Knitting with Friends
We just moved into our new place and sorting through and reorganizing craft supplies has brought out so many forgotten projects I intended to finish but hadn't or have not even started. Among them was a baby pinwheel blanket I promised to knit for a retirement home gift shop. It's going to be white, yellow and green. All pastels. My goal is to finish it by the 20th. I had to refresh on the disappearing loop method but I'm now going strong on it. After the first few rows, the rest of the pattern repeats. This is a fabulous pattern to knit with others because you don't need to pay attention to details.



I still have a fair amount of stashed yarns left in storage. I found an old chenille blanket I started for one of my boys but never got to finish. Since the required hook is ginormous, it's a quick stash buster project that I'm thinking will be soon on the horizon. I want to finish what I started. Get it all done. Clear out space for new inspirations.

Poppy Fairy
Last month I managed complete 25% of the pattern (beading, outlining and finishing not included). It's looking great and more like a fairy. I discovered I find cross stitch relaxing, especially if it's blocks of color rather than intricate constant color change. There is a pattern in a British magazine that I absolutely adore, that says "Life is just peachy when you're as cool as a cucumber but sometimes it's fun to just go bananas." I think it will suit my style well while looking good in my kitchen.

I subscribe digitally to "Cross Stitch Collection" on my ipad. I love that I have patterns while I'm on the go so I can easily get supplies I need as well as zooming in on hard to see areas of a pattern. If you haven't tried getting magazines digitally, it's great. You can also print out single patterns that you can mark up and modify.


Anyway, Happy Stitches! Picture updates soon to follow.

Edit: added project photo of Pinwheel Blanket.

Poppy Fairy by Joan Elliot

Marriages hit their rough patches especially when there is a lot of change to cope with. My husband and I had a bit of a break just over a year ago. Our reconcile date was 11-11-11, Remembrance Day. In honor of that date that we really committed to change, for Valentine's Day I'm sewing Poppy Fairy by Joan Elliot.

As an aside, if you haven't tried getting magazines on your tablet, I highly recommend it. Easily bookmark and zoom in on patterns. You have access to your thread stash list and more on the go so you don't over buy. International and back issues can be a few dollars cheaper or even significantly less than buying in print. You always have access to them to download, and supplemental freebies are now being added to the end of the magazine. If you have young children or are prone to coffee spills, this is great. You can also print just the patterns you need. Cross Stitch Collection (awesome fairy patterns) and Cross Stitcher are two brilliant magazines from the same publishers with different themes that offer a free back issue to test. I can't remember the last time I went on such a magazine spree.

Fabricland sells Aida to cut. The roll was a smidgen dirty where she cut so she added a bit more fabric to cut around and marked it half off. It worked out to paying $2 for the fabric for this project and I have plenty left for two more. Membership for students is available and membership is significantly worth it. I saved what I paid for it in one trip.

If you're local to Kelowna, Kelowna Yarn and Needle Crafts (http://www.kelyarn.com) had all the colors I needed (Michaels sold out half the colors I needed and are better organized with better quality notions - no substitutions needed). I was given some really good pointers to keep my project sewing smoothly.

It's been so long since I've cross stitched. I started a mysewingcircle.com project page. I got my threads all organized. I bought all my notions. I've posted a picture of what I've done so far. I'll post more pictures as I go along. Wish me luck!

My Sewing Circle and the First Cut

So cool discovery. There is a Ravelry equivalent for sewing in the works. It's still in early development and the community is still building but it's worth checking out if you haven't already. Seeing different color or alteration ideas for sewing and tracking my tools, library and notions is fabulous! My username on there is the same as Ravelry so look me up :)

That aside, Christmas break was short and needed. I thought I was going to get a ton of crafting done but all the holiday preparations, visiting and relaxing took over. So today in the new year I'm getting getting organized for my first patterned project since sewing classes as a child. My fabric is washed and air drying. Almost ready to iron. I've done some reading on machine sewing. I chose some cheap fabric so I wouldn't be upset if it didn't turn out right but that backfired; I love the fabric! I'm nervous cutting it. It's like that blank canvas a painter stares at before the first stroke. I will post pictures later. So here goes!

