I will post again next week with the new direction I think this blog should head towards. I look forward to sharing all of the amazing things I've tried and learned in the last year.
Southern MaMa's Knits
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Hello Again
Here I am again after anther long layoff. I haven't forgotten about my blog of good intentions. I was crossing my fingers that it had not been a full year since my last post and as it turns out it's been a year and a month. So, here I am saying hello again and happy 4th of July!
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
My Yarn Stash Gem
TSCArtyarns Zara Hand-Dyed
I mentioned before that I really don't
like to have a large yarn stash, but I was the grand prize winner and
an individual store winner of the Triangle Yarn Crawl, which made my
stash grow considerably. I only made one purchase during the yarn
crawl and that was for a gorgeous yarn that I had to buy even though
I did not have a project in mind. I purchased this yarn only for the
colors. I didn't know the fiber content or the yarn's weight. I
didn't even pay attention to the brand.
I used mostly acrylic yarn that I
purchased from chain craft stores before I did the yarn crawl. I have
since broadened my horizons and fallen in love with wool and wool
blends. One of the brands that I haven't purchased yet, but hope to
get my hands on, is Artarns. I really like their line of shiny beaded
and sequined yarn. But, that's for some time in the future.
I'm wrapping up several projects and
decided to check out this anonymous yarn that I purchased during the
yarn craw. It looked even more beautiful than I remembered and my
brain lit up with design ideas. I pulled the label from the center of
the ball and discovered it was TSCArtyarns Zara
Hand-Dyed, which is a joining of Tahki Stay Charles and
Artyarns. It turned out this whole time I had been window shopping
Artyarns, I already had some in my stash.
I was slightly disappointed that I
marked this yarn to make a gift for my mom. But, I enjoy working with
fine yarns even if the product will be given away. I investigated the
label and saw that it was “100% Extrafine Merino Wool”. I
haven't knit with luxurious merino yet and it will be nice to compare
some regular ol' merino that I have with this “extrafine.” I
still don't know exactly what I will make with this yarn, but it has
motivated me to finish up my projects.
I haven't posted for a while since I
have been obsessively spinning yarn and doing very little knitting. I
have been working on a post explaining how I do gauge swatches. I
will also have some spinning posts coming up soon.
Have you been lucky enough to find gems
in your yarn stash that you didn't realize were there?
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Drop Spindle Your Own Handspun Yarn
My drop spindle that is stained green from my green fiber.
I
was recently at the Carolina Fiber Fest and saw a booth with a few
spinning wheels and price tags that let me know it would be a while
before I could spin. I went to another booth to buy a book. In my
peripheral vision I saw a woman at the spinning booth using this
12-inch stick thing to spin yarn. Unfortunately, it was time for me
to leave and I didn't get to ask the woman what she was doing. I went
home and searched online for something like, “spin yarn by hand.”
I found dozens of videos for using the stick thing, which turned out
to be a drop spindle.
That one demonstration has become a
Pandora's Box for my fiber world. I watched every video I could find
of people using drop spindles. This was my alternative to an
expensive spinning wheel. I took a class for the drop
spindle just last weekend. I haven't had much practice since the
class, but I look forward to my next fiber purchase so that I can
spin, spin, spin!
I wanted to show my drop spindle in
case there are others interested in spinning yarn, but can't afford a
wheel. I have seen some basic, but high quality drop spindles on Etsy
for $10-$25 dollars. And then of course Etsy also has some gorgeous intricately designed spindles. A lot of yarn stores carry spindles and fiber and many spinning wheel manufactures make spindles. You can
learn a lot from watching the videos available online, but nothing
beats learning in person. I liked being able to ask questions and
receive corrections.
Your first yarn probably won't be
something that you can knit with, but you may be one of the lucky
ones who picks it up right away. A spindle is not as fast as a wheel,
but some use spindles exclusively. They are worth learning on because
of their portability. I will take mine to some spinning groups when I
get a little better.
My first 3-yard hank of handspun.
Do you already spindle or use a wheel?
Or, may spinning be in your future?
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Knitting Gauge: A Mildly Essential Tool
I consider the knitting gauge “mildly essential” but, I want to be clear that I am NOT
saying that checking gauge is unimportant. Gauge is especially
important when it comes to garments, but I'll make a post about
checking gauge in the near future. I purchased one of those beginning
knitting kits when I first learned to knit and I think that it
came with a knitting gauge that I never used. It was
a long time before I knit anything where gauge really mattered. The
reason I say that a knitting gauge is mildly essential is that you
can use a standard ruler to check gauge.
The pictured gauge is from my Boye
set of interchangeable needles. The 2-inch vertical and horizontal
windows on the left edge are what I use to check the rows and stitches per inch, also
known as gauge. I use the needle gauge on a regular basis since sizes
aren't marked on my interchangeable set. It also has a 6-inch ruler
across the top for small measurements. Basically, I use this for a
lot more than checking gauge. You can buy these alone and they are
often packaged with kits. It's also worth looking into some unique and handcrafted gauges since it is a tool you can buy once and keep
forever.
