Becca J Norman

A finished object and the struggles I had with it. Experienced, but... Even though I've been knitting for a quarter of a century, every once in a while, a project comes along that really challenges me. Sometimes it feels like nothing's going right ; I get really frustrated, but after all is said and done, these are the things that I end up being the most proud of. The Yarn: The yarn for this project was sponsored by knitpicks.com . They let me choose the yarn I wanted, and sent it to me free of charge. The only thing that was required of me was to say that it was #sponsored. It’s my very first sponsorship so this was really exciting for me! The Pattern: The pattern is Tamarack Cardigan for Him by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed. This is the second cardigan pattern of his that I've made for my husband. It's another great pattern, and since it uses bulky weight yarn, it went pretty quickly as far as sweaters go. Modifications: I subtracted some length out of the body, sleeves, and a little bit from the armholes, because my husband is a short guy. That’s it! Since his first cardigan still fits him well, I measured it and compared it with the schematics for this pattern. That made it really easy to adjust. Special Techniques: 1. Tubular Cast-on I had never done it before. Yes, I know I'm a very experienced knitter, and I'm also still learning. You should never stop learning. I looked up a lot of tutorials for the tubular cast on, and there are so many different ways to do it, it was kind of overwhelming. I still need to figure out which way is my favorite. (When I do figure out my favorite method, I'll be sure to make a tutorial for you.) But it was totally worth the effort! 2. Moss Stitch The main stitch pattern for the body and sleeves is the moss stitch , or as some people call it: double seed stitch , or Irish moss . Whatever you want to call it, it's gorgeous and it's also really easy. 3. Ribbing There’s a good simple 2x2 ribbing around the edges of the sleeves, hem, and collar. I used a special technique for making it look extra neat. I don’t have a tutorial yet, but all you do is wrap the yarn around the needle clockwise instead of counterclockwise when working the first purl after a knit. Then on the following row that stitch will be twisted on the needle, and you untwist it by simply working it through the back loop. This prevents the weird leggy stitch you can sometimes end up with. 4. Short Rows Once again, there are a lot of different options when it comes to working short rows, but I think I ended up using the German short row technique. It worked out well and wasn’t hard to keep track of. 5. Tubular Bind-off I decided to do a tubular bind off around the collar and button bands so that it would match the beautiful edges of the sleeves and hem. I’ve also seen it called the Italian bind off, sewn bind off, or kitchener bind off. I’m pretty sure they’re all the same thing. You rearrange the stitches so that they’re in k1, p1 order and then knit a couple rows of double knitting if you want to, then do a kitchener stitch, but instead of having the knit stitches on one needle and the purls on another, they’re all on the one. It took so long but it was so worth it! (I thought. more on that later…) He loved it! I actually finished the whole thing pretty much without any problems. I got it done, I gave it to him, he loved it, he sent pictures to all of his friends , and he would make them feel it and hold it so they could see how heavy it is, because it feels like a blanket… but as soon as he put it on, I realized that the collar was going to bother me a little bit. It just it wasn't laying down on the neck the way I wanted it to. To Frog or Not to Frog? I saw him kind of messing with it and I thought, ' Man, I don't know. Should I frog it and fix it? ' And then I convinced myself not to, because normally my perceived mistakes are not that big of a deal , and nobody wants to frog. Then I started knitting a sweater for myself . I could tell that it really was bothering him, and he finally he finally admitted that it was, so I promised him that I would fix it, but told him he had to wait until I was finished with MY sweater. Then when I was almost finished with it, I ran out of yarn and had to order more. Sweater Surgery Mid-frog While I was waiting for that to arrive, I went ahead and did the surgery required on this guy, and let me tell you: frogging a tubular bind off is not an easy task. Oh my gosh, first of all, I had woven in the ends so well that I couldn't tell which was which. I ended up having to just cut it on the edge and frog it from there. I had to take each stitch out individually from the bind off, and then put in a safety line where I wanted to frog it back to. Then I added more yarn on, and knitted a bunch more rows, and then I bound off again, and it looked a lot better. He was like, "Oh yeah, that's better." Since the button band was now quite a bit wider, I had to