Year: 2021

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On Hooks and Needles: The Bae Bag

Sometimes when I design something, I get a twofer – an item to sell and a pattern to make it. On hooks and needles this go around is a twofer. The Bae Bag. Both the item and the pattern have been in the shop for a bit and I really don’t know why it’s not selling off the shelves.
It’s a pretty straight forward knit. A feather and fan stitch that can knit up fairly quickly.

If you want to by one ready made go here.  Wanna make it yourself, go here.

The bag is made from cotton – though it can be made of another fiber. It can also be lined and the handles changed to make it more of a purse than a grocery or farmer’s market tote.  I believe I used Big Twist cotton. There’s a review. 

This would also make a nice project bag. It can hold an insane amount of yarn and the pattern or pattern book. It looks smallish but it has a great deal of stretch. An afghan project would fit with no problems. You might want to make sure the needles and hooks are secure. There are openungs in the pattern and a loose hook or needle might be able to slip through.

If you’re looking to make useful gifts or you want a fun easy knit for yourself. The Bae bag is just the thing.

 

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Peace of Mind

Yarn brings me peace of mind.

Knitting and crochet are an important part of my life but yarn, on its own, is kinda important, too. I wouldn’t have the stash if I didn’t knit and crochet. But I have more yarn than I can use in a year…or three. But the yarn calms me.

Lest you think there is something off about thinking of knit, crochet and yarn as mental health advocates, read this article about the Healing Power of Yarn

Yarn surrounds me. My yarn room at the condo is much bigger than my yarn room at the house. But still yarn controls the space.

Certainly if I designed the room with the cute cubbies that are shown on YouTube and in blogs but there’s no way I am actually going to keep my room that kind of neat and there’s no way I am going to spend that much money. I have bins – lots of bins – there are 19 in the outer room. There’s about 9 more and 16 bags in the closet.

There are some natural yarns but it’s mostly acrylic. The point is that it is mine. Bought and owned. Unless I have a huge falling out with my knitting needles and hooks, this craft and the yarn can be relied on. I can create things and sell them. I can give them away. My day could be filled with creative activity. The craft provides much more than just something to do.

Boredom has not taken over and I don’t suspect it will. The different yarns keep me interested just as the different projects do. Being surrounded by yarn creates an oasis and a place to run to. I connect with God and with myself. It hasn’t been just a hobby for some time. Peace of mind is no small thing.

 

 

 

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I Would Pick Knitting

If I was told I had to choose between knit and crochet, I would pick knitting. Don’t get me wrong, crochet is growing on me and I look forward to crochet projects – but maybe for the wrong reasons.

Crochet is faster and less complicated. These are good things. When I need a crafting sugar rush, I would reach for a crochet project. Crochet is more sensual and it does satisfy. I talk about the differences of knit and crochet in this post.

But the strengths of crochet is also the reason I prefer knitting. It takes more of my brain to knit.  Despite the fact I can knit with my eyes closed but I need them open and looking at the fabric when I crochet. The end result of knitting is almost always worth the effort put into it. Holding on to two, three, up to five needles requires dexterity of hands and mind. The hat, blanket or sweater is a monument to the work.

I love the smoothness of the knit stitch – even when it is textured. The rhythm of the stitches catches my eye. I appreciate it so much more.  Getting the same spiritual satisfaction from crochet involves smaller stitches so the texture can be eye pleasing. Crochet stitches are naturally more textured and bumpy. My favorite stitch is the half double crochet because it gives a smoother appearance. Double crochet, unless used in a pattern, throws me a little.

For a different perspective, here is an article why crochet is better and they give pretty good reasons – but still. This really isn’t a battle. I do both. I love doing both. They both speak to me. It’s the feeling when I’m done that rules. Knitting makes me feel better.

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Doing Good

Doing good around Christmas isn’t that hard a lift for most folk – that’s a guess on my part. I get there by thinking there’s honor among thieves so when they steal something, they’re trying to steal something really nice for someone they love.

At the best of times, it’s probably not a good idea to compare the deeds things with any crafter. A crafter sniffs out the holiday season sometime in May. Plans are made and executed.

