Casting Off

It's been a while since Knitting & Crochet Blog Week finished - and I didn't manage to do days 6 and 7 at the time because things were a little hectic, but I wanted to complete my posts - so here they are! [double post alert!]

KCBW4 Day 6 - A Tool To Covet

It's pretty hard to pin down my very favourite knitting tool...but I think there's a lot to be said for investing in a beautiful pair of knitting needles which make the art of crafting that little bit more pleasureable. Generally, straight knitting needles which are not too short are my thing, as I favour a style of knitting where you tuck one needle under an arm. I'm particularly fond of my bamboo, birch and rosewood sets of needles. There is something lovely and incredibly special about working with natural fibres on a beautifully carved pair of wooden pointy sticks.

Other tools I find incredibly useful are my (left-handed) scissors which are nice and sharp, some point protectors (stops me from jabbing myself! Or from getting holes in my bag) and a ruler or measuring tape. I also find I like to make little notes to keep track of my progress with a pattern. Not forgetting essentials like pins, sewing needles and some method of steam generation to finish things off nicely.

I enjoy looking out for unusual knitting accoutrements on my travels too - you just never know what little treasures you might find!

KCBW4 Day 7 - Looking Forward

Thinking about what I'd like to achieve over the next year or so, regarding all things knit, I suspect, as with every year, I won't quite manage to knit as much or as often as I would like to...but I do have a few aspirations.

I would like to actually finish off more projects that I start or have already begun, something which others who are "serial starters" can relate to I'm sure! I do tend to put off the final stages of blocking, darning in ends and sewing up. (Guilty!)

I hope to remedy this by revisiting some forlorn UFOs (unfinished objects, to the uninitiated!), some of which have been languishing for rather too long. After all, every knitter loves to reach the proud moment where they can show off their beautiful handiwork to the world (or maybe just the rest of Ravelry).

I'd also like to try out a few more stitch patterns - lace and/or cables - which I've been musing about. The other goal I hereby set is to actually write more knitting patterns. I've written a few to date, mainly baby knits, and would like to expand my library of knits.

Click here to check out the rest of my Knitting & Crochet Blog Week (4) posts... or view those from previous years: Year 3 - 2012 • Year 2 - 2011 • Year 1 - 2010

K is for Knitaholic - 4KCBWDAY5

Day 5 - Something a bit different!

Friday's entry is s little delayed...I'm moving this weekend so things are a wee bit chaotic, to say the least!! For something 'a little different' I decided to do a post with an A-Z of Knitting.



A - Addictive. Knitting is truly addictive once you get into the swing of it!
B - Bamboo, my favourite type of knitting needle, and a very lovely (and sustainable) fibre to work with too.
C - Cast on; where all the fun begins!
D - Decrease...one useful way of shaping a piece of knitting.
E - Environmentally-friendly. There are many reasons this craft can be eco-friendly, including the fact that knitters make pieces designed to be treasured and handed down for future generations. There are also plenty of yarns out there with real "green" credentials, produced via sustainable manufacturing methods, coloured with plant-based dyes and a host of natural fibres.



F - Fair Isle. A beautiful, traditional way of patterning your knits.
G - Groups. It's fun to meet other like-minded enthusiasts at a knitting group, or even share ideas, tips and exeriences with virtual groups on t'internet (hello Ravelry!)
H - Handmade. There really is nothing like a hand-crafted piece of knitting, made with care, love and attention. (Not to mention the odd dose of blood, sweat & tears!)
I - Intarsia. A great way of working coloured areas into your knits.



J - Jumper. Surprisingly, not something I have knitted that many of myself! (I'm more of an accessories kinda girl)
K - Knit. The first method for creating a knitted stitch most of us ever learn.
L - Lace...a variety of openwork techniques can be used to create lace fabrics, which I love.



M - Moss Stitch. A nubbly textured stitch pattern which I find very pleasing to the eye :)
N - Needles. An essential bit of kit for any knitter. I love how there are some really amazing options out there now, like beautiful wooden types and even wonderful colourful ones!
O - Online. A world of wondrous yarn havens, friendly crafters and a vast array of patterns await.
P - Purl. The yin to a knit stitch's yang!
U - Unravel. Always worth making sure this doesn't happen to your knits!
R - Rip back. Sometimes a necessary evil. Try to avoid having to do it with yarns like mohair - it's a complete nightmare, trust me!!

S - Stitch dictionary. I find these so invaluable for inspiration and ideas.
T - Time. Finding time to knit is sooo worth it. Knitting can be very therapeutic too.
U - Universal. I strongly believe that knitting is a skill anyone can learn, with a little determination and perseverance.
V - Vivid. These days you can acquire some fabulously vibrant colours. No need to be a knitting wallflower any more!
W - WOOL! One of my favourite fibres to create with. Also an incredibly versatile fibre.



X - X-factor. Yes, for me the art and craft of knitting really does have the elusive x-factor :)
Y - Yarn. Without it, where would we be?
Z - Zzzzz. I find a spot of knitting before bedtime can really help sometimes. Also, I just discovered that the word zephyr can mean "any of several delicate soft yarns, fabrics, or garments, usually of wool," according to the Collins English Dictionary!

