Posted on April 3, 2010 at 3:03 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Books | Tags: Book Club,Charles Dickens,Gregory Maguire,Herbet Asbury,J. Courtney Sullivan,Stepenie Meyer
I have been reading up a storm during this break from my blog.
I finished The Barbary Coast by Herbert Asbury. It was pretty much a history of San Francisco when it was first founded and about all of the ruckus that occurred. I guess dances like the Charleston was considered risqué back in the day!!
I also read A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire. It is the third installment of the Wicked series. It follows the life of the cowardly lion from birth to long after meeting Dorothy. It’s kinda funny how in the book he actually doesn’t really like Dorothy. If you liked Wicked I would definitely read A Lion Among Men.
I read all of the Twilight books by Stephenie Meyer. That includes: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. I received three of them for Christmas so I figured I might as well read them all. The books were not as bad as I thought they would be and were actually pretty entertaining and a fast read. I still have not seen the newest movie, but the books are pretty good.
Also by Stephenie Meyer, I read The Host. A friend of mine read it and she really enjoyed it. It was actually pretty good! I had a little trouble getting into it because I read it after reading The Barbary Coast and The Host is science fiction, but I really liked it, more so than the Twilight series. The Host is about these aliens that come and use humans as a host to live out their lives on Earth. They are friendly, but of course the humans do not want them around so those that do not have a host yet rebel and kill humans with a host in them. One girl is given a host and she fights the host that is in her by talking to it and sometimes even taking control of her own body back. She ends up in a camp with a bunch of humans without hosts and the story goes on from there!
I joined a book club and for last month we read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. I’m sure most people have read this while in school, but I did not. I actually enjoyed the book, which a lot of the people in the book club did not. I did have trouble understanding everything and was glad to have footnotes. Unfortunately there were not footnotes for everything and so when Joe, who is uneducated and with it being back in the day in Europe I really could not understand what he was trying to say most of the time even with re-reading several times over. Aside from that, I really enjoyed the book!
This month for book club we are reading Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan. It is about four girls who end up in the same house in college and their life not only in college but out of it. So far so good!
Posted on April 3, 2010 at 2:37 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Berroco Sox,Christmas,Gifts,Knitty,Linda Welch,Lion Brand,scarf,Socks,Wool
Even though Christmas was several months ago, everyone has their gifts so I am able to post pictures!!
First is the scarf I made for Travis! The pattern is the Classic Cables Scarf from Lion Brand Yarn that I got their website. The yarn is four skeins Lion Brand LB Collection Organic Wool in the color toffee. I used sized 8 needles for the edge and then size 9 for the rest.
Then there are the socks I made for Gina! The pattern is Spring Forward by Linda Welch which I got from the website Knitty. They are a size 8 women’s. The yarn is one skein of Berroco Sox color way humberside. I used size 3 double pointed needles.
Posted on December 14, 2009 at 9:50 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Books, Knitting | Tags: Books,Friday Night Knitting Club,Herbet Asbury,Kate Jacobs,The Barbary Coast
So I just finished the book The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. It took a while to read it since I did not bring it with me to school. It was a great book! If you don’t knit, it makes you want to knit; and if you do knit, it makes you want to knit right then and there! The Friday Night Knitting Club is about a single mother who opens up a knitting shop in New York. One day a knitting club was formed from some of the regulars that go to the store and you get to know all of these ladies who are real characters! This book is kinda chick-flick-y so I’m sure you men aren’t going to run out and read it; but ladies, I think you should!
Now I am going to start to read a book that I found at an antique store called The Barbary Coast, an Informal History of the San Francisco Underworld, by Herbert Asbury. This book was copyrighted in 1933!! I paged though it and it looks like it will be humorous since there are pictures of what “hoodlums and slummers” dressed, which now-a-days would be on the dressy side. Should be a good one!
