Be sure to keep an eye on the inspiration blog for new arrivals, project ideas and other inspiring tid bits!

Someone asked me last week what tools they would need as a knitter. I thought it would be a good time to take a peak into my toolbag, the little pouch of stuff that I carry around with me all the time:

Crochet hook – to pick up dropped stitches

Yarn cutter – in stead of scissors, I have the nifty Clover brand yarn cutter, which is airplane friendly just plain cute!

Tape measure

Stitch markers – of various kinds, sizes, colors. These things end up on metro floors, sofa cushions and a variety of other places, so I buy a new pack every few months. I believe that a student (who shall remain nameless) has a number of my stitch markers right now on her cashmere square…You never can have too many of those things.

Pen – so I can write down the changes that I make to a pattern, to remember for the next time, or to write notes on the pattern for the class that I am teaching. Or just because it is one place that I know I can always find a pen in my house.

Hand cream – I like my L’Occitane hand cream. Stuff works great! Wool sucks the moisture out of your hands.

Darning needles (yarn needles) – of various sizes. I lose these things too…

Stitch holders – for putting a project on hold so that you can steal the needles out of it to start another project that will inevitably end up on a stitch holder as well….because I can’t finish things.

Cable needles – in three sizes. I like the Brittany brand cable needles. They hold the stitches nicely without that annoying bend in the cable needle. They are quick and easy to use.

I think that is all in my little pouch. What else are you carrying around with you?

As I was knitting with the Fibre Company Terra, I realized that it felt a bit more rough than I remembered the first time I used it.  Wondering if the fiber content had changed, I went looking for my little swatch (they are all over the house, mostly being used as coasters) and found that my swatch was just as soft and wonderful as I remembered the yarn. Like a good wine that needs to breath a bit, many yarns change after they have been knitted up and blocked. Noro Kureyon is another example of this. When you work the fiber, the oils on your hands transfer to the yarn, changing how it feels. In addition, the process of putting the yarn into little stitches affects how it feels to the touch. Lastly, and most importantly, blocking or washing the fiber can dramatically change its drape and feel. With Kureyon and also Terra, the fiber softens up and relaxes after being washed, making it a much more satisfying yarn. Using a wool wash like Soak is another way to enhance the fiber even more. So before judging a fiber in the hank, be sure to check out a swatch of the yarn. If the store doesn’t have one, ask if they have a partial ball that you could play with. Try it out, block it and then decide if you like the fiber.

Photo courtesy of Interweave Knits

Knitting is knowledge that is built up with time. You may leave knitting and go back to it, but the beauty of it is that muscle memory of your hands will always remember. There are multiple methods of working color work: intarsia, fair isle, Bohus knitting, Armenian knitting- they all incorporate the stranded method, that actually makes it look complex, but speeds up the process significantly and helps you to produce and wear your garment much sooner. Adjusting to tension and constantly switching threads, consulting your chart for the color switch – these can all be obstacles for new knitter in their first colorwork conquest. But not to fret – nothing like doing a crossword puzzle, short-term memory is your best friend.. and to start your Fair Isle exploration I have chosen Enid – gorgeous design by Veronique Avery, that is minimal and simple, yet classic but with a zest of Fair isle around the yoke reminiscent of Bohus knitting.
One would ask what is stranded knitting? Imagine yourself holding yarn of two different colors in different hands and knitting at the same time.. not that it is complex, it is doable and you can do it! There are multiple tricks that you will learn: knitting continental, combined and steeking. This design has wonderful options: you can choose to cut the finished garment (steek) and knit the borders for a cardigan or omit steeking and leave it as a pullover.
As any knitter I have built up my knitting knowledge through experience and various projects over time, but the need for constant advancement is natural. Or one can call it being curious. The more chances we have to build on the base of conventional knitting, the further your knitting adventures will go. So let’s start knitting! At that point – anything is possible and we can show you how!

~Olga

Read more information about or sign up for Olga’s Enid Cardigan class here.

This is the chart for the Fair Isle Mittens that I am working on this month. The chart tells me which color to use because I am working with two colors at the same time. Because these mittens are worked in the round, every row of the chart is read in the same direction as we work: right to left. If the mittens were worked flat, on the wrong side rows or every odd row I would read the pattern in reverse.

