I Made Place Mats!

I finished my lovely sock yarn place mats on June 25, but never shared photos. What a slacker blogger! They came out pretty good for someone who's still learning. And we have been using them on the table ever since! In fact, we like them so much that I have warped the loom with more red yarn and am making additional matching mats.

I did a particularly bad job taking pictures--why I felt compelled to put the busy place mats against an even busier table cloth for photography is beyond me. So, your eyes have been warned!

A place mat!

This is a special edition Opal sock yarn. It really went well with the red, I think. The next one is more subtle, but I happen to still like it, with its consistent red dots:

Little red dots

This was my first one, and I thought I'd like it best, but instead liked it least.

More stripes

Everyone liked this last one the best, but it's too short--I ran out of warp. So, I am going to give this one as a gift, and have already woven two more using this Regia Kaffe Fassett sock yarn to be the place mats.

Jewel Tone Stripes

I think the hemstitch edging looks nice, so I am doing it on the next batch, too. I'll end up with 8 place mats, so we can have company. After that, I plan to make matching napkins. I will have plenty of sock yarn for that, since they will be a bit smaller. By that time, I think I will be tired of the red warp yarn and ready to move on to another fun thing, whatever that may be.

Also...KNITTING

I have not forgotten my knitting, and in fact have made good progress on the Shadow vest in Heichi. It just does NOT photograph well, so imagine acres and acres of rust-colored raw silk seed stitch, and you will have a good idea of what it's like. I'm on the right front, and when that's done, all that is left is to knit the substantial collar, which is what turns it into a garment rather than an awkward mass of fabric.

The Heichi yarn is sure expensive. Each $14 skein knitted about 3 inches of body! So, I'll have to be careful with the vest--it's an in"vest"ment. The only problem I am having is that the yarn is so textured that sometimes my purl stitches don't pull all the way down, so they end up loose. And every little uneven bit is very obvious in the field of K1 P1. I think it will get better in blocking.

And Teaching

I am proud to say that my latest two knitting students are doing well. My coworker Stacie is still powering through a brown garter stitch scarf, and the summer resident Elmira has even learned to purl--she made a rectangle!

Her first finished object

In addition, she is making a really pretty garter stitch scarf out of some wool/cashmere multi-colored stuff I could not figure out anything to knit from. The colors are pooling in a really interesting way. I'll have to get a photo. She has the yarn to make a K1 P1 ribbing scarf next. She likes knitting, which make both me and her mom happy. It's nice to all sit around and knit! I'll miss knitting with her when she moves into her own apartment in September.

I hope two posts in a day make up for a month with nothing! Keep knitting, crocheting or weaving, friends!

From Very Young to Quite Old at the LYS

It's a bit late, but what the heck, I'll talk about what happened last Saturday at the LYS. It was another fun Saturday, because lots of people showed up, both regulars and new customers. It is nice to see people buying stuff (though it would be nice to have needles to sell them--still, I love my LYS to bits).

I spent a lot of time helping folks out, which is my favorite thing to do. We didn't start the sock class really, though Nancy got a little bit going. That will continue next week. Instead, I just randomly helped out with whatever people wanted help on--the seat next to me had quite a variety of occupants with questions on techniques, pattern selection, yarns and such. I felt really good that I could help a relatively new knitter who'd been told she was knitting "wrong" to get her twisted stitch issue fixed. She was purling just fine, but wrapping in the direction that causes twists on her knit stitches. Once she saw what she was doing, her face lit up. She will be a "real" knitter now!And as always, I reassured her she isn't the only one to have that problem--I had it for a long, long time until someone pointed out my problem!

The Quite Old (but Treasured) Section

Another person I helped is probably our oldest knitter, Miss V., whose daughter comes in when she has time. Miss V. has a tremor issue so she can't do anything fancy, and she has some trouble remembering things like how to cast on. But knitting has meant so much to her in the last few years, as it has allowed her to make some simple blankets and scarves for her kids' kids. They will treasure those. Lots of the LYS staff have helped her out, and I have lately taken over Saturday duty. The blue hat you see on the coffee cup is her first hat. She did is almost entirely herself, too. I cast on and fixed one dropped stitch, but she did the rest. She even did a swell job on seaming it (she knit it flat). She was so happy with herself that she set right off making a larger one.

