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Sunday, April 28, 2019

Chit Chatting Away

Oh the past week has been the usual whirlwind of places to be, things to do, patterns to release...and the next few weeks get even more filled with places to be, things to do...it's wedding and graduation season at Chez Yarn Diet!

So in an attempt to play catch up...

Announcing...

Just So Stories, How the Rhino Got His Skin!

Another pattern in my explorations of new and different things to do with that skein of self striping yarn you have had in your stash when it was "too pretty" to hide in your shoes!

This time around, Felici Worsted Weight makes for a thoroughly decadent, warm neck wrap!

Worked in bright colors, like the picture above, it makes a great statement piece, in subdued colors (like below) a more subtle cuddle.

Folded over, it is very much like the wrinkly skin of  a Rhino, with lots of little pockets to trap warm air and keep you cozy...pulled up, it is tall enough to cover your ears when the wind blows!

You can get the pattern on  Ravelry.

A year after it's initial debut on Knotions, Ashes of Roses has been released with extended endings and new line by line instructions for the previously charted only pattern.

This pattern, or rather the versions that other knitters have made, has, to my knowledge won three best in show awards at Fairs, raised money for charity, been worn to weddings...the list goes on!

Again you can get the pattern on Ravelry but also on Love Knitting!  (Of course the free version is still available on Knotions, so long as charts are your thing and you don't want the additional endings!)

(Side note, those additional endings...knitters who got the pattern and had extra gradient emailed me or private messaged me through Ravelry to see if I had them and I wrote them based on their yarn availability.  Never be afraid to ask..I think it's fun to help knitters get to use every possible inch of that special yarn!  And while I can't always fit that play into my schedule, if I can...you betcha I will!)

And on that note...I have a wedding to get ready for!

~M




Sunday, April 21, 2019

Happy Easter

Coming on Thursday

Just So Stories

Innocence

Now available on Love Knitting and Ravelry

Saturday, April 13, 2019

Let's Talk About Swatch For a Minute...

Let's talk about Swatch for a minute!
Well how do you think
 it feels about what's been going on?
Let's talk about swatch for a minute!
Well how do you think
it feels about what's gone wrong????...
 
Face it, every knitter at some point has said "My swatch lied!"
 
Well I, for one, am going to tell you that the poor (innocent) swatch didn't lie. 
 
 
Let's talk about dreams,
I never learned to read the signs.
Let's think about what it all means.....
 
Sometimes, when knitters swatch, they fool themselves by making the following rookie mistakes.... 

The swatch they made, wasn't made with the exact yarn and needles they planned for the project!  
Even a little thing like switching from blue to green or one needle brand to another (or even different length circular needles in the same brand) can change how the knitting behaves.

The swatch wasn't big enough!  If you are aiming for a gauge of (say) 32 stitches to 4 inches (10 cm) do not cast on 32 or even 42 stitches.  Cast on at least twice that many, and knit for at least half again as many rows for the row gauge.

The swatch has a border on it that the knitting project doesn't!  That pretty garter stitch border pulls the knitting to being more "square" than it will be with out it...Just say no to borders...unless...your finished project is going to have that *same* border.

The swatch was knit flat when the project is to be knit in the round...well there are ways to get around that one, but for me...if I am swatching for an in the round pattern, I swatch in the round.

And the worst mistake yet...Not swatching!


I never seem to have the time....
 
This past week all I seem to have knit are swatches!
 
Would you like to see some?
 


 
 I have one more on the needles...it might take the full 400 yards of sock yarn before I know if it will ever grow up to be anything!

How do you feel about swatching?

~M