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Posts Tagged ‘Knitting and Crochet’

Results of 4KCBW Craft Blogger Survey Part 2

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , on June 5, 2013 | 4 Comments »

A few weeks ago I invited my readers to participate in a craft blogger survey.  The survey was designed to evaluate the experiences of craft bloggers who participated in the fourth annual Knit Crochet Blog Week, hosted by Eskimimmakes blog. The survey included 10 questions:

  • 5 questions asking about self-efficacy/confidence
  • 5 questions asking about perceived gains from participation in blog week

I am sharing my results in two blog posts. My first post focused on the results of the Self-Efficacy survey. This post will present the results of the Perceived Gains survey.

Results

Perceived Gains

Gains1

A little over 60% of respondents seem to feel that participation in the 4KCBW blog week increased their level of knowledge or skill in craft blogging. This is a very nice result to see as part of the purpose of blog week was to stretch and try new things.  My participation in blog week drove me to try creating info-graphics and videos–communication techniques I might not have been brave enough to try otherwise.
Gains 2
More good news here. Respondents overwhelmingly feel that participation in blog week made craft blogging more fun. I would be curious to know if the blogging itself was more fun, or if it was the interaction with other craft bloggers that was more fun.  Personally, what I love about this blog carnival is the opportunity to meet and interact with other bloggers–bloggers I may never have discovered otherwise.  The blogging challenges are also fun, but it’s the new relationships I treasure.
Gains 3Speaking of building beneficial new relationships…
It looks like not everyone agrees with me about the primary source of value in the blog carnival. A lot of people agree that they made beneficial connections, but a significant minority are neutral or disagree. Nothing wrong with that. Some of these folks may have been blogging for a long time and may already be well acquainted with their craft blogging colleagues.
Gains 4
Interesting…it seems that, while the blog carnival encouraged people to try new things, it didn’t necessarily leave them feeling that they had gained competence in those new techniques. The vast majority of respondents were neutral or only slightly agreed. Practice makes perfect, I guess. It would be interesting to find out whether 4KCBW participants continue to develop new skills they’ve learned during blog week, or whether they abandon them.
Gains 5
I suspect people were a bit confused by this question. Asking this question during blog week may not have been the best technique. This might be a more valuable question to ask a few weeks or months after blog week, after people have had time to think about their experience. Do bloggers decide to purchase new cameras to better photograph their projects? Do they decide to start blogging as a way to promote their crafting business?  Do they become discouraged and decide to abandon blogging? Time will tell.
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Help Me Justify a Knitting Purchase

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , on May 29, 2013 | 28 Comments »

I have two WIP on the needles at the moment:

Nachtfalter progress: I just finished knitting the front lace panel of Nachtfalter and am ready to pick up the stitches for the back lace panel.

Vine Street progress: I just finished knitting the decorative waistband on the back half and am ready to work on the body.

The problem: Both projects now require the use of my size 4 metal circular needles!

Nachtfalter is in cotton so there’s no way I’m switching to wooden circulars (my only other option). Plus it’s never a good idea to switch from metal to wood as it can give you a different gauge.

The body of Vine Street is going to be ALL STOCKINETTE. Lord preserve me. I need needles that will knit like lightning. It’s starting to get humid and sticky around here so I’d like to avoid wooden needles.

Am I justified in indulging my completely unreasonable desire to order a new pair of metal circulars. Specifically, say, these stunners?

Size 4 fixed circulars, from Signature Needle Arts. $42. Gack!

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An Experiment in My Knitting Technique

Posted in Books, Clothing and Accessories, Knitting, Spinning, tagged , , , , , , , , , on May 8, 2013 | 20 Comments »

I’ve always been an English style knitter. A thrower. And a rather clumsy one at that.

I learned to knit when I was eight. Mom showed be the ropes (pun intended), but after that I taught myself most of what I know. I knitted in the way that felt most natural to me, clutching the yarn firmly in the fingers of my right hand. And since then, I’ve never deviated from this technique.

