Today is the last day of the 3rd Annual Knit and Crochet Blog Week Day 7, or 3KCBWDAY7 for short.

Finding out about this week on the first day has made posting every day a challenge in itself.  And you know, it feels GREAT!

The topics did challenge me.  Mostly about sharing more of myself and my craft.  And isn’t that what blogging is all about?

I’m thrilled so many people have stopped by this week, and hope you’ll come back.  If there’s something you want to see covered in a future post, you can click here to leave a request on the “Ask Your Questions Here” post.

So here’s today’s topic - 

My mother mostly crocheted, although she did both.  As you can see from this photo of some items she made -

She taught us the basics of both.  My sister and I started with a knitting spool, then graduated to either knitting or crochet.  I’m not sure why I started knitting and my sister crochet. 

After a while, we taught each other to do the other craft.  Crocheting is more work for me as I find I need to concentrate more on it. 

Lately, I pick up a crochet hook mostly -

• To provisionally cast on…
• To pick up a dropped stitch or…
• To crochet an edging – usually single crochet.

Usually I have one project at a time, although there are exceptions to every rule!

And my idea of balance is to knit or crochet what and when I want.

Whether that’s planning projects in detail or spur of the moment, I enjoy both.

How do you balance crafts in your life?

Are you a knitter, crocheter, or both?

Is one easier than the other?

Leave a comment with your answers.

And if you haven’t yet claimed your free Bronze Membership to get free patterns, videos, updates and more – click here now.

To your healthy and happy knitting & caregiving,

Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

P.S. For more blogs from 3KCBWDAY7, copy and paste this code into your favorite search engine: 3KCBWDAY7.

Today’s challenge for the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week or 3KCBWDAY6 is all about challenging yourself to develop your knitting or crochet skill set.

It’s normal to learn new skills and to also sometimes reach a plateau.

Have you reached a plateau in your knitting?

Or are you continually challenging yourself?

I like to do new things.  When I sat down to look for inspiration about my next challenge for this post, I realized just some of the different techniques I’ve knit.

There’s the Intarsia Sweater I knit for one of my nephews who is a train fan –

And there are the Norwegian mittens I knit a while ago.  I had never knit Norwegian mittens before.

When I started them I was distracted with the busy-ness of caregiving. 

Do you see the error?

Yes, I used two different sets of needles!  My double pointed needles are not labeled, and I thought I had it right.

Only after knitting the second mitten did I realize it was a different size than the first.

Sure, I could re-knit one.  And the perfectionist in me initially wanted to.   

Know why I keep them as is?

Because they are a way for me to show my knitting students what happens when your gauge doesn’t match the pattern.  And they are a clear illustration, not just an abstract concept.

And more than that, they remind me that it’s okay not to have perfect knitting! 

This scarf has inspired me to work more with dropped stitches.

Creating lace knitting with dropped stitches is something I want to learn more about.  One of my knitting books has several versions I want to try.

Through writing this post I learned –

• Looking again at the mittens, which were knit when I was super busy and stressed with the challenge of developing a new skill set, I realized I want to make patterns easier and quicker for busy stressed knitters.
• I’m working on a sock template, and think I’ve found an easy way to make multiple variations of the same basic pattern.
• More than that, I love to teach.  Currently I’m a teacher at my local Jo-Ann Fabric and Crafts store and recently was accepted by the Knitting Guild of America as a designer and knitter.

So, my goals are to work on developing patterns that are-

• Easy…
• Can be dropped at moment’s notice and picked up later…
• Are portable, so can be taken with you on a commute or to a waiting room or even at a  bedside.

And in celebration, when you leave a comment on this post you get an instant download of my popcorn knitted purse.  Now I did revise the purse after writing the pattern. 

The new version has a shorter wider strap, which is single crocheted.

To get your free pattern, leave a comment on this post on The Knitting Yarn.  If you are reading this post on a blog other than The Knitting Yarn, click here now to get your free download.

And if you haven’t yet, get more free patterns and videos by claiming your free Bronze membership.  Just click here to join. 

You’ll also get updates about new patterns, etc.

For more posts on the Day 6 Challenge, just copy and paste this code 3KCBWDAY6 into your favorite search engine.

To your healthy and happy knitting & caregiving,

Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

How do the seasons affect your knitting?

This is today’s question from Day 4 of the 3^rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week 3KCBWDAY4.  And it’s an interesting one.

