Flash your awesome Kool-Aid dyeing results!

May 13, 2012

I hope you’ve had an awesome time with Kool-Aid Dye Week… I know I’ve had a blast experimenting! Did you give any of the techniques a try? If so… show it off!

In case you missed it…

I’ve posted tutorials for quite a few ways of using Kool-Aid to dye your yarn! If you missed them, don’t worry… here’s a wrap-up:

Click on any of the following links to zip to the tutorial!

Check out what I made!

While I made a few knitted & crocheted swatches for Dye Week, I couldn’t wait to get started on a project! And since my favorite technique is dyeing the long colorways, I started with that skein, first!

Check out my socks!

EEE! Don’t you love it! In retrospect, I might have dyed smaller sections to get narrower stripes, but I’m not complaining… I think these are super-fun!

Show me what you’ve got!

I wanna see it!

Share your experiences with Kool-Aid dyeing in the comments section!

Better yet, write a blog post showing off your awesome yarn, and share the link in the comments! Then we can all see what awesome work you’ve done!

Tips for Knitting Wingspan

April 12, 2012

Have you heard about Wingspan by Tri’Coterie? It’s a trending knitting pattern on Ravelry recently… and I’m seeing it pop up everywhere!

I just finished knitting my first one and I’ve cast on for a second. It’s no wonder it’s a popular pattern… Wingspan is both fun and easy, and it’s a great yarn for showing off long color-repeats.

In this post, I’ll share a couple of tips I’ve learned… so you can get started on one for yourself. (trust me, you want to!)

Choosing a Yarn

This pattern is fabulous because it gives you the option of making a fingering, dk or worsted weight scarf… meaning you have lots of yarns available to choose from!

My personal favorite is to select a self-striping or gradient yarn. Yarns with long colorways will give you a shawl where each wedge is a different color (more or less), resulting in a gradient-effect across the entire piece.

Some yarns with long colorways are:

  • Almost any Noro yarn: try Taiyo or Silk Garden Sock for fingering weight or Taiyo, Kureyon or Silk Garden for a worsted weight.
  • Zauberball (Fingering)
  • Knit Picks Chroma (available in fingering or worsted weight)
  • Play at Life Maki Yarn (available in a wide range of fingering weight options)

I’ve also seen some lovely versions on Ravelry knitted up with yarns with shorter colorways, or even in a solid color. Doing this makes the ‘wedges’ in the shawl less defined, but still results in a beautiful shawl. Check out all of the projects and see what strikes you!

How to skip using a traveling marker

I like to knit on the go… and so adding and removing a traveling stitch marker every row was too much for me. Fortunately, you can easily go without using one.

To accomplish the patterning for Wingspan, you basically want to turn 3 stitches before the last time you turned on the previous row. Fortunately (since the pattern recommends not wrapping before turning), you’ll see a giant gap in your work where you previously turned (the red arrow).

So, all you need to do for your current row is turn 3 stitches before that gap (at the blue arrow), and bye-bye traveling stitch marker!

I recommend knitting one wedge by following the pattern before attempting working without the traveling stitch marker. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll only to add one marker every time you finish a wedge… much easier to manage!

The Cast-On

For this pattern, you’ll need to cast on stitches to the end of a piece you’re already working. Since there are already stitches in action (with yarn attached), your cast-on choices become more limited (for example, using the long-tail cast-on would require a second piece of yarn).

For this part, I use the Cable Cast on. It’s a simple way of adding stitches to a piece you already have. Check out KnittingHelp.com or consult a reference guide (like The Knitting Answer Book) to find out how to do it.

Have you started yours, yet?

It’s a fun, easy and portable pattern. I’ve just cast on for my second… a fingering weight version where I’m using up all of my leftover sock yarn pieces to create a rainbow effect. I’ll keep you posted on my progress!

Best,
Stacey

Knook (knitting with a crochet hook): is it worth learning?

April 5, 2012

Have you heard of the Knook (pronounced ‘nook’)? It’s a very clever hook/technique that allows you to form a fabric that looks like knitting by using a special crochet hook.