I just can't tell you how fulfilling it isto bring joy to her life and help her feel good (plus she is always sharing nuggets of wisdom and observations from a most unique point of view). She told me, "I need you to help me make my knitting good, Suzanne. I need a lot of help." (She is also not great with names any more.) While it takes a lot of patience to help people with physical and mental challenges, the rewards are great, too. I'm glad I've had a chance to work with dear Miss V.

The Very Young (and Anxiously Anticipated) Section

We had some other fun, too. This is the "very young" part of the post! So young it's pre-birth!

Both the future mothers that I knitted the Baby Surprise Jackets for were at the shop. Both loyal readers of this blog, Katie is on the left and Jen is on the right. The babies met belly-to-belly and discussed their love of knitted products, which they will both be getting a lot of soon. In this photo, the mommies are being bookends. As someone who used to work with pregnant women and new mothers, I am enjoying having these two around. I look forward to watching the little girls grow, once they show up in a few months. It's Katie's first and Jen's third, but as we all know every baby is different. There are so many people with experience at the LYS, though, they'll have lots of support from our little "knitting village." And I know they will primarily listen to their hearts and make decisions that will work best for their own family, not what someone else did in a different situation. Both of these women are smart enough to "take what they need and leave the rest," as we used to say in the old mother-to-mother support days!

I do hope Katie gets her maternity sweater done before baby A. shows up. If not, I am betting it will make a very nice "new mother" sweater as well. She is making something very beautiful, nonetheless.

I guess that's enough stuff about my local pals, other than to say that wow, the LYS looks very neat and streamlined after inventory. Tomorrow there'll be another blast from my knitting past to read about. Obviously I have more writing time this week than usual!

Follow Me? And Maelstrom as Bag

Maelstrom as Bag
Originally uploaded by sunasak

First, see the new thing on the left margin? I got rid of my woefully outdated "work in progress" section (I kept forgetting it was there) and have added a "blog followers" link. This is where you can click that you are a follower of this blog. What happens is that you can then get blog updates on your Blogger dashboard (or ignore them completely, as I have done so far on the only blog I "follow"). It's a way to let ME know you are there, which would make me happy! You follow publicly or not, so you don't have to have your profile picture displayed. It does appear that you need a Blogger account to "follow". I know lots of my readers use other blog hosts, so that is fine and if you just comment occasionally or say hi in person/email, I will smile.

A Blog Reader who will remain anonymous asked me how to sign up for a Blogger account. So, what you do is go to Blogger.com and you will see a sign-up screen. If you have a Google account already, just type in your email address and password, and you will be on Blogger. You don't have to set up a blog if you don't want to (but honest, kids, it is so easy!). Then you can click the link and be a follower.

OK, end advertisement...I share here my photo of Maelstrom looking like a disembodied brain, a turd, or a basket for its yarn ball. Yesterday at Chicks with Sticks, more than one person vowed that the shawl IS pretty.It just grows slowly because it's on small needles and the yarn is fingering weight. Deana's version in worsted weight on what appear to be US 10.5 needles is way bigger, and she is still on the first chart! Just goes to show it is a versatile pattern!

Nancy the Quilter was making her own version of Shalom, too, in a very soft bulky yarn in purples and related colors. It was nice to see the pattern detail on it. She plans to add sleeves to hers. I enjoy seeing other people's versions of projects I have worked on.

It was a day for showing off pretty projects at the LYS yesterday. One regular who'd been absent on Wednesdays for a while brought in a couple of amazing felted bags, one of which had incredibly realistic felted gardenias. They looked like healthier versions of the ones on my porch, down to the mottled coral coloring. And she had made three cardigans! So, wow, that was a busy absent person. And two of our newer participants were each making an absolutely awe-inspiring
"wrap me up" shawl in Noro Silk Garden. They were using the same colorway, but of course each looks different. This appears to be a great project for learning a lot of knitting techniques, because it is like a sampler. I'd love to do a class in that one.

