The Continuum Between Help and Hurt

It’s tricky finding a balance between helping the people in your life and hurting them. You don’t think of it as trying to hurting them, of course. You think of it as striving for a better life: helping. But there is a continuum between help and hurt and its circular with hurt leading to helping and helping leading back to hurt. The two are inextricably linked because often, its been my experience, hurt is helpful. Captain Kirk was right about pain: he needed it. We all do. Even with physical pain there is often help underneath it (surgery, exercise). I’m not sure if all pain teaches. Maybe sometimes it just hurts. But I think the greatest lessons in my life have come from the greatest pains.

Anyway, now I think that we all make the happiness we feel we deserve. All of us. Sure, our circumstances matter to how easy it is to be happy, but they are obviously not the only factor. We’ve all heard examples of the person with some horrible physical limitation or illness who has found great happiness. Or the person who is poor who isn’t miserable. Likewise, we all know of people who seem to have it all from a physical sense but are miserable. We may not understand why but we aren’t really meant to. A person’s happiness seems to me to be an intensely personal thing.

No one can make another happy. We can help, but that’s not always an active thing. Or a quick one. Sometimes the best thing we can do to help is just to keep being ourselves. That’s because we all have parts of life figured out. I am blessed to know so many people who are so wise about so many things. Each has lessons to teach me that I try to learn. And I hope I have lessons for others as well. But I don’t think its my fate to know which parts of life I have figured out. I’m not sure anyone can really see that about themselves clearly. I suspect we can only see it in others. In fact I would argue that often, when I think I have something figured out, that’s when I am the most danger to those around me.  I have to remember that I can’t force my “wisdom” (if it even is wisdom) onto anyone else.

Ironic topic for a post.

Bottom line: my belief is that there is not one “true” path for everyone on this earth. We all have to find our own path to our best selves and the divine for ourselves.

What do you think?

Free Pattern: Temperature Scarf to Crochet

First few rows of the project knit with the moss stitch. As you can see, the color changes are very muddy. Click to embiggen.

As you know from my previous post, I picked out the colors to use for my temperature scarf and ordered them. Well once I finally got all the colors in (I forgot to order one in my original order). I was getting a bit stressed that I was falling behind on the project so I got started knitting the day it all came in.

To start with, I used a moss stitch and about 84 st across. I knew this would give me a scarf about a foot wide, which sounded good. But when I started knitting, 3 things became obvious really quickly:

1. The moss stitch is not very good for color changes that are crisp. Mine were very muddy.
2. I was going to have a LOT Of ends to weave in at the end of the project. Like about 730 of them (the beginning and ending end for each day). Ugh!
3. I was going to have to sacrifice one of my favorite sock needles for an entire year!

The Temperature Scarf so far (just the month of January) with a sc ripple stitch. Click to embiggen.

I thought about a knitting stitch I could use instead, but they all would either curl a lot (like stockinette stitch with garter stitch borders) or make the scarf skinnier (like ribbing) or make it even harder to weave in ends (like lacy stitches). So I started playing with crochet stitches. I wanted something tight so that I could weave in my ends as I went and so it would be warm. I wanted something about 6 feet long and I wanted to be able to see the color changes pretty clearly. But I didn’t want it to be boring. After playing with it a LOT, taking gauges, ripping out, and playing more, I came up with a single crochet ripple or chevron stitch and I really like the way its turning out. I do know that I will have to wash it & lay it flat when its finished, however, because it will get a bit wave-shaped as I go.

The Pattern

Chain 103

Row 1: sc in 2nd st from hook, sc 2 tog in next 2 st, *1 sc in each of next 3 st, 3 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 3 st, sc 3 tog in next 3 st** repeat from * to ** 7 times, 1 sc in each of next 3 st, 3 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 3 st, sc 2 tog in next 2 st, sc in last st

Change colors as indicated, weaving in ends as you go. Block.

