I bet you all thought I fell off the face of the earth since it has been a very long time since I last posted. Suffice it to say that I have been very busy knitting!
I don’t have time for lots of conversation but here are some samples of projects that I’ve completed…
If you have any questions about any of these projects (pattern name, yarn used, etc.) feel free to ask and I’d be happy to answer. Wishing you all a blessed 2016 with many crafty adventures.
So, I completely tore out clue #2 and re-knitted it… with more lifelines this time. 🙂 I may be 4 days behind schedule but I am now knitting clue #3. Wish me luck!
Clue #2 Re-do
Now featuring more lifelines!
I had been anxious to embark on my first mystery knit, which began Sept 1st. You can see in my post below that I bought my yarn in fall colors and carefully prepared it. I also purchased these beads to knit into the shawl.
Dark Topaz Rainbow Gold Luster 8/0
I am not especially fond of garments with too much flash, so I opted for size 8/0 beads (small) that were similar in color to my yarn. This seemed like it would add subtle detailing rather than flash.
After knitting and tinking and frogging and knitting clue #1 again, I finally finished roughly a day behind. Pleased nonetheless.
Clue #1 – Complete
Off I went to knit clue #2…. I finished just in the nick of time for clue #3 to be released. I was so proud and went on to take a picture. I was horrified to see the hole on the right side… see it?
Clue #2 – First Try (with dropped stitch!)
Uuuugh, it was a dropped stitch – in lace! There was no way I could pick that stitch up and work it up the rows to be in the correct configuration. My last lifeline was at the end of clue #1, so that meant I had to rip out ALL of clue #2 in order to do it over again.
Lesson learned though – I started installing frequent lifelines after this and it just came in handy again. I was within 8 rows of being done with clue #2 for the second time when I picked up my knitting, the yarn ball fell and when I went to ‘save it’ and my needle fell out of the stitches. Because I had a recent lifeline, I old had to rip out 3 rows – Yay!!!
Soooooooooooo…… this project has definitely challenged me and tried my patience. I am sticking with it though. I’m going to see it through to the end. I think this shawl will be a source of pride when it’s completed.
So, I will be participating in my first Mystery Knit-a-Long. If you are like me and don’t know what a Mystery KAL is… well, none of the participants know what the finished product will look like. For the one that I am participating in, we only know that it will be a shawl and it requires 875 yards of lace-weight yarn. The recommended needle size is either US 4 (3.5mm) or US 5 (3.75mm). Each week a clue is given (part of the pattern). The KAL that I will be participating in begins on September 1st and the pattern is by Goddess Knits. If you would like to participate, join the Yahoo Group for more information.
Since the start date is quickly approaching, I decided to do a little preparation. I bought my MadelineTosh Tosh Lace yarn from MrYarn.com. I purchased the Amber Trinket colorway. It looked oranger (is that a word?) on the website. The hank I received seemed much heavier on the purples, but I really like it. What do you think?
Since it’s a Fall Knit-a-Long, I chose fall colors for the project.
950 yards of 100% Superwash merino wool
All stretched out.
Using my yarn swift & ball winder to convert the hank to a center-pull ball.
The finished ball.
I’m a little intimidated because I have taken a look at some of the shawls designed by Goddess Knits and they look very intricate! Since I am a new knitter, I’m a little worried that I may not know some of the techniques needed or stitches involved. Have you ever participated in a Mystery Knit-a-Long? What was your experience? Wish me luck!
I’m sure that you have already perused YouTube in search of ‘how to’ videos on knitting. I have done this a lot! Can’t remember the difference between a M1L and aM1R? YouTube will quickly remind you! Additionally, I have some favorite resources I wanted to share with you all.
VeryPink.com – Staci provides excellent video instruction (most are free), offers patterns for sale and also a variety of free patterns. Her instruction and her patterns are thorough.
KnitFreedom.com – Liat offers comprehensive video classes that are available online or in a downloadable PDF format. Some of her classes are free and others are for sale. Her instruction is easy enough for beginners to follow. If you haven’t tried magic loop knitting yet, she has great instruction on that topic.
KnittingHelp.com – This is a fantastic website, filled with videos, articles, patterns and so much more. Not sure about a knitting term? Their glossary offers great explanation and often a link to helpful articles or videos.
