In Which I Admit That I Might Not Always Be 100% Completely Correct About Everything Knitting–or Pattern Writers Know Their Stuff

 

Yes, I might be a somewhat “adventurous” knitter and I have been known to call patterns “suggestions”. Well, that last one might be evidence of severe hubris or psychosis, but you get the idea. I generally do what the pattern calls for the first time and then make changes after that. Generally.

For our Keeping Kids Warm charity knitting program this fall, I chose this free pattern. On the first mitten (the pink one), when I got to the section where it divides the stitches for the thumb, the pattern calls for the knitter to cast on five stitches using the backward loop method. I’m not fond of the backward loop method because it can leave some extra yarn at the end of the cast-on that has to be dealt with on the next row. And I think the knitted cast-on is stronger when you go back to pick up stitches. Besides, I’m used to using the knitted cast-on and I wanted to do that one. Yes, I’m a touch hard-headed.

When I made the second mitten (with larger yarn (and green) and needles, so it wasn’t a mate to the first one), I decided to use the cast-on recommended in the pattern. And, guess what? The mitten where I used the cast-on called for by the original pattern looked much better. Sigh.

What were the differences?

1. The mitten knit using the original pattern (backward loop cast-on) (green mitten) has a nice, graceful join between the thumb and the palm. The other mitten (pink mitten) has an obvious ridge.

2. Since there were only five stitches to cast on, there wasn’t really an issue of extra yarn to sort out. The backward loop cast-on issues are problems only when there are long sections to cast on. If I had thought through this issue for more than five seconds, I might have realized it and gone with the pattern writer’s recommendation. Or not. Sometimes I can be really stubborn.

The moral of the story: Trust the pattern writers. It’s OK to be adventurous, but sometimes it’s best to follow the pattern the first time and then go back and decide where it’s worth veering off the beaten track.

Patterns from books or that are purchased are usually quite trustworthy. Not only has the pattern been written by someone that probably knows knitting patterns, but they’ve been test knitted and tech edited. I’ve written only a couple of patterns, but they have given me great respect for those who do this for a living.

So, it might possibly be the case that I am not always completely correct in my adventurous knitting and that pattern writers know what they’re doing. I could take you around the shop and show you lots more examples on the shop models I’ve made, but, really, who has that kind of time?

Happy knitting and be nice to any pattern writers you meet!! They deserve it!

Keeping Kids Warm

One of the most rewarding things we can do with fiber arts (knitting and crochet) is to create for other people and enrich our community. This fall, The Knitting Nest will be partnering with local school systems to keep kids warm.

When kids don't have appropriate clothing to stay warm outside, not only are they cold to and from school, but they end up having to stay inside during recess. We can help! This fall, we'll be making hats and mittens that the teachers can give to kids who need them. Not only will the kids be warm at recess, but they can keep the items to wear outside at home and other times when they’ll be outside. 

How will this work? Stop by The Knitting Nest to pick up a pattern (if you need one) and purchase appropriate yarn. When you are finished with your project, bring it back to The Knitting Nest. We'll arrange to get all the knitted items to the Waupaca and Weyauwega school districts.

And there are incentives for our knitters!!

1. For each knitted or crocheted item that you bring to The Knitting Nest, you will have your name entered once for a drawing for a shawl stick handmade by Patrick Martin. So, one hat gets you one entry. One hat and one pair of mittens gets you two entries, and so on.

2. Here's an extra incentive for knitting groups. The group of 3-5 knitters or crocheters who turns in the most items will receive one $50 gift certificate for the entire group. So, start getting those groups together!!

We start on October 15 and will do our drawings on December 15. However, we will continue to accept items for the school districts throughout the winter.

Back To School!!

It’s that time of year. The kids are back in school. Even my and Patrick’s kids, who are homeschooled, are getting up every morning to hit the books.

That means it’s also time for knitting and crochet classes!! If our kids can be filling their heads with information and new skills, then so can we. Besides, learning new things keeps your brain young.

Of course, for the very beginners, we have our Beginning Knitting class in which we will teach you to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off. You don’t even need to know which end of the knitting needle to use! On Saturdays, by appointment, we also offer Stitch Clinic, the chance to come in and get personalized help at any level of knitting or crochet. You do need to make an appointment, though, since this is outside regular shop hours in order to give you dedicated teaching time.

The rest of our classes in September and October are sock classes!! (Have you seen our window?!) The next level class is My First Socks is for those of you who already know the basics of knitting and are ready to learn a few new skills. While making a pair of socks, you will learn to knit in the round, decrease, pick up stitches, turn a heel, and do Kitchener stitch. DON’T PANIC!!! It sounds intimidating, but we have chosen a well-written pattern and will break it up into very manageable sections. This is a great second-level knitting class.

For those of you who are a little more comfortable with knitting, maybe having knit in the round and knowing how to do shaping (increasing and decreasing), or having made simple socks, the Pocket Sock class might be what you are looking for. In this class, we will make toe-up socks with the “Sweet tomato heel” designed by Cat Bordhi. What makes them really fun is that they have pockets on the sides of the leg!

