Getting Out the Needles and Using What I've Got

Using up cotton yarn. Two hand towels down, more to go.
The stripes make them related, from the same family.

by Kathleen Blease

I'm on a cleaning kick. Actually a cleaning out kick. There's a difference, no?

My idea of cleaning is scrubbing toilets and mopping floors. But cleaning out, that's another matter, and I'm starting with my knitting bag. Today, I'm on a tear to gathering up my bits and pieces of yarn and using what I've got--getting rid of the yarn stash. My mom and I just sent off some hats for Knit for Japan!, and now I'm stitching up cotton hand towels. My husband watches and says, "I can't believe you can turn these out so fast."

Yes, indeed, I can! I love to knit and crochet. My grandmother taught me many moons ago when I was just eight years old, and every time I take the needles into my hands, I think of Grandma clicking away as she talked. Talk. Clickity-Clack. Talk, talk. And like magic, after just a few visits to her house, another sweater would appear on her blocking table.

A whole bunch finished and topped  with
a washcloth that's made from the very last bits.

Charles' Yarn Shop was a treasure trove--the colors stacked on shelves, the needles in the glass case, and books upon books of how to do this and how to do that. It was a creative haven in Grandma's basement...and that jar of sugar cookies was a great draw, too. You might enjoy my post, called About Rose and Yarn.

Grandma didn't waste time. As soon as I was old enough to get bored, she called me into the breezeway and sat me down with a hook and my very own skein of yarn. The chain stitch came first. Nice and even. Grandma sat next to me on the glider and instructed: "Hold that hook like a pencil, Kathleen, just like you learned in school. That's how you can crochet fast with an even hand." Then I was on my way to the single crochet and the double crochet. Then on to how to read a pattern. Zoom!! The days flew by.

I'm still knotting together yarn with a hook and clickety-clacking with needles. Recently, my mother gave me a huge bag of fisherman's wool, the real thing, 100% merino. At first, I planned on making an afghan, but I have so many already. Then I thought about an aran sweater for my husband. I love knitting cables, but the fisherman's white didn't appeal to him. I already have a genuine aran sweater expertly handknitted in the round, so I'm not in need of one for myself. (I found the sweater under a pile of clothes at a thrift shop. I paid just three bucks! It still has the distinct scent of lanolin. It's an awesome find.)

With the wool, I decided to experiment. The picture below shows a test run. Believe it or not, I've decided to knit kitchen curtains.


Wool curtains? Only if the wool is free.
Made in mock baby cable on size
15 needles.

 Yes, I know what you are thinking, "Merino wool curtains? Are you crazy?" Well, I guess it's better to be crazy with something I got for free than to spend money. But isn't the curtain lovely? It's made with a mock baby cable on size 15 needles, which creates an airy lace. After it was blocked, it took on a very natural and lovely drape, and it's so light the breeze easily pushes it back and forth. I think I will treat it with Scotch Guard to make cleaning a little easier. But I'm not set on this. So far this is only a test run. I decided to try knitting the curtains since we have several windows in the kitchen and fabric alone would be well over a hundred dollars, even with bargain hunting. Besides, I am much more skilled at knitting than sewing.

To tell you the truth, it's the journey that I enjoy, too, so I'm not afraid of taking on a large project. Or experimenting. In fact, my husband marvels at how I can freely and happily rip out row after row, then to try again later.

I'm on board for the ride, and I really like it. And for a frugal nut like me, the great thing about knitting and crochet is that if my project runs off the tracks, it's easy to rip it out and save the yarn for something else. (Ever make a mistake cutting fabric? It's a heartbreak that really doesn't happen with knitting or crochet.) There is no waste, especially if you enjoy the time with needles in your hands--even if a project is a complete failure. For me, it's all time well spent.

In fact, the completion of a project is not my favorite part. I like working through a pattern and feeling the project come to life in my hands. There's something special about creating row after row of a lovely design from what is basically just a single piece of very long string. Okay, there are times I become frustrated, mostly when I know a pattern should be working for me yet I can't quite grasp it, but I know after all these years that it's a matter try, try again. Patience is a virtue that has never let me down. Take it like a big spoon of medicine, and lo-and-behold everything works out, right down to the correct stitch count--yes! It helps, too, that I'm not in a rush to get to the end. When a project finally gets blocked, I feel like I just finished a good book. It's time then to reflect and decompress, then off I go looking for more.

Grandma's mother crocheted and knitted, as Grandma did, as Mom does, and now as I do!