During the holidays, there is always a call for donations of items crafters create. Among them are hats, scarves and gloves for children in foster homes to adults in assisted living centers. Yarn sales start at the beginning of fall and great deals can be had all the way to Valentine’s Day. But for some especially crafty people, they get more than just fiber when they fill up at the local craft or yarn store.

They get plastic bags. Those bags are turned into plarn – plastic yarn. Plarn gets turned into sleeping mats. The West Orange News has such a story about those mats.  Mats are made from the plastic bags gotten from grocery stores, craft shops and just about any place that sells anything. They save the bags from the landfills and the oceans and create a useful item to be used by someone who needs it. This project has been around for years. If you want to see a video on how to make sleeping mats, check out Knitsville U.

The need for these items don’t begin and end with Christmas. This is a idea for a year long project a craft group can handle. StitchCraft doesn’t currently do it but there is no reason not to bring it up as something we can do several times a year.

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The Name Game

The Name Game in creating patterns can be a stressful thing. One never really knows what to call a pattern. Could I actually get away with hat pattern No. 43 as a name as opposed to this?

It became so bad I had to create a work around so I wouldn’t get stressed out. My solution: name patterns in alphabetical order. Boy, girl, gender neutral; didn’t matter. I picked the letter and started reading the meaning of the names and if one struck me with what I wanted that pattern to convey, then that was the name.

Even if I am using an established pattern, if it doesn’t have a name, I will rename it on my design board and give the item that name when I sell it. The original pattern is given full credit when I do write about it publicly. Ain’t stealing nobody’s work.

I suppose I could go through the dictionary and find a word that works for a name. I might try that the next time and see what I come up with. Right now, the next item will begin with N. Instead of going to the baby name sites, I will open the dictionary and just start reading until something clicks with me. It would be funny if the next item was called the Nomenclature.

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On Hooks and Needles: Straight Outta

 Do you see my new baby? So the thing that’s on hooks and needles is neither a hook or a needle, the new thing is and iPad. I never thought I would sail that ship. I wasn’t an Apple fan.

But here we are.

I am not ashamed to say I love my iPad. I even splurged and got the expensive Apple Pencil. (The replacement tips I got off Amazon; I ain’t full on cray cray.)  It’s quick and fun and almost easy to navigate.

The iPad is being used to do some designing for my shop Abbey and Lincoln. Digital ideas are flowing and my iPad is catching a few of them.

As you can see on the screen, I’ve designed a SVG that’s straight outta the yarn store. It can go on bags, tee shirts, mugs. Make a poster any size and print it. Currently, there are 39 items on my design board- only 5 have been finished and are in the shops.This SVG is one of them.  You can pick it up or load it down, along with the commercial use agreement and start making items you can sell in your shop or online or to make for private use and gifts.

 

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Campo Alpaca

I found out about Campo Alpaca when doing my regular blog thing. My blog thing is to go to Google, put the topic of my blog post – in this case, yarn – into the search bar and ride the results to the end of the internet then start scrolling up to see what I can find.

I thought I would be writing about alpaca yarn. I was going to say the closest I’ve gotten to alpaca was using Lion Brand Touch of Alpaca  and I liked it well enough and really needed to do a yarn review on it. 

Instead, I found a social impact company named Campo Alpaca.

The company was found by Katie Lorenz.

FYI:The photo is a pic of my yarn; not their yarn. They don’t sell yarn. Pity.

A young woman starting a clothing company is impressive. The ethics that are oxygen to that company is an added bonus pleasure.

She is young (anything under 37 is young to me) and a proud U of W graduate. Mr. Honey has relatives in Wisconsin – they seem to be proud of just about everything. There is good reason to be proud. Katie believes a business should do good in the world her business is built on fairness to workers and leaving things better than she found them. 

Hop on over to the website or her Instagram page and check it out. You may even pick up a thing or two for the Wisconsinite you know and love.  I’ll get to that yarn review.

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Knit Worthy

Being knit worthy is a thing. It is the cause of the Boyfriend Sweater mythology

Not everyone is and before we make an investment of time and money (some pretty serious money depending on the yarn and some pretty serious time depending on the skill and the pattern) the first assessment we need to make is to know whether the person we are making something for is worth making something for.

