Friday Finds: KnitPicks

Cassandra and I have had a long, happy relationship with KnitPicks. They've provided yarn support for most of our original designs and we go back again and again for personal supplies. I say this upfront so as to be totally honest about our love for this company.

While I do strongly believe that we should support our local yarn shops - especially those that carry local, "small batch" yarns - sometimes you just need a lot of choice or a price that doesn't break the bank, without sacrificing quality. This is where KnitPicks shines.

To this day, I am consistently amazed by the quality of KnitPicks yarns. It's always lovely to work with and beautifully dyed. I just swoon over the Harmony laminated birch wood needles with their layers of gorgeous color and super-pointy tips. Of course, they have patterns for sale but, even better, you can buy KnitPicks-exclusive patterns that are designed by their in-house designers! A lot of the patterns are also made available as kits - which great for two reasons: 1) you don't have to try to figure out which yarn to buy and 2) it's a good deal. I'm pretty sure you save some cash (especially if the kit is on sale) buying this way. And, no matter what you need for your project bag, tools, accessories, books and more, KnitPicks will have a great quality, great priced version.

I just bought this kit! Gorgeous!

KnitPicks mission is to provide quality, affordable yarns (and supplies). So, in keeping with that, they rarely do sales, unless it's to purge stock at the end of a season, because they're yarn is already quite inexpensive for the quality and choice that you get. However, right now, they're having a 40% off yarn sale so I'm adding to my stash in a bad way. Check out the Palette yarn... 

100% Peruvian wool, fingering weight.

It comes in ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY beautiful colors. Seriously. Makes me want to buy it all.

Also, they recently lowered the prices on a bunch of their needles - some as much as 26%. Makes me wonder if they're coming out with something new... Squee! Btw, their interchangeable circulars are really terrific, with a nice, smooth join and pliable cord. 

So... since most of you were probably already aware of KnitPicks, I hope that my evangelizing wasn't too annoying. When I find something I love, I really do want to tell the world. :)

- Alex

PS - They also have a killer blog and podcast!!

Friday Finds: Really Pointy Sticks

I got kind of wrapped up reading a sub-Reddit called "Explain Like I'm Five" about "ObamaCare" and nearly forgot to tell you guys about this week's find. If you're interested in learning about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) in simple language with actual citations, go here: http://www.reddit.com/tb/vbkfm   I actually feel informed!

Now... on to the fun bit. If you read my post from the other day, you'll know that I'm currently fighting with some lace-weight Hair of the Mo. Honestly, I've never knit lace in my life and this yarn is so tiny it's ridiculous. It's beautiful to feel and the finished fabric is lovely but I learned a few things the hard way:

Seriously. This is like hair

1. You can't really un-knit or frog lace-weight mohair. You're better off just breaking off the bit you don't want and starting over.

2. You can't really knit lace-weight mohair with Clover Takumi bamboo needles. The tips are too large and too round.

So, my revelation for this week was learning about super-pointy lace-appropriate knitting needles. Friend of Might Distractible (and test-knitter extraordinaire), Gael (aka Stitchlilly), recommended two needles in particular: Addi Lace and Knitter's Pride Dreamz. The Addi's are metal (as far as I can tell) and I'm not really a metal needle girl so I bought a couple pair of the Knitter's Pride Dreamz. What a great purchase! Awesomely pointy, smooth, pretty (for each size the wood is dyed a different lovely color), and with the most supple cable you can imagine.

Gorgeous and easy to use

If you're in the market to knit some super tiny yarn, I can't recommend these enough.

Have a great weekend!

- Alex

Vacation Creation

If long plane rides and airport layovers are good for nothing else, they give crafters (whose craft supplies are allowed through TSA) time to work.

My glamorous view of Dallas.

During the worst of the post-911 TSA craziness, one never knew, from trip to trip or even from airport to airport, whether knitting needles would be allowed. My solution was to print out the current TSA regulations on knitting needles from their official website and carry them, along with a self-addressed, stamped envelope, in my carry-on. I loved whipping that out whenever they gave me crap. :)

I never had to use the envelope and eventually stopped carrying it. I was only made to take my work off needles once - which was the incident that prompted me to become a TSA educator on the subject.

So, as Cassandra and I have mentioned, our original design was chosen for inclusion in the book, What Would Madame DeFarge Knit: Volume 2. (Here is a link to Volume 1.) Needless to say, we're over the moon about the opportunity. But... Whew! It's been a bit stressful! Our finished object has to be turned in by April 1 so I've been using my plane and airport time to test knit the pattern one, more, time. Believe it or not, even after multiple tests, I still found two "typos" (sounds better then "mistakes".)

We're not allowed to divulge any details about our project but I can tell you that, between the lace border and picot edge, it's pretty fancy and super fun to knit. I hope you all will buy a copy of the book this summer and try it out too.

Here is a peek!

Back to knitting for me. I've got an hour left at Dallas-Fort Worth and I can probably finish the piece I'm working on.

- Alex the Traveler

Sewing Fundamentals: Needles and Feet

Oh so boring. All the technical mechanics of a sewing machine. I know. Believe me. But, for any of you beginners out there...it's good information. Today I want to (quickly) go over needles and presser feet. Just to give you a basic understanding of how they work.


