Gotta Have Its

The other day someone asked me.... "what exactly do I need to start knitting?"
I of course laughed and told her, "oh.. about a million dollars!" Really I did. If I took the time and really thought about *which I don't really want too...* I have probably spent close to that already and really I'm still a beginner. I did think about it a little bit though... see the smoke? Yeah...
What do you need to start knitting? What are the true 'gotta haves'? Just the basics of course.  There's lots of extras that I think I gotta have, but really the basic things to start are pretty few!
Where should we start?
How about at the beginning...... WHY do you want to knit? Are you knitting for a reason? For a gift or to make something specific? Are you doing it because it looks like fun and you really want to try? Uh oh... we're getting into grey areas here! Because... if you think it looks like fun and you just want to try..... that means an entirely different set of 'gotta haves'! IF you have a specific purpose in mind, say for example, a baby blanket for your new baby, that changes things. Much easier to pick out those 'gotta haves'.
Let's start there.... we want to make something specific. Let's say a scarf for Grandma for Christmas. Easy peasy. First thing that you gotta have has been accomplished. A desire. A reason. A purpose! Now....
Yarn.
 Sigh....... this is where the whole process for me goes wrong. Seriously wrong. AND it's where the million dollars come in! Don't worry! This is also the very best part of knitting... oh wait... that's supposed to be the part where you give the gift you made and the recipient loves you forever.... yeah... I'm goin' with the yarn!
Go to the yarn store (or craft store) and look at the yarn. There's a lot there isn't there. Start by picking your favorite color (or Grandma's ~to score points!) and then start feeling those yummy little things skeins right up! Found one in a color and texture you like? Yay!! Pick it up and read the label (that will be another post!) Find where it says 'gauge'... see it? It should say something like so many stitches per inch, using.. #something. Needles! If your yarn label shows #9 , head over to the knitting needles and look at all those needles hanging there.  Uh oh... more choices!
I probably should have prefaced this list of things you need with a more specific requirement for the whole process.... someone to teach you the ropes!! Enlist the help of your knitter friends, or in my case, my favorite Aunt G!
As you're standing there looking at all the needles and gadgets & gizmo's... you're probably a little overwhelmed right? Yeah. Me too.
I've only been knitting for about 5 years now and although I probably have (probably?) most yarn gadgets available, the following picture shows you those that I use the most AND those that I really think are the most important.... after the yarn of course!

From the left... stitch markers. Different shapes & sizes. As you expand your knitting you'll see why you need different types. For now. Either the locking or just the little circular kind will do.  Needles... These are dpn's (double pointed needles) and the funky thing with a cable is a circular needle. I used to think you had to have those long pointy sticks that clicked and clacked, but.. now I usually go with either of these type. A measuring tape! Gotta have! It's a must! If your pattern says, knit for x amount of stitches; how you gonna know when you get there? Scissors. Yep. Also a must. Sometimes even my superhero strength can't break yarn.   Stitch holders. Once again it's a necessary thing when you've moved beyond the basics. A crochet hook. A what? Crochet hook. Really. It's how I pick up dropped stitches & fix stuff! Laugh if you want to, but I can't knit without it!  Last but not least, the bottom left corner is my favorite kind of darning needle. It's for sewing in those loose ends and finishing everything up! Definitely you'll want one of those!

I think that's it for the basics. My 'gotta have its'. Then of course comes the extras.... the bag(s) to put it all in. A project bag(s) for each project. Fancy schmancy needles and a case for each type. Special scissors. Fancy and sometimes adorable stitch markers. The list goes on and on (and on...)

Oh! I forgot another very important thing to your 'gotta haves' for knitting....

A GROUP OF FRIENDS TO KNIT WITH!!

Check out your local facebook pages for a knitting group near you! You can also ask around at coffee shops and the library! Or better yet... ask the people in your favorite yarn store!

 

 

New Socks!!

So Big finally..FINALLY.. got a new pair of socks! Why he couldn't just go to the store is beyond me, but he finally got a brand new pair of hand knitted, handmade by ME socks!
When I was home last month I spent quite a bit of time with my favorite Aunt G who has been trying to teach me to make two socks at one time using one needle (maybe we should just say that as one word?) twosocksatonetimeusingoneneedle. Hmm... doesn't sound any better if you say it as all one word does it? Yep. It's weird. Sounds weird and is weird, but... the coolest thing ever happens when you finish one sock!! YOU FINISH THE SECOND ONE AT THE SAME TIME!! ~yes! I was shouting!
That's one of the things I hate about making socks. The second sock!! So what the heck! Might as well give it a try!
It's great! The hardest part is getting started, but once G got me going everything went great! Now all I have to do is pry them off Big's feet, weave in the ends and block!

