Showing posts with label Free Pattern Friday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Free Pattern Friday. Show all posts

Friday, May 30, 2014

Simple Knitting Tips: Where is Your Yarn??

I was peacefully knitting myself a pair of my (Mostly) Ridge Rib Socks one day, when I glanced down at my needles to see that the yarn was not where I thought it was, and consequently not where it should have been. And I thought, it's a good thing I caught this because it would have made a mess that would have been hard to trace, diagnose, and fix. And naturally it turned into a blog post. Naturally. 

How many mistakes have been made--and could have been avoided--because our yarn was not where it should have been. This applies to both the working yarn and the tail yarn. 

Some scenarios: 
1. Knitting with the tail. 
One of the first things we teach beginners, yet seasoned veterans still find themselves doing this occasionally. Awkward.
2. Working yarn is in the wrong place for knit stitch or purl stitch. 
Yarn front to purl, yarn back to knit.  Unless the directions say otherwise--in so many words.
3. Yarn in the cat's mouth. 
Pets and knitting is not always a happy mix.  I have a friend who has cats who will dig in the knitting bag for yarn then run off with it.  Needless to say, she has to use knitting bags with zippers!
4. Yarn caught in a dpn. 
This is what happened to spark this blog post.  I was two stitches into the pattern on one needle and must have set the sock down and picked it back up and when I did, the working yarn had gotten wrapped around the needle not in use.  Because the yarn was dark, (and the needles were, too, come to think of it), I didn't see what was going on immediately.  My Spidey senses were tingling though and I've learned to pay attention to them. They were asking me, "Where is your yarn?!?!"

The "Yarn caught in dpn" issue, except with lighter yarn so you can actually SEE it!

5. Yarn wrapped too many times around the needle.
Intentional yarn-overs are lovely things, aren't they?  The unintentional kind are not. I've seen the yarn wrapped too many times before working the rest of the stitch as a result of paying too little attention to the process of the stitch.  And maybe also a result of there being an adult beverage in range.  Just maybe.

 These are only a few examples--I would love to hear from you other scenarios so we can get the word out about this insidious problem.  OK, maybe not insidious, but certainly pernicious, right?

Also, the (Mostly)Ridge Rib Sock pattern is a free pattern, available to download from Ravelry HERE.



 

Monday, April 21, 2014

A Monday Medley of Patterns, All Free

Today I posted a PDF link to a very old pattern that I first blogged about four years ago.   If you're like me, when you find a free pattern you want to try, it makes life so much easier to have a downloadable PDF version, ready at the click of a button.  (This is especially true since it usually takes me 20 minutes to track down the needles I'll need for the project, but I feel certain that most knitters are more organized than I am.  Surely.)

This got me thinking about the other free patterns I have available, and although it's not Free Pattern Friday, I humbly offer, in honor of my newly re-posted Drop Stitch Garter Dishcloth: 

A Monday Medley of Patterns, All Free


Drop Stitch Garter Dishcloth
 

Thousand Mile Journey Scarf



Brickworks Thin-Finity Scarf

Friday, March 21, 2014

Free Pattern Friday: Red Scarf 2014


After several false starts with designs that simply would not cooperate, this year's Red Scarf Project Red Scarf is finally finished, published and available! Using Barbara Walker's purl twist fabric for inspiration,  the Thousand Mile Journey scarf features a soft texture that looks a little like tire tracks.  It's a lovely way to send a hug to a foster care student as they set out on the road of life.


The pattern for this scarf is available as a FREE Raverly download!



Friday, October 18, 2013

Free Pattern Friday: Socks! Now via PDF!

After having this pattern available for almost a full year (how time does fly...), I have  created a PDF file for easy downloading, and (presumably) easy knitting.

This pattern is not complicated, but it looks smashing when knitted up and if you use Cascade 220 Superwash Sport like I did, they'll be so soft you won't want to take them off.

With Christmas just around the corner, here's a great gift idea for someone on your list.  Cast on now--what are you waiting for?  After all, it is a FREE pattern!