More Reversible and DP Training
Don’t drop those double pointed needles, knit reversible, spin cotton and more…
Welcome all, to another issue of SpinCraft Pattern Newsletter. Hope the first hints of sping are starting to grace the air in your area.
I know that soon the garden and spring activities will be calling for my attention, so I am focusing on finishing up projects.
I don’t know about you, but I have a really hard time picking up a project that has been neglected for several months. It’s hard to figure out what I’m supposed to do next, and get it done. So it is now time to plan for the inevitable call of the outdoors.
This week we have some fun techniques and tips to keep up that interest through the end of the project.
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More Reversible Mobius Knitting
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We have a great video by Iris Schreier showing a different way to cast on to the double pointed needle for a mobius. This uses the traditional long trail cast on, instead of the simple loops we’ve learned in previous videos.
She also shows an amazing mobius collar that follows the mind boggling concept of two patterns on a mobous. I can’t figure out where the one starts and the other stops, so am very anxious to keep knitting these until I get it.
- Click here for Reverse Mobius Video
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Knitting In The Round
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Continuing with my passion for sharing how easy it is to knit with double pointed needles, we have a short video showing the transfering of the needles. Because she is talking as she does it, you don’t really get a sense of how fast it is.
Here are my biggest tips for knitting in double pointed needles.
- The number one problem is stitches falling off the needles. Make sure you have rubber point holders to put on the ends when you stick your project in a bag, this will keep it safe.
- Don’t knit too loosely, this will also help in keeping stitches from falling off, or worse… an entire needle falling out of its stitches.
- Focus on smooth transitions: once you get to the point where you flip from one needle to the next, you’ll wonder why you ever though double pointed needles were hard!
- Click here for Double Pointed Needles
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Baby Hats and Edgings
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More baby stuff with this cute knitting baby hat from Erika Knight. it has the cutest edging on it, which brings us to the new book I had to buy: Knitting on the Edge. Amazon.com has a bunch of used copies of this book and I had to snatch one up to get more edging ideas for my mobius cowls.
- Click here for Baby Hat
- Click here for Knitting on the Edge
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Handspinning Cotton
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I love to spin cotton, it is very challenging, and takes a lot of spinning to get enough yarn for a project, but I think that’s what makes me like it. I love a challenge. So I was excited to find a good tutorial video on spinning cotton.
- Click here for Spinning Cotton
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Comments
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on http://knitknitting.com/how-to-do-a-4-stitch-crochet-cable/
Marty says:
Thank you, watching this being done makes it so much easier than trying to read the pattern and going by it alone.
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… and back to knitting
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Enough for today. Time to get back to knitting. As always, please feel free to come to www.Knitknitting.com and list your comments or questions.
Until next week, keep those needles clicking!
Connie Delaney
www.spincraftpatterns.com
www.knitknitting.com
Knitting to Warm Up
Crazy mobius video, when drop stitches go good, twin leaf lace, four needles and more:
For those of us in the northern climes, February often starts to seem long… every once in awhile we get a hint of spring, and then the cold sets back in. Maybe that’s why they set up this month with less days than the others, so we don’t go crazy!
For us knitters, though, it’s still a good excuse to cuddle up with some wool and keep working on our projects. The garden is starting to beckon, but there is still time to relax with our needles.
This week we have a short newsletter, and just a few projects to look at. After all, who wants to be in front of the computer when we can be knitting?
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Knitting With 4 Needles
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One of my passions is making knitting easy and fun. Learning to knit with double pointed needles is one of the most essential skills for increasing both the fun and the ease of knitting. Yes, there are lots of ways to knit tubes on circular needles, but the DP is so fast, and such a carefree way to go, that I always like to promote it.
We are featuring a video this month with a great look at four needle knitting. Not only will you get to see how easy it is, this gal is knitting an awesome leg warmer with a cable stitch!
Click here for Knitting With 4 Needles
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Knitted Lace
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We are starting out with a beautiful book on knitted lace. I usually like to feature books from Amazon that give us a good look inside, and am especially partial to great pictures (because we at least get a free look at something inspiring that way). But this is an older book and doesn’t have those features. I selected this book both for the subject, and the fact that Amazon has a bunch of used copies through outside vendors. It’s a great way to inexpensively upgrade your lace skills.
Click here for A Creative Guide to Knitting Lace
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Drop Stitch Tutorial
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Susan Banderson works us through a beautiful stitch for a “Taiyo Reversible Scarf” with a drop stitch. She takes what we usually think of as a mistake, a drop stitch, and turns it into a beautiful pattern.
Click here for Drop Stitch Tutorial
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Twin Leaf Lace Scarf
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This is a very short little “show off” video that is worth a minute to watch. A long long long lace scarf with beautiful twin leaf lace stitch pattern. I believe the pattern is available from Vogueknitting, but they don’t bombard us with any advertisements… so it’s safe to watch for pure inspiration!
Click here for Twin Leaf Scarf
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The Difference Between a Standard
Tube and Mobius Tube
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This is a very goofy video, and it’s about crochet, but gives a good idea of what happens when you add that half twist to make a mobius. This video demonstrates one thing I haven’t experimented with yet. What happens if you knit a mobius tube without a reversible stitch?
