A Yarn Store Divided ...

Ok, so what had happened was, my bestie in the westie told me about another blog (which I will not link - you don't need to read it) that had 8 reasons crochet is better than knitting. And I was furious.

Furious because it's another divide, specifically among women. Furious that this woman, who owns a crochet company, couldn't get her history right. Furious that she perpetuated untruths as fact. Furious that she used her platform to say that people who crochet are smarter, better, freer than people who knit. That's where the line gets drawn - the "I'm better than them" line and it's so foolish. She then tried to say her post was satirical; I believe that if you have to explain a joke, it's not funny to begin with.

So here's a little knitting/crochet FAQ for everyone who wanted to know, didn't know they wanted to know, or wanted to learn but were afraid to ask me, because I'm quite intimidating.

I want to learn to knit/crochet - which is easier? Neither. Both. Either. Who cares? Did you know that learning things doesn't actually push other things out of your brain? I tell everyone who asks to try doing both. Do what feels right. In my experience (and I know a lot of crafty folks) people usually know within 2 attempts which they prefer. It also won't kill you to know a little of the other as well. Especially if you prefer knitting. Learn some crochet as well for quick details, accessories, and edges.

Which one takes longer to do? If you're me, it will take you approximately 24541 times longer to crochet something than to knit because knitting is what I do. Most of us do agree that because of the structure of the stitch in most patterns, crochet is inherently faster. And a good deal of crochet stitches in crochet are made large quickly (treble treble comes to mind) and can be made with a big hook so it's a big, open, lacy thingamabob. Knitters use larger needles and yarn overs for the same effect. Big, open, lacy thingamabob. So it's about what you like. If you stink at crochet (like me), knitting the same thing is faster. If you prefer crochet, knitting can be slow and cumbersome. You have to compare against yourself, not your neighbour. Even two knitters knitting the same thing will finish at different times. For overall speed, I give the edge to crochet.

Doesn't knitting/crocheting use more yarn? No, who told you that?  This girl knows what I'm talking about. Take 4 square inches of stockinette stitch (knit) and single crochet on comparable sized needles/hooks and you're going to make the same amount of fabric and use about the same yarn. It's the pattern, not the craft. If a pattern has big stitches and/or a big hook there will be more air, less yarn. Same with knitting, except with needles.

Mathematically, isn't holding one hook easier than two needles? I don't know anything about math, don't ask me that question! For me, it's the way it's all held. When I held fabric in one hand and a hook in the other my hands hated it. Rebelled, even. But there was a weird symmetry with holding two needles that just happened to be more comfortable. More comfort meant more time spent, more time spent meant more speed. Please try both and just see what you like.

What if you lose/slip your needle? Isn't that worse than losing a hook? Hell yes it is. A row of "live stitches" compared to only one stitch? Yes, much more suck.  Crochet is extremely versatile! That's one of it's great qualities (each craft has a lot! ) and is something to consider. 

Are there things that are better to knit/crochet than crochet/knit? Again, it depends on you. And that's the overarching theme (I hope I wasn't too subtle with it); what's better for you is what's better for you. I have both knit and crocheted blankets and I can say that while I love the squishy, drapiness of my knitted blanket it was just as easy to crochet one and faster. In fact, most crochet blanket patterns will have you flying through them, and I prefer that route. So the following list is based SOLELY on my experience and is anecdotal, not fact:

Better to Knit:
Socks
Sweaters/clothing
Lacy wraps
Hats (in my opinion because the stitches are closer/tighter)
Anything that needs to stretch without having gaps
Things with intricate patterns in the stitches

Better to Crochet
Scarves
Blankets
Shawls
Headbands
Amigurumi
Accessories like flowers (oh how I love crochet flowers!)
Things that need bulk
Things that are open and airy

And those are only my preference. I have crocheted hats, knitted blankets, and just made what I liked. That's why I encourage you to learn both, love one, appreciate the usefulness of the other. 

Christmastime is ... Finally Over!

Wow, the last blog I posted was just around Thanksgiving. That tells you just how busy I've been knitting for Christmas. I was able to finish and mail everything off (even though my mom's second slipper made it there AFTER Christmas!) but I felt really overwhelmed. 


In case you are interested I am still working on making a knitting pattern, but since Christmas was over I finally knit a few things for myself! 