The Question

Now I’m trying to decide if I should make this scarf reflect the weather in one place (Omaha, NE) or make it reflect the weather around me. For example, I’m going on vacation in April to somewhere warm: should I do the colors of my vacation or the colors of Omaha while I’m gone. Let me know what you think in the comments or the poll below.

One other note: Turns out you can get the historical weather for previous days/months you may miss very easily online here. Just substitute your zip code for the one in the address bar.

People aren’t meant to know so much…

About each other. We were and are a herd species. I think we aren’t meant to know all the problems of the human race. But thanks to our news outlets we do. It’s too much to bear every day. It hurts us and cripples us. It makes us hurt ourselves with alcohol and food. Add that to the devil on our shoulder, the one who looks like all the cool kids (while the angel looks like a total dork) and all our dark, depressing parables where we add even more guilt to the mix, and its no wonder drug addiction and obesity are such a problem. I’d like to live somewhere with less cultural guilt, please. But without have to leave the United States.

Making a Temperature Scarf (Knit or Crochet)

The colors of Palette yarn I selected for my Temperature Scarf.

I got an idea for a “Temperature Scarf” from Bernat’s blog. The idea is that you knit every day of the year and the color you use is based on the temperature of that day. I loved the idea immediately, although I admit it seems like a pretty big commitment. But it also seems like a way do make something that would be tedious and annoying if you did it all at once. The pattern calls for moss stitch after all (klp1 for one row, then p1k1 for the next row). That is not a really fun stitch to do in any great quantity. But if you did a bit every day its manageable.

The problem with the pattern as it’s written, however, is that it calls for worsted weight yarn. Based on the ball band and the number of rows the pattern would be (784), the project will result in an 11 foot long scarf. A bit much. Plus, I don’t really want to work in that much acrylic. So, my solution was is to do the project in sock yarn instead. I estimate this will result in a scarf about 6 feet long. Still huge, but more reasonable. I ordered from KnitPicks.com and their Palette line of yarns (which has an amazing array of colors). I haven’t gotten the yarn in yet so hopefully the colors work together as well as they seem to from their online pictures. But we all know that online pictures are not the most accurate when it comes to color.

I created a spreadsheet, which I’ve put on my phone, to keep track of the high temperature each day. I figure if its on my phone, it has the advantage of being with me no matter where I go. I also figure that if its not perfect to the degree each day, its not a huge deal: its just a scarf after all. So I’ve been adding the weekly forecast to my spreadsheet a few times a week so that if I miss a day recording the temp, I’ll have something pretty close.

Download the spreadsheet here.

I can’t wait to get my yarn and get started!

Update: Get the pattern I ended up using and all the rest of the details in part 2 of this post here.

Toe-Up Socks with a Drop-In Heel

Project Log: Supporter’s Socks

The completed socks – check out how nicely the striping worked out!

I’ve been continuing to knit socks since I completed my first pair and I get better at it all the time. I find socks are a great project for summer because they don’t heat you up. And they are wonderfully portable. Plus, everyone loves socks! You can even make them for the hard-to-knit-for people in your life!

So with that in mind, I decided to make a pair for my brother. He is all about brightly colored socks, so I got to work with some great, colorful yarn. The last thing I made for him was a crocheted sweater. It was at least 20 years ago, and the sleeves are 2 different lengths. He’s a sport, though – he still has it! Even though he never really wears sweaters. But because of that project, I decided that the most important thing about THESE socks is that they had to be the same length!

I made these socks from the toe-up. I’ve worked both kinds of socks, now and I like the toe-up for several reasons:

1. You can try them on as you go.
2. You can use up all your yarn if you wish (that’s hard to do with cuff-down socks).
3. All the hard parts are closer to the beginning. By the time you get to the cuff, you can just cruise.

