We almost missed it! It’s World Wide Knit In Public Week!
Since 2005, knitters across the world have picked up their needles and yarn and taken to the streets (and cafes, and libraries, and yarn shops) to share their love of knitting with the world.
Search their website to find an event in your area, or to start your own. Or, just take your project out into the local park and work a couple rows.
I’m heading out right now to celebrate WWKIP week! Join me!
There is nothing (NOTHING) worse in a knitter’s life than pulling out a sweater, or a scarf, or even a ball of yarn and finding that THE BUGS have gotten to it. Not yarn barf, not having to rip out an entire sweater, not even carpel tunnel. Nothing.
It doesn’t happen often, but it happens once in a while. A year ago, I pulled my winter hand-knits out of storage and found a big hole in my wool coat, and a chewed-through spot in my husband’s favorite hand-spun alpaca scarf. It still gives me the heebie-jeebies to think about. Ugh.
And, last week, I was digging through my yarn stash, and found a skein of yarn with little cobwebs and eggs on it! (Needless to say, that skein went immediately in to the trashcan. You gotta get rid of that business stat.)
There are a couple things you can do to avoid this terrible, terrible situation. (Although, be warned, I am no Orkin Man, or even someone who’s particularly good at cleaning.) Here’s what I do to protect my yarn, fiber and finished knitting:
First, if I am going to put something in storage, I’ll put them in plastic to keep out the bugs. Big plastic storage bins are perfect for coats and sweaters, and ziplock bags work well for accessories and skeins of yarn. (I did not do this with my coat last year or that skein of burgundy wool… which was probably part of my problem.)
![51erG3aACqL[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/51erg3aacql1.jpg)
Second, I make sure to keep my woolens out of dank, musty, moldy, or damp places in my house. If you have a newer house, or don’t live in somewhere as damp as Seattle, you probably don’t have to worry about this so much. Bugs and mold need a source of water, so if you keep your woolens dry, you prevent pests from setting up shop in their folds.
And, third, I now have cedar hangers in all of my closets. I’m 80% sure that it’s a placebo effect, but cedar has been used as a pest deterrant for hundreds of years (think about cedar chests). I don’t have a cedar chest, because all of my furniture comes from Ikea, but you can buy blocks of cedar, cedar hangers, cedar sachets and about a million other cedar-y things to hide in your closet and deter pests. (And, cedar smells good… bonus!)![81866[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/818661.jpg?w=225&h=300)
What do you do to protect your handknits?
I don’t know about you, but my knitting tends to go in cycles. I always have something on my needles (or on my crochet hook), but one month I might spend all my time on socks, and the next I’ll be all about big gauge sweaters, and the next I won’t want to work on anything but squares for an afghan.
This week, I’m 100% obsessed with my Yo-Yo Afghan. I’ve kept it in the closet of my knitting studio for about six months, and I pick it up from time to time. Whenever I feel uninspired by my current project, I break out my worsted-weight scrap yarn and make a handful of yo-yos.
It’s a totally zen project, and you get a very satisfying pile of yo-yo’s when you’re done.
(Assuming my counting is correct) I’ve got 841 yo-yo’s, which should be enough to make a 29×29 square blanket. Each yo-yo is about 2.5 inches across, so the blanket should end up about 6 feet across.
I plan on attaching each yo-yo at random, just avoiding putting two of the same color next to each other. I have at least a couple dozen different colors, so it shouldn’t be a problem.
I know I’m neglecting my other knitting, and the weeds in my yard are starting to loom menacingly again, but I can’t stop myself.
As soon as this post goes up, I’m going to run over to Jo-Ann’s and get some yarn to start joining up all my hundreds of yo-yos.
What projects have taken over your life?
It may seem odd, but did you know that spring is the perfect time of year for scarves, shawls and neck-warming devices of all kinds? They add just enough warmth to a light spring jacket that you can stand to wait at the chilly bus stop in the morning. And, when it warms up in the afternoon, you can just shove your scarf into your bag for the commute home.
But the question remains, what kind of neck-warming device is right for you?
Perhaps a scarf is best for you? Scarves are… scarves. I don’t think I really have to define them. Long, skinny, warm. They are usually worked in thicker yarn and a denser stitch pattern than stoles or shawls
Noro Striped Scarf by Jared Flood
![475926102_16053747ec_z[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/475926102_16053747ec_z1.jpg)
Of course, scarves are traditionally rectangular, but sometimes scarves can get a little crazy, like this one:
Wingspan by maylin Tri’Coterie Designs
![2012-03-03_01_Wingspan_medium2[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2012-03-03_01_wingspan_medium21.jpg)
Shawls, on the other hand, tend to be lacy or light in some way. They are knit into interesting shapes, most traditional shawls are triangles or half-circles (although you can find shawls in almost any shape).
