Knitting Blog

What does a mirror have to do with left-handed knitting?

Recently Jen shared her knitting experience with me.  I found it interesting and thought you might enjoy it as well. For years, Jen longed to learn to knit.  She took classes, and tried all the different techniques she could find.  Each time, eagerly looking forward to learning to knit, Jen left each course... [Read more of this post]

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Recently Jen shared her knitting experience with me. I found it interesting and thought you might enjoy it as well.

For years, Jen longed to learn to knit. She took classes, and tried all the different techniques she could find. Each time, eagerly looking forward to learning to knit, Jen left each course disappointed and feeling like a failure. The classes just weren’t teaching her in a way that she could learn successfully.

Until . . .

Beyond the knitting instructions: How do you customize a dishcloth knitting pattern?

I’m a fan of hand knit dishcloths. Every time I use one, I’m amazed at how long they last.

And how much better they are at scrubbing than manufactured dishcloths.

Although they can be fancy with embossed-looking images, they don’t have to be. They can be as simple as garter stitch. I just finished knitting one in about three hours. I used a pattern that’s been around for years. It’s called Grandma’s or Grandmother’s Favorite Dishcloth.

Its name suits. It’s a quick and easy knit. All you need to know is how to: cast on, knit, yarn over, decrease, and cast off. That’s it. It can be customized if . . .

Easter knitting instructions: Have you checked out these free knitting patterns?

Periodically, I look for ways to use my stash of leftover yarn. After a long cold winter, when the colors outside are mostly browns and grays it’s nice to pull out some colorful yarn.
And spring seems the perfect time to declutter, doesn’t it?
Recently I looked at my yarn, trying to decide what to do with leftover sock yarn.
For inspiration I checked . . .

Beyond the knitting instructions: How important is yarn twist?

The yarn I’m knitting a purse with now is, well, different.
It’s rayon spun into a lace weight yarn. However, the individual fibers of the yarn slide past each other instead of staying in a twist. Plus, as I knit, they untwist.
Which means the individual fibers tend to separate. Instead of staying twisted and knitting nicely, the individual strands tend to loosen. So I don’t always catch them as I’m knitting the stitch. When I do find them . . .

Are lace knitting instructions more of a challenge than you think?

Lately, my projects involve lace knitting instructions.
About a month ago, I started a what I thought would be a quick project.
It’s a small purse originally designed for a bride. I thought it would make an elegant formal bag, perhaps for a prom or another formal. I glanced at the instructions, and the degree of difficulty according to the publisher. I thought it would be within my skill. Well, yes it is.
I did learn a few things about knitting lace to share . . .

Fiber Lover’s Wordless Wednesday

It’s Wordless Wednesday!

Adapting lace knitting instructions: How easy is it?

I used to think I was allergic to wool. Every time I used it, my fingers would itch and it felt very scratchy.
More recently, though I’ve found it’s not the wool: it’s the processing!
Some processed fibers still are too scratchy, but the lesser processed fibers work just fine. Good thing too or. . .

How can vintage knitting patterns help you?

Yesterday’s mail brought me a treat . . .

What are easy fingerless mitten knitting instructions?

I’m typing while wearing one fingerless mitten.
Why?
Well, my fingers were cold and I decided to experiment. I was curious to know how fast I’d notice a difference between the two hands, I decided to try just one. In less than 10 seconds I noticed an improvement in the hand wearing the mitten.
Wow! What a surprise!
I always thought they’d warm the hands but not the fingers. Now if I could just knit that fast. While I like mittens and gloves . . .

What’s with the Long-Tail Cast-on knitting instructions?

As a child, I learned to knit.

My knitting was a mixture of: what my mother taught me, what I learned from a knitting pamphlet, and my own invention. Amazingly enough, it worked. Actually, it worked quite well. That is, until I attempted circular knitting and lace.

They were much less forgiving than knitting, purling, and even cables.

Over the past few years I’ve been seeking new ways (for me) to cast on. In retrospect my original cast-on either never made it to the knitting manuals or I remembered it wrong. Which is probably why . . .

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