But I kind left it hanging with the last post,  and didn’t explain what to do with them once your project is completed.  So this post is to pick up from there.  :)

——————

So, you’ve finished your project.  You have secured your last bound off stitch, and woven in your ends.  You made it through the whole project without one mistake.  Or if you made a mistake, the lifeline helped you save your project!  Yay!!!

But now you have a completed project with different colored threads running horizontally through your knit fabric.  And they have to be removed!  But how?

It’s simple!

You can either grab the lifeline thread from either edge, and pull, pulling the thread out of the row.  Or if your lifeline thread will not pull out easily, you can pick the thread out one or two stitches at a time, using your tapestry needle.

I made this quick video today to hopefully illustrate how to remove a lifeline.

Please be kind.

I almost didn’t upload it, and after I uploaded it I almost deleted it.  It is not the greatest quality…..

but

I only have 2 hands and I need both of them to knit with, so I have to improvise to hold my phone and camera!

Despite my skills in shooting a video, I still think this one illustrated the basic concept.

Enjoy!

Until Next time – Have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela

But after all the knitting we do for others and for our own household, our hands would appreciate a gift for themselves.  :)

Yesterday afternoon Loops shared on their FB Page that they had just received a shipment of these Soakboxes from SoakWash.com and I immediately began to drool.

Image courtesy Loops Knitting via FB

Each Soakbox contains  yummy hand dyed custom yarn by Lorna’s Laces, Handmaid hand creme, Soak Wash wool soak, a unique pattern for fingerless gloves, and finger polish to match the yarn.  Each color has its own corresponding pattern. The 4 Patterns are: Lace Kelly (Teal), Clark Cable (Red), Double Pointe Pink (Pink), and Cuff au Lait (coffee-colored).

All the colors just look so pretty, and the yarn just asks to be petted in only the way a knitter can pet yarn.  From just looking at the picture, I think my favorite would be the Lace Kelly, with Clark Cable coming in a close second.  However I would not mind having all 4 sets just so I can have all 4 patterns.

Each set is priced at $54.99, so this would definitely be a splurge with my current budget.  But, my birthday is coming, so I just might be extra extra patient for the next few weeks and see if I get one of these for a special birthday surprise.  :)

These are now available locally in Tulsa, OK at Loops South, and should be at Loops Utica soon if they are not already there.  So stop by either store and get a set for yourself or as a gift for your favorite knitter before they are gone!   (I don’t know if they are available online at LoopsKnitting.com, but you can always contact either store via phone and see about placing an order that way. )

Until next time – Have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela

The Lazy Crazy Days of Summer – Nat King Cole

I’m taking these few weeks to be lazy with house chores so  I can catch up on knitting projects and to plan for fall knitting classes.  I finally got pictures of the scarves I finished this past weekend.

This is my Purple Knit Cable Scarf

that I started intending it to be a Christmas present for my mom, and when I didn’t finish in time it became a birthday present for my mom (sorry mom!!).

I love the pattern but I have to honestly say I never want to touch Michael’s Loops & Threads Impeccable Yarn ever again!!!  It is pretty stiff and not fun to knit with, but I have hope that it will soften up after a good washing.

And this is my finished Diamond Lace Scarf  

Isn’t it lovely?  This was knit from ArtYarns Cottonspring. This yarn was a total dream to work with once I got my tension just right.  The pattern is Short Row Lace Shawl by Iris Schreier.  Iris has a real talent for creating original stunning designs.  This one took me a long time, but I wanted to take my time with it to make sure I didn’t have any mistakes.  The diamonds are actually sections of rows knit in short rows, and they form an intricate lace effect.

Now the weather is getting warm already hot, I don’t want to work on any large projects.  So I am going through my Ravelry que and favorites, and knocking out all the littler projects, like dish cloths and hats.

This is my Purple Burst Dishcloth.

The solid section turned out looking blue in this picture, but it is purple! The pattern is Sunburst by Sara Baldwin and is a fun little item to knit up.

I have a favorite spot in my back yard I like to sit in the afternoons to knit with a glass of tea and enjoy the summer garden.

