Single Cable Pattern

Hey Everyone!

Now that I have shared with you all the pattern for the Knit for Kids Sweater pattern, I though that a great way to follow that up would be to share with you a few of my favorite basic cable patterns.

This week, I am sharing with you the extremely basic single cable pattern, which I have also included spacing figures if you would like to use the pattern in a knit for kids sweater. Here several months ago I took the time and figured out the math for all the sizes to be able to have a reference for myself, for later when I wanted to use the pattern again. I am not a math person, so the idea of taking a bit of time to do all the math all at once, and then save it, and print it out, would save myself a headache in the long run.

I also included the figures for doing three cables up the front of a sweater, so if you would like to use that, it is available as well.

I get that there is math involved in knitting, and even though I don’t particularly like math, something about using it in knitting isn’t so bad.

To The New Knitter

I know learning to knit is hard, and with learning anything new it takes time, practice and mistakes to get good at it. Take it from someone who has been knitting for almost 2/3 of their life, I am still learning new things all the time. Patience and perseverance will pay off.

I totally understand that it is hard to not compare yourself to someone else or to not get frustrated, as I have done so myself plenty of times.

I have learned that you have to keep trying and working on learning new things, and that some things are harder to learn than others. Some people also take to it quicker than others.

What’s On My Needles Wednesday

Hey Everyone!

I am excited to bring you this week’s “What’s On My Needles Wednesday”, because I am actually making progress on some of my projects for kids in need while also making progress on a personal project. The personal project I am working on, using the Falling Leaves Wrap Pattern (which I will be sharing with you in the future in one of my Pattern Friday posts, so stay tuned for that) is complicated and I have found that it demands my undivided attention to make sure that I wind up with 83 stitches at end of the row and that I didn’t miss a step and only have 81 or 82. Beings that it takes a lot of focus, I am working on other projects when I am watching vlogs on YouTube, or TV shows on Hulu, or just getting tired. With that, I am making progress on my knit for kids sweater, and the baby blanket I have in the works. I have another dishcloth in the works, as I completed two while I was on semi bed rest while taking easy right after I bruised my tailbone.

In total I have four projects in the works, I still have my size 6 knit for kids sweater, a baby blanket, a dishcloth, and the scarf I am working on for myself. Like I said in Monday’s post, I am taking a break from having the projects for kids in need be my main focus of projects, as I take time for personal projects, but at the same time, it is nice to have something in the works as well that doesn’t require the concentration and focus that my current personal project requires.

I still really enjoy working on projects for kids in need, but at the same time, I am needing a balance between making projects for me, and making stuff for the kids. So don’t worry, I am not giving up or stopping the work I have been doing for the kids in need, as it is still my passion, I just have a tub of wool calling my name to use it to make cute stuff for myself as well.

Knitting Dishcloths and an Infinity Scarf

Hey Everyone!

This past week I have spent a fair amount of time knitting dishcloths to add to my stash. I have quite a few more skeins of kitchen cotton, that I am working on  getting knit up.

I have been working on these while I have been taking it easy with my bruised tailbone, and having to spend some time laying down. They are also easy projects that don’t take a lot of thinking or concentration.

I am also wanting to get more knit up, because I am looking for work, and I want to get as many of the skeins that I have knit up before I go back to work, so that they are done whenever I can move out.

I have also been working on using my wool stash. I finished knitting an infinity scarf last night, so I could wash it, block it (while it drys) and the sew the ends together.

Taking a Short Break…

Hey Everyone!

Like the title mentioned, I am taking a short break, from my knitting projects for kids in need. I love these projects which is why I am taking a break from them. I have recently started to feel that burn out was coming, and to avoid that, I am taking some time to knit things for myself.

Knitting items for children in need has consumed my life, as I had thrown myself into these projects, for most of the last four years, and I just need some time to make some changes in my life, find a job, and knit some things for myself that I put on the back burner for the projects for kids in need.

Trust me when I say, that I am not going to quite knitting items for children in need, as that is where my heart is. I am just taking some time for myself, and to take care of some of my own needs, so I can bring my focus back to, and bring the passion/fire back to the projects I work on, and advocating these projects.

For the next few weeks I will for sure have up my Personal Project Tuesday posts, and my Pattern Friday Posts. There will still be posts for you all to read, and I will work to keep up my Thursday Tip posts, but I am not going to promise that there will be one every week.

Knit for Kids Sweater Pattern

Hey Everyone!

Welcome back to another Pattern Friday post!

This week’s pattern is the World Vision 10th anniversary Knit for Kids knit sweater pattern. This is an updated version of the original pattern I had been using when I had first started knitting sweaters. This pattern has a longer, narrower body, and longer sleeves.

I love having one of these sweaters in the works, as it gives me something to work on, that when I am done with it will then be sent to the distribution center and then be given to a child in need. I like that I have something to work on, but it won’t just be sitting around getting little to no use. It is for a good cause, and the sweaters will get worn.

I highly recommend getting involved with this project if you are looking for a charity knit or chrochet project (there is a crochet pattern on the website if you are interested). It is definitely worthwhile.

Needles Stash

Hey everyone!

Today’s Thursday Tip post is going to be about the different size needles I have in my needle stash, and what sizes I recommend as the bare necessities.

This post is intended for someone who has mastered the basics of knit and purl, and is ready to move on to bigger and other projects.

In my stash I have at least one pair of straight needles in the following sizes: 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 11. I have multiple pairs of needles in size 5, size 7 and size 9. Size 7 and 9 needles are the two sizes I most commonly use and I have at least two sets of them. I have a long pair and a short pair of size 5 needles. I also have circular needles in size 5, 7, and 9. I like having a few circular needles for bigger projects so I have more room to spread out the project on the needles.

