Tag Archives: blog

Grateful 8

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Y’all. It’s been a year. Actually, it’s been 8 years. Which… I can hardly wrap my head around.

Last year, I was shocked to have made it 7 years, and surprised I’d kept up the blog and pattern writing with a kid in tow.

Well… HA! Now I’ve got two kids and have managed to keep everything going during a pandemic. Which is, frankly, deeply shocking.

(Apologies for the terrible photoshop… I usually make myself a “birthday candle” for anniversary posts, but I’m in the process of moving all my stuff to the basement (the baby has taken over my office), and I have no idea where the supplies for this are. Let’s just say, my papercraft skills are far superior to my digital art skills.)

Anyway,

Pros of being a knitter during a year(s) long pandemic:

  1. Easy to keep busy.
  2. You can’t have an existential crisis and learn German Short Rows at the same time.
  3. A great excuse to use up your stash.
  4. Plenty of time to burn through your audiobook/Netflix cues.
  5. Knitting really lends itself to the whole “Preparing for the end of the world” vibe. (Might I add, I also took up vegetable gardening and making my own jam this year.)

Cons of being a knitter during a pandemic:

  1. Knitting seems like the only way to keep busy.
  2. It’s freaking hard to stay creative while also trying not to let the dread creep in.
  3. I’ve managed to use up almost all the “good” yarn in my stash, and I haven’t been in a real LYS since March.
  4. I’m basically through all the shows and books I wanted to read (Seriously… any recommendations?)
  5. You know… just being in a pandemic isn’t great.

Anyway. It’s been a hell of a year. I’m glad I’m still knitting. I’m glad I’m still blogging. And, I’m glad I’m still writing patterns (albeit less frequently). It’s nice having at least one small thing that’s been “normal” this year.

Keep on knitting on.

7 and counting

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It’s funny.  Had you asked me 7 years ago if I’d still be writing patterns and blogging, I probably would have laughed at you.  Heck, had you asked me two years ago (with the kid just around the corner) if I’d still be writing today, I’d be kinda skeptical.  But, here we are- still cruising along. IMG_2674

I know that knitting is definitely one of those things that I will always do, in one way or another.  It’s my favorite way to get my creative juices flowing.  It lets me express myself and clothe my family (and myself).  It gives me something to do with my hands while I’m binging the next Netflix show (by the way, Next in Fashion is a delight).  It’s so much a part of me that I don’t know what I would do with myself if I (for some reason) was not able to knit.

But, I always thought that knitting would be “just” a hobby.  Something I did for fun, on the weekends, and while waiting in boring meetings.  I never thought it would become the thing that I defined my professional life by.  It’s been a wild ride.

Anyway, thank you for following with me on this crazy 7-year-long project.  It’s probably (definitely) the longest I’ve worked on a single thing, and while it’s nice to see the follows and the likes on my posts, the satisfaction I get from seeing my body of work is even better.

It’s been 7 years, I’ve written (almost) 900 posts, published 88 patterns (with a few more in the works),  been featured in 25 collections, 1 magazine, and I’ve written my own sock book (which just got re-printed, by the way!).  I’m not usually comfortable tooting my own horn, but after 7 years, well… Toot toot!

800

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Pardon my French, but holy balls, you guys!  This is my 800th post!

That’s a lot of posts.

That’s a lot of photos and a lot of knitting.  A lot of patterns (both my patterns and other peoples’ patterns), and even a book.  I know I say it every time that I reach a milestone of one sort or another, but holy cow, you guys!  Thank you!  It’s insane to me that I’ve been at this for so long, and that people like what I’m saying enough to continue to follow along.

But here’s the thing.  I’m writing this from the past, in preparation for my maternity leave.  I still have my brain more-or-less in tact, and have been (usually) getting enough sleep, and I still have trouble coming up with new ideas for posts from time to time.

So, is there anything that you want to see?   More patterns?  Different patterns?  New tutorials?  More pictures of my dog? (That one’s easy.)Holler at your girl and let me know!  And let’s do another 800 posts! Woo!

