Hello faithful followers. My apologies for my long absence from the blog. I am, in fact, still knitting by hand and by machine although the progressive crippling effects of the Rheumatoid Arthritis is making it more difficult to knit by hand. But, don't cry for me Argentina - I've found some tips, tricks, and work-arounds that I'll be writing about in the coming days that have helped me cope with my pain and loss of dexterity. I hope these will help some of my fellow knitters out there who are also suffering some disability in their hands and either have given up hand knitting or think they will have to give it up at some point in the future.
I've been knitting socks - with luscious sock yarn - on size 1 needles! How's that for coping? How do I do it? Three words...two circular needles. I know, I know, it's not some groundbreaking new technology. Folks have been knitting socks this way for a long time and I vaguely remember hearing about a technique for knitting socks with a single circular needle twisted and turned into an odd figure-eight affair. Never did quite savvy the instructions on that. Instead, I continued to struggle with conventional 4 DPNs (double point needles) for years and hated every moment of it. As a consequence, I can count on one hand the pairs of socks I've made over multiple decades of knitting. I did turn to making socks on the knitting machine, but I was never totally happy with the results.
I'm not sure why, but my MK socks were never as soft or stretchy as the handknits worked in the same yarn. The tension difference may account for part of it. The other part may be related to the need to use weights on the MK socks to keep the stitches from jumping off the needles. I suspect those weights stretch the yarn and remove some of it's loftiness in the process. Moreover, the Kitchener stitch (which is used to sew up the toe of top-down socks made either by MK or HK) has never been my friend and I avoid it whenever possible.
Imagine my delight in discovering a book by Wendy D. Johnson of WendyKnits.net titled "Socks from the Toe Up." Her instructions for knitting socks using two circular needles were easy to understand, easy to execute, and very easy on my gnarled fingers. The toe-up sock patterns are beautiful and also easy to work. And, oh, the beauty of working from the toe up so that there's no sewing up to finish! Socks not only come off the needles ready to wear, you can actually try them on for fit as you are knitting. Not an easy task with DPNs. Add the instructions for Judy's Magic Cast-on, which produces a perfectly smooth and seamless toe, and this book is worth every penny of the $22.99 list price I paid for it at my LYS (local yarn shop) as an impulse buy. You, however, can buy this book on Amazon for about 50% off. Here's a link to appropriate page at Amazon for your convenience:
Until next time, keep on knitting!
(ETA: Thanks to some wonderful machine knitting friends I've made on Ravelry, I am now quite happy with my machine knit socks, but still like to do the occasional pair by hand. Wendy Johnson's book is still my "go to" reference for toe up sock knitting, too.)
P.S. I love reading your comments. Will you take a minute to share your thoughts and tell me what you've been working on?
Prayer Shawl Ministry
If you've been thinking about lending your knitting or crochet skills to charity work, I'd like to recommend one of my favorites - the Prayer Shawl Ministry. There is such beauty and power in these prayer shawls (aka. "comfort shawls") for both the giver and the reciever.
The first shawl I made was for a friend diagnosed with ovarian cancer. As I watched her go through both surgery and chemo, I wanted so desperately to do something, ANYTHING, that might comfort her through that terrible ordeal. While surfing the Net, I stumbled upon a reference to prayer shawls. Googling the term led me to a website where I learned that these shawls are made and given to people in all sorts of life-changing situations (illness, grief, depression, etc.) for comfort, love, and inspiration.
I found a basic Trinity stitch pattern, pulled some exquisitely soft bulky yarn out of my stash, and went to town on size 16 needles. Knitting for only a few hours each evening, it took me about 2 weeks to complete the shawl. When I wrapped that shawl around her shoulders and told her of the prayers and love I put into its creation, we both cried. She later told me that everytime she felt like she needed a hug, she'd wrap that shawl around her shoulders. She fought that terrible disease over nearly five years requiring multiple surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy. When I couldn't be there for her, the shawl was. She died this past June and the shawl continues to comfort her grieving family.
Since that first prayer shawl for my friend, I've made a dozen more that have been given to others through my church's pastoral ministry. Besides being rewarding charity work, creating these shawls has also strengthened my faith and helped me develop a more contemplative prayer life.