I live in South Carolina, in the part of the U.S. called “The South.”  There are definitely four seasons here, although the winters are milder than those of “The North.”  It can get cold although usually for a few days in a row, then temperatures moderate.

For the cold days, and for cold damp days, Hand knit socks wear better and are warmer than store bought.  At least the ones on stores locally!

Yarns predominantly made of wool for these socks, usually a blend with rayon.  Knitting them in the cooler days of the year work best. 

There are days in May through September that knitting with wool even in air conditioning just isn’t appealing.  So most of my wool knitting is done in the cooler months.

I also find fingerless gloves or mittens great for the coldest days indoors.  Whether knitting or blogging, they keep hands warm. 

When caring for my mother, her hands would often get cold all year long.  So fingerless gloves and for an even faster soft hand warm-up, a mitt lined with fleece works great.

My summer knitting usually consists of cottons and cooler yarns.  It’s s great time to get caught up on all those dishcloths that seem to wear out all at once.

A shawl knit of cotton is a nice companion when going into a building where the air conditioning is turned on low.  And it’s not too hot to have to take off between the entrance and the car.

Cotton is my usually yarn in the hottest days.  Linen is an alternative to consider.

So the answer is, yes the seasons, including the temperature and humidity outside do affect what I knit and with what yarns.

Leave a comment on this post to get a free instant download of one of my free knitting patterns, “Easy Garter Stitch Fingerless Mittens” (shown in the picture above). 

If you’re reading this post on a blog other that The Knitting Yarn, click here now to leave your comment on the original post to get your free download.

To see more posts From Day 4 of the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, in your favorite search engine just search this term 3KCBWDAY4.

To your healthy and happy knitting & caregiving,

Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

Today is the first day of the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week.  Today’s topic is Colour Lovers. 

And this post has my answers to some questions about colors knitters often get asked.

How do you choose colors for your knitting projects?

Mostly I love choosing a color that the recipient will want to wear.  Whether it’s for me or for a gift.  So when possible for a gift, I try to get yarn in colors she or he will love. 

When I look at the colors in my stash, they are colors that comfort me.

There’s some bright red and green for Christmas, bright colors of cotton worsted for dishcloths, some white and turquoise, and lots of browns, oranges and yellows.

And some lavender and purple for variety.

Do you love a rainbow of bright hues or more subtle tones?

The short answer is yes.

The shades don’t matter as much as the color itself.

Although after knitting two fingerless gloves with black alpaca yarn, I tend to avoid black.  It’s hard to see and can make even an easy knitting project challenging.

Or difficult!

Although I did recently knit a pair of socks with black stripes in them, and do have a lot of yarn left over.  Possibly enough for another pair.

I’ll need to be in the right mood to tackle that yarn again, and right now I have another project on my sock needles (Phew!).

Colorful hand spun yarn from my knitting stash

Do you pay attention to the colors on a pattern when choosing it?

I’m more interested in the pattern itself than the colors the designer used to knit it.  And I’m often substituting a different yarn anyway.

Leave a comment on this post on The Knitting Yarn and get a free instant download of my Easy Customizable Knitting Bag. An easy way to experiment with your own color choices!

It makes a nice bag for carrying your knitting, or something else. It’s a nice size for carrying small projects when you know you’ll be waiting, and may need to stash them in a hurry in your bag.  The original color is from Kool-Aid dyed hand spun yarn.

To leave a comment, scroll to the bottom of the post on The Knitting Yarn.  If you are reading this on a blog other than The Knitting Yarn, click here now to leave a comment on the original post.

For more posts from Day 1 of the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, just copy and paste this code into your favorite search engine 3KCBWDAY1

To your healthy and happy knitting & caregiving,

Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

Some purists don’t like to combine knitting and crocheting.

Why some, won’t even talk to people who do the other one!  Good grief is all I can say.

While knitting comes easier for me, I enjoy them both.  And part of the fun is combining them into the same project.

Recently I decided to redo part of an afghan I made a few years ago.  It’s made of individual blocks of different colors.  The original knitting instructions in the afghan kit said to sew the blocks together. 

Well, that’s fine.  I wanted to use the same color yarn, thinking it would be less noticeable.  My first attempt was to knit a border around each block in garter stitch, then sew them together by hand. 

It was not quite what I wanted.  Initially I though it would be okay – and soon changed my mind.  The borders around the blocks actually made the whole afghan feel itchy and rough.  The blocks are all acrylic yarn, so I used an acrylic yarn.  Unfortunately it was a scratchy acrylic yarn which just seems to get worse with time. 

