop samples, that one pair of socks I have from yarn she dyed, or just the fun photos I have on my computer, she's never far from my mind. I am glad for email, Ravelry, and Facebook, which lets us far-flung friends stay in touch and keep learning from each other! Thank you, Jody, for bringing so much friendship, fun and knowledge to my life. Knit on!

More on Jody

She's KillerPeach on Ravelry
And you might enjoy the archives of Killer Peach, the Blog

Back to Knitting Soon

Here I am with some knitting friends and church friends, just before the wedding. Lots more photos are on my Flickr album or Facebook (I am Suna Kendall there).

It was a great wedding and a wonderful time with friends. I sure am grateful to have so many knitting and other friends to share my happiness with.

I have a longer post on my personal blog, so contact me if you'd like access to it (send me your email address in a comment, and I will delete it without posting). I just don't want all my personal stuff on my public blog, ya see.

I still need to block Wrap Me Up before I can finish it. I hope to do that tonight, though I have to finish my thank-you notes. Yes, I am being a Good Bride. And no, I did not change my name.

Last night I got going on OpArt, from Knitty. It is way easier than I thought it would be. If I had known what mindless knitting it was going to turn out to be, I could have worked on it last week when I was all stressed! I am sure this one will get done before its recipient gets born! I have three months. Gosh, hope I didn't jinx it.

I was proud of my wedding shawl. It lived up to its billing and people loved it.

Actual pre-nuptial progress

With all the guests, decoration making, flower arranging and such, I still did manage to get the Wrap Me Up wrap done other than the "piping" at the end. I have to do that and then block it before doing the final edging. Knitting sure helps. I am taking my socks around today, in case I get to relax while getting my hair done or in any preparation breaks.

Thanks for the wedding good wishes. I'll be back to more in-depth knitting posting next week! And of course I will post photos of the wedding shawl serving its wedding duties, at last!

Feeling Knotty

Knotty sounds a lot like "naughty," and that's how I feel based on the knitting, or lack thereof, that I have done this weekend. Other life events came up, what can I say? But I did stop and smell the flowers, and look at the butterflies, a bit, as evidenced by this image from the amazing garden in front of our church (where my musical partners for the morning were stuck waiting for someone to come unlock the building).

Anyway, my fine excuse yesterday for not knitting was that I went down to New Braunfels to look for a wedding dress at a very nice bridal/formalwear shop there. Katie from the comments/LYS took me there, since apparently every formal item ever purchased in her family came from there, and they sure know her! We had a blast, and I got a lovely dress in the exact color I wanted, and one I can wear my wedding shawl with --I am so glad I found one with sleeves but not a jacket.Don't worry, I will post a photo when the time comes. Katie kept asking me if she was pressuring me, but no, I do like the dress, and I feel much better knowing I didn't have to decide what to wear all by myself. This is the fanciest dress I ever owned: I never went to prom, have never been a bridesmaid, and got married last time in a suit. This is my big moment! Since I drove, I didn't get to knit until I got home in the evening.

And that knitting involved unraveling my second Shalom to the top border and starting it again. Why? Because wow did I misread the instructions. I am making this, because I am naughty and couldn't stop myself once I realized I had enough of this really weird yarn I got from the place that sells discontinued yarns to make a Shalom. This yarn is Leicester Longwool (an heirloom sheep) in a red and purple colorway. It feels, um, interesting. It is both slick and itchy. And let's not forget hairy. And heavy. The texture is quite different, to say the least. I had wanted to make something out of it, but only had 400 yards. That's enough for a Shalom! The yarn is so slippery that the first ball flew out of the yarn winder and I had to mostly do it by hand. I went slowly with the second one but wow, did it make a BIG ball of yarn. Anyway, I did get it started, but because I had made the first Shalom without the patterning, I hadn't paid a lot of attention to how it worked. I missed a couple of rows and had the twisted stitches on one side in the first band of increases and on the other side in the second. Oops. Ah well, this afternoon, while watching my son sand his Ebay pine guitar body, I got well into the third tier of the yoke, and I think it will be fine. My son has declared I will need to wear a thick long-sleeved shirt under this one, though! Photos to come!

I won't get much knitting done over the next few days, due to more rehearsing and singing, but after Wednesday, I'll be a knitting machine, I hope! Today's music went well, so I have high hopes for Tuesday. Nothing's wrong with having more than one hobby--and music and knitting go together real well.

Thanks to those of you who signed up as "followers;" it is fun to see your tiny faces. I mostly read blogs using Bloglines, so let me know if you get a follower indicator on yours, and I'll sign on so I show up!

How Do I Love Thee, Wedding Shawl?