move the buttons over, but as soon as I did that, I knew it wasn't going to look right. The buttonholes hadn’t moved and now the buttons were way off-center. I had him put it on, and I felt so discouraged because it really didn’t look right. The collar was better, but I just knew that I was going to have to frog again. The Real Problem I was really contemplating exactly how I wanted to tackle it. At first I was thinking that instead of adding more rows to the whole thing, I would add some more short rows to the upper portion of the collar so that THAT would get wider but not the button band. But then I realized that the real problem was not with how many rows I had knitted, but with the amazing, gorgeous, beautiful, tubular bind off. As beautiful as it is, it's not as stretchy as the ribbing, and that's why it wouldn't lay properly. Around the back of the neck, where it folds down and hits the shoulders, it needs to be able to stretch out a little, but it was instead riding up. The Solution I researched a ton to find the nicest-looking stretchy bind off and kept coming back to Jenny’s Super Stretchy. It doesn’t have the same look or feel as the tubular, but it sure does work a lot better for this purpose. I'm happy with how it turned out. When my husband tried it on he instantly was like "oh yeah, oh yeah, that feels a lot better." The new bind off allowed the collar to spread out more on the edge rather than drawing in. Of course I had to take off the buttons AGAIN and sew them on AGAIN, but it was it was all worth it. Never Stop Learning Like I said before, after all these years of knitting I'm always learning something new, and this time I learned not to get too stuck on one technique, because every technique has its own set of pros and cons. That's why it's great to have as many options in your tool belt as possible. Different bind off methods, different cast-ons, all that stuff. Glad it's over I'm happy to be done with it. I was starting to feel really discouraged because as a monogamous knitter, it felt really weird to be working on one project before finishing another. And then going back to the other project knowing this one still needs some attention. It started to feel like a needy ex-boyfriend that kept calling even though I had gotten married to someone else. But it was totally worth it to fix it, and I'm glad that I did. And my husband loves me, of course. Who wouldn't love to be married to a knitter? Anyway, it's a great pattern, um, you should knit it. And don't forget to go and check out the yarn! It is very warm and cozy. Links: Tamarack for him Swish Bulky Yarn* (the yarn I used is no longer available) Ravelry project page *affiliate link

For most people, the first step in learning how to knit is making a slip knot; you make a little knot, you put it on the needle, and then you cast on your stitches - but turns out the slip knot isn't completely necessary. (I made this assuming you already know how to knit and are familiar with the long tail cast on. If you’re a pre-knitter and you’re hoping to get started, check out the course I made for beginners. How In order to start this way, you still need the same length of yarn that you would for any regular long tail cast on, but instead of making the slip knot, you're just going to: insert your left thumb and index finger under the yarn in the slingshot style (like you normally would after the slip knot is on the needle). open them up, take your needle in your right hand and simply put it over the top, swing it under and toward yourself, around and come back up. The yarn should be twisted around the needle now. That's your first stitch. Then you just continue casting on the way you normally would. Use what works best for you I was taught to start with a slip knot and for a long time that was the only way I ever taught anyone else, but recently I was teaching an eight-year-old how to knit and she was kind of struggling with a slipknot, so I said "you know what; there's another way. Let's give it a try and see if you like it any better" and she did! Then I started teaching her brother also, who is seven, and he was struggling with this method, so I said "hey let's try a slip knot" and that worked better for him. Is there a difference? There are only very slight differences in the finished product, when compared with a piece started with the traditional slip knot. The piece made with no slip knot feels slightly softer in the corner and is a little bit rounder also. So depending on what kind of project you’re making and whether you want a structured corner or one that’s light and airy, you might choose one method over the other. Aren’t you glad you know now? How were you taught, and which way do you like better? Let me know in the comments down below. If you're just trying to get started learning HOW to knit, but you feel like you need a little bit more direction, I have a whole online course that is just for you my friend. You can learn more about it right here.

