Unventing

Necessity is the mother of invention.  Especially to crafters.  We have our core stash of materials that we may spare no expense, however, if there is a crafting emergency or away from our supplies, we can get downright creative.

There are tons of tips and variations of yarny accessories out there, and I have done a few myself. I have learned that a pair of Chinese takeout chopsticks are the equivalent of a size US 8 needle, bamboo skewers equal US 7's, loom bands can be used as stitch markers or wrapped around needles to secure them in transport, cutting the corner of a zippered plastic bag and threading the yarn through the hole will keep yarn tidy and clean and my favorite needle & stitch marker holder is a metal mint box that is also perfect for doing something with those magnetic business cards and using them to keep needles from shifting.

One of my most recent homemade tools I've utilized is the bread clip bobbin. Bobbins are mostly used for colorwork such as intarsia when bits of color are needed. Yarn bobbins are easily accessible at yarn and craft stores, but if you're like me, the time I need these are at 10 o'clock at night in my sweats. Most of the time you see these homemade bobbins used with one clip, but I'm here to tell you that two works wonders. If you use one and is wrapped full of yarn, the risk of the bottom exploding for all that hard work winding will make you sadder than an umbrella on a sunny day. Use two clips by winding a bit around the center to secure and then lock the yarn into place by winding between the clips. 

These are my tips for today!

Back To The Office

The kiddos have headed back to school today!  Are they excited? Meh. Am I excited?  Yes I am!

The beginning of the new school year is a mid-year fresh start. Like New Years, resolutions begin again as well as excuses.  I have more free time so I can hit the gym, work on that novel that's always been in the back of my mind, clean the kids rooms while they're not home to whine and pull out everything I've thrown away...

There are those wonderful parents that homeschool their kids. While I love my children dearly and we do fun,  educational and stimulating activities on a regular basis, the kids and I both need time away from each other so we don't drive each other crazy. They're getting old enough to take care of themselves to a point, but my youngest has a new standard phrase that is on continuous loop every 90 seconds: "mom, can I ask you something?"

What does this have to do with yarn you might ask?  Nothing really, except now that the kids are gone for 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there is a soothing peace in the house.  No Disney channel playing the the background, no blocks tumbling, no light saber swishing sounds, no arguing who gets the last cocolate pop tart. Just silence.

With silence comes a dedicated concentration on my yarny projects.  I can sit on the couch, uninterrupted and finish that complicated cable row without losing my place. I can finish my projects faster and more efficiently.  I can listen to my audiobooks and zone out in my zen of yarn and needles. Is this selfish?  Not at all. While this is a craft that I love,  this is also a source of income and customers rely on me that I do my best work.  This happens in silence. This makes me a more productive person and parent all around.

So, while the kids grudgingly drag their feet to the car to head off for knowledge and new experiences,  I gleefully skip to the couch, turn on my audiobook and nestle a beautiful colorway on my lap and create a work of art. 

Go Big Or Go Home

While the green beachy sweater is in timeout (bad sweater, no dessert for you), I've been simultaneously working on another sweater. It's more of a tabbard actually and it's too hot this summer to fully appreciate it's simplistic beauty,  but it really is a cute design and I get to make two of them! 

Azel Pullover Pattern & Photo by Heidi May

I was ready for a basic pattern after my earlier issue. The 1st size to knit is requested for a 5/7. Made gauge with my 13's no problem and started plucking along. Following my newly reinstated rules, I measured after my first skein. It was too narrow. Well crappers. Have I upset the yarn gods where everything I create is destined to be pre-shrunk? This garment will NOT get the best of me.

When it comes to patterns, I have no problem going straight to the source.  After all, who better to ask than the designer! Fortunately, this time around,  the issue was not mine and a revised pattern was sent with the correct measurements.

There is one more issue with this pattern.  The tabbard requires 5"-7" of ease,  however, the sizing does not account for that.  Instead of knitting the 5/7 size,  I'm now knitting the S/M and using 10 skeins to get the 5" ease. Keep that in mind fellow knitters if you're working this pattern.

Thankfully, this project is going full speed ahead and is full of extra squishy goodness. 2.5 more skeins to go until project is complete!

