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3 Tips for a Strong Start on Your Temperature Blanket
For years I thought about doing a temperature blanket, but I could never make the decisions needed. Once I decided to do one for 2023 there were still a lot of decisions to be made, which I’ll explain in a coming post! But there are 3 things that made it difficult for me to actually start, and to stay on track. Here they are so you can learn from my mistakes before you start yours! 1. Choose your pattern I wanted to do a crochet temperature blanket rather than a knit one. And I wanted it to be granny squares rather than crocheted across or in another pattern. This meant…
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#FixingFiberFeb
One of the benefits of making your own accessories and/or garments is that you can fix them if something happens. One of the downsides of making your own accessories and/or garments is that you have to fix them if something happens. So far I have only made 1 repair of a knitted object, and that was a blanket I made for my grandma. I’ve avoided fixing a number of items that were made for me. My mending pile currently has 3 items in it: Moonstone Mittens, whose thumbs came undone Droplets sweater, which has a couple very noticeable ladders on one sleeve My Beginner Raglan, whose armpit came loose on…
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Longjohn Beanie – My First Tested Pattern
First of all I need to disclose something. I HATE the word beanie. To me beanie does not refer to this kind of hat, but apparently it does indicate a toque (the Canadian/French-Canadian word for this kind of hat), to the rest of the world, so beanie it is. Ok, now that’s out of the way I can continue talking about this particular toque – the Longjohn Beanie. I love waffles, waffle-weave shirts, and waffle-weave pyjamas. There is a gorgeous waffle stitch in crochet and I wanted a knit version of it, and then came across this one. I actually had another intention for this stitch that is hopefully still…
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Pattern Review: Prongs Socks
I bought the pattern for these socks from Nicole of Woolfield Studio a looooong time ago. Since I often was testing other socks since I bought it, I only got to it this summer during the WF Summer Sock KAL. The other reason I hadn’t made them was because I was waiting on was the perfect yarn. Because of the Harry Potter inspiration on the name, I felt the need for my yarn to have a connection as well. And while I am not a Gryffindor, this name is. After many months of thinking about it I decided that a solid colour would best show of the cables, and that…
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An Ode to Warm Weather Knits
I know there are a lot of makers who either stop knitting or crocheting in the summer, or who at least slow down. I don’t really know any of these people, but I’ve heard they exist. Obviously these crafts are typically associated with fall and winter because of the major cozy factor. Once we can no longer wear sweaters or toques or cowls after they’re done, it can feel less satisfying to work on, and finish them. However, there are some benefits of spring and summer knitting. Designers that have spring/summer patterns have had to exhibit greater creativity. When there aren’t sleeves to incorporate into the design, there’s one less…
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What I Learned in 1 Year of Blogging
I really like hard facts, so to start off, Knittle and Pearl by the numbers, one year after my first Instagram and blog posts. 215 Instagram posts 929 Instagram followers 42 blog posts – including 4 free patterns (incidentally 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything) I wanted to start a blog because I had a desire to have some kind of stake in the knitting/fiber arts world. Most of my friends who knit have actual businesses around their knitting, either selling finished items or as a knitwear designer. I had once explored the idea of selling things at markets and determined that wasn’t something I was…
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Pattern Testing the Fairy Dust Socks
It had been feeling like forever since I’d tested for Nicole of Woolfield Studio. I was actually thinking that when I was watching my Instagram stories and saw that she had a testing call for a new sock design! I applied immediately to test the Fairy Dust Socks and started thinking about which yarn I would use. I was pretty sure I was going to use my skein of Angel Aura from Songbyrdy, but then that pile of yarn sitting on a table in my living room kept staring at me. Particularly the skeins of Plume from The Wool Baron. Just to be sure, I put a poll in my…
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Trust the Pattern
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Reading a Pattern If you are making something from a pattern just for fun – this post applies to you. There is a major exception to this rule that I will put at the bottom of this post. I am quite deferential to pattern designers when I am knitting. I give them tremendous benefit of the doubt for many things. This is because I assume that they: Have some knowledge Went through their own trial and error process as they designed Had their pattern edited and/or tested Sometimes these are very good assumptions to make. There is so much that I don’t know about knitting,…
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Free Pattern: Pineapple Washcloth 2
This was an exercise in adaptation for me. My original plan for Pineapple Washcloth 2 wasn’t appearing in my knitting as I wanted, so in my notes this is actually Pineapple Washcloth 3… If you don’t succeed, try, try again! Luckily I don’t mind ripping back in flat knitting so much because it’s really obvious where the end of your row is. Scroll down for the FREE pattern or get the printable PDF for $2. So Pineapple Washcloth 2 actually features my FAVOURITE stitch! The body of the pineapple is double seed stitch, I believe it is sometimes also called a moss stitch, either way I just love it! I also…
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When Your Maker Motivation Goes on Vacation
A couple times a year I finish a project and then suddenly don’t want to start another. Or am paralyzed by “which project to start next?” This typically occurs after Christmas, and then at some point in the spring. Both these times make sense. After Christmas I’ve probably just busted my butt to finish making presents. And in the spring, especially for many areas of North America, the transition of seasons is highly questionable. So the point at which you could or should switch from the warmer, cozier hats and sweaters to the lighter, cotton-y shawls or t-shirts can be a tough call to make. And if you don’t know…
