Once again, it is all about the tools

First let me point out this is the reason why I don't even consider making money from blogging either written or video. I have been busy crocheting and knitting so there's no extra time to write unless I really discipline myself to do it. For this post it was sheer anger and frustration that provided that discipline and commitment. 

Allow me to start with a commitment I made yesterday at work...although I have been doing fairly well destashing, lately I have chosen projects and then discovered I either didn't have enough of the particular yarn I was using or didn't have a color I needed to complete it. I've also started two long-term projects and chose either yarns and or colors I don't have enough of to finish. Ergo-buy more yarn. Yesterday I had two choices to attain the gold worsted weight I needed for my current project. I decided that rather than pay for shipping and wait for an order from WEBS or Premium, I would make a trip to Michael's after work. Well, any of you dedicated crafters know that a trip to the craft store usually ends with other things in your cart along with what you came for. For me, last night, one of those "extras" was a Prym crochet hook. 

This "G" hook was $6.99. It is a plastic hook with a nice pointed tip so I thought it might work better on the amigurumi project I am making now and for others in the future. It also has a tapered shaft which is one of the things I really like about my addiColour hooks that I have been using exclusively since 2013. However, in practice this hook is terrible. To start with, it is all plastic so it feels like it won't be long before it breaks. The next issue is that the size on the handle is only the letter size (G). I prefer to know the actual diameter of the hook in mm as most patterns I use list the size in mm, not the letter size. The final problem and it is the worst, not only is the shaft plastic so it tends to stick to certain yarns, it is very rough plastic. I was using Caron Simply Soft and it felt like I was dragging sandpaper over the yarn. When I tried it with Lion Brand Vanna's Choice it stuck and dragged but now there was another issue. The throat of the hook is so narrow it didn't hold the higher loft worsted weight yarn securely to pull it through loops. Here is the Prym hook

vs. my 3.5mm addiColour hook

I do not recommend the particular Prym hook I bought. I am a bit too skeptical after this experience to try any of the other sizes of this hook. I recommend, especially for beginners, smooth metal hooks. They will make work easier encouraging you to keep going and improving your skills.

HAND THINGS - KNITTED

 Being back in the office after a year of working remote, the little weekday personal time I have is devoted to actually crafting as writing requires focus and takes time away from whatever is currently on my hooks or needles.  This week it is needles and my absolute favorite flip-mitts pattern.  

You can purchase just the pattern for $5 here Flip Top Mitts on Ravelry or the kit from Kraemer  for $10.40 which is a great bargain when you see the number of colors of yarn that you get to pick from. Based on my own experience, I say, start with the kit because you get the printed pattern and the yarn is a pretty nice 30% wool/70% acrylic blend. It's 'shinier" than Plymouth Encore which is my go-to blend but I would buy the Kraemer yarn again. The skein of yarn that comes with the kit is more than enough to complete the mitts. You will also get the two buttons. My kit had very nice wood ones. 

From the first time I knitted this pattern (I'm now on project #3) I knitted both mitts first. I opted for the closed thumb because I just figure you want to keep as many digits warm as possible. My most important tip for this part of the project? Don't forget needle changes.  The twisted ribs are done on the smaller needles and the center part of the mitt is on the larger ones. I am an intermediate knitter so how quickly these went may not go as fast for a beginner.  I will say though that you may not want to use this pattern to move from beginner to intermediate as the next part is a little tricky...the flippers are knitted to the main body not sewn on later.  The pattern does provide a link to a tutorial for picking up the stitches. For me, it did not work. 

Below is are photos of how I picked up the stitches in the middle of the work. I use contrasting scrap yarn and a darning needle. Because up to this point the two mitts are the same you need to lay them flat with the thumbs toward each either so that the flippers are attached to the correct tops for left and right.  I chose a leg of the V of the stitch - example on the left mitt, I picked up the right leg of each V moving from thumb going to the left across the top of the mitt. 

Something else that I highly recommend, if you don't already own circular needles & know how to do the magic loop, now is a good time to do both.  I apologize that I only use DPNs for i-cords.  I am not going to include links to YouTube tutorials as it took me watching at least three different instructors to find one that taught magic loop in a way that made sense to me.  We all learn differently so don't be discouraged if the first one you choose isn't working for you.  Working these flippers on just two needles, at least for me, simplifies it as you knit the one side then the other of the hand. 

