Curvy Knits

The Barton Cardigan is not included as part of the course, but it is shown as an example

A few weeks ago I told you about a great online course available from Craftsy called Curvy Crochet by Marly Bird. This week I'd like to tell you about it's close cousin, Curvy Knits.

I still consider myself a beginner when it comes to knitting. However, I'm confident enough in my ability that I'm willing to try just about any stitch pattern. I picked out a sweater pattern and bought the yarn for it months ago, but I've been a bit gunshy about starting the project.  Thanks to watching Curvy Knits, I'm feeling much more confident about trying the pattern. NOW I have to find the time.

The best thing about this class is the energy. Marly and the music in the intro are both upbeat, but not obnoxiously so. And the outtakes shown at the end of each class add to the fun. Marly has a genuine honesty as an instructor. She's not afraid to discuss figure problems/issues that we, as full-figured women have.  And she does it in plain English. She doesn't sugar-coat anything in the interest of modesty; she tells it like it is.  She speaks to the camera/student as she might speak to a trusted friend. It's easy to trust her and to enjoy her company as you watch her videos.

How about the technical? Marly keeps the math as simple as possible, but if you miss anything, you can back it up and watch it again. You can also take notes, bookmark wherever you want, and ask questions. I talked about this when I reviewed Curvy Crochet but it's well worth mentioning again:  the Duck Tape dress form is BRILLIANT and worth the price of admission.  It most certainly beats paying a fortune for a professional form and you're making an exact copy of YOU! The course materials are clear and as simple as they can be and can be printed over and over again.

This series is so chock full of great information I couldn't possibly touch on all of it, but I can definitely recommend it in good conscience.

Here's the best part:  By following this link, you can get Curvy Knits at a discount! It normally sells for $49.99, but you can enroll for $29.99 and never have to pay to see it again. Yes, just like buying a DVD, you own it forever.

Happy knitting!

Happy New Year, part 2

So where was I? Oh yeah, knitting.

flit 'n float scarf pattern WIP
courtesy of Birdy Evans

The knitting thing is something I've always wanted to do. My grandmother seemed to constantly be knitting and I always wanted to learn. Mom said knitting was far too complicated, so she taught herself to crochet then she taught me when I was about seven years old. I figured I'd eventually learn to knit, but crocheting made me happy enough. A few years ago, during a lunch hour trip to JoAnn with a coworker, I ran across this learn-to-knit kit in the clearance bin and picked it up along with a couple of skeins of a beautiful boucle yarn (pink ombre, of course). It was during that time that everyone was making and wearing those simple scarves knitted with eyelash yarn and how could I pass on the chance to finally learn how to kint at a discount? the kit couldn't have been more basic. It contained a pair of size 15 (10mm) plastic needles, two balls of eyelash yarn in candy pink, and instructions for a garter stitch scarf all packed in a project bag that was just the right size for traveling with my WIP. I was a few rows into it before I really got the hang of the whole knitting thing, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was also a huge ego boost because I was working a job that was, at times, humiliating to me because I felt as though the harder I worked, the less I accomplished. This was something new that I could accomplish and be proud of. It was exactly what my psyche and my self-esteem needed at the time. Needless to say, virtually everyone I knew got scarves that Christmas whether they needed them or not.

football helmet dishcloth pattern
courtesy of Knitted Kitty~Carol

Still, I felt I hadn't really learned how to knit. I could knit, not purl, which meant I could make anything I wanted so long as it was in garter stitch. That was my impression of "real" knitting: knit and purl. I vowed I'd one day teach myself to purl. I even tried to do it a couple of times, but I wasn't getting it. I eventually developed what I thought was my own way of knitting. By guiding the yarn with my left hand instead of my right, I found I was much more consistent with my stitches and I could handle the needles easier. I wasn't so clumsy because the motions resembled crochet. When I finally tired of knitting scarves, I packed up my needles and abandoned knitting for several years. This leads me to New Year's Resolution #2: Teach myself to knit, for real, and complete a minimum of two projects by the end of 2011.

football dishcloth pattern
courtesy of BunnyStamping

I discovered Ravelry in April or May of 2010 and quickly became addicted and completely spoiled. It was like this immense online library of knit and crochet patterns. I'm not so sure when or how I stumbled upon the football dishcloth pattern, but I knew I had to make it. I vowed that I would find the time to finally teach myself to purl since I'd finally found the motivation to do so. Seriously, what self-respecting, needle wielding Patriots fan didn't deserve a football washcloth? (Dishcloth? No. This sucker's too awesome for dirty dishes.) Unfortunately, that now meant that I had to re-teach myself to knit. I'd convinced myself that my little way of knitting was wrong and I had to learn to do it the right way before I moved on to real knitting projects. That's how knitting became Mission #2.

