5 Thing I’ve Learned from Working at a Yarn Store

I work at an awesome yarn store that has 6 comfy couches, lots of free coffee, snacks, and some of the best people I know. These are the things I have learned from working there.

1. Always knit a swatch to check your gauge if you are knitting a fitted garment. 
If you knit an entire sweater and it doesn’t fit, you are going to be one sad knitter. (I seem to have learned this from past mistakes).

2. Blocking is a must for certain projects: especially clothing, anything with a lace pattern, ribbed hand-knits. 
Sometimes I will finish a project and be really disappointed with the outcome. Perhaps a lacy hat is scrunching up a bit. So I block it, and everything is ok again.

3. You know when your parents told you that “The best way to learn is by making mistakes”? Well, I hate to say it, but they were right.
If you rely on your instructor to teach you everything, it will be harder for you to figure things out on your own later on. I learned almost everything from my Knitter’s Bible and it has molded me into someone who figures things out on her own. You won’t be a professional knitter as soon as you pick it up, so let yourself make mistakes, then fix them. You will learn so much more.

4. There are two types of knitters: type A and type B. I’m 80% type B. 
Don’t get me wrong, I love to produce aesthetically pleasing hand-knits, but I do not obsess over the small mistakes. They add character anyway! However, over the years, I’ve learned that it is challenging and fun to rip things out and start over, so in that sense, I’m type A. As you become a more experienced knitter, challenging yourself becomes fun. (In case you’re not there yet, that is the moment when you start to make your way into knitting nerd status).

4b. As a type B knitter, it is very difficult to teach type A knitters. 
My response when someone asks how they proceed is usually “I don’t know, why don’t you just wing it?” Type A knitters HATE this. Oops, sorry.

5. You will meet some of the best people by being part of a knitting community. 
Some of my favorite people in this city are ones I have met at the yarn store. Everyone has been so welcoming and appreciative of my help while I’m working at the store. If you don’t have a regular store you go to, find one. You’ll be amazed by the kindness that this breed of humans offers.

Keep knittin’!
Kylen

New pattern: Lined Ombré Cowl

MATERIALS:
Five different shades of worsted weight yarn (approx. 50 yds of each; CC1, CC2, CC3, CC4, CC5)
50 yds of worsted weight yarn; this will be your main color (I used white)
150-200 yds of worsted weight yarn (for inside of cowl; I used alpaca)
size 9, 24″ circular needles
tapestry needle
tape measure
crochet hook
scrap yarn

PATTERN:
Using scrap yarn, do a provisional cast-on.
CO 40 sts.
Begin color pattern.

Color pattern:
With CC1, knit in stockinette st for 4 rows, working back and forth on needles
With MC, knit 2 rows
CC1: knit 8 rows
MC: knit 2 rows
CC1: knit 8 rows
MC: knit 2 rows
CC1: knit 4 rows

*repeat color pattern, next alternating with CC2 and MC, and repeat until you have used all five colors.

Next, take out the provisional cast-on and make it so that the wrong sides of the cowl are facing each other. Use kitchener stitch to seam them together.

Using alpaca (or yarn of your choice), pick up and knit 130 sts along top of cowl, then join. You will now be working in the round. Knit in the round until the inside reaches the length of the outside of the cowl. Bind off loosely. Holding the wrong sides together, seam the edges together using your preferred seaming stitch. Voila!

Keep knittin’! 
Kylen

New pattern: Thisbe Hat

I named this hat after my kitten, Thisbe.

Materials:

2 skeins of DK yarn in contrasting colors: I used Silky Wool (the white), and Baby Llama (the maroon), both by Elsebeth Lavold.

16″ circular needles, sizes 6 and 9

Tapestry needle

Stitch marker

–PATTERN–

With smaller needles and both strands, CO 80 sts.

Join in rnd, begin (k1, p1) rib.

After two inches, switch to larger needles.

Continue in (k1, p1) rib until hat measure 8″ from cast-on edge.

Decrease:

Row 1: (work 8 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 2: work all sts in pattern **
Row 3: (work 7 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 4: work all sts in pattern
Row 5: (work 6 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 6: work all sts in pattern
Row 7: (work 5 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 8: work all sts in pattern
Row 9: (work 4 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 10: (work 3 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 11: (work 2 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 12: (work 1 stitches in pattern, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 13: (k2tog), rpt to end of rnd

**when it says “work in pattern,” it means to keep in the ribbing pattern.

So if the previous row had a knit, knit that stitch. The same goes for a purl.

Cut yarn, leaving a 10″ tail, and thread through rem sts.
weave in ends.