This is a lovely cowl, nice and warm (even though it hasn't been terribly cold, has it?) and it took me a couple afternoons and I was done! If you want to make something quick before a cold snap, you can find the pattern here for free. Then, when I was wandering around Michael's yesterday during a great yarn sale, I found some delicious Angora Bamboo by Patons in "Urban Grey" and KNEW I had to make something - anything!


Well, one of the amazing things about ravelry (just one - are you signed up yet?! Go!) is that you can look up the yarn you have and then search through projects that other people have used that yarn to make. Turns out some people have used this yarn to make a great slouchy beret and that's what I've been wanting for myself. Even better is that the cowl pattern I made is based off of this hat! What luck! I don't usually look very good in hats, so finding a good pattern has taken me a long time. But I have to say I look pretty cute in this one!

Not only that, but a darling woman friend of mine, one Jaime Patterson, also loves this hat. Well, when someone who is that amazing likes something I've made I must make her one too! Hers will be purple, and if she is so kind (with her being a photographer) she'll take some pictures of herself in it! I never say "no" to commission work! With a baby on the way it's nice to make a little money by sitting on my end and doing something that I love. Now I just need to get so good that people hire me to do it 8 hours a day and then I never have to work again. That's what photographers do right?? They get to do something they love and get to call it "work"! 

Now that I'd finished my last "Poppy" hat (see previous post) I wasn't sure what to make. That's why I'm glad Jaime wanted this slouchy beret, Brandon wanted a new hat for his birthday, and Scott wanted a hat that was "urban sheik" - which is apparently a real thing. That keeps time passing a little more quickly for me, and all I'm looking towards is the birth of this giant baby who loves to sit on my right hip - every moment of every single day. 

And mostly, thanks to you all who read this as though I have something interesting to say, and encouraging me to try more things and get better at something I enjoy. This blog is mostly to remind me that I DO like knitting, and to not ever ever ever stop even when something gets frustrating. I hope you don't stop doing something you love when it gets frustrating, or time consuming, or tedious. It's worth it. 

Not Too Big, Not Too Small

Today a wonderful knitter asked me something that made me realise that perhaps new knitters don't know a lot about adjusting patterns. I'll be the first to admit that I'm TERRIBLE at adjusting a pattern to be the right size. I just don't have it in me. 


But what I DO think I know is how to adjust a patterned hat for a smaller or bigger size, and it's all cheating and math. That is one thing I love about knitting, all the numbers. You do the right math, you get the right things. Oh, it's joyful! Actually, I'm betting that adjusting most patterns is a lot like adjusting hat patterns. 


I might need to ponder this for a minute. 


In the meantime, let me offer this simple advice: 


When you have a hat that you'd like to make bigger or smaller, there's only a few simple things you need to do. Well, this is the lazy way. You could do more measurement and math, but me? No way. 


1. Find a hat pattern in the size you're looking for. If you're not on ravelry.com I need you to click that word, sign up, and come back to this blog in 3 hours when you need a break. Beware the "pattern browser" - it will steal an entire evening.  Anyway, make sure that hat has a similar feature to your cast on edge, like ribbing, or knit top down. 


2. Look at the hat pattern you want to adjust. Does it have a pattern repeat? A chart? Ribbing or cables? Things that require a specific number of stitches to complete one repeat. My friend's hat has a beautiful pattern that is 8 stitches wide and 12 rows high. I recently knit something that has a cable pattern of 10 stitches across and 6 rows high. 


3. Do your cast on math to make sure it's divisible by the number of stitches for the pattern repeat. So, let's say you have a hat knitted in worsted weight and your cheat pattern says cast on 55 for the size you're looking for and you're doing the 8 stitch/12 row pattern. Well, 55 is not divisible by 8, and you'll have a wonky hat. However, 56 IS divisible by 8. Cast on 56. If your pattern wants you to cast on 92, take it down to 88 or up to 96. It's pretty easy. 


4. Use cheat pattern to see how many inches you knit from the cast on edge, and what starts the decreases.  K9, K2tog* or K7, K2tog, doesn't matter. The decreases for the larger or smaller hat will apply to the new size because it's based on the pattern repeats, not the actual number of stitches. 