If you'd like more information on prayer shawls, you can find it here. The founders of the Prayer Shawl Ministry, Janet Bristow and Victoria A. Cole-Galo have also collaborated to bring aspiring knitters thirty-eight distinctive and lovely prayer shawl patterns to knitters of all skill levels in the pages of:
The Prayer Shawl Companion: 38 Knitted Designs to Embrace, Inspire, and Celebrate Life
Beautiful pictures, easy to follow patterns, and anecdotal personal stories make "The Prayer Shawl Companion" so much more than just another book of patterns. You'll learn the meaning and traditions behind the kinds of shawls showcased, as well as the importance of these shawls to those who make them and/or receive them. Thoughtful, inspiring, and educational - knitters at every level of ability and proficiency will enjoy this book.
I encourage you to start a prayer shawl for someone you love. I'm so glad I did.
Freeform Crochet and Beyond: Bags, Cushions, Hats, Scarves and More
Here's another great new book I just purchased that is a unique addition to my bookshelves.
Freeform Crochet and Beyond
is written by Renate Kirkpatrick and offers both inspiration and instruction for this experimental art form. I've posted several articles on freeform crochet and often use these free-style crochet motifs as embellishment for my felted knit purses and more. As the title suggests, there is a "beyond" embellishing with freeform.I met Renate Kirkpatrick through a terrific Yahoo Group where we exchange tips, techniques and encourage one another to keep pushing the envelope with crochet hook and yarn. Renate is one of the veteran's of the group and a source of inspiration to all of us. It's so exciting to see her works in print.
What is freeform crochet? It's probably best described on the International Free Form Crochet Guild's web site:
"Freeform crochet is like painting. The hook is a brush and the yarn a paint. The result can be abstract or realistic. Freeform is original design, not a reproduction of another person's pattern, it goes beyond the realm of patterns and restrictions that usually apply toward our art. The outcome is a piece of art like no other, not only functional, but beautiful as well. Freeform includes 2-D and 3-D art, clothing and useful items."
Here's a sample of my freeform crochet used as embellishment on a felted purse, but this is nothing compared to the exquisite work of others who create stunning garments and even coral reefs populated with all sorts of sea creatures rendered with hook and yarn.
I encourage you to purchase a copy of Renate's book so you can discover the joys of creating something distinctly your own under the guidance of one of the best in the field. If you'd like to meet other afficianados of freeform crochet, do follow the link to the Yahoo Group above and sign up to be a part of the discussion. I'll bet Renate will be there to answer any questions you might have about the techniques in her book, too.
AntiCraft: Knitting, Beading and Stitching for the Slightly Sinister
AntiCraft: Knitting, Beading and Stitching for the Slightly Sinister
This book by Renee Rigdon and Zabet Stewart is one of the newest and wildest additions to my growing library of knitting and crochet books. I just had to post a word or two about this wickedly different how-to/pattern book of "slightly sinister" projects that will appeal to the teens and young adults who are into the dark, medieval goth look . Not only are there instructions for knitting pirate hats, constructing corsets out of black duct tape, sewing wiccan dresses, crocheting stuffed two-headed rats, and the like, but each project is accompanied by awesome photography. The talent behind the camera is Al Parish.
The writing is off-beat and hysterical, making the book worth the price just for its entertainment value, alone - especially to an old dame like me who wouldn't be caught dead in "double snake thigh-high stockings." There will be, however, two very teenage nieces who'll be happy with their Christmas presents from Auntie J this year - appropriately adorned with skull and crossbones, of course.
For the newbies out there, the book includes a section in the back with step-by-step instructions on how to knit, crochet, bead, and, incredibly - how to make chain mail! Patterns are clear and easy to follow, and accompanied by useful tips. I think what I like best about this book is that it's not exclusively knitting or crochet projects. I think it's great to break out once in awhile to make something that doesn't involve yarn - like making chain-mail earrings. How cool is that? The next time I find myself in a creative rut, this book is guaranteed to give me a laugh and a way to spread my wings.
Take it from me, you just have to buy this book for yourself, if only to see the unbelievable squid-shaped menstrual pad holder...
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