Everyone is familiar with the way people rationalize eating things they know they’re going to regret by telling themselves half cookies don’t have calories or holidays are for overeating. Knitters are familiar with a variation of this kind of logic when they visit yarn stores in other cities and add to their SABLE (stash acquisition … More Teachings of the Fiber Goddess and the Zen Master
When I buy yarn that isn’t already in my stash, I feel a lot of compulsion to come up with a plan for it and execute that plan promptly. As it is, I have enough yarn to last me 20 years after I die, so if I’m going to purchase yet more yarn, it needs … More Optimization
None of this would have happened if my daughter had just appreciated her adorableness in the sweater I made her from the leftovers of Mrs. Maisel’s Coat, and had taken it home with her. But no, she said she looked like a colorful cow and rejected the sweater. Plan B is to see if her … More Flowers Springing From the Ashes
I haven’t got statistics to back up my hunch, but I may be one of the very few people living north of the tropics in the Northern Hemisphere who avidly looks forward to January and is sorry when it ends. That’s because January is the month I dedicate to trying out methods I’m too busy, … More January 2019 Swatchathon
I’m kind of timid, or possibly lazy, or both, when it comes to expanding my machine-knitting skills. That’s probably because machine-knitting is only one of my interests, not an exclusive obsession. I can’t seem to make time to sit down and watch a video, then practice the skill until I master it. (But the January … More From Witch to Jester
When I first started knitting faces using Katarina Breiditis’ face pattern, my plan was to knit a few faces as practice for a more complicated conceptual piece, in order to learn the structure of the features and use the structure as a jumping-off-point for my own adaptations. Then I would join the practice pieces together … More DNA
After a lifetime as a hand knitter who swore she would never use a knitting machine because knitting machines have too many moving parts, I got a knitting machine almost two years ago. I made that decision because I love stockinette stripes but hate knitting stockinette, and because I am of an age to consider … More Return on Investment
The last time I machine-knitted a scarf, then dyed and felted it, what I learned from the experience was what I wanted to do differently the next time using different dyeing methods and better-honed techniques using the knitting machine and its tools. As a permanent beginner in my machine-knitting skills, that earlier scarf taught me … More I Love the Fiber Goddess and the Fiber Goddess Loves Me
I liked my original idea. I still do. It was going to be a machine-knit version of a felted, dropped-stitch scarf pattern called “Les Miserables,” which has a deconstructed look that attracts me, but not enough to suffer through hand-knitting all that stockinette. After machine-knitting it and gently felting it, I was going to fold … More The Fiber Goddess Said, Forget Your Idea, This Is Better
Six months ago I bought a knitting machine. I never thought I would want to mechanize my chosen handcraft with a machine that has too many moving parts for my comfort, but I did it for two reasons: I love stockinette but hate knitting it, and I have a yarn stash that is so huge it could … More Scary New Toy
The Interior of My Brain: A Knitting and Fiber Arts Blog 