BUT what if you, say, see a scarf with a beautiful pattern repeat? You can make it into a hat! Just use the right "pattern math" to see how many stitches and rows something requires and then go NUTS. In fact, I'm working on a pattern myself. I know, a big deal right? Don't hold your breath though, I probably won't have it all hammered out until well after Christmas. Hopefully it'll be a scarf/hat combo. We'll see. 


So what if you want to adjust a worsted weight pattern to bulky or sport weight? Well, that's another post and concerns things like gauge and needle size and I have to see if I even have it figured out. But I'll be honoured if this happens to be one of the blogs that pop up when you're googling how to actually do that. 

Knit Big or Go Home

There are a lot of joys in knitting. Completing a tricky hat, memorizing a complicated pattern, finishing a lacy scarf, and knitting with bulky yarn on big, big needles. 


Oohhhh it's sooooo good. It goes super fast, and makes you feel like you can knit anything all the time. Until you make one slipper, realise it might be too small, put it down, and get working on your socks - with your fingering weight yarn and size 2 needles. Oh. Bad choice. 

                                            (I am actually now almost done with these!)


Let me take this time to confess that I'm no longer a knitting monogamist. I used to be. Diehard! I believed that if I was knitting, I needed to be knitting on THAT PROJECT because it needed to be finished. And that's what kept me from knitting most of the Spring and some of the Summer. With that "if you're knitting, knit that one thing 'til it's done" mentality I seriously began to resent the lace weight yarn SWEATER I was working on. Honestly, it was a little ambitious to put myself on a timeline for it, but I was determined that if I sat down to knit I HAD to be knitting that horrible thing. 


Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. My best friend (and now doula) Laura finally convinced me to break that habit. Thank the heavens, because my knitting life is faster, fuller, and happier. And I encourage you knitters, even beginners, to do the same thing. When a piece gets too frustrating, put it down. When it's taking a long time, or makes your hands sore, set it aside for a day. Or two days. Or a week.Or a month. Or until next Winter. In the meantime, knit something easy, or big, or different. Knit anything else at all. (Or spend 2 hours on ravelry, like I just did.)


Right now I'm rotating 4 different projects. A pair of socks (only one more needs the ribbing on the leg), a few hats for a few ladies, snowmen ornament/gift tags, and various Christmas gifts. The last one I do until it's finished, even if I rotate it out. So right now I've finished my sister's gift and I'm rotating in the next one: my mother's slippers. 


Oh, she knows about them. I'm mostly terrible at keeping secrets. I've also learned in the past few years that while I LOVE to give gifts, I love more giving the gifts that people actually want. When I asked what size her feet her, she immediately hoped I was making new slippers for Christmas. I'd made some before, maybe for Mother's Day. Not really sure when. But they certainly aren't the substantial, Illinois Winter slippers my mum really needs. 

No, these aren't the ones exactly (spoilers!) but this is a good picture from the pattern, which you can get here. Yes, you have to sign up for a knitting daily email, which you can unsubscribe from after you download and save the PDF. Plus it has other patterns if you really want. 


The best part? It's knit on size 11 needles. Yum. Not the biggest I've knit anything on (that would be size 20's! Woo!!) but considerably larger than the size 2's with some socks on 'em. Worsted weight yarn held double (2 strands from 2 skeins or balls) count as bulky and they knit up fast. A word of warning - heeeheheheheheheheheheeee - when you knit them and they're not on a foot, they definitely look like a willie warmer. Oh yes, those are real things you can knit. But if you're not a 8 year old like me, you'll be fine. I giggled for awhile until I picked up the stitches for the cuff. Oh, I also used the magic loop method instead of the double pointed needles the pattern mentions.  Learn it, love it. 


So, if you want to make these FAST easy slippers for a Christmas gift (it's not too late!) all you need to know is: knitting in the round, picking up stitches, magic loop or dps, and ribbing. You can do ribbing, right? Of course you can. If you know the magic 8 cast on, I would probably recommend that. I say "probably" because I haven't tried it for these slippers yet. If you do, and it works well, let me know. 


Someday there may even be a point to my blogging. Right now I just hope that people see that knitting is super fun, rewarding, and anyone can do it!