If you have a goal of shrinking your yarn stash, but never feel like you make any progress and also can’t find yarn you want to use, you’re not alone. I’m going to help you break it down so you can identify the yarns you really want to use. Hi. I'm Becca I’ve been knitting for about 25 years. I’ve accumulated quite a bit of yarn over the years, gone on prolonged yarn-buying fasts and reduced the stash, but still have more than I would like. If you’re not sold on the idea of even trying to have a smaller stash, check out this blog post where I get more into the why behind this. 1. Getting Ready Before you even get into the yarn, I want you to look around your house and notice what colors you see. Are there any themes? Are there a few colors that make more appearances than others? Then look at your closet and do the same. If you have family members that you knit for, think about their colors also. I wanted you to do that because most of us have a favorite color or 2, and there are usually some colors we aren’t as drawn to. Knowing which is which will help with the process of sorting through the yarn. An example of my family’s general color scheme. It includes all our favorite colors, and each one works well with several others. 2. Gather it all up. Actually, first get the floor nice and clean in the area you’ll be working, so you don’t get your precious yarns all dusty and hairy. Once you have all that yarn out of hiding, dump it all out in one spot . You know I’m a Marie Kondo fan, and this is literally straight out of her book. Then get a box or bin of some sort to toss the rejects into. If you don’t want to have to think about it again once you’ve made the cuts, then get a big cardboard box and tape it up as soon as you’re done. 3. Make a rainbow. Arrange the yarns into a color wheel of sorts, in ROYGBIV order, and then place the black, white, grey, and multicolored ones either in the center or on the outer edge, depending on how it will fit better. Once that’s done, stand back and admire how pretty it probably is! See how this looks similar to my family color palette? That’s what we want! 4. Sort. If it looks overwhelming right now, just take a deep breath and trust me. We're going to sort through it systematically and apply a few different filters, one at a time. 4a. How does it compare to your household color scheme? Do you see any color families that you could eliminate? Think about not only the hue, but also about the values and saturation. Do you like bright colors? Pastels? Earth tones? Certain combinations? If you get overwhelmed and forget everything you ever knew when you’re staring at this massive rainbow of yarn, take a few minutes to look at the other parts of your house again and remember which colors are important to you. (Also don’t forget to breathe) Now for the hard part: Whatever doesn’t match that, grab it and toss it into your designated rejects box. 4b. Feel Once you’ve separated them by color, touch everything that’s left. This is kind of like the KonMari “spark joy” philosophy. If you don’t like the texture and feel, you won’t like knitting with it either, and therefore probably won’t ever use it, so why keep it? Again, toss everything that didn’t feel great to you into the bin. 4c. Weight Think back on things you’ve knitted. Do you have a favorite weight? It’s okay to have many different weights in your stash (I do), but if you know you prefer delicate lace weight projects, you could probably get rid of anything worsted weight and up. Conversely: maybe you hate fiddling with thin yarns. Then those can go. How does it feel now? Does the remaining stash feel more like you? More like home? It should. 5. Thinking about the future I want you to think about the projects you want to knit. Do you see yarn in your stash that will work for them? If not, what’s the missing element? Not enough of a certain color? Not the right weight? Is there a way you can adapt the pattern to work with what you have? If you have a list of “to knit” patterns, like in your Ravelry queue , take a look in there and see if there’s a way to use what you have for any of them. (Side note: try to keep your queue to 15 or less.) I’m not saying you need to have an exact plan for every bit of yarn that you keep, but you should at least be able to visualize how some of them could be combined. 6. Update your inventory. Before you put it all away, take some time to update your Ravelry stash, if you use that. If you haven’t ever done that, check out this old video to see how. I think it’s worth doing. If you already use the stash section of your Ravelry notebook, go through it and change the status of the ones that didn’t make the cut. Change them to either traded/sold/gifted or will trade or sell . Don’t delete them, or you’ll lose the yarn information from previous projects. For the ones you’re keeping, make sure the yardage is up to date. Learn how to do that here. This will make shopping from your stash much easier, and if you find yourself one day in a yarn store, tempted to buy everything, you can easily pull up your stash right then and there to see if this new yarn is really necessary. 