That was by no means complete list of cool projects (for example, I got to view more than one MS4 in progress), but that's all I have time to type out. I really get inspired by everyone's projects.

But mostly it tickles me when people line up to ask me questions like I am the Great Guru of Knitting Knowledge (of which I am certainly not the best, or only one there!). Or they are all asking at once, which happened a couple of times. Boy is it hard to parse two sets of knitting questions at the same time. I do love the challenge of figuring out someone's pattern issue, fixing a mistake, or (mmm I like this) giving color advice. Thank you, if you are one of the folks who patiently waited for me to finish answering one question before helping with theirs!

Also, thanks for asking, because it sure helps me improve my knitting to help someone else. Hint: if you want to learn more, help someone! I see that happening so much. One friend wrote a sock tutorial on her blog, and I am pretty sure that improved her own sock skills--it really works!

Feel free to ask me stuff in comments if you can't come in person or don't have my cell phone on your speed dial like Suzanne does. Chances are, if you have a question, someone else who is too shy to ask also has it (the thing I always said when I was teaching college classes!). There's lost of wonderful knitting assistance on the World Wide Web of course, but sometimes it helps to ask someone you know or who has seen your project.

So, go knit something. Or read another blog. I must go earn money to buy more yarn now!

Honesty: It's Some Kind of Policy

I am not sure if honesty is the best policy, but it appears to be one of mine, regardless. I had a phone screening yesterday, and the woman asked me what the ideal job for Sue Ann would be. I honestly blurted out, "knitting instructor." Then I added, but you can't make a living at that around here! She laughed and said she needed to learn, so she'd bring needles next time she visited Austin. I then told about how much I'd like to help people figure out how to use software and help make software that met the needs of its intended audience. I think that is more what she wanted. But really, the ideal job IS knitting instructor!

Since I have no photo today, I recommend you go over to Fluffy Knitter Deb's blog and take a gander at her magnificent granny square aghan, which is all one huge square made out of leftover sock yarn. Well, actually, the last rows were made with new balls of yarn, since they were so big. I think it is one glorious piece of crocheting, and such a great use of the leftover sock yarn! It reminds me that I ought to work on the mitered square thing I was making out of my leftovers. Well, some day I will stop making new things...

...which reminds me, I have gotten through the frustrating section of beginning the sleeves on the Drawstring Raglan, which required using an extra DPN at first. I think it will end up looking fine after all, but yhou sure stretch out a couple of stitches when you start. You make the sleeves by casting on a bunch of stitches at the point where the sleeve would start, then going back to knitting the body. It is pretty hard to get your knitting cable to go through the contortions required, and even worse when the sleeves are on t he straight parts of the needles. But, I managed, as have others.

Moving Right Along, and Funny Kid Saying

Here we go, the finished back of the Sideways Cardigan. I really like the way the pattern at the top looks. It makes little triangles, plus there is a traveling lattice effect on the surface. It's quite lovely when stretched out, and contrasts nicely with the sideways wavy pattern. it's sitting in the shade on the grass, which explains the light splotch. I think this one will need a little blocking, but will be good. One side looks a bit better than the other, so I may end up putting an edging around the armholes. I think that will look nice.

The yarn, Cascade Pima Tencel, sure feels good to knit with. I'd make something else out of this yarn if I could find it in more vibrant colors than we have at the LYS. I am now well into the first of the front pieces, so this will be a sweater some day!

And here is proof that I finished the Bright Burly Socks. They are very, very comfortable and everyone comments on how attractive they are. One of my friends wanted to buy them from me, so I guess they are a fine pair of socks! I did enjoy knitting with the Urban GypZ Twisted yarn, and enjoyed the interesting colors and twist effect quite a bit!

The next project will be socks using Cherry Tree Hill's Cherry Blossom colorway. I saw a pattern on some website with a reverse stockinette ground and little straight lines of knit stitches scattered on it. I decided to make one that is somewhat similar, done toe up. I'm working on it when I get tired of thinking about the cardigan's more complex patterning. I really was happy the random number generator chose this yarn. I loved it the minute I saw it, with it's pinks, mauves, sky blues and whites. Like a cherry tree against a sunny spring sky.

