Pattern Recommendation: Persikkavaahto by Liisa Pohjalainen

I don't have great pictures of this one, but for good reason: I made it and immediately started to wear it. There was perhaps a 2-second delay between sewing in the ends (only two!) and putting it on.

Persikkavaahto is a great way to start learning lifelines and lace decreases, and it's free! It's knit in the round, meaning that it's all knit, yarn-overs, and decreases. Here's me making my way through:

Right before fall, so I was excited to wear this to the pumpkin patch!

I used cotton yarns I'd gotten from a second-hand store. They're perfect for this, as they're not heat-retaining like wool, so it made for a light hat to keep my hair under control in the fall! (For more on yarn fibre types, see my post on the subject.) However, I didn't have enough of just one of the yarns, so I mussed about and added stripes instead of going one-colour, just carrying the yarn up inside the hat.

Already on! 

I still wear this hat. Cotton is durable and easily-washed, which is great when you drop your hat in the corn maze... and when you wear it nearly every day!

Lessons Learned: Yarn Fibre Types

Here's the stuff I have slowly learned over time about yarn fibres. This is by no means extensive, but it's the basics that you may need to know so that you (unlike me) don't have a few early projects get ruined because they were made out of the wrong thing.

A quick note: if you're wondering what it's made of, check the yarn band! It should say on it what fibre it is.

There are basically three categories of fibre. Yarn snobs will get puffed up about breaking them up this way, but when it comes to their qualities, this is the easiest way to divide them. Fibre is either animal-made, plant-based, or plastic.

Here's a really simple rundown:

Animal-made fibres include alpaca, angora, bison, camel, cashmere, llama, merino, mohair, qiviut, yak, and the most common, wool. All of these are some type of animal hair. The only animal-made fibre that doesn't act like the others is silk, which while made from silkworms, isn't a hair and thus acts a bit more like a man-made fibre. Animal-hair yarns tend to be very warm, due to the fibres being made to trap heat near the animal's body.

However, animal-made yarns can cause allergies and be rough if not processed correctly. Wool especially has lanolin, a natural oil produced by the sheep that can be irritating to the skin. Due to these allergies, most hospitals and some charities won't accept items made of these yarns, because those with immune deficiencies can't handle that.

Another downside to many types of wool and other animal yarns is that they can felt. Check your yarn label for how it needs to be washed. Most of the time, a hand-wash yarn has a tendency to felt. This is when small scales on the hair open up in heat or water and can get stuck together with friction. It shrinks the item and sticks it together into... well, felt. While sometimes this is a wanted outcome, such as with slippers or some bags, most of the time you don't want your item suddenly shrunken and felted.

Plant-based yarns are made from plant fibres. This includes bamboo, cotton, hemp, linen, and soy. These tend to not be nearly as elastic as animal-made yarns and can shrink slightly when washed, just like any cotton clothing. They're less warm, which makes them great for spring and summer items. The drape can also be better, due to no sticking scales on the fibres, and linen especially is valued for its flow. Hemp is known to be durable. Bamboo is slightly rarer to see used, but it's got a lovely sheen.

My favourite part of plant-based yarns is that they're able to be thrown in the laundry so easily, but there is a downside because plant-based yarns also can give allergies. They also tend to pill with use and friction.

Finally, there are man-made fibres, or, as I call them, plastic. This includes acrylic, metallic yarns, microfibre, nylon, polyester, vinyl, rayon, and tencel. By far the most common of these yarns are acrylic.

Acrylic gets a bad rap. When it first was made it was scratchy and hard and keeps that stigma today, but now there are hundreds of acrylic yarns that are soft. Here are the pros and cons.

Pros: Acrylic is machine washable, durable, and hypoallergenic (hospitals tend to ask for things to be made of acrylic for this reason). Acrylic is also cheap, which makes it a great choice for large projects like blankets and afghans. It doesn't shrink or felt, though the softer ones can pill (Check the washing labels).

Cons: Some acrylics can be scratchy and hard (though there are ways around this. I'll maybe make a post about softening acrylic later). Also, acrylic yarns give off small pieces of plastic - they shed, like most other yarns - and these microplastics can become dust and infiltrate our ecosystem (this is one of the things that causes microplastic pollution). Non-synthetic yarns based on plants or animals biodegrade better, but things used to process them such as bleaches or dyes can still harm the environment.

Here are a few tips:

• Try to stick to one category of yarn for a project. In other words, don't use cotton and acrylic to make stripes - the cotton will shrink and the acrylic won't, giving you a wonky texture. Wool and acrylic used in the same project mean you have to wash your entire item by hand so it doesn't felt. 
• There are mixtures of fibres in many yarns! Superwash wools are wool yarns mixed with other fibres so they're less likely to felt, and most sock yarns have man-made fibres for strength so the socks last longer. Wool mixed with cotton will be a little less warm and less itchy, while cotton mixed with a man-made yarn is often more durable. 
• Wool is good for really warm items, while acrylic is great for large items, or anything intended to be gifted (easy-wash is excellent for those who don't know how to hand-wash knits). Cotton yarns are excellent for summer, underclothes, and items that you want to be more breathable. Use man-made fibres for things you want to last for ages. 
• Finally, do some research if you're unsure. The Ravelry forums are a great place to start, but also the yarn manufacturer or the people at your local yarn shop often have some really great ideas!