Craftsy.com – This site offers some of the most comprehensive, detailed video classes out there! The classes are in-depth, offer you the ability to ask questions, document notes, etc. In my opinion they can be a little pricey, but you do get a lot for the money. They offer discounts on their classes pretty regularly, so if you don’t really have $60 to spend on a class (just an example, not all of their classes are this expensive), then wait for the sale when it’s offered for $29. What’s really cool is that their classes are not limited to just knitting or crochet… they also offer sewing, cooking, soap making, etc. The list goes on and on and on. If you are anything like me, you can find classes on topics that you had never considered before but they sound so interesting that you may want to start a new hobby!!! Craftsy also offers patterns, yarn for sale and much more. I have not even scratched the surface of all they have to offer yet, but I can tell you that the online classes alone are WELL worth creating a Craftsy account.
There are probably a bazillion resources out there for knitting patterns. I could never list them all for you, but there is one central repository that can direct you to nearly all other pattern resources: Ravelry!
Seriously, Ravelry is a dream come true for knitters. The pattern search alone is worth creating an account – it allows you to search based on a wide variety of criteria such as type of garment, age/gender, yarn weight, yardage, garment characteristics (for example: ease, ribbing, lace, etc.), and keywords. There are many, many other criteria that can be specified, I’ve only named a few.
Additionally, Ravelry offers a forum for groups and general conversation.
There is a huge yarn index on Ravelry. You can view the characteristics of just about ever brand of yarn on the market. In many cases you can see pictures of the yarn in various colors, read user reviews, see a list of vendors who sell the yarn and sometimes you can even compare the prices for the yarn at the various vendors.
Ravelry offers you the opportunity to upload pictures to show off your work and share your experience with working on the project, the difficulty of the pattern, how you liked the yarn, etc.
Ravelry is not limited to just knitting either. It also offers a wide variety of crochet patterns & forums as well!
There are far too many yarn vendors for me to list, but I will list my favorites.
WEBS – I don’t think this site can be beat in terms of selection! They offer yarns from several dozen different vendors. The site is easy to navigate and offers a wide variety of methods for searching for yarn. They also offer knitting accessories and patterns. I love the fact that they offer user reviews for yarn. If you buy yarn from them, please write a review! The more we all contribute in terms of reviews, the more we help each other. They usually ship within 1 or 2 days from order placement, but not always.
Knit Picks – I love, love, love Knit Picks! They offer their own line of yarns. I have ordered several and they have been of high quality. They also offer very affordable accessories – check out the ball winder, sock blockers, chart holders, needles and so many others at great prices! They also offer books and video classes as well as products for dyeing, finishing, and garment care. Very quick shipping – almost immediate!
Mr. Yarn – This is a new vendor to me. For what they lack in quantity of yarns, they make up for it in quality of yarns. They offer luxurious yarns in the most luscious color choices! Their prices are competitive – meeting or beating other vendors – and they offer free shipping within the US. I have placed my first order with them today, I will update this article later to let you know how quickly they shipped. ** Update: I ordered my beautiful Madeline Tosh Lace from this site on Saturday, August 11th and it was in my mailbox on Monday, August 13th! 2 Thumbs up for service!
Knitting Fever – A great selection of high quality yarns, patterns, articles, tools & tips!
I rarely enter contests. Since I NEVER win, I don’t really see the point. However, I broke my golden rule about a week ago when Kitting Daily offered a contest with a free pattern (any pattern in their store – your choice) as the prize. All you had to do was share their post and leave a comment about why you like Knitting Daily!
Easy Peasy.
I still didn’t expect to win. Then today on Facebook I see a post saying that they had only heard from 2 of the 5 winners so far. Still sure that I was not among the winners, I clicked on the link labeled ‘And the winners are…” I could not believe my eyes when I saw my name in the list! WooHoo!
So for my free pattern, I have chosen the ‘Central Park Hoodie.’ I’m not sure when I’ll get around to knitting it since I already have several works in progress and a few more on deck. But, when I knit it, I’ll be sure to post pictures here. Have you already knit it? If so, what did you think about the pattern?
If you are unfamiliar with Knitting Daily, you have to check it out! It is a virtual treasure trove of knitting information! They keep pace with all the latest knitting trends and techniques. They provide examples and instructions that are simple enough for us beginners to understand while providing intermediate and advanced knitters with a challenge! Check out their site and get on their mailing list! You won’t be disappointed.
I have fearlessly ventured into the world of knitting since I took my beginner’s knitting class last fall. Since then I have knitted scarves, hats, mittens, shawls, and socks! I have learned a variety of stitches, cabling, entrelac and probably others that I have not thought about. If the aesthetics of the project were pleasing and it didn’t look like rocket science, then i jumped in.