Pattern: Supporter’s Sock by Linda Parkhurst (free pattern on Ravelry.com). I really just used this pattern for the cuff/ribbing. It’s great for striped yarn and makes a really stretchy sock. Basically, whenever the color started to change in my yarn, I knit one row. Then, on the next row, I reversed the ribbing. So, if I started with k2, p2 then, after the knit row, I would do p2, k2. At the end of the cuff, I did an inch or so of 1×1 ribbing, and then I cast off with the tubular cast off (its the Kitchener stitch). I LOVED the result! Stretchy and very attractive!

Heel Pattern: Drop-in or afterthought heel. Instructions are here.

Toe Pattern: Judy’s Magic Cast On for Toe-Up Socks (video). Its super easy to do and looks fantastic!

Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Fingering Self Striping Sock Yarn in the Fizz colorway. I think it looks like Starburst candy. And it’s super soft and wonderful to work with.

Needle: Size 0 circular

Lessons Learned:

• The afterthought heel is a great way to go whenever you are doing striped socks because it keeps the stripes looking great. Without this heel, you usually have a place at the front of the sock where the stripes are not right because of all the yarn you used for the heel. The instructions for this are here.
• I love using circular needles to make socks (the magic loop method). It is so much easier than DPNs!
• When you are doing an afterthought heel, be sure to make the cuff about 2 inches longer than you think it should be. Something about this method shortens your cuff. I thought they were the perfect length, but I finished them and and I wished the socks were a bit longer.

How to Do An Afterthought (or Drop-In) Heel

An afterthought heel is exactly what it sounds like – one that is done after the rest of the sock is completed. The entire sock is created from top to cuff (or vice versa) and a placeholder is put in for the heel. Then, after the rest of the sock is completed, the heel is inserted. Normally, in this case, the heel messes up the stripes on the front of the sock (see image). But with an afterthought heel, the striping is maintained perfectly and even the heel is striped.

This is an example of a sock done with self-striping yarn but without an afterthought heel. Notice how the dark purple stripes are not regular – the purple is really thin right opposite of the heel.

Here is a sock with an afterthought heel and self-striping yarn. Notice how the stripes in the front are even and uninterrupted?

How to Create an Afterthought Heel

1. Knit your sock, either from the top-up or the cuff down.
2. 

   Shows a sock with waste yarn in purple (right below the ribbing)

   When you get to the part of the sock where you would normally put in the heel, knit the 1/2 of the sock with waste yarn. If you are using Magic Loop, you would knit one needle with waste yarn. If you are knitting with 5 DPNs, knit 2 needles with waste yarn. Simply drop your working yarn and start knitting with waste yarn, leaving a tail. Then, when you get to halfway around the sock, pick the working yarn back up again, leaving a bit of slack and cut the waste yarn.

3. Knit a few more rows with stockinette stitch at the back, then change to your cuff pattern all the way around. Finish your cuff and cast off.
4. 

   Use your needles to pick up the stitches along the waste yarn.

   Pick up the stitches on both sides of your waste yarn. With Magic Loop, one side of the waste yarn is on one needle and the other on the other needle. You are going to knit these stitches in the round. The stitches (if they are stockinette) will form a “v”. Pick up the ONE of the 2 legs of the stitch. Generally if you have the work facing the same way it will be when you knit it, you want to pick up the right leg.

5. Using a yarn needle, pick out the waste yarn, leaving the stitches on the needle. You can start from either end.
   

   Using a needle, pick out the waste yarn.

   Here’s what it looks like when the waste yarn is being removed.

6. Start knitting the heel in the round. Knit 2 rows.
7. Start decreasing. Using the decrease method of your choice, decrease 4 times on every other row just as you would a toe in cuff-down socks. Be especially carefulto keep your stitches tight between needles. This part is especially prone to laddering! On magic loop, I did as follows:
   1. Row 1: On each needle, k2tog, knit to last 2 stitches on needle, ssk.
   2. Row 2: knit all.
8. When about 1/2 the stitches remain on the needles, start decreases 4 times on every row. Do this for 4 rows.
9. Cast off using the Kitchener stitch (grafting).

