By Tara, on March 10th, 2011% Hey knit-along-ers! How’s your Betiko coming?
I am absolutely, completely smitten with mine (out of my handspun!)
Except…
Can you see my mistake? Yeah, those yarnovers were supposed to be creating wedges…but I created a spine…
But That’s ok! When I realized it, I just started wedging and all is well.
How’s yours coming?
Don’t forget that you can share your progress on Ravelry or Facebook.
Oh, and if you’re still on the fence about getting a Betiko Bundle, here’s your warning: Monday’s the last day to get one! The two-color kits are nearly sold out, so hop on over there.
. . . → Read More: Betiko-ing
By Tara, on January 6th, 2011% Inspired the Ravelry group, 11 shawls in 2011, I’ve been poring over shawl patterns.
Even though I’m not one for resolutions, I can always get behind more shawls.
Kitchen Sink Dyeworks yarn, possibly for a shawl?
My explorations started with Romi’s 7 small shawls. While I love everything Rosemary designs, I especially love Celaeno, Maia Shoulderette and Shawl #6 (leave a comment here guessing the name and you may win a shawl pin)
Another source of inspiration is Jessica Rose’s queue + finished projects. I fell completely in love with her Orchid Thief.
At this time, my list of shawls-I’d-actually-knit is:
1. Lee’s crazysmart Betiko. I imagine making 2 or 3 of these (worsted Noro! sock yarn!) and at least one of them is going to be in handspun. I think. (zephyr laceweight, dyed by me, perhaps for Citron?)
2. Citron. I . . . → Read More: 11 shawls in 2011
By Tara, on November 9th, 2010%
I’m not doing any math to see where, exactly, I should be in my knitting-a-sweater-in-one-month challenge, but I think it’s safe to say I’m behind!
If I have 3 balls of yarn and 30 days, I should be going through a ball every 10 days. It’s Day 9 and I am far from the end of the first ball.
The good news is: I have about 6 hours in the car around Thanksgiving and then all the knitting while sitting around with family. So I’m not worried yet.
Remind me I said that when I’m scrambling on Day 29, ok?
By Tara, on March 10th, 2010% I’m honoring National Craft Month by posting something crafty that catches my eye every weekday. Share your favorite crafty finds in the comments!
I love Crochet By Faye‘s idea for celebrating National Craft Month – adopt a designer!
You can read all the details in her post. The general idea is to pick a designer every day for the rest of the month and do something to help them succeed: blog about them, recommend them, buy a pattern!
I love this idea and will be incorporating here my already-planned National Craft Month blogging. I’m also going to spend the month looking for more designers to feature in my bricks+mortar shop, A Novel Yarn.
If you know of a designer (especially one that works with handspun or handdyed yarn), let me know in the comments!
By Tara, on March 4th, 2010% The uber-smart Cosy has the answer to the eternal question: When IS the hat DONE?
It’s in her 2nd post in a super helpful series on knitting hats.
approximate hat heights
0-6 mo. – 5 in. (12.7 cm) 6-18 mo. – 6.25 in. (15.9 cm) 18 mo.-4 yr. – 7.25 in. (18.4 cm) 4 yr.-adult s – 8.25 in. (21 cm) adult m-l – 9 in. (22.9 cm)
Read her whole post here.
By Tara, on March 1st, 2010% I’m super honored to be interviewed by the fabulous Diane of CraftyPod about teaching crafts (and specifically, knitting). We had a great conversation about the experience of teaching and how to get started teaching.
If you’ve wanted to start teaching your craft, listen to the conversation here.
Diane mentions that my Learn to Knit kit taught her to knit (squee!), you can find the kits here. Even if you know how to knit, these kits are a great way to teach a family member and avoid frustration that comes from not knowing how to describe when-the-loop-does-this-you-do-this.
Have you taught your craft? Anything you’d add to our conversation?
By Tara, on February 25th, 2010% Today, I want to celebrate the awesome-ness of knitters.
The following knitters each made a fantastic hat-ness from a single skein of handspun.
Hat + Scarf by the darling Marian Firke
Drew’s Hat by AtomKitty
Game Hat by the wonderfully silly Kim Werker.
By Tara, on December 7th, 2009% I’ll confess, I am not a pattern-follower. And thus, I very rarely buy patterns.
But occaisionally there are patterns so suited to a specific person, so unique, unlike anything I could design on my own and so beautifully photographed that I know purchasing the pattern is the only way to make the great item.
The following patterns meet those standards and would be just the thing to shock your not-knitting gift recipients. (all of these links are to the Ravelry page, if you’re not on Ravelry, sign up, already! It’s free and fabulous!)
French Press Felted Slippers – I NEED these! Need!
Yarn Harlot’s Pretty Thing – such a pretty lacey cowl.
Smith – Squee! A tiny stuffed hedgehog. Adorableness!
Felted Clogs – Everyone in the world wants warm feet in winter. These clogs are the squooshiest!
What’s your favorite pattern to knit into gifts?
By Tara, on November 19th, 2009% New knitter? Know one? Check out the (free) 7 Tips for New Knitters! . . . → Read More: 7 Tips for New Knitters
By Tara, on November 16th, 2009% For the past month, I’ve been asking you questions about your “learn to knit” experiences, because I’ve been creating a Learn to Knit kit (available next Tuesday!)
Today I want to answer those questions and suggest that you read the comments ya’ll posted, because there are some sweet, hilarious and amazing answers! I think they show the multitude of ways people learn and adapt to something as individual as knitting.
And if you don’t knit yet? Sign up for my free Maybe-Knitters e-course to help you decide if knitting might be for you.
How did you Learn to Knit?
I taught myself from Debbie Stollar’s Stitch N Bitch book, after having attempted to teach myself from another, far more dificult book. Debbie’s way of explaining things just made it all easier.
AND that book turned me onto the wonder of Craftster.org and Knitty.com. Any question a new knitter has will . . . → Read More: Learning to Knit – My story
|
