All posts filed under: knitting

a new sweater, ready to wear

I believe there are two types of knitters, the ultra-careful ones that faithfully follow a pattern and will not give up until they “get it right,” and those that cannot help adding their own “touch” to every piece. These are the knitters that no matter how hard they try to follow a pattern, end up skipping steps, adding and removing stitches at random when they notice they’re off track, and see any mistake as a decorative element. They’ll also do anything to avoid ripping back! I identify mostly with the first group. Typically, I choose a pattern because I love what it looks like in the photo of the magazine, website, or book it is in, and I’ll often go to great lengths to get the exact yarn that is recommended. A good example is the April Blouse I’ve been working on, where I scoured the Internet to find the same yarn and color I had seen on the @sandnesgarn brochure. I’m also the type of knitter that needs to fix their mistakes. I would …

a new project and summer hiking

I can’t help it. I start new projects all the time. Just when you’d think I’ve got enough going on, something new pops into my head and I need to try it. That happened this weekend when I was browsing through some of my old Rebecca magazines. These are German knitting magazines I’ve had since I started knitting (about 20 years ago.) Yes, I still have them! Do you save your magazines? Well, I’ve found out most of my magazines are now considered vintage and you can only find them at places like eBay or Etsy. Rebecca magazine is still published today, so you can easily get newer issues starting with #34 on their website, but earlier issues like the ones I have, #21, #23, and #8! Those are hard to come by. So, I feel lucky to still have them. Some people may ask, why bother keeping them if all the yarns are now discontinued? That’s right! But, if you can find a similar yarn, you can use them forever. And that’s where my …

new project on my needles: the april blouse from sandnes garn

Do you love this pattern as much as I do? I stumbled upon the APRIL BLOUSE from Sandnes Garn the other day while scrolling Instagram and I immediately knew I wanted one. I loved the light brown color, the loose fit, and all that texture! I think this blouse will be a nice addition to my closet for when the weather gets hot. And seeing that it most likely won’t be hot in Marin until at least August or September, (I’m still wearing sweaters!) I should have plenty of time to knit mine before the summer ends. Of course, this project will require my full attention, as this doesn’t look like an easy knit – just look at those details! But, I’m up for it. Sandnes Garn is a Norwegian brand that I haven’t been able to find locally. So, I was thrilled to find out that I could purchase this yarn and the patterns online in the U.S. through motherknitter.com. This pattern is part of the SOMMER DAME Collection / 2305. You can get …

a pink shawl

finished! twists & turns shawl

Oh my goodness, you guys, I did it! I completed the @westknits mystery knit-along and I am now the proud owner of a crazy, bold, stripy shawl! This was my first-ever Stephen West MKAL and I must confess, it was tough! The knitting itself was not super difficult, although I did learn some new techniques (more on that below), but the amount of knitting needed to complete each section (the different clues) was way more than I’d EVER attempted in my life in a single month.  As much as I wanted to be on track to complete the shawl in 4 weeks, I fell behind from the start. The first clue was published on Thursday, October 6, but I wasn’t able to start until Sunday, October 9. I spent the next three days knitting at my fastest speed (and what felt like around the clock) for the first clue, but I quickly realized there was no way I would finish part one by the following Thursday, when the second clue would be revealed. That was …