I promised I'd put up pictures of the finished, blocked "Girl's Best Friend" shawl as soon as I could, so here you go! Just to sum it up, since I hope to not be posting about this every day from now on:

Pattern: A Girl's Best Friend, from Jade Sapphire (hard to find in stores, and no longer on their website)
Yarn: Australian merino roving in natural and tan from Outback Fibers, blended by a friend of Jody's. Spun to 2-ply laceweight, by Jody in the Netherlands, who used to be Jody in Austin.
Needles: Size 6 circular, KnitPicks Harmony.
Beads: Clear size 6 seed beads lined with gold, 1570 or so (most of 5 vials of beads) from Legendary Beads in Austin. Attached using crochet hook method (size 11 hook).
Size: Wingspan was about 60" after blocking, but seems to have shrunk up a bit.

The shawl took me only two weeks to knit, which surprised me, but then, I was not working, and the shawl was so much fun to work on that it was hard to stop. Between the lovely yarn and the fun of the beads, it was endlessly fascinating. It has a nice weight and feel, with the beads on the edges doing a good job of making it drape. And the beads look stunning in person, but hide in photos--I hope you can see them a bit!

My son, Beccano, and I blocked it yesterday using Jody's blocking wires (good thing I know Jody, or this would be a nonexistent shawl) and t-pins that we went out and bought, since my other ones are misplaced somewhere. He was very patient and helpful, which added to how special the shawl is to me. Heck, I had refused to sew him disco pants in some shiny, sheer rainbow fabric he spotted at the fabric shop (he swore he'd wear them to school!), and I made him look at wedding dress patterns, too, but he still helped me! What a guy. He got meatloaf for dinner as a reward.

Today Beccano patiently photographed me in the shawl, twice, since the first set of photos featured me wearing the shawl inside out. The beads are hard enough to see in photos without that extra challenge! He paused a couple of times to photograph lizards and such. The photos you see here are the ones he took.

On my Flickr pages are lots of shawl photos that you can blow up pretty large, if you want to try to see the beads better. Thanks to all who helped me make this or supported me during the process. Now I have to plan the REST of the wedding (November 28, if jobs and availability go right).

Wedding Shawl Off the Needles

Unblocked Wedding Shawl
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It's not blocked yet, but it is knitted! Yes, here's my shawl. It is currently rather small, but we'll see how it turns out once I block it tomorrow or Sunday. All the beads (that border is solid bead, just about) make it hang nicely, so I don't think it will fall off a lot when I am wearing it. A good thing. And I am glad it isn't TOO long, so whatever dress I find will show! I am soooo happy with this. Well, that and having some positive job news today--no offer but two very positive signs. I think I'll just stick in more shawl photos now.



First, here the shawl rests on some big-ass plant in my front yard. The color is more accurate in this photo.



Next is a close-up, so you can really see the beads. The sun is hitting them, so some are extra shiny. I hope it's OK to put in so many photos. I am just happy to have the shawl.

We Have Reached Bind Off!

I just want to quickly shout with glee that I have reached the bind off on the wedding shawl! It's a mini i-cord one, so it will probably take a while. I am glad I will have something so wonderful to show for my unemployment time!

(I am still in the running for the great job I interviewed for week before last, I just found out, so I have some renewed hope.)

I also have three exciting dishcloths done, and tomorrow will finish some very hideous "teaching socks" when my students come in (I will share a photo when finished, but you have to promise to not laugh at them). They will be good to wear around the house to keep the danged mosquitoes off.

Suna Buys More Yarn

Rio de la Plata
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I remember that I don't have a job, but yarn cheers me up. So, when I dropped by the Gauge LYS on my way to buy D&D stuff for my kids and more beads for the wedding shawl, I let myself get some new pretties. Here you see lovely Rio de la Plata sock yarn that I let Beccano choose the color of. Certainly it's bright and cheery. I also got Panda Silk in blues and, sigh, I succumbed and bought some Noro sock yarn. I'd been waiting to get some at my usual shop, but I don't think she's going to order any. It's certainly Noro-esque, rough and irregular, but the colors are very pretty. I've seen the one I got knit up (greens and pinks) and it is quite fine. Now at least I can give these yarns a try, if their numbers come up, heh heh.

At least I am on sock #2 of the Cherry Rib ones, so some day I'll get to pick a new sock yarn!

The Wedding Shawl is taking most of my knitting time. I got to the end of it, and since I bought three more tubes of beads, I decided to add one more repeat of the border pattern. It will make it very bead-filled on the bottom, and more important, a bit longer. From what I have read, this is not a really big shawl when blocked, so a few more inches may be good. I am looking for a nice lacy fingerless mitt pattern to knit and add beads to as an accessory. It may be chilly at the wedding, so this seems wise. And it will be a good use for the leftover yarn. Another idea would be to incorporate the motifs from the shawl into fingerless mitts.

When I don't have time to sit and work on the shawl, I am making some cotton dishcloths for a blog friend who has a pink kitchen with a cherry theme. I found the one cherry patterned dishcloth on the Internet (yay) so one cloth will have that. The others are some patterns in a Lily brochure that I am doing for fun, plus I made up a few based on Harmony Guide patterns, which I'll do next. I'll put up some photos soon as I have some. I am just using Sugar & Cream, nothing fancy.

Well, I have to get ready for a job interview. Yay for that.

