Ouch!

This morning I dumped my suitcase contents on the bed and unpacked, somewhere along the way I snagged a knit shawl (Deciduous) on a zipper. Ouch ...and bother ... and other words, there is a snag in my lace knitting. A ten centimeter loop of yarn that is not where it should be. Intellectually I know I can fix this, after all the yarn can be carefully teased and tugged and pulled back into the knit until the stitches are where they were. I know this - but I'm avoiding it, I think I need a to work up to this one. Any tricks and hints welcomed with an open mind.

Also on the needles and growing is my classic grey cardigan, growing so much that I'm almost ready to split for the sleeves and body! The rate of progress surprises me, but I have had quite a bit of time to knit this as my take away project for this weekend. I think I need to work an inch more then divide for the body and arms ... after that I feel it will continue to grow.

I was presenting at Handmade 2012, taking three sessions, and loved it. The attendees were all keen and interested - which is something I like about an environment where the participants have chosen to be there. The beginners all went away half way through there projects, being able to cast on and cast off and knit, and having done all of these things four different times. I have a sneaky learn to knit project that has them make button holes using a cast off and cast on when they are only 9 rows from the start. Newbies at both sessions even managed to weave their ends in, another important skill for the new knitter. We had all the usual incidents, dropped stitches, yarn overs where they were not intended, split stitches, and choices of yarn and needles that made for sticky knitting. As a class we talked about how as a beginner you are not in a great position to make the best choices about yarn and materials - and that if it was still very awkward after a while - maybe try a different size needle, or type of yarn or way of knitting. We talked, or I mentioned that as a more accomplished anything you are able to knowingly choose materials and tools that are tricky and do well with them, and that they would all be in that position sooner than they thought. Amazingly after the first hour there were several newbies who wanted to frog their knitting back a few rows and make it better! This was after they had worked their fourth cast on and realized their casting on skills had improved to the point they wanted to rework the original cast on so it was neater. All in two hours, I don't think I was so motivated in my first two hours of knitting!

In the more advanced session there was a great bunch of knitters who totally accepted that I was going to let them explore at least 8 different methods of adding beads to knitting, and that I expected them to think about which method they would use where. Most seemed to like the appearance of methods that used a hook device to place a bead over a stitch, found the methods where the bead was already threaded on the yarn much easier to work. I even told them about Fleegles latest play with guitar strings --- and provided two strings to play with. We cut them into shorter lengths and compared the guitar technique to using super-floss and crochet hooks. Again the knitters were amazing in that they totally accepted that there was no right answer, and that the class was more exploratory - guided by me. One even started playing with placing her beads in eyelets created by yarn overs and K2togs! Above are the tools we used, mini-crochet hooks, vintage ones in teeny tiny sizes, and OralB Super floss which is useful to have in a beading kit. The super floss is commonly mentioned online in regards to beading, but here in New Zealand is not so easy to find. I do like the squishy bit near the end that is perfect for parking beads on.  I trekked off  to visit two supermarkets, and three chemists before I resorted to phoning around to locate some close to home. A well stocked Chemist will likely have it or be able to order it in for you ... I'm still tracking down a similar but different product - floss threaders.

And here is the quick project of the week, called Bookcase and it goes with the article I have just submitted to Entangled. I meet up with Genny the editor and driver of the Entangled at Handmade and was reminded of how passionate she is about promoting and supporting crafters at a level way beyond the how-to-make- a-decorated-thingy level. My  article is all about how making a record of your making can liberate you and enable more making. I just have to finish it up and provide the final images, I've been waiting for some nice diffused light to make the photos with.

Take care - hope your long weekend goes well if you are in a country that celebrates the Queens Birthday - if not - welcome to the week!
Stella

You get what you pay for ... mostly

This past week I relearned that I get what I pay for, and sometimes paying for convenience back fires, and I end up taking the long road to do something properly. This seems to be a lesson that I have to relearn every so often, in  a wide range of situations. This post is mostly about me relearning that not all beads are nice to use, that even when I say I will set a project aside and deal with those with more urgent deadlines sometimes I don't, and that cats still want to sit just on paper - especially if you are reading something from it.

