Tag Archives: knitting

Portuguese Knitting

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The other day, at Knit Fit, I took a class from Lisa Ellis (if you live in the PNW and get a chance to take one of her classes- do it!).  And in it, I learned two things:

  1.  How to spell Portuguese.  (Did you know it has two u’s in it?)
  2.  How to knit in the Portuguese style.

Have you ever seen someone knit like this before?  It’s crazy!  I’ll try to explain it, but I can’t promise it’ll make sense:

You have your ball of yarn on your right side, and kind of weave the yarn through the fingers of your right hand, then wrap the yarn over your neck or through a pin (like this one) attached to the front of your shirt. OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Then, instead of throwing the yarn like you would while knitting continental, you kind of… flick the yarn with your left hand.

It blows my mind.

Here’s a video (if you want to teach yourself, this YouTube-er has some pretty good videos, but they’re not all in English):

The craziest thing about this style of knitting is that you end up knitting inside out!  Since your yarn is basically tied to the front of your shirt, it’s hard to get it behind your knitting (for the knit stitch).  So, since it’s so much easier to purl, when you’re working in the round, you just purl all the time!  I started making a hat, and it’s inside-out!

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Then, when it’s finished, I’ll turn it inside-out!

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And, bonus, knitting stranded color work inside-out like this means that you don’t have to worry about your floats making the fabric all pucker-y.  Don’t ask me how- it just works!

Magic!

Have you ever done Portuguese knitting?  What style do you like to knit?

Teddy Bear Picnic

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Or at least a Teddy Bear Coffee Date.

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One of my good friends, Kate, has started knitting a bear, too!  (Hi Kate!)  And so has my mom- it’s super cute!  (Hi Mom!)

Mom lives in the Great White Tundra that is the Midwest, so I can’t meet up with her, but Kate lives just a couple miles down  from my place.  That means we can meet up, visit different coffee shops in the area every week or so and get our knit on!

Kate’s a new mom, so I’m pretty sure she’s excited to get out of the house and dust off her needles, and I’m loving having a knitting buddy!  There’s something lovely about having someone to chat with while your needles click away.  (And, if you’re awkward like me, it’s nice having a friend with you so you’re not that weirdo knitting alone in public.  Double win!)

So, grab your friends!  See if they want to pull their needles out of storage, or lend them a set of your own and get knitting!  It’s possibly the best way to spend an afternoon!

What’s that?! You still haven’t picked up your Mother Bear pattern?  What are you doing!  Get it here!

How are you doing on your bears?  I’ve just started knitting Bear number 7!

The Clangers!

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I did the thing the other day (and don’t act like you haven’t done it) where I was buying some yarn  from KnitPicks, and I was this close to $50, so I had to buy myself a little present to get the free shipping (even though the shipping probably cost less than the present… But it’s the principle).

Well, I was browsing the books, and would you believe it?  There was a Clangers knitting book!!!  And it was only 7 bucks!31918[1]What’s that?  You don’t know about the clangers?

Well, clearly you never were a kid in British public school.   We lived in Essex for a few years when I was in elementary school, and they showed old VHS tapes of The Clangers when they didn’t feel like teachign.

The Clangers was a kids’ BBC show from the late-60s/early-70s (which explains everything) about a family of knitted, pink, mouse-like creatures that live on a tiny, papier-mache moon and eat soup (cooked by the Soup Dragon-obviously) and blue string pudding.  They don’t talk, instead they communicate by whistling.  Also there’s the robotic Iron Chicken and tiny Froglets, who live in the center of the moon in a pool of pink soup.31918101[1]It all makes sense.

Ish.

Maybe watching an episode will make it clear:

Clearer?

OK.  I’ll be honest.  I thought this was a really great show when I was 7.  Now, I think it’s…well…  Yeah.

But, still, there’ll always be a spot in my heart for The Clangers, and a spot on my bookshelf for this knitting book.

Have you ever revisited something from your childhood that you thought was great, but turned out to be… well… not?

