KnitOasis: The Ravelry Group

I think most of us who use it will agree: Ravelry is an amazing resource.  I call it The Font of All Knowledge.  If I have a question about knitting, blogging, iPhones, Dr. Who, local happenings, even world events, I can find someone in the Rav forums discussing it, or post a question to be answered by the amazing bunch we call Ravelers.

Recently, I asked my daughter if she thought it would be useful to start a KnitOasis Ravelry group.  Her response?  "What? You don't already have one???"

And so I started one.

Why join another group on Ravelry? And more specifically, why join the KnitOasis group on Ravelry?

Well, technically, you don't have to join ANY groups on Ravelry to get a lot out of it.  As a database for patterns and projects and yarns and designers, it's probably the top website out there.  There are others, but I have yet to find one that offers everything Ravelry has and is as easy to use as Ravelry. You can live your whole life without joining a group and you will most likely be happy enough.

But, if you take the step of joining some groups (your local yarn shop's group or a group that discusses your favorite TV program or even one for knitters with cats) and participate in discussions in those groups, you will find a new level of involvement in your knitting (and crocheting, etc) life.  Back in the old days, before Ravelry, when we wanted to find other knitters, we had to either bump into them in real life (True story: I was stopped by a woman one day as I walked into a grocery store because the bag I was using as my purse was something I had handknit and she could TELL that it was handknit and she and I had a lovely chat about knitting and patterns and yarn.) or find them via the webrings we joined our blogs to. (Remember webrings? Do they still have those??) When Ravelry came along, however, it was like, "There are knitters EVERYWHERE! My people! I have found my people!"

The point is: Community. I can't tell you how many times I have been reassured of my sanity because it wasn't just me having a problem with a pattern/garden bug/movie plot/electronic gadget; there were others and sometimes there were helpful solutions and sometimes there was just company in our misery.

I'm not afraid to embrace the Shameless Plug right now and ask you to join our little group. It's free, it's painless and it will (hopefully) add dimension to your life as we discuss...well...whatever! Patterns, yarns, entertainment, history, pets...you name it! To join, all you have to do is 1) Be a member of Ravelry and 2) Click "join this group" on the group page. That's all! Then join in the conversations that have already begun or start a new one. Ask questions, post comments, tell us a joke! (I love jokes!) (They don't even have to be good jokes.)

Why can't a bicycle stand up on its own? Because it is too tired! Get it? Too/Two tired?? (See what I mean?)

On that note, I'll stop before my kids throw things at me (they hear my jokes a lot). I'll see you on Ravelry!

Wading in the pool, the murky pool of pooling colors

Just so you know, I am fully aware that today's topic might be controversial.  I am prepared for the dislike mail, the ugly comments, the disdain from knitters and crocheters who disagree with me.  Being fully aware of the stir I'm about to make, I am plunging in anyway, into the murky waters of color pooling.

There are some who adore pooling.  I get that. I really am open minded about this and I hope you can find a way to be open minded about what I'm about to say.

I am not a fan.

I tried, I really did.  I have seen projects pool that did so in ways I could live with ("it's artistic, yeah, artistic. That's it...").

This block from my Flying Geese quilt has some pooling of sorts that works.

A little pooling on this border between the green sections.  This I can live with.

But there are way too many that turn out much less artistically. Much less.

See the section at the top? Where the brown turns all muddy?  Looks like, well, a pool of mud.

And then there is this. It was supposed to be a sock. It's sock yarn even.  But the splotches of color were so disturbing, that this yarn is now on its way to becoming a scarf. (Will post link to pattern when it's published FREE on Ravelry. Stay tuned!)

When good socks go bad, or something like that.

I realize there are those of you out there who love it when yarn acts this way.  There is a Ravelry group for you and even a website that will (somehow) tell you how to plan your pooling. (Thank you, Desiree, for that tip!)  My friend Dianne tells me that SAFF will have a class on working with variegated yarn, but I think it's too late for me.  I tried, with the sock yarn above, using two skeins and switching every row to "break up" the pooling and it looked even worse.  I also hated having to stop and untangle the two working yarns all the time.  Fighting the pooling to make a sock was sucking all the fun out of sock knitting, and y'all, that just ain't right.

