Willow Cowl: Take Two

In my Vogue Knitting Live pictures, I was wearing a freshly knitted cowl. It was another Willow Cowl, made with gorgeous yarn that my friend, Toni, gave me. I had fun making the first cowl and wanted to try a second that was true to the pattern. I enjoy the result... but I won't be repeating a pattern again. I have found that I much prefer making something new each time, whether it be designing or working up someone else's pattern. However, I'm happy I made this cowl. It is very wearable and the colors are very me. I didn't block it; I like it the way it is. It's squishy and has a lot of movement. (I'm also lazy about blocking!)

Color Pooling in Crochet: An Exploration (with Bonus Knitting!)

Have you ever purchased a multi-color yarn that didn't work up like you expected it to? Perhaps the colors on the hank or skein didn't match what you wanted the finished object to look like. Perhaps an unexpected color pattern showed up along the way. When the colors of a yarn group up in particular places, that is called pooling. The color pooling in a finished object can really make or break it. You can have a lot of pooling or a little. The pooling could be patterned or random. There could be spots or stripes.

Here's the most important thing about pooling: It changes based on your stitch pattern. So, while it may be tempting to give away a yarn skein when the colors didn't thrill you the first time, wait! Try again. Another stitch pattern might make all the difference. Pooling can also be affected by the length of your repeat.

For this pooling exploration, I used a discontinued skein of Caron Simply Soft that my friend Vicki gave me, which hopefully represents something you might have laying around in your stash. I worked it up in a number of stitch patterns, trying to maintain around the same width.

In this first picture, I really like the pooling in the smaller stitches. The single crochet on the bottom left and the linen stitch on the top right look good to me. However, I don't really enjoy it in the taller stitches. The shell stitch at the top left looks a little muddy to me, and also has some vertical stripes going on. I also don't think this yarn looks good in the round at all, in either the double or triple crochet. What this tells me is that it could make a nice simple scarf, but I probably wouldn't want to use it for a hat.

I'm not the biggest fan of the pooling in almost any of the samples in this picture. The post ribs, v-stitch, double crochet, and triple crochet all look muddy to me. I think this is because this is a short color changing yarn instead of a long one, so in taller stitches there are lots of colors per stitch instead of just one or two. The knit garter stitch on the bottom right doesn't tickle me, either. However, the striped look of the stockinette above it is nice in a very different way from the single crochet.

There you have it, a small look at pooling. Have fun experimenting to find what looks best to you.

Rainy Sunday Knitters Go to Tolt

A few weekends ago my fiber group, the Rainy Sunday Knitters, took a little trip to celebrate one of our members. Lindley (in the blue shawl that she made for her wedding) just recently got married, so we all went to brunch and to Tolt Yarn and Wool to celebrate. It was a little bit of a drive, but it was worth it. Tolt is known for its inspiring displays of yarn and friendly attendants. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Pictures of items are mine, and pictures of people were taken by my friend, Toni. Thanks for a great day out, friends. Best wishes, Lindley!

Knit Yarn Bomb Spotted in Seattle

A while back I was walking from Capitol Hill to downtown Seattle, when I happened to spy this lovely knit yarn bomb on a sculpture outside Cornish College of the Arts. Such a stylish wrap the figure has!

Unexpected Knit Cowl

Sometimes projects don't turn out how you thought they would. When that happens, it can be a bit discouraging. However, finding the unexpected value in a project gone awry can help you to relax and save you a bit of heartache.

Remember this scrap project that I started forever ago? Well, I completely stalled out on it. I got bored. I was knitting round and round and round... and... *yawn*. It did not end up being the giant scarf that I had planned on. So, I reassessed my work and found the value; I turned it into a small cowl instead by blocking it out fairly aggressively.

As it turns out, I really like it this way! It was a good way to use up some nicer fingering weight scraps. It was also a nice mindless project to work on at my fiber group while we chatted. Hopefully I can carry this momentum into other stalled projects.

Have you had any projects turn out differently than you expected?

Guest Post for dellaQ

dellaQ, purveyor of lovely knitting bags, very kindly asked if I would do a guest post for her blog. Of course, I said yes! How fun and how sweet of her to ask. It's especially apropos as I'm currently carrying around my knit-in-progress in this dellaQ bag that I reviewed.

Head on over to Della's blog to read the post.