7. Get rid of the rejects. You can either donate or sell. Trading is also an option, but I would caution against that because the reason you’re doing this in the first place is because you had too much yarn. First, this will add more back in and defeat the purpose. Second, if you wouldn’t pay money for it, why take it for free? If you had to pay money for it, would you still want it? Before you donate, take some time to untangle knots and wind things into nice little balls. Ziploc bags are good for grouping compatible yarns together and keeping the yarn from getting jumbled up and dusty. If you’re selling it, obviously do the same. Donation ideas: You can offer it up to your local knitting group , take it to a thrift store , or check to see if there’s a domestic violence shelter or children’s home in your area and call to see if they would take this sort of donation. Selling If you’d like to recoup some of the money originally spent on these yarns, and maybe set it aside for future, wiser yarn choices, Mercari Is a site that I like to use for things like this that don’t weigh much and are nicer and/or a larger quantity. Once, I listed a bag of low-quality yarns on Facebook and titled it “Crappy acrylic yarns” for $5. It was claimed within the hour. If you try this, I’d love to hear about your experience and how you feel afterward. Share it on social media and tag me so I can see it. I’m @becca.j.norman on IG, and I don’t use snapchat, tiktok or twitter.

I’ve been knitting for about 25 years. I don’t remember exactly when, but I decided to set a boundary that I won’t sell the things I knit, and especially not take on commissioned projects. But Why? When people ask me why, the answer I give usually depends on how interested I think they actually are. And that’s because there are a lot of reasons. Yes, I am trying to make money via knitting-related content, but the boundary for me is that the actual things I’m knitting are not for sale. One of my canned responses that I give people who ask if I can “make one for them’ is that I can teach them to knit so they can make it for themselves. I’m usually teasing, and of course you won’t knit intricate sweaters right away but I am serious about teaching people to knit! If we can’t meet in person for lessons, I even have an online course. You can check it out at the button below. Cost Breakdown In order to make a decent hourly rate, I feel the price I would have to charge would not be affordable. Let’s use the Channel Cardigan I made as an example, since so many people suggest that I should sell things like it. The pattern cost me $9.00 The yarn cost exactly $123.81 It took me 5 months, at an estimated average of 1/2 hour per day for a total of 75 hours. At $20/hour , the labor cost would be $1,500 That adds up to $1632.81 - I definitely estimated on the low end of hours and hourly rate, so let’s round it up to a nice, even $2,000 . Still think I’ll have a lot of buyers? Not to mention the added layer of pressure when making custom clothing for strangers. Fit is very personal, so I would have to have the person’s measurements, and at that price, I would feel immense pressure for it to be perfect , and it would be so stressful! Need for Variety In order to be able to churn things out faster, I could make all smaller projects like bulky hats or cowls, which are fun once in a while, but I get bored knitting the same pattern over and over again. I like variety too much! I don't like to be rushed. Knitting is a relaxing pastime for me, but knitting on someone else’s timeline kind of kills that. Of course I always have in my head when I’d like to finish each project, but aside from wanting to wear a sweater while it’s still winter, I don’t get strict about it. This is also why when I knit gifts , they’re usually not tied to a specific event or holiday. They’re a just-because and whenever-it’s-done sort of gift! Hobby ≠ Job Sometimes turning your hobby into a career makes the hobby not fun anymore, and that would break my heart. I had a client years ago whose husband really loved photography and so decided to become a Photographer. She shared with me one day at an appointment that it had made him not enjoy taking pictures anymore, because it felt like work. That's always stuck with me. I never want knitting to be something I HAVE to do. It brings me a lot of joy and I don’t want to lose that. Not everything you enjoy in life needs to be a money-making enterprise. Have you ever sold things you made by hand? How did you feel about the experience? Was it enjoyable, and did you earn an amount that matches what your time is worth?