Christmas Lists are Rubbish

Well, not ALL Christmas Lists  are rubbish. Just the ones I make on the little memo pad app on my phone. I mean, is that realistic, OR practical? No. How do I check things off? More work than it was worth, so I finally broke out the pen and paper. 


Now I'm worried. Mostly because I was too dumb to set my list up BEFORE November (am I right?) and I realised that if I make something for some people, I have to make something for other people. Fortunately, most people are getting one particular, simple gift (that is just LOVELY, by the way) so I don't have to actually knit much. I think I also have a backlog of hats for ladies (once I get circumferences!)


If you're like me, and a Procrastinator Extraordinaire, I wanted to point out this amasingly quick and simple knitted gift. I finished it in just over 3 hours - and I'm not a fast knitter, might I add. It's a great design using short rows and cables and you can find it here. Some ladies made it in under 2. Bully for them. If you can knit and purl, you can make this. 


My sister knows she's getting this for Christmas, mostly because she was supposed to get one last Christmas and I'm going to call that one a loss. So here's a pic from the website and NOT of the one I made for her (because some things should remain a surprise!):

 I did a few things differently, but not much. Instead of wool I used a nice, squishy heavy worsted weight of unknown fiber and origin. Probably an acrylic blend, but if it wasn't, it was the nicest acrylic I have ever used. I'm hoping that it will keep L'il Bit warm in Ohio's winter! I also used the sewn bind off. That's because binding off in pattern is crap and who should have to do that? Since I used a long-tail cast on and the sewn bind off looks, oh, basically identical to that it worked out perfectly. 


Then I was on the phone with my mother. I told her that I was getting off the phone to start knitting HER Christmas present, but now she'll see what a liar I was. Mostly because my computer was being beastly and it's taken a million years to get this post together and print out the pattern for her gift. If it's as easy as 462 other people say it is, then expect another post about those. I'm not exaggerating. There have been 462 other sets of slippers (she already knows - she helped pick them out) on ravelry.com made from this pattern. They have to be doing something right! 


Lastly, I'm thinking of having a small knitting class/group when Daniel's out of school for December break. Probably Monday nights and probably somewhere not my house. Might not be enough time to knit Christmas gifts this year if you're just starting, but frankly, what you make when you start are not things you want to gift to people anyway. In fact, when I went to look for pictures of things I made in the past two years, there's almost NOTHING from when I started that cold February, long ago. So if you want to join me, let me know! 

I realised that this isn't a very seasonal looking blog, what with Autumn here and all that. However, I have to say that I just really like the colours and the dandelions. It reminds me of one of my favourite verses from Psalms. 


Psalms 103:15-16 - As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;  the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. (NIV)


If that doesn't remind me to be humble, and that my temporary achievements and talents are for temporary good, then nothing will. 


But speaking of temporary good, I have a REALLY good picture of one of the hats I LOVE to make for little girls! I've made 5 so far in different colours and colour combinations. I found the pattern on ravelry by a lovely New Zealand woman named Jussi. It's such an EASY hat pattern that it was a breeze to memorise. I'm still working out how to make the ridges in a contrasting colour that goes well with the wrap and turns, so we'll see how that goes. Not only that, but it's the only hat I've ever seen that's knitted flat that doesn't have seams. I add another purl ridge around the bottom, then knit the ribbing in the round, but the pattern tells you how to do this flat as well.  So, this is perfect for beginners on up!

Not only is this hat SUPER easy, but every little girl I've made one for (and their mothers!) have really loved it and been happy with it. That's why I knit things for other people: it makes them happy. 


Sure, I'm working on some socks for myself to break up the monotony (and eventually matching booties for Stormaggedon) but mostly I just like knitting stuff that I give to someone else. Especially since the people I've given things to really appreciate something that's hand-made. I thought of this person when picking out what I hoped was the perfect pattern, the perfect yarn, and during every stitch. I want to make them something that they will love and wear or use with joy. 


If you see something I'm making, or have made, it's ok to ask if I'll make one for you! It's really my love language, and I could do it all day long! Well, I would except for taking care of kids, and doing laundry and showering. Mostly. Showering sometimes comes after I finish one more row!

a blog by any other name ...

I now have a blog for knitting. What a nice place it will be to talk about the things I make, and the wonderful people I make them for! They are pretty awesome people, so I like making them nice things.