Well… this is what is in my workbasket.  What is in yours?

Until Next time – Have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela

But now the garden is in daily maintenence mode for a few weeks so that has freed up a spic of time for me to knit a bit!

This week I really focused hard on finishing up all my UFOs. And this weekend I finally finished two items: Diamond Lace Shawl and Purple Cable scarf. Woohoo!

I finished the cable scarf Sunday and it was such a relief! I love the pattern, but I have to be honest in saying that I never want to touch “Impeccable” yarn ever again. If/when I make this scarf again I will be picking a new yarn for it.

I finished the diamond Lace Scarf today. It did not end up being as long as I hoped because I ran out of yarn, so it is more of a shawlette or child’s shawl. But it is still lovely!! I love how the short rows form a lovely lacey diamond pattern, and the CottonSpring yarn gives it a beautiful texture!

Now I’m digging the baby afghan out of hibernation and hopefully will be finished by the end of this week.  I am so excited to be getting all of my knitting needles freed up for new projects.

What is on your needles today?

But Ravelry is dedicated to knitting and crocheting patterns and topics.    I mostly knit and crochet, so that is fine with me.  But about once a year I get the urge to bring out my sewing machines and make something sewn.   When I do complete a sewing project I want to show it off, but Ravelry is not the most appropriate place to do that.

Recently I found a new website called Craftsy and so far I am really liking what I see.

Just like Ravelry is a community of knitters and crocheters, Craftsy is a community of crafters of all craft disciplines.     I love how I can use Ravelry to organize my yarn stashes and projects, and it appears that I can do the same with my sewing projects on Crafty.

Also, Craftsy has online classes, some are for free, and some are paid classes.  But if you are wanting to learn a new sewing skill, like quilting, Craftsy would be a great online resource to use.   (If you want to learn to knit or crochet, start here on my site. – wink- )

I will mainly be sticking to Ravelry, but will be making a once a week visit to Craftsy as well.

What are your favorite crafting websites?  Share them on your blog and link to your blog below!

Until next time, have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela

Image courtesy of ChromeStory.com

I started my blog exactly 1 month ago today.  I started my blog not really knowing what I was doing. I am finding that blogging is taking on a whole new life of its own, and it is a lot of fun!

I started my blog mainly as an outlet to share my knitting crocheting. But my end goal for my blog is to morph it into a website that my students can come back to for a 1-click resource.  And what I make available for my students, I want to freely offer to all my readers.  I desire to use this blog to help others in the world of Knitting and Crocheting!

I know growing a blog is a journey, and gaining readers is a little by little process .   But, I already have a few faithful followers out there.  Since I am still new to blogging, and still developing my blogging rhythmic cadence, I don’t pay much attention to stats.  But it is fun to check my reader statistics and see how many visitors I get and all the different parts of the world they are from!

To my few faithful readers out there, I want to say thank you for visiting and coming back!  To my occasional visitors, thank you for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon!

This blog and website is here for you.  So…. I am asking for your help with my future posts.

What do you want to see here?  Are there any knitting topics you are interested in? Are you having any stitching problems that a video from me could help you with?  Do you want to see other bloggers, knitters/crocheters featured here?

I’m asking…. what can I help you with?  Please let me know by either posting in the comments below, leaving me a contact me comment, or simply sending me an email!

And again – Thank You!

Until next time, have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela

Today is a beautiful day, thank goodness!  The past week’s monsoon washed out the part of the garden I did have planted, and put the grass into super grow mode.   So today, all knitting projects are put on hold to replant seeds and tame the yard.

But I have a few links to share with you this weekend.

The first link is KayRay.org.  KayRay is the blog of Karen Shallenberg.   Karen is a knitter, and a volunteer reader for Librivox.org.   She does not update her blog very often, but her past posts are fun to browse through.

I do some of knitting during our “schooltime” when the girls are busy with independent work.  What that really means is that I knit in spurts of 5-10 minutes throughout the day when my girls don’t actually need mom for anything.  It’s a rare moment.  Indeed.  Some mornings I gain an extra 30 minutes of knitting time by having the girls listen to audio books during read aloud time.