The color isn't overly manly, but it was free!  Aunt G was determined I was going to learn how to do this when I was home last month! She gave me the yarn and loaned me her needles so I wouldn't have any excuses!  Anyway I don't think the color combo is too un-manly... the guy won't take them off... he loves them!

Here's a link to a video on youtube... so you can see what the heck I'm talking about! *I didn't do the cast on way the same but now I can't remember how I did it at all............. going to have to go home I think!

It's Really Not a Problem...

I seriously have a problem. An addiction. A big one. AND sometimes an expensive one.
There. I've said it.  I've admitted it.  That's the first step in recovery right?  Admitting you have a problem?  BUT does it count when I really don't think it's that much (not much) of a problem?  It's just yarn!  Seriously!  How bad can it be?! There must be people out there who have more than me.... yeah, yeah... yarn stores do, but how about real people?  *Uh oh.... that's another issue on the addiction scale ~working with my limited experience in yarn addiction;  (yes, please feel free to insert a snort here)  the justifying of your problem could be considered not a real admission of said problem.  Which would then imply that maybe (just maybe?) I'm not quite ready to admit it?  
Whoa! Wait!! Stop laughing!  Admission of the problem is the first step! I've said I have a problem. I've admitted it to you.... haven't admitted it to myself yet... my husband would agree that I have an issue with yarn, but...... if I keep it in check and organized, he's not so very worried. Can't be that much of a problem then right?
Who am I kidding? IF you look in my dining room; there is yarn. The den area? Yep more yarn. The living room? Sure. It's a great place to knit. The TV lives there after all. My bedroom? I'm not sure, but maybe? The bathroom? Nope. Definitely not!! The office upstairs? Um.... well.... yeah! That's where all the yarn lives in my house!  Except the stuff I'm working on and that has to be wherever I am at the time!! ~ yeah... justification of one's problem is another sign of a bigger issue... sigh.
How about organization? I do that fairly well. I have most of my stash upstairs in the office/craft room. All organized ever so lovely-ish in it's baskets & bins. I know, I know... no matter I sugar coat it. I have a lot of yarn. Loads. Buckets. Bins. Lots!! But isn't it pretty? Isn't it lovely? Don't you want to just look at it?

I posted this a while ago, but I think it's worth doing again. Yep. I think it's pretty sweet ~ don't you?
I purchased the four Antonius storage frames (around $10 each at IKEA) and then purchased the baskets separately. There are a couple of fabric baskets - toward the bottom and some plastic bins too. Originally I thought that this was going to be more for my craft storage (read fabric) but my yarn was outgrowing it's other home(s).  I even have some lovely (wicked lovely!) inserts inside some of those baskets with little dividers! The whole thing was a bit more than Big wanted to spend but it keeps the yarn (most of it) all in one spot so I think overall he's pleased. I know I am!!
So......... organization is the key here! Keeps it out of the way of the family (and the cat and the dog and the kids) and therefore one can assume that if it's hidden... well.... it's NOT A PROBLEM!!

When a Crocheter Knits

My crochet friends are wonderful friends, don't get me wrong, but........ Do not believe your crochet friends... ever!! Never!! They tell fibs. Big ones. ALL the time. Oops. Wait... let me rephrase that a little bit! I have two friends that strictly *cough* crochet. They said they can't knit. *insert a little whine here...* "I don't know how. It looks hard. Two sticks? Really? I can't do that!" ~ those are just a few of the whines things that I have heard them say.
Um... yeah... so don't believe when they lie to your face say they can't knit. They probably can.

V's KNITTED washcloths.

My friend Miss V way out West in Tennessee said she can't knit. Doesn't know how. Whatever. *insert eye rolling*. She knits. She knits like crazy! She made & sold knitted washcloths at a craft fair last year AND she knits these crazy scarves by the bazillion! Her grandmother-in-law sells them to her friends as fast as V can make them!  Not only is she knitting away... she's making some money at it!  Can't knit huh? Oh yeah... to add to her list of already growing transgressions... just yesterday she asked me to clarify a pattern direction for her. NOT a crochet pattern mind you..... A KNITTING PATTERN! Yes, V.. k1, p4 for two rows means you k1, p4 all the way across a row and then return, therefore doing it x2 rows. AND THEN.... she says she has to by circulars. Oh really?
My other crochet friend... who by the way is the crochet expert in our local knitting group * did you catch that? K N I T T I N G group! Anyway... (yes you can insert eye rolling here) Miss M is not only an expert crocheter, she lies. Lies like a rug. She knits. I even caught her with dpn's. Oh my.
The other night, Miss T and her children were here for a visit. She decided that she was going to 'mess around' with knitting needles. *insert snorts & eye rolling* Mess around? Lies. Completely. Mess around meant that she was bored with not only knitting, but purling as well. AND guess what? Even more lies! She made ribbing! Mmmhmmm... ribbing. 
So... me being the superwonderfulnicehelpfulfriend (yes, all one word) I decided instead of her distracting me with her cute kid so she could knit in relative peace; I would show her cables. That stuff is hard! Right?! NOT. Miss Thang herself gets it lickety split! Yeah... Miss I don't know how to knit............

