Ladies:
As everyone knows I have about 6 dozen projects on the go at once and sometimes it would be easier on me if I would make notes and copy patterns instead of carting around the book or stitch dictonary and a whole bag full of needles (my bags are wearing out under the weight) so I did a search and I found this great site that has already prepared journal sheets that we can download and use.
I am passing it along so download and enjoy! http://kathrynivy.com/patterns/extras/knitting-journal/
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Share the Love of Knitting
This is a great article that was written by Vicki Square in 2009 in a back issue of Interweave knitting. It is one that I wanted to share again. Just remember you can teach a friend to knit OR crochet and have fun and relaxation time together any time!
Teach a Friend to Knit
Teach a Friend to Knit
You are sitting in a richly colored velveteen chair at your favorite coffee shop, enjoying a bit of knitting time. The friend you are waiting for appears, and you ask, "Do you mind if I knit while we visit?" Of course she doesn't mind, and you are delighted to knit on. Could you be more content? Only if she were knitting, too.
Interest is in her eyes, and the words just pop out: "I could teach you how!" You want her to know the sense of adventure you experience every time you pick up your needles. And then: You realize you've never taught someone how to knit before, and a mini jolt of panic hits.
It's easy! You don't have to be a walking encyclopedia of knitting knowledge in order to share what you know. If you can make a slipknot, cast on, knit, and bind off, you can show a friend how to make something fun. Guarantee success with felted first projects: Felting covers up a multitude of sins, such as uneven stitches, inadvertent increases, and holes that seem to come out of nowhere. Your friend will be more lighthearted about any mistakes, knowing that they will all be obscured in the felting process.
I like to choose a worsted-weight yarn and midsize needles for a beginner to work with. With too-small needles, the results are too slow in coming. Too-large needles make it awkward to achieve even tension right away. A size 8 needle with a nice worsted-weight wool will make for a pleasurable first experience. It doesn't matter whether the needles are straight or circular, but I find that beginners tend to like the stability of short, straight bamboo needles. I like to have new knitters start with small squares of about five inches—just like gauge swatches. With small pieces, the sequence of making a slipknot, casting on, knitting, and binding off is easily repeated several times, cementing the process in the new knitter's mind.
Have your own yarn and needles to work with when you teach a friend to knit. To begin, demonstrate each of the four basic techniques: making a slipknot, casting on (use the long-tail method), knitting, and binding off. Have her repeat the motions a few times to get the hang of them. If you can't quite find the right words to describe each action, simply read the text out of your favorite knitting technique book. You will be showing your friend how to find necessary information, and you will refresh your own knowledge at the same time. Now make some little squares. Cast on twenty to twenty-five stitches and knit every row until the square's length is equal to its width. This won't take long, even for absolute beginners. Bind off and show your friend how to weave in the ends. Make several squares.
What do you do with four, six, or eight little woolly squares? You felt them into coasters! Make them to match or in a nice palette. Show your friend how to felt them in a sink or in the washing machine. Stack the felted squares and tie with ribbon for a boxed set! The practice squares become the real deal—instant accomplishment.
The next step in the fun is to make something larger. A felted tote bag is just the thing: a few rectangles, a few seams, a spin in the machine, and voilà! A container for your friend's sure-to-grow knitting universe. You've just shown someone down the knitting path, and it may be that you enjoyed the giving as much as she appreciated the receiving. Time together meant sharing more than simply knitting—what a great path to a deeper friendship.
—Vicki Square
Interest is in her eyes, and the words just pop out: "I could teach you how!" You want her to know the sense of adventure you experience every time you pick up your needles. And then: You realize you've never taught someone how to knit before, and a mini jolt of panic hits.
It's easy! You don't have to be a walking encyclopedia of knitting knowledge in order to share what you know. If you can make a slipknot, cast on, knit, and bind off, you can show a friend how to make something fun. Guarantee success with felted first projects: Felting covers up a multitude of sins, such as uneven stitches, inadvertent increases, and holes that seem to come out of nowhere. Your friend will be more lighthearted about any mistakes, knowing that they will all be obscured in the felting process.
I like to choose a worsted-weight yarn and midsize needles for a beginner to work with. With too-small needles, the results are too slow in coming. Too-large needles make it awkward to achieve even tension right away. A size 8 needle with a nice worsted-weight wool will make for a pleasurable first experience. It doesn't matter whether the needles are straight or circular, but I find that beginners tend to like the stability of short, straight bamboo needles. I like to have new knitters start with small squares of about five inches—just like gauge swatches. With small pieces, the sequence of making a slipknot, casting on, knitting, and binding off is easily repeated several times, cementing the process in the new knitter's mind.