That’s a big question because if you are knitting a pattern that has a front and a back, but are knitting it in a mobius tube that has no front or back… what happens?
I’m still not sure I get it, and this video has weird starts and stops, but I’m very glad I watched it. It kind of made my mind go a little crazy trying to imagine how it would work to knit it, and so now I’m going to have to try!!!
Click here for: The difference between a standard tube and a mobius tube.
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Beautiful Yarns
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We have three beautiful yarns to showcase this week: a crazy pink mohair that will fluff up to a huge halo, an off white with little wheat speckles, and a beautiful grey mohair that looks so so soft. Man! Is this stuff scrumptious!
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Keep the Inspiration Coming!
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Thank you all for subscribing to my newsletter. Sitting down and putting this together each Tuesday gives me such a great look into the wonderfully evolving world of fiber arts. I hope my finds each week keep you inspired with your creations. As always, you can leave comments on any of the posts at www.knitknitting.com.
Happy Knitting!
Connie Delaney
www.SpincraftPatterns.com
www.Knitknitting.com
February Knitting News
Shimmering Yarn, more reversible cables, Norwegian knits, circular tubes and the Knitting Song!
Happy February everyone! Hope your knitting is keeping you warm.
This week we have feasts for both the eyes and ears. You’ll be able to listen to Bill Oddie singing the “Knitting Song” while you browse through shimmering colors and textures.
It’s one of those sad realities of life that we can’t knit everything! Fortunately, it is often as satisfying to look and feel all the wonderful creations. Praise to Youtube and beautiful books and magazines to help us feast our eyes! I find that my best ideas are compilations of things I see, so I always love to look.
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The Knitting Song
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What a great find from Youtube! Bill Oddie singing “The Knitting Song.” This is so funny with everything that can rhyme with “knit” and sung instructions on how to pull the loop.
- Click here for The Knitting Song
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More Reversible Cables
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Beautiful stitches for scarves are rare, because both sides of scarves will show while wearing. Both sides don’t have to be exactly the same, but they do have to look great! From Youtube, this week, we have a truly reversible cable pattern that looks the same on both sides.
- Click here for Reversible Cables
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Norwegian Mittens & Gloves
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I have loved Norwegian patterns since I was a little girl.I had an old Norwegian knit book from the 20′s and slowly tried to knit through them all. I love the way the colors form under my hands and how perfectly it all comes out!
So you can imagine how excited I was to find a book full of Norwegian mittens and gloves. Click on the “Look Inside” link on Amazon.com. They are very generous with free pages from this book and beautiful photographs.
- Click here for Norwegian Mittens & Gloves
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Shimmering Yarn
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I love those fluffy yarns that grow the more you wear them. Lion Brand has a lovely eyelash yarn that is very cool. We are featuring a lovely rust color… but that is nothing compared to Beaded Mohair and Sequins yarn from the Impressionist Collection! Get ready to shine!
- Click here for Eyelash Yarn
- Click here for Beaded Mohair & Sequins
-or- if you have an urge to make your own… Here is a book on spinning your own fancy yarns:
- Click here for Handspinner’s Workbook: Fancy Yarns
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Circular Tubes
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Some people hate to knit with double pointed needles. I don’t know why, because they never seem all that hard to me. But I grew up with double pointed needles and experience always makes things easier.
One great technique that has come along to help avoid the double pointed needles, and still knit small tubes, is done with two double pointed needles. We have a great video showing how it is done.
- Click here for Tubes with Circular Needles
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Till We Meet Again…
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I can’t get everything done that I want, but fortunately the life of knitting is soft and rhythmic. I think the real moral of knitting, and of handspinning too, is goes slow; it takes a completely different pace than the rest of our lives.
So here’s to the next stitch, and as the Knitting Song says, “But me, I’m gonna just sit down and knit!”
Happy Knitting!
Connie Delaney
SpinCraftPatterns.com
KnitKnitting.com
End of January News
New baby, shawl collection, skein markers, hand dying, the magic loop and more…
It’s the end of January, and I hope everyone has been enjoying the winter as the best time to knit! You may have noticed that I didn’t manage to get a newsletter out last Tuesday… but I have a great excuse. My first grandchild was born in Boise on the 21st, and I was lucky to be helping my daughter with the big event. So we were up all night too many nights in a row and I figured I could just let it go. After all, babies are more important.
So welcome to the world baby Brayden. Someone else to be knitting for! And of course, he is the cutest and best baby ever!
I am now working on patterns for diaper soakers. I’m a big proponent for bringing back the cloth diaper and teaching our young adults how to have a baby without going into the poorhouse during those diaper years! The frugality of cloth diapers is as important as not filling up our landfills! Even learning to use cloth diapers for half the time would save young couples thousands of dollars a year. So we’ll be exploring the use of wool soakers in the coming months.
Here’s a picture of both beautiful daughter and baby. Yes, that’s Brayden’s one week birthday cake!
