-
Scrappy Stitchers Link Party #1 – Let it snow
Let’s try something new: Join in this link party and show off your beautiful work! This is a trial run, but if it works out well and you like it, I will make it a regular feature. The party will be open from now through Saturday (based on US central time). At the bottom of the post, next to the “add your link” button, there is a timer showing how much time is left. All fiber arts are welcome, and all you need to participate is a link where we can see your project. Links will be displayed in random order. The most clicked links will be featured on next week’s link…
-
Free Pattern – Plaid Scarf
Last year, at the Knit and Crochet Show, I took a class called “Mad About Plaid” taught by Michelle Hunter of Knit Purl Hunter. She showed us this brilliant way to create a plaid design with a combination of knitting and crochet techniques. Be sure to check out her site for some beautiful patterns, and an extensive library of tutorials. If you ever get a chance to take her class, I highly recommend it! This scarf pattern is much easier to make than it looks, and does not involve complicated colorwork techniques. Each row is a single color, and the columns are worked later. The knitting part of the pattern is available as…
-
Pattern Review – Wavy Garden Shawl by Iris Schreier
In the June Yarnbox last year (2014), was the Wavy Garden Shawl pattern by Iris Schreier, and the yarns needed to make it. I’m fairly inexperienced with knitting lace, and this pattern had a lot of things going on that were new to me. I made several mistakes (probably more than I even noticed), but in the end I think it turned out quite nicely. This post contains affiliate links (click for more info). If you click one of these links and then make a purchase, I may be compensated. You get the same great prices, and you will be helping to support this site! The yarns themselves were lovely. There…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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.
-
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…
-
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.…
-
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:
