Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Knitting Check Off List

Bold for stuff you’ve done, italics for stuff you plan to do one day, and normal for stuff you’re not planning on doing.

Afghan
I-cord
Garter stitch

Knitting with metal wire
Shawl
Stockinette stitch
Socks: top-down
Socks: toe-up

Knitting with camel yarn
Mittens: Cuff-up
Mittens: Tip-down
Hat
Knitting with silk

Moebius band knitting
Participating in a KAL
Sweater
Drop stitch patterns

Knitting with recycled/secondhand yarn
Slip stitch patterns
Knitting with bananafiber yarn
Domino knitting (=modular knitting)
Twisted stitch patterns
Knitting with bamboo yarn

Two end knitting
Charity knitting
Knitting with soy yarn
Cardigan
Toy/doll clothing
Knitting with circular needles
Baby items

Knitting with your own handspun yarn
Slippers
Graffitti knitting: knitting items on, or to be left on the street
Continental knitting
Designing knitted garments
Cable stitch patterns
Lace patterns

Publishing a knitting book
Scarf
Teaching a child to knit
Knitting to make money
Button holes
Knitting with alpaca
Fair Isle knitting
Norwegian knitting

Household items: dishcloths, washcloths, tea cosies…
knitting socks- or other small tubular items- on two circulars
Dying with plant colours
Knitting items for a wedding
Olympic knitting
Knitting with someone else’s handspun yarn
Knitting with dpns
Holiday related knitting

Teaching a male how to knit
Bobbles
Knitting for a living
Knitting with cotton
Knitting smocking
Dying yarn
Steeks

Knitting art
Fulling/felting
Knitting with wool
Textured knitting
Kitchener BO

Purses/bags
Knitting with beads
Swatching
Long Tail CO
Entrelac Knitting and purling backwards
Machine knitting
Knitting with selfpatterning/selfstriping/variegating yarn
Stuffed toys
Knitting with cashmere

Darning
JewelryKnitting with synthetic yarn
Writing a pattern
Gloves
Intarsia
Knitting with linen

Knitting for preemies
Tubular CO
Freeform knitting
Short rows
Cuffs/fingerless mitts/armwarmers
Pillows
Knitting a pattern from an online knitting magazine
Rug
Knitting on a loom
Thrummed knitting
Knitting a gift
Knitting for pets
Shrug/bolero/poncho

Knitting with dog/cat hair (my kitties hair slips in :-))
Hair accessories
Knitting in public

Monday, June 22, 2009

Updates Updates, and updates....

Alot has happened since my last entry. Here are the highlights:


1. Graduation. It was a blast. I can hardly believe it came and went so fast. Wasn't it just yesterday we were driving the baby home from the hospital?



2. Registration and Orientation.Everything is ready to move into the dorms and start studying hard (or was that hardly studying?). Wasn't it just yesterday we were diriving the baby home from the hospital????

WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?????

and finally.....

3. I am two swatches away from becoming the next Master Knitter in the TKGA. I've got to re knit swatches 10 and 11. Traveling Twisted stitchs and Entrelac. Thank goodness they accepted my charts and patterns. The paperwork was daunting.
Everything else was accepted.

See you all in a week......

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I think I've lost my mind..

I am now entering week 7 in my wait to receive my Level 3 from the committee. I pulled out levels 1 & 2, re-photographed some of them and pulled up some old photos and came up with this:

Thursday, June 4, 2009

De Rigueur

I needed something to wear over my sleevless dress for graduation. Here it is and the pattern as well...





De Rigueur (Summer Shawl)


Download a PDF of De Rigueur.


Level of Experience: Beginner

Finished Measurements: 18” high x 5’ long

Materials:
Yarn:
Valley Yarns Goshen (92 yds/ 84 m; 50 grams/1.76 ounces; 48% Peruvian Cotton, 46% Modal (rayon), 6% Silk) 3 balls.

Suggested Needles:
One 40” circular needle size US15/ 10 mm or size needed to obtain correct gauge. To save time, take time to check gauge.
Note: While gauge is not critical to this pattern, it is necessary to get the correct fabric quality to ensure proper drape of the finished shawl.

Gauge: 10 sts and 16 rows = 4”/10 cm.

Special Abbreviations:
K2tog: Knit two stitches together
Yo: yarn over
Kbf: Knit through the back then front of the next st.
Kfb: Knit through the front then back of the next st.

Loosly cast on 50 sts.
Set up row (RS): K2tog, *yo, k2tog, repeat from * to end of row. (49 sts).
Row 1 and all WS rows: K1, purl to last st, k1.
Row 2 and all RS rows: K1, kbf, yo, knit to last two stitches, kfb, yo, k1.

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until almost all yarn is used up or desired size is reached, ending with a WS row. Loosely cast of all sts.

**If a larger shawl is desired, use more yarn and continue in pattern to desired length.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Riding a Dead Horse

A Dakota tribal wisdom says that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount. In business, however, it seems that we often try other strategies with dead horses including the following:

Buying a stronger whip.

Changing riders.

Saying things like, "This is the way we have always ridden this horse."

Appointing a committee to study the horse.

Arranging to visit other sites to see how they ride dead horses.

Appointing a tiger team to revive the dead horse.

Creating a training session to increase our riding ability.

Comparing the state of dead horses in today's environment.

Change the requirements declaring that, "This horse is not dead."

Hire contractors to ride the dead horse.

Harnessing several dead horses together for increased speed.

Declaring that, "No horse is too dead to beat."

Providing additional funding to increase the horse's performance.

Do a CA Study to see if contractors can ride it cheaper.

Purchase a product to make dead horses run faster, like a new saddle.

Declare the is, "better, faster and cheaper" dead.

Find a quality circle to find users for dead horses.

Revisit the performance requirements for horses.

Say this horse was procured with cost as an independent variable.

Promote the dead horse to a management position.