An Update About Updates

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In Monday‘s post, I mentioned that I was still “writing from the past,”  and I was- I finished the Papaya Sweater (and wrote that post) about three weeks ago.  I also mentioned that “by the time you read this post, I should be less pregnant.”

Well, I’m writing this on Tuesday, and I am not less pregnant.  I didn’t think it was possible, but I am in fact more pregnant.  I am almost a week past my due date, and my kid seems determined to stay put until he finishes high school.

But, by the time you read this, I should have had my baby (for some reason, my doctor seems to think that staying pregnant for the next 18+ years is not a great idea… I can’t imagine why), and I will officially be on parental leave!  Exciting!

But what does that mean for the blog?  It means that I’m going to be cutting down posts to once a week (on Monday mornings).  I’ve already got a nice buffer built up, and should have enough posts to carry me through until the beginning of summer at a once/week schedule.  I’ve also got some plans for easy projects that I can start working on when the little one is sleeping (that’s a totally reasonable thing to expect… right? I’ve heard that babies are totally great at sleeping), so you might get a couple extra posts and updates here and there, outside of the usual once-a-week schedule.Also, if you have questions about anything (via email, or through the comments section), just know my response time is going to be a little slow, but I’ll still try to do my best to check in every couple days.

I’m a little sad to be cutting back on my blog time (and my knitting time!), but I’m so excited to get started on this next big project!  Parenthood is going to be interesting!

Wish me luck!

Happy Birthday!

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Can you believe it? I’ve been at this blog for 5 years!

That’s absolutely nuts!  I don’t really know how long I expected to keep this bad boy going, but it certainly wasn’t 5 years.  It’s been a huge learning experience for me- the patterns I write today are head and shoulders better (or at least less full of typos) than the ones I came up with in 2013.  I’ve learned a lot about my style of knitting/designing, and I think I’ve become a better writer and teacher.  You kind of have to get better when you work on the same project three days a week for 5 years!

Of course, On the Needles is going to start changing a little bit, what with the whole “baby-on-the-way” thing, at least until I get my feet under me.  Starting next week, I’m going to switch from my usual 3 posts a week to a slightly less insane twice-a-week schedule (Monday and Friday), to give me a little slack so that I can get some posts prepped so that when I have to go on parental leave, I won’t leave you blog-less.

It’s going to be crazy to see what the next 5 years has in store!  Talk about changes!

700

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Whaaaaaat?!!!

Can this really be my 700th post?  That’s absolutely bananas.

But, when I think about it, I’ve been writing this blog three times a week for the last four and a half years.  So, yeah, the math checks out.  Wow!

It’s amazing to me that anyone reads this thing at all (and it really freaks me out when people in the real world bring up things that I’ve mentioned here).  It’s a really strange feeling.  Writing a blog is such a public thing-it’s shared with hundreds of people every day, but it’s also really private.  I work on it at home, first thing in the morning, usually when there’s just Ollie here to keep me company. Anyway, this is all to say thank you for sticking with me all these years.  I know I’ve said it before, but I never thought I’d be half as successful in this endeavor as I’ve turned out to be.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for commenting.  I really appreciate you guys!

Happy Knitting!

(And, if you have any ideas for blog posts, I’d love to hear them!  After 700 posts, I’m starting to get writers’ block!)

Ideas, ideas…

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Every once in a while, I start to run out of ideas.  It happens sometimes, after all, I’ve been writing posts three times a week for the last four years.

So, I’d love to hear your ideas!

Do you have questions about techniques?  Do you want more tutorials?Do you want to see what I’m working on?Are you interested in seeing more new patterns?  If so, what do you like to knit?Is there something else you’d like to see?

Let me know!  I’d love to hear your thoughts!

I’m Three!

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It’s official!  On the Needles is out of its terrible twos!  OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

It’s been three years of three-days-a-week blogging, sharing patterns and writing in excessive detail about the fluffiness of yarns and the drape of knit fabric.  Thanks so much for coming along with me on this adventure, I really appreciate every single hit and “favorite” and I love hearing about everyone who tries one of my patterns!