New pattern: Scalloped Lace Hat!

I had the pleasure of kntting this cute little hat with one of my favorite yarns, which has recently been discontinued. This hat is a tribute to the wonderful Lamb’s Wool, designed by Elsebeth Lavold.

Materials:
DK weight yarn (I used Elsebeth Lavold’s Baby Llama)
Size 6 16″ circular needles
Size 6 dpns
Tapestry needle

–PATTERN–

CO 88 sts, join in the round (DISCLAIMER: This yarn had a lot of stretch; if the yarn you are using is not super stretchy, increase amount of stitches in multiples of 11).

Ridged Feather Stitch Pattern: (taken from my faithful Knitter’s Bible by Claire Crompton)
Row 1: knit all sts
Row 2: knit all sts
Row 3: *(p2tog) twice, (yo, k1) 3 times, yo, (p2tog) twice; rpt from * to end of rnd
Row 4: knit all sts

Repeat stitch pattern four times.

Next 2 rnds: knit all sts
Next rnd: purl all stitches

Next, knit all rnds until hat measures 6 1/2 inches from cast-on edge.

Decrease:

Row 1: (k9, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 2: knit all sts
Row 3: (k8, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 4: knit all sts
Row 5: (k7, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 6: knit all sts
Row 7: (k6, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 8: knit all sts
Row 9: (k5, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 10: knit all sts
Row 11: (k4, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 12: (k3, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 13: (k2, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 14: (k1, k2tog), rpt to end of rnd
Row 15: (k2tog), rpt to end of rnd

Cut yarn, leaving a 10″ tail, and thread through rem sts.
weave in ends.

Enjoy!

Broken Rib "Skyping Beanie"

This past week, I made the Skyping Beanie found on Ravelry! The pattern is really well-written by Halldora J.

what I’m working on now…

Right now I am surprisingly only working on two projects! Here they are:

Below is a baby shirt that I have just started knitting in Peter Pan Baby Merino yarn. The yarn is a joy to work with, very soft. I love the color too! The pattern is also from Peter Pan.

I have also started my first sweater! It took a lot of guidance from the Tuesday night crew of women (at the yarn store at which I work), but I have picked out my yarn, checked my gauge, and completed the back and both fronts. All I have left to do are the sleeves, neck, and blocking and seaminggggg (both of which I strongly dislike).

This is what it will hopefully look like when finished! The pattern is called Twigs and Willows by Alana Dakos, author of Botanical Knits.

Stay tuned for some updates on both of these patterns!

DIY Paint Swatch Calendar!

I found this amazing blog post, and decided to try it out!
http://chicisms.com/crafty-chic-paint-sample-calendar/

This is the final product, and I love it! This will most definitely be hung in my new college house!

Alpaca Ribbed Hat

This is my newest completed project! 

This self-striping yarn is alpaca, from a local farm in Western New York and it is obviously the softest. 

I really like how it turned out, and I think this will be my hat for the winter! (I knit one for myself each winter.) And it has the perfect amount of slouch!

Baby Booties/Food

A friend at work asked me to knit her goddaughter some booties. She sent me some pictures of ones that she liked, but they were all crocheted, and I preferred knitting them since I’m a more experienced knitter than crocheter. So I found this pattern on ravelry, (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ruths-perfect-baby-booties) and this is how they turned out!

I am also trying to teach myself how to make yummy foods since I will be living in an on-campus house next year. This means that I’ll have to actually make my own meals instead of indulging in the same dinging hall meals every day. Though I can’t eat these foods on a regular basis, I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, and helped my grandmother make a pumpkin pie.

Sewn Party Flags!

I received my first party flags as a gift for my high school graduation. I love them, so I decided to make some myself. This is a really easy, quick project that will make any room look excellent and festive!

I just took some canvas fabric, and cut out 20 triangles. 

They don’t need to be perfect!

Next, pin the right sides of two triangles together.

Repeat this until all of your triangles are matched.

 

Sew down the two sides, but not the top. You need to leave this part open

so that you can later turn them right side out.

Then you need to iron the seams flat. I know this seems like 

a part you could likely skip, but DON’T! It’ll be easier in the long run

if you just take the time to iron them. (I promise!)

Lastly, turn the triangles right side out and iron them flat. 

Then sew them onto ribbon or bias tape. (I used double-fold bias 

tape so that I wouldn’t have to fold the edges under).

And now you have your party flags! You can really hang them

in any type of room! Here, they are in my room at home.

 

 

This is the final product!

And here they are in my room at school, along with my other party flags!

My room no longer looks like a jail cell. Mission accomplished.