Good morning friends and lovers (I’m in kind of a weird mood this morning)! This little video was a fantastic way to start my day and I will be watching Felicia Day’s Flog from now on. The Craftzine article has some good links to the whole Geek and Sundry thing.
In this episode, Felicia and Colin Ferguson learn to crochet.
This craftzine article links you to the Ravelry pattern for this fish who turns into sushi and back. It is like a Popple for adults.
This tutorial shows you how to make any color nail polish you could possibly want.
Great post on dealing with pilling in your knits.
So I am having a problem
I finished the first panel of the bag and the whole piece is leaning to the left (or right. I can’t tell. Both sides look the same) because of the yo, k2tog.
Is this something that can be fixed by blocking?
Yes! I’m always blown away at how much the shape of a wool or wool/blend project can change because of blocking.
I freely admit that I avoid gauge swatching whenever possible. Sometimes, though, you just have to.
This cracks me up when people make my patterns on Ravelry and then say it came out too small or too big, when they never swatched!
There was just a big blog post about this, they took two knitters with the same yarn and the same size needles and they came out with a different swatch size. It’s also in how you knit, it’s why swatching is important.
Seriously… ^^ this comment ^^ I don’t get it. It only takes a few minutes to make a swatch and it SAVES SO MUCH TIME AND TEARS.
I have gotten to the point where I make a swatch with the recommended needle size the minute I get the yarn home and stick it in my swatch box (a paperclip with the yarn name helps keep track of them). Not only does it come in handy when I do finally have a pattern it also gives me the chance to try out my new yarn as soon as I get it home. When I impulse buy yarn it also helps me make a more informed choice as to which pattern it work well with.
Take 20mins (I’m a slow knitter) and make a swatch just think of it as another excuse to play with your yarn ;)
I am an extremely unstructured knitter. I generally don’t like structure or rules or “the man” as it were, and I especially don’t like them when I’m knitting. I only ever swatch if I’m making a garment to fit someone (as a gift, and that is extremely rare) from a yarn I am unfamiliar with. I much prefer to dive in and experiment along the way and see how things turn out. Swatching means you have some sort of organized plan going in.
Most of my projects don’t require a size or are made to fit (they are tried on as I go along or I have detailed measurements). Hence, gauge is unimportant for the fit of the garment.
I also understand my knitting. I can adjust my gauge every row (or several times in a row, but that is a bit harder) if I need to. Which is extremely useful. Given a yarn, I can fairly accurately tell what needles I need to achieve the desired gauge without a swatch. Based on yarn thickness, fiber feel and content, and the material that the needle is made of, I almost always get the needle size right for the stitch effect I am going for. Of course, that is because I have done a hell of a lot of knitting over the years. I am extremely comfortable with my knitting.
I guess I am much more of a go with the flow personality when it comes to crafting. This post pretty much sums it up for me.
I freely admit that I avoid gauge swatching whenever possible. Sometimes, though, you just have to.
I have a special place in my heart for taking jars and making them pretty. Learn how to turn spaghetti sauce jars into Moroccan lanterns.
I’ve made a pair of cotton fingerless gloves for a friend and the ends keep coming out. I don’t want to give her something that is going to fall apart. Any tips on weaving in ends when you’re knitting with cotton?
You may need to put a drop of fabric glue on the ends. There are some cotton projects I can never get the end of the end to stay put on. I use “okay to wash it” glue and just a tiny drop inside the last stitch I wove into. After it is dry, I cut the end down to the stitch.
Thank you :) I may just have to do that. This yarn is too soft (not really a complaint overall) and won’t stay in place. I usually try to avoid using glues or knots, but since these are going to a 12yo I should glue them so I know they will survive what she puts them through. Any suggestions on a glue? The only stuff I have that would survive the wash is the stuff I use to stiffen my snowflakes, but I’m pretty sure that would leave a scratchy spot on glove right?
I use Aleene’s “OK to Wash-It.” I have picked it up at Walmart, JoAnn, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, etc. It is fairly pliable. Make sure you let it dry the recommended time or more before you wash the item or get it wet. If the glue gets wet too early it can turn white. It normally dries clear. The bottle is white with a picture of a T-shirt on it.
About me
I wanted a place to post my projects and inspirations. This is it. I'm primarily a knitter and baker, but I also spin, dye, craft, and cook. Find me on Ravelry as scitchet.
