I don’t have much to say this week. The Side cardigan has been a challenge to say the least. I restarted it four times but I’m in a good place right now. Currently, I’m worried about when I have to switch to dividing the arms. Here are a few pictures and videos below.
As the title says, I’m struggling with the Sode sweater. It’s a cabled cardigan that you have to use several charts in the same row. The pattern does state that it is recommended for advanced knitters and now I’m guessing I am not an advanced knitter after all. I’m ok with intermediate. Maybe I should stick to intermediate. I’m not giving up. Yet. I need to be in the right mind space and right now my head is going in a million different directions at once. The rows I did knit were done with the help of the tutorials included with the pattern. You can find them here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8WChKL24mQ
The good thing is said direction is cleaning and organizing my house. Trust me, I do not do enough of that. Every year I do Dry January. Basically, I cut out alcohol for a whole month after over doing it between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day. This year I’m hyperfocusing on tea. I’ve taken our junk cabinet and turned into into my coffee/tea hutch. Take a look!
I’m still working on two other projects in addition to the Sode. First is my cross stitch. I’m 80% done. The second is a simple shawl which I’ll write up another recipe for. I don’t feel comfortable calling it a pattern because it is loosely created based on common knowledge. I want to create videos that help people knit it from start to finish. It’s just a simple triangle shawl with bilateral increases in every other row. That’s all. It’s spun from home spun and gold thread so I wanted to use the yarn for something simple that will show off the colors. I think this works.
Here is my latest update.
Happy New Year. I’m a few days late. I’ve been posting to YouTube regularly while promising to update my webpage. That didn’t happen. Life is crazy with a full time job, three kids, three cats, four chickens and perhaps, ADHD brain? I finished the Darkwater Sweater pattern by Jennifer Steingass and I’ll post that separately here with the video that shows my progress. I really enjoyed this pattern and had the focus to follow it through. My coworker asked if it was a Christmas present and I believe I beamed when I told her I made it myself.
My goal now is to knit the Sode sweater, which is a Cabled cardigan designed by Hiroko Payne. However, I’m already overwhelmed. I couldn’t get the gauge quite right so I think I’m going to knit one size for width and another for length. I am going to cast on this afternoon when life is quieter and I can focus. Right now my brain is busy with getting ready to ski with my middle child. We’ll go for an hour plus and I’ll be home before lunch time. I’m no longer in any kind of shape to be skiing, but it’s quality time with the middle child who doesn’t have constant, intense needs.
I’m also reading the Principals of Knitting, which is a great big book about everything you ever wanted to know about reading. I’ve borrowed it from my library and read a few pages each night before going to bed.
Happy 2025. I will be eating, drinking, breathing knitting this year!
Here’s my New Year, New Project Video
Here is my weekly summary on my knitting/crafting projects.
Wow! From January to today, it’s been a journey in homemade. I left a good job ruined by a bad boss in December 2023 (despite letting go of a month’s health insurance!!) I was exhausted.
I spent a weekend at a respite house for caretakers and then started the new job, full tilt!
My projects were simple and comforting. I made a blanket I’ve done at least ten times and stamped cross stitch.
Plain Jane socks on a paddle board
Another blanket unfinished
Watch this video for complete instructions on how to start knitting, complete with what needles and yarn to buy, to the five basic steps to starting and completing your first knit project.
I’m really awful at keeping up with this. I’m back and I am now a – drum roll please – YouTube creator. I did a few videos about a year and a half ago but they were simply not good and I dropped it.
How did we get here?
Some of you may already know, I’m the mother of three kids, two with special needs, and I work full time as an accountant. If you are on Tik Tok or You Tube, you know I don’t sleep that well. I’m up most mornings between 3 and 4 am. I was away at a respite retreat when I should have been sleeping, but instead I stumbled upon this master knitter’s program. I’ve been knitting for about 30 years, so why not? Then I looked at the program and read/watched reviews of what is required. I was floored. My knitting experience may be vast, but my technique is not.
Do I spend the money, jump full on into it and get frustrated? At that point, I had knit three sweaters in the space of less than two months and none of them fit as expected. The fourth sweater wound up being huge as well.
Let’s start at the beginning with GAUGE.
I decided to knit the Wasabi Sweater from Custom Knits 2 again, but this time for my daughter. I had to go down two needle sizes to get the right gauge.
I did the provisional cast on using a crochet hook instead of figuring it out while in the car on a two hour ride.
I blocked the sweater. For the FIRST TIME. Did I mention I’ve been doing this for THIRTY YEARS!
It came out – perfect. I added a cabled ribbing, and it is perfect.
Onto sweater number 6. Let’s tackle color work. I picked the Darkwater Sweater by Jennifer Steingass (Knit.Love.Wool). I made my swatch and went down one size with my needles and a size down since my swatch was wide. I can knit it longer. I will knit it longer!
So far so good.
I’m so excited to announce that I’ve finally completed the Lindisfarne Scarf/Shawl. I used the pattern for the poncho but didn’t have enough yarn so pivoted. I still have some left over so I’ll probably make a matching set of fingerless gloves to go with my scarf.
Here’s a link to my very first YouTube introducing myself and my projects.