Lessons Learned: Illusion Knitting

I have known of illusion knitting for a while and was fascinated since I saw a photo of a crazy Hagrid illusion knit by Steve Plummer. (The pattern's on Ravelry!) But the technique was too intimidating for me. I put it off until I found a brilliant Instructable on the subject, and realised it was far simpler than I had expected!

For those of you who don't know what illusion knitting is, I suggest seeing Steve's pattern first, since it's far more impressive. Illusion knitting looks like plain stripes when viewed from the front, but when viewed from the side it creates a picture. While seemingly magic, this is a simple knit/purl technique. Not only that but in a project like a scarf one can carry the yarn up the side, making it a simple process to change colours.

To start one needs a simple chart of a design. I wanted a project for my violin teacher, so I chose a pattern of a treble clef. This is actually a pattern for crochet filet! Amazingly, these charts work for illusion knitting as well, as will any block-based chart with two colours.

I followed the instructable, feeling very unsure. Surely this couldn't be as simple as they made it out to be? But as things worked up I found myself amazed at what was coming off my needles. Look at this!

Straight on.

From the side. 

Once I finished I used a steamer to block the acrylic. Here's a look at the pinning, with the back of the item. The pattern's a little more obvious on the reverse.

My messy craft area in the background. Pinning is a little harder, but I used my ironing board's stripes to get it straight.

Here's the final product, taken at an angle. I adore the way it turned out. Not only that, but my violin teacher loved it!

The only space big enough to get a photo was next to my kitchen, so pardon the mess. But look how cool this is!

In future, I'm thinking of doing a wall-hanging, because the back-side is hidden. It would be so cool to watch it change as you walked past. Of course, I could have stitched a backing on, but as it was a scarf I figured this was fine.

I encourage anyone interested to at least try a small swatch. It's addicting once you start. The only complaint I had was the constant counting, but every other row is a straight knit, so it really wasn't that bad.

Improvement Notes:

Knitting is a constant learning process. These are my notes to help me grow and improve my skills - feel free to ignore, or learn with me!
At the time I made this, I was pretty much unaware stitch markers existed. Next time, I'd definitely be marking my stitches to make the counting easier.

Lessons Learned: 6 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Knitting

Knitting is a wonderful hobby. It's a great way to meet new people, make incredible items, and keep those hands busy when watching the telly. But there are definitely things I wish I'd known when I first started. Here's my list for everyone just starting out.

1) Frogging is not a sin. 

Yes, I know. That's hours of work! You just put so much effort into it! But trust me, it's better to frog than to end up with something that doesn't fit, doesn't suit, or has a glaring error that you can't overlook. Not only that, but frogging helps you understand your technique: you learn how to pick up stitches that you've frogged back to, and requires you to learn the skill you messed up the first time. Frog away!

2) Learn to read patterns.

Lesser Ury [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Yeah, I know, it looks like an indecipherable code at first, but after letting myself relax enough to look up unknown abbreviations, I loved being able to do so much more with my knitting than scarves or squares. Even though video tutorials now can walk you through projects, there is such a wealth of tradition, knowledge, and skill in patterns. They're worth it. (Hint: Ravelry.com is a great place to find new ones.) Speaking of patterns...

3) Try the pattern you're putting off. 

By Miia Ranta from Finland (Jääkukka for Teija  Uploaded by Fæ) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Come on! What's the worst that's going to happen? You have to frog? In that case, refer to number 1 on this list. 

Trying hard, scary patterns has been an incredible learning tool, as they often incorporate new techniques and stitches. But in the age of youtube tutorials and plenty of how-to websites, I'm never far away from a knowledgeable teacher. Just cast on!

4) Buy a crochet hook.

"But I'm a knitter!" you cry. Fair enough. But plenty of patterns have crochet cast-offs or ways to cast on, and having a hook around to grab and catch a stray stitch when it's too small for fingers is always helpful. Not to mention the next item on my list, which is...

5) Learn how to pick up a dropped stitch.

By Elkágyé (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Dropped stitches. The beginning knitter's worst nightmare. Let's face it, we've all started our first project, dropped a stitch, and not known what to do, so we just kept going. Or we had to frog back days later, weeping over wasted time until we got down to the lost stitch. 

Using a crochet hook to hook the stitch up is such an incredibly freeing skill to know! No more do I panic when I let stitches off my needles. There are many other ways as well, for the hook-averse: Love-Knitting.com has a great list of five techniques. Find your favourite, learn it, and never fear the dropped stitch again!