Striped Knitting Scrap Project

I really like my dellaQ bag. It has become the permanent home of my traveling scrap project, a striped tube scarf that I am knitting. However, you could totally crochet one, too! I have a bunch of fingering weight leftovers just hanging out in the bag with the project, ready to be toted along at a moment's notice. I am simply knitting in the round until each color runs out and then adding the next. You could easily crochet in the round to use up scraps in this way, too. When I'm done I hope to have a long, squishy infinity scarf that is one-of-a-kind.

Initial Thoughts on the Differences Between Knitting and Crochet

I've finally reached the point in knitting where I feel like I understand the process and the stitches (for the most part). It's common for folks to compare the two and make various statements about their differences. Ideas about which is "better" for one thing or another can spark controversy. For my part, I'd like to share my thoughts about the differences, strengths, and weaknesses of each craft thus far. I do have a bit of a bias toward crochet, but I'll endeavor to keep my bias out of it. The following is all opinion based but may be of use to you as you decide which craft to use for what purpose.

It's easier to crochet in the round than knit in the round.
To crochet in the round all you need is a crochet hook and knowledge of how to get started. To knit in the round you need special needles, either double pointed needles or circular needles that are connected with a cable. It's easy to start round crochet projects, even as a beginner. Knitting in the round was a little bit harder for me to start for the first time than when I started crocheting in the round. Also, starting hats from the top down means more wiggle room for sizing. In knitting, you generally start from the brim and go up.

It's easier to create various shapes in crochet, especially for toys and dolls.
Shaping in crochet is easier to do. Only one stitch is active at a time, giving you lots of freedom. In knitting you have to think ahead a lot more when it comes to creating specific shapes and plan how to achieve them.

Knitted fabric truly is more flexible.
There's a lot you can do by changing your hook size and yarn, but the structure of knitted stitches simply makes a more flexible fabric than crochet stitches do. This is why knitted fabric is heavily preferred for garments. Crochet can make some beautiful clothes, for sure, but the fabric characteristics are different.

It's easier to work with thinner yarns in knitting.
So far it has been much easier on my hands to work with fingering weight yarn in knitting rather than crochet. This is because tension is different in knitting and far less controlled than in crochet. In crochet the tension is basically all on you. In knitting the needles do a lot of the work.

It's way easier to fix a mistake in crochet.
Even if your mistake was rows and rows back, you can just rip out your stitches and correct it. In knitting you have to reactivate all of the stitches in the row with the mistake, an annoying and precise process. Also, a dropped stitch in crochet is usually not a big deal and can even be fudged or ignored. In knitting, the dropped stitch will just keep dropping down the work and create a problem. I've made some large crochet errors before, but even the smallest knitting error irritates me way more.

Knitting uses less yarn.
Knitting does use about a third less yarn than crochet on average. It's not a big deal, but it might be important when you only have one skein. However...

Crochet grows much faster and gives you a sense of completion sooner.
I'm not a particularly quick crocheter, but spending several hours crocheting can make me feel like I've really gotten something done. I had barely picked up my hook before I had my upcoming crochet bag pattern complete. In contrast, I feel like I could knit all day and still barely have a few inches. The difference in the height of the stitches just makes knitting grow more slowly.

Details and finishing touches are more easily achieved in crochet.
I also think that they are prettier. I recently made a knitted cowl with a picot edge. I had to knit an extra eight rounds on both the top and bottom in order to achieve it. A picot edge in crochet is easy peasy. Also, you have to think about your edges way earlier in knitting or make them as separate pieces and sew them on. In crochet, you don't have to worry about your borders at all until the very end. Pretty lace add-ons and appliques are also simple to put together in crochet. Those things take longer and are harder to make when knitting.

As you can see, there are pros and cons to each craft. However, I don't think one is better than the other. They are different and are both useful and wonderful. As long as you keep your end goal in mind, you'll be able to decide which craft is right for you or your project. I encourage all of you crocheters out there to try knitting and all of you knitters to pick up a hook!

PS: Here's my crochet bias finally coming out... Did you know that in knitting you are sometimes instructed to use a crochet hook to fix mistakes, to add beads, or to seam? I don't recall ever having been asked to use knitting needles in my crochet :p

Finished Knit Willow Cowl

I recently finished the Willow Cowl by Amelia Lyon. Many of the wonderful women in my Sunday stitching group have worked on it at one point or another. Others' versions were so pretty and fun that I decided to tackle it myself. Honestly, this is the first knit item that I have made that makes me feel like a knitter. If I remember correctly, it is my sixth project. I learned some new skills, got frustrated at times, but also triumphed.

