Month: November 2021

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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.