I got to go on a fun trip into Seoul with my husband when some friends agreed to watch our kids for us. In case you’re new here, Hi! I’m American but have lived in Korea for about 2 and a half years. I don’t go to Seoul a lot, but it’s not hard to have a completely different experience every time. This time my husband was excited to take me to a hidden yarn market he accidentally found on a trip without me. He called me that day and said I HAD to go there. He saved the location and took me the first chance we got. Sweet, right? I know. But first, baffle. If you haven’t watched all the Street Food iterations on Netflix, Do it. Because we’re in Korea, we particularly enjoyed the Korea episode of Street Food Asia . We took my parents to get the knife-cut noodles (delicious, and the lady making them is a delight.) The Baked Baffle was a little more elusive. It was harder to find and we went at least twice to find that the stand was closed. It was on the way to the yarn market so we tried again and finally it was open! Baffle stand location: Address: 서울 종로구 종로6가 314-15 (a quick walk from Dongdaemun Station, where subway lines 1 and 4 converge) Kakao Maps Naver JP thought it was amazing and I thought it was okay. Do with that what you will. The Underground Shopping Center After that, we headed to the main attraction. One of the most fascinating things about Korea for me is the crazy amount of underground places that exist. Some have flashy signs and some look like nothing. This one is just some stairs that lead down from street level. It feels like walking into a bomb shelter but suddenly you’re in this hidden world full of yarn, records, antique cameras, jewelry stores, and clothing boutiques. Obviously I was there for the yarn. The outer display of just one of the stores in this shopping center. Shopping center location: Address: 서울 중구 소공로 지하 58 (우)04535 (halfway between Hoehyun Station and Myeongdong Station on subway line 4) Kakao Maps Naver Keeping it under control I of course had specific yarn needs for specific projects . I’m still dedicated to intentional yarn habits. See this blog entry . I needed yarn for a sweater in my queue and also for a collection of stuffed animals. I had noted weights, amounts, and desired colors, so I knew what to look for. This is a practice I highly recommend. It helps keep you from spending too much money on yarns you don’t know what to do with. I was successful in finding yarns for the stuffed animals, but had a hard time finding enough for a whole solid-color sweater. The most I saw of any one yarn was 3 skeins per color. I bought 3 skeins of a periwinkle blue mohair-type yarn and was nervous because I didn’t see the yardage on the label and wasn’t sure it would be quite enough. I used it all up and ended up having to do a couple rows without it on the inside of the collar, but it was okay because I was stranding it alongside 2 strands of another yarn. It was quite the adventure and I got a little overstimulated and sweaty in there, but am happy with most of my purchases. One I thought was another mohair-type yarn but it turned out to be the shiny stuff they use for scrubbies that I can’t stand. Oh well. Vinyl Records! After I had my fill of yarn, I found my husband digging through records, something we both share a love for. He was really excited about Journey’s “Frontiers” LP for only 10,000 KRW. (That’s about $9) I looked with him for a while and we ended up leaving with the Journey album, Eric Clapton Unplugged, Jim Croce, and Elton John “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” Japanese pressing! All very enjoyable, minus a surprisingly offensive song from Sir Elton. There were SO many, pretty much all in great condition. They weren’t priced cheap but for the most part it was reasonable. I really wanted to get a good retro Korean pop album, but to be honest, I didn’t know where to start. I need recommendations. I’m talking pre-1990, preferably. I bet you wouldn’t expect to see an Andy Griffith cassette tape in Korea!