Posted on December 10, 2009 at 4:37 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Basics,Casting-On,Learning to Knit
Casting-on is what you do before you start knitting. There are several ways to cast-on but I will only have videos of a few different ways that I find to be easiest or ones that will be used most often.
First you need to make a slip knot.
The three most common ways of casting-on are the single cast-on, the long-tail cast-on and the knitting cast-on.
The Single Cast-On (also called the backward-loop cast-on) is the easiest but it is hard to knit evenly on your first row. This is how I used to cast on before I learned the long-tail cast-on. My first row was a little difficult to do since there seemed to be excess yarn getting in the way. The edge can be a little lumpy. This is the easiest cast-on to do.
The Long-Tail Cast-On (also called the double cast-on or the continental cast-on) is fast to do and easy to knit. I would highly recommend doing this cast-on for your knitting. The edge of your knitting will look clean and neat. This is my favorite way to cast-on.
The Knitting Cast-On is pretty self-explanatory. You just knit! This cast-on is quite simple and makes for a nice edge.
Some other ways to cast-on are more on the tricky side. There is:
The Cable Cast-On – This one looks nice, but not very easy to do.
The Old Norwegian Cast-On – This one can be very tight which, depending on what you are making, won’t look very nice.
The Alternate Cable Cast-On. This one can also be tight.
A final cast-on I’m going to talk about is the Invisible (Provisional) Cast-On (also called the looped cast-on). This cast-on can be undone even after you have been knitting. It is good for certain projects that call for it. (If you would like a video for this cast-on or any other cast-on please let me know.)
Remember to practice! And if you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask!
Posted on December 6, 2009 at 7:13 am, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: argyle,cotton,fair-isle,scarf
So I made this scarf for a family friend of ours that has been battling bone cancer for several years. It is fair-isle which means that there is more than one color being used. It is also knit in a round so that you cannot see the floaters of the fair-isle (yarn being pulled across where it is not being used) and it is twice as thick. The pattern is also argyle which I very much enjoy! The pattern was improvised from a color knitting book I have (cannot think of the name off the top of my head, sorry). The yarn was a cotton yarn; (*Keep the label!!!*) unfortunately I did not keep the label so I am unable to tell you what kind of yarn it is. Cotton is nice because, as I said in the yarn post, it washes nicely. The only thing I did not like about it was because it was a different texture, it would hurt my fingers if I was knitting for too long, but the finished product came out very well and I think you will like it!
Posted on December 1, 2009 at 8:38 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Charity
With the holiday season upon us we feel the need to give. Making hand-knits for those less fortunate than us shouldn’t only happen during the holidays; but it seems like a good time to talk about it since it is the season to give.
There are hundreds of charities you can knit for. Two sites I found that have a lot of charities listed are from The Daily Knitter and Interweave Knits. Here are some of my favorites or ones that I have donated to:
Chemo Caps – Chemo Caps are hats made for those that are battling cancer; all ages. Hats are made to keep them warm especially when they are going through chemo and are open to catching a cold.
Hats for the Homeless – Hats for the Homeless is where people make hats, scarves, mittens and other warm accessories for those that do not have a home. With being outside, especially during the winter, having a knit accessory can make all the difference.
Project Linus – Project Linus is where you make blankets for children who are seriously ill, traumatized or in need. These blankets provide warmth and comfort to these children when they otherwise may not get it. Their site also provides patterns if you wish to use them.
Snuggle Project – The Snuggle Project is where you knit small blankets for animals in animal shelters to have some physical and psychological comfort in their steel cages. On their site they post pictures of the animals with the blankets (super cute puppies and kittens!!) and give you cute patterns to use if you wish.
Socks for Soldiers – Socks for Soldiers is where you knit socks for those that are fighting for our country. Soldiers are able to get a new pair of socks that are made with love!
Red Scarf Project – The Red Scarf Project is part of the Orphan Foundation of America. Scarves are made for those that are just leaving foster care and going off to college.
