Knit, Blog & Be Happy!

The cool weather is upon us, and the fabulous designers we follow on Ravelry are releasing patterns faster than we can build kits on the newsletter. I thought it would be fun to highlight some patterns that have caught my eye. 1.) No Rhinebeck? No Problem! MKAL 3 by SweaterFreak I must admit I am having a bit of FOMO over Rhinebeck. I had a hotel reservation but canceled it about two weeks ago.  Mr. Monarch and I have a lot going on, so the trip did not fit my schedule.  I saw this on MKAL on Ravelry Tuesday evening, and I...

Around my home, Ozetta's Autumn Tales Shawl will forever be known as the "Fall Van Der Valk Binge Shawl." I picked this up as the easy project I carry around to sneak a row in here or there. Well, that did not happen.  I ripped through the project in just a few days! Mr. Monarch is out of town, and my evenings were very quiet, so I tuned into Van Der Valk on PBS. Set in Amsterdam, it was a great watch for me. A few rows turned into a section, and three sections later, I was done. Before I...

I just finished my Fern Lake Baby Blanket, which got me thinking about machine-washing knitted or crochet projects. I am going to put the blanket in the machine but very carefully! Read on... When knitting or crocheting for new parents or a friend who might not want to hand wash something, most people say, "I need a yarn that can be machine washed and dried." The machine-friendly yarns, many of which might have a bit of acrylic or nylon to help offset the felting or shrinking issues with wool. However, hitting the project with a regular washing machine cycle and...

When I sit down to knit, I often listen to a book on Audible or stream a mystery series. In the last few months, I have added a video podcast to my must-watch list, Wool Needles Hands, hosted by Tayler Earl. Tayler lives outside of Las Vegas and is the owner/dyer of Fiber for the People, and has a knack for creating engaging videos weekly. The episodes are well-planned and edited, and I always walk away with a nugget of knowledge or inspiration for future knitting projects. She highlights all types of yarn, her line, big box craft stores, and LYS offerings. Her show...

My sweater is complete, and the ends are woven in. It is time to give this Teddy Bear Sweater a bath. I believe that blocking is the magic fairy dust of knitting. Last November, I wrote, “You have spent a lot of time working on a project, so why would you skip the last important step? So many good things happen: your stitches relax, some tension issues can be eased, and the yarn blooms and softens. It can also open any lacework, helps cables pop and can flatten the edges of your project. As an added bonus, blocking washes your...