This is my 10th annual January Swatchathon, which is an occasion for me to reflect briefly about how my knitting has changed over the years. At first I spent a lot Swatchathon time checking out the range of techniques that were currently trendy, some of which found their way into completed projects, usually garments. Many … More January 2026 Swatchathon
Every year. late October and all of November is a hectic time for me. My daughters’ birthdays are three weeks apart in late November and December, and I always knit them something that I hope they’ll like after I put time and thought into it. This year I was especially pressed for time, because I … More Birthday Cats and Yarn Chicken
When I finished my first version of Junko Okamoto’s Ogawa pattern, a crocheted pullover worked side-to-side in a stitch that looked like knitted brioche rib, I was exhausted, my hands hurt, and the resulting garment was so wide that the sleeves were little more than cuffs. It’s a beautiful sweater, but I felt that I … More Crochet, We’re on a Break. See Other People
I have finally delivered on my promise to my husband to make him a sweater during sweater weather for his birthday in June. I knitted it on my KH965i, a standard gauge Brother electronic machine using preprogrammed patterns originally intended as knit-purl garter carriage patterns, but I set them up for fairisle knitting. The yarn … More June in November
As I write this, it’s October. I have a number of family members who I consider knit-worthy, whose birthdays were back in June. Although time is real, it’s also a construct, so unless I personally gave birth to these knit-worthy people, if I don’t have a knitted item for them on the date that coincides … More June Birthdays
I spent most of the January 2025 Swatchathon experimenting with the capabilities of the LK150 knitting machine, now that I have one in both of the places where I knit with machines, at home and at my daughter’s house in Wisconsin. Unlike the machine I learned the basics on, the Brother KH965i electronic machine that … More Cats and Mice and a Red Beetle
I don’t like summer very much. I can’t wear my lovely wool sweaters, so I try to make wearable things out of plant fibers. It doesn’t always work out as I hope, but each summer I make something and hope that maybe this will be the year that I make a summer top that I … More Summertime, And The Living Is Sweaty
Part Two of my “soft protest” knitting took much longer to make than Part One, even though Part Two was a machine knitted garment, and isn’t machine knitting supposed to be quicker than hand knitting? My second garment protesting the new authoritarian takeover of American democracy is less explicit than decorating a sweater with words … More Soft Protest Part Two
The political fiber artist Lisa Anne Auerbach posted a work-in-progress on Ravelry a couple of months ago, with an invitation to other knitters to join her in their own interpretation of her idea. Her idea was based on a link to an article in the New York Times that listed words that the Trump regime … More Soft Protest Part One
My mission for the remainder of my life is to knit through as much of my stash as I can before I die, while also supporting my friend Melissa’s yarn shop with as many new purchases as I can actually knit up. When I finally succeed at knitting up these purchases (or to be honest, … More Grazie, Mariagioia!
The Interior of My Brain: A Knitting and Fiber Arts Blog 