When I knit, my whole hand moves, not just my fingers. It works, but it’s terribly inefficient. I’ve observed other knitters forming stitches with only slight flicks of their fingers. It looks so calm. So slick. So fast! I’ve decided that I want to teach myself to knit that way.

Now comes the hard part: overcoming more than twenty years of muscle memory.

I’ve decided to start this process by practicing my new technique  on a simple garter stitch project: The Hitchhiker shawlette. Over the next mile or so of yarn, I’m going to repeat this new technique thousands of times. Will that be enough to retrain my brain? Probably not. But it’s a good first step.

Wish me luck.

By the way, the above is my first knitting video. (*Yay*) After the 4KCBW blog week, I decided that one of my goals for the next year was going to be: getting comfortable with video blogging. There’s a lot of room for improvement, but I wanted to get over the first hurdle and simply GET A VIDEO OUT THERE, DARNIT.  Now that I’ve taken that first step, I feel much more confident about what I might be able to produce next time around.  

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4KCBWDAY7- Stuffing Every Nook And Cranny with Fiber

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Competition, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 28, 2013 | 19 Comments »

Today is the last day of Knit Crochet Blog Week, hosted by Eskimimimakes blog.  The topic of the day is Looking Forward–where do I hope my crafting will take me in the next year?

houses1

Overall goal: I want to find ways to stuff fiber into every nook and cranny of my life. Almost nothing makes me happier.

Specific goals:

1) I’d like to tackle color work, preferably with a  Fair Isle pattern.

I just love this Fair Isle sleeveless hoody on the cover of Fearless Fair Isle Knitting. It seems irreverent somehow, as if Fair Isle is “supposed” to be used a certain way, and this pattern is thumbing its nose at those notions. I’m a sucker for irreverent patterns. 

The cover of Fearless Fair Isle Knitting.

2) I’d like to knit something with this lovely red Blackwater Abbey yarn my mother gave me. It’s gorgeous, crunchy wool that screams to be knit into something with intricate cables.

I keep returning to a few  patterns over and over.

Plaits and Links Cardigan by Kathy Zimmerman as seen on Ravelry

134-55 “Chocolate Passion” – Jacket with cables in Alaska by DROPS design as seen on Ravelry

Hawthorne Vest by Marilyn King as seen on Raverly

3) I’d like to knit more projects with my hand spun.  I keep a special drawer in my yarn storage area just for the products of my hand spinning. If I don’t do something in the next few months, that drawer is going to erupt like Mount Vesuvius. If my obituary says something about death by smothering, you’ll know why.

Side note: I was working on this post yesterday and very nearly posted something extremely grouchy. Don’t blog while grouchy. It’s like drunk goggles, if the goggles were  lined with scratchy, itchy wool. Nothing good can come of it. Plus, everyone will know you’re grouchy and that will make you even grouchier. 

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4KCBWDAY6: Wheel of Yarnfinity, Turn, Turn Turn

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Competition, Knitting, Spinning, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 27, 2013 | 36 Comments »

I’m participating in the fourth annual Knit and Crochet Blog Week hosted by Eskimimimakes blog. 

Today is day six and the theme of the day is: A Tool To Covet. The task is to write about my favorite crafting tool.

I have a lot of crafting tools I really love. I love my Addi-clicks interchangeables. I love my light-as feather place markers, perfect for delicate lace knitting. And I love the cute little black embroidery scissors my mother gave me when I was teenager: somehow, after all these years, I’ve managed not to lose them (it’s a miracle).

These things are all wonderful, but the true apple of my eye these days is a magical wheely-bopper.

It’s a truly special tool that enables me to spin as much as I want on my trusty Lendrum, and then free up my bobbins for more spinning without having to make troublesome decisions about what to ply with what. I’m talking, of course, about my splendiforous Schacht bobbin winder.

winder2

The wheel of yarnfinity, which enables me to spin almost without ceasing.

Just yesterday, I finished spinning 8 oz of this lovely variegated green BFL/silk from Sweet Georgia. Yummy.

Green wheel2

But I wasn’t quite ready to commit to the next step. I had two bobbins full. Do I want to just ply them together off the bobbins? Do I want to split the yarn up into four equal amounts and make a four ply? Do I want to hold onto these until I feel brave enough to try chain plying? Agh! Who can decide?

