Monthly Archives: June 2011

When you select knitting projects of garments for yourself to wear, how do you decide what to knit? Do you choose yarn first? Pattern? Or do you have a function to go to? What about what is fashionable that season? Join us for the #knitchat on Twitter on Thursday, June 30, to chat with other knitters about what we knit to wear, when and why we knit them.

#knitchat questions:

Q1) Do you pay attention to fashion trends and knit accordingly or do you select your knitted garments with no mind to current fashion trends?

Q2) Do you knit a piece and assemble an outfit around it or do you knit a piece to go with an already selected outfit?

Q3) Do you knit garments for specific functions (wedding, grad, themed party, etc.) and what special considerations are there? (i.e. pockets, temperature, likelihood of having alcohol spilled on it, etc.)

DETAILS… DETAILS… If you want to know more about what #knitchat is and how it works

• Where: Twitter (follow the #knitchat hashtag)
• When: Thursdays on the date listed above at 6:30 PM PST/9:30 PM EST (1 hour)
• Who: Me you and other Twitter Knitters/Crocheters & Fiber-crafters
• How: Need a primer on Twitter Chat… check this out: What does this Twitter chat thing look like?
• How: to post photos – 5 ways to share photos on Twitter
• How: to shorten your links. Simply paste your link into the field in http://bit.ly/ and shorten it. Copy and paste this link into the twitter feed.

Sometimes even the craziest fashion can inspire briliant knitting

Summer means sitting by a body of water larger than a kiddie pool and sipping some sort of iced beverage while I knit. If I wasn’t a knitter I’d probably be a fisherman.  Both require patience though one requires you to be a little more still than the other. I try to keep my Summer projects small and I like working on things that are light and airy like lace or things made with sport or DK weight cotton or bamboo. It’s nice to have fiber projects that are cool to the touch on those hot and sticky days where you’d prefer gazpacho over fried chicken.  I’ve even considered putting my knitting in the freezer for a bit just so it was cool enough to the touch that it feel refreshing to touch.

This knitchat is dedicated to summer knitting and summer projects:

#knitchat questions:

Q1) What summer knitting projects do you have on the needles? Links? Photos?

Q2) How do your summer knitting projects differ than those of winter or other seasons?

Q3) Do you have any tips for summer or vacation knitting? Selection? Yarns? Packing & travelling w/ projects?

Photo from the Morguefile: http://mrg.bz/qtt1Tl

A great button band tutorial is available from pieKnits. Photo from pieKnits.

You can find the pieKnits tutorial here.

I’ve had a number of things linger in my pile of work to be finished. It seems like this year, I’ve been able to finish a lot of things. Finishing a knitted project may mean blocking and sewing the pieces together. Or it may simply mean sewing in ends or decorating your work with embellishments like embroidery.  For me the finishing work I avoid the most is creating the button band. No wonder so many sweater designs today feature the three button closure at the top. Today’s knitter probably just doesn’t want to fuss with putting in a band.

Have you ever had a mental block when it came to finishing up a project? Or maybe you’ve got some questions about which finishing techniques to use. This #knitchat we’ll discuss and share tidbits about that final stage of your knitting project.

#knitchat questions:

1.) Do you finish you’re projects as soon as they are done? Or do you start a new project first? Why do you think that’s so?

2.) Do you have any questions about finishing? Having problems with a particular project? (Maybe we can help you out.)

3.) Do you have any finishing tips to offer (sewing, blocking, embellishing?) Any tools you like to use in the finishing process?

DETAILS… DETAILS… If you want to know more about what #knitchat is and how it works

• Where: Twitter (follow the #knitchat hashtag)
• When: Thursdays on the date listed above at 6:30 PM PST/9:30 PM EST (1 hour)
• Who: Me you and other Twitter Knitters/Crocheters & Fiber-crafters
• How: Need a primer on Twitter Chat… check this out: What does this Twitter chat thing look like?
• How: to post photos – 5 ways to share photos on Twitter
• How: to shorten your links. Simply paste your link into the field in http://bit.ly/ and shorten it. Copy and paste this link into the twitter feed.