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Inspiring Shawls
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I found a wonderful video with some inspiring shawls. These are not your typical triangle or rectangle shawls, but wonderful lace loops and mobius twists. This little video also has some killer music and is very inspiring to watch:
- Click here for Inspiring Shawls
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Hand Dying
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We have so many beautiful and creative yarns and fibers available to us as spinners and knitters these days, but still, there is nothing as creative as dying your own yarn and fleece. We’ve found a wonderful book on the art and science of bringing out the best colors in yarn.
- Click here for Hand Dying
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Yarn & Organization
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We tag our rows of vegetables to remember exactly what they are… why not do the same for yarn and fiber! Here’s a great little thing: writable tags for yarn, skeins, and roving. And speaking of yarn, how about some beautifully colored recycled cotton? Lion Brand yarn is now available on Amazon.com.
- Click here for Yarn Tags
- Click here for Recycled Cotton Yarn
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Technique and Knitting Pattern
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Our newsletter is not complete without learning some cool technique, and this week is no exception. We have a video on using one long circular needle to knit any tube, no matter how small. This is called the “Magic Loop” and is done by knitting off the two tips with the back sides of the tube hanging on the loop drawn through. Good thing there is a video because that description was just confusing!
- Click here for Knitting in the Round with the Magic Loop
Here’s something I just love… a stitch called “Mistake Rib.” Goes to prove there must be other knitters out there who are not afraid of the happy mistake and turning it into something great. This is a very pearly looking stitch that lies flat and is reversible, so it’s perfect for scarves and shawls.
- Click here for Mistake Rib Stitch
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Comments & Questions
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Helen asks:
Hello: Enjoy your website – looking for a little girl’s (1 yr. old) earflap knitted hat. Can you help? Thanks so much!
Thanks Helen. Fortunately I have a great ear-flap hat pattern over at SpinCraftPatterns.com that can be knit to any size.
http://spincraftpatterns.com/content/11ht-ear-flap-hat-knitting-pattern
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Till We Meet Again
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And enough for today. I hope you are all well, have plenty of fiber, and are not ripping out too much!
Happy Knitting
Connie Delaney
SpinCraftPatterns.com
KnitKnitting.com
Knitting in the Snow
Beautiful yarn, reversible cables, two socks at a time, and knitting without tears.
Snow is starting to blanket the land here in my area in Idaho. Sounds like a lot of people are getting storms, so I hope everyone is warm and well. Of course, knitters know how to keep warm! We snuggle up in the wool and all is well.
I have been experiencing a special treat. Cleaning through my closet revealed an old bag of yarn spun by a friend years ago. I have a basket of lumpy skeins in fabulous bright colors. It’s all turning into my newest fad: Mobius Scarves! I’m having tons of fun blending all the brightness.
That’s the good news, the bad news is that I’ve been suffering a computer crash, and it has really hampered my productivity. So we get a nice short newsletter today.
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New on Knitknitting.com
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I’m enjoying my beautiful yarn so much that I found a ton of colorful skeins available on Amazon!
- Click here to see: Beautiful Yarn
My passion for mobius scarves has me fascinated with reversible patterns. So I am very excited to find a video on reversible cables. What a great idea… and so beautiful.
- Click here to see: Reversible Cables
Here’s another good idea. Knit socks on circular needles… two at a time! I do have to say, though, that knitting two at a time inside each other (as we explored in a previous newsletter) is still more cool. All the same, the whole idea is fascinating! And great news! It’s also available in Kindle edition!
- Click here to see: Knitting Socks Two at a Time
And finally, my favorite favorite!! Knitting Without Tears. This is one of the most important books in my knitting careers. It’s what taught me how to think about how my knitting was shaping in my hands, and start designing my own patterns.
- Click here to see: Knitting Without Tears
Ever bind off and then find it is too tight? Here’s a great video on a surprisingly stretchy bindoff.
- Click here to see: Jenny’s surprisingly stretchy bindoff.
Thanks for reading and Happy Knitting! And here’s to a more productive week next week!
Sincerely,
Connie Delaney
www.spincraftpatterns.com
On a Cowl Kick
Mobius cowls, addicting jazz video, sock masters, twisting a skein & beautiful yarn.
Good winter to all! We are deep in January now, and it is great knitting time! I am fortunate to be spending the winter in a house with a cozy wood stove. So I am enjoying curling up in my favorite chair while I am toasted by the wood fire, and knitting on my new addiction of mobius cowls! Not something that can be done down in the city, but I am holed up right now in the woods of Idaho where I can enjoy a few old time back-to-the-land amenities.
The cowls I am knitting are really short infinity scarves with a mobius twist. I have invented two very easy reversible lace patterns that are great for distracted knitting and those of us who want no short term memory challenges! Here are the patterns, quickly below. Charts and good writeups to come later.
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Reversible Lace Patterns
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Basketweave Lace (multiple of 6 sts) Written as if in the round.
Row 1 & 3: k3, p3 around
Row 2: k1, YO, [Sl1 K1 PSSO], p3 around
Row 4 & 6: p3, k3 around
Row 5: p1, YO, p2tog, k3 around
Short Feather & Fan (multiple of 6 sts) Written as if in the round.