Bobbin winder to the rescue!

white bobbins

I grabbed a few of the plain plastic storage bobbins (They come in large packs of about 20!).  I just realized I’m almost out. Already. Gack!

winding2

Then I set the bobbin winder up on the desk, impaled a plastic bobbin on the winder, and commenced a-windin’.

green on bobbins2

In no time at all I had spun two very full plastic bobbins. Oooh, they’re so pretty. And my wooden bobbins were stripped and ready for wheel spinning again. Joy!

By the way, I have a runner-up favorite that I just can’t resist sharing. I took some glamour shots this morning and now I can’t get this sexy little thing off my mind.

I’m proud to present: Purple Heartwood Golding Spindle. She spins like a dream.

golding 1

Golding 2

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4KCBWDAY5: You’re Invited to Participate in a Craft Blogger Survey

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Competition, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 26, 2013 | 25 Comments »

I’m participating in the fourth annual Knit Crochet Blog Week, hosted by Eskimimimakes blog.

houses

Today is day five and the topic we’ve been assigned to blog about is: Something Different. The idea is to blog in a way that is different from how I normally blog.

I ordinarily blog in a very memoir-ish, sharing-my-projects style, so today I’m going to branch out and try something very different: blogariffic research.  

I’m calling all you bees, manatees, monkeys and peacocks to participate. Mixed breeds (such as the bee-cocks and monkatees) are welcome too. Also, that one lady who self-identified with house of mule–I especially want you to participate. 

Image from kmonadollaraday.wordpress.com

Join me in a bit of fun, informal research.

This 4KCBW event has been wonderful opportunity to stretch and try new things.

This week, I tried blogging techniques outside my comfort zone that I was uncomfortable with, and the results have mostly been very positive. Before this week, I’d never made an infographic —but and look at me now!  No fear!

Sometimes it takes a drastic move, or the arrival of a magical blue box, to get you out of a rut. Image from http://www.moodychick.co.uk

I’ve created a 4KCBW- themed survey.

The purpose of the survey is to evaluate your experiences as a craft blogger and your specific experience participating in Knit Crochet Blog Week.

  • How confident do you feel in the various skills required of a craft blogger?
  • What do you feel you’ve gained from participating in blog week?

Take the survey  (only 10 questions) and see your results, along with the results of other participants.

survey

Take the survey

At the end, I’ll do a little statistical analysis with the results, which I’ll post here

Thanks in advance for taking part. I look forward to playing with numbers and telling you all about it.

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4KCBWDAY4: Color Review – A Statistical Moment of Truth

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Competition, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 25, 2013 | 10 Comments »

I’m participating in the fourth annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, hosted by Eskimimimakes blog.

houses

Today is day four and the assigned topic is Color Review. The task is to discuss my favorite colors used in my crafting. What do I have in my stash? What do I actually knit with? Is there any significant relationship between these two sets of data?

Here’s a peak into my stash (partial, I assure you):

my yarn 1

And here’s a  look at some of the projects I’ve made:

projects 1

A quick glance tells you there’s a pop of yellow in each collection, some red, a bit of pink, and a healthy dose of green. But it’s hard to tell if there’s any significant relationship between the two collections.

Statistics to the rescue.

Here’s a bar graph showing the distribution of colors in my yarn stash:

yarnAnd here’s a bar graph showing the distribution of colors in my projects on Ravelry:

my projectsDo these graphs look similar? Hardly. There are a few colors that seem well represented in both groups: red, green and gray. But the rest looks like a muddle, doesn’t it?

Now, this is where I could get all weasley and say: “There’s a little overlap, isn’t there? I mean, green here, green there; yellow here, yellow there. And look at how gorgeous those yarns colors are. Surely there’s some justification for the differences based on beauty alone!”

“I’m not here to talk about beauty or to justify your wild spending habits,” growls statistics, menacingly. “I’m here to answer a simple question: Is there any relationship between the yarn colors you buy and the projects you knit?”

