Flagel Knitting Files

About.com recently released its 2013 Favorite Knitting Website/Blog Awards.  It is called the Readers' Choice Awards.  About.com asks its readers to suggest their favorites in several categories.  Then it whittles down the top responses and asks its readers to vote again.  In the end the finalists are based on popularity with About.com's readers. This year one of my favorites walked away the winner:   Knitting Paradise .  Without any flashy bells or whistles this clumsily organized website, works to engage over 90,000 users to post questions about knitting, (think how do I do this, or what yarn to use for that, or how reliable is a particular online yarn shop) machine knitting, and announce events, exchanges and/or sales.  Knitting Paradise is successful in large part because it is so simple to use.  It encourages those with less than current technical skills to post questions or photos with ease and in most cases responses a...

Recently I was asked to make (and by make, I mean knit) waffles.  Boy that really sounded like fun, but I wasn't sure how I'd get the prototypical divots of most waffles. I know the structure would be similar to knitting a slice of bread; there will be a top and bottom piece with a knitted third piece to make up the edge.  Click here if you want to see the step-by-step process I outlined to create a slice of bread.  The waffle process will be the same. Then this photo came into my inbox: Imagine this, the stitch is called the waffle stitch .  (Click on this  link  to obtain access to the free pattern.)  I am no genius, but this stitch seemed like the perfect way for me to knit a waffle.  And here's what I have in my first attempt. These show things have turned out nearly perfect.   Also in the top picture you see the edge is nearly complete as well.  The edge is simply a garter stitch with the width determin...

The graphic below speaks to me that's why I have saved it for years.  It reminds me that those simple notions about how things should be are just that, SIMPLE; and that almost everything is more complicated than it appears at first blush. As a young person it seems fine to believe life is like the left-hand drawing, that a direct and straight line is the way to progress through it.  Everything appears to be as easy as it can be for others and it should be the same for you as well, right?  All that's necessary on your part is to set out in a particular direction and just follow the path that apparently is supposed to be clearly laid out in front of you. But if you've been around the block and are older than a teenager, you know there is no easily identifiable, clearly laid out path for you to take.  You know that life and its success is much more like the right-hand design.  It is easy to get stu...

The local weather forecast for today said it was to be sunny and moderately warm, between 6-8 degree C or about 44 to 48 degree F.  The heavy rains stopped early yesterday morning, and we're looking forward to a nice change of pace with a long sunny weekend.  It cannot be candy coated, the forecast really, really let us down today. Just a brief prelude here for why a sunny day is so important.  The weather in greater Vancouver this time of year is just nuts.  For approximately four months Vancouverites have enjoyed cloudy, rainy weather and we've just about had it by now. We know we're about at the end and when a good day is promised, it better come through.  Some of the lucky, or is it smart, among us leave for sunnier spots this time of year to avoid the wait, a trip that might only be driving to Whistler to the top of the mountains where the sun is found.  But others of us stick it out all winter, and we really do get cranky about the whole gloomy atm...

This week, specifically on March 19, 2013,  Fred Rogers would have been 85 years old.  Unfortunately for all of us he died at the age of 74 on February 27, 2003, just before his 75th birthday.  For those who might not remember, Fred Rogers was instrumental in shaping a certain generation or two of children's attitudes by demonstrating compassion, patience, and morality in his famous children's program  Mister Rogers' Neighborhood .  He was instrumental in helping PBS secure federal monies to support children's programming in 1969.  And he had a Canadian connection; in 1963, opportunity took him to Toronto where he created a series of fifteen-minute children's shows called Mister Rogers. The program was set in a fantasy neighborhood full of puppets except for Mr. Rogers and a guest, and was the beginnings of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood .  In 1966 he acquired the rights for the show from the CBC and took it back to the U.S ...