And that’s it. You should finish with a heel that looks great, is comfortable, and has nice stripes in it to match the rest of your sock.

Let me know in the comments if you plan to give this a try!

My First Lace Knit

Project Log: “Romantic Moments Lace Wrap”

My newly finished lace wrap. I also made a hat to match for my Derby Party.

I feel like my knitting skills have advanced an amazing amount since the start of this year. At the end of last year, I made some fingerless gloves for people at a Christmas present and I didn’t even know how to knit in the round or leave a thumb gusset. And now I just finished a beautiful lace shawl – my most challenging project to date.

I started this back on March 9 and finished it May 1, so it didn’t take all that long to complete. But it was VERY challenging – probably the most difficult thing I’ve made so far. And it was very rewarding as well.

Pattern: Romantic Moments Lace Wrap and Garter

Here is a close up view of the lace wrap.

Yarn: Mountain Colors Winter Lace in the Harmony Rose colorway

Lessons Learned:

• Use lifelines when you knit lace.
• How to block. I used my new blocking wires and kit from Joann for this project and that’s really why it looks so amazing. Before blocking it was a LOT less impressive. I followed all the directions on the blocking wires kit and it came out beautifully!
• Stitch markers can be invaluable when your knitting lace. They helped me to stay on track and, more importantly, to realize when I was OFF track. I counted pretty much every stitch of every row on this and that, combined with the stitch markers, helped me to find any mistakes while they were still easy to fix.

Getting Started in Crochet

The patterns shown here are easy and a great way to get started.

There are a lot of resources out there to get started in Crochet, including a variety of books. But there are lots of free resources, too – especially YouTube vidoes. So I took the time to review several of these videos to find the very best. I looked for easy-to-follow instructions, clear pictures, and all the info you need to get started in one place.

I didn’t find any videos that meet all these criteria and also cover yarn selection, hook selection and give a pattern. So, here’s my suggestion to get started without having to buy any books:

1. Yarn: Review my post on selecting yarn. I recommend you start with an even, smooth, lighter colored worsted weight yarn. You might want to go to the craft store to pick your first one out so you can feel the yarns and see the exact color. If you are making the dish cloth pattern below, you will want your yarn to be absorbent so select one that has a high amount of cotton in it. Acrylic yarns are cheaper, but they won’t really soak up water. And cotton yarns aren’t going to shrink or otherwise change if exposed to hot water.
2. Hook: The pattern you select will specify the hook to use, which will also be based on the size of yarn you select. Smaller yarns generally require smaller hooks & vice versa.  If you have the funds, you might want to get a kit of inexpensive hooks to start. That gives you several sizes to work with. You probably will end up liking a different style of hook better, but these will work and give you the flexibility to do many different projects without having to buy more hooks. If you don’t have the funds, the patterns I have selected below all don’t have a gauge that matters, so you can buy an H sized hook (probably the most commonly used with worsted weight yarn) and have a minimal investment to start with.
3. Technique: Then check out this series of YouTube videos – they are the best and most comprehensive I found.
4. Patterns: Once you have the basic techniques, here are a few great free patterns for a beginner. You do NOT have to use the yarn brand or color suggested in the pattern. You can, but any worsted weight (size 4) yarn will work. You will need a free account on Lion Brand yarns to view these patterns. But, trust me, its well worth your while to sign up for a free account on their site.

• Dish Cloth – all single crochet
• Caramel Tweed Shawl – all half double crochet
• Spring Pastel Scarf – double crochet and chain stitch

If none of the patterns I’ve suggested are to you liking, try doing a search for Beginner patterns on their site or on Ravelry and you will find all sorts of choices.

I’d love to hear how these resources worked for you! Please let me know in the comments.

WIP: How Many Projects Can One Girl Have?