Here's a bonus funny story. One of my friends teaches knitting in another state, and shared this on a non-knitting email list. Cracked me up. It seems she decided to teach her two young sons to knit last week, and was very happy that both of them took to it quite well and were happily making their first little projects. One of the boys looked up at his mom, assessing his progress and feeling positive about it. "Hey mom," he asked. "Now that you have taught us how to knit, when are you going to teach us how to frog?"

Hmm, I think certain little fellows have been paying VERY close attention to their mom's conversations! He'll go far, both with knitting and frogging!

Career Thoughts

So, I am sitting in my house at 3 p.m., since the dogs woke me up from my nap. Newly job-free people sleep a lot (that's right, if you missed it in the passing reference in yesterday's post, my job went away on Friday). I got a bit wiped out after going to fetch all my office possessions while the rest of the gang was at the employee appreciation lunch (oh the irony--the unappreciated one got to sneak in and get her stuff!). Most of the rest of the day I have been calling people, applying for jobs, and checking leads. I am pretty chipper, since I found a couple of things that really would fit well, and rather than dwell on the fact that Lee's job ends in a couple of weeks, too, I've been wishing I could invent a knitting career.

There aren't many knitters who can make a career out of it! Even some of the really good teachers I know do it to supplement another job or have the luxury of a partner who makes good money, which allows them to concentrate on what they love. Even really good writers have "real" jobs in addition to knitting income. And that all makes sense--crafts don't pay. Same with music, theater and art--you have to be at a really stratospheric level to make money on it.

But, after receiving a couple of phone calls over the weekend from friends needing help with particularly vexing issues, plus a cry for help over on Ravelry, too, I got to thinking. Wow, I wish I could be the "Knitting Help Hotline" or something! I figure I could answer most questions in less than 15 minutes, and could charge by the quarter hour. Of course, my head began to hurt after thinking how to bill people, so that thought didn't go far. But, I love answering the phone to help people with something I am good at (contrary to how I may have appeared to former coworkers). It sure would be fun to help folks with knitting for a living. What a dream!

Ah well, I can just head over to the yarn shop and help for free, and hope I can scrounge up a few more classes to teach while I wait for a new possibility to manifest itself. I truly love doing that, too, but in this economy, optional things like knitting classes may be among the first things people won't do. On the other hand, maybe learning to knit is a good thing in today's economy--you get a lot of activity time for your money!

Just a ramble on what I'd really, really like to do with my life. Luckily there are other options that also look good!

Oh, and the photo has nothing to do with anything. It's just a picture of a shawl from 2003 or so that I found that hadn't been uploaded to Ravelry, and I'd wanted to show it to someone as an example of yarn dyed in colors to match a piece of art. This one, judging from the color chart I found, is Christina's World. That seems right, in my memory.

And one more thing, a PS to Dragonfly: the book I couldn't remember the name of was Knit So Fine: Designs with Skinny Yarns. (Link is to Ravelry, so if you aren't a member, it won't come up, but it's on Amazon.com, too.)

Knitting and Friends

Suna and Diana
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I have not been getting anything finished this week, so no FO photos. I am still plugging away at the grandmotherly afghan. I frogged the Vogue Knitting cover sweater and embarked on #29 in that same issue with that yarn, instead (I did this because I really think I need worsted weight yarn for the cover sweater, and I do have a gift certificate, so I can get some and do the sweater justice). I did finish a sock, but have no photo yet, so that will be fodder for later in the week!

But, I do have some nice knitting stories! The picture shows my friend Diana, with whom I worked online doing web design for many years and whom I hadn't seen since I stopped doing that couple of years ago (she now lives in New Jersey, though when we met she lived in Maryland). She is more engaged in writing books and doing speaking engagements now, too, so doesn't do web stuff as much either (she taught me a lot, so I was always grateful to have her on my team). It was just a strange coincidence that a mutual friend's husband passed away and the funeral was when Diana happened to be visiting her brother and SIL after the birth of their first child up in Dallas. So, Diana was able to drive down and join me in supporting the friend at the funeral, then she stayed on Saturday so she could hang out with me during my knitting teaching time!