We all experience stress at different times for many different reasons. Knitting can be a healthy distraction and provide moments of relaxation even when you’re experiencing turmoil in your life. BUT the project you choose matters! Some are better suited to stressful times than others. Sometimes when you’re under a lot of stress, there’s a mental exhaustion or decision fatigue that makes you either overthink everything or dive in with no thought at all because the overthinking just makes you more exhausted. Or is it just me? I want to help you find a space somewhere in the middle and think beyond just the knitting project. Take a few moments to slow down and focus on where you are in your life right now. Close all your other tabs, brew some tea, grab a notebook if that helps you focus, and then come back. Like I said, stress can come in many forms. It can come up suddenly or you can know it’s coming ahead of time, you might know when it will be over and you might not. The unknowns are especially hard. But aside from your circumstances, the real question is: What do you need right now? Quick win (a small item like a plushie that can be knitted in one piece, or a squishy, extra bulky scarf) Escape/Distraction (Maybe a more interesting stitch pattern, but keep it to a 2-row repeat) Something to channel your nervous energy into (literally anything as long as you don’t have to pay too much attention to the pattern) Comfort (something really simple like stockinette or garter stitch, and make sure the yarn is extra soft and a soothing color) There’s a little overlap in some of those, so don’t feel like you have to pick just one. Some possible scenarios: If you feel like someone is always mad at you, whether it be your boss, spouse, kids, or total strangers, or you can’t shake that feeling that no matter what you do, there’s always something you’re failing at, you might need a quick win to remind you that you’re not so bad after all. If you’ve got a lot of things weighing on you and your mind feels loud, you may need some healthy distraction to quiet things down in your insides. Scrolling on your phone only makes it louder, so why not knit? Maybe you’re newly sober, or spending a lot of time with a loved one in the hospital. You can’t go about your usual routine and it’s making you restless. You need to get your hands busy while still being present and available. If you’re grieving a loss, whether it be someone you loved or a relationship, I’m so sorry. I wish I could hug you. The right knitting project can be comforting. Are your days chaotic and you need a way to unwind before going to bed? Are you feeling stifled and need a creative outlet to make you feel like yourself again ? How much time do you have, and where will you be during that time? Do you have time at home before bed most evenings? Does it come in short, unpredictable segments, like in the school pickup line or waiting at the doctor’s office? Will you be knitting during therapy sessions? Are you sitting with a loved one in the hospital for hours at a time? Or are you the one who is hospitalized or on bedrest? It’s important to think about how well a knitting project will fit into those situations and if it needs to be easy to put down and pick back up without losing your place or all your stitches. I’ve had a few projects that weren’t the best choice at the time. I love how he turned out, but boy it took a lot longer than it should have! Mr. Badger was fun, but some intense stress entered my life while he was in progress, and I ended up not knitting at all most days because I just couldn’t focus well enough. (perhaps the biggest downfall of being a monogamous knitter) He involved a lot of concentration because it's a small-but-intricate stuffed animal, with various pieces of clothing (some of which I improvised to look the way I wanted) I probably should have shelved him temporarily and started working on something simpler until things calmed down. Hannah Thiessen, author of Slow Knitting , which I have not read but really want to, shared this with me: My heart always says "make a sweater" but the reality is that I cannot make sweater pieces with shaping while stressed or inattentive. I have to use easily repeatable / memorize-able patterns for this type of knitting! That said, sometimes the opposite can be better--burying myself in a knitting pattern that is a bit complex, with just some music in the background, can help bring my focus away from things stressing me out in everyday life. And then she showed me her struggle sweater, and obviously I can relate! My Channel Cardigan , as much as I love it, required more mental energy than I had, even though I wasn't necessarily more stressed than usual. It turned out fine, but