Have your own yarn and needles to work with when you teach a friend to knit. To begin, demonstrate each of the four basic techniques: making a slipknot, casting on (use the long-tail method), knitting, and binding off. Have her repeat the motions a few times to get the hang of them. If you can't quite find the right words to describe each action, simply read the text out of your favorite knitting technique book. You will be showing your friend how to find necessary information, and you will refresh your own knowledge at the same time. Now make some little squares. Cast on twenty to twenty-five stitches and knit every row until the square's length is equal to its width. This won't take long, even for absolute beginners. Bind off and show your friend how to weave in the ends. Make several squares.
What do you do with four, six, or eight little woolly squares? You felt them into coasters! Make them to match or in a nice palette. Show your friend how to felt them in a sink or in the washing machine. Stack the felted squares and tie with ribbon for a boxed set! The practice squares become the real deal—instant accomplishment.
The next step in the fun is to make something larger. A felted tote bag is just the thing: a few rectangles, a few seams, a spin in the machine, and voilà! A container for your friend's sure-to-grow knitting universe. You've just shown someone down the knitting path, and it may be that you enjoyed the giving as much as she appreciated the receiving. Time together meant sharing more than simply knitting—what a great path to a deeper friendship.
—Vicki Square
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Special Olympics
Knitters and Crocheters!
Once again Red Heart is sponsoring Scarf projects for the 2012 special olympics. This is the link to the area on the Red Heart website that contains all the information. http://www.redheart.com/blog/2012-special-olympics-usa-scarf-project?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pay%20It%20Forward%20and%20Give%20Back&utm_term=making+scarves. It will provide you with all of the relevant information for the yarn colors and you can make the scarves in any style that you wish. This is another link that is supplied by Red Heart for the project: http://www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org/.
I know that each of us is always working on a project for ourselves, or a friend or a family member but for those who are interested, I would like the Monday Night Knitting and Crochet ladies to each make a scarf (or two or three or more if you feel like it!) and as a group (The Knit Knack) we send them in for these very special athletes.
If you would like to be part of this project through our group, you can reach us at The Wild Hare, 2406 Brook Avenue, Wichita Falls, Texas 76301 (940) 228-0110 or my email: toniekb@gmail.com
Look forward to seeing everyone's creations!
Once again Red Heart is sponsoring Scarf projects for the 2012 special olympics. This is the link to the area on the Red Heart website that contains all the information. http://www.redheart.com/blog/2012-special-olympics-usa-scarf-project?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Pay%20It%20Forward%20and%20Give%20Back&utm_term=making+scarves. It will provide you with all of the relevant information for the yarn colors and you can make the scarves in any style that you wish. This is another link that is supplied by Red Heart for the project: http://www.scarvesforspecialolympics.org/.
I know that each of us is always working on a project for ourselves, or a friend or a family member but for those who are interested, I would like the Monday Night Knitting and Crochet ladies to each make a scarf (or two or three or more if you feel like it!) and as a group (The Knit Knack) we send them in for these very special athletes.
If you would like to be part of this project through our group, you can reach us at The Wild Hare, 2406 Brook Avenue, Wichita Falls, Texas 76301 (940) 228-0110 or my email: toniekb@gmail.com
Look forward to seeing everyone's creations!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Combination Knitting
Knitters!
In doing an internet search for something totally different, the link below came up in the search. Out of curiosity I went to the site and found to my surprise some great information along with videos and some different techniques that I have not seen since I was a child and my parents lived in Malta! The site is www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knit-stitch and is a great site to bookmark.
As many knitters know there are options when it comes to casting on stitches, the way the stitches are knitted or purled and the multitude of combinations of ways to create pretty patterns and designs but what many knitters may not be aware of is that different countries and cultures also have knitting techniques that are not written in any book and are passed down from one generation to another.
While you may not be a book author, if you come from a generation of knitters in your family and you learn a special tip or knitting construction, write it down. Keep yourself a knitting diary...you will be glad you did some day.
As an adult, I regret not having enough knowledge as a child (I learned to knit at the early age of 5) to write down some of the things that the elders in Malta taught me.