6) Take it a stitch at a time. 

Even the most complex pattern eventually comes down to a stitch-by-stitch process. Take each one as it comes, and the piece eventually creates itself. 

If you're paying attention, you'll note that most of these come down to trying new things, taking a deep breath, and never being afraid to fix my mistakes. And you'd be right! New skills come at a price, which is normally making mistakes and facing the anxiety that comes with them. But in the end, it's worth what you learned from the experience.

Good luck to all the new knitters out there, and I wish you the best in your new hobby! 

Lessons Learned: Double-Pointed Needles

Knitting in the round sounds like such a daunting skill to learn. I remember psyching myself up to do my first pair of socks, but I used a circular needle then. I didn't want any of my stitches falling off the needles!

But eventually, I bought a set of double-pointed needles (DPNs, to the knitting crowd) and braced myself for what I was certain was going to be a disaster. It turns out, after casting on, I was able to figure things out just fine, and cast-on was simple after I learned a few tricks.

I started with an extremely simple, small pattern. I wanted something with no new stitches, tiny enough that I could finish it without using extreme amounts of yarn, time, or patience. Knowing I'd probably mess up and frog the whole thing several times, I didn't want to mourn huge amounts of progress lost every time I had to frog again.

My eventual choice was one of the cacti from Lucille Randall's Quick and Easy Cacti. Simple 1x1 rib stitch seemed easy enough, but the in-the-round construction gave me a chance to try out my new needles!

Here are my tips for working with DPNs:

• The easiest mistake to make is to twist up your cast-on between stitches, leaving you with an odd Mobius strip once you're done. My way around this was to cast all the stitches onto one needle. Then I slipped the stitches onto their various needles, evening them out, but I could easily see if I twisted anything before joining in the round. Another way to do the same thing is to cast onto a circular needle of the same size, then slip onto your DPNs. 
• Tighten your stitches after you switch needles. Don't tighten after the first stitch -- it won't hold by itself. Knit two stitches, then tighten the first and the second. The second stitch will hold the tension of the first in place. If you don't watch your tension at the needle changes, there tends to be an odd gap. Sometimes, depending on needle size, there's a gap no matter what you do, in which case blocking helps to even your tension. 
• Knit stitches and purl stitches don't need to be altered each round to achieve stockinette stitch. In other words, one can knit in the round and have a lovely stockinette without ever switching to purl stitch. Reading the pattern, I was very confused when I reached the second round and it didn't start my ribbing with a purl stitch. I ended up re-casting on when I kept trying to start with a purl, getting confused when I ended up with a seed stitch instead! But it turned out I was just not trusting my pattern enough. 

I did end up changing my cactus toward the end; I wanted a more lengthy top, and by this time I was feeling confident, so I did gradual decreases. Here's my little cactus when I finished stuffing it with yarn scraps.

Cute, round, and palm-sized.

I decided he needed a pot to seem quite right, and grabbed a bottle-cap and some twine. After a little super-glue, I had a perfect pincushion!

Pinny is always ready when I need him.

Pattern Recommendation: Little Lamb Baby Bib by Kinga Erdem

You know when you find out a friend is having a baby? There's that jolt of excitement, that thrill of anticipation, and then that sudden moment of "What do I give them?"

Because babies deserve lovely things, all of us are used to the traditions of gifts, but it does tend to become something I stress about -- what is something that no-one else is likely to give? After all, I don't want my gift going in the pile of things baby was going to wear, only for the baby to grow too large before the item was even put on. I'm also practical; as the eldest of five children, I soon realised that pretty baby gifts are often put into the closet in favour of hardy, resilient articles.

For babies, I normally choose acrylic. It's easy-wash, and no new mother wants to hand-wash something a baby has made filthy. Something that fits a growing child works well, but clothing is hard for that. When I realised bibs were an option, it was a brainwave!

I began to search bib patterns and came across an absolutely sweet free crochet with Kinga Erdem's Little Lamb Baby Bib. Personally, it reminds me of Lamb Chop's Play-Along (does anyone else remember that show?).

The bib is an incredibly simple crochet, with the hardest part being the bobbles at the top, but the instructions were clear and I was able to understand the process easily. You start with the basic lamb face and then sew on the ears and details. Here's the face with the ears, mid-sewing process.

Isn't it just adorable? The crochet stitch is tight and the acrylic isn't water absorbent, which means bits of dribble are likely to just stay on the surface for a scrub-off.

The instructions include the eyes, face, and a little bauble border. I changed the smile just a bit because my nose simply didn't want to embroider on straight.

What a lovely lamb!

I gifted the bib to the expecting mum and loved the photos I got later of my godchild in it! There's nothing more gratifying than seeing my work being used and appreciated. I'm sure that it will get passed on, either to the next child along or to another mum who could use a smile!