Webigail

I don’t know why, but I have been putting off lacing.
I’ve done socks, sweaters, hats, even an afghan, but no lace…

That is until recently. I needed an excuse to try lace, so used
Christmas as the perfect reason. I whipped up two lace scarves
for my rascal’s preschool teachers.

I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to stockinette.

*Sigh*
Where do I begin?

The store is officially open tomorrow, Friday, November 16th. However, I had the good fortune of being invited to a private screening. This is not going to be good. Not good at all.

From the moment you walk in, there’s a sense of “let me take a load off.” I do not take kindly to the yarn snobs, who rather than share the art of knitting, want to make it an exclusive, elite little club. Knitting is something that can be enjoyed alone and definitely is best alone, if working on a complicated pattern, but the bonding that takes place when knitters sit around, helping each other, admiring each other’s work…well, that is not limited to a select few. Any and everyone, who enjoys knitting, should feel welcomed, particularly when they enter a YARN SHOP! But, I’ve digressed.

So, back to the store…well, after you get over the inviting ambiance, you are engulfed in color. Hues seem to leap out at you from the four walls. Reds, greens and greens (soy, organic, etc.), blues, variegated, lace weights, worsted weights, sock weights, you name it.

The store is incredibly organized, down to the books - Which I could not resist. Since I stocked up on my “practice” stash from a local craft store, I decided to use up most of what I have, but I purchased three books: Knit One, Felt Too, One-Skein Wonders, and Felted Knits. I also purchased some delicious lace-weight Malabrigo, which is my current favorite yarn indulgence. I selected a hank in a red, spicy color - Vermillion, to make knitted flowers to decorate my first lace project.

Natural Stitches had every color of Cascade 220 you can ask for…and I mean that literally. They have, what is being called the “Rainbow Wall” lined with every, single, luscious color that Cascade makes. WARNING - Bring a non knitter with you when you visit that section, as it’s easy to succumb to the intrinsic magic that permeates from that area. In fact, had my rascal not been with me, screaming in the background, I fear that I may have been sucked up by that Rainbow Wall, never to be seen again.

Oh, did I mention that the prices are GREAT?!!! If I didn’t…the prices are GREAT!!!

Natural Stitches is a knitter’s heaven. You have needles, including the beloved Denise Interchangeables available for purchase, along with many other needles, such as Addi Turbo and I also saw some needles that I doubt I would ever be able to handle in size #32!! And, men are welcomed. There will be a knitting group for the fellas.

Natural Stitches is destined to become a hub for knitters in Pittsburgh.
If you stop in, tell them Webigail sent ya!

The Village of East Side
6401 Penn Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Phone: (412) 441-4410

Ok, it’s not my birthday, birthday, but rather my knitting birthday.

I took my first knitting class with Carla K, on Sunday, November 19th, 2006.
It was the Sunday before Thanksgiving.

Ironically, I initially registered for a crochet class, but taught myself in the week prior to the class.
So, on the day of the class, I asked if would be possible to learn to knit instead. As luck would have it,
I was the only student scheduled and Carla had no problem teaching me to knit.

It’s been love, ever since. I haven’t stopped knitting since then.

Within the first week of taking the class I had already knitted two hats (in the round).
By the beginning of the second week, I purchased my first set of interchangeables (Denise).
I am now a die-hard Knit Picks Options fan, cannot use resin, but I have fond memories
of my first needle set.

I soon found myself registered for several additional classes with Carla:

• Sweater
• Socks
• Pinwheel

I had tackled the most challenging projects (for me) within the first 3 months of learning to knit and I find that each new project builds my confidence and shows improvement.

I’ve even tackled lace *sigh*

I don’t know why, but for some reason, I was seriously daunted by lace.

And my library, my how it’s grown!

I own the first two editions of Barbara Walker’s A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, Knitting on the Edge, Knitting Flowers, and more.

I have knitted with, lace weight, sock weight, fingering weight, worsted weight, chunky weight and novelty yarns. I’ve even knitted with two colors simultaneously.