Row 1: YO, K1, YO, K1, k2tog, k2tog around
Row 2: knit around
Row 3: YO, p1, YO, p1, p2tog, p2tog around
Row 4: p around
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Addicting Knitting
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Beautiful Cowl Video
KnitKnitting.com has found us the most amazing video cowl gallery. Click on the pictures below to see…. but…
Warning! Do not watch this video if you suffer from any sort of fiber envy…. because if you do, you’ll launch into a mobius cowl knitting frenzy from which you may never return!
As a warning I give the following two pictures. Oh yea, and if you love cool jazz, you will really have a great time becoming addicted to this!
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Treat for Beginners
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We have a nice video for beginning fiber artists: How to twist a skein. This is something that us old hats take for granted, so it is nice to remember to pass on both how easy it is, and how cool it is to twist a skein!
Click here for: Twisting a Skein
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Final Treats
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- Speaking of addicting, what about socks? Here is the Sock Master Knitting Class
- A real treat: Amazingly beautiful Yarn from Amazon
- And more yarn! Catch the ebay yarn auctions before they end
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Until We Meet Again
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Once more, thanks for reading the newsletter. Hope you are having plenty of time to knit and are inspired by our weekly knitting treats.
Sincerely,
Connie Delaney
www.spincraftpatterns.com
Christmas Week News
The true twist on mobius, two-sided lace, swirl sweaters, calendar time, and more double-pointed knitting.
Knitting News
Happy Holidays! I hope everyone had a great weekend and are recovering … because New Years is next.
As I’ve been traveling to visit family, eating and sharing I’ve also been knitting happily away on mobius scarf projects. I’ve figured out the ins and outs of the twist, and over the next week will be putting together instructions and videos to make it easier for everyone to understand.
That’s how we’ll start the new year with Spincraft Pattern Newsletter. Mobius is addicting. So if you haven’t tried it before, be ready for a whole new adventure.
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Understanding Mobius
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There is a lot of information on the net about knitting mobius scarves. I have come to find that some of it is right and some not quite so right.
Mobius is a mathematical anomaly. The simplest form is made by taking a strip of paper (or a flat scarf), giving it a half twist, and taping the ends together. If you do that you’ll notice that there is no front and back of the strip. Follow the two edges with your finger and you’ll see that there is no beginning, end, right or left to the edges either. That’s because it wraps around and around, always coming back to the place it started.
There is the trick right there … it has to be a half twist or the edges aren’t joined right and then it is not a mobius.
There are actually three things I found when I was searching the web.
First is the Infinity Scarf: What is typically called an Infinity Scarf is not a mobius. Usually an “Infinity Scarf” is simply a circular scarf with no twist. You give it a twist when you put it on, but other than that it can be folded flat.
Full Twist Scarves: There are a lot of patterns that say they are a mobius when in reality they are full twist scarves. These are made by knitting in the round, but instead of following the usual instructions to “Join, being careful not to twist sts”, you join being careful to give it a twist. Problem is that this gives the scarf a full twist, and brings us to the real mystery of the mobius.
Half Twist True Mobius: All the information I found on the true mobius was very difficult to understand. It’s this crazy cast on, around and around a long circular needle. The instructions are clear, but the why is mysterious. I intend to demystify the why.
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On KnitKnitting.com
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Mobius right and wrong … We have two sample videos on KnitKnitting.com that show the full twist and half twist ways of making the scarf.
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This is a short video, and link to a pattern that shows a true mobius with a half twist. This is a crochet pattern, but I chose it because it shows the twist so clearly.
> Click here for the Crochet Mobius
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Here is a video that shows a mobius, or infinity scarf that is a full twist.
> Click here for the full twist version.
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Below is a picture of a scarf I made following the “join with a twist” instructions. In my scarf you can clearly see the full twist. This is a beautiful scarf made with a great two-sided lace that I will be sharing next week. But it’s not a mobius. It’s a full twist circular scarf.
My second example is a beautiful full-twist scarf made with a soft wool in 6 st seed stitch. It’s folded around once like you would wear it on your neck. Very beautiful, but not a mobius!
Stay tuned for next week when I’ll share the how and they why to make it happen properly. I’ve figured out a way to explain it that is going to make sense!
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Recent Comments
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I must be the only person on the planet who prefers to learn new stitches from charts rather than videos. Does anyone have a chart for this? It’s a very cool stitch and I’m on a Mobius kick at the moment. If not, I’ll chart it myself and ask Connie to post it somewhere…
cheers – Tina
Meanwhile, we also have the following items to share.
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Swirly Sweater Book
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You know all those great round sweaters everyone is wearing? Here’s a book of swirly sweaters. Lavish photographs and 18 unique designs.
> Click here for Swirly Sweaters
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Calendar
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Time for a calendar… and of course you’ll want a knitting one.
> Click here for Knitting Calendar
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Double Pointed Needles
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One more shot at double pointed needles if you didn’t get it last week. Here’s another video.
