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Knittingnews - April 15 |
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April 15, 2003 What new and exciting things are happening? I am getting geared up for my favorite springtime activity. Can you guess what it is? It is when all the
crafters come out of hibernation, shake the cobwebs off and hold craft fairs! We shared craft ideas and made money at the same time. My children and husband came with me and we all had lots of fun. Depending on the venue, there could be rides or animals. At one, there were Appalachian step dancers, British folk dancers and Native American wind dancers. All my kids sat there on hay bales entranced for hours. Great Festivals How do you find these great festivals? My local newspaper is a great source as well as my town's heritage society and the library. Go craft fairing and have lots of fun. Get Organized What a perfect time to sort through your stash and inventory it. In case you think this is a waste of time, let me remind you of my problems. I look at a project and I run to the store. The yarn I want is not available, but they have a great sale, so I pick up 3 or 4 skeins. I go out next week to another store, forget why I am there and see another sale, so I pick up more cool yarn. I find a new pattern, go to the store buy more cool yarn. I come home to find out I already had great yarn for that new project under a ton of stuff. If you enjoy collecting and clutter above all, stop reading this part and go right on to the next! I hate clutter. I cannot think in clutter, but it is always around. I decided this past winter, while stuck in my home with 3 kids to break this bad habit. I actually bought another book, because I cannot do anything without studying it to death! This one worked! It is "Confessions of an Organized Homemaker" by Deniece Schofield. Look for it at my favorite used bookstore Http://www.half.com. You may ask: what does this mean to my knitting and me? Well, the more organized you are, the less time you waste looking for things, buying things you don't need, or even worse losing a work in process (and not find it for years). I found stuff I didn't even know I had. I don't even remember when or why I bought it. I then had a friend go through things with me to "shame" me into getting rid of stuff. Collecting stuff must be a crafter's disease, because every list I am on everyone talks of getting stuff, lots of stuff. I personally cannot get rid of anything; it may be needed at any time. I know the minute I throw out all those empty toilet tubes, there will be a crafting special on TV about using them. I may get a phone call from one of the kid's teachers needing just that item! I attacked it all and now it is organized. The true test is if it stays that way! The continuing saga will be in future newsletters. History of Knitting In the British Isles, the height of knitting was around 1850. The industrial revolution and knitting machines had yet to arrive. Women and men worked hard at handcrafts for their livelihood. The first printed patterns started appearing around 1880. Each township had its own patterns handed down through the generations, but amazingly basic construction was strikingly similar. All were worked in the round using 4 or 5 double pointed pins (needles). Usually started from the bottom, knit snug to the body, and worked up past the armholes in one piece. Ganseys and fair isles had a special feature of having underarm gussets for more freedom of movement. There were two methods of shoulder finishing. You could just plain graft the shoulders together or create a shoulder saddle. The design could stop at the sleeve edge or continue in pattern down the sleeve to the cuff. This saddle technique was popular with Scottish knitters. Almost all older sweaters in the area had a similar neck with a plain knit 2, purl 2 ribbing. The heavy patterning kept in the warmth and assisted in waterproofing the pullovers. Use these guides to help in working a traditional sweater of your own, or find a historically accurate pattern. Square # 11 Honeycomb Yes, we are almost finished! Are you getting excited?
CO 44 STS, Center pattern:
It's getting warmer and a good book in the sun sounds great. Make a couple of these to keep on hand, just in case. Give some away to friends! See it here: Thank You Thanks all for reading and remember to let your friends know about our free newsletter, too. Take a little time to browse our great site Http://www.craftfinder.com This site supports this newsletter and other crafters such as myself. See the mall where you can buy all the craft gifts that you never have time to make yourself, or place an add and sell your crafts. Correction Special thanks to one of our readers Corrections as follows: Enjoy Get out there and enjoy the fairs! Even if you don't wish to buy anything, it's great
to see what other crafters are doing. Great inspiration comes from many places. You may even stumble upon something that you have never seen before. Oh heck, just have fun! Kathy Remember email me for knitting advice, help, or just to say Hi, here:
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