Haruni by Emily Ross
![Haruni-0001-ps_medium[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/haruni-0001-ps_medium1.png?w=199&h=300)
Citron by Hilary Smith Callis
![4185481652_ce7acd1bc1_z[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/4185481652_ce7acd1bc1_z1.jpg?w=300&h=200)
Hitchhiker by Martina Behm
When a shawl and a scarf get mixed together, you can end up with a stole. Stoles aren’t as common as the other two, but they are still totally gorgeous and practical. They are essentially just a super-wide scarf (upwards of 12 inches across), but they’re usually very delicate and fancy, often knit with lace and beads. A stole is the perfect choice to be worn with a fancy ball gown or to a wedding.
Seascape Stole by Kieran Foley
![2518633229_a7e2951036_z[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/2518633229_a7e2951036_z1.jpg)
As fancy as a stole is, a cowl is completely functional. It’s a tube of fabric that you slip over your head. Imagine it as a scarf without ends to tuck into your collar, or a turtleneck without the sweater. Super comfy cozy, and perfect for those times you don’t want to mess with getting the ends of your scarf tangled.
Bandana Cowl by Purl Soho
![6235518543_46ba4d5d58_z[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/6235518543_46ba4d5d58_z1.jpg)
What kind of neck warmer is your favorite?
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, I am essentially an 80 year old woman in a 28-year-old’s body. I love drinking tea, watching procedural cop dramas, puttering around in my garden, and obviously, knitting. When I was in college, I tried to deny it, but I have given up. I’m an old lady, and I’m A-OK with it.
As an old lady, I spend an inordinate amount of time watching the birds that are hang around my bird feeders on the back porch. We get house finches, juncos, chickadees, and squirrels (who have already destroyed two bird feeders). But my favorite birds by far are the Stellar’s Jays that live in the great big cedar tree in the corner of our garden.![stellers_jay[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/stellers_jay1.jpg)
I’d never seen these birds until we moved to the PNW. They are incredibly striking, slightly bigger than a Blue Jay, and their colors are spectacular. They’re a super dark, rich, black on their top half, and a bright cerulean blue on their bottom half. They have a great big crest of feathers on the top of their head, which looks like a particularly sassy mohawk. I love watching them hang out on our porch.
In honor of my favorite bird-feeder visitor, I thought I would make a sweater inspired by their gorgeous plumage. And, I am going to bring you along on the design and knitting process.
My plan is for a pullover worked with a bold blue-to-black gradient inspired by the Stellar’s Jay plumage. The design is still a little hazy in my brain right now, but I know it will solidify once I start playing with the yarn.
I’ll start by ordering some of my favorite sweater yarn: Knit Pick’s Swish Worsted. It’s a super-wash merino wool, so it’s both durable and super cuddly soft. It comes in about 40 colors and is pretty reasonably priced.
I picked out two skeins of each color:
Black (duh)
Delft Heather
Dusk
Marine Heather
Gulfstream
Very Stellar, no?
When my order gets here, I’ll work up some swatches and start playing with math. But for now, I think I need to go refill my bird feeder. Stupid squirrels.
I play roller derby. I’m one of maybe 5 people on the whole league that doesn’t have any tattoos. Because of this, my friends are always telling me that I need to get a tattoo (or six). They’ve even drawn out tattoos for me. I like their ideas, but frankly, I’m pretty sure if I got one of their tattoos I’d regret it five years down the line. I’m indecisive like that.
But this one… I like this tattoo. I might be convinced to get this tattoo
It’s a ruler along her index finger and a notepad on her wrist. How clever is that? I can never find a ruler when I need one. I have used the dimensions of my phone (5″x2.75″) to eyeball a piece of knitting more times than I can count. I might have to go make a tattoo appointment.*
*Don’t worry, Mom. I’m not actually getting a tattoo. I just think that a ruler tattoo is a pretty clever idea.
I’ve only got time for a quick little post today. (It’s sunny! SoI have to take this opportunity to do yard work without sinking up to my knees into mud. Seattle is just the best.)
So, this is a tip that sounds totally obvious, and when I heard it, I totally kicked myself for not coming up with it myself:
When you’re picking the size for a new sweater, find a sweater or shirt in your closet that fits well, and is a similar style (in other words, if you are making a baggy sweater, go find a baggy sweater in your closet, if you’re making a tight-fitting sweater, find a tight-fitting sweater in your closet).
Lay the sweater flat and measure across the chest, just under the armpits. Multiply that measurement by 2. This is the finished chest/bust circumference.
Then, look at your pattern, and pick the size that has the closest finished bust circumference to your finished sweater.
Why is this better than measuring your body? Frankly, it’s easier to measure something flat on the floor, than something all bumpy and three-dimensional, like your body. There’s less math. You don’t have to worry about calculating ease for a sweater if you already have a finished garment with the perfect amount of ease. And, it’s a great way to be sneaky about knitting a sweater for someone else. Your kid/husband/friend/neighbor/dude-you-just-met-on-the-street will know something’s up if you ask to measure their chest, but if you sneak off to a quiet corner of the house with one of their sweaters, you can measure away to your heart’s content!