> Click here for Double Pointed Needles
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A Techy Present
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And finally, one final plug for my friend Leo Notenboom. Join his newsletter and he’ll help you work you way through the maze of your own computer: Ask Leo Your Tech Questions!
> Sign up free here: Ask-Leo.com
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Till We Meet Again
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Thanks again for reading, I hope you enjoyed my first dabbles into mobius and looking forward to more to come.
Happy New Year and Happy Knitting
Connie Delaney
www.SpincraftPatterns.com
Middle of December News
Learn to Finger Knit, Baby Blanket & Booties, Easy Instructions on Double Pointed Needles and the beginnings of Mobius.
Knitting News
Greetings everyone and Merry Christmas. Here’s hoping that all your projects are coming out all right and on time!
This week, as one of our featured videos, we have Finger Knitting. Not sure how many useful projects we can come up with using this technique, but it’s a little trick everyone should know. Finger Knitting uses your fingers as a small knitting loom. It’s quick and can be done anywhere without any equipment. The video is quick and clear.
For those heroes out there spreading fiber knowledge by teaching in schools, finger knitting is a perfect tool. Kids learn it very quickly and love to make friendship bracelets for each other. Those little tiny fingers make a nice size stitch!
Click here for: Finger Knitting.
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KnitKnitting.com
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This week’s treasures…
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Double Pointed Knitting
Don’t be afraid of the double pointed knitting needles! They are an essential tool in the knitting arsenal. Double pointed needles help you knit all those small tube items: fingers, thumbs, little bears, tops of hats, socks.
We are featuring both a training video and needle sets for sale
Yarn Storage: I’m finding more great yarn containers. Here is one that’s called the “Artbin.” It not only holds your yarn while knitting, but has lots of pockets and a shoulder strap for carrying.- Chicks with Sticks have a fantastic “Guide to Knitting.” More than 30 simple chic projects with step-by-step instructions.
- “The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook”. Learn about all the different fiber types. This has more than 200 Fibers from animal to spun yarn.
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SpinCraft Patterns
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Hallelujah!!! I did it! The baby blanket is finished: knit, ends worked in, washed blocked, photographed, written up as a knitting pattern, wrapped and shipped off to my daughter (who is expecting in January). It’s already sitting under her Christmas tree… To Baby from Santa! It’s now available as a knitting pattern on SpinCraft Patterns.
Quick Baby Blanket with Basketweave and Seed Stitch
Good thing this pattern was quick, or Baby wouldn’t have her pre-first Christmas present! I guess the big question is… am I spoiling already!!!?
I made mine with a soft cotton yarn. This is a quick and relaxing project with a simple basketweave pattern for the body of the blanket. Edging is picked up and knit in a double seed stitch.
Click here for: Basketweave Baby Blanket
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Free Knitting Pattern
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Cute! Cute! Cute! This goes right along with the baby blanket pattern that I just finished! These adorable baby booties have clear instructions in a free .pdf file, and a very useful video from Youtube.
What I love about this baby bootee pattern is the nice fit with the broad curved toes. The nice little top strap helps keep the bootee on those kicking little feet. There is nothing like beauty and practicality both together in one package!
Click here for the Baby Bootee Video
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Free Knitting Stitch
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Even though I am not done with my Christmas presents, I am starting to plan for January! My youngest daughter has informed me that Mobius Scarves are very popular right now, so I am going to spend a month exploring the mobius. This is simply a joined scarf, or neck cowl with a twist.
Pictured is a very simple one I am making for her with a 5-st seed stitch. Hoping to have it done by the time we drive off to see her this Friday.
The easiest way to make or understand a mobius is to cut a strip of paper, give it one twist and tape the ends together. Go ahead and try it with some of that leftover wrapping paper sitting around your house! Both surfaces are now one continuous field.
A Mobius Scarf does not have a front or back, which creates a challenge in coming up with a variety of stitches. Most of our prettiest patterns (cables, lace, textures, colors even) have a front and back side. If you want a great pattern for a mobius strip it has to be reversible! and it will also need to lay flat and not curl on the edges.
I want to knit Mobius Scarves that are less boring than seed stitch!
Please Help With Some Ideas
So! I am on the lookout for reversible lace and texture stitches! Help from all you talented readers would be greatly appreciated.
I found one fantastic reversible lace pattern on Youtube, (pictured at left) and have featured it on the newsletter site: www.knitknitting.com. I have yet to try it in a mobius though, so we’ll find out in January if it workd!
Click here for the Reversible Lace Stitch.
Meanwhile, please post your findings and swatches over at www.Learn-To-Knit.com in the Swatch Swap Forum.
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A Techy Present
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Do something for yourself, your hubby, and all those friends dealing with the day-to-day complexities of the home computer… Ask Leo Your Tech Questions!
My friend Leo Notenboom answers tech questions online and publishes a weekly newsletter. Unlike many of the Geek persuasion, Leo is a great writer and easy to understand. Not only can you get his newsletter free, but you can go online and ask him questions personally about your tech difficulties. Newsletter subscribers shoot up the daily queue onto his “Priority” list! On a bad computer day that can be better than Santa’s “Nice List.”