I'm going to end this post here because I am currently working on the thumb of the second mitt then I need to weave in those ends.  I will post again when I get to closing the holes that always happen for me where the thumb joins the hand and get a few rows into one of the flippers. 

Have a great rest of your Sunday.  

LET'S TALK HAND THINGS-CROCHET

 Good morning yarnies,

This week I'm going to spotlight some of my favorite and not-so-favorite things to keep one's hands warm.  These include mittens, gloves, fingerless mittens and flip-mitts both knitted and crocheted.  Personally, I have knitted and crocheted all of these and done so with various weight and fiber yarns. 

I'll start with crocheted gloves or anything with individual openings for pointer, middle, ring and pinky fingers.  These are a challenge for me.  Although I haven't done crocheted gloves in a while I remember that you have to be super careful that your stitch count is correct before getting into the fingers part.  The other thing I remember is that the two times I did fingered flip-mitts...I had not discovered the wonder that is stitch markers.  For crochet, whether hooking in the round or having to do a slip-stitch join + chain(s) for the next round, stitch markers, at least for me, have avoided gaining or losing stitches in the round.  They also make positioning the fingers easier. Other than that, I need to go back and crochet a pair of gloves to give you better tips in the future.

So that brings us to hand-warming devices that have a thumb and one large opening for the other four fingers.  Every pair of mitts/mittens I have crocheted are one continuous piece from the cuff.  The cuff is usually single crochet through the back loop. Here's a great video for that.

Marly Bird's single crochet through the back loop 

The cuff is slip stitched together with the right sides facing. Turn the cuff right side out and pick up the required number of stitches around the edgel  I've developed my own system for this and it's hard to describe but know that most patterns call for picking up one stitch for each row of rib..so one for the "up" rib and one from the "down" rib.  Below is a link to Marly's video for the Snowday Mittens and the first few minutes shows this. Now she is doing slip stitches but most patterns I have done call for single crochets

Switch from cuff to palm

If you are doing fingerless mitts most likely your will just end with a crocheted row.  However, it may include a ribbing that I find fun once I did it. It starts with a chain followed by single crochet back down to the mitt, attaching to the body, turning then single crochets in the back loops back up.  If this is an actual mitten you will decrease per the instructions usually until there are 4 stitches left.  You cut the yarn leaving a long tail and put that on a darning needle. Run the yarn through each of the 4 stitches and pull it to draw the opening closed then turn the mitten inside out to weave in that end. 

 In crochet, again, it is ensuring that you have the correct number of stitches for your thumb hole. Adding the thumb or opening for fingerless mitts doesn't leave openings like knitting does.  However, hooking in a small circle is not fun and the smaller the circle the less fun (side note-this is why I don't do amigurumi). I will refer you back to Marly Bird and the Snowday mittens for completing a thumb.

Sometime in the future, I will post my notes on Sue's Free Crochet Mitten pattern which features the moss stitch. I have made two pairs of these.  

and her crocheted flip mitts which I have also made two pairs.

Go Handmade - Sweater with asymmetrical button tape - For English speaking/reading knitters

Link to free pattern in English

I don't remember where I saw this pattern promoted but it doesn't matter.  All I know is I saw this photo, I fell in love and had to have it. 

I downloaded it from Hobbii 's site.  I had the yarn in my stash - Knit One Crochet Too Sebago in French Vanilla. This is a DK and the pattern calls for Sport. I used 3 hanks. As I planned this for a child who would be 6 months old when I cast it on, I went up .5 cm on the needles so that between the weight of the yarn and that it would come out slightly larger...apparently I knit to tight or this is the first thing wrong with the pattern...my finished measurements matched the gauge for sport weight using 3.0 mm and 3.5 mm needles.

In the "Abbreviations & Definitions," you will find things that have nothing to do with this pattern.  You can ignore "I-Cord, Row With Holes, Short Rows and Crab Stitch."