Awash with Colour - 4KCBWDAY4

Day 4 - Colour Review

"What are your favourite colours for knitted projects. Have a think about what colours you seem to favour when yarn shopping and crafting.
 
"Only after writing this part of your post should you then actually look to see what colours you have used in your projects. Make a quick tally of what colours you have used in your projects over the past year and compare it to the colours you have written about. Compare this, in turn, to the colours that are most dominant in your yarn stash – do they correlate?

Now think back to your house animal - do the colours you have chosen relate to your animal in anyway - if you are in the house of peacock, for example, are your projects often multicoloured and bright?"



I feel that my favourite colours for knitted projects (and crafting generally) are more or less the same as my favourite colours overall: beautiful deep, rich jewel tones, as well as a sprinkling of neutrals and pastels to offset them.

Now to see if I'm right! (I imagine I'm not far off really, as I have a pretty good awareness of colour and frankly am quite obsessed with it.)

On reviewing the projects I recorded over the last year on Ravelry, I do think my initial assessment is about right. I'm not including in this review items I was commissioned to make as I do usually get requests for specific colourways when people order something!



I do know for a fact that my stash is dominated by reds, purples, violets, greens, teals, blues and greeny-blues - a veritable rainbow of saturated colour if you will.

This is tempered by my love of natural tones - many hues of soft greys, a hint of cream and a handful of inky blue and deep black. I also have a small collection of pastel yarns because I have a love for shades with a slightly retro feel - 1950s ice cream colours anyone?

[EDIT]

Just realised I neglected to cover the final part of the task! Ooops. In any case, thinking about the colours that appeal to me and that I tend to craft with, I supppose they do correlate in a way (other than perhaps the neutrals) to the sorts of colours a *real* bee might be attracted to in the world of flora. How fitting!

Graphically Minded - 4KCBWDAY3

 Day 3 - Infographic

Today's task was to create an infographic or some kind of visual way of representing information relating to your beloved craft :)

As a Graphic Designer, this topic really appealed to me, rather unsurprisingly. I have been toying with the idea of creating an infographic of some sort for a while now and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to give it a whirl.

I'm a big fan of using an infographic to visualise statistics, facts and numbers... partly because I think it's so much more engaging than looking at some random digits, but also because (confession alert) I'm a bit of a geek. I'll happily pore over stats for my etsy shop or the Google Analytics for this here blog!

I was also curious about the readership of my crafty blog so I had a little look and made a nice bar chart with my findings:

It's funny how pleasing it can be to see some dull old figures rendered as a colourful little diagram!

In the Honeycomb - 4KCBWDAY2

 Day 2 - A Mascot Project!

Today we were asked to consider a project which represents the spirit of the chosen "house" or animal. As you'll know if you read my post yesterday (and there's a hint in today's post title too), I decided to align myself with the House of Bee(s).

I opted for a rather literal translation of the theme, as you will see! Whithout further ado, may I present to you (a somewhat sleepy-looking) Papa BEE!

I decided to knit a bee on a bit of a whim, having spent an afternoon with my OH's little nephew, who is known to point and excitedly shout, "a Bee!!!" when he happens to spot one buzzing around the garden. (He seems to have a wee bit of a thing for these nectar-loving winged insects.)
 

 As it happens, the boy's third birthday was approaching when I was contemplating the topics in  advance of Knitting & Crochet Blog Week and I thought it seemed like a fun thing to have a go at, being no stranger to knitting the odd creature or two. I did a little search on Ravelry and found this cute toy bee pattern (which is also free), though I did adapt the wings quite a bit.

It's becoming a bit of a tradition for me to make things for the wee man... when he was a newborn I made him a funky baby mobile (more about that here and here) then as he got a bit bigger I knitted a pair of winter mittens for him. The thing which so far has had the biggest reception so far though was a knitted toy pigeon!

[Do excuse the slightly grainy pics - I hope to be able to show you some better ones when I have access to my camera but it's currently 35 miles away!]

4KCBWDAY1 - Knitting & Crochet Blog Week 2013!

Welcome to Knitting & Crochet Blog Week, which I'm happy to say I'm taking part in again, for the fourth year running! (Hard to believe it's been going for four years already!)

Day 1 - The House Cup

Today, the topic is to discuss "your crafting outlook/style" and choose a "house" which represents this.

I've chosen the House of Bee:

The House of Bee: "Bees are busy and industrious, but can flit from one interesting project to the next as bright and shiny things capture their interest."

I feel this animal (out of the four house choices: bee, manatee, monkey and peacock) most closely fits my knitting "style" - I tend to have several projects on the go simultaneously and I definitely have a chronic case of serial startitis! The lure of fresh new patterns and colourful yarn is sooo hard to resist though...

As a knitter I like to have multiple creations, usually at various stages of completion, but the thing I enjoy most about my approach to this craft is that I generally have one or two more complex, 'cerebral,' patterns in progress (for example a tricky lace pattern or one with lots of fiddly colourwork), as well as having a few of a more simple design underway.

This means I can knit to suit my mood - sometimes I want to work on something which requires quite a bit of concentration...and other times I like to have a simple project I can just work on in a less focussed way - such as when sitting in front of the telly of an evening. It's a great way of winding down, I find!


For more info about this annual yarny extravaganza, check out Eskimimi's blog. (Thanks to Mimi for creating the fab blog week graphics too!)