…ed sweater? Nope… it’s way more clever than that! It’s a way of making your animal look like he’s wearing a sweater, by following the pattern and just adding in some color changes! Isn’t this guy adorable? To get this look, you just need to make a few modifications to the pattern. In fact, you can do this same trick with a whole variety of animal patterns! Pick a contrasting color of yarn (in the same thickness as you…
Continue ReadingSearch Results
Do you knit two at a time?
…pologize for the late-at-night photo… I’m busy knitting!) This way, the sleeves would be exactly identical, and I’d only have to read through the directions once! Hooray! Because the sleeves are knitted flat (instead of in the round), I only need one needle instead of two. It’s almost finished… fingers crossed it’s ready for me to wear at Stitches East! That’s what I’ve been up to this week… ho…
Continue ReadingThe 2013 mid-year Financial Review!
…check for 11% from Martingale… but it doesn’t really work that way. The income stream for a small business owner has ups and downs. I might get a nice fat check the quarter after my book comes out, but it dwindles after. And I might finish a freelance project one month, but that same payment won’t be repeated the next month. Even pattern sales might be booming one month (usually around the holidays!) and less booming another. The…
Continue ReadingHey! It’s okay if your blog doesn’t make money!
…onth’ when folks are shopping & browsing the internet (holidays come to mind as an example). Am I right? I have no idea. (Hey, at least I’m honest!) It seems reasonable to me that all the work I do on this blog kicks back and gives my business a boost. My little graph could be construed as supporting that hypothesis. That’s good enough for me! So, for the time being, I’m going to buck the standard advice… and not…
Continue ReadingHow to Make Yogurt
…eat your milk to almost boiling Heat the volume of milk that you want to become finished yogurt (which probably depends on the size of your vessel). If the milk boils a little, it’s okay. But, try to turn the heat off before it becomes a rolling boil. Step 2: Let the milk cool Now, let the milk cool to 120 degrees. Some folks use a thermometer, but I just stick my finger in and see if it feels like a nice bath temperature. If you skip this s…
Continue Reading3KCBWDAY7: Balance in the Fiber World
…, in this post), and I find that alternating between the two keeps both my brain and wrists happy. I’m prone to sore wrists (read here about the exercises I do that help), and I find that since the motions of knitting and crocheting are different, doing a bit of each during my day keeps repetitive stress pains away! Balancing Work and Play Since I crochet professionally, it’s important to continue to love my work! I don’t crochet…
Continue ReadingTutorial: How to Attach Perfectly Positioned Buttons
…ch marker. It should just slip out once you unlock it. Now it’s time for the other buttons! Repeat this trick for each button. Each time, button up the buttons you’ve already completed so you can ensure they line up properly. No more wonky button problems! Sample sweater is Gramps knit using the Rainbow Yarn Sampler Pack….
Continue ReadingHow to Prevent People from Getting You Down
…off. Tip 3: Keep in mind that ‘haters gonna hate’ Some remarks come from a place of caring… like the first two examples I talked about. But what about this little gem? I’m pretty sure Mrs. Cranky Knitter didn’t have any secret fears of slow knitters or a well of deep love for me. She actually just needed a confidence boost for herself, and she achieved that by putting me down. The mean comment had nothing to do with m…
Continue ReadingNorah Gaughan’s Knitted Cable Sourcebook: Review
…, but stunningly beautiful and hovering significantly below ‘crazily complex’. Which is exactly what you want in a stitch dictionary. I fell in love with the Seed Rib Half Drop (#84 in the book) and cast on for a scarf immediately. Isn’t it gorgeous? (The cable pattern, I mean… not my knitting!) It was so enjoyable to knit… I felt like each cable was a little piece of knitter’s candy. I just kept wanting to get…
Continue ReadingHow to organize scraps of yarn
…sure to tuck the end in the ball so that there’s no danger of them becoming unraveled. Little Bits Little leftover bits of yarn are trickier… I’m not even sure why I keep them. Maybe one day, I’ll just need 10 yards of bright orange for some project or another… I just wind these guys around 2 fingers (it’s much too little amount for the winder), and then tie them around the center. Just like the big leftovers, y…
Continue Reading