Regarding yarn, I'm using an acrylic/wool mix, Plymouth Yarn Encore Mega color 0678. I don't work with chunky yarns very often, so in addition to this being a fast project, it's a 2-ply yarn that has a nice loft. The color isn't completely grey. It has a bit of blue spun into the yarn for a nice added dimension.
 

When Good Knitters Go Insane

I have a theory on intellect. The more book knowledge one may have, the less common sense they retain. The same goes with crafting. After a while, basic patterns are no longer challenging and we crave more. Complex stitches, colorwork, unique construction tickle my fancy as much as finding the center of the ball in one pull. Because of the desire to challenge myself and learn new techniques, going back to the basics can make me fall flat on my face

A dear friend of mine and I were talking about simple projects earlier this year and this was gist of our conversation.

D: Do you know the reason we get stuck on the easy patterns?
Me: No, why?
D: It's because we've challenged ourselves so much in our specialty that we try to make the easy, difficult.

Welcome to my world today. I have stumbled over my own two feet.

The current project I'm working on is a sweet, simple lace sweater. I was overly thorough with my swatches, making 5 different sizes, and my trusty Addi 6's were the winner for this garment. I finished the entire body, started picking up sts for the sleeves and all of a sudden, my spidey sense started tingling. You know that voice: The one that says it's a school zone, you better slow down, or let's not eat the entire gallon of ice cream; it didn't end well the last time, or it's 2 o'clock in the morning, put the yarn down and go to bed. The voice this time said in a sweet fluttery voice sprinkled with glitter and peppermints: you might want to measure. "Okay," I replied with a smirk, "not that I need to. I made gauge after all." I laid out the masterpiece, looking proudly as though my 6-year old son figured out how to make a ladder that reaches the sky. Sadly, he wasn't the one that was short a few rungs; I was, by 6"!

I am re-learning a few lessons in this project that has caused me to be humble again.

Lesson #1: If something doesn't feel right, stop right then and there.
I should have stopped much earlier in the project, but my end goal was in sight and I didn't want to turn back.

Lesson #2: Measure as you go.
This is totally a no brainer, but hey, I made gauge, the math made complete sense,  so why should I question. Always measure. 

Lesson #3: Don't react due to emotion.  Step away and reevaluate.
Yet another cardinal mistake. I got so mad at the project and at me, I frogged the entire thing. I did swatch after swatch after swatch of different sizes and needle brands trying to figure out what went wrong,  when really ask I had to do was...

Lesson #4: Block the durn thing before you frog it.
A weeks worth of knitting, two days of brooding over what to do and seven balls of rewound yarn made me realize the most basic task I should have done but now I'm starting over with new swatches and actually blocking them before starting up again. This time I will be keeping my tape measure handy.

Oh well, at least I'm getting a little help...

Rally the St. Jo Mustangs Mascot

Back in the Saddle Again, Pt. 2

I love to knit. And crochet. I also love to talk to other knitters and crocheters and find out what they're making and what tips and tricks they've learned along the way.

Before moving to MO from TX, I was active in two yarn-related groups. One is a fun social group where I still meet with them when I go back home to visit. The other is a charity group that is still very close to my heart. Yarns of Hope donates their time and talent to making items that go to hospitals, NICU units, oncology centers, missions, home-bound individuals... you name it. If you like to knit for charity and don't have a place to send items, check this group out!

Needless to say, my crafting needs were being fulfilled so when I found out we were moving several states away, I have to admit I began to panic. Will I find other yarn-obsessed friends like myself? Thank heavens to Betsy Ross that Ravelry was there to save the day. Searching for people proved to be fruitful and when we moved. I found an amazing group that I couldn't be more enamored with. I've laughed and cried with these men and women; both with our own projects as well as personally. To sum up, find a group and share your love of crafts so you and they can grow!

My crafting journey has given me some great opportunities over these past years! I worked at a local yarn store where I had the opportunity to be surrounded by the most wonderful yarns and teach fun classes. I do a lot of freelance sample and test knitting and crochet projects for stores, designers and individuals. I even had a double-knitted necklace place in the top 10 for Skacel's knit-cessories design competition!
 

   

This past school year, a library friend and I started a knitting club for 6th graders. We taught them the basics of knitting where they made squares, were assembled and then donated back to the school at the end of the year. I was really proud of these kids as they worked really hard and enjoyed the process. Who knows if they will continue to knit or take it up again later in life, but I hope they learned that you can make beautiful things with sticks and a little bit of string.