 This is what she did. Besides lying to me....

See that? Knitting a border on both ends! Some stockinette stitch, some ribbing and those cables! *the odd shape of the sampler is my fault... I didn't have her count on an adequate amount of stitches... sigh

So my friends - whom I know will not lie about their talents..... do not believe your crochet friends when they say the cannot lie knit.

Do Over ~ Week 4 (Portable Projects with a Cause)

Yeah, yeah I know. It's actually week five. Don't get all caught up in that number thing! It's just been crazy around here. Busy, busy, busy and the weather has been so stinkin' hot that it's not even fun (not much) to even knit. Temps haven't been all that bad, but it's the humidity that gets me. Ugh. Some days all we do is lay around and read a book.  Hm...if I could get the kid to turn the pages for me I think I would be all set!! Right now it's 0646 am and the temp is only 75degrees! ONLY. The humidity however,  is 98%. Gonna be a real nice day. Yeah. Real nice.
Anyway..... it's week 4 of the project! Woot! Everyone is knitting up their blocks and learning some new things along the way! Miss N has already completed her first set of ALL 6 blocks and is heading off to make the second set. What an overachiever!  Miss T~ the crochet queen has been whipping hers out in between making some pretty fabulous monkeys & washcloths! AND she's also 'learning' knitting... more on that later!   Royal D admits that she didn't mind the color work block (#3) and has finished it, but also admits the yarn that was giving her fits.
 Even her kids laughed at her with her when she was done! **Please admire the block to your right... the tension is perfect, the color choice amazing.. yep! It's a nice block! It is a bit crunchy.. but D is right... the yarn stinks!   Such a snob! *me too!! 
 Me? Um... I'm waiting for the Princess' Mommy to finish her block and then I will move forward!  *That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!  Honestly? I really haven't been knitting.  Oh... I've got projects on the needles (multiples) but I keep getting distracted by just about anything else that comes along! Today I WILL make a block four! I will!  It's looking like rain this morning so I might as well settle in and knock it out!
Here's the pattern just to keep you all up to speed~ Once again using those size 8's and washable worsted weight yarn....
Bean Sprouts
*Multiple of 6 sts +5
With A: Cast on 41 sts
Row 1 (RS): With A, knit.
Row 2: With A, purl
Row 3: With B, k2 *sl 1 wyib, k1: repeat from * to last 3 sts, sl 1 wyib, k2
Row 4: With B, k2, sl 1 wyif, *k, sl 1 wyif, p1 sl 1 wyif, k1, sl 1 wyif; rep from * to last 2 sts, k2
Row 5: With A, k2, *k3, sl 1 wyib, k2; rep from * to last 3 sts, k3
Row 6: With A, p3, * p2, sl 1 wyif, p3; rep from * to last 2 sts, p2
Row 7 & Row 8: Repeat rows 5 and 6
Row 9 & Row 10: Repeat rows 1 and 2
Row 11: With C, *k1, sl 1 wyib; rep from* to last st, k1
Row 12: With C, k1, sl 1 wyif, p1, *[sl 1 wyif, k1] twice, sl 1 wyif, p1: rep from * to last 2 sts,
                sl 1 wyif, k1
Row 13: With A, k2, *sl 1 wyib, k5; rep from * to last 3 sts, sl 1 wyib, k2
Row 14:  With A, p2, sl 1 wyif, *p5, sl 1 wyif; rep from* to last 2 sts, p2
Row 15 and Row 16: Rep rows 13 and 14
Repeat rows 1-16 until piece measures 10" from beginning and end with Row 8 or Row 16
** Just make sure your block ends up being about the same size as the other 3 blocks you've made already**~ if you're doing the project with us!

See?! I've already started. Too bad this yarn is that 'crunchy' stuff.... needs to go into the washer!

Which btw is an experiment in the works and fodder for more posts!

Do Over Week 3

Portable Projects with a Cause is definitely A GO!!!  Thanks to all my wonderful new friends and their knitting & crochet talents,  I think we may end up with (definitely 2) three complete afghans at the end!

 This is just a sample of the blocks we have completed!  Block 1 - Big Bamboo, Block 2 - Horseshoe Cable and now ... insert drum roll please...

Block 3 - Peas & Carrots!!

Don't worry, it's really simple! It only looks hard! It's just a matter of (gasp!) working with three yarns.... ha ha! Really you only work with one at a time! Not some fancy schmancy color work but it certainly looks like it could be!  In this block you just slip some stitches to make it look a lot harder than it actually is!
So... starting out with 3 yarns (all different of course!) *definitely try and use something that coordinates (or is the same) as blocks one and two!  Pick a main color... in the block above, white was the main (color A) color. Red = B & Blue = C.

