Beautiful Yarn, Excellent Knitting and Spring in Paris

An Interview with Katie of Unicorn Yarn Co.
interview yarn teaser (image ©Unicorn Yarn Co.)

Do you love hand-dyed yarn? Let’s be honest, if you are a knitter, the answer is most likely a resounding “Yes!” I have shared beautiful yarn with you before and will continue to do so. I love yarn and l like to share what I love. And I especially love hand dyed yarn. My friend Katie – the creative mind… Read more »

13 Great Things I Loved in February

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things I loved - My workspace with my current nemesis. I've knit on this thing much longer than I should, I keep messing up parts of it.

Oh, my lucky number 13! Another month is over, and once again I’ve picked out a few things – mostly knitting related – that I enjoyed or loved in February to share with you. So, let’s dive right in, shall we? Knitting Blogs and Websites 1 – Why Vegan Yarn? On the Baa Baa Brighouse blog Baa Baa Brighthouse will… Read more »

How to Get Your Yarn Tension Just Right for Stranded Colorwork

yarn tension - Catching a float with the yarn held on each hand.

I’ve recently been asked by a reader (hello Clelia!) how I avoid my stranded colorwork from puckering up in some places and being too loose with floppy floats in others. Those of you who have tried to knit colorwork before probably recognize those problems from their early attempts. Maybe even your only attempts. Maybe you decided that stranded colorwork just… Read more »

Books I Love: a Quick Look at The Yarn Whisperer

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yarn whisperer review - No, that's not the correct book. I don't have a physical copy of it but at least this one is also by Clara Parkes (Knitter's Book of Yarn)

Many of us knitters like to read. There are tons of knitting pattern and instruction books out there. Books teaching you a specific method or teaching you about tools of the trade. Stitch bibles with exciting stitch patterns to incorporate into your own design. But there are also books that are about knitting and knitters. The Yarn Whisperer – My… Read more »

8 Great Things I Loved in January

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Things I loved: My Woolly Mama Yarn stash enhancement. Isn't it just gorgeous?

Is it just me or was January over in a flash? I didn’t get to read as many blogs as I would have liked. I didn’t manage to finish everything I wanted to by the end of the month. But it was still a great month, filled with things I loved. Fun experiences, great blog posts, new acquisitions. In this… Read more »

How to Make Gauge Swatches Work for You, Part 2: Possible Problems

gauge swatches -Soaking gauge swatches

Last week, we talked a lot about how to knit gauge swatches and how to measure them. This week it’s all about possible pitfalls and problems. As a reminder and navigational help, here is the table of contents for this two-part part series again. How to Knit a Swatch (in part 1) When Designing (in part 1) How to Measure a Gauge Swatch … Read more »

How to Make Gauge Swatches Work for You, Part 1: The Basics

gauge swatches - teaser

Most of us have knit them before. We know we are supposed to. But many of us don’t like it. It’s boring and tedious, and we just want to get to the main part. Gauge swatches. Besides, they tend to lie to us, don’t they? It all depends on how you’re doing it and on what you are trying to… Read more »

9 Amazing Ideas for That Special Skein of Sock Yarn

sock yarn patterns teaser

If you are anything like me, you have a lot of fingering weight or sock yarn. And mostly single skeins of a colorway. I love hand-dyed yarn, whether it’s solid, semi-solid, variegated or striped. But if I only ever knit socks it can get quite boring and Second Sock Syndrome might just raise its head. Besides how many pairs of socks… Read more »

How to Weave in Ends like a Pro

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Weaving in ends with duplicate stitch - my new favorite method

There isn’t just one way to weave in ends. There are many ways. And as long as you can’t make out well where you’ve woven them in or have ends poking through to the front, you don’t really have to change the way you are doing it. But different projects create different fabrics with other circumstances. And those might require… Read more »

Behind the Scenes: 2017 – My First Year as a Knitting Blogger

knitting blogger - laptop and knitting

So, this was 2017. A new year has begun. I haven’t been blogging for a full year yet – I started this blog last year on March 1st. But I’ve learned a lot and the beginning of a new year is always a great time to look back and figure out what you want to do in the next year…. Read more »