Once you have learned to knit, and are wanting to start working on expanding the size of needles you have, I recommend size 5, 7, and 9 followed by 6 and 8. I have 3, 4, 11, and a circular size 13 or 15 needles. I will occasionally use the size 3 and 4 needles if I am working with thinner year and want the stitches to be tighter. I will rarely (like a couple times a year at most) use the size 11 needles that I have, and I haven’t used the size 13 or 15 (see I can’t even remember what size they are) since I purchased them. If you are into using really thick or doubling up thicker yarns, or a really loose stitch than the bigger needles would be good, but with the projects I typically work on I don’t have much need for anything bigger than a 9.

I also prefer bamboo and wooden needles to the metal needles, and I detest plastic needles. With the bamboo and wooden needles, the yarn moves a lot easier for me, and I like how they feel in my hands. I can knit with the metal needles, but when I have the option I go for the wooden or bamboo. I detest plastic needles because the yarn catches, and doesn’t move up and down the needle on its own, and I have had to force whatever I am working on, one way or the other to work the garment.

Whats On The Needles?

Hi Everyone!

In addition to the baby blanket and the wool wrap that I have in progress, and have talked about in my last two posts, I also have a dishcloth and a Knit for Kids sweater in the works.

The sweater has kind of just been sitting lately as I work on these other projects. I know I have talked about in the past that I can effectively only have 2 (not counting the purse project) knitting projects in the works, and if I have anymore (like the sweater) it just sits until I complete one of the other projects.

The dishcloth is technically my purse project, I spent some time working on it over the weekend, after I had bruised my tailbone (its still bruised but it is doing better), and it hurt too much to sit upright for more than 30 minutes. It was something that I could still work on while I was laying down. It was hard for me to just be laying there doing pretty much nothing for a few days, just because it hurt to much to sit.

I likely wouldn’t have started the wrap if I hadn’t needed to pull the second skein of Nature’s brown fishermen’s wool out of the bucket to finish the shawl I had been working on and finished. I then made a slouchy hat, and I am now just trying to get the skein used up, so that I don’t have to put it away. I don’t like having to make room for skeins that I have pulled out of somewhere. I also figure that if I can get this wrap done, I can wash the darker woolens that I have, especially the ones I used this past winter. I know I don’t have to wash them very often, I just want to wash them before I put them away for the season.

I also have several big skeins of 3 ply sport baby yarn that I want to get used up for baby blankets. I don’t want to have to buy more plastic tubs for storing the yarn. This is what I have going on right now.

Knitting A Woolen Wrap

Hey Everyone!

Welcome to my Personal Project post, on a new day of the week!

The Infinity Scarf I had talked about in recent posts I frogged, in part because it would take me a long time to finish it while trying to work on other projects for children in need, as well as the fact that I have buckets full of hand made scarves that I have made.

I have started a wrap with the yarn that I was using for the infinity scarf. I just pulled the scarf out, and I am reknitting the yarn. I came up with the idea of making a rectangular wrap with simpler cables because I have two triangle shawls and no rectangle warps yet. I am trying to build up my winter stock of warm wears. I wanted something that I can wrap around my shoulders that will keep my shoulders warm, but give me a better range of motion than a coat, and that is cuter than just a sweatshirt. I by no means am wanting to get into fashion, and be on the cutting edge of fashion, but I am tired of looking like a grubby college student how much of the time. I also really enjoy wearing my own creations, and getting feed back from people who see what I have made that I am wearing.

I know that in the past that I have talked about how much I like working with fishermen’s wool, so if you want to read more about why, click here. I live in a part of the country where there are quite a few crafts stores around town, that stock a lot of amazing yarns, and beings that we get plenty of rain, it creates the perfect culmination of elements for working on projects that help keep the wet cold from going straight to your bones. We get the damp cold with all the rain rather than having a dry cold.

For this wrap I am doing 5 braided cables, which are super simple and don’t require me to look at a pattern every odd numbered row.

Blog Changes

Hey Everyone!

Today is turning into the day of the Blog Post Onslaught. I will try to keep this post short because of that.

I have made a few changes to the order in which I will be posting particular blog posts during the week. I am moving the posts about what I am working on to the first part of the week, and then posting the tips and patterns posts at the end of the week/before the weekend. At this point I am leaving weekends free of scheduled/regular posts, though I may post something related to knitting if it happens or I come across it on a weekend, but that would be whenever it happens/I see it and want to share it.

Now that I have decided to do a post a week on a project for a good cause/charity, a post a week on a personal project, and then a quick post a week on the other projects I have going on, I didn’t like the idea of having days go by between projects, especially having a “what’s on the needles Wednesday” between a charity project post and a personal project post. For my own sanity and continuity I decided that the what’s on the needles post should come after I have highlighted two projects, so that I can talk about the projects I have going on in general terms while trying to keep some stuff “secret” for later in the week. I hate reading something and feel like I am missing something, and not be able to go back to earlier posts and find out what I missed sort of thing, so I refuse to do it to you, my readers.

I will still be posting a tips post, a pattern post, and posts about a charity projects and personal projects I am working on, just in a different order than what I had started. I like having regular posts going up on my blog, I feel more accomplished, and I like having topics for different days, so that I can get ideas during the week, and having something to actually write about rather than the “I should write a post on the blog, but I don’t know what I should write about” going on. Consistency is good for me, you and my blog.

If you have questions, comments, ideas or just want to leave me a quick note letting me know you like the direction I am taking my blog, leave me a comment below. I enjoy reading the comments people leave, and will reply to as many as I can!