I don’t knit socks is because when uses as intended, they quickly wear out. A good hike or a rigorous night on the dance floor and those socks are done.

This is the time of year knitters (crocheters, seamstresses, quilters) love getting out their tools and their fabric and fiber catalogs and get to working on those holiday gifts. Come January, you will find group pages filled with the lament of the makers. They will state how their work went unappreciated.

And there will just as many posts about relatives who appear ten days before Christmas with a photo of some elaborate thing and ask if you could make it for them in a couple of days for the party they are going to. They don’t have a pattern but you can just whip it up, right?

It’s OK to be selective

Knitting or crafting for someone is not a small thing. We craft because we love it. For some of us, like me, knitting is a spiritual gift. It is the process of knitting that brings me joy and peace and the finished object can be a part of that. It’s fine to be selective and give only to those people who will appreciate the time, effort and cost.

My husband, Mr. Honey, appreciates the effort but he hardly wears sweaters so if I made him one, it would find it’s way into his dresser. However, I get a request for a new scarf every few years. I just give him access to what’s on hand, he picks one out and we’re both happy with the results.

Don’t stress the thing that’s supposed to relieve stress. Knit for those who will appreciate it – everyone else can get a get a gift card.

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This Crochet Thing

This crochet thing has gotten a rebirth. It was helped along by the pandemic and also the Olympics because knitting and crochet were in the hands of Olympians.

Oddly, one thing that has caught fashion fire is the granny square, I suppose it has moved from being old fashioned to be retro or what I call retro fresh. Even in my shop, a hat that hasn’t sold much is selling again. It is a hat with a granny square vibe. Another hat, that is granny squares, has also sold after a long time being dormant.

I’m not knocking the trend; I’m glad I don’t have to chase it. There are already granny square items in the shop. I wouldn’t have placed them there to keep up. Trends are fickle things; chase them and to run to hide; leaving behing something useless that everyone wanted just a few hours before.

My respect for crcohet continues to grow. I find I am happy when someone orders something crocheted instead of knit. Usually,, that item will take less time to make and so it will be out the door that much faster. I can relax just a little more with crochet because there’s just the hook. Though I cannot watch a screen as easily as I can with knitting.

Don’t get me wrong, knitting is still my preference. Crochet compliments it nicely and is carving out its own space in my psyche. Nothing wrong with that. It’s kinda like a hobby that I don’t pursue but glad I have it. If I could just learn how to do it and watch a screen.

 

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To Each Their Own

When I started looking at knit sites and blogs one thing stuck way out: socks.  To each their own, I thought. But it seemed as if it was more to each their own sock pattern because the option to not knit socks didn’t seem to exist.

I didn’t understand the need to knit a sock – let alone two of them. I loves me a good sock. Slouchy socks and I were really good friends in the 80’s and 90’s. No one sadder to see them go off trend. But knitting a sock is a major act of love. A sock, when used as intended,  won’t last very long. Not to mention, it’s the very special person who can keep track of twos socks after they’ve come out of the laundry.  I am convinced single socks are sitting on a beach keeping sand off of missing tops from plastic storage containers.

“Socks are fun!” folks in the knitting groups said. I didn’t see it. I didn’t look at anyone making a sock and jumped to straight to fun. But, the pressure and the curiosity was too great. I made a sock. I didn’t use this video to make it but it was one of the more interesting ones I found. 

Made the sock –  a baby sock and I was glad it was over. I did not have a sock epiphany or feel the need to make another sock – not even to finish out the set. Haven’t felt the need to make another sock since – except to make Christmas stockings – it’s like knitting a huge sock but at least you get a present in it at the end.

Instead of socks, I knit and later crocheted, scarves. Scarves were easy and fun and didn’t wear out after one use. After I was told I needed to expand my knitting prospects, I knit blankets because they were just big, wide scarves. 

Lesson learned: knit what makes you happy regardless of the trend. Though knitting is a shared passion, it is a solo flight. Enjoy your own ride.