While it’s a very interesting idea, it requires learning new stitches (not crochet stitches or knit stitches), so isn’t exactly a short cut for learning to knit. I’ll show you know knooking is done, then chat about the pros and cons, so you can decide whether you’d want to learn to knook, or would rather just learn to knit.

How to knook

The knook is a crochet hook with an eye at the non-hook end (exactly like a locker hook, if you’re familiar with one) accompanied by a nylon cord. I haven’t seen knooks for sale alone in the store, so you’re probably best off grabbing The Knook Beginner Set, which comes with a variety of hooks, cords and a beginners book. Videos about how to knook are available on the Leisure Arts Website, and they’re pretty clear and easy to follow.

You begin knooking by threading the cord into the eye in the hook. The first row is done by crocheting a single chain, nothing tricky!

To Knook the first row, you insert your hook into the chain stitches and pick up your working yarn… similar to how you would work in Tunesian Crochet. Then, you slip all of your loops onto the cord:

To continue, you use the hook to pick up a new row of stitches, inserting the hook into the loops that are now held on the cord. Whether you make knit or purl stitches depends on which way you wrap the yarn around the hook.

The fabric looks pretty impressively like a knit fabric!

The Advantages of Knooking

The advertisement is true: you can accomplish a fabric that looks like a knit fabric by using only the knook (crochet hook + cord). For crocheters, there are some big advantages:

  • If you’re already familiar with using a crochet hook, the movements will feel very natural, most likely making the technique easier to learn.
  • The first row is done by crocheting a chain, so there’s no need to learn a cast on.
  • Stitches remain on the cord while you’re working, so there’s less danger of dropped stitches (but see my exception to this in the next section).

The Downsides to Knooking

There’s no doubt that it’s a clever tool, but there are some downsides to learning knooking, especially if your goal is to make knitted items that you’ll see in patterns:

  • You need to learn how to wrap the yarn to knit and purl- these aren’t the same stitches that you already know from crochet.
  • A fair amount of translation is required if you wanted to make an item from a knitted pattern. There are knooking books available, but you’d be limited to that small selection of patterns.
  • The stitches are kept on a nylon cord with no method of securing the stitches. If you were to toss your knooking in a bag, you’ve have oodles of dropped stitches if the cord came out.

Is it worth it?

I’m going to start with an interesting statistic that I’ve gathered after years of teaching knitting and crochet. Knitters, when first learning crochet, typically do no better than the rest of the novice crocheters. (sorry, knitters!) However, crocheters, when learning to knit, typically learn much faster than newbie knitters!

Crocheters already know how to tension the yarn, hold things in their hands, and all they really need to learn (in order to knit) is how to pass a stitch from one needle to another. In my experience, with a good teacher and when learning to knit continental (i.e. holding the yarn in the left hand, which is how a crocheter holds it when crocheting), crocheters have a fairly easy time learning to knit.

So, if you’re deciding whether to learn to knook, it’s important to think about your goals. Do you want to knit socks? Learn to knit. Do you want to knit sweaters? Learn to knit. Do you just love the look of knitted fabric and want to make small projects? Maybe knooking is for you.

One main factor is that the knook is a product manufactured by one company… so you only have one hook style available to you and a limited selection of pattern books. Both crocheting and knitting have available lots of different hooks/needles to suit your particular style, and patterns made my thousands of designers. In order to invest time in learning to knook, you’ll have to be sure that you’re happy being limited to the options available.

I have spoken with some people who love that the action uses a crochet hook, and much prefer knooking over learning to knit. Wonderful! I’m happy whenever someone finds what works for them!

But if you have a hankering to knit… I’d recommend giving knitting a try!

Best,
Stacey

Wrist Exercises for Knitters and Crocheters

January 17, 2012

If you knit/crochet a lot (or embroider!) . . . chances are you suffer from some achy wrists! I know that during last week, when I was crocheting up a storm, I certainly did!

Here are a few exercises that I do to relieve my sore wrists. Try to give these a whirl every hour or so while you’re working.

1. Swirl your wrist around! I don’t even know if this counts as an ‘exercise’… but moving your wrist in all sorts of directions (especially the directions it doesn’t move while you’re knitting/crocheting) really helps it out.