New Fiber Frontier

Up until the lace scarf I started last week, it's been over a year since I picked up some knitting needles... But I have a good reason. I became a student and this spring I will be a NURSE! It's one of the last accelerated classes before they tack on another year. I'm excited about what the future will hold and all the new experiences I will have however it really cuts into my creative time.

I started thinking. I want comfy scrubs that are stylish. I have the hardest time finding clothes that fit just right. Solution: I got a sewing machine. So Fiberly Yours will now include sewing (not just knitting and crochet). Since Friday, I've made a pair of lounge pants, fixed my son's favorite blankie, my iPad bag, and made a few bags for storage.

Scrub-a-licious
This winter break I will also be making my own scrubs. I've been reading up on the basics of pattern and fabric prep. I can't wait. I will post pictures in the future of the completed set. I found this fabric in the clearance section of Fabricland for $5/M. I also have my eyes on a shamrock pattern and though I'm not one for flowers, there is a beautiful blue shaded flower print I have my heart set on. Only down side... it isn't going to take long to build a sizable fabric stash comparable to my yarn stash. Double trouble.

Anyway, for now, here is the pattern and fabric (the lighting with my ipad camera didn't capture the navy blue essence of the fabric) I have selected:

I will be making the short sleeved shirt and pants. Cool thing... I can modify the pockets to overlap and add a watch loop. The perks of making your own clothing and accessories ^_^

Scary Socks

I know many beginners who get stuck on knitting a gazillion scarves or blankets simply because they don't believe the have what it takes to complete other projects that appear substantially more complicated. The problem with these 'safe' and simple projects is that there are only so much you need and can give away but more importantly knitting confidence is built by challenging yourself a little more each time. Many sock phase out their commercial socks in favor of persomally made ones. Just think of all the techniques you'd need to master to do a variety of different pairs!


How should I pick my first pattern?

For your first sock, find a plain (stockinette stitch or garter stitch) pattern with sport or worsted weight yarn like this cuff down pattern "Socks 101" by Larissa Brown or this "Simple Toe Up Anklets" by Rachel Calado (the only thing I'd change for beginners is that I'd use a set of double pointed needles -- dpns -- instead). Either pattern will knit up quick and give you the basic construction techniques to build the confidence to work on more complex sock patterns. After you complete your first plain pair (or two pairs --- one of each technique), most other sock patterns will then just add different stitch patterns which depend on your experience level.


Toe Up or Cuff Down? --- Does it matter?

In a nutshell, no. There are two methods for constructing your own socks that basically depend on which end you start at, cuff down or toe up. Neither method is more complicated but typically knitters will have a clear preferance because of the techniques involved that can be initially scary and very different for the aspiring sock knitter. Top down socks you'll have to deal with Kitchener stitch, picking up stitches and gussets where as toe up you'll probably deal with short rows and basic increases/decreases. Youtube is the best for visual learning but also check out techknitter's blog --- she's great for preventing/correcting issues and multiple variations.

Either direction you work the sock, you'll be knitting in the round with double pointed needles (dpns) or circular needles (magic loop method uses one circular needle or you can use two circular needles). I recommend starting with dpns. Frequently knitters use two circular needles to knit two socks at the same time. Although this method may seem slow, your socks are garenteed to match row for row. Less known, dpns can actually be used to knit two socks at a time, one inside the other and this looks really cool (check out my youtube links to see what that looks like and how to do other techniques).


Where do I go from here?
When you feel ready after completing your first pair of plain socks, I highly recommend looking into the following designers/books. As with any other pattern, make sure you have all the errata before you start. Some patterns will not have errata printed but you'll find it in project notes of other completed projects on Ravelry -- just sort the patterns by helpful notes first. Also you might also find pattern modications or color schemes you haven't thought of but prefer.

• Cookie A wrote a couple of amazing books (Sock Innovation and recently published, Knit. Sock. Love.) and some of the designs are stellar if you're comfortable or want to be comfortable with lace and cables. I love her explanations on construction and inspiration.
   