First Cherry Rib Sock/Shawl Progress

Cherry Rib Sock
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I had to stop knitting on the shawl yesterday, since I needed to teach a class and it now requires a bit of concentrating. So, I finally finished the first of these Cherry Rib socks. I am enjoying beads so much that I just put a few of them up at the top of the sock foot. They show up on the close-up picture.

Everyone who saw this sock yesterday wanted the pattern. I did share the stitch repeat I used a few days ago. The only addition is that I have a twisted stitch column going up each side, since the socks are 68 stitches around but the pattern is 32 stitches (multiple of 5 plus 2). What surprised me was how incredibly "ribby" the ribbing pattern is. Look at the photo of the sock without a foot in it and you will see what I mean. The leg resembles a loofah or something.Certainly these socks will stay up! They'd be good for someone with thick calves and thin heels!


I realize I really ought to do these original designs in yarns that highlight the design more. I did recently buy some more solid-esque sock yarns. I may re-do the Rainy Day Socks in a less busy yarn, for example, so people can see the umbrellas and raindrops. I just have SO many colorful yarns...Guess I should churn out some plain socks in those.

In shawl news, I got a few rows in last night. The borders have a LOT of beads in them, which does slowdown the process. But, whoa, does it look nice! I am very excited about how it is coming out. I see that it will be somewhat small, so I am considering making the border longer. I have to get more beads anyway, and they aren't expensive. The border repeat is only four rows, so it would be easy enough to do one more repeat of the edge pattern, which would add about 4 inches to the completed project. So, I will think on this.

Thanks to a suggestion to one of the ladies who come to the LYS, I added one blue bead to the shawl, so it can be "something blue" in my wedding ensemble. Thanks to Dawn for this idea!


On Friday night I decided I wanted to meet some new people, so I went to the Mystery Knit Night at the LYS. I'd had a bad day (made better by a job interview that came in very late!), so I was ready for something distracting. It was a good event, with just enough people but not too many. We got a bag with three partial balls of cotton yarn, a tongue depressor with a tiny mirror on it, and some instructions. We weren't told what we were making (that was the mystery). I wish I had picked a different pattern, since mine turned out to be mostly a stockinette rectangle, but I enjoyed listening to people talk (for the most part), and guessing what we were making. I was wrong, I was NOT making a butterfly. We were given a second bag with a bar of soap and a shower cap in it. Yes, the thing we made was a soap sack. We got ribbons to sew it up when complete, then we were to put on our shower caps and look at ourselves in the tiny mirror. I do believe photos were taken,of everyone in their shower caps, but I don't have copies (luckily). The project was not terribly thrilling, but I enjoyed the new people I met and the old friends who were there as well, so it was worthwhile.

Yesterday I taught a new class, "Instant Sock" and it went pretty well. The idea is to knit an ankle sock, so the student will have a chance to make a heel in the session. It worked--the student did get down to the gusset in the three hours allotted. Yay! I also started teaching a felted bag class, but will have to finish up on that one next week.

The goal of today is to see how much more shawl I can do. Go me! I guess I'll go until I run out of beads. Beccano and I will go to the bead store tomorrow to replenish. Have a good week, everyone, and post a comment to let me know how you are doing if you are so inclined.

Knit, Knit, Knit

Bam Boo Raglan Front
Originally uploaded by sunasak

It was pointed out to me that I haven't blogged in DAYS. OK, since Friday, which isn't all that long. It is the fault of Jody the Enabler, who spun that nice wedding shawl yarn and went with me to get my lovely wedding shawl beads, which is leading to so much knitting and bead fun that I haven't wanted to stop to blog. But this post is for Jody, because I am so happy she called the yarn shop while I was there so I got to talk to her and reassure myself that she is getting by OK in the Netherlands. I worry about my knitting pals, ya know.

So, here is a photo of the Bam Boo Raglan cardigan, which I whipped out in 8 days. Amazing how much you can knit when work isn't edging into your knitting time. This is pre-blocking. It fits a bit better now and the stockinette edges curl less. Click the photo to go to my Flickr pages to see the back. It's very nice and light-weight, which means it's a great summer top. I am wearing the white sideways cardigan today, and it is a perfect thing to wear over a camisole on an incredibly hot Texas day!

My current and total focus is on the wedding shawl, however. The "A Girl's Best Friend" pattern is really nice. It is very easy to follow and it's so much fun seeing how the next set of beads looks that you have a hard time stopping with it. I am already into the medium diamonds section, so I'd say I am over halfway done. The edging has lots more beads in it, though, so I imagine it will go more slowly. Jody's handspun really knits up nicely and is quite consistent, though she says that the second skein is a bit thicker. Since I'll only be using that yarn at the end, that will probably be OK (and I may not need it--the first part of the yarn is holding up well).

Other than cooking, cleaning, interviewing, and driving the kids around (now that they are back from Ireland, yay), all I am doing is knitting. I'll get a lot done while I wait to hear back on interviews! Keep sending "good job" vibes if you are so inclined!