2. Prayer position. This is a little move I picked up from yoga class… it’s just like prayer position, but you’ll want to raise your elbows a little (while keeping your wrists still) to get a nice stretch in your wrist area.

3. Reverse wrist stretch. This one is the opposite of the stretch in point 2. Lay the back of your hand on a table, and press down lightly with your arm.

4. Rub those wrist bones! Use your thumb and massage all those little bones and tendons (and whatever else) that are in your wrist.

5. Squeeze. With your opposite hand, just squeeze your wrist. This gets all of your joint fluid flowing around.

Update! Stacey added a video showing some of these stretches here.

Happy wrists make a happy stitcher!

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Review of The Big Book of Knitted Monsters by Rebecca Danger

November 17, 2011

Love knitting cute monsters? Rebecca Danger’s Big Book of Knitted Monsters has been on the wish-list of every monster-knitter I know! And for good reason: it’s packed full of adorable monster patterns. This book isn’t for every knitter out there, so you’ll want to skip down to reading my review to see if it’s for you. But first, I want to show off the cutie I knitted from the book!

Hugo the Couch Monster

I couldn’t wait to break into the book and make a monster of my own! I chose Hugo the Couch Monster… he’s a real cutie! Since all of the patterns in the book are ‘any size, any yarn’ patterns… I was pleased to use up some of my stash! Hooray!

The book recommends using magic loop, but I’m a two-circulars sort-of-girl, and that technique worked out just fine!

And I’m very happy with my resulting cutie!

What do you think?

The Review

If you’re familiar with Rebecca Danger and her adorable monster patterns, then you know what this book is about! Big Book of Knitted Monsters contains 20 patterns for cuddly monsters that you can customize to be any size you’d like.

Besides the cuteness of the monsters, one of the big strengths of this book is the variety of yarns that are used to make the samples. Rebecca says in the introduction that the monsters can be knitted with any thickness yarn (and the appropriate sized needle), and she demonstrates the flexibility of her patterns throughout the book. Every monster in the book is knitted in at least two yarns: often a bulky yarn and a worsted weight yarn. It’s really great that you’re able to see how the pattern works up in different yarn choices… gets your creativity flowing!

One of the weaknesses of this book is the lack of detailed introductory and finishing information. I know why there isn’t: Martingale (the publisher) imposes an 80 page limit on its books. So of course, if you have a book with 20 different patterns, there isn’t much room for details. There are very helpful photographs sprinkled throughout the book, which I appreciate… but there are a few spots where you’re left to fill in the gaps. You’ll be instructed to ‘sew the arms on using a whipstitch’, but the exact positioning of the arms is up to you to sort out from the photograph (or maybe, your own creativity!).

Pros

  • The writing in the book is whimsical, playful and enjoyable to read.
  • The monsters are adorable.
  • Each pattern can be knitted in a variety of yarn thicknesses and colorways, so there’s lots of options!
  • Tricky knitting techniques are demonstrated through photographs: which are much clearer than an illustration.
  • If you can knit on double points (or two circulars, or magic loop), you can do almost any of the patterns in this book. Most of the monsters are fairly simple to knit.

Cons

  • The introduction is sparse. It contains information about how to do the magic loop technique, but you’ll need to look at an outside resource if you need help with other knitting techniques.
  • Other reviews I’ve read have been disappointed in the similarity between the various monsters in the book. I, personally, am not too bothered by this… they’re knitted in Rebecca’s signature style, and each one demonstrates a different shape/feature. However, each monster has a glued-on mouth, and I would have liked to have seen one that doesn’t- since glued-on mouths aren’t safe for small children to play with. She mentions in the introduction that the monster would be just as cute with an embroidered mouth, but we don’t ever see one knitted up.

So, if you like monsters and are comfortable with basic knitting techniques (or, at least, feel confident looking for outside help if you need it), then this book is for you! Happy monster knitting!

Tips for storing knitting & crochet projects

October 25, 2011

Most of us have a couple of knitting or crochet Works-in-Progress going on at one time. For today’s Tip Tuesday blog post, I’ve gathered ideas about different ways to store in-progress works. Store them neatly, and you’ll avoid the perils losing your hook or spare yarn associated with the project!