Do I love knitting as much as I did from day one? Absolutely!
What haven’t I tried yet? I haven’t knitted mittens or gloves yet, but they’re coming soon.
What do I like most about knitting? I have always enjoyed working with my hands, and revel in giving hand-made gifts. This is the first Christmas that I can give gifts to friends and family that have a very personal touch. I pick patterns for each person that I think reflect their personality. For instance, one of my son’s teachers has a bubbly personality. For her scarf, I picked a bobble pattern. For another person, I picked a lacey, leaf pattern, because they remind me of all things beautiful and natural.

Learning to knit…what a great gift to me!

What exciting holiday news. Natural Stitches will be opening very soon, perhaps in the next week or so.
I’ll be going to the private “yarn party.”
I’m going to try NOT to buy anything else, as I am overloaded on yarns already, but I doubt I’ll be able to resist LOL.

I finally, (deep breath), finally finished that afghan!!

In fact, I almost made it too long and nearly passed out, from relief, when I measured and discovered that I had come to the end of my journey.

Knitting this afghan was more than me keeping my promise to my sister-in-law. It was a challenge for me. I tend to start projects with fury. I get excited, filled with ideas and then somewhere along the ride, I become bored. What could I have done differently? I could have maintained a steadier gauge, but just the fact that I completed this project means so much to me.

This is a personal milestone.

As soon as I get some fresh batteries, I’ll post pics.

I’m so excited *pant-pant*.

One of favorite people has decided to open a local yarn shop. The mentor of the person, who taught me to knit is opening up a store.

What will be in the store…well, can you say, “EVERY-THING!”
What will NOT be in the store is yarn-snobbery. I cannot wait until the store is open for business.
I don’t want to jinx them, so I’ll keep the name and details under wraps until the store is official.

However, I wish this knitting diva the best of luck.

OMG!!! Why, why, WHHHHHY Did look at the new KNO catalog today?!

Pass the smelling salts!

I know I don’t need a new set of needles, but I admit, having a wooden set of interchangeable needles, especially ones that are so beautiful, is awfully tempting. Wow, I’m the same person, who said I’d never bother buying their classic circs.

I also noticed that Knit Picks has come out with a needle case. I prefer the one I made, as the needles fit snuggly and fit into the nice binder that the needles come with. However, it’s great for those who want a way to organize their needles, without the fuss.

Someone, please talk me out of buying another set. After all, I’m still working on that dreaded AFGHAN!!

So, we’ve been anxiously waiting to see what KnitPicks was going to come up with. We’ve all been waiting on the edge of our seats for an answer to the quest for a 16″ circular needle from KnitPicks. Those of us with the interchangeable kit (KnitPicks Options) were hoping that the solution would work with the existing kit.

After the long wait, KnitPicks released the 16″ circular needles, BUT they are classic needles. You have to buy separate needles, pretty much an entire set. Otherwise, you’ll just have to stick with using the “magic hoop” method, or use 2 circ needles for your smaller project.

I’m disappointed, but from a business stand point, I did not expect KnitPicks to resize the molds for the needle tips. That’s just not cause effective. *Sigh*

On the bright side, I still love, adore and treasure my KnitPicks Options set, so there’s no harm done.

Thanks anyway KnitPicks!

Making your own KnitPicks Options needle organizer is actually quite easy. You’ll only need a few things to get started:

1. Fabric of choice - solids seem to be easier to work with, as you need to see where your working lines are.
2. Ruler or tape measure
3. Cord elastic
4. Interfacing - I used a mid-weight, iron-on type, but I doubled it to make the insert super firm
5. Needle & thread
6. Fabric chalk or pencil
7. Straight pins
8. Sewing machine - If you don’t have one, you can sew the seams by hand, but it’s neater and more secure when you use your machine.
9. iron
10. #0 Grommet kit

    Note: Do NOT waste your money (or time) buying the grommet sets found at Joann’s or Michael’s, as the setters, the hole cutter, base and die, make or break the quality of your grommet. I researched and finally chose Set-it-Yourself Grommet Kit by C.S. Osborne, as it comes with everything you need to manually set your grommets without cracking, over curling, and they look machine quality. Also C.S. Osborne’s tools come highly recommended by most people, who use hand tools.