Or maybe I’m less tolerant of it!

So, I decided to try again.  This time I’m using a soft acrylic yarn from Caron. I thought the neutral nutmeg brown would make a nice background for each of the squares. Instead of knitting garter stitch, I’m crocheting around the edges.

Single crochet is faster than knitting, and probably uses less yarn.  Plus once I have the borders all done, I can crochet them together instead of sewing. 

It will be fun to see how it turns out.  Customizing the knitting instructions are part of the fun of knitting!

For copies of my free knitting patterns and more ideas about knitting, join The Knitting Yarn’s FREE membership now.  Just click right here now to register.

Keep knitting to your heart’s delight – or someone else’s,

Dr. Ina

Ina Gilmore M.D. (ret.)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Ambassador of Elder Care, www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com
Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com

The information on this website is for educational purposes only. It does not replace information or recommendations from your own physician or other health care provider. FullDisclaimer and Disclosure at www.TheKnittingYarn.com/policies.

Are you having a relaxing Labor Day weekend?

I often have mixed feelings about long weekends.

Yes, many folks find them a great way to relax.  There’s another side to long weekends though.

Sometimes you’re the person who is left behind.  For example, you may be the professional or family caregiver who works through the long weekend when everyone else takes a break.  And so a long weekend can be a source of stress including caregiver stress.

Is knitting one of the ways you reduce stress?

After a long working day of a long weekend, I often found it helpful to relax.  For many years I thought it was just my way of clearing my mind, and relaxing.  It’s more though.   According to medical researchers, knitting elicits the Relaxation Response.

When you knit, after about 20 minutes you may notice yourself visibly relaxed. This is the Relaxation Response kicking in. Of course an added benefit of knitting and other crafts is your completed project.  So you get the benefit of stress reduction PLUS a completed project when you finish!

My current project is my own pattern. 

It’s inspired by Faroese-style shawls and the Danish shawl.  I’m designing this shawl for knitters who need a portable project.  In addition to one that will easily fit into a bag for portability, one that you can start and stop in the middle of a row.

So the prototype is more like a shawlette or bed jacket size than a full shawl.  Although I think it could easily be adapted to a longer shawl.

With most lace knitting patterns, making a mistake can mean pulling out your stitches back to a row without a mistake.  With a shawl, that can be a LOT of stitches. And with many lace knitting patterns very complicated.

This one is mostly garter stitch, easy to start and stop quickly.  The last row I knit is 574 stitches, and the shawl has about 5 inches more to go.  I expect to add about another 175 stitches to the rows, maybe more.

Right now each row takes about 20 minutes to knit, and I knit fairly quickly. This pattern can be stopped in the middle of a row and picked up later without a lot of thinking about where you are in the row – or what’s next!

With the aim of reducing your knitting stress!  After all when you’re knitting to reduce stress the last thing you want to do is to counteract it by increasing your stress at the same time!

Yes, there are ways other than knitting to reduce your stress.  You may find crocheting or spinning or another craft more your style.  It may not have been studied.

When you’re looking for a unique way to reduce stress for yourself or someone else, check out www.AskDrIna.com/gift

By the way, the pictures are of the same shawl.  In the second one I figured out how to use an adjustment for low lighting.  Never mind how long I’ve had the camera!

Keep knitting to your heart’s delight – or someone else’s,

Dr. Ina

Ina Gilmore M.D. (ret.)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Ambassador of Elder Care, www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com
Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com

The information on this website is for educational purposes only. It does not replace information or recommendations from your own physician or other health care provider. Full Disclaimer and Disclosure.

My mother never considered herself a knitter.

If you asked her, she’d say she sewed, quilted, and crocheted.  She did many other things, including some knitting.

As Mother’s Day 2011 approaches, I decided to look at the baby set she knit for me.  I haven’t looked at it in several years.  I recalled vaguely the knitting patterns included lace, although I wasn’t quite sure about it.  And I’m not sure I ever really studied it.

Well, was I surprised!

It’s a diagonal lace knitting pattern.  The cap is knit in one piece, with two seams going partway up the back.  The sweater was knit in five total pieces—two fronts, two sleeves and the back.

And each seam lines up perfectly.  The diagonals match precisely.

Baby cardigan shows precise seam matches in knitting patterns

Even more amazing is the yarn and needles she used.  The stitches are smaller than what I make when knitting socks with size 1 needles!

