Oh Dear! Not A Knot!?

When it comes to working with your yarn, be it either handspun or commercial, there could be a KNOT appear right where you don't want it to be!  Oh, fudge, what do you do when you have a knot?  Sometimes, it's just a simple loop in the yarn and you can tug it out but other times, it is a repair--
A BIG FAT KNOT where you don't want it to be!

Here is a video to helps you work through this obstacle.

and there you have some solutions!

BUT--what if you want a knot.  I have a pattern that asks for knots in the knitting!

Okay, I just got rid of knots and now I have to ADD knots--!!

Go Figure!

KNOT STITCH PATTERN

There are step-by-step photos below to guide you through this stitch, but if you're ready to go, here's your ticket to instant knitted knots:

Multiple: 6 + 5
SPECIAL ABBREVIATION

MK (Make Knot): Purl the next three stitches together, but do not drop them from the needle. Knit the same three stitches together, then purl the same three stitches together. Drop the stitches from the left needle.

PATTERN

Row 1: Knit across.
Row 2: Purl across.
Row 3: K1, *MK, K3; repeat from * to last 4 stitches, MK, K1.
Row 4: Purl across.
Row 5: Knit across.
Row 6: Purl across.
Row 7: K4, *MK, K3; repeat from * to last stitch, K1.
Row 8: Purl across.

Repeat these eight rows until you reach the desired length.

Okay--now, I've added a knot back into my knitting!

and I've heard there is an app for anything and everything--guess what?  I found an app

that shows all the knots you could ever want to achieve--!!

And so you have it

KNOTS

Check This Out!

The Boulder Art Association is hosting a juried art exhibition and sale Thursday, November 3rd through Sunday, November 6th. The event is FREE and open to the public and will be held in the expansive gallery space in the beautiful Hyatt Place Hotel in Boulder, Colorado.  The Hyatt Place is located in Boulder’s new commercial district at the crossroads of Pearl and 30th Streets.

juror is Nancy Wylie, an award-winning realist painter in pastel, oil, and watercolor from Aravada, CO.  Wylie has selected over 125 works for the Boulder Art Association exhibition out of the hundreds of entries received from artists across the Rocky Mountain Region.

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Exhibition Dates and Times:
Thurs. Nov. 3     2:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Fri. Nov. 4         9:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Sat. Nov. 5        9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Sun. Nov. 6       9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

First Friday Opening Reception and Awards:
Friday Nov. 4   6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (RSVP not required, open to all!)

Another Mystery To Solve

Okay, as always I'm a sucker for mystery knits and one of my favorite hat designers has her 2016 mystery hat patterns coming out in the month of October.

Woolly Wormhead has the most ingenious patterns!

She also has wonderful tutorials on her website to keep you updated on techniques.

One design, 3 Hats to choose from.

This year the MKAL is a little different - there are 3 Hat styles to choose from, and you buy either the beret pattern or the beanie & slouchy pattern, or buy them as a joint eBook. Further more, if you buy one then decide to buy the other, Ravelry's special bundle feature means you'll only pay the difference.

Sign-ups started 20th October 2016.

Installment dates:
1st November, 9th November, 17th November

Final publication:
27th November

I'm all in!  I bought all three patterns!  Ready, set, knit!  

Really??.......................

I've been going through all my craft magazines--knitting, surface design, quilting, etc.

And that's not a good thing either!  I find more projects I would like to make--

Okay, stop it!

Low and behold--what did I find in this magazine (one of my favorites too!)

An unfinished project!!  Almost finished--just needed the applique added to the borders.

Well, I'll be..............why didn't I finish this up when I was working on it?

There were all the applique pieces made and ready to sew on.

It took a few hours to finish this project--I'm on a roll--

finding my faults and so far, it isn't good.

wonder what other UFO's lurk in my studio--

Note To Self!!!!

After I cut off my handspun cotton warp, I thought--Self (do you talk to yourself??)

why not warp something else--just tie on and weave?

and then........................

You would think that someone who has been working with fiber for years and years would know better!  NOT!  I have been moving this bag of spun skeins from place to place.

Inside the bag are two skeins of lovely handspun (I swear it is silk/merino blend) and it's

my handspun too!  Along with the two yarns was a wound warp--

Yes, a wound warp!

and that's all!

No other information--how many threads per inch? where was my brain?

I began putting the warp on the loom the other day and I'm thinking to myself--

what was I thinking?  What is this warp?  It was in the bag with the handspun,

so one would naturally think it was handspun--well, some of it is but

there are some lengths that are not.

I'm kicking myself--why didn't I write some information down about this

project to keep for future reference?  I think I remember winding this

warp in summer of 2014 or maybe it was 2013--it is certainly aged!

BIG NOTE to self--WRITE IT DOWN!

Same thing happen with these Fingerless gloves--I started knitting on them

several months ago--even finished one glove and for some reason, but left

the second glove aside until last night when I pulled this project out from

under several knitting projects.

Here is where I stopped on the second glove but

where am I on the instructions?  I use sticky note paper to line up my place,

somehow, the paper slipped and it left me scratching my head--

Okay, I'll go back over the work and see if I can find where I'm at--

I think I'm in the right place--another BIG NOTE TO SELF--

WRITE IT DOWN and DATED IT!!

Off The Loom And Feeling Good..............

Finally!  Finally finished weaving 7 yards of handspun cotton--

I had several skeins of single cottons spun--white, brown, green

I tried to use the two ply cottons that were in my stash--

I found this multi indigo dyed cotton so thought it would work

I'm not sure it looks great, but it's in the towel now and I don't plan to

unweave!  

It was fun to just play with my cottons as weft--

Cutting off this yardage was a happy point of my day!

nothing like taking off a warp of woven fabrics and to have this

handspun cotton as my prize--Double Happy!

I've sewed the warp at both ends and in between each towel--

now, I can hem and wash and admire even more!

I'm so delighted with my handspun cotton towels!!

Hope you are excited about one of your finished projects!

Knitting For Cool Weather--Shoulder/Cowl

Shoulder Cowl is the perfect answer to handspun yarn--Have this awesome yarn

just waiting for that special pattern?  I think you'll be happy with this look

Here it is knitted in solid color--I saw a similar cowl/shoulder wrap in an exclusive

store in Las Vegas--it was totally neat looking as it featured that bumpy, sparkly

yarn!  I thought to myself--this is IT!  But, I couldn't find a suitable pattern

to recreate that expensive look--now, I have!