Mama Bear Check-In #2

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I’m back and my bear pack (have we decided on what a group of bears is called?  Pack doesn’t seem right) has grown bigger!

My newest bear is an adorable little blue teddy with a little black dress on!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATo be honest, I decided on this color scheme when I looked in the bottom of my bag and found that I had nearly-full skeins of both blue and black, and thought “How can I use up these colors quickly?”  But, in the end, I kind of like her goth-chick vibe.  She just needs a red scarf and an anarchy symbol embroidered on her chest.  But that might be slightly inappropriate for this kind of project.

Have any of you made skirts or dresses for your bears yet?  This is my first beskirtted bear (beskirtted is a word because I say it is), and I’m not sure how much I liked making the skirt part.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the finished product- the little, slightly ruffly skirt is adorable.  But, the skirt felt like it took forever to knit up, and used up quite a bit of yarn, and if you’re using up odd bits and bobs of leftover yarn, I could see a skirt being fairly impractical.

Of course, we knitters aren’t known for being 100% practical.  I’ll probably do more beskirtted bears, maybe just not right away.

If you haven’t started making Mother Bears, take a minute to look at the project website, and consider giving it a go!

Have you done any skirts on your bears?  How did they go?  What’s your bear total so far?

Pattern: Choose Your Own Adventure Mitts!

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It’s new pattern day!

(Actually, it’s new patternS day!)

I’ve got two brand-spanking-new patterns in the new, ridiculously adorable collection from Knit Picks: 32752[1]It’s a collection of two dozen insanely cute whimsical knitted accessories. Want a hat with a cat chasing a ball of yarn that’s actually a pompom?  They have it.  Want cap adorned with tiny french men?  They’ve got it.  Want cute, customizable mittens?

Of course you do.  Let me tell you all about my pattern.

51956220_15_medium2[1]These little guys are my new favorite!  My “Choose Your Own Adventure Mitts!”

They are simple, striped mittens that are 100% customizable.  Want thin or thick stripes?  Want long mittens?  Want short fingerless gloves?  These guys are for you!

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And, since they’re knit in super-soft sock yarn, they’re not only comfy and soft, but also super hard-wearing!  (Which is great, since you’ll want to wear them every day.)

Want to get a copy of Charmed: Whimsical Knitted Accessories?  Grab yourself a copy of the collection here!

Or, want to win a copy?  Comment below with a description of your favorite knitted accessory!

Mother Bears On the Needles!

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I can’t get the Mother Bear Project out of my head.  The stories of little kids with next to nothing positive in their lives just break my heart, and I can’t stop thinking about them.Mother_Bear_in_Liberia_1_medium2[1]So, I took the plunge and ordered my pattern!  The patterns are available for $5 (proceeds go to running the charity and helping with shipping and handling), and is mailed to your house via snail mail.

size

I’m itching to pull out my scrap yarn and get to work on a whole army of bears!

But here’s the thing- I’m only one person, so even if I do nothing but knit teddy bears from now until the end of time, I won’t be able to make that much of a difference.

You guys, however, are more than one person!

So, I propose that this year for the holidays, everyone who reads On the Needles knits a teddy bear or two!  We can make it into a big On the Needles knitalong!  I’ll post updates about my bears, and whoever wants to play along at home can send in pictures of their bears, and we can all share our projects!

What do you say?  Want to join in?  How many bears do you think we can make before New Year’s?  20? 50? 100?!

Book Worm

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I’ve been thinking and planning and dreaming about the sweater I’m going to make with my big blue skein of yarn from Lopez Island.

I’ve decided I want it to be a cardigan, probably a V-neck, and, I think, a raglan. Like I said the other day, I’m planning on making this into a cropped sweater, but I’m not sure on how long I want my sleeves to be (at least long enough to cover the short sleeves of a couple favorite dresses).  Maybe 3/4 sleeves, or even long sleeves (if I have enough yarn).