There’s a cap, cardigan sweater, booties and even mittens.  The mittens are in block stitch with a garter stitch edging.  They may have been knit at a different time than the rest, or maybe just from a different pattern.

The rest of the pieces are a combination of the diagonal lace, and seed stitch knitting patterns.  Seed stitch takes concentration, because the stitches change every row.  At least I think it takes more concentration than some other knitting patterns like stockinette stitch.

What did I learn from looking at this set and its knitting patterns?

• Well, if one of my first knitting projects was a lace baby set in this fine a stitch I wouldn’t consider myself a knitter either!  I probably would have run from knitting.  This is one of those knitting patterns that look easy but are challenging.
  
• I can see the love she put into every stitch.
• If there ever was a doubt as to where her children got their tendencies towards perfection, it’s now obvious.  And whether she called herself a knitter or not, she was an accomplished knitter.

I remember her showing me how to knit a pair of mittens as a child.  And when the wool sweater kit I received as a gift was too itchy for me, she finished it.  She not only finished it; without a pattern she cut and sewed a lining so I could wear it.

That’s a mother’s love.  While her final days were not all roses and sunshine, I choose to cherish the love, the memories from long ago, and their evidence in her crafts.  I learned from caregiving and am now sharing what I learned with other caregivers.

I was privileged to be her primary caregiver at the end of her life here on earth.  Out of that experience, the experiences of other caregivers, and my experiences in caring for others “A HEART PLAN” was formed.

The white square and heart are knit.  The letters are cabled yarn and embroidered.  It’s a way to help caregivers showing them how to to make caregiving more positive and to help themselves while caregiving.  Caregivers are often voiceless, and care for everyone else but themselves.

Maybe you’re a mother or a father or a son or a daughter.  When you give of yourself and your time you’re also a caregiver.  Maybe you help someone with shopping or cooking or cleaning.  You may not fit the conventional mode of caregiver, still you need to care for yourself.

A is for Accepting and claiming your caregiving.

 

H is for Healthy Humor Helps!

E is for Eliminating negativity.

A is for Avoiding isolation.

R is for Reducing your stress reaction.

T is for Thankfulness and thanksgiving.

 

P is for finding your Purpose.

L is for Love and forgiveness.

A is for Advocating.

N is for Nurturing yourself.

I’ll have more information in future posts.  And I’ve just opened a Zazzle Shop with the “A HEART PLAN” logo.

Just click here for A HEART PLAN Shop.

Or go to: http://theknittingyarn.com/shop.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Keep knitting to your heart’s delight — or someone else’s,

Ina

Ina Gilmore
“The Knitting Dr.”

Ambassador of Elder Care, HowToLiveOnPurpose.com
Founder, CaregivingWithPurpose.com and TheKnittingYarn.com

Disclosure

Disclaimer:

The information on this website is for educational purposes only. It does not replace information or recommendations from your own physician or other health care provider. This site does not advocate medical or other health-related self-care, and encourages you to obtain advice from your own personal physician or other health care provider.

This web site is not intended to replace medical, financial, legal, or any other professional advice. Please use your own good judgment and consult with your own professionals before applying any ideas found within this website.

I remember watching one of my aunts knit and crochet.

When I saw her — usually at a family reunion — she had a smile on her face.  And it didn’t take much to get her to laugh.

Although many would have considered her life challenging she always seemed joyful.  She knit and crocheted some of the most beautiful pieces . . .

Image via Wikipedia

When I think of the knitters and crocheters I’ve known over the years, many of them also seem to go through life happy and at peace.  I’ve often wondered if they knitted or crocheted because of its calming effects — or if their personality attracted them to the needlework.

You know sometimes when life gets stressful I like to just . . .stop and knit.

If you’ve been knitting a while, you probably know why.

Concentrating on the knitting focuses your attention.

How often have you found a solution to a problem after knitting?

Or just found yourself more relaxed and calm afterward?

Did you know medical science has now confirmed that meditation and knitting have a lot in common?  Harvard researchers found when you meditate or knit for 20 minutes:

• Your heart rate decreases . . .
• Your breathing decreases and . . .
• Even your metabolism slows down!

Who would have thought knitting could be heart-healthy?

While there are lots of ways to reduce stress . . .

Some people like to hold or pet a dog or cat . . .

And some find knitting soothing . . .

Heart healthy tips include knitting

And then there’s always something that isn’t recommended . . .

Stress Reduction Kit

What are your favorite heart healthy tips for stress reduction?