Now I am working on a project that initially looked so simple at face value… a garter stitch shawl called the Red Hat Lady Shawl. (For beginners: garter stitch means that you knit on both sides of the work.)
The instructions seemed simple enough and I happily knitted away and got to the very end of the stitches. Then it tells me to start unraveling my stitches!!!! EEEK! Apparently this is how the fringe is made, but it has me terrified. I even stopped at my local yarn store to ask for help. They basically just told me to go for it.
I guess I am not as fearless as I thought I was. Wish me luck. I will post photos when I am able.
*** UPDATE: I took the plunge and started unraveling the stitches. Now that I see it coming apart it is not quite as scary as I thought it was going to be. Wish me luck! 🙂
He lives! I hope and pray that you know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ that is offered to us through the birth, death, and resurrection.
But, since this is a knitting blog, I will include some knitting in this post too. I hope you like the sock I just finished! I used a free pattern for these socks which your can find here.
Just because I have not posted very often to this blog, don’t get the incorrect impression that I am not knitting. I am, indeed, knitting and learning valuable lessons every single day! I thought I might share some of the things I have learned (the hard way) and share them with you. Assuming you are a new knitter too, maybe they will help you too.
Lesson #1 – Faster does not always meant better… or faster, for that matter
This may not make too much sense at first glance, but it’s the truth. As a beginner knitter, I have watched other, more experienced knitters in awe and fascination of their speed. I love knitting and love creating knitted things, but if I could knit as fast as those ladies imagine how many more things I could get knitted in the same amount of time!!!
Well, I initially became obsessed. “Must… go… faster!” But, what I discovered was that my stitches didn’t come out as nice or as well-defined. And, worse yet, I made mistakes. Often. Either I ‘read’ my knitting wrong or I counted wrong or I assumed that I ‘knew’ the pattern (get cocky much? hmmm) and I would inevitably screw something up. This caused me to either rip it all out or unknit my way back to before I made the mistake. This led to having to knit it all over again. Hence, it’s not really faster when you have to knit it twice!
So, I have decided to slow it down, read the instructions before I start, and refer to them often. Instead of going fast, I focus on making each stitch count! I’ve been so much happier with the results with this approach!
Lesson #2 – Trust your instincts
You may think you don’t have much in the way of instincts as a new knitter, but if you are paying attention as you go, you’ll find that you develop instincts rather quickly. I have been knitting along before and thought ‘that doesn’t look quite right.’ My old reaction was to think ‘just keep going, it will probably be fine.’ This resulted in me trying to figure it out and attempting to cob job a fix several rows later. My new reaction is to trust that when I think something doesn’t look right it probably isn’t. Don’t just continue on with the problem still present. As soon as you notice it: stop, closely examine your stitches, refer to your pattern, count everything over again and unknit if you have to so you can fix that problem sooner, rather than later.
Lesson #3 – A lifeline can save you a ton of time and aggrevation
All this talk of ripping our knitting or unknitting reminds me that I learned about a GLORIOUS thing called a ‘lifeline’! I come from a computer science background and I think of a lifeline along the same lines as a ‘restore point’ on your computer. If you’re ever tried to rip out your knitting to some earlier point and then re-insert your needles into the loops, you’ll know that it can be very confusing and darn near impossible if your knitting has any yarn overs, cables, increases/decreases, and a mixture of different types of stitches. But, if you make a mistake in your knitting (and you will!) and you have a lifeline, you can rip out your knitting to that lifeline and very easily reinsert your needle into the stitches with all of the stitches facing in the correct directions!!! Halleluiah! Here is a video of how to ‘install’ a lifeline into your knitting. If you are knitting anything the slightest bit complicated, it can save you a ton of aggravation and give you peace of mind. As you knit along put in a new lifeline every so often and take out the old one. The more complicated the pattern, the more often you may want to insert the lifeline. Remember, if you make a mistake and rip out your stitches you only have to reknit from the lifeline to where you discovered the mistake.
Forgot to install a lifeline and you noticed a mistake? Here is another video that shows you how to install a lifeline after the fact in stockinette stitch.
The lifeline totally saved me from pulling out my hair while knitting this hat when I made a mistake!
In addition to the puppet shown in my previous post, I also made my grandson this hat for his birthday and bought him a dinosaur book that had (dun, dun, dun…) integrated googly eyes! What is it with me and the googly eyes this year? I honestly don’t know. But, I hope you like the hat. I made it using a free pattern which is available here. Rumor has it that my other grandson would like one of these hats as well. Grandma is happy to accommodate! 🙂
KnittyNut 