This pattern is translated from Danish to English.  You will find commas in measurements where you are used to finding periods.  I apologize that I only did the math for the 6-month size.  To evenly increase 12 stitches, knit a front-back increase every 6th stitch. 

ROW 8 IS A RIGHT-SIDE ROW! I emphasized that because this pattern does not state that the first row is a wrong side row.  It's pretty easily looking at the photos of the sweater in the pattern also make this would be the case as the right side of the sweater is stockinette. The other reason for the emphasis is because the next line of the pattern will have you questioning everything you have done to this point

"On the wrong side knit as per diagram and purl all increases."

In reality? Purl the knits and knit the purls. You have set up the cables in the 8th row so remember knit before the 4 cable stitch & purl those 4 stitches. Purl each of the M1B. Also "knit as per diagram" is pretty random being placed here. The "diagram" is the 4-row cable pattern. You will refer to it on both the right and wrong sides. The diagram DOES NOT include any information other than these 6 stitches in each of 4 rows. PERIOD! 

Read literally this makes zero sense and is what had me emailing Hobbii and Go Handmade

"In each other row (right side), knit increases. Continue with the increases and cables until  15 (18) increases have been worked in."

Hobbii referred me back to Go Handmade.  They have also since removed the pattern from their site so I'm hoping that my request and my follow-up review of that help was the cause.  As for Go Handmade? Their test knitter didn't recognize any problems with the pattern. The pattern designer passed away before they published it.  Their English-speaking/writing customer service reps are not knitters. In other words, the help I got did not help.  At this point I searched through my patterns for a little girl's sweater I knitted 3 years ago that was a similar top-down raglan sleeve design.  Starting with row 10 and on all right side rows up to and including 44 add the M1B increases at each end of the sleeves, front and back sections. For all of these rows and the ones after you will refer to the "diagram" for the cables. 

You will be moving the sleeve stitches to the stitch holder or scrap yarn on a wrong side row. I know this is obvious but "knit flat"...you're still knitting everything except the cables in stockinette so knit right side, purl wrong side. Other than that, this will be a nice, calm section of knitting. The buttonholes open at rows 8, 34, 60 & 86. They will close on 9, 35, 61 and 87.  

Now things are going to get difficult where they don't need to be.  The designer went with casting 8 stitches on (4 at the beginning and 4 at the end of the sleeves.  This opening is then closed by sewing the underarm of the sleeve to the underarm of the body together. I HATE SEWING and especially hate weaving in ends. So again referring that that other sweater pattern I mentioned earlier I just picked up the 8 stitches that were cast on the body when the sleeves were moved to the stitch holder. On both sleeves, this worked very well. The other thing I changed was the cuffs. Because I knit with magic loop when doing tubes smaller than 16" and having tried switching from in-the-round to flat on circulars this was not something I wanted to mess with so I just pulled the last 8 rows in-the-round for the cuffs.  

Finishing? Stick with buttons 3/4" diameter or smaller if you don't use toggle buttons. The buttonholes are pretty small.  Also, use plainer buttons. I bought Minnie Mouse and sunflower buttons but they drew the attention away from that cable right alongside the "button tape".  

In the future I would like to play with this patter to enlarge it for at least a 2-year-old.  I'll update this post if I do.  Here is my progression of the sweater

Any questions? Don't hesitate to ask. 
 

A RESTART - HELP WHEN YOU CAN'T FIND HELP

 Hello friends,

I know I've been away for a long time.  Mainly because I couldn't figure out what to do with this blog along with needing a break from writing.  It took my most recent project to inspire me for a direction for this blog-project help.  

How many times have you been super excited about a pattern, either quickly downloaded it if it was free or hemmed and hawed for an hour...a day...whatever deciding whether you want to purchase it?  The latter can go longer if it involves having to purchase a book to get that one pattern you fell in love with a photo of oh Pinterest or Ravelry.  Once you have the pattern, you round up the yarn from your stash, pull out the correct sized needles or hooks and steel yourself for creating your own masterpiece version. Come on, it didn't look that difficult.  