Diana ended up taking the class, too, though she already could knit (and I had given her some tips that I hope will make it go even better as we chatted Friday night). The photo shows her feeling triumphant because she had learned to purl! She'd thought she wasn't a good enough knitter to do that, but she turned out to be! By the time she left to go back to Dallas, she had completed a lovely dishcloth, full of stockinette! I was happy to have been able to teach her something, since she had taught me so much a long time ago.

I have to say that yesterday was one of the most rewarding and fun knitting classes I ever taught. It was a nice mix, with one young mom brand-new knitter who learned to knit for her birthday, and with two much older neighbor women who thought they had forgotten how to knit, but of course, hadn't. One of the ladies had some issues with an arm, due to brain surgery, so was really afraid she'd not be able to knit. She was using a cane, and was a little hard of hearing. Certainly there was nothing wrong with her sense of humor, though, and she had me laughing so hard that my cheeks hurt, and I really, really needed that laughter. I am probably as grateful to her for making me feel better as she was to me for helping her see that she could, indeed, re-learn how to knit, even with her challenges. She said she was going to frame her dishcloth when it was done. She kept exclaiming, "Look B! I am doing it!" The other woman had brought an entire basket of dishcloth cotton and said, "I have no idea what I thought I was going to do with this!" And she had the coolest pattern for an Aran sweater, all typed out by hand. She had made it 30 years ago. Yeah, she'll be FINE. I was so happy to re-introduce her to something she can have a lot of fun with now. I told her where to get books of dishcloth patterns, and in return she gave me a hilarious book of crocheted items like toilet roll covers. It will be a great addition to my collection of vintage patterns.

I just had so much fun with Diana and the other ladies. It felt so good to help one learn the basics, another master purling, and two others remember past skills. That is why I love teaching knitting! I was especially happy to have a friend join me and to help her.

Speaking of friends, my local knitting friend Jody has apparently left the country to start her new life. So, send her vibes for a smooth transition and safe arrival of all her knitting, spinning and dyeing stuff! I will sure miss her, so I will remember to treasure my other knitting friends and enjoy them when they are around.

Another Question, and a Plan?

Festive Dog
Originally uploaded by sunasak

No knitting excitement to post a photo of, so here's my doggie sweater I designed using very strange yarns, which lives at the LYS. The color is WAY off--it is orange, not pink! Who PhotoShopped that, anyway??? (me)

I am probably going to get the second Rainy Day sock finished today or tomorrow, and that is good news. It means I passed the heel and was able to follow my own instructions. So I will be able to share them. I am impressed, since I spent most of the weekend singing or doing holiday decorating.

We have another question today from my shy questioner, and it's a good one.

She asks:"When you're making socks using 4 (or 5) needles, and you stop knitting for a while, what do you do with the needle not currently in use? I've been gently poking it through the finished part of the sock, trying very hard not to split stitches. But I think sometimes this does rearrange things a bit and makes what almost looks like holes.

"Is there a better way that still would keep from not losing the needle?"

And I answer: Usually I do what you do--stick the needle in the knitted part of the sock, or in the ball of yarn. And I do sometimes split the yarn, so this really isn't a great method. When knitting with teeny double pointed needles, though, I do try to carry the project in one of those small "sock bags," which have just enough space to hold the yarn, the sock in progress and its mate if that one is done. You are much less likely to lose your 5th (or 4th) needle if it's in a little bag and you close it up. And that way you don't have to stick the needle in the sock or yarn ball. But, another reason I use Magic Loop is so I won't lose needles!

There is a contraption I have seen that holds all your working needles and the spare in it, with your sock hanging out. This keeps your needles from being sat on and breaking (or hurting someone) and keep the unworked one safe. I can't remember what that thingie is called, so I can't link to it. But, that's another option. Any reader with another suggestion is welcome to COMMENT and tell me. Hint hint. I love comments.

Plan?