My version of the cowl is altered. It seems that I just can't keep myself from making each project personal and changing it a little. I didn't do any of the decreases that the original pattern called for, making my cowl bunchy, squishy, and more open than the designer's. I also did fewer repeats. The reason I made these changes is that I have a weird thing about accessories being too close to my neck, and the original version pretty much hugs the wearer's neck. In fact, I often take my necklaces off halfway through the day, even if they are down past my collarbone! A necklace extender may be in order...

The beautiful yarn was given to me by my friend, Toni. It's Blue Moon Fibers Sox that Rock. This pattern is really good for a single skein of multicolored yarn, as a glance through the project pages will attest.

All in all I am quite pleased. However... I think it's time to go back to crochet for a while! My hands miss it.

Knit Cabled Scarf

I finished knitting the cabled scarf that I was working on. A friend identified the mystery yarn as Berroco Ultra Alpaca. I'm generally happy with how it turned out. I made a few mistakes here and there since I'm still a new knitter. I remember making those same mistakes in crochet. I still make mistakes in crochet, but I have learned that fixing them in knitting is a bit harder. Overall, I personally think I still prefer crochet to knitting, but I am enjoying the challenge. I like to learn new things. Do you? A few people suggested that I block the scarf, but I think I like it tight and squishy.

A Rose By Any Other Name? Calling Things "Knit" When They Are Crochet

The other day I went to an organizing store with Alex. Be still my heart... All of those storage options and snazzy tools got me all excited. I super love being tidy and organized! However, as I was walking about in my reverie, I saw something that fizzled my fun.

Catch the mistake? Those little baskets are crocheted, not knit! The terminology makes a difference to me, even though I both crochet and knit. It makes me feel like the maker is being disrespected. Crochet gets the shaft sometimes, which I think is unfair treatment of my favorite craft. A mislabel might be more expected from a bystander in a park or a well-meaning relative, but just think of how many eyes must have seen this label before it went to print to sell a product. They aren't even advertising the product correctly!

I know that there are many folks out there who aren't really bothered when their crochet is called knitting. What do you think? Does it matter if the labels on products erroneously label crochet as knit and vice versa?

Knit and Crochet Keyhole Scarf

I just can't seem to keep myself from crocheting, even when I'm knitting! After my major deadline was met (Yay!), I spent some time relaxing with projects that I hadn't worked on in a while. This keyhole scarf is knitted with one humble skein of Knit Picks Reverie and loosely based on this pattern, though I deviated from it. I didn't include the selvage, or garter stitch that surrounds stockinette to keep it from curling, and instead worked two rounds of single crochet around the outside. Included in the second round was a shell stitch border on each end. Finally, I reinforced the keyhole with some crochet as well. See what I mean? It seems I just have to crochet everything, even my knitting!

I am happy to be learning new things. This time I learned to cast off and on in the middle of a row. What have you learned lately?

Knit Fit 2015

How was your weekend? Mine was great! I had a chance to go to a special annual Seattle fiber event called Knit Fit with some good friends. I am so very lucky to live in an area where fiber culture is alive and strong. Sooz, Lindley, Hilary, and I met for a delicious lunch and a visit to the fiber market at Knit Fit.
There were also knitting classes available, but I didn't catch any this time around. Sooz enjoyed her classes on knitting for health and Portuguese knitting. There weren't any crochet classes offered. Maybe I should change that? :p It's sometimes hard to go to events that exclude crochet, even now that I know how to knit. However, nothing will change unless folks like you and me get out there and change it. We love fiber, too!

Wow, I have digressed... Here's a bit about my time at the market. I met some super awesome people!

One of the first booths I stopped at belonged to Three Fates Yarns, who I've interviewed here on the blog. 

 Just look at those gorgeous colors!

I also met and chatted with Dave of Dave Yocom's Wood Creations. His yarn bowls are absolutely lovely and he makes them all himself. Such a friendly and talented guy!

Look at this intensely creative interactive wall put up by Hazel Knits. They had each yarn color on a magnet so that you could make your own color scheme easily. So neat!

I was so happy to finally meet Cory Ellen Boberg of Indie Knits. She's simultaneously a local legend and a friend of those in my fiber circles, and she was every bit as wonderful as I had heard. 

Cory had many inspiring knitting patterns available for purchase at the market.

After looking for evidence of crochet all day and wondering if I'd have to leave disappointed, Meg ran in from the rain wearing one of her personally designed dresses.

Look how lovely the crochet elements are!

It was a terrific time all around. I am thinking about how I might want to get involved next year. Hmmm... In the meantime, here's one last picture. It's a weird one that I took after coming in from the cold. My camera lens was all foggy!