I remember pilfering my mother's knitting bag, and wondering what in the world those little round things were - mom said they were stitch markers, so you could keep track of repeats. I never realized until I started kntting lace that these little items are really quite useful.
Plastic stitch markers will do the job, most of the time. But they have drawbacks: too wide for lace, and...well...they just aren't pretty. I have seen a few specialty stitch markers around, but none of them really grabbed me by the pocketbook and demanded that I purchase them.
One day, I was looking at some beaded, dangle earrings and had a brainstorm: wouldn't these make really nice stitch markers? Trip to local bead shop, and I was set to experiment.
I may have found a new, creative pasttime. This is more fun than knitting!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Block Head?
So often when I see comments/instructions about blocking it seems to be assumed that the reader will understand what is entailed in 'blocking'. When reading about blocking in different sources I have become confused as to what is best for what type of knitted fabric. Should one wash with soap and rinse and wring out before blocking? Should one only lightly get the knitted fabric damp, no need to actually wash? Is there no need to get the fabric completely wet and only lightly steam? If one steams, how is the best way to accomplish getting the steam to the fabric? For how long? Is the steam before or after pinning/working the fabric? I know that I should block but when a completed project is ready for blocking I'm completely at sea as to what steps to do next.
Eunny Jang's Exhaustive Expose on Blocking
Eunny Jang's Exhaustive Expose on Blocking
Puff Daddy - knitted stool - free knitting pattern - Pickles
Puff Daddy - knitted stool - free knitting pattern - Pickles
Puff is the Norwegian word for stool. We really liked the pouf from Christien Meinderstsma, but it´s way out of our price range. This simple pattern for a knitted stool has much thinner yarn, but the budget is just as thin;) Nice to rest your legs on, and very popular for the kids.
The Spiral Sock
While surfing the web for a suitable pattern to adorn my first pair of adult-sized socks, I came across this blog filled with knitted lace, most notably, Vintage Lace!
These Wristlets are worked in the round.
I decided that this pattern just begged to be made into a sock. Needless to say, it requires a bit of redesign in order to make that happen. I'll post another photo when I'm done.
I decided that this pattern just begged to be made into a sock. Needless to say, it requires a bit of redesign in order to make that happen. I'll post another photo when I'm done.
Computers - Love/Hate
I love that any time I think of something I want to know how to knit or crochet, I can "Google" it. Today I discovered that Ravelry has a "add to ravelry queue" button. All I have to do is drag it to my bookmark bar and click it when I'm browsing the web and find a pattern I want to queue up.
In theory, it should make my life easier to do that. In practice - not so much. Y'see, when the geek-mama cannot make the 'drag-and-drop' actually DRAG, mama gets frustrated.
Sooooo, Dear Ravelry: Please do not tell me to drag this bookmarklet to my bookmark bar unless you also include a note on what to do if it won't drag. Kthxbai.
in reference to: Ravelry: skitknit's Queue (view on Google Sidewiki)
In theory, it should make my life easier to do that. In practice - not so much. Y'see, when the geek-mama cannot make the 'drag-and-drop' actually DRAG, mama gets frustrated.
Sooooo, Dear Ravelry: Please do not tell me to drag this bookmarklet to my bookmark bar unless you also include a note on what to do if it won't drag. Kthxbai.
in reference to: Ravelry: skitknit's Queue (view on Google Sidewiki)
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
My Baby's Knits
I was pregnant with my first child and had a lot of time on my hands. I sewed and knitted for that baby, and for all my babies after her. That was 25 years ago. A quarter century. That's a long time. Today, I was looking for something and found the baby blanket and knit dress that I made, still in good enough shape to use again - that blanket looks like it could easily wrap around babies for another decade or two. The dress will probably sit on a hanger for awhile, until one of my children eventually blesses me with a granddaughter. No rush!
The blanket was my own design, adapted from a bit of a lace pattern that I used to have many years ago. The dress is a pale lilac, and used to have a satin ribbon sash that's long gone, but won't be difficult to replace if the dress is ever put to use again in my lifetime. Both items were knit of acrylic, and have been machine washed countless times - especially the blanket.
The baby blanket is one of my most precious mementos - all seven of my babies were wrapped in it throughout their infancy. It covered me when I nursed them and swaddled them when they were cold or tired. It attended their baby dedication ceremonies at church and kept them company on countless trips to grandma's house.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Did I Buy Enough Yarn?
Estimating Yarn Yardage
Other Calculators
Nothing is quite so frustrating as getting to the last row of a project and not having enough yarn to bind off! Maybe this will help avoid that problem in the future.
Other Calculators
Nothing is quite so frustrating as getting to the last row of a project and not having enough yarn to bind off! Maybe this will help avoid that problem in the future.
Needle Rolls
There are lots of needle rolls out there, but I'm only going to post a few that really have the potential of becoming my own.
Lupin Bunny
Alexandria's Needle Case
DIY Maven's Super Simple Knitting Needle Case
E-How Knitting Needle Case
Now I need to bust out the sewing machine.
Lupin Bunny
Alexandria's Needle Case
DIY Maven's Super Simple Knitting Needle Case
E-How Knitting Needle Case
Now I need to bust out the sewing machine.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Tip Top Toes
Three Different Toes for Toe-Up Socks
By Wendy D. Johnson
Photos by Ian M. Ories
editor's note: There are many photos in this article, and they're quite large. Being able to see Wendy's work up close is essential, so if you have a slow modem, please grab a coffee and let this page load. It's worth it. Oh, and once you're done the toes, you can find Wendy's fabulous toe-up sock pattern here. It's the only one I use.
By Wendy D. Johnson
Photos by Ian M. Ories
editor's note: There are many photos in this article, and they're quite large. Being able to see Wendy's work up close is essential, so if you have a slow modem, please grab a coffee and let this page load. It's worth it. Oh, and once you're done the toes, you can find Wendy's fabulous toe-up sock pattern here. It's the only one I use.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Csipkesál | Lace shawl - :: m a z e ::
Csipkesál Lace shawl - :: m a z e ::
One of my knitting club mates is from Estonia. She lent me her book about Estonian lace knitting (Leili Reimann: Pitsilised Koekirjad).
I fell in love with pattern #184 for the first sight.
I have a bad quality copy of the chart, so I drew it in excel (because I didn't find a knitting chart drawer program (is there any?)).
I shared the chart on ravelry as pattern #184.
Unfortunately ggh kid kills the lace (at least if it's a lace shawl).
One of my knitting club mates is from Estonia. She lent me her book about Estonian lace knitting (Leili Reimann: Pitsilised Koekirjad).
I fell in love with pattern #184 for the first sight.
I have a bad quality copy of the chart, so I drew it in excel (because I didn't find a knitting chart drawer program (is there any?)).
I shared the chart on ravelry as pattern #184.
Unfortunately ggh kid kills the lace (at least if it's a lace shawl).
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Quest for Lace Curtains
I was looking for a lacy curtain for my kitchen window. What's out there isn't worth paying for. Then I got the bright idea that I could knit my own. This is one pattern I might try.
lace pattern
lace pattern
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