I’ve been really busy with knitting lately and haven’t crocheted much at all. I’ve got several projects going at the same time and then some queued up already for later. Here’s my work in progress (WIP).

1. I’m working on a lace wrap for myself.I know its going to be just beautiful. I love the yarn – it’s a hot pink yarn that has subtle color variations from an orange-ish pink to a purple-ish pink. It’s especially beautiful in the sunlight. The yarn is 50/50 wool and silk and has a beautiful sheen and is very soft. I had a goal to finish it buy the end of May for ConQuest, but now I’m hoping to finish it in time for my Derby Party since it will go beautifully with my Derby Hat. It takes a lot of concentration, but now that I’ve repeated the pattern 17 times (I have to do it 33), I’m starting to get the hang of it enough to work on it during TV watching.
2. 

   The parts & pieces I’m going to use to make my Derby Hat.

   I’m making a Derby Hat. This is a hat I got on sale at Joann’s. It’s a pink and white sun hat and I’m going to add a glittery pink ribbon, some flowers (roses & dogwoods) and some white feathers. I think it will be just “too too” (as my Mom would say).

3. I decided I should have some socks of my own. I’ve had some yarn around for a while now that is beautifully self-striping in purple and white. I’m really happy with how these socks are turning out. They are my first toe-up socks so I’ll be writing a blog post about them later. I decided to go with a toe-up sock because it would be new but also so I could use up ALL my yarn. The pattern is a heavily modified Rock the STARS socks pattern. This project doesn’t have a deadline so I work on it when I don’t have the ability to concentrate on my knitting completely (like at Nebraska Knit & Crochet Guild night).
4. I’m working on another half-moon cape in white. This will be a project to sell and I’m very close to finished with it. My deadline is ConQuest.
5. I have a shawl I’ve been half-heartedly crocheting. It’s a pretty boring pattern and I started it before I started my lace shawl. The lace shawl is going to be so much prettier that I’ve lost all enthusiasm for the project. But I’ll finish it eventually.

Projects in my Queue

• 

  New sock yarn from Knit Picks

  Socks for a mystery person (as a present). I got this beautiful yarn from Knit Picks. It’s super soft and I can’t wait to work with it.

• A vest for one of my very favorite people – my Aunt Myra. It’s going to be a lot of stockinette in a DK yarn so it will probably not going very quickly. But I have until Christmas to finish it.
• A new tunic for myself for summer. I’m going to use this pattern from Interweave. I’m either going to make it with the exact same yarn in the same color, or I’m going to save myself $20 and make it in a similar yarn in pink.
• I downloaded about 4 other patterns from Interweave yesterday. They were having a sale!! So that will keep me busy for quite some time.

What are you working on right now? Let me know in the comments.

How To Keep Your Frogged Yarn from Tangling

Here is an example. I started a pair of socks & then decided to frog them. The yarn I frogged is on the tube you see next to the ball.

It’s happened to most knitters & crocheters: you start on a pattern and part way through you realize you did something wrong or you don’t like the pattern. So you have to frog your work. But when you do so, you end up with a big tangled mess that is a pain to work with until you get back to the ball of yarn you were working with. Well, here’s how you can keep that yarn from tangling up while you rework it.

As you frog your work, wrap the yarn around a smooth tube. I used the my Sock Knitting Needle Holders from KnitPicks.com for this example, but a used toilet paper tube or a travel toothbrush holder would work as well. You just want something tubular in shape and smooth in texture. Start wrapping at one end of the tube and just keep wrapping moving gradually toward the other end. Its okay if your yarn overlaps itself, but for best results, you don’t want it to go back and forth on the tube much.

Now start working again from the tube. One end of the tube will probably raise off the surface, which is ideal. Your yarn will come off smoothly and without knots and, if more comes off the ball on accident after you start, you can just wind it around the other end (being careful not to cover any of the yarn already on the tube). When all the yarn on the tube is used, start working from the ball as normal.

Happy crafting!