…eople in the Philippines need water and relief workers, and right now, the best way to get that help to them is to donate money to a relief organization. Sending a stuffed animal to the Philippines won’t calm the grumble of a child’s hungry tummy and it takes up valuable shipping and distribution resources that are needed for essentials. The shipping cost, alone, would provide food for a family for days. Use the tragedy to inspire your…
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What is Continental Knitting?
…most comfortable. Most folks intuitively grab the needles and yarn in the way that works best for them! What is Continental Knitting? ‘Continental Knitting’ refers to holding your yarn in your non-dominant hand. For right-handers, that means holding (and tensioning) the yarn with your left hand. It’s called this because it’s thought to be the style of knitting most popular on ‘the continent’ of Europe (as oppos…
Continue ReadingWhat does that number on the yarn label mean?
…our yarn works up to the right number of stitches per inch. Of course, the best way to do this is by doing a gauge swatch… but since yarn stores don’t usually make swatches with yarn you haven’t bought yet, the best shortcut is by reading the gauge info. If you’re looking for a worsted weight yarn that works up to 5 sts/inch, then finding this information on the label is a good clue you’re on track! While the number i…
Continue ReadingQuick & Easy Shortcut for the Cow’s Tail!
…you ready for my second trick? It’s actually more of an alternative way… but helpful to know! The pattern includes instructions for how to crochet your tail directly onto the body of the cow. That’s a great way to do it… but if you’re like me, you like to crochet your pieces on the go (or maybe your cow body is still packed in a box somewhere). In that case, it’s easier to crochet your tail separately and attac…
Continue ReadingDifferent ways to space crochet increases!
…position your increases, so when you’re crocheting, you can pick the way you like best! For this blog post, I’m going to assume that we are crocheting a piece in the round, using the spiral method- that’s going around and around without turning (if you don’t know what I mean, fear not! I’ll talk about the different ways to crochet in the round another day!). To increase, you simply crochet twice in the same stitchR…
Continue ReadingTips for attaching a dress to your doll
…doing this because they can ‘envision’ what clothing will look best. However, it’s actually easiest to crochet clothing on before the doll has been stuffed. In doing it this way, you can crochet on the dress (and easily maneuver the body) without the bulk of stuffing or the head getting in the way. Tip 2: Join the new yarn with a sc, in the back Okay, so this ‘tip’ is written in the pattern, but I thought it was worth…
Continue ReadingSelecting a scale for yarn use
…otes, etc) use AA or AAA batteries. I use rechargeable batteries, and this way, I can always be sure I have a charged pair of the right size battery on hand. Some scales use an adapter, but I’m not a huge fan. First, you need to keep track of the adapter. Second, I’ve had adapters die on me (while the item still functions fine), and it can be a pain (and really expensive) to purchase the correct adapter for a specific item. Third, if y…
Continue ReadingA finished Clapotis and some tips
…aptois, 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 is easy to remember and it’s fun to do! After a successful Clapotis attempt, I learned a couple tips and tricks to share. These tips will be most useful once y…
Continue ReadingReview: The Spoonflower Handbook
…n’t me! The thing I love most about Spoonflower is that it’s become the best site for indie-designed fabric anywhere in the world. You see, you can upload your own design and have it printed. But, you can also allow your design to remain on the site so that others can order it, too! And the designer earns a cut of each sale. It’s fabulous. And the result is that you can find beautiful fabric in almost any niche. Seriously. Where…
Continue Reading5 Tips for being a good student (and get the most out of class!)
…the class? Information in the class might be flying left and right… and it can be difficult to catch every tidbit. Maybe your goal is to learn a new technique. Focusing on accomplishing your task (as opposed to trying to remember every word from the teacher’s mouth) will set you on the path to success!…
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