One more thing I'd like to brainstorm is a Rosary pattern, perhaps for a pillow or blanket. It would feature stitches that represent the Hail Mary, the Glory Be, the Our Father, the Fatima Prayer, the Creed, and the decades that recount the mysteries. Well, Peggy Bowes found a way to beautifully apply the Rosary to working out, so surely--somehow--we can find a way to apply the prayer to knitting and crochet. Wish me luck!

Do you have projects you would like to share? Please feel free to leave a comment and link up.

God bless!

Knit for Japan! Calling All Knitters and Crocheters!!

If you've made a contribution to the tsunami victims in Japan but feel that you would like to do something more personal, then this just might be for you! The goal is four hundred hats. Mittens, scarves, and washcloths are also much needed. A simple single crochet or stockinette or a complex aran cable or fair isle--all are welcome!

Join me in helping them reach their goal!

Get out your needles and knitting looms and check your yarn stash. The deadline is July 15. Click here for all the details. This would be a wonderful and heartfelt project for the young girls in your life who are just beginning to learn the basics; scarves and washcloths would be just right. Perhaps you know a Girl Scout troop or such who would like to contribute.

It gets very cold and snowy in the northern part of Japan, and the people would be so happy to know that they have not been forgotten. Simple, cabled, crocheted...whatever you love to do, share it with others...from your hands to their hearts.

God bless.

Design A Scarf for A Friend or Loved One: Secrets from the Experts

It's not too late to design a scarf for a friend or a loved one.

Your kindness is always welcome. Spring yarns, winter wools, mohair, cotton, laces, ribbings, and cables are surely the stuff of comfort! Just a skein or two will do.

Here's a great article from Lion Brand Yarn to help you beat the "roll" that inevitably takes over your design--if you don't know the secrets! It's all here. Lion Brand article.  Have fun, and keep your needles clicking!

God bless!

About Rose and Yarn

There was something special about Grandmom  Rose and her knitting needles.

by Kathleen Blease

I was sitting in the breezeway, pushing the glider back and forth. I was just eight years old, full of energy, and bored.

"Kath-a-leen?!"

"Yeah, Grandma."

"I have something for you." Grandmom was making her way out her kitchen door, with a few items in her hands. With a line or two of introduction of materials, and a little lesson on patience, Grandmom began my first crochet lesson--the chain stitch. She then taught me to count, count, count my stitches, to hold the needle correctly, to keep my "hand" even...and how to read a pattern, which isn't always easy. And so it began. I was "hooked," so to speak.

The proprietor of Charles' Yarn Shop in South side of Allentown, Rose Charles taught literally hundreds of women to crochet and knit. She was also an accomplished seamstress--truly the daughter of a tailor and seamstress making their living in Brooklyn.

Today, knitting and crocheting takes me right back to those days of perusing her display of pattern books and leaflets, of examining her selection of needles--some almost as thick as my arm, and some so tiny their hooks seemed microscopic--and ah-ing over the crocheted jewelry in the glass case. I think of Grandmom whenever I work on a project, and I remember how most of our conversations took place over the clickety-clack of her needles.



My mother is also an accomplished knitter and crocheter, and so I feel I belong to something like a very special sorority whenever I pick up a pair of needles--or even when I just daydream about doing the gorgeous projects I see in knitting and crochet books. I am transported right back to the hospitable surroundings of Grandmom's yarn shop.

When our boys were little, I had a hard time working on needle projects, but now that they are teenagers, it's time for me to return to the enjoyment! I think lots of needlework will be in my future.

Here are a few pillows I just finished knitting. The herringbone (right) and the honeycomb (left) patterns can be found at Lion Brand Yarn. Click here for the free herringbone pattern. While I was downloading the pattern, I also visited Lion's stitch encyclopedia and found the honeycomb cable pattern, which is just a swatch. For the honeycomb pillow, I simply used the same number of stitches the herringbone called for, then made the pillow front from there; I then used the same back from the herringbone pattern.

Here's a sweater that I started to crochet (get this) twenty years ago! Before I even met my husband of 17 years, I managed to finish the front and back, which are both festooned with cables. Although I lost the pattern, I still had the wool, even after moving from three houses. This summer, I thought it was time to get it done, so I improvised the sleeves, cuffs, and waistband. It needs a little blocking to help straighten the stitches, and then it's ready to wear--after all those years! And, yes, it still fits. By the way, Lion Brand also has tons of crochet patterns and a crochet stitch encyclopedia. You can also learn various techniques (for beginners on up) at their website.

God bless!