Sign up free here: Ask-Leo.com
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Till We Meet Again
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Enough already! Thanks and Merry Christmas again to all of you who read this far! But let’s get back to our projects!
Until next time, Happy Knitting
Connie Delaney
www.SpincraftPatterns.com
This Weeks Knitting Posts
Learn about cables, handspinning, fingerless gloves, take control of that yarn, and knit in the round with circular needles.
Knitting News
As a consummate do-it-yourselfer I’ve been a handspinner for many years. Although there are a lot of challenges in learning to create the types of yarn needed for different projects, the satisfaction and creativity of handspinning is more than worth it.
One other advantage of handspun yarn is that you not only save a ton of money, but over time end up with so much yarn that you are never short for starting a new project! I love the colors and textures that are possible with blending different types of fibers and dye batches.
So I was very excited to find a nice beginning video on handspinnng by Patti the Garden Girl. If you have been thinking about learning to spin, this is a great inspirational clip. It’s not long, doesn’t go deep into the how-to, but is enough to help a beginner get motivated.
Click here for: How to Hand Spin Wool and Fibers
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KnitKnitting.com
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My computer program on Knitknitting.com has found some great new tidbits for us this week:
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Circular Needles
Circular needles take the hassle out of hats, leg warmers, and sweaters. They are fabulous for knitting in the round, and are also great for knitting large things that would not fit on a traditional straight needle. In case anyone has not started using circular needles, we’ve found a nice tutorial. Click here for a video on: How to Knit on Circular Needles.
One problem with circular needles is that you need so many of them! Not only do projects call for different thicknesses of circular needles, but they also require different lengths. You can’t knit a project smaller than the diameter of the needles you are working with. We found a nice set of bamboo circular needles that will help add to your collection: Bamboo Circular Needles.
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Yarn Holder Tube: Here’s a great idea, a jar you can keep your yarn in to prevent tangles. We are showing one from Amazon.com, but this certainly wouldn’t be hard to make from a jar or plastic container with a lid. In fact, I was inspired by the picture and grabbed an old Tupperware cereal container from my shelf, stuck my center-pull ball in it, with the yarn threaded out the top hole, and started knitting away. It was very nice to have the yarn off the floor.
Okay, I’ll admit I look pretty silly knitting out of a cereal container, and the store-bought one would look much nicer, but what the heck! It was free and instant. Click here for the Yarn Holder Tube.
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SpinCraft Patterns
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Socks: I love knitting socks. Turning heels are not scary, they just aren’t! Once you get through your first one you’ll be hooked forever. A heel is nothing more than a spot in a tube where you add more stitches to create a bump. A well formed heel will also be thicker down the backside where it rubs on the shoe. Watch your hands do it one time and it will make total sense.
This week I’d like to point you to two resources for knitting socks. One is my traditional pattern over at SpinCraftPatterns.com, and the other is a comprehensive book on socks.
Best Socks Knitting Pattern: This pattern walks you through, step-by-step, breath-by-breath, in starting a sock that fits, working through the heel, and finishing up that toe. Many knitting stores use this pattern to teach sock classes, because of the friendly, easy to follow instructions.
Book of Socks: This is the ultimate guide to creating socks that fit well and feel great. This book guides you through yarn selection, needle size, and the ultimate in heel turning. A great guide for sock lovers of all ages!
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Knitting Pattern
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Fingerless Gloves: I love these! Although fingerless gloves leave your fingers out in the cold, and wouldn’t be all that great for chopping wood or ice fishing, they are fabulous for wearing around a chilly house and even as a fashion accessory. It’s amazing how comfortable they are, and how keeping your wrists warm heats up your body core. We have a video and free pattern for a set of fingerless gloves from the Casing On Coach. This set has a nice Trinity St pattern detail that sets off the beautiful shape when worn. Click here for the video: Fingerless Glove Pattern
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Knitting Stitch
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Learn How to Knit a Basic Cable: This is a how-to video on how to grab those cable sts and knit them out of sequence to create the cable twist. Some cables can be incredibly complex, but if you learn the basic cable technique (and how to read the patterns!) you can knit any cable. Click here for: Knit a Basic Cable
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Traditional
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Youtube is turning out to be a needed tool for cultural preservation. It is full of so many videos on traditional fiber arts, and that is a very very good thing. This week we are featuring a video with a Navajo woman teaching her son to weave. Although weaving is often a woman’s job, it is having a resurgence and all can participate.
Click here for: Navajo Weaving (You will also find this video cataloged in our Traditional category.)
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Christmas Funny
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Yes. I’m a big jokester, so I couldn’t help putting in a video for a punchline at Funnyformoney.com.
This is for the punchline: Jon Stewart has declared war on Christmas…
I mean, really? Does he think he can beat Christmas?
Click here for a laugh
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Till We Meet Again
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Once again, the newsletter got a bit long! But I can’t help it. There is so much amazing stuff to keep us inspired as knitters. We can’t do it all, and take advantage of it all, but knitting is a visual sport as much as a doing sport. I love looking at all the variety of textures, colors and project ideas that can be created, even if I can’t do them all in my lifetime.
