Stories in the Making

~ or ~ The Best Way to Block Your Fibre Projects and Why You Should There are as many ways to block as there are fibre types.  And maybe that sentence, right there, is why so many people eschew the process altogether.  Because there is no quick answer to the question "How do I block this?"  Add to that the fact that most patterns end with the truly illuminating "To finish, weave in ends and block," and you're left with a sense that this "blocking" thing is only for those in-the-know. Well, allow me to initiate you. Almost everything I've read...

This month at Yarn Club we talked about our favourite finishing techniques, and I demonstrated a few with my MacGyver'd projection camera so people could see what my hands were doing projected on the wall. How you weave in your ends and seam up a project can make or break all your hard work.  It's rarely a yarnista's favourite part of the project, but it's worth knowing how to do it well: think of seams as the frame for your work. If they are sloppy or misshapen they will detract from your beautiful stitches. I've gathered some resources here from around...

Kris brought in this beautiful shawl. The pattern is Eiki by Janel Laidman. The yarn is by Rohrspatz & Wollmeise. Bogna brought in her striking black & white shawl. The pattern is Pure Joy by Joji Locatelli. The yarn is Yough Sock by Youghiogeny Yarns. Valerie brought in her first (amazing!) double knitting project. The pattern is the Traffic Scarf by Alexis Hoy (ahem), and the yarn is Estelle Yarns Worsted.

I was well into my knitting obsession before I heard someone refer to ripping something out as "frogging." I was even further into it when I realized that "rip-it, rip-it" wasn't the only way to go back and fix something, and boy was that a revelation.  And to be honest, a bit annoying - here I was learning all the myriad and impressively plastic ways I could manipulate my yarn and needles, and it never occurred to me that there were equally creative ways to get myself out of a jam without just undoing hours of work. The knitting time I...

People were in a very sharing mood this month, which is what Yarn Club is all about.  So many beautiful finished projects, and even a fibre-y book recommendation! Here's the roundup: We had TWO finished Doodlers to exclaim over this month. Above, Liz used MadelineTosh Tosh Light in dirty panther, astrid grey and grasshopper, for her project.  Her leather screw-in buttons are from Shall We Knit. [ Valerie brought in her Panda Silk DK Fan Shawl, made with Handmaiden Maiden Hair Erin brought in her Little Wave cardigan that she had ripped back and made custom measured changes to the...