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Today I got a question from a newer knitter: Knots

Today I got a question from a newer knitter: Knots

My customer was upset that she found a knot in her ball of yarn. Of course she was! I remember the first time this happened to me–I think I was about 10-11 years old and I was outraged!

But after a lifetime of knitting/crocheting, and more than 10 years owning our business, I have learned a lot from manufacturers., Of course, they cannot intercept every flaw while putting up the balls of yarn. So some will always get through; the standard for knots is 1) no more than one per ball, and 2) a knot in less than 3% of all balls. So this is a very small probability of getting a knot, but at the same time most knitters have experienced this at least once. I have had manufacturers recall yarns because of knots as a defect, so I know they do keep track of this as a quality issue.

This is how I deal with knots that occur in the ball: If it happens near the first part of the row, that’s great. Just unknit back to the beginning of the row and then start that row after the knot, leaving enough extra on the edge to weave in. If you don’t want to do that (let’s say you’re knitting a 48″ wide afghan and you have gone across most of the row) , you can weave the ends in within the fabric by allowing about 6″ on either side of the knot. I usually take about 6″ on either side of the knot and create a slip knot with those tails very close to the needles. When you’re finished with the piece and ready to do your sewing, pull out the slip knot, clip off the manufactured knot, and weave in the ends.

I know it’s annoying, but it is unavoidable over a lifetime of knitting. I hope this helps.

This is so inspirational in many ways– please take a moment to look at this

This is so inspirational in many ways– please take a moment to look at this

Today I ran across this article about a devastating wildfire in Western Australia about two years ago.  I hadn’t heard of it, and probably most of you haven’t either.

Beautiful needlework quilt to commemorate the Yarloop wildfire
The needlework quilt !

Almost the entire town of Yarloop was destroyed.  See the effects of the wildfire here.

The quilt is meant to symbolize life, recovery and rebirth.  The mandalas incorporated into the quilt were made by over 100 needle work practitioners (like you!) in about a month.  There are knit, crocheted, quilted, and embroidered mandalas, of all sizes.  Participation was generated by word of mouth.  It was inspired by the yarn bombing activities of a nearby town, Waroona, where the yarn bombing has become an annual event.

The part of this story that really impressed me was that these wonderful fiber craftists have recognized that even 2 years after the event, there is still need for support for the survivors.  Even symbolic support is critical to all trying to rebuild.

Of course the current wildfires in Southern California came to mind immediately.

While the rest of us are celebrating the end of year holidays, so many, many thousands of people from Santa Barbara to the south will have dreadful memories of the destruction that is occurring right now.   And after all the assistance from the government agencies and the disaster relief charities have gone, there will still be an empty hole in the hearts of so many people.  And that hole will need mending too.

 

WOW! It’s a goat jam

WOW! It’s a goat jam

Mountain Goat traffic jam, that is.  You can enlarge this as you like to see these beautiful animals.  This herd has just come down from summer grazing meadows (about 13000 feet) to winter forage.  This spot on the highway between Jackson and Alpine is about at 7000 feet.  We always see them right at this spot  both in late fall and

  late spring.  What you cannot see here is how incredibly steep the slope is on both sides of the road.  That’s what the goats like, because predators don’t like the steep.

See the little ones that are about 1/2 the size of the adults?  Those are the kids that were born last spring.  Merry Christmas to the mountain goats!!

Soft, with the slightest amount of haze…

Soft, with the slightest amount of haze…

MIST!     Another Hit at Stitches Midwest

Mist comes from Twilley’s of Stamford, a name known for quality throughout the UK.  Mist is an enticing blend of alpaca, wool and synthetic that fills out your stitches with a delicate halo– a Mist!  And it comes in the most becoming “misty” colors, too.

Mist Sweater

This is my design for Mist– a simple boat-neck pullover with extra long ribbing and embellished with an easy-to-knit lace accent.  The pattern is currently free with purchase, and a medium (38-40″) takes only 8 skeins–That’s a $50 project!  This shape looks great on almost everyone–the neckline is flattering and draws attention to your face.  If you need another size, just email Laurel@handknitting.com for yarn requirements based on your finished chest measurement.

What’s not to love?

What’s not to love?

We have a new website

Dyed and Gone Logo

Dyed and Gone is our new website for discontinued yarns!   We have worked with distributors to bring you the best quality yarns at very, very low prices.  The same great service you’re accustomed to getting from Handknitting.com, plus we have

  • discontinued fashion yarns– Lang, Trendsetter, Rowan, and more!
  • discontinued colors of currently produced yarns
  • & small amounts of yarns we will no longer carry

Everything on Dyed and Gone is a great  value — discounted from 40-70%, plus there is FREE SHIPPING on every order within the USA!  Wow!  New yarns coming all the time….

New Zitron has Pizzazz!

New Zitron has Pizzazz!

Brand new from Zitron, it’s Patina & Patina Color!

Zitron Patina


Wool and Rayon in a DK weight

Patina color

Four gorgeous multi color blends plus matching solids — imagine this:

Sarah Coleman

This sweater is from designer Sara Coleman shown on the Madrid runway, but this theme is everywhere in all sorts of styles — multicolored body & contrasting trim.

We suggest using Patina with the Ann Norling basic top down raglan  for a pullover with 1-2 balls in the contrast color for a piece you’ll wear for years.  Could easily be a cardigan–that’s one of the joys of hand knitting–get just what you want!!

Regia Zima 8ply Accessories

Regia Zima 8ply Accessories

We have just gotten a special purchase 8-ply yarn from Regia, and this pattern,

RegiaZimaColor Hat&wristwarmers 2 is free.  Take a look at this:

Regia Zima Color
Regia Zima Color

Zima Color 8-ply is a quick-to-knit DK weight, but with all the desirable qualities of Regia sock yarn, including being machine washable!  Just one ball (200g) is enough to make this set.

What a beautiful look, and it all comes automatically with the Zima self patterning yarn that changes colors while adding geometric pattern details.  It’s reminiscent of the S&S Mexiko yarns that were so popular.

This is a limited edition yarn, so get yours today.