This time I relearned about bead quality. Next weekend I am teaching at Handmade, two classes, a beginners learn to knit class, and a more advanced class for those who can already knit introducing the use of beads in knitting. I've worked my samples, showing three ways to add beads, and had a project all planned - with hand outs and instructions - but I didn't have a lovely new unused project to show and tell how great beads can look. So I dug out my bead collection and set about knitting a beaded wrister, but none of the beads I had at hand were the right size. I wanted to use fingering alpaca, in soft black and grey but all the beads I had at home were too small - no problem I thought, there is a bead shop in town, I'll just head there and buy some that are the right size. So I did, the choice wasn't great, and the beads were not strung. That alone should have alerted me that the beads were not the best. This was what I found, size 6, orange glass and pink lined glass. In the shop they looked fine, back at home they looked awful, each was a different size and shape, and many were misshapen. That was last weekend,

This weekend I headed up to Oamaru, Enterprise Beads and bought some lovely even and perfectly matched beads, in size 8. Size 8 is a better size for sock yarn and wristers to my eyes. Compared to the first purchase these were not only nicer, there was much more choice - they were strung. Beads being strung on a thread is a simple thing but one that proves that each has a working hole, something not all beads can boast. And even better the beads were cheaper ... much much cheaper.  I bought white because for teaching I wanted drama, clear definition and a nice strong effect against the black alpaca yarn.

The only problem with making decisions in a well stocked bead shop is that it is easy to decide to buy other things. So three strings of these lovely black- grey and silver mix beads came home, as well as these lovely mixed pastel ones. I told myself that I didn't want to be caught out again without size 6 beads in the house.

The other bit of prep for the class was to locate some vintage fine crochet hooks, English size 4, and smaller. I had two already and some that were size 3. I found the size three a little big to pull yarn through the size 8 beads and began to worry that my students may not have all found hooks to bring. The local 'designer' opp-shop has a fantastic store where they clean, and sort and display all the best of what they have, and when I asked the staff pointed me towards a wee set of drawers holding dozens of crochet hooks. I found seven in the sizes I wanted, 4 size fours, one size 5, one 5.5 and one 6. Two even came with little metal caps to keep the hooks safe. One is a little bent at the non-working end, the rest had very light touches of rust - but a light rub with fine 0000 steel wool cleaned them up beautifully. Each is now smooth and ready to go - and at the grand sum of $1 each I am happy.

And while I was dithering around trying to work with beads that were not right, I kept knitting on the Clarie cardigan. I've finished the short rows that shape the neckline and for now the knitting is straight back and forward with raglan increases. This might be a useful cardigan, soft grey, and with a touch of crochet lace around the neck line but it is otherwise plain as plain can be - there is nothing but stocking stitch until I get to the cuffs and hem - and those are a long way from the neck. I'm working on 2.75mm needles, so this might take a while.

As a smaller child little cub was terrified of animals, dogs that bounce still make her stiffen and clutch the hand of a nearby adult. We can't explain why she reacts like this, and nor can she, as far as we know no animal has ever even hinted it might like to have a taste. And she has been around a lot of cats and dogs and other animals in safe ways - her fear seems to be deep and primal rather than learned - and we are working with it. That being said over the past four years she has become more and more accepting of our cat, and the cats of others. To the point she will now let a cat sit on her, or beside her, and she will pick up a kitten if it is small. This is great, because she used to edge out of the room nervously complaining the cat, any cat, was trying to 'get-her'. Yesterday was another first in her accepting animals, Yo-yo sat on her music as little cub practiced ukelele. I loved explaining that sitting on paper, especially paper that you were reading or using was an age old cat trick. Little cub accepted that and went on to improvising a tune of her own rather than reading the music.

This week is a tad frantic, Bear is away Monday and I'm away Friday to Sunday, but now I have beads and hooks - well I'm all set.
Take care
na Stella