Keep knitting to your heart’s delight — or someone else’s,

The Knitting Yarn

P.S. Want to monitor your stress — or that of someone you love ?

Heart Math is a unique stress reduction tool.  Check out HeartMath!

Disclosure:

I may have a marketing connection to a brand, topic or product listed on the website. Through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made.

cmp.ly/5/kf4rlc

Recently I bought a book on knitting dog sweaters, glanced at it, and set it aside.

When you live in the South — and it’s the middle of summer — it’s hard to get excited about knitting sweaters, even for dogs!

Then I learned a dear friend recently became suddenly critically ill. It was quite a shock to learn of her crisis, even after she’d started her recovery.  I knew she had a dog that she calls her “baby.”  So, I casually asked her if her baby could use a new sweater.  The answer was a very excited “Yes!”

Well, I figured that was as good a reason as any to try out a new knitting pattern. Not that I need to look that hard for an excuse to knit — or to try out knitting instructions. So, after she sent me her color preferences and her baby’s measurements, I started looking at the patterns.

The book, Dogs in Knits: 17 Projects for Our Best Friends had good reviews. This book, unlike some others, gives different sizes and gauges for each pattern.  That’s a big help when you need patterns that actually fit a variety of dog breeds and sizes.

Surprisingly, the sizes of the sweaters seem large. The smallest is for a dog with a 14 inch chest. No sweaters for tiny dogs!

If you’re expecting 17 sweaters, though, you’ll be disappointed. There’s an afghan, a blanket, a pillow topper, and a Christmas stocking. The book provides lots of ideas, and I think I’ll get use out of the book.

As I was looking at patterns, I decided to try the Peruvian-inspired coat. Of course my friend’s baby is shorter than the smallest pattern, although the chest circumference was right. And my knitting gauge, as usual, is okay for the stitches per inch but I have fewer rows per inch. If I followed the pattern as written, it would be way too long.

I decided to start knitting anyway, and figure out how to adjust the pattern along the way.

Starting the dog sweater

The original pattern has alternating large stripes with dogs and narrow stripes of color.

So, how easy was my solution?

• Very easy: just take out the narrow stripes!

Still, I wouldn’t recommend starting out trying to customize a three dimensional sweater for a dog. Because I’ve knit sweaters for people — as well as for a few dogs — I had no problem sizing the pattern to fit my friend’s baby.  However, this sweater is definitely not for a beginner, although others in the book are. The color stranding is at least intermediate, and it’s knit on circular needles.

As my sister — the dog expert — suggested, I also put the ties on the top of the sweater not underneath the chin as the pattern shows. Why? Because on the dog’s back they’re less likely to drag on the ground and are harder for the dog to chew.

Here’s my final version:

Peruvian sweater after customizing knitting instructions

Epilogue: After my friend and her baby received the sweater, she called to thank me.  Even her baby said his thank you over the phone!

It’s very rewarding to have people (and pets) truly love something you had fun designing. I can hardly wait for a picture and to share it!

Ready for inspiration? Check out Dogs in Knits: 17 Projects for Our Best Friends by Judith L. Swartz and click here to buy now!

The knitting gauge or needle gauge tool is a handy addition to your knitting basket.

Mine is yellowed with age, but still functional.  Since most of the patterns I need a gauge for give it in inches, the fact that mine has only inches is fine.

I like the handy L-shaped window, through which 2 inches horizontal and vertical are clearly visible.  Why?

Well,  it makes it easier to count horizontal stitches and vertical rows at one time.  Of course, you can still use the ruler and do one at a time.  Many times my gauge is only accurate in one direction anyway.  And if given the choice, I’ll make my gauge match the stitches and keep the width the same as the pattern.  I use the written knitting gauge provided in the pattern to convert rows to inches.  And then just knit the number of inches required for the length.

Like many good tools, this one has more than one purpose.  Not only is it an easy way to count rows and stitches per 2 inches, but it’s also a ruler.  And it also has those little holes in a row.  The holes correspond to knitting needle sizes, given in both mm and US sizes.

If you’re used to knitting with straight needles, yes they are all marked.  But many circular needles aren’t.  And sometimes the differences between sizes are hard to see.  Especially for anyone wearing glasses:

These two circular needles are not the same size.  And, there’s only 1/4 mm difference between them.  They’re US size 4 (3-1/2 mm) above, and 5 (3-3/4 mm) below.

Even rolling the two in your hands, it can be difficult to tell them apart.  Which makes this little tool indispensable at times.

And a good deal, at less than $2 many places.