I gathered ideas by asking my twitter friends how they store WIPs. They all agreed… storing WIPs needn’t be expensive, but the storage has to keep the project together and tidy.

Questions to ask yourself before selecting a storage mechanism

  • Where do you crochet/knit? If you store and work on your WIPs in the living room, then portability might not be very important. If you tend to carry a few projects around in your purse, then you’ll need to make sure your method is travel-hardy!
  • What’s important for you to keep on hand? Some stitchers keep only the current work stored. Others like to gather up all of the yarn they’ll need for the project, plus that extra needle. Knowing how much you like to store will help you determine the kind of storage you’ll need.
  • What size are the projects you work on? If you love making afghans, you’ll need a larger tote or basket. If lacey shawls are your fave project, then a smaller bag will do. Most knitters/crocheters need a variety!
  • Do you need any extra accoutrements? In this post, I’m showing off different bag/holder ideas, but storage doesn’t end there! Think about if you need any extra tools for storing. For example, if you want to carry around a pair of socks on double points, you’ll probably also want to invest in some point protectors or a DP tube so that your socks don’t fall off of your needles while in your bag.

Storage Options

Ziplock bags
The most popular way of storing WIPs was hands-down the Ziplock bag. They come in various sizes (try the gallon size for projects like scarves, quart size for socks and mittens), are inexpensive and see-through. Since they’re transparent, you can instantly see what project is inside (a must when you start to gather WIPs). As an added bonus, you can either write on the bag itself, or stick a note inside that reminds you of crucial project info.

Cloth tote/ Reusable grocery bags
Many of us have reusable grocery bags in our home. These make great storage bags.

These bags often have handles, which makes them easy to carry around. They’re also suitable for larger projects because of their size. Lululemon bags (pictured above) come along with any purchase you make, and have a snap at the opening that’s great for keeping projects inside.

Plastic shoeboxes
If you aren’t interested in portability, then plastic shoeboxes are a great storage idea. They stack (meaning they’ll fit nicely in a corner of your room) and they’re often transparent.

For your larger projects, you can grab plastic boxes in larger sizes that are still stackable and tidy.

Your yarn store’s bag
You’re already buying the yarn… why not use the bag as a project bag?

Many yarn stores actually keep future-use in mind when ordering their bags… so make use of it!

Fancy project bags
I, of course, advocate re-using bags and making do with what you have. But, every once in a while, you need to get yourself something nice… so why not make it a lovely project bag?

You can purchase project bags in every shape, size and fabric! Check your LYS (they’re bound to carry a few styles) or have a look around Etsy (search for ‘project bag’). Erin Lane stocks a large selection of project bags- including the adorable drawstring bag pictured. I also love the square zippered bags from JessaLu. Have a look around… you’ll probably want to treat yourself to one!

How do you store your WIPs?

Please share! I’m always on the lookout for new ideas!

Stacey’s in Knitty!

September 28, 2010

I’m very excited to announce that my pattern for an intarsia slouchy beret made it into Knitty! I’ve been nearly bursting trying to keep the news quiet… but the Deep Fall version of Knitty was released today, so I can spread the news!

I really wanted to make a slouchy beret that was an easy introduction to intarsia- but that looked really complicated. Combining self-striping yarn and a really simple intarsia pattern, you can get a hat that looks like you’re doing a zillion color changes… a great pattern to try if it’s your first time doing intarsia. The pattern has two versions: a fingering weight (my favorite) and a worsted weight version (a perfect quick-knit).

Click here to view the pattern! Hope you enjoy!

Knit & Needlepoint: Boston, MA

September 6, 2010

  • store: Knit & Needlepoint
  • address: 11 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116 now moved, see update at bottom
  • website: http://www.needlepoint-boston.com
  • date of visit: August, 2010

Knit & Needlepoint is located on Newbury street- the ‘high fashion’ street of Boston- less than a block away from the Boston Common. It’s a long street, so don’t despair… as long as the street numbers are decreasing, you’re going to find it!

Although the store isn’t your typical American yarn shop (as it is also a Needlework shop, like many of they yarn stores in Australia), that doesn’t mean it skimps on the yarn! Knit & Needlepoint has a fun & unique selection of yarn… including their own line of yarn! Their line of yarn contains yarns that are hand-dyed and custom made from a number of indie yarnies across New England. That means you’re guaranteed to find yarns you won’t find anywhere else (and isn’t that always what you’re looking for when you’re yarn shopping on vacation?)

