Simple Knitting Tips: Lighting

Today's simple knitting tip is about lighting, but it is also about SEEING.

You've all seen it: the homespun illustration depicting Ma knitting by firelight in a log cabin, or maybe a little house on a prairie.  I have always wondered how she managed.  I would have been the pioneer mom who did her chores by firelight and her knitting in the open doorway with the chickens underfoot.  I just need good light to see my stitches.

I like to knit using as much natural light as possible.  There are some who have had success with products like the Ott light, but I've not tried them myself. 

The darker the yarn (and my boys like their yarns dark and conservative-looking), the more light I need.  My solutions are two-fold:

1. Knit by a window during the day.
2. Knit something bright during the evening, while sitting next to a lamp.

Why is this not more earth-shattering?  Because:

1. I do not have an Ott Light
2. These are Simple Knitting Tips, as opposed to complicated ones.

So much of the stress in my own life comes from over-complicating things (just ask my kids!) and when I can manage to slow-down, take a deep breath, and think clearly about something, very often the solution really is that simple.  Do I feel a tad guilty when choosing the simple solution when all around me are people who are crazily spinning their wheels making life more complicated than it has to be?  Yes, a little.  I figure we are all on a journey and everyone is at different places and probably most of them will work it out that they could relax more and enjoy life. (Certainly if they read my blog they will get tips that will help them, but wisdom comes from acting on the knowledge we have gained...)

My point is--buy special lighting if you need to, sit by a sunny window if you can, and remember to consider all your options, even the ones that seem too easy.  As Red Green always says, "Remember, I'm pulling for ya! We're all in this together!"

Simple Knitting Tips: Knit for Others

Found these cute labels at Nice & Knit

If you're new to knitting, you may be a little unsure of the suitability of your finished product as a gift to another.  Let me dispel this doubt.  Give!  It is an incredible feeling to knit a scarf and give it to someone and actually see them wearing it. (This is the *only* reason I stare at my children when they are wearing knitted items I made.  Honest.)

Here, in random order, are some reasons why it is so important to give your knitting away:

1. It gives you an excuse to knit more, just in case you feel like you need one.
2. It wraps that person in a tangible expression of love.
3. It can often motivate the recipient to purchase more yarn for you. (!!)
4. It prevents the dreaded I Own Too Many Scarves Syndrome. Once you have given half of what you've knit away, you own Just Enough Scarves.
5. Knitted items make great gifts.
6. Knitting for charity is always in style, but that's a whole 'nuther blog post!

I love getting gifts that were made by hand--all that time spent, making something for ME!  It makes me feel appreciated and special.  I never look at a handmade gift and think, "Wow, they haven't quite mastered that skill, have they?"  Maybe I'm just unusually nice, but I'm guessing that MOST people don't think badly of the skills of the crafter when that crafter gives them a handmade gift. 

So, go ahead, give scarves this year for Christmas.  Or dishcloths. Or whatever you have learned to knit. Be proud of your accomplishments and then go start a new project!  I'm fond of green, in case I happen to be one of the lucky ones on your list...

Remembering WWI and its Knitters

Before I was a knitter, I was an amateur historian.  It's a wonderful thing to be able to combine knitting and history, and to feel connected to knitters from previous eras.

World War I began one hundred years ago this week, when events occurred to ignite the smoldering aggressions between Baltic nations and spread that flame around the globe, claiming the lives of over 9 million soldiers within four years of battle.

Because there were so many fighting, the demand for warm clothes for both soldiers and refugees became hard to meet.  Knitters in America, especially, took up needles to help offset the need and turned out heroic quantities of socks, scarves, shawls, sweaters and more to be sent overseas.

Some say that a certain heavily mustachioed Lord Kitchener developed a special technique for grafting the stitches on a sock to prevent the seam rubbing the toes within army boots.  Whether this is true or not has yet to proven, but I like the story just the same.

Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener

No matter how we knit socks or whether we Kitchener the stitches at the toe, we would be wise to remember with gratitude the men, women and children who knit in the face of a global conflict (and a wool shortage, as supplies were apportioned for military use first and Red Cross yarn second).  The intangible importance of doing what seems like an insignificant thing cannot be overstated.   The morale boost that WWI fighting men received with each handknitted item, combined with the sense of accomplishment felt by those on the Home Front as they worked row up on row, remind us to keep doing good things, no matter how small.

If you, too are a history buff who happens to knit, I highly recommend Knitting America by Susan M. Strawn.

Carousel Hat: Free Knitting Pattern

I like milestones.  I'm not as good at remembering every anniversary (baby's first haircut? no clue!) but thanks to the Happiness Project I keep a diary, and I remember things I would not normally be able to readily recall.

For example, one year ago, on July 25, 2013, I sketched out 8 designs to take to the upcoming TKGA event in Oct 2013. I was able to knit up samples for 5 of them and 2 were purchased by Coats & Clark (you might know them through their yarn brand, Red Heart).  By February of this year I had completed the samples to send to Red Heart, along with the patterns.  And so the waiting began.  I admit, I am not a terribly patient person. Every few weeks I would go into the craft store and check the labels of the Red Heart With Love yarns to see if either of my patterns had shown up, knowing full well that the turnaround time for such things is many months.

On Saturday, I got a message from my friend Pat, who shared with me her friend Julie's new pattern on Red Heart (oh, my, goodness!  This sweater!!!) and I thought, let me check the new releases.  As I had done many times since Feb, I chose the yarn type and "knitting" on the free patterns page and scrolled through, but this time I stopped when I saw this:

The Carousel Hat as shown on the Red Heart website. Can you handle the cuteness?

This is my hat!!  And they found the most adorable model to show it off! 

I would say my patience paid off, but, like I said, I wasn't very patient!  Regardless, it's up on the site now and I'm very pleased.  I think it's kind of nice that the publication of the pattern is almost a year to the day since it was first just a sketch in my notebook.  Quite a milestone!

Now I'm off to go check and see if they've published the shawl pattern yet.........