I am trying to figure out ways to make some money when I am between jobs. One is that I will teach more classes at the LYS, which I have been graciously granted permission to do (and since I love to do that, it's great!). I did have the idea of marketing myself as a personal knitting coach and someone who will do in-home knitting parties. I did one of those last year and it was fun for all. I think I'd need to revamp my very old and outdated personal website so I could use it for that purpose. I wonder if I'd get any takers? And where I would advertise? I wouldn't want to conflict with local yarn shops and their classes, so I'd not want to put ads or business cards there. Maybe the small local newspapers. Or, or... CRAIGSLIST!!! Now, that may be a plan.

Of course, revamping that website takes away knitting time (which is why it is stale and it is better to find my stuff on Flickr). Hmm. Decisions decisions.

The Weekend Project

Side View of Rainy Day Socks in Progress
Originally uploaded by sunasak

To take my mind off my issues, I have done two things. One is that I went to the LYS to see if I needed to teach anything. I didn't, so I settled in to knit, but, naturally, I ended up helping folks. Even got paid for one, and since my Spanish is very bad and the lady from Peru's English is not so good, I earned my pay on that one. I will help her some more next week. In the meantime, I will look up more knitting words in Spanish. I sound really good in Spanish, but have never talked about knitting much, so that slows me down a lot. The poor lady wants to make something that should be easy, a feather and fan afghan, but the instructions are so poorly written and the increases and decreases so counter-intuitive that even a good English reader would have problems with them. Yep, my work was cut out for me. I can see why I decided to not be a professional translator.

I also was very proud of myself for helping a woman figure out the pattern to an Aran-style poncho she wanted to re-create. I figured out the whole thing, and even wrote out instructions for a cable pattern we could not find in a book. Not bad. I helped her knit on it for a long time, before my friend and I went to Starbucks for some uninterrupted conversation. Sometimes you just want to chat!

The other thing I've been doing this weekend is work on the new socks I've been designing. I had this shiny blue yarn that looked sort of wet, and wanted to make socks with a theme to match them. I found a pattern of umbrellas (parasols) and a pattern of raindrops, and when I saw they were each 12-row patterns, I figured it would not be too hard to use them in socks. You can see how far along I am now. The hardest part was that I decided it would be easier to knit the patterns all together, rather than splitting the pattern that centers across the sides of the sock in half. writing out how to rearrange the needles as simply as possible has been an interesting challenge.

When I finish this sock, I will knit the second one according to the instructions, to be sure they work (seems prudent). Then, I hope to share the instructions in case anyone else wants to make Rainy Day Socks!

Shedir, She Is Done

Shedir, finished object
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Yay, no more twisting of stitches! I had hoped to finish this in October, but time has a way of not cooperating! It was fun watching the pattern on the top of the hat appear--Flickr has photos of that, which you will see if you click on the photo link by the hat.

I didn't get as much done as I'd hoped to while teaching knitting, because the one student I thought I had turned into 5--but the pay for that will make up for taking two hours off work yesterday--hooray. And it is always fun to have a nice, friendly class of new knitters!

I brought in a lot of my new yarn purchases for show and tell (and the engagement ring) so I had a lot of fun doing that. And because I did that, Katie relinquished from hostage some lovely yarn from the Knitting Nest, the newest yarn store in town, which is in the color's of Lee's alma mater, St. Edward's University (here in Austin). He liked that I got that for him. I would love to visit that shop, but it is way south, so who knows when that will happen.


Everyone loved that Perchance to Knit yarn that is rainbow overdyed in black. You know a yarn is spectacular when the LYS owner is in awe of it!

I had fun helping people pick out yarn, too. I think if I worked at an LYS that would be my favorite part of the job.

Back to my Saturday football watching, and to wrap Shedir up with lots of love to send to its recipient!

PS: After mentioning the IK preview, I got home to find the magazine in my mailbox. Still not sure why the holiday issue never came, but the Winter one sure showed up promptly!

Teaching Knitting: Getting Started

(First let me say how hard it was to find a picture of something simple that I had knitted! This is the hat pattern I hope to teach ladies next Saturday, if they show up and still want to knit a hat. Of course, they won't be making it in kettle dyed Malabrigo wonderfulness!)

