the-fibre-stuff

[the-fibre-stuff]

2.5) missing a dropped stitch far enough back that picking up the stitches was less work than the actual frogging

Let's play a game! It's a guessing game! It's called "how many rows back did I drop a stitch and not notice". I'll give you a hint: it's too many to justify laddering it up.

[the-fibre-stuff]

Oh, and of course I did a good splice between the end of the ball and the beginning of the cone, so everything will now be knit from the (less portable) cone.

Let's play a game! It's a guessing game! It's called "how many rows back did I drop a stitch and not notice". I'll give you a hint: it's too many to justify laddering it up.

[the-fibre-stuff]

Let's play a game! It's a guessing game! It's called "how many rows back did I drop a stitch and not notice". I'll give you a hint: it's too many to justify laddering it up.

[the-fibre-stuff]

not blocked yet, but, behold my first knit ever!!

[the-fibre-stuff]

If it makes you feel better, the second rule doesn't always prevent that problem! Maybe the light doesn't show the difference. Maybe you can't see the difference because the shadows from how you're working block it.

Rule 1 is really what you have to rely on.

Picked up some cotton at Joann's liquidation sale. Apparently, something made me forget the first rule of knitting. Did I check lots? No. Also, the 2nd rule. Did I look at my project as I knit? No.

Really bad. But I'm gonna finish this and wear it for yard work or traveling and not feel bad about how rough I am on clothes. I need play clothes.

Lesson learned, though. Check dye lots.

[the-fibre-stuff]

wait, wait, I'm starting to suspect my experiences are not universal and I need to know

[the-fibre-stuff]

oops I volunteered to make two baby blankets, one of which has to be made and shipped in less than 30 days

[the-fibre-stuff]

@milkweedman has made a bunch of them. Based on his experience, "the right tools" might be overrated.

Is there anything special I need to know about spindles before I try making one myself? I’ve enjoyed the Turkish drop spindles, and since I’m almost certain my dad has the right tools and an abundance of scrap wood, I’d like to try to build some spindles in different styles myself.

[the-fibre-stuff]

My ulterior motive in life is to become good friend with old ladies so they give me stuff like quilting fabric and yarn for free because they like that a young person is into their craft

[the-fibre-stuff]

For years I've been seeing posts about Tour de Fleece and everyone was spinning something wildly different and usually very complicated and ambitious, and I was like "oh no the rules of this event must be arcane for all these different projects to fulfil them, it is clearly a challenge to end all challenges, props to them but I could never." Didn't even bother looking it up, it was so out of reach.

It is only this year that I have discovered the rules are actually "spin most days in July" and... that's pretty much it.

I guess I'll get the spindle out after all.

[the-fibre-stuff]

Watching my mom knit a shawl for the local nursing home ...

I'm helping out, mainly by keeping hold of the ball of yarn so that the dog can't help out by keeping hold of the ball of yarn.

Mom: "I don't know why people think this is so complicated."

Me: "It's black magic"

Mom: " It's just either one of two things" she does something complicated with the needles "this is a knit" she does something complicated with the needles, that she swears is different from the first thing "and that's a purl."

Me: "You're chanting" (calling out the number of knits left to herself) "waving your hands around, and using up a ball of yarn. That's a verbal component, a somatic component, and a material component. Under D&D rules, that's magic."

Mom: "It's not that complicated."

Me: "Five hundred years ago, some man would accuse you of turning him into a newt and you'd be tossed in the local river."

Mom: "Well at least it's not crochet."

[the-fibre-stuff]

Happy July 1.

or as my temperature blanket calls it, September 15, 2024

[the-fibre-stuff]

I love thinking about yarn amounts in terms of practical distance. The cardigan I'm knitting will use 1,200 yards of yarn in 10 skeins. That's the length of 12 football fields, or close to 3/4 of a mile of yarn laid straight. I also think it's funny how small it gets compressed down to when wound into a skein, so that all 10 can fit in a shopping bag. When I tell non-knitters all this it makes their heads explode

[the-fibre-stuff]

My brain: Pack crafting supplies.

Me: We're literally gone for 2.5 days there's no time for crafting!

My brain: Pack! Crafting! Supplies!!

Me: We have a book!

My brain: TRAIN TIME IS KNITTING TIME

Me: ...fine. Socks?

My brain: Socks 😌

[the-fibre-stuff]

1st knitting project covered like 5 months of my life. Couldn’t believe I actually got the gauge right! just wanna brag.

[the-fibre-stuff]

pelcan Mouth perfec t size for put earbuds in to st\ore! inside very Soft and Comfort earbuds store safely put earbuds in Pelican Mouth. Put Earbuds In Pelican Mouth. no problems ever in peliccan mouth because good Shape and Support for earbuds cord of tangly earbuds cord. Apelican Mouth yes a place for earbuds put earbuds in pelican mouth can trust pelican for giveing good love to earbuds. friend pelican

[the-fibre-stuff]

Having taught a group of 48 grade 5 and 6 students (so ages 10 through 12) how to knit (in fairness, it was two classes, so actually 2x24), this is an EXCELLENT hack for dealing with a larger class too.

Yes, it's a lot of prep. But the knit stitch is so much easier to teach, and it sets you up to leave the students who are interested but not as skilled with the knit cast-on, so they aren't needing to learn a new skill. (I offered the long-tail cast on as a bonus. The other class I did all glommed onto that one given the chance, in part because nothing catches their attention like when someone lost all their stitches and you do the one-handed long-tail cast on at full speed while still talking to another student, but most of the two classes I did simultaneously just stuck with the knit cast-on).

I could lie and say that this was inspired by my mother only knowing the backwards loop cast-on, and so when she first taught me how to knit she would cast-on and then knit the first row for me (because that is an awful cast on to start with - the first year I taught at the school I had to ban the kids from doing it after one of the students started teaching his friends). But realistically it happened after how badly trying to teach everyone how to cast on before they started knitting went. With a class of 4-6 students it's fine. But trying to do the large class (I tried both using the projector to give everyone a live demo and when that didn't work giving them a YouTube playlist to watch on their Chromebooks) it's just too involved. Keep it simple.

Ever since I saw the The Stitchery video where ShannonMakes teaches Charlie to knit by giving here a project that already has a few rows, so that she can practice knitting before learning the hell that is casting on, I’ve thought that it’s the most genius way to teach fiber arts.

Casting on is fiddly af, and new knitters ALWAYS cast on too tight. Giving them a needle with a few inches of stitches on it, in order to let them learn to see the loops and get the muscle memory started for the stitches leaves them better equipped for lesson 2: starting the project. They’ll have a BIT more grasp of yarn tension and control, a bit more idea as to WHY the loops need to be loose enough to get your needle into, etc.

Same for crochet. Many crocheters, even high intermediate ones, will use a larger hook for their starting chain because it’s SO EASY to begin with chains that are too tight. Even if you do a foundation row (which is ALWAYS my preference, fuck a starting chain) your bottom chain is often too tight. Plus, with crochet, there are SO MANY loops to be aware of. Step one: find the V and make a single crochet (repeat for 5 rows) is MUCH less intimidating than starting by going into a chain.

It’s not possible to do this if you’re learning at home, and it would be a LOT of setup if you’re teaching a class of 50, but if you want to teach 1-4 people, this feels like a good way to start.