Karen Shallenberg is our favorite audio book reader on Librivox.   You can see a list of all the free audio books she has read and recorded here and subscribe to them via ITunes too!

Right now we are listening to her reading of “This Country of Ours” as part of our history time.   We also listen and listen again to her readings of “Poems Every Child Should Know” and “Swiss Family Robinson“

Illustration for an English edition by Harry Rountree (1907)

Truly Myrtle shared her pattern for a free Flower Power Headband Here.

Headbands, Pattern, and Pictures were created by Truly Myrtle. Go visit her page!

These are adorable quick knits, and she made the pattern in three sizes, so you can knit one up for every girl in your family!  Yes I am stitching a few of these up this week.

She also stitches up the cutest knitting bags that are in the shape of shoe boxes.  They hold their shape well, and are easier to tuck on a shelf to store your projects in!  Swing by her page and check them out.

Nadia shared her recipe for Turkey Meatloaf.   I make meatloaf alot, since it is so easy to put together, and does well in the crock pot.  I will be trying this recipe to add a little variety this week.

What are some of your favorite recent posts?  Share them below!

Until next time, have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela

While most of you were relaxing in bed at sunrise I was up and getting ready for the day.    Here I am, bright eyed, and bushy tailed as I left the house this am.

First on the agenda was a Homeschooling mini workshop.  I of course took my knitting to work on while I listened to the speaker, but I was so interested in the speaker I forgot to take a picture.  Just imagine a lap full of a notebook, pen, and a lap full of a scarf on knitting needles. I am sure you can imagine it well enough.

After the workshop in the afternoon, I taught a private session at Jo-Ann’s.    My student had taken one of my Knitting 101 classes, and took the scarf making class with me today.   It was so neat to see how well she has done with her knitting in such a short time.  She is a great student and I look forward to having her in further classes.

After my knitting class, it was time to relax and have some fun!  My family and I went to our friend’s coffee shop for a special music night.

The Mocha Cafe is a quaint little coffee shop on the West Side of Tulsa that serves smoothies, coffee, and specialty drinks.  It is a smaller shop, and tonight it was packed to standing room only.    The room was full of friends and acquaintances old and new.  And we were all there to enjoy great coffee, and music by our friends Jesse Mole and James Korzelius, more friends of ours!

After chatting a while, I worked on Ribbed Brioche samples for a class I am going to try to have this summer.

We enjoyed some great chicken wraps and specialty coffee drinks.  Actually, I enjoyed the coffee drinks. My kids got fruit smoothies.

Today was a lot of fun!  I hope yours was as full of friends, yummy food, music, and love as mine was!

Until next time, have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela 

But I have to say, I do have to be cautious and picky about which blogs I read and who I can trust to glean information from.  I hate saying this, just because some one has a blog or a YouTube account does not mean they know what they are doing.

So when I find a website or a resource, that was created by a certified Master Knitter, I think I have struck gold!  And I did when I found Arenda Hollady.com

Arenda Holladay  is a TKGA Master Knitter, and the instructor of the TKGA Basics, Basics, Basics! Correspondence Course.  As an instructor, she gets a first hand look at common knitting errors.  And she sees a lot frequently asked questions on the TKGA Ravelry Group.   So she gets a pretty good feel for the common trouble shooting needs of other knitters out there.

So to help out, she has created a blog to offer tips and trouble shooting advice.    Each weekly blog post has a tip of the week, with photos and videos to help show the common errors and how to correct them.

She also gives us little glimpses into her daily life as a knitter and a normal human being. Complete with more pics of course!   Her recent FO of socks that she knit up for birthdays are simply amazing.  I am especially loving this pair

Socks and photo by Arenda Holladay.
Go visit her site!

Her blog is updated only about once a week, so it is easy to stay caught up on, and is really easy to read.   I have this one in my bookmarks, and I recommend you bookmark it too!

What are some of your favorite blogs and helpful websites?

Until next time, Have a StitchTastic Day!

Angela