Summer knits - choosing the right size
When we get started on a garment, there are so many things to consider.
There are the fun things - What pattern will I knit? What yarn should I use? We all love this part. It’s exciting to choose a design and pick the yarn. It’s all about color and texture, fun stitch patterns and style. Who doesn’t love that?
Then there are the not so fun technical questions. Can I get gauge?
Knitting for your beautiful self
How many times have you admired a pattern or a garment in a store and told yourself I can't wear that. I hear it all the time in the shop, "I love that look, but I can't wear that because I'm too tall/short/heavy/skinny/busty/flat/old/young." Whatever.
It is true that some garment styles are more flattering on some body shapes, but regardless of your body shape and size, there's a way to make nearly everything work for you. One of the big issues for a lot of people is horizontal stripes. Somewhere along the line, some fashion guru said that horizontal stripes make you look wider, and millions of stripe-loving women decided they could never enjoy the look. Here's the thing though: there are all manner of stripes. Even
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It is true that some garment styles are more flattering on some body shapes, but regardless of your body shape and size, there's a way to make nearly everything work for you. One of the big issues for a lot of people is horizontal stripes. Somewhere along the line, some fashion guru said that horizontal stripes make you look wider, and millions of stripe-loving women decided they could never enjoy the look. Here's the thing though: there are all manner of stripes. Even
Why sweaters don't fit - and what to do about it
“I’m afraid it won’t fit”. When I asked you to tell me your biggest fear when it comes to making a sweater, that’s what you told me. Not at all surprising. We are all afraid that our sweaters won’t fit. Spending the time, money, and effort going on choosing the garments, buying the yarn, and making the garment, only to have it not fit -- I don’t think there’s a more disheartening moment.
There are lots of reasons a sweater might not fit, in order of least likely to most likely.
Knitting sweaters - seamless vs seamed
I have a confession. For those of you who know me and have been knitting with me for a while, you already know. I like seams in my sweaters. But then I like fountain pens, cloth napkins, and older men, so who knows? Maybe I'm just old school. Not everyone likes seamed sweaters. I get it. But plenty of people do, right? I figured it was about 50/50, but I wanted to check, so I ran a highly unscientific poll on my Instagram story. I was wrong. Very wrong. It was
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Don't go to Europe before you go to Boston
“They didn’t come, Mom,“ Elizabeth managed to choke out, “they never came,” barely contained tears in her voice.” Almost 500 miles away, she’s waiting for the car I had hired to take her from the Boston airport to her rented apartment outside the city. A car that didn’t come. Not only had I paid them weeks in advance, I had trusted them with my firstborn’s safe passage through a strange city. They took my money and left my sweet child all alone with no car and no friends. While Elizabeth was very mature, having found and secured a prestigious internship after just one year of college, she was barely 18, and very much a small-town
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Five reasons to love the Cocoknits Method
We've had several classes on the Cocoknits Method, and everyone has been very happy with their sweaters. It's a great method, and a fun class with some new techniques to learn, as well as innovative applications of a lot of the skills you already have. It's not hard, but it is new, and this full-day class will take you more