The first reason for me choosing to be a help blog...the 60 Quick Knits series of books.  My first piece of sage advice? Read the reviews!!  Even if you are all about supporting your local businesses so you're planning on buy a book at a brick and mortar or by mail-order from a small business that doesn't post reviews - go to Amazon or Barnes & Noble and read the reviews. Had I done this I would not have bought one book from this series much less two. After the fact I did this and I also got into conversations on Facebook and Ravelry groups to find out it wasn't just me who ran into errata and false expectations. It was the first time I went looking for help.  For this instance it was fairly easy to find the information I was looking for.  

I'm sure you have at least one pattern that has presented some challenges and you went looking for help but it's not a pattern that on Ravelry has 50 projects done with it.  Maybe it's not even on Ravelry.  Maybe it's out of print. When you go searching on Pinterest it's just links to the page on the publisher's site or Etsy.  There are no notes. No help.  Now you turn to Google. If you find any information it's a picture or a link to where to acquire the pattern but there's no help.  

I want to tip my hat at this point to my brother and sister yarncrafters who have the skills & talents to do video tutorials.  I have at least two online video teachers who are my go-to's but even they only address specific patterns occasionally.  I was really lucky that my favorite instructor recently partnered with the yarn manufacturer whose kit I had bought and she had a complete tutorial on the pattern.  This was huge and I'll explain why in another blog post about that pattern.  

So for those of you who do better with the written word who are struggling with some of the patterns I have knitted or crochets, here I am.  Please put questions in the comments and I will tell you how I resolved them.  However, please do not ask about the seed-stitch beanie in 60 Quick Luxury Knits.  I have tried to get past the second row after the i-cord tail on the top and given up.  I will say there are a lot of notes on individuals projects on Ravelry along with questions that have been answered by the designer. None of them helped even after I went with a normal i-cord rather than the seed stitch version the pattern starts with. 

Weekend Whoopin' - Can we discuss the flag?

I am a Girl Scout, a veteran and the daughter of a veteran who is twice a past commander of an American Legion post.  Working with the Legion, Dad was part of a team that went to the local grammar schools every year on Flag Day to do a presentation about the history of the U.S flag and how to take care of it.  At these events as they do throughout the year (along with the VFW) they collected flags that needed to be correctly destroyed.  The children were given cards printed with the key points of the Flag Code.

What does this have to do with yarn crafting.  Recently on various online crochet groups I follow on social media have included links to patterns and photos of the final product of the Stars & Stripes. Every time I see these things I fight my urge to post this rant.  Now I am going to post it here.

Let's start with using the flag as a bed covering, pillows or clothing:

"d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery."

I have seen these patterns used as afghans, bedspreads and pillows.  This is disrespecting the flag.  There are no laws that one would be arrested for doing this.  However, understand that this is not showing any reverence for the flag.  It is not an act of patriotism.

Second is photographs of the finished projects.  I have seen far too many photos of these flags spread out on the floor.  If there is one thing I have always known, the flag should not touch the ground and if it does it should be destroyed.

"(b) The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise."

So dear crocheters.  Although many of your works are impeccable and gorgeous, you really need to go verse yourself on the U.S. Flag Code.  Thank you

Trick & Tricks Tuesday - invest in your craft

Just the other day, it dawned on me that just about everyone starts a new venture wrong.  It's understandable how that happens but it makes me wonder how many people get frustrated and walk away.  Here's the "normal" thought process:  "Today I think I would like to try my hand at cooking, sewing, baseball, skateboarding, knitting...."  You get the picture.  Most any of these ventures require the purchase of something(s) to start.  Cooking?  You need food, a pan, a knife, dishes.  Even going to the gym requires the clothing or a bag to get it there...oh! and the gym.

This is where the train goes off the tracks though.  "Will I like it?  Hmmm.  Maybe not.  So let me invest the minimal amount of money in case I don't dig this."  So you go to Target and buy a cheap set of knives and a non-stick frying pan.  The knives chew up the tomato so much that it ends up in the blender for sauce.  The pan gets scratched up in the dishwasher and is now useless.  Or you go to Dots for a "sports bra", t-shirt and yoga shorts and sign up for the cheapest gym in town.  There's no qualified trainers to show you the right to use the equipment and your cute little neon pink and green outfit falls apart in the wash.  See where I'm going here?

