store: Knit New Haven address: 26 Whitney Ave, New Haven, CT 06510 website: http://www.knitnewhaven.com date of visit: ongoing I always find the store spotlight posts the most difficult to write. After all, how can you be sure that you’re properly conveying the calmness that a yarn store has, or the softness of the wonderful yarns […]
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Making yarn from fabric strips
I recently knitted a bath mat using yarn that I had made from fabric strips. Unfortunately, I didn’t photograph the entire process (because I didn’t know I’d like the end product so much!), so this post is more of a guideline than an actual tutorial… but I hope you’ll get the idea about how to […]
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Fibre Space: Alexandria, VA
store: Fibre Space address: 102 N. Fayette Street Alexandria, VA 22314 website: http://www.fibrespace.com/ date of visit: May, 2010 Alright… I’ll be honest. I have a crush on Fibre Space. Yup, I’m infatuated with a store. It’s everything you could want a yarn store to be. It’s beautiful, it’s comfortable, it has an awesome supply of […]
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Free Knitting Pattern: Easy Peasy Socks!
I just designed a pair of socks for my beginning sock knitting class… and have made the pattern a free download! These socks are designed with the first-time sock knitter in mind. Sock knitting can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. All you need to be able to do is work in the […]
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Free Pattern: crocheted square washcloth!
Who doesn’t love crocheted washcloths? This pattern is worked in the round, so you can make the washcloth as large as you’d like without too much advance planning! You’ll need: yarn Cotton works best, I’ve used a worsted weight yarn to make the washcloths pictured a hook Use the hook size recommended on the yarn’s […]
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A finished Clapotis and some tips
Just the other day, I finished my claptois, a wonderful scarf/wrap pattern by Kate Gilbert available as a free download on knitty. Clapotis is a wrap that makes use of dropped stitches for a great finished texture. It’s a very popular pattern (over 14,000 people on ravelry have made it), and no wonder! The pattern […]
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How to work with two yarns at once
I often get asked about the best way to work with two yarns at once. So, in this post, I’ll talk about the pros and cons of three different ways of working with a double yarn. Of course, for any amigurumi pattern, you can crochet with two yarns at once, use a bigger hook and […]
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Can you frog a baseball?
Before you assume that I’ve lost my mind, let me explain. First, if you haven’t been regularly reading my blog, read this post to get up-to-date on my recent obsession with frogging… that is, taking yarn from a completed project to use the yarn. Second, the other day, I was on a plane to Connecticut, […]
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Darning a sock or two…
I did it! I darned my first pair of socks! I’ll warn you, the results aren’t perfect (actually, far from it), but I’m proud of them, and I’ve learned a couple of things for next time! darn –verb (used with object) 1. to mend, as torn clothing, with rows of stitches, sometimes by crossing and […]
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Loop: Philadelphia, PA
store: Loop address: 1914 South Street, Philadelphia, PA website: www.loopyarn.com date of visit: March, 2010 I was very excited to visit Loop, because I had heard things. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a neat freak… and I had been told that Loop was too neat, even for me. Someone even used the word […]
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