Due to the colder months, I’ve been doing a lot of knitting.  As most of the projects I’ve started are small, I’m finishing more than normal.  As a result there seems to be an influx of craft posts on this website and I feel as if there are actually too many.

As I learn new techniques and find tips on the internet that I want to record for future use, I want to post about them but at the same time I’m hesitant to do so.

Yesterday, I made the decision to create a new website – My Knitting Bag – where I can freely post to my heart’s content.

From now on, all tips and resources will be posted there, not here. Although all my knitting achievements will be recorded there, I may share photos of some of the projects I complete here as well, but other than than everything else will be recorded over at the new website.

There isn’t much to see over there yet. Posts have been scheduled for the coming week, but they are literally the posts on craft you can find on this website as at today.

So if you are a crafty person, I hope you’ll head over to My Knitting Bag and make yourself known to me.

In all the years I’ve knitted, I have always done larger projects – vests, jumpers and complete baby outfits. Never, have I thought about doing any small items. However, over the last two winters, I have found myself concentrating on smaller projects – hats, scarfs, wrist warmers and, at present, fingerless gloves. I’m not really sure why this is. Maybe it’s because I’ve had a long break from knitting and wanted to reacquaint myself with patterns and techniques. Or maybe it’s because I realise now that small doesn’t mean easy. Anyway, I have never considered knitting slippers before, but when I saw these in a kit, at a very reasonable price, I thought “why not”.

The wool was really difficult to work with, especially when casting on and knitting the first few rows. I almost gave up right then and there, but decided not to be silly and carried on. That difficulty aside, the wool is so soft when knitted. It’s absolutely lovely to touch and the slippers are quite warm, despite there not being much to them.

The pattern was for a medium ladies foot. Being tall, I have a larger than medium foot but that didn’t make me hesitate at all. I’m a loose knitter, and knew the finished product would be larger than the measurements required…and they were.

There is meant to be some fancy crochet work around the opening, but I can’t crochet so that didn’t happen.

They have been finished for well over a week and my next project is progressing nicely.

To the left you’ll see the first pair of wrist warmers I’ve ever knitted. I used some cheap wool left over from another project I knitted last year. They are knitted on straight needles, as I wasn’t confident enough to knit “in the round”.

The pattern is one that I adapted myself as I couldn’t find one that met my requirements (or one that used Australian terminology). It is so easy, a beginner knitter will get these done in no time at all. I finished them in two one-hour sittings. Now that I’ve finished them and have enjoyed their use, I’ve moved up the ladder to a harder pair and this time I am knitting in the round. I’ll share the results when they are finished.

Following, is the pattern for my Easy Wrist Warmers. The instructions make warmers for a small ladies hand. Cast on extra stitches for larger hands and adjust the length, if required.

Materials:

8 ply yarn (you won’t need a full ball)
1 pair 3.75mm and 4mm needles
tapestry needle

Gauge:

6 sts = 2.5 cm

Instructions (make 2):

Cast on 36 stitches using 3.75mm needles. Work 3cm in K1 P1 rib (I did 8 rows).

Swap to 4mm needles and work in stocking stitch until work measure 11cm (I did 20 rows). Continue in K1 P1 rib for another 3cm (I did 8 rows).

Cast off in rib. Using tapestry needle sew seam together using mattress stitch, leaving gap for thumb in desired place.

I’m a rebel when it comes to knitting. Why? Because I never knit a gauge! All those committed knitters out there will be cringing and calling me the worst names…and I deserve every name thrown at me.

I spend the money buying the yarn. I spend the time knitting the project. I then spend time cursing the fact that it doesn’t quite fit, for whatever reason (usually it’s too loose). Who can I blame for this? No, I can’t blame the person who created the pattern. I can’t blame the wool or the bumpy train ride. I can’t even blame the dog. I can only blame myself because I was too lazy to knit a gauge. Actually, in truth, I am too eager to get stuck into the actual project instead of “wasting precious time” knitting a “stupid” square.

Aware that I’m a loose knitter, I do make allowance for that when I start knitting. I might use smaller needles or knit the smaller size, but that doesn’t always fix the problem. I really should do what all good knitters do – knit a gauge.

What is a gauge and how is it knitted?

A gauge swatch is a piece of knitting – usually 10cm (4in) by 10cm, or a bit larger to get a proper measurement (using the yarn and needle size suggested in the pattern). The patten instructions usually tell you what stitch pattern was used to establish the gauge and you should work the swatch in the specified pattern to get the same results.

Always measure the gauge on a flat surface, not on your knee or on the arm of a chair. Always use a rigid ruler, not a cloth tape measure (which stretches over time). Placing the ruler at the edge of a stitch, count the stitch over a 2.5cm (1in) area – stitches across and rows up. If you get the right number of stitches and rows, then you’re ready to start the project. If you don’t, then you need to do another swatch.

If there are too many stitches across, it means you knit tightly and you should go up to the next size needle and try again.

If there are too few stitches across, it means you knit loosely (like me) and you should go down a size needle and try again.

However, if the stitches across are right but the rows up are wrong then the problem is the wool. Too many rows means the wool is too thick and too few rows means the wool is too thin. (If you are using the wool recommended for the pattern, you shouldn’t have this problem. If, however, you are using an alternative wool then this could be a problem.)

Once you’ve adjusted your needles and wool so that you are getting the correct number of stitches across and rows up, then you can finally start knitting the real thing.

It’s getting cold where I live and I’ve started wearing gloves to work and when I go out and about on the weekend, because my delicate hands are going purple with the chill.  However, I’m finding that wearing gloves (which is something I’ve never done before because I haven’t needed to) is quite restricting.  I certainly can’t knit while wearing them.  I can’t even turn a page of a book with ease.  It’s a nuisance.

