Cap it off

In a "what is time anymore?" moment, I realized recently that it's been nearly two years since I've knit a sweater for myself. That gave me the spark needed to finish the body of On the Grass and move on to the sleeves. I've knit sweaters with raglan sleeves and set-in sleeves, but this is …

WIP Wednesday: Sweater & Sock

The last time I knit a sweater for myself, the process revealed some longstanding and non-rational emotions about body image. All that time alone with needles and yarn can do that to a person! So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it's been nearly two years before I've started another one. But the lovely …

Duo of Finished Objects

I try not to set too many knitting goals for myself, but sometimes a knitter has to do what she has to do. And I must admit that I'm quite pleased to have achieved my vacation knitting goal of completing two projects. Since they had a true deadline -- birthdays are exact dates after all …

Life Lessons from a Sweater

Like many knitters, I'm usually always working on more than one project at a time. Recently, however, I've been playing favorites, spending much more time with a pair of socks than with the Sunshine Coast sweater. Sure, I can blame it on a deadline. The Monkey Socks (pattern on Ravelry and Knitty) are a birthday …

More Sunshine than I Thought

As I've mentioned a few times, progress on the Sunshine Coast sweater has been slow although it's been moving a bit faster now that I've got the pattern memorized. There are 12 stitch markers, which was a bit daunting at first. I think part of why it feels so slow-going is the way it "sits" …

That Mistake? It’s Part of the Design.

I've written often about important it is for knitters to learn to spot their mistakes and figure out how to remedy them.  I firmly believe that one won't become a Fearless Knitter without learning how to fix mistakes. If you allow an error to ruin a project -- in your mind -- then you'll abandon it, …

A Lesson in Seaming

Fearless Knitter Gillan arrived at class Tuesday morning with her Flared Baby Sweater nearly finished. She'd ripped out the button bands after her first attempt and had re-knit to her satisfaction. But she wasn't happy with her seams, which were bumpy and looked inside out. "What did I do wrong?" she asked.  Turns out she …

Lessons Learned on Re-Sizing a Sweater

There are lots of online tips for making a too-big sweater smaller. But as I discovered when I had the opposite problem -- a too-small sweater that needed enlarging -- there wasn't a lot of help. With a fair bit of in-person, online, and book research, I was able to figure out how to make …

Making a Too-Small Sweater Bigger

As I've mentioned previously, the sweater that I knit for Michael is finished but not done. What I really mean is, it's too small. This may have something to do with his increase in size from when I started the sweater. At the beginning of the year, he was on the high school wrestling team and …

Throw Me a Lifeline (or Two)

Knitters won't be surprised to learn that the definition of "lifeline" in most dictionaries, paper and digital, does not include this handy technique that has saved the life of many a knitter. FIguratively, not literally, of course. But learning how to use a lifeline can enable you to finish a project, thereby "saving the life" …

Curlers in Her Hair

For the past few months, I've been monogamous in my knitting, working on Michael's sweater with the hope of finishing it by Memorial Day, when it's still cool here in Massachusetts. The sweater is finished, but it's not done. But that's a story for another day.... In the aftermath of finishing/not-finishing, I've cast on two …

Sleeve Setting

I must confess that sweater sleeves make me nervous -- specifically, the sewing of sleeves to the body and shoulder of a sweater. The seams along the length of the sleeve are easy enough since the stitches line up one-to-one. But as you approach the shoulder, the geometry gets a bit more complicated, with decreases …

Attention to Details

When you're close to finishing a knit sweater, take care on the details like blocking and seaming.

THAT doesn’t look right…

When my children were first learning to skate, I took them to a community rink for a lesson. They spent the entire first lesson falling onto the ice, flopping onto the ice, protected by their snowpants and jackets, and learning to get up.  "On your hands and knees and bark like a dog," the teacher …

Baby Stripes

I got a new neighbor just before the New Year when young Parker arrived into the world. What perfect timing since I'd finished my quick and sparkly scarf and was on the look out for a new project. I'm a sucker for babies and a cleverly designed knit. This one fit the bill. It's knit …