I hope everyone out in cyberknitspace has heaps of fun things planned for the weekend. I know I do! Why I am going to clean house, do laundry, and finish up some WIPs. The excitement is palpable.
Why do my shoulders sag at the thought of finishing my WIPs? It is like a little goodbye to a friend when I weave the last end in, I think, so I put it off. (That and it is a little like cleaning grout, too: you carefully over under over under and then voila, done! Then you recount, and sure enough, there are 9,733 ends left to go. Which is also why I put it off.)
And while I say I am not excited, I really am. An FO, after all, means I can start a brand new project if I want. And I have no shortage of ideas there, so really, it will be a wonderfully productive and gratifying weekend.
If you don't have heaps of fun things planned (even if you do, but you need to take a break from it), I would like to recommend learning something new. I am a taker-of-classes, and a reader of how-tos, because like yarn stash, I can't stop stocking up on information.
Are you having trouble with a technique, or are you afraid to try something that sounds really tricksy (like socks or entrelac)? Do you have a UFO in the bottom of the pile because the cables didn't behave, or you can't figure out the neckline?
Well, never fear! Your knit-bloggers are ready to come to your rescue! There is amazing tutorials and mini-lectures all over blogdom, if you look. Here are some of my favorites (and a few new finds as well). PS, thanks to Lauren for the first link that got me on this train of thought.
Since Fall is in the air, I have been thinking of chunky woolly arans and complex cable patterns. Not that I will pull one off this year, but I may practice a bit.
On Arans, Guernseys, Cables, and More
- Stitch Definition - A comprehensive treatise by Mary (Morcaknits). I have just started looking at this one, and there is some really great information so far (check out the great resources in the sidebar).
- No-Frog Mis-crossed cables fix - How cool is this?! Robbyn has a great tutorial for fixing a wrong cable a couple of rows down. Very nice pictures and text. But, as she points out, this won't work for a "bad" cable in a finished piece, so she thoughtfully directs us to...
- Judy's Mis-crossed Cable cable fix - This site had exceeded bandwidth when I visited, but I will leave the link because of Robbyn's glowing recommendation.
- Running with scissors - For the stouter hearts, follow along as this intrepid knitter actually cuts up some cables to fix them. Thanks, Aven for boldly going where I would be too chicken to! (She recommends The Harmony Guides Knitting Techniques Vol. 1 for more detailed instructions on cutting your cables.)
- Cable needles? We don't need no stinkin' cable needles! - Teresa, Robbyn, and Wendy do it... now you can too. Also, don't miss Stephanie's story of her conversion to needle-less cables.
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