A large proportion of the yarns in stock are ‘fancy fibers’: wonderful for making a creative scarf or artistic project. In addition to yarns, they also provide free knitting instruction (with purchase)… so even if you’re rusty, you can grab some fantasy yarn and get started.

Next time you’re in Boston, add this shop to your list of stops! And, keep an eye on our store spotlight, we’re going to be visiting two more yarn shops in Boston!

As of 2012, the store has moved locations. It’s new address is: 244 Newbury Street, Boston.

Help for sore wrists

August 27, 2010

As knitters and crocheters, we use our hands (and wrists) a lot… and it’s not uncommon to read about developing painful wrists as a result of doing needlework. In this post, I want to share a couple of simple moves that I just learned- designed to get the fluid in your wrist joints moving, and alleviate some pain.

I, personally, have had a fair amount of wrist trouble for about 10 years. I get Ganglion Cysts, which are a buildup of joint fluid that has crept out of the joint (ick!). They’re quite painful, and I get them most often after I’ve been crocheting or knitting with bulky yarn for long periods of time… bigger yarn means bigger needles and more moving! And, since I crochet as a living… I’m very concerned about keeping my wrists healthy!

Last week, I was in yoga, working on crow pose, which (at least to those of us not super-experienced) feels very intense on the wrists. Afterward, my yoga teacher (Margot, at Breathing Room, if you’re local!) showed us some wrist maneuvers – and my wrists felt so much better!

And, they’re really simple! First, squeeze your wrist, applying pressure on the top and bottom. Second, rub the top of your wrist with the thumb of your opposite hand. Then, rub the bottom of your wrist with the thumb of your opposite hand (click on the photos above to enlarge them). Easy! I did each of these for about 30 seconds, and noticed a difference.

Be nice to your wrists… they’re important for your knitting and crocheting! And if they’re sore, give these simple moves a try.

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Free Knitting Pattern: Easy Peasy Socks!

June 15, 2010
Colorful hand-knit purple sock, easy peasy knitting pattern for beginners.

I just designed a pair of socks for my beginning sock knitting class… and have made the pattern a free download! These socks are designed with the first-time sock knitter in mind. Sock knitting can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. All you need to be able to do is work in the round, decrease and pick up stitches, and you can make these socks!

free easy knitting sock pattern

Click here to download!

These are worsted weight socks, which means that they’ll be warm, and work up quickly. They may not be the socks that you want to wear every day, but I think that you’ll be a less discouraged sock knitter if you learn the basics on a project that you’ll finish quickly. Save your pretty self-striping sock-weight yarn for your next pair.

Warning: This pattern is annotated with lots of helpful hints & notes… it’s sorta like a transcript of what a sock class with me is like. This is probably very boring if you’ve knit socks before!

Notes on the pattern for those interested in teaching: I designed this pattern to teach first-timers to knit socks, so there are a number of simplifying design features:

  • Short cuff, so it’s quick to get started learning ‘sock-y’ things
  • No leg, same reason as above
  • No need to keep track of ‘needle 1 and needle 2’ like some sock patterns… because everyone always looses track!
  • Heel flap is worked in stockinette, no fancy pattern to remember
  • Only one round to remember for gusset decreases, so you don’t need to keep track of what round you’re on
  • Worsted weight goes fast!

As with all of my patterns, you’re welcome to sell anything you make with the pattern. Please do not sell or repost the pattern itself without permission. 🙂

This sock pattern makes use of the ‘ssk’ decrease. This is a decrease over two stitches, and is not achieved by ‘slip 1, slip 1, knit 1’. If you are unfamiliar with this decrease, please check out this video.

Need more help?

Need more sock help? I recommend the visual-oriented learners take Donna Drachunas’s Knit Sock Workshop on Craftsy. It’s a video course, so you’ll learn everything you need to know!

Happy stitching!

Stacey from FreshStitches

Best,
Stacey

Colorful embroidery hoop with inspiring message for Shiny Happy World.