2007 was a good year for expanding my knitting know-how. My third knitting year has passed and I have added a few more things to my knitting knowledge stash.
- Yarn substitution is tricky. A cardigan sweater designed for merino doesn’t work up the same with cotton yarn. I’ll be ripping out the red sweater and using the yarn for a vest. Helpful books on understanding fiber characteristics: No Sheep for You by Amy R. Singer and The Knitter’s Book of Yarn by Clara Parkes.
- Ripping out isn’t as scary as it used to be. Understanding the way stitch loops work gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to fix problems. And reading the awesome Techniques with Theresa on Knitty. Thinking through the pattern is a very good skill to have. Taking the time to really analyze the pattern before knitting will save you time. Swatching is equally important.
- Checking my knitting often while in progress is not wasted time. Even though I thought I was paying attention while knitting during the late night football game, the next morning’s check proved me wrong. How could I have done that? What was I thinking?
- When knitting a garment it is crucial to understand size. Being brutally honest about my measurements, gauge, and finished size will help avoid banishing the garment to the back of the knitting cabinet. After all, no one is monitoring my size but me. I can be honest with myself, can’t I?
- You can never have enough knitting accessories. Isn’t that right, Karin?
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4 comments:
Very very clever woman.... Hi Marie. Love the blog! This is one of your knitting friends in Ohio.... And wish you were here every other Thursday for our knitting nights. You have become quite the accomplished knitter. I also had been thinking about a blog, and recently started looking at the different sites for free blogs. I wanted to store pics and share some of my knitting projects completed so far. Of course it would also have to include Mimi's pictures of Carly as well. We'll see. Hope to see you in Florida or perhaps back here soon. Happy New Year, Vickie House
Hey Marie,
Great idea-this will force me to keep up with you and you with me. Tell Mike we rooted like crazy for Mich. Great last game for Coach Carr! Tell him we like a favor return tomorrow night-Go Bucks.
My Dear Marie,
Accessories only add to the fun of knitting! I am glad to know that you are blogging -- it is a good way for me to keep up with what you are doing. It has been fun watching your knitting expertise increase over the last few years, keep up the good work and keep having fun!
Oh, and one more thing, let us not forget the great joy in having a large yarn stash!!
Karin
Marie, thank you for your encouragement about paying attention to size, measurements, etc. You put the problem of fit into a nutshell. You are smart and wise.
As a weird aside, I used to live in Hamtramak. My husband worked in Detroit for 2 years, so we moved there from Chicago. Needless to say, Detroit is not Chicago (sorry Detroit), but Hamtramak reminded us of home. This was a long time ago. Detroit has probably changed. In any case we were glad to move back to Chicago.
Beverly
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