Brian Knits blog has moved!

I am really excited because I have purchased my domain and now own BrianKnits.com!

I have also moved my blog to Wordpress and gave it a facelift - all you have to do now is visit BrianKnits.com!

You'll find all of my posts, photos and musings on my love affair with yarn by simply visiting BrianKnits.com!

Please visit me there...this wonderful journey continues and I really want you to be a part of it!

BrianKnits.com

Creative Quandary

This morning, I found myself in a creative quandary.

I am currently working on a sampler scarf (as seen in my previous posting here) that involves four different stitch patterns on a rotation. In the pattern, the different stitch patterns are separated from the general pattern of the scarf. As a result, this morning I realized there was supposed to be 4 rows of garter stitch between each stitch pattern. So now...it doesn't look like the pattern!

I am about 10" into this project, and have finished the first complete rotation of all four patterns. I have made no technical errors (that I can see) and the stitches are turning out quite nicely. They include basket weave, mesh, seed, and sugar cubes.

My quandary is this: Do I rip back to the conclusion of the first stitch pattern so that I can add the rows of garter stitch between that section and the next (thus aligning with the pattern) or do I carry on as I am now and evolve the pattern to my own liking (albeit by accident)? What would you do?

I am choosing to carry on. I like how each stitch section fades into the next, and in the natural cotswold wool I'm using, it's looking nice. I've also realized I've made each section a bit larger than on the original as well. So, since it appears technically sound and my only crime is leaving out a few rows of garter stitch, I will carry on as rebel fiber artist and not succumb to my initial reaction of having to "make it exactly like the pattern tells me." Who says? Who makes that rule?

Now, don't get me wrong - if this were a sweater and proper fit was of utmost importance, I would certainly rethink this. However, this is a scarf, so my sense is that it will still fit comfortably around someone's neck. But it took the day, as well as an inspiring conversation with my partner, to get to a place of accepting that it is OK to veer from the pattern and make this design my own.

Have you been on a similar journey before? I'd love to hear about it!

Reunited

This has been a tough week for my knitting needles. The daily attention they had grown accustomed to was almost a memory. They sat on my side table, one hinged to the early stitches of a sampler scarf in cotswold wool, one laying alone, nearby.

I was attending a conference all week with a schedule beginning early in the morning and running late into the night. By the time I got home at night, I was not able to think of doing anything but getting to bed.

But after the dust settled, and I had a little time at home once the festivities (and a U2 concert on Friday night after the conference) finished, I was able to return to my needles and my work-in-progress, and felt that familiar comfort of having needles in hand and yarn flowing over fingers.

I realized then that, as the needles missed me, I, too, missed my needles...as they sang to me, "Baby Come Back," I replied with "Reunited, and it feels so good."

First Shawl Completed!

I am very excited because today I completed my first shawl. A few weeks ago, I would see a pattern like this and assume it complicated. Then, after a recent class on Increasing & Decreasing taught by the talented and inspiring Barbara Pfister Fusi at Sip & Knit, I realized that making something like this is really quite simple!

After learning the Yarn Over (yo) technique, I came across a free pattern on the Lion Brand Yarn site for an Easy Triangle Shawl. This pattern was incredibly simple - and after a few rows of repetition, I no longer needed the pattern in front of me, simply remembering to k1 and then yo, k1 at the beginning of every row.

I'm sure this could be knit in other bulkier weight, textured yarns. I had previously purchased 3 skeins of Lion Brand Yarn Homespun in "Prairie" (but it is available in a myriad of beautiful color combinations), so I used what I had in the stash and am very pleased with the results. Despite it being an acrylic/polyester blend, it's very soft and is machine washable and dryable.

This was also my first time making fringe and again, after doing it a few times, I found it to be quite easy with pre-measured strips of yarn and a crochet hook. There are a number of sites with comprehensive instructions on how to make fringe for your finished knitted and crocheted objects.

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions - I'd love to hear from you!

"I could never do that!"

I was recently talking with someone who knows that I am a Knitter. I was showing her a couple of my projects and her immediate response was: "I could NEVER do that!" "Oh, I know - wearing a wool scarf in Florida in August is a bit crazy," I responded. "No, I could never knit!" she clarified.

A frightening exclamation: "I could never knit!"

The reality is that ANYONE can knit.

If I who had NEVER had any experience with knitting whatsoever could buy yarn and a set of needles, read "Knitting for Dummies" and watch some instructional videos on YouTube, and successfully fashion dishcloths, scarves, shawls, hats and even socks (well, that required private tutoring), then, my friends, ANYONE can knit!

During the process of learning how to knit, I've realized a few things...

You have to let go of perfectionism (and doing that is harder than learning how to knit). First of all, after you've put so much time and effort into knitting something by hand, you don't want it to look like it was done by a machine! Hand knits have a unique look to them. Be kind to yourself.

