Knitting For Dummies

When I learned to knit, I learned the "throwing" technique. Due to my lack of patience, I never learned any other techniques nor did I have any interest. Yes, call me the lazy knitter. This is the precise reason I learned to crochet - the basic stitches are a lot easier to master. (In my humble opinion) I am sure there are master knitters who would beg to differ. Don't get your panties in a bunch, I already admitted that I am a lazy knitter.

So while surfing the net... as I always do, I decided to make a pit stop at You-Tube. The sole purpose - to find a knitting tutorial. I was not disappointed - I found a great knitting tutorial by Craft Sanity highlighting the differences between the throwing and continental knitting techniques. Who could ask for anything more?  So, tonight in between being a mom, wife, and student (again) I plan to try the continental technique.

Watch the video THEN wish me luck! 

Accepting The Challenge - Yarn Purchase

I'm calm...I'm decisive...I've decided to proceed with the felting project. I purchased recycled, lambswool, sport weight yarn from Crafty Yarn.

Here is a little information taken directly from the Crafty Yarn site about recycled yarn:

"My yarns are recycled (unraveled) from gently-used, high-quality sweaters. Color and texture are very important to me and I only work with sweaters made from lovely yarn.

About knotted ends: the short version is that your skein of yarn probably won't have noticeably more knots in it than any new skein might. The long version: if the yarn is made primarily from a fiber that will felt (wool, cashmere, angora, or any other animal fiber), then I felt any ends within the skein together so you don't get extra knots. If it's a plant or synthetic fiber, skeins may have up to two knotted ends, but many will have one or none. In any given skein, there may also be a knot or two that were in the yarn from the original manufacturer.I determine the length of my skeins by creating measured hanks, not just by weight, so you can be confident that the lengths I give are accurate.

All yarn has been gently unraveled, wound into skeins and hand-washed with a mild eco-friendly soap. After washing, the yarn is hung outside to dry in the warm California sun, leaving it soft and fresh. During this process it will have relaxed somewhat, but will probably still be a little kinky from having been knit up (but never so much that it won't be easy to knit with).
Each of my skeins is individually labeled with fiber content, wraps per inch, yarn weight, precise yardage and weight."

Now, I am off to find a felt pattern/project to use my yarn. Wish me luck!

Information Overload

Perhaps I was a little ambitious about this felting project. I conducted an Internet search thinking..."this will be great! I'll just find a project I like, pick up some wool yarn, follow the step-by-step instructions, and viola! I will have created a beautiful purse or hat. Just like that!"

Instead I have a discovered a new world of options that I never realized were available to me. There are books for beginners, intermediate, and expert felters, websites and blogs with added commentary, yarn specifications, patterns galore, SHEEP and WOOL TYPES? What am I supposed to do with all of the information? Presently I am feeling overwhelmed...

Can I find everything I need to know all in one place wrapped up in a cute little bow?

Last night I was excited to find yarn that I like, but now I am afraid to purchase it. The massive amounts of information have paralyzed me. I am in unfamiliar territory...once I purchase the yarn I have no idea what to do next. During my Internet search, I happened upon The CraftGossip Blog Network which contains an entire section devoted to felting. The site is an excellent resource, however fortunately or unfortunately I have yet to decide, it contains links to many additional resources. (I am trying to prevent a meltdown, therefore less is more.)

First things first, I will look for information for beginners only...