Speaking of patterns!  I just checked over on Ravelry, and apparently I’ve published 44 patterns-  that’s more than one pattern every month since I began this whole knitting-as-a-job thing!  And, I’ve been included in 5 pattern collections from KnitPicks!  (And there are more in the works!)

I absolutely love sharing my favorite activity with you guys, and I’m constantly surprised when people actually show up to read what I write!  So, thank you for reading (and knitting)!  Here’s to 3 more years!

Picture Picture on the Wall

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I was going through my backlog of projects that needed to be photographed for Ravelry today.  (You know- the projects that you forget to get a picture of until they’ve already been worn or given away.  They just sit there in your Ravelry queue with their big blank photos taunting you.  Drives me nuts.  It’s not just me, right?  Right?)

Anyway, it struck me that I’ve never shared my highly-technical photography setup.

And by highly-technical, I mean not technical at all.

I use a simple little point-and-click camera (I think it’s actually more than 5 years old, and its battery only holds a charge for about a half hour at a time, but it still works!) It’s an Olympus FE-360, if anyone cares.91eCSgUhEcS._SL1500_I really like it because it’s simple to use (and I know next to nothing about cameras).  And, I like it for taking pictures of knitting, because it has a macro and a super-macro feature for taking closeups.

Macro is used for taking pictures less than 4 feet away:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd super-macro is used for taking close ups from less than a foot away:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s not fancy, but it works for me!

The other part of taking decent knitting pictures is the light.  I always use natural light, and try to avoid any light that’s too bright or direct (luckily, in Seattle, that’s not usually a problem).  If you use a flash, or overhead lights, or try photographing your project in bright, direct sunlight, the colors go all funny, and everything gets weird and shadow-y.  (Like I said, technical.)

To get indirect natural light, I set up a big piece of foam core on a little rolling shelf, set up next to a window.  I can roll the shelf around to get the right amount of light (if it’s a gray day, like today, I’ll set up right next to the window.  If it’s brighter, I’ll move further away).

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And then I take my pictures!

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And that’s basically it! It’s not a fancy setup, and I’m not a professionally trained photographer by any means, but this is what I’ve figured out works for me.

I hope this helps with your photographs!

Do you have any tips or tricks you like for your photographs?  I’m always looking for something new!

Thank You!

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Hi everybody, I thought I’d take a moment to do the cheesy-yet-well-intentioned Thanksgiving tradition.  You know,  the one where we all go around the dinner table (or in this case, the knitting website) and tell everyone what we’re thankful for.

CornucopiaThanksgiving[1]I know it’s dorky, but I’m in a thankful mood (but maybe that’s just my endorphins building up in preparation for tomorrow’s feast), so let’s do this thing.

I am thankful for knitting!  It’s both therapy and entertainment.  It keeps me busy and keeps me warm.  There’s something almost alchemical about turning yarn into something as complex as a lace shawl or as practical as a thick wool socks.  It warms my heart (and feet), and challenges my brain, and I love it.

I am thankful for my husband (obviously).  He puts up with having an entire room dedicated to knitting and doesn’t mind when he finds project bags scattered across the house.  He ‘s been insanely supportive with my blog and pattern design work, as well as regular awesome husband-ness.

I am thankful for my pup.  Ollie’s been an amazing addition to our lives over the past half-year, and he makes me laugh every day.  I couldn’t be happier having him in my life (even if he has chewed up a knitting needle or two… *grumble, grumble*)

I am thankful for this blog- and it’s readers!  It’s been a really fun (sometimes difficult) and interesting exercise to write something (hopefully) interesting and (sometimes) funny every other day for almost three years, and I’m looking forward to keeping it going.  Being able to share my passion with all of you lovely people is fantastic!  You’re the best! (And, there’s so many of you!)

Happy Thanksgiving!  What are you thankful for?