Flagel Knitting Files

All four swatches were made.  Each is 6.25" or 15.875 cm square; each prepared with the same sized yarn and needles or hook.  It took 25 stitches to get the appropriate width for the knit swatches and only 20 stitches for both of the crocheted squares.  That already says something, but I'll get to it in a minute.  (Don't know what I'm talking about here?  Check out this post first.) Unfortunately, you'll just have to trust me that four swatches were prepared and that they were all the same size.  In the excitement to get to measuring and weighing of the swatches, no photographic evidence was taken.  Luckily for me the results of this research doesn't have to be reviewed by a jury of my peer.  This blog post will be the sum and total of where this information is published. The remains of my four swatches What can be shared, however, are the balls of yarn rewound after the weighing and measuring was completed.  You will note the size ...

There is a rivalry between those who knit and those who crochet.  It seems those who only crochet resent the fact so much is written, posted, and available about knitting with so little for a crocheter.  Should you search for classes you'll almost universally find the lion's share of the classes offered are for knitters.  If one wants to start a yarn fight, initiate a conversation in your LYS about how superior knitting is to crocheting.  The yarn will fly. Top all this off by throwing out the old adage that crocheting a project will take at least one-third or I've seen up to three times more yarn than knitting a similar item, and it is easy to see why those who crochet feel a bit like yarn victims.  I am primarily a knitter but do crochet simple things.  My skills in crocheting are rudimentary at best, I can do the stitches because I love to make  amigurumi stuffed toys , but I am no expert crocheter but rather a get-it-done kind.   Therefore m...

I recently purchased a few hanks of Cascade Yarn's Cloud a 70% merino and 30% baby alpaca wool in Ivy Green.  This is an unbelievably soft worsted weight yarn and the chainette construction gives it strength. See the miniature chain links in the yarn? This yarn called to me the minute I brought it home and I had to find the right pattern to use that would show off this colour and style of yarn.  It took a bit of searching but I found Lee Gant's Fisherman's Pullover found in Cascade's 60 Quick Baby Knits.   The pattern uses a couple of my most favorite knitting stitch types, seed and cable stitches.  Both are easy to knit and pack a punch in terms of the effect they create. A close-up of the seed stitch in the Fisherman's Pullover The seed stitch is a simple knit one, purl one and on the wrong side the knitter purls the knits and knits the purl.  This creates a texture that looks complicated and does not curl, thus it is perfect for all sorts o...

Somebody just turned six month's old in the last few days.  It was celebrated with another check up and set of shots.  M is now 17 pounds and 26.6 inches long.  Her weight puts her in the 68th percentile and she's in the 80th percentile for height.  She's smiling a whole lot more (and she was quite smiley already) and has decided her socks are worth removing and eating.  Here is a very recent photo of her.  (Photo removed) My folks had a photo taken of me when I was 6 months old as well.  Apparently, I was able to sit up at that time (or so it appears from the photo).  What I really love about this picture is that it captures the bottom of my shoes.  It appear as if they've been walked in for a while, but I'm pretty sure there was no walking around at that time for me.  You can also tell I managed to put on a good deal of weight; those chubby cheeks are a dead give-away. Me at 6 months all bright eyed and bushy tailed These are...

If you want to cause total and real shock and terror in the life of a knitter use the word MOTH.  They will become pale, start acting erratically and move with lightening speed to check their stash. I've found knowing a few things about an insect can be useful.  In the not so distant past I spent hours learning about bed bugs for my job. It was one of the most stressful points in my career, but I learned knowing the bug's or insect's habits and life cycle can go a long way in helping to manage their destruction and them as well.  If a knitter knows a few facts about the moth it is possible to avoid the whole working oneself into a tizzy mode. So here goes. First not all moths eat fibers. There's a certain species of moths that eat cloth fibers and only that species will cause harm to your stash. BTW should animal fiber be in short supply these moths have been known to also chew on bamboo, hemp and cotton as well. This moth, Tineola bisselliella is often re...

You'll remember I knit a raccoon cushion in September 2013 using  a pattern called    Raccoon Cocoon  from Ravelry designed by Lauren Phillips;   just click here for the pattern . It is definitely a small cushion that can stand on its own (mainly because the tail works to balance it).  Here's my first version knit for Kate. Rumor has it this one is somewhere in an office at the other BIG university in town The entire idea of getting the pattern and knitting a raccoon cushion came about because I felt my boss, Nancy, not Kate, deserved one.  (That's not to say Kate didn't deserve the cushion, it does mean It wasn't my initial plan when I ordered the pattern.)   So on my 2014 knitting list went a second version of the raccoon, one I lovingly call, Rocky II.   Here's the second one in its place of honor. Rocky II on the job Since the sun is out and it is nice to keep the window open it seems like a good idea to have something ...

Some of the blog posts I write roll right out of me.  The topic inspires me and the words flow so easily the post almost writes itself ( Hefting was that way).  Other posts are just the opposite, I don't really know the topic (problems for men who knit) or are so complicated (how to go about designing a pattern for, well just about anything) that they remain ideas out there to write later.  Or, as in the case of today's post, I just know the subject of the post is going to have problems about the exposure. For three years now I've pondered writing about my Mom on Mother's Day.  But I know Mom, she is an introvert, not in the relatively negative vernacular use of the word, but rather in the Jungian way.  She's not the type to tell you everything about everything she's thinking.  In fact, it might be a challenge at times to know what she thinks about something because she's actually that private. Mom believes a private life is just that private.  She ...