To help keep track of what row I am on, I purchased a neat little metal board and magnet set, made specifically for this purpose. The magnets both keep my paper straight on the board and also help me to mark where I am. I place the magnet over the rows that I haven’t knitted yet, revealing the row that I am currently knitting as well as the previous rows. I find that this helps me to match up the current row with the previous row. If I can see the along the edges of this specific pattern, there are entire columns of red and green, it helps me to know to simply keep them matched up in the current row.

I also recommend printing your charts as large as possible. Often designers shrink charts to help them fit on a pattern page, which can make them hard to read and follow. Blowing them up on the copier makes a huge difference.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend printing on green paper…just happened to be the only color I had at the time

If you have taken my beginner knitting class, you know that I do harp about posture while knitting. Beginner knitters (and even a few advanced) are notoriously tense, putting a great deal of stress on their hands, arms, neck and shoulders, not to mention the needles and yarn. Experienced knitters tend to get repetitive stress injuries because they become obsessed and can’t stop knitting even when their body is telling them that they should. (I don’t know anyone like that. Not at all)

When you are new to knitting or even if you aren’t, it is important to be aware of your posture. Try to keep your knitting project as close to eye level as possible and use a pillow to prop up your arms if you need to. (it helps to not have to look at your knitting at all, but we know this takes some serious experience). Do that “yoga shoulder roll thingy” where you roll your shoulders back. Stop frequently and roll your head around, up and down and from left to right to help loosen up the upper back and neck muscles.

If you are experiencing pain in your hands or elbows, stop knitting! Take a break and try out a few exercises. One of my students makes a few hilarious figures with her hands: crap claw, fist, duck bill, and something else that I can’t remember. These will all help to stretch out the fingers and loosen up the joints.

Lastly, choose good tools. Your knitting needles can do a great deal for your comfort, particularly on large projects. If you are using silk or other slick yarns, don’t use metal needles. You will tend to tense up, trying to keep the stitches from flying off of the needles when a birch or bamboo needle would do the trick. If you are knitting a blanket or other heavy large project, use circular needles instead of long straight needles. Those giant metal Boye needles that grandma gave you are out of fashion for a reason! The weight that they put on your wrists is unnecessary. Use a circular instead, and the weight of the project will fall in your lap and below your hands rather than pulling down on your wrists and hands from the sides.

My final words of wisdom: don’t commit yourself to knitting all of your holiday gifts. This will land you in physical therapy by January and its just not worth it. In the end, only about 20% of your relatives will really appreciate the gesture anyway

It is day two of my “lack of full time employment,” and I am still looking for time to work on Knit-a-Gogo. The online registration system is getting a complete overhaul and there will be a full schedule for September through December available late next week or early the week after. I started a part time consulting gig this week as well, so lots happening here!

The Central Park Hoodie is moving along, and I have almost completed the right front. The left front and back are complete. You might notice in the photo that there is a section where my cables twist more frequently. I added this to the waist area to add to the waist shaping by making the waist look cinched in addition to the decreases that I added to the edge of the back and the front sections.  Be sure to check the errata for the pattern. The ribbing on the left front is wrong in the pattern (use your common sense and it will be fine).

Is anyone having any other issues with the project so far? Any photos to share with the rest of us? I will be at late night at Knit Happens again if you want to come knitalong with us!

The third Thursday of every month will be Knit-a-gogo Knitalong Night.  We will meet at Cheesetique (specialty cheese shop and wine bar) on Mt. Vernon Avenue in Del Ray, conveniently located between Old Town and Arlington. This is a completely free  community event open to any Knit-a-gogo student, past, present or future. While there will be a theme for each month, you can bring whatever project you want and work on anything (or nothing at all!)  It’s a great way to meet other fabulous knitters while sipping some wine and munching on the wonderful menu that Cheesetique has to offer. If you haven’t tried knitting with wine, I would highly encourage it.

There is ample parking behind the shop at the free lot. We will start around 6 p.m. and will hang until 9 p.m. or later. The shop is small, so if you want a seat, be sure to get there early or have us save you a spot! We aren’t reserving the cafe, so if you are coming late, be sure to let me know.

For the month of August, I will be featuring a Ravelry tutorial. If you aren’t already a member or are but haven’t really been using the site, this is a great time to see just what it can do for your knitting life.