    The other kit that I purchased is Lord & Hodges Grommet Setting Kit, which gives the same quality results.

Steps:

1. Start by measuring one of your plastic inserts from the KnitPicks Options binder. This is what you use to determine the width and height of your needle organizer. My measurements are: 6 3/4 x 6.

2. Lay your interfacing out on a flat surface. Rather than fussing with sewing a front and back panel together, you’re going to fold your interfacing from the top down, so that the height is at least 6 inches. You are going to now cut your interfacing, based on our measurements.

Now, we’re going to move on to the actual binder. Hang on! No cutting yet.

3.You need to add at least a half an inch to the width and height. This allows for where you are going to sew. So, your final measurements will be 7 1/4 x 6 1/2. Again, you’re going to fold the fabric in half, ensuring that there is at least 6 1/2 inches height and you can cut your fabric.

4. Once you have your interface and your binder cut, you can center the two pieces and iron the interfacing in place. The added weight of the interfacing, not only serves to make your binder firm, but it adds strength and acts as a reinforcement to the area holding your elastic.

5. Fold your binder in half with the interfacing on the inside; use your straight pins to secure the edges together and iron the fold, creating a nice crease.

6. Measure about 1/2 an inch on each edge.This will be where you sew, closing up the binder later. You need to determine this area now, because we’re going to create markers for where we stitch our elastic in place.

7. On side A, using the crease as my starting point, I measure 1 1/2 inches from the top, drawing a line across the length of the binder. Then measure 2 inches below that, creating another line.

8. On side B, using the crease as the starting point draw a line across 1 1/2 from the top. Create two more lines: one inch down from the first line, and the last one an inch below the previous.

9. Now, we’re going to create “intersections” to mark where we want to stitch the elastic. Again, allowing at least half an inch from the edge, I start creating dashes that intersect my lines every half an inch, until I have 17 crosses. Make sure that you are creating an intersection on both lines at the same time, to be certain that they will line up when we’re ready to sew our elastic in place.

10. Flipping the fabric over, I start intersecting my lines every inch, starting a half an inch in from my edge, until there are eleven intersection. This side will accommodate the larger needles tips.

Hang on…we’re getting closer to the finish line

11. I used a good old fashioned thread and needle to sew my elastic cord in place. I tried using my machine, but cord rolls, never stays put, so it was easier to sew it on manually. To get started you need to cut five 7″ (or longer) pieces of elastic cord. Now, just stitch your elastic in place, where you have your intersections marked.

12. If you still have your straight pins in, pull them out. Fold your binder inside out, so the interfacing is now on the outside.

13. Starting a half an inch in, sew up the side of the binder; turn and sew the other side. The bottom, opposite side of the fold, should be the only seam left open at this time.

14. Before turning your binder to the right side, fold the hem up, so there is at least a half and inch on both side; pin it down and iron. Now, go ahead and turn the binder back to the right side.

15. With the hem turned in, sew across the last open seam.

16. Now, the grommets might be intimidating, if you haven’t used them, but I assure you that they very easy.

To ensure that you are putting the grommets in the right place, place your plastic binder on top of your new binder, lining it up corner-to-corner. Use your chalk to mark where the first grommet will go. DO NOT MOVE AHEAD!. The reason why you do not want to move ahead, is because although it seems as if you should just be able to mark all holes at one time. I tried this and once the grommets were set, things were off just enough to cause the binder to not line up with the binder rings.

Set your first grommet and re-align the plastic binder with the new binder. Continue this step until all of the grommets are set.

That’s IT! You’re ready to go. Pictures will be coming (as soon as I get them off of my camera).

To all of you, who were nice enough to gently tap me on the shoulder…and to the few, who decided a kick in the fanny was more appropriate, I’ll have the directions for the organizer posted soon.

We’ve had a few family tragedies that have hit one, right after another. There has hardly been a dull moment, but I promise that as soon as things settle down (I pray that it’s very soon), I’ll get the directions posted.

Thanks!