So, as I was saying yesterday, I really enjoy teaching knitting. People keep saying they are impressed at how much I know about beginning knitters, and my reply is that it's just a matter of observing them--I am sure there are many, many instructors out there with similar hard-won knowledge, and I am glad they exist. It's a lot easier to embark on a lifetime passion for knitting if you have a teacher who helps you avoid certain pitfalls and learn to correct mistakes easily and simply, right from the start. I am sure I am not the best beginning knitting teacher in the world, but I seem to be pretty good at getting folks started!

So, I thought I'd add a series of occasional posts here in the blog with some tips as to what works for me, in case you ever get the chance to start a newbie on the road to knitting addiction and want to ensure they are successful. It's important to note that the way I do it is NOT the only way to do it, nor necessarily the "best," but it works for me. All teaching ideas posts will come with the label "teaching ideas" so you can search for them easily.

Equipment

Before getting your student started, be sure that he or she has good starter knitting equipment. Here are options that work for me:

1. Needle material: either bamboo or high-quality plastic (I like the Bryspun needles with the extra pointy tips that make the first pokes through the stitches easier. I like bamboo because it feels good for tactile learners and is not slippery.)
2. Needle length: usually shorter ones. They are less awkward to hold, which is especially good for younger knitters.
3. Needle size: appropriate for the yarn chosen. I know a lot of people use large needles, but it's hard to see stitch definition if the fabric is really loose and lacy, and I've seen students very disappointed in how their output looks if the yarn is too thin for the needles.
4. Yarn type: wool or cotton that is smooth and does not easily come apart. You need smooth so that the new student can learn to identify what a good stitch looks like, and you need something tightly spun or solid, to reduce the frustration from splitting the yarn. Sometimes you will need to compromise on this, of course. Wool is my favorite, because it has bounce and is a bit more forgiving of uneven stitches. However, many people like to start making dishcloths, which aren't really "wool" items. A nice quality cotton is fine for dishcloths. I find Sugar and Cream splits a bit, but hey, that works, and is a bargain.
5. Yarn size: generally worsted to bulky weight. Super bulky is too hard to manipulate (though I demo on it, so folks can see what I am doing). And thinner yarn works, but doesn't show much progress--new knitters need to be able to see that they've accomplished something fairly quickly, to maintain interest.
6. Yarn color: this is up to the student, but I have found that self-striping, pooling or otherwise variegated yarn is useful for a couple of reasons. For one, having the yarn you are knitting with a different color from the yarn you are knitting into lets you see what you are doing more easily. Also it can be easier to count rows if the color changes. And for those who are discouraged easily, striped yarns provide encouragement. You can see you've done two or three colors. Or you can knit hard, hoping for the pink section to show up. Knitting five feet of a tan garter stitch scarf could bore anyone, even an eager knitter who really wants a tan scarf. I've had a lot of success with young people on yarns that slowly change color. They are fun.
7. Pattern: it's nice to have whatever you are teaching written in a very simple pattern. It will get folks scared of patterns a chance to break one down into its components and learn that it is their friend.

What Not to Choose

There are some choices that make teaching more difficult:

1. Shiny aluminum needles: these are slippery, are often a bit too long, and make irritating noises. People often proudly bring them in to learn on. Often they buy bamboo before they leave, when they see that the other students are having more success that way. Of course, if a student feels they can't afford new needles, they CAN learn on shiny aluminum!
2. Poorly made acrylic yarn: I am not 100% anti acrylic--I liked that Sirdar Toddler Aran I knit with last week, for example. But, the worsted weight stuff that comes in giant balls in Big Box stores is not a great choice for a new knitter. Why? Well, it feels awful. You spend many hours with your first knitted project--it helps if you spend many hours feeling lovely wool or high quality cotton. Your finished product will last longer and look better if made from nice materials, as well. Poor quality acrylics are very uncomfortable in a scarf or a hat, for example.
3. Novelty Yarn: you can't see what you are doing in novelty yarn, so you can't tell when you have made a mistake. Promise the student that a shiny or fluffy scarf can be their third project. Thankfully, that trend is passing, anyway.

Next: What to teach before casting on a stitch!

