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This is why.
Sometimes, I try to pull out the end from the center of a skein, and the whole middle comes out in one big blob of yarn barf that I then spend 2 hours untangling. Sometimes, 15 stitches from the end of a massive project, I run out of completely unmatchable yarn. Sometimes, I put down a project for a few days, and when I pick it back up again, I can’t remember what hook I was using (and when I guess, I get it wrong). Sometimes I make a pair of socks…then another pair of socks…then another pair of socks…and none of them fit me quite right, but all for…
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Product Review – Unicorn Fibre Wash & Rinse
My friend Jessie of Jessie at Home had a serious soot problem in her home office / studio a little while ago, and for cleaning it up she recommended Unicorn Fibre products. I was looking for a good product to use for blocking my projects anyway, so I thought I would give it a try. I didn’t know whether I wanted Fibre Wash or Fibre Rinse, so I asked, and they sent me a free sample pack. It included both the wash and the rinse, as well as the Power Scour. I didn’t use the Power Scour, and probably won’t need to in the near future. I don’t have pets or anything so my yarn is…
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Tutorial – How to make a pom pom without a pom pom maker
You’ve probably seen those round pom pom makers that come in sets of various sizes. You may even have seen tutorials for making your own pom pom makers out of cardboard. These are all perfectly great ways to make pom poms, but the truth is, in a pinch, you don’t really need them. Just about anything that you can wrap yarn around can become a pom pom maker. The key is it has to be something that will hold the yarn without slipping off. Square or rectangular objects tend to work well. The wider the object, the longer the strands of the pom pom will be, so try to find something fairly…
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It IS the size that matters
As those of us here in the US already know, US hook sizes are identified by a lettering system. We have our favorites for different yarns, for me H’s, I’s and J’s are great for worsted yarns, G’s and H’s work well for DK, and D’s , E’s and F’s are good for fingering. Whatever our choices, the lettering and sizes are all standard, right? Nope.
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Stashing on Ravelry
Today, I am sorting through and organizing all the new yarn I got on my trip to the Knit and Crochet show. There’s a lot of it, and like many of you, I already had a lot at home! Without some way to manage it, I would never remember what I have. Luckily, once again, it’s Ravelry to the rescue. I use the “stash” feature to keep track of it all, and I’ve found that really helpful. As soon as yarn enters my home (ok, within a couple of weeks, at least), I enter it into my stash. That way, I always know exactly how much I have of each yarn, including dye…
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15 Newbie tips for the Knit & Crochet Show
I just got back from the CGOA / TKGA Knit & Crochet Show in San Diego. This was my first show, and it was truly amazing. It was almost surreal to spend 4 whole days surrounded by such talent. Thanks to some good advice from some good friends, I was really able to make the most of it. I want to share that advice, from one newbie to another, along with a few tips of my own. If you’re going to the show next year for the first time: 1. Arrive Early. The fun starts bright and early on the first day! I arrived near lunchtime and ended up missing some of it.…
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Hanks, balls, and skeins – oh my!
Yarn comes in many formats, with different names. Sometimes it’s wound by a machine, sometimes it’s wound by hand, and sometimes it’s just twisted together. There are cakes, skeins, hanks, balls, cones, and even spools – do you know the difference? Here are some examples:
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Free Pattern – Last Minute 4th of July Headband
Do you need a last minute accessory for tonight’s festivities? There’s still time! I waited until the last minute too, and this headband is what I came up with. This design combines 2 of my previous patterns with a simple red chain. It only uses basic stitches, but combines knitting and crochet. This is a great project for a beginning knitter with a little bit of crochet experience. This pattern is protected by copyright. Please do not distribute or share this pattern in any way other than by sharing a link to this page or to the pattern page on Ravelry. Click here for copyright information. This pattern contains…
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Product Review – Susan Bates Digital Row Counter
As you may remember, I recently received a package of free items to review, from Red Heart. Included in the package was a Susan Bates digital row counter. This is a brand new product for 2015 (UPDATE: it’s now available on Red Heart’s site and I have updated the links in this post!). I’m not typically a big fan of row counters, but this one looked intriguing and I wanted to give it a try. I was at my LYS yesterday evening, knitting on my current pair of socks, and it seemed like a good opportunity. In the past, I’ve used the type of manual row counters where you turn the dials on…
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A package from Red Heart!
Look at the free goodies the postman brought me the other day, from the lovely people at Red Heart! There’s a skein of Boutique Twilight in the “Romantic” colorway, and a coordinating skein of Boutique Infinity in the “Enchanted” colorway. Hmm…an enchanted romance indeed! They’re both generous skeins in gorgeous shades of purple, and both with a subtle sparkle. They’re surprisingly soft and silky to work with too. I can’t wait to make something with them. I have a couple ideas in mind but we’ll have to see how they turn out! Also in the box was a Susan Bates digital row counter (also in purple, of course). It wraps around…
