Dearest blog readers,
Please accept my humblest apologies for my choice of knitting projects. I appear to be working only on projects that consist of endless stocking stitch. There won't be much excitement to report for weeks to come, as I plough through the bodies of not one but two fairly plain, 4ply, adult garments. I shall endeavour not to post endless photos of incremental changes in the length of the stocking stitch bodies that I'm knitting on, but at the same time, would welcome encouragement to stick with my knitting, as it will all be worth it in the end.
What was I thinking?
Read moreHave you come across pin combs before? I had seen them mentioned a while ago, but it wasn't until we started work on Something New to Learn About Lace that I got around to ordering a set. I have the KnitPro Knit Blockers that we now stock in the shop, and I absolutely love them! I have had a set of blocking wires for nearly ten years, and they get used a LOT. I find my wires so useful that it had never really occurred to me that I would want to use anything else for blocking lace. For peaked or scalloped edges, I think that wires are still the best way to go, but depending on the size of your project, pin combs are a brilliant way to pin out straight edges. They are certainly faster and easier than wires over short distances.
Read moreAnd no... this is not where I write a disgusting post about personal habits, but rather, a discussion of knitting styles! Let me start by saying there is no right and wrong in knitting styles. It's definitely a case of what works for you, and I'm definitely not an advocate of any one style being "better" than another. There are hundreds of different factors that come into play when individuals work in different knitting styles, but there are definite benefits to being comfortable with more than one.
Read moreBlocking lace is completely magical. You cast off, and have a piece of fabric that to be honest, could look like a tangled hair net, and transform it into a thing of beauty. The image above shows how different the unblocked mini-Aphaca scarf looks from the finished, blocked blanket. Blocking can be carried out with a minimum of equipment (just a clean, dry space, towel and some pins), but some extra bits and bobs can make the job far easier and faster. And faster blocking leaves more time for knitting, right?!
Read moreWe have had a busy few days, and all of the print copies of Something New to Learn About Lace have now been shipped, so hopefully parcels will start landing on doormats very shortly. I am looking forward to casting on for a Nissolia shawl very shortly. In the meantime, here is the next in our video tutorial series...
Read moreDo you know that horrible feeling you get when you look down at your knitting and realise that you've made a big mistake, and it's too far back to just unknit a row or two? I certainly do! Many people think that as you get more experienced at knitting, you stop making mistakes, but that's absolutely not the case! I think it was the Yarn Harlot who said that experienced knitters just make bigger mistakes more quickly, and she's ABSOLUTELY right!
Read moreThere is a great temptation sometimes to doubt one's own ability and for many, me included, this is often around design and use of colour. But fear not! Help is at hand.
You may have been lucky enough to have taken one of Felicity (Felix) Ford's classes, and if you have, you will undoubtedly have been filled with her boundless enthusiasm for the potential of just about anything as a source of inspiration for design. We love spending time with Felix (above) because she sees the world differently from us and can communicate how she sees things so clearly that we cannot help but have our eyes opened to the possibilities.
Read moreThe garter tab cast-on method is a really clever way to start a triangular shawl. It allows you to set up your knitting in three perpendicular directions, without an obvious start or finish. The video below shows you exactly how to work the cast on, starting with a provisional crochet cast on, working through the garter tab and then picking up the stitches around the edges of the tab. This is the cast-on method I've used in my Bithynica shawl, shown above.
Read moreI can't believe that the Cables Knitalong is nearly over. We will be awarding prizes sometime next week (along with shipping pre-orders of Something New to Learn About Lace – it's going to be a busy week!). We have had a great time encouraging each other along with our cabled projects, and sharing successes and disappointments along the way. Somehow, having to rip back some knitting isn't quite so bad when you've got a virtual room full of friends to commiserate with you.
I thought I would share just a few of the many beautiful projects that have appeared in the group over the last couple of months. This is just a taster, so do pop over and see for yourself. It's a great way of getting new project ideas! Clicking on any of the images will take you to their project pages so that you can see where the pattern is from, and which yarns people have used, oh and add the projects to your favourites of course!
Read moreStitch markers are one of the most useful tools in knitting. Whether you're keeping track of shaping elements in a garment, or establishing a lace pattern, these simple rings, or even just a loop of waste yarn, can instantly make a pattern more straightforward.
The video below is the second in our Something New to Learn About Lace series, and explains how to use stitch markers to keep track of your lace knitting.
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