Tag Archives: knit

Why Knitting is Good for You

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Every few months I come a cross an article about “17 ways knitting helps your brain,” or “99 reasons you should knit,” or, in this case “5 reasons knitting is good for you.”

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERALet’s examine what this article says and make snarky jokes about it, shall we?

1.  Fighting off dementia.  I’m not familiar with the research on this subject, but I’d  buy it.  Knitting is a three-dimensional puzzle.  Being able to read a pattern and turn it into a whole garment takes a surprising amount of brainpower.  And, being able to identify when you’ve made a mistake and fix it takes even more.   I imagine that continuing a mentally challenging hobby like knitting keeps your brain sharp through middle age and beyond.   (Or maybe that’s just what I tell myself to justify buying that extra skein of yarn.)

2.  Staying calm.  I totally get this one.  Sometimes, after a stressful day, the only thing that will make me feel better is sitting down with my yarn and a cup of tea.  I get a lovely calm feeling just thinking about it.  Aahhh…

3.  Getting fit.  I call BS on this one.  There’s no way that a sitting-down activity like knitting should be considered exercise (though if it could, I’d be a fitness model).  I have heard of more than a few knitting friends who pick up needles as a way to curtail their mindless snacking while watching TV, but I’ve never had a problem with eating while knitting. (*knit 1, purl 1, eat 1 chip.  Repeat from * until end of row.)

4.  Getting happy.  I’m not sure how happy and calm are separate categories, but I suppose it makes sense.  I know I am always excited when I start a new project, and I  get all giddy when petting a new skein of yarn at my LYS.

5.  Being trendy.  Ugh!  It drives me nuts that this is one of the reasons that people knit now (which, I realize, makes me an annoying hipster).  It’s not that I’m unhappy knitting is popular.  It’s more that I feel regret for teenage me.  I knit for years before I would admit it to anyone (other than my parents and brother, obviously).  All that heartache and sneaking around for nothing.  Dang.

So, why do you knit?  Do you agree with these “Reasons for Knitting,” or do you have your own reasons?

Pattern: Christmas Scallops Stocking

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I love Christmas. I love the family, I love the gifts, I love the food, and I love the decorations. But, I’m not super-traditional when it comes to decking my halls. Red and green are a little passé, and Rudolph (and his red nose) are old hat. I’m a fan of sparkly tinsel and multicolor blinking lights.

This stocking is just what I look for in a Christmas decoration. It’s festive, but not boring. Traditional…ish. I’ve picked a deep winey red and a pale seafoam green to my delightfully chubby stocking. Experiment with the colors to make one perfect for every member of your family!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe Christmas Scallops Stocking is a simple, fast knit that you can work up in a weekend. It is knit from the top down, in the round, at a largish gauge. A few easy rows of Fair Isle creates the decorative colorwork at cuff and toe. The heel is formed by a simple series of short rows in an easily memorized pattern.  You’ll have plenty of time to finish these stockings before Santa arrives on Christmas Eve.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAGet the pattern for free here:

Christmas Scallops Stocking

(Fewer Than) 50 Shades of Gray

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My Dove Heather yarn showed up!  And it’s perfect!  Look!

Before:OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAfter:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s not blocked yet (obviously), and the picture is a little over-exposed, but you get the gist!  The dove gray is the perfect shade.  It’s light enough that it doesn’t get swallowed up by the blue, and it’s the perfect counterpoint for the pink.  I couldn’t be happier.

Now I just have to knit the rest of the sweater… Oy!

Finished!

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Woo Hoo!  It’s time to do the happy dance and pose awkwardly in the back yard!  (Because (for some reason) holding a rake made me feel less weird than just standing and smiling at the camera.   I never said I was a good model.)

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERABut the sweater looks great!  It fits really well, and it is nice and cozy!  The sleeves turned out a little long (which happens to me all the time when I knit.  I have trouble getting store-bought clothes with long enough sleeves, so I tend to overcompensate when I knit, and I end up with sleeves that would work on a giraffe), but they’re perfect for turned-up cuffs.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

And, though I agree with you guys that silver buttons would have been better, I ended up going with some nice faux-horn ones.  The sweater has 13 buttons, and, well, they are expensive!  I didn’t want to spend more on buttons than on the yarn itself.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I don’t plan on taking off this sweater for the next month, or until I spill coffee on it, whichever comes first.   (Probably the coffee.)

Inspiration: Last-Minute Halloween Costumes

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It’s almost Halloween!  My favorite holiday of the year.   (Sure, I say that about almost all holidays, but still!  You get to dress up in silly costumes, decorate your house with creepy-crawlies, and give candy to random strangers.  What’s not to love?)

If you (or your kids) are dressing up, you probably already have your costumes planned out.  (I’m being Harry Potter for Halloween…  after all, I have short, unruly hair, glasses, and a mysterious scar on my forehead (not really, but a girl can dream).  And it gives me an excuse to run around with a magic wand.)  But, if you’re still looking for some costume ideas, I’ve got a few super-cute knitting projects for you.

Maybe your kid is a sweetheart who can take care of herself in a fight?

To Grandma’s House by Melissa Schaschwary

cobo_medium2[1]Or maybe she is just a big cuddly teddy bear?

Baylie Bear Cowl by Heidi May

DSC_0177_medium2[1]Is she an beach enthusiast (who’s not super into being able to walk around)?

Mermaid Costume by Courtney Wiche

DSC_0090_medium2[1]Or, does she have her sights set on ruling the kingdom (or, rather, queendom)?