basketweave scarf pattern by Sarah Blalock
courtesy of Red Heart Yarns

Still not fully committed to the cause, I did a bit of research here and there, and finally figured out that my method wasn't as wrong as I'd believed. My technique was a bit lacking, but the method had a real place in the knitting world. I found out I was a Continental knitter; I wasn't a hack after all! Thanks to a few tutorials on Youtube, I was able to refine my knit stitch a bit to the point that I felt confident in trying the elusive purl. Well guess what? It was nowhere near as complicated as I'd previously thought. Now that I was working my yarn with motions that were more familiar to me, I took to purling easily. In fact, I find using a purl stitch easier than a knit in many circumstances, but I'm getting beyond myself. So, I got the football cloth done in just a few days and decided that a basket weave scarf would be great practice in working both types of stitches and in my concentration. You see, I've been crocheting for so long that I can literally crochet and read at the same time if I'm working on a simple pattern. I've reached a point where I can crochet by feel. Perhaps in another 20 years I'll be as skilled with my knitting. Until then, I'll listen to the TV as I knit.

Claire scarf pattern WIP
courtesy of Lynn Anne Banks

So I worked on the scarf for a bit and got about half way through it when I messed up a repeat. Rather than live with the mistake I chose to frog the whole thing and start it over when the weather started to cool down again. It seemed silly to knit a solid scarf which would be too warm and cuddly as spring approached. Besides, I'd been searching the Ravelry library and finding way too many beautiful lace patterns that I simply had to try. So much for completing (only) two projects in 2011. I currently have three different lace scarves on my needles, each with a different degree of difficulty, and I've completed two others as well as another cloth. The second cloth has a football helmet design, of course.

By the way, many of these stunning lace patterns require no purling whatsoever. Most of them are variations on knit such as knit 2 together or knit through back loop. Still, I've come to rely on this site for instruction and guidance when learning new techniques.

Marlene scarf/shawl pattern WIP
courtesy of Christine Ebers

So what's next? Well, I'm looking forward to finishing at least one of these scarves soon so I can move on to another pattern. I refuse to be one of those crafters who has a gazillion UFOs sitting in bags for years on end, so I won't allow myself more than three knit projects at a time. However, I'm in no real rush since I've already achieved my goal. Besides, there's always next year to start new projects.

Happy Knitting!

Here's a quick follow up to last weeks post: I finished reading Small Favor by Jim Butcher and absolutely loved it. And I'm about half way through Noble by David Hulegaard. I'll be posting that review soon. I'm going through Noble somewhat slowly because I've been reading shorter pieces here and there and not focusing on the novel except maybe a chapter or two at night before I go to sleep. My days have been full of kids and crochet with a bit of time set aside for knitting and reading.

Tweet Me a Yarn

100 grammi pattern by Cristiana

It's your project. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide how you want it to look. You choose the project. You choose the yarn. You choose needle or hook size. And together, the combination produces a finished product unique to you. But sometimes we need a bit of guidance to nudge us in one direction or another.

This is where I find Twitter so useful. "Huh?" I hear you thinking, "How is Twitter going to help you choose a project?" I doesn't HAVE to be Twitter. That just happens to be my social networking medium of choice. You see, I've got some great pals (tweeps) who help me make these decisions. Even if I don't take their advice about yarn choices for certain patterns, their opinions help me to refine my own idea of how I want a finished object to look.

Here's what happened: Not so long ago I stocked up on yarn including a few styles just for me. Most of what I buy is just worsted weight cotton that I use for pattern writing/samples, but I splurged just a little this time. One of the yarns I bought is Dazzling Diamonds by Elmore Pisgah, the original makers of Peaches & Creme. It is absolutely beautiful, but I had no idea what I'd use it for. I knew it wouldn't be crochet since these hands can't handle crocheting with such fine yarns, but exactly what did I want to knit? That's where Twitter came in. Last night I finished my latest knitting project (check it out) and I've been really wanting to find something for the Dazzling Diamonds. About the same time, my pal Melissa was playing online and tweeting and emailing her discoveries to me. Now Melissa doesn't knit, but she knows I do and she sent me a gorgeous shawl pattern which got my wheels turning. I sent her a tweet asking her to keep her eyes open for anything that might do the Dazzling Diamonds justice. She suggested I hit Ravelry and search the projects made with the yarn. (Now why didn't I think of that?) Although the search didn't turn up anything useful, it did begin a conversation. Melissa and I went back and forth for a bit and I tweeted a couple of links to her. While she didn't actually make the choice for me, having her eyes helped me to further refine my own idea for what I wanted for the two projects I ultimately chose.

Here they are: Claire by Lynn Anne Banks in Dazzling Diamonds pale pink and Flit 'n Float by Birdy Evans in Honeysuckle cotton (fingering) baby blue

I realised through all of this how reliant I've become on social media because of my craft. You see, I have exactly ZERO local friends who are needlecrafters, so when it comes to bouncing ideas off of other knitters or crocheters, I automatically take to Twitter where I can contact a bunch at once. We share projects, ideas, yarn sites. We offer opinions, encouragement, instruction. But most of all, we're friends. I'd love to have them all right here in Boston with me, but that would mean I'd have to get out of my pajamas to see them. I guess I'll stick with Twitter until the next best thing comes along.

Talk to me. . . When you need input, where do you turn?