If you are up for a real challenge, sign up for the entrelac sock class. In this class, we will make socks that use the entrelac (inter-lace) pattern on the instep and leg of the sock while using Judy’s magic cast-on for the toe and adding the sole and heel to the sock at the very end. Sound like fun? It really is and the sock looks amazing!! You need to be comfortable with your knitting needles to try this one!

So, let’s get “back-to-school” at The Knitting Nest! Here’s the schedule. You can stop by at your convenience to sign up for any of the classes. We can’t wait to see you!

Happy Birthday, Knitting Nest!

The Knitting Nest turned 1 year old last Thursday! Yes, we had a party! With cake! Since it was our birthday, we also gave out gifts – Knitting Nest bags to all of our customers on our birthday and various items to winners of the drawings.

So, now what? We’re toddlers now! We’ve gotten up on our feet and are cruising the furniture and generally breaking up housekeeping! Don’t worry, though, we’ll clean up after ourselves.

We’ve got plenty of ideas for our second year of business. We want to expand some of our yarn lines and bring in some new companies. And, of course, teach classes (more on that in another post). Let’s not forget charity knitting and crochet. There are lots of needs in our community that we can meet through fiber arts.

Keep up with us through our website or Facebook so you can be part of our exciting second year as we become more a part of the community here in Weyauwega!

And, of course, let us know of any ideas you have on how we can make our community better through knitting and crochet!

A Few Of My Favorite Things–Lotus Yarn and Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders

I might have mentioned that I love silk. I mean, really LOVE silk! I love how it feels and how it looks. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when we were able to start carrying Interlacement Yarns Lotus 100% silk. It’s shimmery and shiny and oh, so smooth!

And, of course, I just HAD to knit with it. All for you, my dear customers. All for you. The sacrifices I make for this business. But, someone must do it . . .

What pattern, though? I found the perfect one in Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: Blossom Silk SeaCell Shawl. Of course, I used Lotus instead of the SeaSilk, but it was a perfect substitution. Lotus is a super-fine weight yarn with over 450 yards per 100 grams. The pattern is easy to follow and is written in both words and a chart. It is a rather simple pattern with only one chart to follow and no special stitches.

I highly recommend the Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonder book. It has many projects that are quick to work up and that only take one skein or even part of a skein. They’re perfect for that leftover yarn that’s in your stash or when you need a quick knit when you’re on a trip. While they’re written for luxury yarns, you can almost always find another yarn to substitute that will also give very nice results. But, hey, there’s always silk . . .

Oh, you want to know how the Blossom Shawl turned out? Well, beautifully! Of course, when it was finished, it looked like a big mess of knotted silk. I used lace wires while blocking which helped ensure that the edges that were supposed to be straight actually turned out straight. And the final product is gorgeous!!

 

So, get thee to The Knitting Nest to buy some of this gorgeous Lotus yarn! And we’ll help you find the perfect pattern for your needs – maybe even from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders!

 

Knittin’ Large!!

What’s the largest size set of knitting needles you’ve used? I’ve been rather adventurous and used some size 21s to knit strips of blue jeans into an area rug and some 19s to knit T-shirt strips into another area rug.

That is nothing compared to what Patrick has been knitting recently, though! He has been making a “flag” using PVC pipe and strips of felt.

Here’s how it happened:

We bought bolts of red, white, and blue felt, and Patrick cut it into strips and then rolled the strips into balls.

Patrick made a gauge swatch (of course)

He then knit the flag from the bottom to the top in garter stitch.

 

The phrase “turn your work” took on new significance when the work became 20+ pounds of felt!

When he reached the section where the blue started, he used intarsia technique.

When he needed to join more “yarn”, he used a high tech knitting device – aka, a stapler!

Each night, he would hang the “flag” in the window so people could see how much progress he had made.

 

Finally, it was finished and he could bind off!

And this is the final appearance of the display window!!

What is the biggest size needle or most unusual fiber with which you’ve knit? How did your project turn out?

Why We Knit

I’ve written before about how knitting and other needlearts are about so much more than the crafts themselves. Let me tell you another story today.

One of our customers came in a few weeks ago looking for yarn and a pattern to make a hat for a dear friend who was about to undergo chemotherapy and likely to lose her hair. She loved the Delilah hat and wanted to make it for her friend, but she wanted to make it more appropriate for wearing indoors and to personalize it.

This customer made the hat using the Delilah pattern using Luscious yarn, just like our shop model. However, she chose to make the brim much smaller, making it a hat that’s easier to wear indoors.

What I really love about this hat, though, is the buttons. They are white heart-shaped buttons on which our customer wrote the names of people praying for her friend. In fact, she had to write on the backs of some of the buttons because there are more people praying than she had room for buttons! The buttons were then sewn on the base of the brim of the hat.

Knitting and crochet are fun crafts, but they can be so much more. When we put them in service of love and friendship, they are powerful tools for human connection.