It seems to be a basic rule of handspinners and knitters that we always have a 110 year backlog of projects. Keeps us young I guess!
So until next time, Happy Knitting
Connie Delaney
Knitting in December
December is often a fast flurry of finishing up knitting projects before Christmas. We have some fast and beautiful projects to help!
Knitting News
Brrrrr… We are cold here in Idaho, but I don’t mind. I’m going to kick back this evening, stoke the stove up, and finish a knitting project.
Like many knitters, I am looking at the calendar and going, “Opps!” Time is quickly running out to get my Christmas presents done. So I can’t waste a minute.
I also very much enjoy watching money not gush out of my pockets as the day of giving approaches, and feel a bit of pride that I am contributing to a greater sense of care with my handcrafted gifts. I’m also helping out all my friends and family who seem to be keeping the heat turned down a few more notches than they used to!
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KnitKnitting.com
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The streaming engine on KnitKnitting.com has picked up some amazing training videos and ideas for the week. Here is a sampling of the best:
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Weekend Hats:
The scrumptious pictures in this book are enough to make me want to pick up some new yarn and start knitting… and the idea of getting an entire project done in a weekend is all the more enticing. This is a compilation of hat patterns from 21 designers in one beautiful collection.
Click here for more:
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Diagonal Eyelet Mosiac Pattern
Isn’t this beautiful! This pattern combines a diagonal mosaic pattern with a lacy twist. This would make a lovely sweater, shawl or blanket.
The pattern is from Vogue Knitting Stitch a Day Calendar, and the training video is posted to Youtube by “Knitting and Purling” blog. She does a great job in teaching the stitch visually .
Click here to see: Diagonal Mosiac Knitting Pattern
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African Tote
I am starting to have so many projects laying around by my TV Chair that this large-size woven tote caught my eye. I like it because it stands up by itself and will be easy to reach in and grab what I want.
Click here for the African Tote
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Knit Headband
We are featuring a full 5-part video series on knitting a quick headband. Each video is very short, and a full write-up of the pattern is also included
Here’s the Headband
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As always, there are more things than I can hope to go through in this short newsletter including:
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SpincraftPatterns.com
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Over at SpinCraft Patterns we are all set for a new pattern… but not quite ready. If you ever think that getting a knitting newsletter once a week is too much… try creating a new pattern each week! Of course it can’t be done, or shouldn’t be done, and I wouldn’t even try. The only reason it came to mind was because I actually did a pattern a week for two weeks in November!
I have finished my baby blanket, but have yet to work in the ends, wash, block and write up the pattern. With a little bit of luck it will be ready for next Tuesday’s newsletter
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Till We Meet Again
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As always, come and leave questions, suggestions and your own knitting knowledge in the comments section. As we get more comments we’ll start to include pertinent ones along with the newsletter.
There is so much great stuff available, but I strive each week to keep the newsletter short. So I’ll sign off with this.
The goal is to have a short newsletter each Tuesday with something to wet your appetite for the fiber arts, and each Friday to send a quick Stitch of the Week and Pattern of the Week. So see you soon!
Happy Knitting
Connie Delaney
New for the Week
This week we’ve got fiber artists from around the world, knitting two things at one time, socks, and cute gifts.
Knitting News
Hello again everyone. As always, I am amazed at the fiber knowledge I find online, and inspired to finish up some projects of my own.
Today was quite chilly, and my ankles were feeling drafty under my desk. It turned out to be a great time to finish up the ankle warmers I started a month ago.
What’s cool about this project is that I knit the two pieces of the set at the same time on one needle using double knitting. When I was done, pulled one out of the other and presto! A pair! I’ve posted the pattern to SpinCraft Patterns, and also made a Youtube video showing how to do the double knitting.
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SpinCraftPatterns.com
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Ankle Warmers: It’s that time of year when it is nice to keep the ankles warm. This floppy pair of leg warmers suits the bill, and not only that… the pattern is written so you can knit them both at the same time, one inside the other, using double knitting.
It’s a little crazy to learn, but so worth it! Double Knitting makes the project extra fun, and you don’t have to knit that second piece!
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KnitKnitting.com
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Don’t let socks scare you: This week’s posts features two videos on Socks:
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I found some amazing… did I say AMAZING, videos on fiber arts in traditional villages. Some are in Turkish, but amazing to watch. These are women who live in areas where fiber arts are still a way of life, and they follow the old methods. It’s such a valuable thing to keep track of that I created a whole new category on KnitKnitting.com to hold them.
Watch all the Traditional videos here:
http://knitknitting.com/category/traditional/
And finally, a cute little gift. Here is a precious little girl with her knitting and her doll: a perfect gift for the fiber artists in your life (or maybe you if you are good at giving hints)
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Stitches & Patterns
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Knitting stitch of the week: Bamboo Stitch
PATTERN:
Bamboo Stitch is a 2 row repeat over an even number of sts
Row 1: K2 (YO, K2, pass YO over the 2 knit sts) rep across row. End k2
Row 2: P across row
That’s it! Just that simple.