Cast on 42 Sts.
Row 1 (wrong side): with A, purl
Row 2 : With B, k1, sl 1 wyib, *k2, sl2 wyib; repeat from * to last 4 sts, k2, sl 1 wyib, k1.
*** WYIB means 'with yarn in back'... no worries... just hold your yarn like you would normally knit with it... in the back!! Some patterns have you bringing it to the front (as if to purl) to make a wrap and/or to slip the stitches, this one just wants us to keep it in the back when we are knitting a row. Guess what we do with it when we are purling?!! Yep! You guessed it!! With yarn in front!! WYIF!!
Row 3: With B, p1, sl 1 wyif, p2, *sl 2 wyif, p2; repeat from * to last 2 sts, sl 1 wyif, p1
Row 4:  With A, knit entire row
Row 5: With C, *p2, sl 2 wyif; repeat from * to last 2 sts, p2.
Row 6: With C, k2, *sl2 2 wyib, k2; repeat from * across
Repeat Rows 1-6 until piece measures 10'/25.5cm from beginning. Bind off.


The biggest trick to this is remembering to slip those stitches!! And of course to make sure that when you are slipping those stitches that you don't pull your yarn too tight! If you do, it will just smoosh it up and make it tighter! Don't worry though because once we block it, it should stretch out a bit and better yet... when we attach it to the other blocks; we'll never notice!

Again.... for the crochet version. I will ask my resident crochet expert, Ms. T for a little direction and maybe a guest post!
****
WYIF - with yarn in front. Just means to bring the yarn to the front - almost like you were going to purl with it.
WYIB - with yarn in back. Just hold your yarn in back; just like you do in knitting.
sl - slip
sts- stitches
* bla, bla; repeat from * across.... repeat the pattern directions inside the *'s

The Do-Over Continues ~ Week 2

** I posted this to my family blog and just realized it now!! Ooops! It was posted a week ago so we would all be on the same track and the same week! Now that it's week 3... here is week 2!!


It's week 2 of the Portable Projects with a Cause - Do-Over x1!
That means it's time for your second block.... are you ready?? Get ready... set.... WAIT! HOLD ON!

Admire the pink block over on your left! Yay DB!! She not only learned to follow a pattern (she knew this already!) but she learned how to bind off! *I think she was a little disappointed that binding off wasn't all that exciting!
So now that we've admired some knitting... we can get ready for the second block!!
Time to start some cables! Aka fiddly knitting! Don't worry they really are easy! It's just a matter of holding 3 stitches (on a cable needle) either in front or back of the work, knitting the next 3 and then knitting the 3 being held on the cable needle. Phew...did you get all that? Talk about fiddly!
I admit it, I was afraid of cables. Not really afraid, just thought there was way much more to them than just holding some stitches this way and that way... I thought you had to do that fiddly stuff every row. Um.. nope! Just once! You do the cable stitches for one row, some other pattern (technical jargon there!) stuff for a few rows and it all works out! Very little work! Just mainly knitting and purling to make those twisty stitches pop out! YOU CAN DO IT! You'll be amazed!
Here's the pattern for the knitted cable block....but as always PLEASE feel free to head on over to Knit and Crochet Now website (Season 3, Knit Blue Baby Afghan)*it's a free log-in and then you will have access to their patterns AND the ability to double check my copy and paste ability!

HORSESHOE CABLE

*Using size 8 knitting needles & washable worsted weight yarn....

Special Stitches
6 st-RC (3 over 3 right cross) Sl 3 sts to cable needle and hold in back, k3, then k3 from the cable needle.

6 st-LC (3 over 3 left cross) Sl 3 sts to cable needle and hold in front, k3, then k3 from cable needle.Using #8 needles & worsted weight yarn....
Cast on 42 sts.
Knit two rows.
Row 1 (RS): P6, *k12, p6; repeat from *across
Row 2 (WS): K6, *P12; repeat from *across.
Row 3 (cable row): P6, *6-st RC, 6 -st LC, p6; repeat from * across
Row 4: K6, *P12, k6; repeat from *across
Row 5: Repeat Row 1
Row 6: Repeat Row 2
Row 7: Repeat Row 1
Row 8: Repeat Row 2
Repeat Rows 1-8 until piece measures 10" from beginning, end with a WS row.
Knit 2 rows
Bind off!

Cool huh? The twisty-cables add some bulk to the work and make it stretch a bit weird, but don't worry about that! We'll block it and hook it all up with the cables that the rest of the group are making! It will be fine!!

Now go get your knit on!!
I'll post the crochet version later.... I'm not even sure I know how to read it and I certainly can't explain it so we'll have to get some technical help from Miss MT~