Sewing Machine Needles
I have no idea why, but I think these are actually kinda cool. Maybe because they're usually pointy and dangerous? There are all sorts of complicated needles out there, but your most used, basic ones come in one of 3 varieties: sharp, ball-point, or chisel point:

Regular Point: This is your workhorse. Perfect for woven fabrics (such as cotton, linen, denim, etc.) because the tight weave of the fabric will accommodate the force of the sharp needle - meaning that any small cuts to the fibers will not create holes.

Ball Point: Perfect for knit fabrics and loose weaves. This needle enters the fabric and pushes the threads aside to create a hole. This keeps these fabrics from unraveling from having cut threads as would be created by the sharper, regular point needle.

Chisel Point: This needle is the hardcore one of the bunch. You need to sew some leather or some such material...this is what you want. This needle is capable of making a hole on a solid surface (unlike using the weave of something like cotton).

I won't go into the names of all the sections on the shaft of the needle. Suffice it to say, there is an eye for your thread to go through and a shank with a flat side that slips into place and is secured on your machine. PLEASE NOTE: you should change your needle before starting every project. Needles are small and there could be chips in the point or dullness after use. Don't worry, they aren't that expensive.

Presser Feet 

There are as many presser feet as there are stars in the sky. I exaggerate, but it's kinda true. Feet can be easily changed on your sewing machine to accommodate zipper sewing, buttonholes, quilting, blind hems, etc. Your machine comes with a few but there are hundreds you can add to your arsenal. But beginning sewists, don't let all the feet that came with your machine freak you out too much. Seriously. The one you will use most though is the all-purpose foot that comes installed on your machine. It will be your best tool for most basic jobs in a zigzag or straight stitch.

Yer basic, run of the mill, all-purpose presser foot.

The marriage of the right presser foot and needle will really help your sewing experience be enjoyable. Who wants to be frustrated by puckering fabric or breaking threads? Figuring out what tools are most appropriate for the job are just as important as what project you've chosen. Hang in there you newbies, this isn't as complicated as it seems. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a chisel point needle in my eye.

So, now you can thread your machine, and figure out what needle and foot to use. Let's talk stitches next time!

–Cassandra

Embroidery School: Lesson 1

As promised, I'm going to talk some more about the technical side of embroidery. Please be aware that I'm a self-taught needle worker. I have no credentials from a prestigious school, but I am an avid reader and researcher (hell, lets just say obsessive). The bits of knowledge that I have picked up over the years has allowed me to create some fun embroidered objects for my home.


Lets start with 3 basic tools:


Fabric
100% Cotton quilter's fabric, flour sack, muslin, or light linen are great places to start. These more open-weave fabrics accept embroidery stitches with ease. Plus, these fabrics are so versatile. They can be made into wall art, pillow fronts, quilt blocks, clothes, dish towels, etc.

A basic white muslin is the perfect blank canvas.

Denim and wool felt are also fun fabrics to embroider. Their natural stiffness lets you embroider without much danger of puckering.

Check out this wool felt embroidered toddler cape. Those embroidered Hindi deities are most excellent!!

You can spend a lot of money on fabric, or not. Really, it depends on the project you're making. I tend to buy the best I can afford at the time. The way I figure it, you're putting a lot of time into something...why not make it built to last. And if you're planning on embroidering a heavy pattern on a thinner material such as quilter's cotton, you might want to add a stabilizer to prevent puckering. These come with all sorts of options. Tear away, iron-on, water-soluble, etc. I have even backed a piece of quilter's cotton with a thin basic muslin and stitched through both layers. It worked great! But, if you're a beginner you might want to consider simple patterns that don't need stability to start. It will be easier.

Hoops
A hoop is used to pull you fabric taught so that the tension of your stitches will be uniform. I can't imagine trying to embroider a piece of cotton without a hoop.

Look at the pretty wood hoops!

There are some really beautiful wood hoops out there. Maybe one day I will buy one...or I will continue to use "old trusty" (aka my 7" plastic hoop I've had for the last 20 years). I have no idea where it was purchased (I am guessing a variety store) and I'm sure it was cheap, but I can't justify tossing it. Still a functional item, it holds my work tight through all my crafty adventures.

From what I've read and experienced first hand, the 5" and 7" sizes are the most versatile. As a beginner, investing in one of these sizes will give you the ability to tackle lots of projects.

Some folks like to wrap their smaller, inner hoop with twill tape. This protects the fabric and previous stitches. It is personal preference. And on the subject of protection... never, never, never, leave your work in the hoop when you are not working on it. From my experience, you will get deep creases and crushed stitches. Bad idea.

Needles
An embroidery needle is much like a regular hand-sewing needle. The difference is that the eye is a bit larger (to accommodate threading floss) and they are quite sharp. These can be purchased in different thicknesses depending on the floss and fabric you have chosen. It is pretty self-explanatory once you have a pack of them in front of you.

A basic pack of embroidery needles.

The type of needlework you are doing will require different sorts of needles. Crewel, tapestry, and embroidery needles are quite specific for their functions. When doing embroidery, you want to choose a needle packaged specifically for that task.

My goal with these posts on the tools and techniques of embroidery is to help take out the mystery of how to get started if you are new to this craft. I truly hope this information is useful. Please feel free to leave a comment or send us an email with questions on these tutorial posts.

Next time, I will discuss floss and design options. Have a great week!

Embroidery Lesson 2 is now available! Click here.

–Cassandra