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Conclusion
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I’m thinking that the knitting stitches are getting lost in this newsletter… which always gets too big each week. I think I am going to turn Stitch of the Week in to an extra, very short, email that comes out on Fridays. So be looking for that. As a matter of fact, I’ll add a link to a free knitting pattern each Friday also! That will be fun.
Happy Knitting!
Connie Delaney
Newest Knitting Treats
The Internet and Knitting
When I first went online in 1998 I was very skeptical if being online was going to help my knitting pattern business. I only did it because my brilliant-geek brother insisted. I thought that knitters and handspinners were very non-techie people and would not be interested in computers or this new “internet” thing.
Turns out that quite the opposite is the truth. I was amazed from the beginning how many knitters and handspinners jumped into the online world with both feet. Now that some time has passed, and things have settled down a bit, I’m not surprised any more.
Knitters are intelligent, creative and detail oriented. These are the same qualities that make us perfect internet and computer users… and today’s internet certainly reflects that!
The internet has transformed the knitting experience… techniques and skills are now easily shared around the world with great enthusiasm!
- So what if your grandmother didn’t knit: Youtube can teach you.
- Looking for a stitch pattern… it’s simply a matter of how many you want to surf through.
- Want to share your knitting… there are a million places to do it.
This particular website, KnitKnitting.com, is a reflection of all that. I have a program running on this site that goes out through Youtube, internet article sites, and Amazon.com and finds stuff related to knitting and fiber arts. It then sorts the stuff into various categories and posts it.
Once a week I come in and pick out my favorites (from the categories on top right) to show on the home page. What I find surprises me every time! I hope you enjoy them too!
Here’s what I’ve chosen for this week:
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Maggie Spinning: If you do nothing else but watch this video you are going to have a good week! Watch this video of little Maggie spinning yarn on a spinning wheel and you’ll have no more excuses that you might not be able to learn to spin!
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Needle Holder Charm is just too cute, I had to “Favorite” it.
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Purl Stitch for Lefties: Here you go all you lefty loopies… how to do the purl stitch. Right handed knitters take note and bookmark this video. There will come a time when you want to show a lefty how to knit and will find it practically impossible. Stop being all thumbs and show them this video!
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Easy Lace Knitting Stitch: I love to throw in a stitch pattern each week, and this one looked great. A very easy lace stitch that lays flat and looks great. I’m going to use it for some scarf Christmas presents.
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Skein Winder Mug: Amazon.com has beautiful yarn, but I am having difficulties getting this program to find samples to post. What it did find was this mug which would make a great Christmas present for you knitting friends. So I gave it a “Favorite” for this week.
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Shaker: Quite honestly, the Tupperware shaker doesn’t have anything to do with knitting. But I posted it here just out of curiosity… You can buy Tupperware on Amazon.com????? I was a Tupperware Lady for years, and didn’t think they let you do that!!!
I’m needing a new one of these, though, because I have this new weight loss shake I’m trying and I need more shakers (lost 4 pounds last week!!!! Yea!!!) so I’m going to try to buy one and am curious what any of my readers know about it. Any Tupperware Ladies out there?
Here’s a link to my weight loss shake page if anyone else wants to give it a try. It’s the best tasting one I’ve ever tried: Click Here.
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How to Pick Up Stitches on an Edge: I am knitting a baby blanket and doing this very thing this very day. So was surprised to find this video, and watched it through for a refresher. Always great to get more ideas.
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Creative Weaving: Had to throw in a weaving tidbit. Small looms are highly under-rated, and I always love to see new ideas for those of us who don’t have the room or budget for a giant loom in our house!
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Swatch Swap
I can’t actually get my mouth to say “Swatch Swap”, and certainly can’t say it ten times, but used the cutsie name for a new forum over at Learn-to-Knit.com. Post your swatches there for all of us to see!
I posted my baby blanket in the making because the simple basketweave is such a practical stitch to know. It lays perfectly flat, is simple and mindless to knit, and creates an interesting look.
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New Knitting Pattern
A new knitting pattern has been posted to SpinCraftPatterns.com!
The knit-so-it-fits pattern source!
The name says it all. Learn how to pick up some needles and yarn and knit a hat on the fly. This pattern opens your horizon to creating any hat you can imaging.
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Comedy:
One more non-knitting item. My son-in-law is a comedian and he turned me on to a great new website. A couple of guys are starting a comedy sharing website and are offering huge prizes to get people to use it. You can win five hundred bucks for delivering great punchlines OR for voting on punchlines and sharing the site.
The best I can figure out is that it’s like multi-level-marketing comedy. Click on the following link and sign up for the site and you put me in the mix for a prize. Pass it on to your friends and you are in the mix!
http://www.funnyformoney.com/Sprogram/Landing/Link/InIPTzA3d7g
Then go through the site and vote for punchlines and you help others win some money. Of course I think my son-in-law is the most funny of all, so here is his link to encourage you to vote for him (he’s won one week already…)
http://funnyformoney.com/Jokes/TopicVote?gid=408&vid=13012
(Isn’t he cute….??)
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And that’s all for this week folks! See you soon.
Happy Knitting,
Connie Delaney
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