Do you use a knitting gauge or ruler to check gauge?
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Knitting Aid: Row Counter
One of the tools I am using while
knitting my socks is a row counter. After a decade of knitting I
finally decided to buy one. My original method for counting rows or
pattern repeats was tally marks. There is nothing wrong with saving
the money and using pen and paper. I decided to make the change now
because I have a toddler who likes to come and snatch things and its
easier to keep up with one row counter than a pen, paper, and
something to write on. I usually hide my row counter under my thigh
so that he doesn't see it.
Most row counters I see are similar to
the one I purchased, which is made by Clover. They count to 99 and then reset to 0.
I have seen a few that will count to 999 and have separate number
sections to count two things such as stitches, rows, or pattern
repeats. I have also seen a few apps that have customizable counters.
I also like the clicking sound they make. It is aural gratification
that makes me feel like I am making progress. That click means I have
just completed one more row, and then one more. It is much more
satisfying than tally marks.
The only drawback I have found is that
the top will sometimes get pressed if the row counter is bouncing
around in my project bag. Then I have to spend some time figuring out
which row I am on. This has happened a few times while working the
chart for the socks I am knitting. I make a mental note of my last
row at the end of my knitting sessions, but my brain sometimes fails
me.
Do you bother with a row counter or use
another method?
Monday, May 5, 2014
Unfinished Sock Woes
I wanted to share my UFO for this week. I am working on a pair of socks and I wanted to have
the first sock finished this weekend, which did not happen. One of my
knitting goals for 2014 was that every piece I knit have at least one
element that is new to me. These socks have multiple new elements and
they are driving me crazy.
It is my first time using fingering
weight yarn, size 1 needles, and legit stitch markers. It is also the
first pair of socks I have made and for some reason I decided to make
it even harder on myself and knit them using the standard continental
method instead of my usual combined method. In hindsight I think that
I would have enjoyed making a sock in a worsted weight sock yarn with
simple ribbing.
The sock pattern is called, “Elm”
from The Knitter's Book of Socks. I instantly fell in love with the
pattern and I rarely find a pattern that I want to follow to the
stitch. This may have actually been a first, but I fell in love with
the stitch pattern and not the overall sock design. I should have
considered that I don't like long socks. The more I get into
constructing this sock the less I think it is something I will wear
and that has hindered my motivation.
I still really like the stitch design.
It is basically a repetition of the 3 x 3 rib pattern used for the
cuff. As it moves towards the toe the ribbing shifts and appears to
crisscross in a beautiful way. I get a little fed up with the
constant decreases and increases, but the finished socks will be
beautiful. My only variation on the pattern is that I used Ty-Dy
Socks Dots by Knit One, Crochet Too instead of the pattern's specified yarn. I saw this at my local yarn
store and grabbed it on a thoughtful impulse. Its one of my favorite
sock yarns.
I'm giving myself another week to
finish the first sock and then I will work on another project before
I start the second one. I need to give my hands a break from the
small needles. Do you have any never-ending projects?
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Beginner Basics: Garter Stitch
I want to talk about what is usually
the first stitch pattern learned - garter stitch. My Psychology
teacher was not a knitting professional or even American, so
terminology was not emphasized. Some of the early patterns I worked
through would say something like, “work garter stitch until piece
measures four inches.” I would then look at one of those teach
yourself books to figure out what garter stitch is. Most newer
pasterns write out the stitch patterns in the general notes, but you
may run into “work garter stitch,” in older patterns.
What is Garter Stitch?
Garter stitch is simply performing a
knit stitch across the row on both the right side (front of the work)
and wrong side (back of the work) of the work. The first thing I knit
with my Psychology teacher was a garter stitch scarf. I cast on
around 45 stitches in a worsted weight yarn and knit every stitch of
every row until the scarf was approximately four feet long. I ended up
with a scarf that was too wide and too short. I never wore it, but I
still have it.
I was very anti-garter stitch after
making that scarf. I find garter stitch takes a bit more effort physically than
stockinette stitch and I think there is a mentality that its too
simple once you move on to more complex stitches. But, after knitting
for years I have fallen in love with the humble garter stitch. I
think that it is a beautiful stitch in all its simplicity. It also
works beautifully as an edging to prevent stockinette stitch from
curling. Many throws and baby blankets have garter stitch borders.
How to Count Rows
Garter stitch is also one of the
easiest stitches to count the rows. Each ridge of garter stitch is
made of two knitted rows. If a pattern calls for 15 rows of garter
stitch it is easy to count each of the ridges and multiply by 2.
That will give you the total number of rows that have been worked. It
is important to remember that the cast on row is never counted and
the stitches that are on the needle count as one row. Seven ridges,
plus the row of stitches that are on the needle would equal 15 rows
of garter stitch.
Below is a quickly and poorly knit two-color garter stitch sample. I started alternating white and blue
ridges (six rows) followed by two blue and two white ridges (eight
rows). Then, it is back to one ridge of each color. The cast on and
bind off rows aren't counted for a total of 18 rows.
Please ignore the uneven tension and unwoven ends :-)
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