• The Joy of Socks is one of my favorite sock books. It's a collection from mulitple designers and the patterns use a multitued of different techniques garenteed to build your knitting skills.
   
• The free eZine Knitty has some great ones as well: Here are a few:
• Skew
• Blackrose Socks
• Double Heelix
• Garden Gate
• Pomatomus (this is one of Cookie A's free patterns if you want sample one of her patterns)
• Lingerie
• Maeva
• Celtic Triad

Book Review: The Essential Stitch Collection

The Essential Stitch Collection: A Creative Guide to the 300 Stitches Every Knitter Really Needs to Know by Lesley Stanfield and Melody Griffiths

There are many stitch guides on the market but this one really sets itself apart from the rest not just in design but the variety of techniques in the visually pleasing stitch patterns available. Here is a list of the features I loved:

• Each chapter has a gallery of images of all the stitches found in that chapter. It's great for comparing what's available to get the best possible pattern for your project.
   
• The stitches are not so similar like other stitch guides; you'll see how to achieve different affects so you can produce your own variations. I love their chapter of unusual stitch patterns and celtic knot patterns in the stranded/intarsia section.
   
• There is a good basic section on how to include the patterns in your own designs including how to deal with shaping.
   
• There is a pull out flap at the end of the book with a list of abbreviations you'll see in the chart keys. Speaking of chart keys, there is a sharred key on the bottom of each left page for each different symbol used on the two facing pages (which sometimes spills into the right page depending on how many symbols are used). This is great for beginners or even the advance knitter who might forget the abbreviations of less used techniques. 

I would have liked to see borders but one of the authors has already written a book on borders and trimmings. Check it out, I'm giving it 5 of 5 stars easy.

A Magical Fairwell

This week marks the end of one of the most popular movie series of all time, Harry Potter. To celebrate the finale, many fiber enthusiasts are showing their love for the series by coming up with some truly amazing patterns, some with really innovated techniques. Even if you are a casual knitter, check out these patterns and challenge yourself to make something different and fun.




Best of Hand Knits
If you haven't seen some of the work by Steve Plummer of Wooly Thoughts, you're missing out. At first glance head on, it looks like an ordinary striped blanket but then as you continue passing by, it catches the corner of your eye and an amazing photo realistic image appears as if by magic. The technique is surprisingly simple. Strategically placed purls on plain stockinette striped fabric create this effect. He has five Harry Potter designs among others, you just have to check them out. Prices for his patterns vary but his website has free tutorials for designing your own which is very cool

Although I haven't seen any images or looked deeply into it, it appears Terry Bradford has tried converting a couple of Steve's Harry Potter patterns into crochet. It might be worth looking into if you strongly prefer crochet.




Best of Crochet

Todd Paschall founded a technique called crochet by numbers. These pieces are gorgeous and photo realistic at any angle. I has done portraits in crochet of several famous people and since added several stunning nature scenes. There is a great article in Crochet Today about him and how it began. What does this have to do with Harry Potter? One of his fans, Lee Mac (totallee) who is also a fan of Harry Potter figured out her own method for generating these amazing patterns (unfortunately both have kept details of their designing methods a secret). All of her patterns are free and she does offer her own technique tips in addition to the tutorials on Todd's site along with many stunning gallery images. She also has a Ravelry group dedicated to this method.

Megan McDuffee has her own method and wrote how to crochet your very own photo realistic Harry Potter blanket (or whoever else you wish to snuggle up in). Details can be found in her pattern page for her. Harry Potter Blanket. 



A Few Smaller Projects with Great Appeal
Here are a few smaller projects I found on Ravelry that I absolutely love (*Free PDF or Website):

• Gryffindor Cami*
• Harry Potter Uniform Sweater*
• House Pride Knee High Socks: Hufflepuff | Ravenclaw | Gryffindor | Slytherin
• Hermione's Scarf* 
• Sorting Hat*
• Wizard Robe
• Mandrake Root
• Dobby
• Harry Hopper
• HP Fair Isle Pouch*
• Gryffindor iPhone Cozy*

If you're looking to make something but are willing to