I had to stop and rip out mistakes quite a bit. The chevron pattern wasn't exactly complicated, but it was impossible to get into any sort of rhythm with it, and the yarn color was just dark enough that I couldn't see it when the lights were dim. A fun project for sure, but not when you're already under a lot of stress. Channel Cardigan When I was deciding on a sweater this year, I was fairly stressed (okay, I was extremely stressed; that's why I dropped off from blogging for so long...), but had decent chunks of time. I decided to go with the Scotty Sweater by PetiteKnit, because it’s mostly stockinette , was knit in a solid color and had a forgiving fit . Even the plaid design is done one line at a time in a very un-complicated way. Sometimes when it was time to pay more attention and do something, like short rows, I would go several days without working on it at all, until I had the time and mental space to execute it. And that’s okay. As great as knitting is, if you start to feel like you have to be knitting every spare moment, you run the risk of making knitting stressful again. It’s okay to sometimes do nothing. Or just sit still and watch a movie. Or even better, sit in the quiet and pay attention to your feelings. Where to start Yarn A good place to start is looking through your yarn if you have some and picking the softest one in your favorite color. That alone will make any project more enjoyable. If the yarn doesn't feel nice to your hands or the color makes you mad or sad, do you think you'll feel great working with it? Stitch pattern Choose a stitch pattern that’s easily memorizable . With the right yarn, a garter stitch scarf can be quite lovely! Stockinette in the round on circular needles is also very soothing sometimes. The idea is to get going on a repetitive, rhythmic stitch and let your mind wander, without having to worry about losing track of where you are in a pattern. If you want a little more stimulation, something like seed stitch or fisherman’s rib are easy to pick up any time without having to work hard to remember what’s next. I would say that if you are in the mood for learning a new technique , to do it on something very low-stakes. Don’t try to make something that will leave you feeling devastated if it doesn’t turn out right. You can even just make sample swatches of new stitch patterns you haven’t tried before! Supplies The less tools required, the better, especially if your knitting time is anywhere other than at home. If you can grab it and go, or pick it up and know exactly what to do to start again, you’re on the right track. Stay away from things that require a lot of stitch markers, stitch holders, cable needles, constant measuring and counting, etc. Perfectionism? Embrace imperfection! Right now there are probably a few things that require more attention from you than usual. Rather than trying to control everything you possibly can, tend to the few things that really matter and be okay with the rest being lower than your usual standard. Let your knitting time be a break. Pattern ideas "Triangle Scarf" (not my design) Because I care about you, I’ve picked out a few patterns that might work for you. If one appeals to you, great. If not, seriously, just grab your yarn and some needles and just start knitting. Don’t even worry about what you’re making. I do have one pattern called “Master of Scarves.” It’s garter stitch with some simple increases and decreases and doesn’t require a lot of looking at the pattern. Patternless ideas For knitting without a pattern, some possible projects are the classic garter stitch scarf (knit every row) or a seed stitch blanket if you want something bigger that you can really settle in with. If you want to make some small quick things that still don't require too much effort, little coasters, or "mug rugs" are a fun way to play around with stitch patterns. They're basically gauge swatches with a purpose. Finished objects After it’s done, there’s a strong likelihood that this item will serve as a reminder of this stressful time. If that hat you made brings up painful memories every time you touch it, it might be better to pass it on to someone else who will enjoy it and appreciate it. And in doing so, you can take something that was sad and use it to brighten someone else’s day. What’s more beautiful than that? Things will get better. In the meantime, I hope these tips relieved some of your decision fatigue and that your next project is a source of comfort. The last thing I will leave you with is advice I got from one of my best friends when I was going through some really hard things: “Drink your water, eat your vegetables, and take your vitamins.” Doing those 3 simple things really does make a big difference.

