Tag: yarn

YouTube, 2025, and What Did I Get Myself Into

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

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.

Weaving in the Ends

by Tracy, posted in Uncategorized

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!!!

Plant Lady Sweater

by Tracy, posted in knitting

It’s been a long time since I’ve knit something just for myself, especially something to wear. I’ve had so much Christmas knitting and then finished up my kid’s green raglan’s sweaters last winter. I made yet another blanket and finally it was time to make something just for me. I was blessed that in a round about way, I was gifted Claudia’s Hand painted Fingering Silk 55 which is a mix of merino and silk.

Claudia’s Hand Painted Fingering Silk 55 (now known as Oh Baby Merino Silk https://www.ravelry.com/yarns/library/claudia-hand-painted-yarns-fingering-silk-55

The last few years have been tough but toughest on my waist line. My pretty knit sweaters and tee shirts no longer fit, and by far! I’m part of a Facebook group that has plus size patterns and sometime in the last year, the Plant Lady Sweater by “Amanita” Agata Mackiewicz pattern was shared. This has sizes XS (S, M1, M2) L, XL, 2XL, 3XL included. It is a bottom down pattern, which is not my favorite and I think I’ve learned a lot about fitting my own dimensions from my own mistakes. I did not follow the pattern exactly and it unfortunately shows!

I made this pattern long. I should have made it longer. I had trouble following the bottom lace pattern (due to children and distractions). It still looks good but I can tell the difference.

As I worked up the pattern, it wound up being huge, so I made some extra decreases and then made extra increases around the bust. Wearing it, I can tell. I shouldn’t have decreased so much and the bust is tight. My sleeves are tight too and I’m considering ripping them and making them both wider and longer.

All in all, I’m pretty happy. I think this is something I’d like to redo or take a top down raglan pattern and add the lace pattern at the bottom.

Happy Easter

by Tracy, posted in knitting

I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter, a Happy Passover and a joyous Spring.  This is the time of year for rejuvenation.  As the weather calms and the trees begin to bloom, it is a change of pace for most knitters.  While many concentrate on scarves, hats and sweaters during the fall and winter months, these are too heavy for many as nature begins to warm.  Spring is a time for making lighter garments and experimenting with more delicate materials.  It’s ok to put away the wool and pull out lighter cottons, linen, and (yeek if I could only afford it) silks.  There are an assortment of spring and summer yarns available at your local yarn shops, online and even at the big box craft stores.  It’s a great time to make that light tank or even a cardigan set.  Have a spring jubilee with other knitters in the area.  Make a baby blanket just because you can.  Ok, maybe I’m the only one who does that. . .

Oops, I don’t have enough yarn!

by Tracy, posted in knitting

One of the first things that you learn when you begin knitting, is that when working on a project, make sure you have enough to finish it.  Patterns tell you how many skeins you’ll need or at least usually how many yards.  It’s better to have more yarn than necessary that not enough.  It’s also best to have enough of the same color lot so that you don’t have those pesky differences in shading.  Normally, when yarn is made, the dye is created and all of yarn is made with that/those colors.  For example, XYZ wool dyes 200 skeins of purple wool on Tuesday.  On Thursday, it will dye 200 more skeins of wool.  Those two dye lots are going to be a tiny bit different, no matter what.  So, if you want to knit your purple sweater, it’s best to get all your yarn out of one dye lot to make sure the front and back (or top and bottom) are the same shade of purple.

With this in mind, you have to know what you are using your yarn for before you buy it.  I had bought about 6 skeins of Paton’s Baby yarn about a year ago when my friend was pregnant.  I made a small baby blanket and set the rest aside.  A little over a month ago I decided to make another blanket and figured I could go out and find more if I needed it.  After all, it is a popular company with yarn available in Michael’s and Jo-Anns.  I was at the end of the last skein and went out to find more.  Paton’s Beehive Baby Sport Yarn in Natural Girl was nowhere to be found.  Rather than keep searching, I decided to finish the blanket early.  The border had to be finished in 10 rows rather than 12.  All in all, I was lucky and the blanket looks fabulous- but I was lucky.  Did I learn my lesson?  Absolutely not!

Interweave Knits

by Tracy, posted in knitting

I received my first issue of Interweave Knits magazine.  I, the knitting maniac, have no subscriptions to any knitting magazines and have not even bought a single one at a store.  I’ve clipped patterns out of my Mom’s old ones, but have never sat down and read through one.  Yesterday I spent time at the kitchen table flipping through the pages.  I’m almost stunned at seeing full-page, colorful ads for yarn and knits and shops.  Turquoise, plums, and mandarin shades pop out of the pages until you begin to salivate.  I just want to reach in and pet the sweaters and blankets.  My absolute favorite ad is the model for Addi needles.  Standing in the back of a warehouse is a tall, man donning a goti, a leather jacket and jeans knitting what appears to be a long, white scarf.  I know men knit and I wish more did.  There were some interesting articles including one about Nancy Bush who is known by many sock knitters.  In the end, with a super sweet voice, I asked my husband if I could stretch our tight budget to include a year’s subscription to the magazine.

Someone requested me to mention that he said “Of course” to my subscription request.  Now I just have to remember to send them money.  I do accept donation$ to help support my yarn addiction.