Today's post will include two completely unrelated topics.  I'll label them and not bother to find a segue to link them.  (You know how it goes sometimes.) Part I Tena, my knit buddy, has also been knitting away at one of her WIPs a beautiful alpaca reversible cable scarf for her husband.  (The link shows you how to knit a cable.)  Here's a couple of closeup photos of her completed work. I didn't think to ask Tena what pattern she used but have found a free example that comes very close.  Just click here .  Although the vertical lines between the cables may be a bit different, this pattern would certainly help the average knitter design their own version. The star of this scarf is the alpaca yarn.  Again I didn't get the name from Tena (we were just too busy catching up) but any light weight alpaca will do.  This scarf is about 6 feet or just under 2 meters in length and is so very soft and warm.  It's perfect for those...

A while back I talked about the Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf .  I even showed you my work up to that point. After the post, my friend Karen said she liked the colours and would like to commission one for herself. Well, no need to commission something there Karen, I already have just the colours you want on my needles.  So this is how the Koigu Linen Stitch Scarf left the back burner after months of neglect and moved to the hot front burner.  (I'm motivated when I know who will get something fresh off my needles.  So Karen, thanks for the rekick-start.) If this scarf was going to be a gift it seemed appropriate to look at my previous work, I mean really closely look at it.  It is one thing for me to be content with something if it is for me, but if I'm giving it away and people will be attributing it to me, I want to have my best out there.  My previous work on this scarf was not my best because frankly I had been sloppy.  Al...

We're not about to discuss the television show nor the adjective regarding not being a part of the mainstream.  This post will cover the ornamental border of tassels or twists at the edge of clothing and in this case knitted clothing.  Many projects can be improved with a bit of fringe added to them.  I rather like fringe on afghans and scarfs, but it can be added to sweaters, shawls and other items as well.  So let's take a quick walk through fringeland, shall we? The traditional or simple fringe is relatively easy to create.  Click on this  link which shows you step by step how to add a 2-stranded fringe to a scarf.  You can, of course, make your fringe as many strands as your yarn will allow.  (Remember fringe does use a lot of yarn so plan appropriately.)   Once you have the strands cut and folded in half, you can use a crochet hook to insert them into projects knit with smaller needles; but my experience allows me to say for...

All yarn artists have them, those small amounts left after completing a bigger project.  They may be only a few ounces or grams but too much to throw out.  So what does one do with them after you've accumulated several dozens of relatively short lengths of yarn? For starters you can cut up natural fibers into shorter strips and put them out for the birds to use.  Here's what the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has to say about this idea: "Birds often use man-made materials for their nests these days. Yarn pieces are OK to put out for birds to use as nesting materials. There are a few things you'll want to keep in mind though: Keep strands at 4-6" so there's no danger of wildlife becoming entangled. Natural materials that will biodegrade over the course of time (like cotton or wool) are preferred to synthetic materials. Thin strips of cloth are OK; keep them about 1" wide by 6" long. Birds can see color, so if they use the brightly-colored y...

This title does seem to pose a rather silly question at this point; I have been blogging for nearly 18 months and now I decide is the time to think about blogging?  This post is not about why I started blogging but rather a reassessment at this point. If you know me, you know my attention span (especially associated with non-work stuff) is short.  So it seems right that after doing something for a year and one-half the time is appropriate to step back and review whether this adventure is a good use of my free time?  So here goes my current thinking: The blog tracks my life by providing a venue to talk about knitting and its role in my life.  I am generally surrounded by non-knitters and since I've started blogging they hear less and less about my knitting adventures.  Perhaps you heard that small sigh of relief from here when I started.  Paul and Mike, the cat, are probably the biggest b...

There are several ways a knitter can recycle.  I'm going to venture into just a few in this post. There are plenty of good ideas out there, just Google the two words.  And most of these good ideas require a certain amount of effort on your part, so plan ahead and leave plenty of time before you intend to pick up a pair of needles. A common way to recycle while you knit is to purchase thrift store wool sweaters.  The process  begins by checking labels to insure you are purchasing wool, deciding if it is worth the price, purchasing it, taking it home and then unraveling it.  After a few hours of dismantling you'll have wool that may be clean, maybe not, but is definitely wiggly because it has been previously used.  This is the time to make the wool clean and in the process also reduce its wiggliness.  I have found the best way to approach this is to either hand wash or gently machine wash the...