Am I the only person who has to have a travel project? Here I am, with my shawl in progress but the pattern is too intricate to take along. I also have my cross stitch but I’m carrying 32 threads so that’s not great to carry with me. There’s always socks! I started my two at a time toe up socks for my kiddo but I forgot a stitch marker. I used a hair tie to mark the beginning of my round.
I had a goal of finishing my shawl? Scarf? Poncho? By today! I’m on the last panel and then need to knit the ending but that’s not going to happen in the next few hours. Meanwhile I’m working on a cross stitch Pokemon pattern when I’m tired of cabling every other row.
I love this pattern but it’s very involved so I need to take breaks.
I still love the Lindisfarne pattern even if it’s time consuming!
I’ve been working for months now washing, combing, spinning and now knitting the Tunis fleece I bought last September at a Fiber festival. The first huge skein I actually over spun when plying. It didn’t seem like I had enough yarn to knit the Lindisfarne Mantle, which is a poncho. Instead I’m making this into a wide cabled scarf/shawl. I think it’ll be more useful than my jacket over this upcoming winter!
How, how do I know I’m going to be ok? This is how! It’s been over a week since I cast on a particular project. It’s not easy. I’m working on the Lindisfarne Poncho which means cabling repeat pattern blocks and tracking it carefully. I haven’t been able to do an in-depth pattern for ages. I pretend that I did an intricate lace pattern last holiday season but it just looks pretty because of the colors! This THIS is how I know my mind is healing. Look how pretty it is!
We start again. Is there any better feeling than starting a project from scratch? I started yesterday on the Lindistfarne Poncho using my hand spun, hand combed, Tunis. The cabled cream colored four ply stranded yarn already looks fantastic cabled. I just hope I have enough yarn and/or fiber. Second, I’m cross stitching Pikachu and it’s evolved form for my youngest. It’s a bit intimidating starting such a large cross stitch project but it is stamped- making it easier.
What does it mean to be me? Today is the anniversary of my mother’s death. Am I a daughter first? A wife? A mother? A creator? A writer? A fiber artist? An employee? I have a million pieces that make who I am and trying to explain it is like having to weave in the ends of an elaborate project. I say this after 1 – failing at my weaving a scarf on my baby wolf 2 – succeeding at weaving a tapestry project.
This year, for a whole year, I’m not allowed new projects, tasks, volunteers or pretty much anything that involves me extending myself. That started in February and I’ve already broken my commitment by agreeing to go full time at work. I desperately want to hit the art store and by a canvas and a load of acrylic paints but that would be messy, expensive and breaking my no new hobbies rule. Instead, I started a tapestry using a loom I already have and yarn from my closet.
I’m still trying to finish this baby off. It’s a mountain scene and what I’ve had in my head for years. I sit here today, trying to figure out how to end this piece, already weaving on another project on my peg loom, thinking, what would Mom say. I think she’d be happy with it- with all of it. Don’t get me wrong. She’d sprinkle some judgement on in there, but over all, deep inside, she’d be happy. It’s time to use more yarn now. Happy Creating!!!
I went to my first fiber festival, my first in person fiber festival, in at least ten years. It’s been a long, long ten years and so many priorities came before spinning, knitting and my own fun. I used to love the Florida Fiber Ins in Orlando but everything was above my price range and I felt completely out of place when in attendance. That’s pre-pandemic, pre-kids, pre-Masters degree, pre-CPA. . . Last year, in the depths of my grief and anxiety, I went head first back into crafts and stumbled upon virtual fiber festivals. It may have even been about this time, but I’m not sure which ones I attended via Facebook. What I remember is bidding on Dunn Spunn’s fiber batts in a frenzy, not knowing what was going on. What I learned from that experience is that even though these batts are indeed gorgeous, I don’t like spinning from art batts. Sorry!
I got out of the house early on Saturday morning and drove up to the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival in Berryville, VA. I stopped at Sheetz for coffee and a breakfast burrito and it was yummy. I definitely recommend it, especially if you are hungry as it’s pretty big.
First of all, I got there early so I got to walk around listening to the vendor’s talk and without the crowds. There were definitely a good bit of people in attendance later. I went through my first walk through, once again, not really knowing what was going on. That is a common theme in my life. I can find out more through other people’s reactions and conversations than I can research before hand. Through three walk throughs of the grounds and some strong will power on my part, I left with a grey gotland fleece, two bags of wool and hand plucked angora roving, one black cat knits hank of fingering weight sock yarn, some sweater stitch markers with instructions, 3 stickers and a shawl/hair pin that is currently holding up my bun. I desperately wanted a monster coffee mug but couldn’t fork over the $39 even if it was well deserved for the craftsmanship. I watched spinning on my dream wheel – a Monarch from Spinolution and watched weaving handspun on a barn loom. I was looking for a few more fiber processing tools but didn’t find the right one at the right price. Also, there were tons of carded batts and braided carded fiber, but I didn’t see anything really in the way of combed fibers. I like to spin worsted and I wish there were more of those combed braids available. I love the stained glass merino from spotted circus, which I ordered at some virtual fiber festival last year. I just wish I had spun it using chained ply instead of regular plying. I muddied the colors that way.
I cannot wait for my next fiber festival but I’ll have to take some time as it seems everything keeps going up in price. I still love it!
Knitwerks 