All this together (raglan, a short body, and not being sure about the sleeves) screams “top-down sweater.” If I do the sweater top-down, I can try it on as I go, and keep going until I am happy with the length.  And when I make a top-down sweater, there is no other book to look to but Ann Budd’s “The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters.”OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIf you’re even a little interested in making your own sweater designs, grab a copy of this book.  In it, Ann Budd has done all the math to make virtually any sweater you want.  (She’s worked out 4 different styles of sweater, both cardigan and pullover, with v-necks and crew-necks in virtually any size and with nearly any yarn.)  Just find your gauge, decide your size and follow along.  You can follow the patterns as written for a super-classic sweater, or add cables, bobbles, lace or whatever else you like to create something really special.

Any time I decide to make myself a sweater and don’t feel like following an honest-to-goodness pattern or doing my own math, I turn to Ann Budd’s book.  (And, since I’m working with limited yarn on this sweater, I can make the body of the sweater, then work the sleeves until I run out of yarn! No waste and no guessing!)

I’ve got my basic sweater plan now it’s time for the fun stuff… the decorations!  The autumn rain is beginning to fall in Seattle, so I think I’m feeling some cables coming on.  But, this yarn is super-chunky, so I don’t want to make the sweater too heavily-cabled, or it will end up making me look like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.  So, maybe I want to add a little lace, too.

Just like how I have a go-to sweater construction book, I have a go-to stitch pattern book.  But here’s the thing; I don’t even know its name.

It’s a Japanese stitch dictionary that I found at a grocery store in Seattle’s International District.  It’s got hundreds of gorgeous knit stitches in every style- cables, lace, textures.  It’s to die for.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAIf you have a Japanese book store by you, totally see if you can find one of these books (I’m pretty sure it is from a series-I’ve seen other similar books elsewhere).  Or, if you search for Japanese knitting books on Amazon, you’ll find something like it.

Inside, it’s full of page after page of swatches, accompanied by surprisingly understandable charts.  I don’t read a word of Japanese, and I use it all the time!OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Looking through the book, I think I’ve settled on this pattern- how pretty would that lace look down the back of a sweater at an over-sized gauge?

Now I’m itching to start knitting!

What knitting books are your go-to favorites?

 

Sequim!

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Phew!  I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Sequim, a little coastal town on the Olympic Peninsula.  It’s pronounced “Squim” (rhymes with “him) it’s as fun to say as it is to visit!  We spent 4 days hiking on Hurricane Ridge, tide pooling on Rialto Beach, and eating delicious local seafood. WP_20150906_004Ollie spent his days barking at seagulls, running after seagulls, and trying to eat seagull poop.WP_20150908_002And what else did I do?  Oh, right… knitting.

Lots of knitting!

In fact, between all time driving between natural wonders, and mornings watching flocks of birds fly up and down the beach, I made it three-quarters through a pair of lovely lace-y socks! (A Christmas present for a lucky someone!)

WP_20150908_005After all that relaxation, I’m ready for another vacation!

What do you like to knit while on vacation?

An Ode to Knitting Slow

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turtle[1]Take your time.

Go slow.

Feel.

Each.

Stitch.

The rasp of wool

on wooden needles.

Soft alpaca

against tired fingers.

Sip tea

and work

oh

so

carefully.

No deadline.

No pressure.

Just wool and needles and lots of time.

Inspiration: Twin Trouble

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One of my dear friends just gave birth to not one, but two adorable little baby boys!  So, let’s all say a big warm welcome to the twins!  (And congratulations to their amazing (and probably exhausted) parents!)

In honor of the boys, let’s take a look at some double-trouble patterns!

This lovely afghan features entwined twin trees is so beautiful, a real heirloom in the making… but you’d have to make two, one for each of the boys… and that’s a lot of work.

Twin Trees Afghan by Shirley Rhyne

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These fraternal twin hats are completely darling!

Twin Baby Hats by Shayna Bright

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These sweaters are freaking fantastic!  Twin Power!

Twin Power Sweaters by Sarah E. White05.01_medium[1]Welcome to the world, baby boys!  I can’t wait to hang out with you and teach you how to knit (you know, once you master the language, sitting up, and all those little skills).