It seems like everyone I know is having a birthday this month. (Except for me. Wah wah.) And a rash of birthdays means one thing for knitters like me and you; lots of gift knitting. My go-to knit gift for anyone over the age of 15 is a pair of hand-knit socks. They’re (relatively) quick, small enough that you don’t have to spend your entire food budget on the yarn, and totally customizable. And, of course, they’re fun to make, and always well-received.
Now, you could just wrap up your socks in wrapping paper, or stuff them in a gift bag, but where’s the DIY spirit in that?
My favorite way to package hand knit socks is in one of those little half-pint berry containers that you get from the grocery store. Have you ever realized that they’re the perfect size to fit a pair of socks*. These are made from recycled paper, but you can find plastic ones, too, sometimes.
I roll up a pair of socks, and put them in the berry container, and take a little bit of pretty contrasting ribbon or yarn and tie a nice bow. It’s that easy to make a perfect little gift charming enough that even Martha Stewart would approve.
*They would fit a pair of mittens, a hat, washcloth or other small accessory well, too. I just have a thing for socks.
I am convinced that every knitter is a bit of a pack-rat. Or at least has some pack-rat-ish tenancies. I catch myself doing it all the time, and have to consciously make myself stop it when I go to far.
I’m not talking about buying more yarn than you could ever knit (which would be a problem, but I’m not convinced that it is possible. At least, I haven’t reached a critical mass of unknit skeins yet). I’m talking about those little bits of leftover yarn that you end up with at the end of every project that you are sure you can use for something else. You can’t just throw away 50 feet of merino hand-spun. That would be heresy!
So, when those little bits of yarn get ready to overflow your craft bin/closet/room, what to do?
I organize my scraps by weight (worsted together, sock yarn together, etc), then i pick a project.
I am a big fan of scrappy afghans to use up my little leftover bits. My Call the Midwife-inspired blanket sits on my couch, and used up approximately a metric ton of sock yarn scraps.
I’m in the midst of making a great big Yo Yo Lapghan with all my worsted weight scraps. I can make a handful of yo-yos during a rerun of Law and Order. And, once I have about 2000 (no joke… they’re pretty small), I’ll crochet them together. I like this pattern especially because, even though I’m making thousands of little circles, if you do it right, you have no ends to weave in.
Another afghan that people are going head over heels for is the Beekeeper’s quilt. I’ve never made one; I think knitting that much at such a tiny gauge without ending up with a pair of socks (or ten) would give me an aneurism, but if that’s your jam, I say: Go for it! It looks like a super cozy blanket when it’s done.![DSC_0518_medium2[1]](https://ontheneedles.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/dsc_0518_medium21.jpg?w=300&h=201)
Don’t want to make a blanket? Think about stripes. Match up your scraps of a similar weight, and make a cool abstract striped sweater, or a pair of fraternal twin socks.
Whatever you do, just don’t let the yarn just languish on your shelf. Yarn is for knitting (and crocheting) and keeping you cozy and warm, so let it do what it wants to do!
Let’s talk about skeins. This is a skein:
Sometimes yarn is sold in skeins (instead of pre-wound balls). Skeins are looser than balls, which allows you to see the texture and color of the yarn more accurately. It’s also less work for the dyers and spinners, so often if you find fancy-pants yarn from some small fiber company, it’ll be sold in a skein.
But, skeins are a pain in the butt for knitters. You get home from the yarn store with your brand-new purchase, and instead of starting to knit right away, you have to spend a half hour rolling the yarn into a ball first. Infuriating!
But, have no fear. Skeins are easily dealt with, as long as you exercise a little patience.
First, unloop the ends of the skein from one another.
Then carefully tease apart the skein until it lays nicely in a big ring, being sure to keep the strands from tangling. I like to do this step on the floor to give myself plenty of space to work.
Depending on the brand of yarn, the skein will be held together by one or more (usually between 2 and 4) bits of scrap yarn. You can cut or untie the scrap yarn, whichever is less scary to you.
Then, I to loop the whole skein over the back of a chair, my knees, or around my husband’s hands (if he’s in a helpful mood). This will keep the big loop of yarn from tangling as I roll it into a ball.
Go slowly and be patient, and if something weird happens (like loops of yarn start flying around) stop immediately and put the loops back around the chair. If you start getting a tangle, if you keep going it will only get worse.
Next week we’ll talk about how to roll yarn into the perfect ball.
**And a note on Swifts: If you are a moneybags, there is a tool called a yarn swift that is specifically designed to hold your skein of yarn (instead of a chair back) while you wind it into a ball. Some people swear by them, but I have never had an extra $65 to spend on a swift (not when I could buy yarn instead!)
On the Needles 