Yesterday, I went into the local post office and the woman who served me was wearing a pair of fingerless gloves and that got me thinking…    Maybe I should be finding a pattern for my next project that will give me warmth but will also allow some freedom to do something while enjoying that warmth.  What an excellent idea.

I found this Knitted Fingerless Gloves Pattern page, which has a custom generator on it and think I’ll give it a go.

I’m a bit of a miser when it comes to purchasing wool for knitting projects. I despise spending lots of money on an item, especially when I could buy the item ready-made at a fraction of the cost. I know I should be thinking about the pleasure I receive from making the item myself, but that’s not how I think. If it’s going to cost me $80 to knit something I can buy ready-made for $20 then I won’t knit it. It’s that simple.

With this in mind, I often find patterns I want to make but shy away from the suggested yarn because it’s so expensive. I like to buy yarn when it’s on special, so I find I have to adjust my needles to get the right gauge for the yarn and pattern I intend to use. I am not always successful when I do this. However, I found this series of videos which talks about this issue. I found them quite helpful and I hope you do too.

Click “Play” to watch a video on Problem Solving the Gauge Swatch or click on the video to go to the maker’s website to watch the entire series.

It’s becoming colder and colder in Australia, as winter quickly approaches. This means that I can get out my knitting needles and try to be creative in a different way.

Sparky, pictured to the left, has been my latest victim. In the photo, he is modelling his brand new coat. The look on his face clearly shows how much he loves it, but I can’t understand why he refuses to step outside the back door when he’s wearing it (probably doesn’t want the other dogs in the area to turn green with envy, which is very considerate of him). G is looking rather worried, as I have a fair bit of wool left over and he thinks I might be crazy enough to knit him a coat to match. Oh what fun I’ve had threatening exactly that!

Multi coloured to match his fur and the colour of his eyes, the coat gives him extra warmth on a chilly morning. I overheard G promising to keep the other dogs at bay and he clearly said that no dog of his will be beaten to death, not while he’s around anyway. I don’t know what that’s all about, there must be trouble in the dog neighbourhood that I haven’t been told about.

Anyway, Sparky will be warm as toast the next time we take him on a long walk around town…and he looks so cute in it that I just want to give him a big cuddle.

When we moved, back in April this year, everyone we knew in “real” life said, “Oh, it’s so cold there. How will you ever cope?” This was said so many times, that I had to pretend that I wasn’t the least bit concerned. The house we bought was already equipped with gas heating, which was a testimony that the temperature was going to plummet. We had been told, and had heard, of the area experiencing snow too (which is something neither of us had seen in decades – and then it was our own choicing to go “to the snow”). I hated the hot, humid summers of where we previously lived, but maybe I’d feel just as hateful toward bitterly cold winters too! Had we replaced one with the other?

As the colder weather settled in around us, we prepared ourselves for something we had never felt before. For the first time, we bought coats and gloves. We also bought thicker socks and jumpers. Not to mention the unmentionables, such as termal underwear. We were prepared for the onslaught on sub-zero weather which, we were told, would freeze our faces off. Charming!

In an effort to do the right thing, I promptly went to the local craft shop and bought everything I’d need to knit this Free Patons Beanie and Scarf Knitting Pattern for G. I dragged him away from the old area and I was determined that he wouldn’t freeze to death on my account. Friday became “knitting day” on the train, but I also knitted faithfully on Sunday nights and some weekday nights. Like everything I do, I’m a slow knitter, but I finished the scarf (which G eyed with suspicion, but wears in my presence) and started on the beanie. I wouldn’t be seen dead in one, because I look like a complete idiot, but that doesn’t mean G has to suffer.

Anyway, the winter passed and spring finally arrived. And we are still waiting for that sub-zero weather. Having said that, it’s just as well that the winter in our new area was nowhere near as bad as everyone made out because I only finished the beanie this morning. Yes, it would have been a bit late to save G’s face if he really needed it, but … as I said before … I wasn’t worried. Not in the least.

Oh, and if you think I’ll be modelling the creations I knit for display on this website…you can think again! I couldn’t think of anything more embarrassing. Well, actually I can, but still…*shakes head and walks away*

The second (new) direction this website will head in, is Craft. I can’t say I’m talented in this area, but there are certain types of craft that I try to accomplish. The main ones are scrapbooking, knitting and some needlework (such as tapestries).

This section of the website will remain small and doesn’t deserve its own tab in the navigation bar at the top of the page, but will be given a category in the sidebar.

I may only upload some photos of what I finish, which means there will be no more than a handful of posts a year. Or, I might decide to post links to resources that I find interesting and inspiring. I haven’t decided yet, so we’ll see what happens.

As a bit of a background, at high school, we had to do a needlework project over a two year period. We had to choose something that would stretch our ability (which made life easy for me, because my ability to was next to nothing). I chose to do a table cloth in Spanish cross-stitch – black stitches on white linen. I chose a pretty design and on the first day, started with enthusiasm. Believe me when I say that there was no flashing needles as I worked. Like everything I do, I was slow and at the end of the two years (two periods a week, plus we were meant to do some at home too) I had only finished the intricate design in the middle of the cloth.

However, not one to let something get the better of me, I continue working on the table cloth (on and off) over the next few years. When my first child was born, I put it aside (with a huge sigh) with the intention of returning to it…one day. That child will be 25 in a couple of months and I never returned to that project in that time. But I still have it and one day I will finish it. By then I’ll be able to hand it down as an heirloom, if the silverfish haven’t had a feast on it in the meantime.

Having said that, there are plenty of other craft projects that I have finished. And I’m hoping there will plenty more in the future. So without promising too much, you’ll see some (or all, if I’m pleased with the outcome) of them right here on this website.