Listen, even when my Gran' taught me to crochet she was kind of guilty of the same thing.  Admittedly part of her problem was the very tiny allowance my grandfather gave her and he didn't allow her to work so she kept Grant's in business for years and had a stash full of Wintuk.  Now I will say that the woman worked miracles with that acrylic nightmare but...  Years later when I decided to buy a few hooks and some "yarn" and give crochet another chance, my budget was also very limited as was my knowledge of where to purchase these things other than Wal-Mart or the crap store...I mean craft store.  I loaded up on Susan Bates hooks and Red Heart Super Saver.  When I decided to try to take a stab at knitting again, I grabbed a couple of pairs of Boye needles probably at Frank's or Wally World.

I'm not saying that large chain craft stores are evil.  I am saying that if you do start there keep some of these things in mind.

• If you have chosen crochet as your new endeavor move down the wall from the smooth aluminum hooks and take a look at Clover or even Crochet Dude .  I know the latter is a division of Boye but these are a step up.  Nice soft, easy to hold handles and the hooks have enough point to easily slide into a stitch and the metal is very smooth so they do actually slide.  I learned that Susan Bates aluminum hooks have a weird shape to the hook that makes it difficult to work stitches and the metal has a finish that grabs the yarn.
• Knitting needles?  Yes, I have a number of pairs of old Boye needles and have the same anti-slide issues with those that I had with Susan Bates hooks.  I also cheaped out on my first set of interchangeable circulars and got the plastic Knitters Prides.  The good thing is that, even though I'm out $35, I have extra cables, wrenches and caps.  After my LYS sold me two sizes of the KP birch short tips, I just invested $60 in the full set of long tips with cables and love them.  I also have two pairs of Nova Platina chrome-plated straight needles (10") and plan on purchasing more. (I admit I am currently using the size 4 acrylic tips as I can "bend" then a little. The birch tips don't and the points are blunter).
• Things you can skimp on?  Stitch markers, tapestry needles, totes and stitch holders.  
• FIBER!!  Red Heart can hunt me down but I'm puttin' it out there...Super Saver sucks.  It stiff, scratches and splits too easily.  I am embarrassed to say that I have actually used it to make wearables.  DON'T MAKE THAT MISTAKE!  I have a floppy beanie I made a year ago.  I have washed it at least 5 times and it still doesn't flop.  This yarn is virtually impossible to learn with whether you are trying knit it or crochet it.  Once you have an good hook or pair of needles, at least grab the Red Heart Soft or With Love.  My preference would be Lion Brand Heartland or Vanna's Choice.  Start with worsted weight (I'll blog about yarn weight another day.  Just ask the clerk for help with that) and start with a light color.

Once you have one or two hooks/pairs of needles then find some easy patterns on Ravelry or Pinterest.  This is where you can save money. There are thousands of legitimately free patterns out there. What finally got me to stick with knitting was a pattern I had found on Ravelry called "Emergency Hat".  Initially I was going to ask my daughter to make me one but then I decided to see if I could make it (after doing a great YT tutorial for a simple dishcloth that included increases and decreases).  I am now addicted to Emergency Hat and have made three so far with various methods of the drawstrings.  If a pattern is frustrating...Stop!.  Crochet Rookies - DO NOT START WITH GRANNY SQUARES! (I have a whole other post coming about those inventions of the crochet devil).  Weaving in ends is the worst part of either of these crafts and Grannies will leave you with a million ends to weave and very few places to weave them.

In closing, try to put away a little extra money for a few more weeks before heading out to the crap store to arm yourself for yarn battle.  Or, look for yard sales or online people who are destashing or selling off old tools.  Be careful.  There a tons of the hooks, needles and yarns that I have warned against up for sale.  I've given in to the fact that I am stuck with this stuff and honestly, I don't want pawn it off on someone else.  Just invest in even just a little higher quality so that you don't get easily disappointed and think you can't do this.  I'm not saying everyone has a talent for either craft but how many still think they can't cook because they had bad tools and/or bad food to start with?  And if you discover this is really not for you, back to the eBay/yard sale thing, you can sell good equipment and good fiber.  

See you back here on Friday for the end of the week free-for-all.