It probably shouldn't have surprised me.  I prefer Baroque music and Georgian architecture for their symmetry, so yeah, the vagaries of variegated yarn and its issues with pooling are difficult for me to embrace.

My lesson here is that I might be happier sticking to solids, self-striping, tweeds, hand-paints and tonals. And I'm ok with that.  Remember, life is too short to knit something you hate.

What has been your experience with pooling? Are you a fan? I'd love to see what you've done. Either post in the comments below or in our KnitOasis Ravelry group.

A bit more about WWI

Ever since I wrote this post about World War I and the knitting associated with it, I have seen several other articles pop up around the internet about this topic and I thought I'd share.

This one from Australia is interesting in that it discusses the wool issues, covers the First World War through the Korean War, and has some great photos.

This one from Washington State is long but includes some great details about what sorts of things were knit during the war, like "wool helmets and vests, chest covers and fingerless mitts to allow trigger access." Socks (of course), sweaters and "mufflers" were also in demand. Everyone was knitting, expected to knit and discouraged from knitting for personal use. This article really gives you a sense of the pervasiveness of the wartime knitting and the urgency felt by knitters around the world who were asked to knit for the boys in the trenches.

Popular at the time was the notion of not wasting precious time that could be spent knitting.  This "bag of the hour" was both useful and "smart."  Also, note its air distingue [sic].  Très adorable!

I also discovered that there is a National WWI Museum here in the U.S.  As of this time they don't seem to have a knitting program like the National WWII Museum has, it still looks as though it has many interesting programs and exhibits. The next time you're in Kansas City, MO, check it out--and of course I'm going to want to hear all about it!

Some folks in England are filming a movie about WWI, and some knitters have banded together to knit costumes based on old patterns and recreations from old photos. Be careful following these links if you love history and knitting--I am still wiping the drool off my keyboard.

I will leave you with a Monday Medley of Patterns--all free. Holly Shaltz has a great website with patterns from the era, reinterpreted for modern knitters.  There's even a pattern for socks. 

You probably figured out that I'm fascinated by all this, so if you see anything else related to WWI out there that you think I might like, especially in commemoration of the 100th anniversary, let me know!

An Indigo History of my Own

We talk a lot about the history of indigo when we teach indigo dyeing, but I don't always get to say much about my own history with it.  If you've known me awhile, you've probably already heard it all (and even "been there, done that" along with me!), so bear with me just a bit as I recap.

After teaching several different knitting classes there, I was asked by the Charleston Museum to consider teaching a class on natural dyes.  My reply was "Sure, but can we just do indigo?"  I liked the focus of having the one dye to play with, plus it's a dyestuff that can be used without the necessity of hot water to set the color.  In a word, it was going to be simple, and I am a big fan of simple. It also had such a prominent spot in the history of Charleston, that I really just had to do it. History buffs are weird like that.

My first workshop was in April 2013 and it was a little scary (having never actually taught dyeing before) and a lot of fun.  We had a really diverse group that first time--a hat maker who has been featured in Martha Stewart, a couple of folks who had dyed with indigo before, and I think that was the class that also included a high school student whose teacher had suggested she take the workshop to supplement a school project. 

In the fall of last year I was privileged to attend, along with Museum staff members, a morning of indigo dyeing taught by a truly interesting individual, who knew more about indigo dyeing than anyone I'd ever met. My "indigo morning" helped solidify in me a love for the art of this dyestuff.

Since that first class, I've taught many more, both at the Museum and in my own home (including another school student who was doing a project that included Eliza Lucas Pinckney! I'm so proud of the teachers who are assigning these topics!!).  My most recent event was held at the Museum's Dill Sanctuary, which was probably the prettiest spot I've ever seen to teach or learn anything!

I have met some fascinating people, made some new friends (Hi, Wendy!) and been enriched so much by hearing the stories of folks who had come to the dye classes. 

Over the last two years of research, experimentation, practice and teaching, I have come to realize the uniqueness of this natural dye and its importance in the history of this world, this area, and my own life as well.  The dyeing, the people, the magic of it all--these things have made a difference in my journey and I am so excited at the prospect of getting to introduce indigo to more of you this October.  If you're interested, check out the info at the Museum's calendar and sign up soon because space is limited and, more importantly, I really don't want you to miss it!