6th Grade Knitting Club

My most favorite of awards have been at the Texas State Fair. I've won several first and second place projects, but by far what I'm most amazed by is that I've won in the baby blanket category for the last five years. I checked a while back as to how many people actually enter in this category. The lady I spoke with said that there were over 300 entries the previous year. I was floored when I heard that. Winning five years in a row in an anonymous competition has made me feel more than honored. Since I'm now out of state, and could technically continue to compete, I've decided to put up my state fair hat and let someone else win. It was a wonderful chapter in my life that I will always remember.

2011 - Diamonds Are Also a Boy's Best Friend

2012 - Afternoon Stroll

2013 - Brioche Baby, Brioche

2014 - Hearts and Flowers

2015 - Elora Diana

 

Back in the Saddle Again

I think 2 1/2 years since my one and only post is long enough! I have had so much fun playing with yarn that I forgot to tell everyone all about it!  
My life headed for a new adventure almost three years ago. My husband and I lived in Texas for 25+ years. He had a wonderful opportunity to teach theatre in Saint Joseph, MO and off we went! Selling a home that we built, uprooting two small children from their only known surroundings and leaving the majority of our family behind, we moved from a bustling southern suburban lifestyle to a mid-west state and a town that is rich in history. This was a big step for our family. Venturing out on our own with no immediate family in an 8-hour radius, we are eagerly learning what it is like to rely on our own resources and incorporate ourselves into society here.
 

Greetings from Missouri

The home we purchased is now 121 years old. It is a beautiful picturesque home that could be a part of a Norman Rockwell calendar, screams to be decorated during the holiday's and has a lot of imaginative space for the kids to play. I'm finally starting to settle down in the mid-west lifestyle once again from living in Colorado as a kid. We're literally a block from parade routes, easy access to a beautiful parkway system, and fun little luxuries, such as a water park, putt-putt, rolling and ice skating rinks, hometown baseball, fantastic libraries and a delicious 50's style ice cream shop that's in the shape of a cupcake. Traffic is a bit surreal. After driving in Dallas where 70 mph is the minimum and it takes you 30 minutes to get from one end of town to the other, here you can drive anywhere in town in 10 minutes or less, everyone drives the speed limit and rush hour traffic is considered waiting at the traffic light with five cars in front of you. I love it!

One of the best parts about living in the mid-west are the seasons. Did you know there are four seasons?!? That also means there is ample variety in knitwear! Knitting in TX there were always wonderful sweater and hat patterns I wanted to make but there was no real reason to make them as they wouldn't get any use. Well, now there are plenty of opportunities to wear the big woolies. All I have to do next is find the time!

A New Skein

Welcome to my exciting knitting adventures!  I am a passionate knitter who loves to learn all about yarny crafting and this site will be my vessel.

For those who do not know me directly, I come from a long line of crafters. My mom and grandmothers sewed, decorated, painted, & needle pointed. My dad liked to latch-hook. I feel very fortunate to have been around artists in their own respect and they encourage these arts throughout my life. My passion of knitting came as a result; that and boredom. About five years ago when my daughter was 2, I needed something to do that was just for me; my own little escape that wouldn't be overly expensive start up-wise, able to be portable with a toddler in tow and something that could be considered fun and useful. After researching a few ideas, I came across knitting and crocheting. When I asked my mom which craft I should do, she told me that she could teach me how to knit. From my first meager swatch of Red Heart variegated yarn, size 8 straight needles and learning the knit stitch, I was hooked and haven't looked back.

Learning the knit stitch

My first swatch

Now over 300+ projects and eight designs later as documented in Ravelry, I can say that I still love to knit. I have found my passion. I enjoy knitting for charity, I enjoy teaching others and I love learning new techniques to make myself a better knitter.

In fact, to make sure I stay on track, I decided to make a few knitting goals for myself this year:

• Begin the Master Knitter Course
• Learn how to make pleats for Natalie's Easter dress
• Learn 2-color double-knitting
• Make an illusion project
• Design and publish 3 patterns
• Make a filet crochet project

Thanks for joining me in my journey. I hope that although this blog will be about me and my crafting, that I will be able to impart some useful hints and tips your way that might motivate you to learn something new.

Knit on.