knitting

Will somebody play?

I want to see your answers, a little change of scenery.

* Favorite pie: Apple

* Steak or seafood: Steak

* Italian or Chinese: Italian

* Pepsi or Coke: Coke

* Chocolate or Vanilla: Vanilla. Never chocolate

* How many tattoos: 0

* Ever hit a deer: Nope!

* Rode in an ambulance: No

* Netflix or Hulu? Netflix

* Last text from: Antoinette

* Favorite season: Summer

* Broken Bones: Nope

* Favorite color: Green

* Sunrise or Sunset: Sunrise

* Ocean or Mountain:Ocean

* Dogs or cats? Dogs

Fiber · knitting

Yarn & Fibre Diet

Yesterday on my Instagram TV channel, I officially announced that I was going on a yarn diet. Saying it out loud keeps me mindful and (I hope) will hold me accountable. From now until at least December, I am only knitting from my stash and trying to knit mostly for others. I don’t like having too much of anything. I feel its wasteful, disrespectful and unappreciative. In the world of essential oils we are taught to respect how much work it takes to get one drop of oil from a plant. Because of that, we are mindful in the use of it. I don’t buy a ton of oil that may sit and rancid. I don’t run my diffuser for hours on end, so I don’t even smell it anymore. Thirty minutes at a time is sufficient to get the effects of the oil(s). I don’t want yarn to just sit and look pretty. I want to use it, appreciate it and share it with someone. I will be sharing photos along the journey here and on Instagram as Nyknits.

Is anyone else feeling the need to downsize? To not have too much of anything? Tell me about it. How are you doing it?

Until next time…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

knitting

Instagram Is Where I’m At

I started this blog because I needed an outlet. I was so excited about knitting and yarn. Excited about learning all things fiber. Excited about trying new techniques. My family and friends could only listen to so much. You know, the glazed eyes and all.

So, in 2015, Nyknits began. I posted almost every week. Usually on Sundays. And it was great. I got to share with like minded folks. I shared photos of works in progress, finished objects, trips, knitting guild guests etc.

I had been on Instagram since 2013. I started posted photos of my makes and then decided, again to spare my non fiber friends and family, to start an Instagram account dedicated solely to the fiber arts. And that is where I have been all this time.

The platform is easy to feel at home in. I am fully engaged. I am inspired by all the beautiful projects I see. I mostly follow individuals. Companies, not so much. I just ran into a person I follow this week. She was at my spinning guild meeting. We knew each other by our Instagram handles. Are you on Instagram? Care to share your handle? I’ll be glad to follow.

This week I made a hot process soap. This weekend, I’ll be sharing photos, recipe and resources.

Till next time, Lisa

knitting · soaping, bread baking , maker

What I Have Been Up To

Hey, everybody. It’s been a while. Where have I been? I have been “staying curious”. So many things have been sparking my curiosity. Bread baking and soap making are the newest things. I have joined the local spinning guild, I bought a teeny tiny electric spinner and a flax wheel from the 1800’s at an auction.

Here are a few photos. I’ll be glad to share what I’ve learned and the resources I found. I hope you’re inspired to try something new or to revisit a craft you’ve tried before.

My sourdough starter
Sourdough bread

Soap making supplies
Turmeric hot process soap

Olive oil melt and pour soap
Olive oil melt and pour soap

Meet John Oliver

John Oliver

Melt and pour soap

Seamless circular yoke

Safety equipment

No knead bread
knitting

What’s Up?

Hey everybody! So listen, my friends, it has been well over a year , 18 months to be exact, since I have written a post.  I honestly only came back because I received a notice about my domain name renewal. Oh yeah, I have a blog! Tell me what’s new with you. What are you working on? What new thing have you learned? Have you been to any of the fiber fairs/conferences/workshops? I have much to share. So much, that I am thinking about changing my blog name. Its not just knitting anymore. I am looking forward to chatting with all of you. See ya on Wednesday.

Lisa

 

knitting

I Made Wool Dryer Balls

cropped-6b1e54f7-6866-4e1c-837f-798496fb829b.jpegWell, hello! It’s been a while since I have posted. Four months to be exact. However, it is a new year and I will be blogging on a more regular basis. I intend to share patterns, yarn reviews, techniques and anything else I come across that I think you may find helpful or useful.

Today, it will be wool dryer balls. Everything I hear about them I like. They cut down on drying time, they are more economical than dryer sheets (they last years), they eliminate static cling and reduce wrinkles. They are also pretty easy to make. There are a few ways to make them. This is how I do them.

Materials  I used:

Patons Classic Wool Yarn (2 or 3 skeins)

Wool roving (about 4 oz)

Nylon knee highs

Scrap cotton or acrylic yarn

Directions:

Begin by winding the yarn into a ball. I made mine about 6 inches in diameter

Next, use the wool roving to cover the yarn ball you created. Go round and round and stop when you reach about 9 inches in diameter

Make as many balls as you want. I made 5

Put the balls into the knee highs. Separate each ball by tying yarn between each one

Put the balls in a hot water wash and then toss in the dryer

When done, check to see that they are felted. You should not be able to pull the roving off the ball

Put them through another wash and dry cycle if necessary

And that’s it!

A few things to keep in mind:

You must use 100 % wool for the yarn and the roving. You need it for absorption and felting

Do not use wool as ties between the balls. If you do, it will felt and make it difficult to remove. Use cotton or acrylic yarn

Scent your balls with pure essential oils

Tell me if you give it a try.

knitting

The Fleegle Heel Is A Hit!

I saw Knitfreedom’s video on YouTube regarding the fleegle heel. I wanted to try it, however, I didn’t have a pattern and didn’t feel comfortable enough at the time to wing it. I’m never afraid to make mistakes and start over, I just felt I didn’t have the sock knitting experience to go it alone.     

 Now, after having made 20+ socks, I frequently knit socks without a pattern. A vanilla sock (plain stockinette) with my choice of toe and heel treatment is always on my needles. I want to learn as many techniques as possible and the many different sock heel treatments will keep me interested for a little while. 

This technique was easy to do and I like the look and feel on my foot. I will be definitely be knitting a Fleegle heel again. Visit the, blog watch the videos, see it you like it. Knitfreedom’s video

Fleegle’s Blog  

knitting

Knitting Guild Night With Guest Kathleen Dames

Tonight’s guild meeting had a special guest. Knitwear designer and magazine editor Kathleen Dames. She is the editor, along with Ann Podlesak, of Filament magazine. It’s a quarterly publication loaded with patterns. She’s an excellent speaker and very knowledgeable on the teachings of Elizabeth Zimmermann. Our guild is spending a year with EZ, so we were all interested in her talk about Pi shawls. She had beautiful sample knits to show and I drooled over a pullover with colorwork on the bottom. 

It was a good night. She tells a good story and welcomes questions from the audience. I immediately subscribed to her podcast, The Sweater with Kathleen Dames. I am also looking forward to taking her class this fall at Altman’s Needlearts in Mattituck, NY. 

Her website is www.kathleendames.com

I also got my copy of the Knitting Workshop. I am so anxious to start working from it. Our guild has challenged us to be ready to knit a sweater by September. And I am up for it!

Kathleen Dames at the Eastern Long Island Knitting Guild.
The Sweater podcast