Circlet by Dani Sunshine

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Inspiration: Profssor Trelawney’s Poufs

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I’m re-reading the Harry Potter books again (because I’m a grown-up and can read what I want).  And, one of my good friends is having a Harry Potter-themed Halloween party in October (because she’s an adult and can do what she wants), and I want to study up.

I’ve just reached the part where Harry, Ron and Hermione have started taking Divination classes with Professor Trelawney.   If you haven’t read the books (and, really, you should), Prof. Trelawney is the very eccentric (and possibly prophetic) teacher of Divination classes (seeing the future).  She’s a big fan of foretelling Harry’s death, and wears more scarves than Stevie Nicks.

And, she has a very cool classroom, full of low tables and little poufs for the students to sit on and practice reading their tea leaves.

Divination[1]

I don’t put much store in reading tea leaves (except when I’m feeling especially superstitious), but I do love the idea of having a bunch of poufs laying around, willy-nilly.  They seem like they’d make a room feel especially cozy.  Perfect for propping up your feet while you sit with a blanket, a cup of tea, and your dog-eared copy of Harry Potter.

Puff Daddy by Anna & Heidi Pickles3440899265_5f42b4a163_z[1]

Le Pouffe by Julie PhilipP1090228_medium2[1]

Pouffe / Footstool / Ottoman Super Chunky Cable Knit 25″ diameter x 16.5″ high by Erin Blackil_fullxfull.385187280_5b78_medium2[1]

Freedom Sand Pouf by Theresa BoyceDSCN3382_medium2[1]

Stellar’s Jay Sweater: Changing Plans

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I’ve been hard at work on my Stellar’s Jay sweater.  The body is almost up to the armpits!

I’m following my pattern as I wrote it, except for a couple (sort-of) minor details.

First, I decided that I didn’t like doing the scallop rows the way I had planned it out, so I modified it a little.  Now, it is slightly shallower (worked over two rows, instead of three), and I think it looks much better.  I’m probably the only one who would ever notice, but I’m picky that way.

Second (and this is a larger change), my pullover had turned into a cardigan.  I don’t know what happened- I was casting on and some knitting spirit whispered in my ear that I needed a cardigan, not a pullover, and one thing led to another.  I’m still following the pattern as I designed it, but instead of working the sweater in the round, I’m knitting it flat.  When I finish up the sweater, I’ll pick up stitches along the selvedge edges and knit on some button bands.  It should look pretty good (I hope!).

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIt’s important to remember that regardless of how much planning goes into your knitting, it’s still possible to change plans as you work.  You’re in charge of your project, and being flexible when you don’t like how something is working up will end up giving you a better finished project.

What changes have you made to projects as you knit them?

With a Bow on Top

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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.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI 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.

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*They would fit a pair of mittens, a hat, washcloth or other small accessory well, too.  I just have a thing for socks.

In-Between

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I finished my Ravellenic Sweater!  And, with days yet to go in the Olympics!  It’s cool to see how fast you can knit when you are working up against a deadline.  It’s blocking now, but when it’s dry, I’ll post some pictures.

But for now, though, I am a little bit at loose ends.  Do you feel the same way when you finish a big project?  I don’t really know what to do with myself.  I have a pair of half-finished socks, but all those little tiny stitches seem daunting right now.  I don’t want to go spend money on more yarn for another sweater.  And working on my afghan seems like too big a project.  Ugh.  I’m in a sorry state.

What I really want, is something that I can sit down, and in an hour or two have a completely finished project.  Something useful, and nice, and not too taxing on my brain.

I’ve got it!  The perfect in-between-projects project: washcloths!

Knit washcloths are great for in the kitchen, or for face washing (they’re super gentle on skin).  They also make really great gifts; wrap up one or two with a fancy bar of soap, and you’ve got a really nice little gift.  (Keep a few on hand, in case you forget someone’s birthday.)

If my brain is super-fried, I’ll just make a square of garter-stitch out of some pretty dishcloth cotton (like Sugar n’ Cream, or KnitPick’s Dishie).  Or, if I have a lace/cable/texture pattern bouncing around in my head, I’ll make a swatch of that pattern, sort of doodling with yarn.

Or, if you want a pattern, try one of these:

The Almost Lost Washcloth by Julie Tarsha

firsttakecloths11_small_best_fit[1]Leafy Washcloth by Megan Goodacre

leafycloth5_medium2[1]Grandmother’s Favorite by Traditional Design

976923313_4966a8fbc3_z[1]

Merry Christmas!

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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI hope you’re having a fantastic Christmas, and I hope that Santa brought you everything that was on your Christmas list.

I’ve got one more extra-special present just for you, dear readers! A little bitty knit doll of your very own.  And, she comes with a little bitty storybook of her very own.   She has long flowing hair and a removable dress, and she is just as ready to play house as she is to go adventuring with her friends.

The Little Knit Doll’s construction is very simple.  She is knit in the round with minimal sewing.  All shaping is done with simple increases and decreases, except for the feet, which are worked like tiny socks.  Her luxurious long hair is applied with a crochet hook, just like adding fringe to a scarf.  She is totally safe for children of all ages, with her embroidered face.  And, her adorable green dress is knit in the round with virtually no finishing.

The Little Knit Doll is now available through Ravelry for $5.00.

Get the pattern here

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’m posting The Little Knit Doll here exclusively for about a week.  But starting next week, the pattern will be available through Ravelry for $5, so download it now, if you want it for free.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHo Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!