All of the sites have information of what is accepted and where the donations can be sent. If you are not a knitter you are still able to donate by crocheting, sewing, etc.
Most knitting done for charities are small easy projects such as hats, socks, squares, scarves, etc. With the projects being on the smaller side you can make them in between your other projects or when you are on the go.You are able to use up yarn from your stash and it is for a good cause!
Posted on November 29, 2009 at 8:49 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Christmas,Gifts,hat,Lion Brand
So as I give people their Christmas gifts I will post them!
I made both of my brothers hats this year. I used the pattern Toboggan Hat from LionBrand.com. I used size 7 needles for the brim and size 8 for the rest of the hat. I also got my yarn from LionBrand.com. They are Lion Brand Lion Wool Prints colors Majestic Mountain and Ocean’s Blue Print. The pattern was really easy. It was also knit flat and then sewn together so you don’t need to know how to knit in a round.
Ocean’s Blue Print Yarn
Majestic Mountain
Posted on November 22, 2009 at 10:40 pm, by Amanda Rae
in Category Knitting | Tags: Labels,Learning to Knit,Yarn
Now that you know more about yarn itself, I will teach you how to read a yarn label. Yarn labels can look very different, but they all have pretty much the same basic information even if from a different country.
*Remember to always keep your label until you write it down or otherwise! If you run out of yarn for a project, someone wants to know what yarn you used, or you, yourself wants to use the same yarn having the label really helps.*
To keep track of your labels have a notebook or photo album with pictures of your project and either the label itself or the information on the label. Or you can set up an account with Ravelry where you are able to keep track of that information electronically.
First, there is the Manufacturer’s Name. This is what company makes the yarn.
Then there is the Brand Name. This is the brand that the yarn is called by the manufacturers.
Next is the Color Name/Number. This is the color name given to the yarn by the manufacturers. Sometimes, instead of a name it is given a number. When making a project make sure that if you want to use the same color that you have the color names or number match to avoid unintentional striping. (Farbe is sometimes used instead of the word “color”)
Then, there is the Dye-Lot Number. This is the group that the yarn was dyed in. You can have yarns that look as if they are the same color but if they were dyed in different batches their shade could be different thus unintentionally striping your work. When buying yarn for a project make sure that the dye-lots are the same to avoid this. (Partie is sometimes used instead of the word “dye-lot”)
Next is Fiber Content. This is what the yarn is made of. A lot of yarn is not made of one fiber. With the fiber content, you are given the percentage of each fiber that is used in the yarn. This can be really nice when making something for someone who may be allergic to a certain fiber. It is also useful when making a project that some fibers may work better for that particular project than others.
Next is the Yarn Size/Ply. This is the weight of the yarn. Remember from the previous post that weight doesn’t necessarily mean how much it weighs. It is the thickness of the yarn. With some yarns the weight is shown with a symbol instead of words. A list of what these symbols mean, can be found here. This is useful to know when picking out yarn for a project since certain projects will call for a certain weight. (For one of the yarn labels I cannot understand it since it is in German which is why I do not have a picture for this part.)
Then there is the Length. This is normally in yards or meters. It also can have the actual weight of the yarn (if put on a scale how much the yarn would weigh). When buying yarn for a project make sure you have enough to work with. Always check your pattern before buying your yarn to see how many yards or meters it needs so you can buy accordingly. Also, remember that there are 0.91 meters in a yard or 1.09 yards in a meter.
Next is Suggested Gauge. (I will go over how to check your gauge in a different post.) The gauge is how many stitches are required to make an inch with the needles the yarn is suggested to be used with. If the stitches you have in your swatch (Will be talked about in a different post) is different than that the label or pattern suggests, you would change your needles accordingly.
Finally, there are the Washing Instructions. These tell you how to care for your project depending on what yarn was used. When giving a knitted gift it is nice to have a tag with care instructions so that the person does not accidently ruin what you made them. Some labels have the instructions written out while others have symbols. You can see what all of the symbols mean here.
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