Comparing the distributions: A comparison of the distributions of  these two variables (yarn colors and project colors) shows the distributions are significantly different  (significance 0.020, p = 0.05). What this means is that the pattern of colors amongst my yarn collection and the pattern of colors amongst my projects is not the same.

Conclusion: Color Review FAIL

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4KCBWDAY3 – Monkeys, They’re Just Like Knitters (Infographic)

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Competition, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , , , , on April 24, 2013 | 31 Comments »

This week, I’m participating in the fourth annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, hosted by EskimimiMakes blog.

Today is day 3 and the topic we’ve been assigned is: Infographic. The task is to create my own infographic to convey “any element of my craft(s).”

I chose “Monkey” as my “house” in the Monday post. Today, I’m still stuck on the topic of monkeys. Monkeys and knitting. So I cobbled together the attached infographic.  Enjoy!

infographic

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4KCBWDAY1 – I’ve been bitten by an exotic fiber-eating bug, and it’s sitting on a monkey

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 22, 2013 | 25 Comments »

I’m participating in the fourth annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week, hosted by Eskimimi of Eskimimimakes blog.

Day 1: The first blog topic of the week is The House Cup, a la Harry Potter. The task: choose a “house” from the list provided and blog about the way in which that house represents your crafting outlook/style.

It didn’t take me long to pick my house. Monkey all the way. I love a challenging project. I get antsy if I don’t have at something on my needles that is teaching me something new.

I haven’t always been a Monkey. The first twenty years of my knitting life were spent squarely in the House of Manatee. I enjoyed knitting comfort projects above all else and did not feel adventure was necessary to my knitting life. The things I already knew were more than sufficient. Knitting was about safety and warmth and homey-gifting. I remember learning to knit simple stockinette hats on straight needles when I was about 20. I knitted one, then two, then dozens. I gave them to everybody I knew. I gave them to people I barely knew. Before I knew it, all the hat-wearers in my life were hatted and I had run out of “victims.”

It was the combined influence of Ravelry and my Mother’s gentle urging that convinced me to poke my nose outside by comfort zone. Mom helped me choose my first lace pattern. It was a simple Jared Flood autumn leaf pattern, but to me it was a taste of the exotic. And exotic started to be a craving.

My Autumn Leaves shawl.

Less than two years later, I’m knitting complicated Romi Hill lace patterns and I’m as happy as can be. I finished Fiori Di Sole one week ago. Just one week. The shawl had barely left my needles when my fingers began to itch for a new challenge. 24 hours later, I had cast on another Romi Hill lace shawl.

Finished just in time for my wedding.

Next up. I’m a glutton for punishment. Heavenly, by Romi Hill, as seen on Ravelry.

It’s a sickness, it must be. An addiction. To the adventure, to the thrill.

One thing I love about this whole things is that I can pick my own patterns and challenge myself as much or as little as I want and there’s no one to judge me. In what other part of my life do the results of my efforts truly matter to no one but me? And how many of those are as fulfilling as knitting? I can’t think of any.

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At Times Like This, Everything I Knit is a Prayer Shawl

Posted in Clothing and Accessories, Knitting, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on April 16, 2013 | 7 Comments »

photo (23)

You see that last lace repeat there? That’s the bit of this shawl I knitted last night while meditating on what happened in Boston yesterday.

The stitches seem mournful, somehow.

But I then I remind myself that dank and dreary thoughts can’t drive out the dark. This is Rowan Kidsilk Haze I’m knitting with, after all. It’s like knitting with bits of angel’s wings. Light as air and radiant with hope.

And that pattern. It reminds me of the Estonian Haga pattern, which means twig or small branch. Bits of a growing tree. Life that grows and goes on.

I’m no pundit and I don’t aspire to be one or to make political statements. I can only think of my fellow human beings who are suffering today. And the streets of a place I have visited, that seem stained now. What can we do to erase what has happened?

I don’t think there’s anything we can do to erase it. We can only go on and make new and better things. It’s such a miracle that we can do that.

My simple bit of knitting can be my prayer for the better world I hope we can create. I can never hope for my prayer to change others, or change God (if you believe in one). I can only hope for it to change me.

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