Knitting difficulty

I tried a pattern in the Vogue Magazine that was intriguing. However, as with any pattern, there are always modifications. The yarn I used, although the right weight and gauge, was too heavy for the pattern and will not drape as nicely as a softer yarn would(see above).

It is always difficult for a new knitter to determine if a pattern is going to be within their skill level. The Vogue magazine has a temperature-type gauge that helps a knitter decide if a pattern is going to be within their grasp. Over the years, I have developed a system of my own:

Beginner: Television on, comfortable chair, visiting with others. No Post-it necessary.
Intermediate: Television on, comfortable chair, Post-it following pattern rows, no other distractions.
Experienced: Television off, sit at table with more than one Post-it on pattern and row, no one else in room.

The above pattern was for experienced knitters, in fact I had to start it three times before I could get beyond the first four rows. Remember regardless of your level of knitting, there will always be patterns that will test your experience and patience.

What was I thinking!!!

This week has been a very busy one--the bazaar started on Friday so we had to finish all the projects and set up our booth. Everyone has been a little frantic. I have been trying to finish all my knitting projects and also work on increasing my tatting skills, not to mention keeping up with work, etc. However in a moment of weakness I bought the new Vogue Knitting magazine and started a scarf (pattern #8) that is more than just a little challenging. I have started it and ripped it out three times and the pattern still eludes me. What was I thinking? Now is definitely not the time to start a project especially one requiring this level of concentration. I should probably save it for a quiet Sunday afternoon.

I finished another Susan Wittig Albert book "Lavendar Lies". (I really have been busy, it's just that I read while I eat and during commercials, etc.) This was another good book although I liked "Bloodroot" better. Lavendar Lies was more of a cozy mystery.

The bazaar was not as busy as we expected it to be and our sales were not as good. However we did learn a lot. The really big sellers were the dishcloths and I have orders for approximately 20 more. I did sell a couple of the lambs but the dog sweaters were a bust. We have two more bazaars lined up; one at the Congregational Church in two weeks and then one in Central Point two weeks later. We were warned that the economy was slow and sales down but it was still fun.

Tatting or What goes around comes around

Several years ago my sister and I decided we would learn to tat. Tatting is an ancient needlework that has lost popularity in the past few years. Presently there are very few accomplished tatters and my sister and I wanted to learn this craft before it became a lost art. We both set out to collect several tatting shuttles, books on tatting and thread. Tatting thread comes in sizes that range from size 10 (the thickness of small string) to size 50 (the thickness of thin thread). After several months of comparing our minuscule projects, we both gradually lost interest.

Recently, however, two of my knitting students expressed an interest in tatting. I am going to teach them and hopefully will finish some of the projects I started. Tatting still holds a fascination for me as an art that is a little more difficult than knitting or crocheting. I will post any finishedprojects.

Life intervenes

On Sunday, August 3, my mother had a car accident. She totalled her Honda but fortunately she will be okay. She is in the hospital and eventually will have to have surgery on her heel. We are all thankful that she will be fine. Needless to say, my projects including my blog have taken a backseat for the last few days. We have been blessed.

I have been working on my dog sweaters. I realized the bazaar is only 10 weeks away and once the countdown begins, time seems to fly by. I am going to start a log of everything I have knitted and track the sales. I just hope everything sells!

Knitting pet sweaters

My daughter is convinced that I should be knitting sweaters for dogs. I love this idea, but am not sure that people will buy them. This week, however, I have made a sweater using a simple pattern and I am going to use it as a prototype. I am going to take several of them to our next bazaar and see how they sell. Miss Daisy, my dachshund, will look very cute in one. I am adding a d-ring to the top of the sweater right behind the front shoulders for the leash.

Books

I have been reading The courtship of the Vicar's Daughter the continuing saga of the Gresham Chronicles by Lawana Blackwell. I read the first in the series: The Widow of Larkspur Inn and just loved it. I think I'm going to really enjoy this book too.

I finished the sweater for my daughter's birthday. It is chocolate brown so did not photograph that well, however here is the one I made in raspberry. This is an excellent pattern.

How to knit

I have been thinking about knitting and the questions that are asked by people interested in learning to knit. Most of them are interested in the basics; how to cast on, the knit stitch, purl stitch and casting off. Once these basics are mastered the student just needs to sit and knit. It's the student that puts the knitting aside and doesn't practice the basic stitches that doesn't progress.

The harder aspects of knitting; reading a graph (or chart)and doing more complicated stitches become a challenge. I love starting a new pattern that is so complicated I have to use a Post-it to keep my place on the chart line by line. A pattern that is so difficult I can't even have the television turned on and woe to anyone who calls me at that point! This is a challenge--one that I try to do at least once a year.

So much for New Years Resolutions

As you can see, my New Years resolution to blog at least twice a week is a joke.

I finished all my knitting projects for Christmas and got them in the mail although they were a few days late.

We are going to be in a spring bazaar so have been working on the baby shoes by Debbie Bliss and the felted lambs. This is really exciting because it will be such a good opportunity for feedback.

I just finished reading Every Fixed Star by Jane Kirkpatrick and really enjoyed it. Her books are historical fiction based on factual events. They are special, at least to me, because she brings the characters and landscape to life. Even the horses and dogs become an integral part of the story. In this book I felt as if I could get in my car and drive to the area to visit the characters. The people were very real and, as it was set in Oregon, the scenery was easily imagined. I wanted to step in and help Marie search for her husband when he was lost.

I also Murder Walks the Plank by Carolyn Hart. This is another light mystery that was entertaining.

We are going to start making blankets to give in next year's Christmas baskets for children under the age of four. We have some quilters who want to participate with us knitters and crocheters so the project involves several ministry groups.

Beginner Knitting

I've been thinking about the multitude of questions a beginner knitter has, everything is so new; the needle sizes, the yarn sizes and all the specialized language. Yarn over for instance, yarn over what? A needle? Another piece of yarn? Or maybe just over the hand? Just getting to the point of the physical act of knitting is an accomplishment. Then there is casting on, everyone has a preferred method, and any and all of them are fine but for a beginner they are all confusing. There are several knitting books that explain the basics but the best way is to have someone who is willing to sit down and knit beside you. My granddaughter learned at camp and I taught another granddaughter. A classroom setting is also excellent. A friend's daughter's teacher taught his class to knit. Another friend actually taught herself to knit from a book, but most people don't have the time or patience--I would hate to have to do it myself! It is so easy to become discouraged because it takes time and concentration but for most of successful knitters there is a time when they can see the result of their hard work and have that first feeling of accomplishment.