As a child I was fortunate to be able to travel to some very unusual places (and no my father was not military..I was an oilfield brat) but one of my favorite places to visit was Malta because during the summer months and also on good weather days, the elder ladies of the neighborhood would all gather on the front porches of each others homes and knit or crochet or make wooden spindle lace. The children would play in the street, cars did not drive like they were at the Indie 500 and we were encouraged to learn to knit or crochet with the elders. The ladies of Malta are still famous for their handmade lace and it all started with neighborhood gatherings.
In doing an internet search for something totally different, the link below came up in the search. Out of curiosity I went to the site and found to my surprise some great information along with videos and some different techniques that I have not seen since I was a child and my parents lived in Malta! The site is www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knit-stitch and is a great site to bookmark.
As many knitters know there are options when it comes to casting on stitches, the way the stitches are knitted or purled and the multitude of combinations of ways to create pretty patterns and designs but what many knitters may not be aware of is that different countries and cultures also have knitting techniques that are not written in any book and are passed down from one generation to another.
While you may not be a book author, if you come from a generation of knitters in your family and you learn a special tip or knitting construction, write it down. Keep yourself a knitting diary...you will be glad you did some day.
As an adult, I regret not having enough knowledge as a child (I learned to knit at the early age of 5) to write down some of the things that the elders in Malta taught me.
As a child I was fortunate to be able to travel to some very unusual places (and no my father was not military..I was an oilfield brat) but one of my favorite places to visit was Malta because during the summer months and also on good weather days, the elder ladies of the neighborhood would all gather on the front porches of each others homes and knit or crochet or make wooden spindle lace. The children would play in the street, cars did not drive like they were at the Indie 500 and we were encouraged to learn to knit or crochet with the elders. The ladies of Malta are still famous for their handmade lace and it all started with neighborhood gatherings.
Monday, July 4, 2011
Knitting Daily Posting
What's your sweater type?
You know Knitscene is always full of fun and funky patterns, cool new yarny product reviews, and in-depth features about yarn producers and designers. What you might not realize is that Knitscene contains lots and lots of fascinating instruction, too! Take Julie Matthews' piece from the Fall 2011 issue, about designer Amy Herzog and her tips for figure-flattering sweater shapes. She asks Amy all about what types of sweaters work best on different body types, and Amy's answers make perfect sense. Here's an excerpt from that article. Form & Fit by Julie Matthews We've all had the unfortunate experience of knitting a gorgeous pattern exactly as written, only to wind up with a sweater that falls short of making us look like the sample picture. The fact is knitwear designers need to draft patterns to fit some shape, so they choose a standardized average. Sadly, most women differ from this "average" in at least one way. That doesn't mean the rest of us should resign ourselves to lackluster sweaters—far from it! All of us deserve sweaters that perfectly fit and flatter us. Designer Amy Herzog finds beauty in everyone. “As women in this culture, it is impossible to see ourselves in an unbiased way,” Amy says. “Everyone who comes into my classes, regardless of her size or shape, is obsessed with some part of her body. What she doesn’t see are her natural assets.” Her remedy: teach knitters to make sweaters that enhance their attractiveness and de-emphasize problem areas. She encourages knitters to start by determining whether they are bottom-heavy, top-heavy, or proportionally shaped. Top-Heavy Shapes: Top-heavy women tend to have broad shoulders or busts proportionally larger than their hips. Amy advises moving visual interest to the bottom of the sweater. “Choose designs that incorporate eye-catching elements at the hem of the sweater or employ long vertical panels for the rest of the bodice,” she suggests. Bottom-Heavy Shapes: With bottom-heavy shapes, the hips or thighs are proportionally larger than the rest of the body. Amy counsels moving visual interest to the top of the sweater. “Choose designs that have colorwork, lace, or texture across the shoulders or bustline, and vertical or plain patterning at the hemline,” she says. Proportional Shapes: When a woman’s upper and lower body measure the same width, she is considered proportional. “The key to flattering proportional shapes is to preserve the balance between the shoulders and bust with the hips and thighs,” Amy says. She recommends pairing a motif at the neckline with a similar design at the hips and cuffs. For example, yoked sweaters with colorwork repeated at the shoulders, sleeves, and hem particularly flatter a proportional form. —from the Fall 2011 issue of Knitscene For much more information about fitting and flattering your unique body shape, including how to modify for your body type (plus sweater designs for all three figure types profiled), get the new issue of Knitscene today! Cheers,  |
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