You are not expected to knit lace or Fair Isle on your first visit at Knit Night. As long as you have yarn on two needles, you can find a community of welcoming fiber artists who will welcome you into the fold. Let go of any expectations you have of yourself to be an "instant expert."

Knitting, like anything, requires practice and perseverance. But getting the basics down is easy and in a matter of hours you can be on your way to knitting your first scarf or spa cloth.

But the great thing about knitting is that every project is a new opportunity to learn. You can learn a new stitch or a new technique that takes your knitterly expertise into new directions. It's very exciting!

But if, one year ago, I had told myself, "Oh, I could never do that!" then I wouldn't have discovered what has become my passion. I would not have launched my love affair with yarn. I would not have met other Knitters who have become cherished friends.

If you've thought about knitting but were afraid to try...

Let go of the reasons why you "can't" knit and find the reasons why you CAN and SHOULD knit! Here are a few suggestions:

• I can make my own clothing and accessories and that's pretty cool.
• I can make beautiful hand-made gifts for friends and family.
• I can make something beautiful out of yarn.
• I can enjoy the stress relief knitting gives me and the meditative state that knitting puts me in.
• I can experience a great sense of accomplishment with each finished piece.
• I can have something to show for watching countless hours of television.
• I can prove myself wrong when I said, "I could never do that."

Friends, I have found so much joy in knitting - and if you have found that same joy, that's awesome - it's up to us to share that joy with others and help others overcome their fear of needles and yarn.

And if you are new to knitting, throw caution to the wind and try it.

Just once.

You'll be hooked for life.

Recent Yarn Acquisitions

This has been a great month for stash enhancements so thought I would take a few minutes to share...and get your thoughts! Perhaps these photos (though some, a bit blurry) may inspire you as well to explore yarn you may not have used before.

During my visit to Purl Soho, I picked up these two beautiful blends by Manos del Uruguay. One is a dramatic display of pinks and purples, the other golds and greens.

Lion Brand Yarn Studio was having a sale on Fishermen's Wool. I've made a scarf before with Fishermen's Wool before and I really like it. I am thinking about creating a patchwork scarf with small squares of alternating one color combination with the other. Still noodling, but intrigued about what I could do with this.

Here's 3 skeins of Cotswold Wool from a farm on the coast of Nova Scotia that I purchased at The Loop Craft Cafe in Halifax. The yarn is not dyed, and reflects the natural color of the sheep it came from. I loved this yarn, too, as I wanted some yarn that was uniquely Canadian.

While visiting the Lion Brand Yarn Studio I also picked up two skeins of Lion Cotton...one in Denim (various shades of blue) and Salt & Pepper (with which I am knitting a ballband dishcloth as seen here).

So, with 15 new skeins of yarn added to the stash, I have a lot of ideas - I know typically one should have a project in mind and buy yarn for it accordingly. But, in this case, I fell in love with what I saw, and will determine the designs based on the yarn.

Regardless, knitting future projects with these yarns will bring back the wonderful memories of my trip - and I hope, will bring joy to those who receive the items I create.

Remembering Grandma (& Grandpa, too)

MILDRED WOOLARD

11/17/1917 - 9/05/2009

A few weeks ago, after a lengthy period of declining health, my only surviving grandmother, Mildred Woolard, passed away. Now, I don't want this post to be a downer - and honestly, it shouldn't be.

My grandma lived to be 92 years old. She had a very full and long life and left a legacy of four daughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I was fortunate to be in California with her and all of our family who had traveled from far and wide to celebrate her 90th birthday with her. And, I am fortunate to have many memories of the time I spent with her and my grandfather as I was growing up.

As I read her obituary, one of the lines stuck out more than others:

"Her family said she was a homemaker and enjoyed sewing, knitting, crocheting, embroidering and cooking."

I remember learning when she taught me to crochet very long chains as a youth - and certainly now, I wish I would've spent more time learning crocheting and knitting from her. But regret aside, I realize now that there is a nostalgia to the experience of knitting and crocheting for me. When I enjoy these pursuits, I remember my grandmother and her love of fiber. I remember her uncanny ability to crochet beautiful, elaborate lace doilies WITHOUT a pattern. I remember her willingness to make throw pillows for my college dorm room (which I still have).

My grandfather, who passed away in 1989, played the guitar and belonged to the California Old Time Fiddlers' Association. We would spend warm summer evenings visiting friends, sitting in parlors or on porches of farm houses in California's San Joaquin Valley, as my grandpa played guitar with others who played the fiddle or piano or banjo. It was bluegrass, music that hearkened to the heritage of those assembled - those who had journeyed west from Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas in their youth to strike out on their own.

So now, when I sit in my favorite chair, knitting away and listening to bluegrass music, I get a bit sentimental, and remember those summer days with grandma and grandpa...wonderful memories that will, indeed, last my lifetime.