Remember, the above is just what works for me, and not "rules." These are guidelines, which means you can change them if you find something else works better for you!

More Productive Knitting Weekend!

In addition to going on about my weekend,

Close Up of Pantaloon Edge
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I'm also sharing the excitement of my friend Katie's Finished Object--beautiful lace-edge pantaloons, or lounging pants, or something. I have other photos in my Flickr set from my knitting friends, if you want to see what the whole thing looks like (I didn't want to put Katie in her lounging attire directly on the blog). As Katie points out in the comments, the pattern is Unmentionables, from Knitty.

Katie was incredibly patient knitting long stretches of stockinette, then VERY long stretches once the ruffle started. But she got to touch wonderful Cathay yarn for all that time, and now has the most luxurious lounging attire of anyone I know! Katie will no doubt tell me where the pattern came from in the comments, which will be helpful since my mind has blanked it out, even though I knew it perfectly well at one time.

Note: For some reason I keep spelling Katie's name like the Houston suburb of Katy, and not like her "real" name. I wonder how many times I will have to tell myself to stop doing that? Anyway, sorry, Katie.

My Knitting Fun

As the blog entry title hints, I had a better knitting weekend than last week. I did sock #2 for Lee's dad really quickly, thanks to a very long ride on a hot school bus and a lot of time at the yarn shop on Saturday. I'm just glad all that jumping up and down to cheer didn't get the stitches messed up. But, sock #2 is as sturdy, brown and utilitarian as sock #1!

I got well past the heel on the second Disco Colori sock by Sunday afternoon. I am very proud of the toe, which is a thing of beauty and smoothness, as well as the heel, which pretty much exactly matches the patterning on the first sock. I was not sure if the yarn would line up that well, but it did. Yay, I will have identical twins, not fraternal.

I wandered around the room thinking about what socks to knit next for a while yesterday afternoon. I eventually settled on the Silver Leaf colorway Panda yarn from Seacoast, because it is shiny from the bamboo, and so silvery and green. And not turquoise or brown. I went through a number of decisions on what socks to knit, but settled on the Walking Away Socks pattern from Fiber Trends. I've made the center pattern already (see this blog entry for info). This time I will make the one on the left, if you know what the pattern looks like. Everyone really seems to like my socks with interesting back views.

After that, I will go back to gift socks, because I found at the LYS on Saturday Austermann Step in a subdued orange and blue colorway that I can use to make "Go Gators" socks for my sister, who is in Gainesville. It'll be a two-sock holiday for her!

Non-Sock Knitting at Last!

But, I did it! I knitted something other than a sock! I unraveled the cast off on the lace panel I'd done on the surplice top, and started up the back in lovely stockinette. The yarn, which is Nashua Natural Focus Ecologie Cotton is lovely the way it shades slightly, but it sure likes to come apart. It's very loosely wound and consists of what appears to be ten or twelve very thin strands, and it is very easy to miss a strand. So I do have to pay attention. I will love wearing this, though, so I will march forward more rapidly now, I hope.

KnitPicks Needles

Wow, have those new KnitPicks needles started a lot of discussion on various boards and such. People either love them or loathe them. I guess those beautiful rainbows that seem so fun to me really bother others (yet I have read about people who find the metal ones "too shiny" so it takes all kinds, I guess). When I got to the yarn shop on Saturday, Amy was there to teach a sock class. Turns out she had done just what I did--opened her email, saw the needles and ordered ASAP so she'd get some before they sold out. We laughed at our own predictability.

Class

I taught a pretty big beginning knitting class, all but one of whom really weren't beginners, but that's OK. They were all progressing rapidly enough that they ended up making basketweave scarves, and once the realization that you have to move the yarn between knitting and purling was clear, they were going like gangbusters. Almost all of them were using Smile yarn on large needles, so a lot of knitting happened. What I liked best was that they were so enthusiastic that most of them are coming back next week to learn more! I had a request for how to knit a simple hat, so that should be fun to show them. As tired as I was from the long bus ride the night before, their enthusiasm was contagious! Teaching knitting is probably the most fun work I've ever done.