I have another Korean yarn shopping experience to share with you today - this one is quite different from the underground market in Seoul. It's in Suwon and it's a real, modern store at street level. A lot of people who are about to move here fret about where they will find good yarn - and while it's true that we don't have Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Joanne, or any place like that (that I know of) there are options! You may not be able to find Red Heart or Caron, but is that really a bad thing? Pivot! Living in a new country requires a lot of adjusting, to things you might never have much thought before. (Remind me to tell you about my panic attack at the grocery store...) Luckily yarn has a language of its own , largely communicated through color and texture. Even if you can't read Korean (although you really should learn; it's not as hard as you'd think ), It's not hard to locate the price or give the skein a little squeeze. Most even have information on the labels about the fiber content and weight, even if you do have to use Google Translate or Papago. Be sure to get the cheat sheet through the form below. Even I reference it often while I'm shopping. Why is it my favorite place to buy yarn in Korea? Namsung Mosa This is your place if you want to have a lot of options of different kinds of yarn in large quantities of each one. It's very well-organized and well-lit! There is plenty of aisle space between all the shelves, so it doen't have that crowded, claustrophobia-inducing environment that we find so much of the time. You can breathe a huge sigh of relief about that! They've got a wide range, from lighter weights to very thick, more novelty type yarns. They've got some fairly well-known brands and some you probably havent't heard of but are still very nice. And of course there are also your rough and tough workhorse yarns too. I've noticed a lot of the nice yarns that I find in Korea are from Turkey. More than just yarn This store also has quite a bit of notions and extra things to help you complete your projects: laces and cords, different needles and hooks, and they've got a lot of buttons and fasteners. This is where I got the yarn for my Scotty Sweater , which I love. The "mohair" as I discussed in my other post , was from the underground market and all of the rest is from Namsung Mosa! I ended up going with periwinkle blue, white, and brown. I took advantage of bright lighting and natural light by the window in the store and photographed all of the different colors of yarn next to each other, because I realized the colors I initially wanted, didn't offer enough contrast to maintain the integrity of this pattern. See how once you turn a photo black and white, some colors that are very different suddenly look exactly the same? I didn't want a harsh contrast, but still needed 3 different "values." Value is the term for the lightness or darkness of a color, regardless of hue . The idea is that even if someone is colorblind, they will still be able to see the pattern you've created with color. How to get there: Copy and paste this address into Kakao: 경기 수원시 팔달구 수원천로 246 (우)16245지번지동 418-3 Or you can paste this phone number into Naver: 031-255-6700 It's not really near any subway stations, so if you do ride the subway to get there, I think your best bet would be to take Line 1 to Suwon Station and then hop on a bus or a taxi from there to get the rest of the way. I don't have any experience riding buses in Korea, so I can't tell you what that's like, but since I have a car, I just drive there. By car, it's about 45 minutes from Camp Humphreys and about 30 from Osan Air Base . (unless it's rush hour, then plan on it taking twice as long.) There is a basement parking garage right by it. Warning , though: if you are a foreigner and you don't have Korean credit cards or banking cards, you won't be able to pay at the kiosk. It's unmanned and doesn't take cash. The first time I went, I think I was quick enough that there was no fee, or maybe the kiosk just wasn't working that day, and the second time I went, it was only 500 Won, but it wouldn't accept my foreign credit card. I started getting really stressed out because there was a line behind me, and I hate it when people are having to wait on me. Then this really nice family saw me struggling and told me what the problem was and then they just paid for it with their own credit card. I tried to give them 500 Won (less than 50 US cents), but they wouldn't take it. There are a lot of really good people in this country and I thought that was very sweet that they helped me, although they may have just been impatient and wanted me to get out of their way... Even though it takes a bit of effort for me to get there, and traffic in Suwon can be BAD, this is my favorite place to go when I need a good amount of a good yarn. There's another store in Cheonan that I like, and if you would be interested in learning about that one as well, let me know! Bonus: A Food Market! And right down the street from this store is my favorite food market that I've been to so far in Korea. I like it better than Tongbok Market in Pyeongtaek, and the ones I've been to in Seoul; I think because it's further away from touristy areas or heavily populated-by-American areas. Yummy fish-shaped cakes!

TLDR: Skip to reference links My annual knitting tradition Over the past few years, I've happily settled into the rhythm of knitting one sweater for myself each year , and smaller projects throughout the rest of the year. It works for me. Sometimes I knit sweaters for other members of my household (can't have them feeling left out ALL the time...) but I look forward to my one special sweater that's just for me all year. Well, this year I knitted that one sweater, a cardigan , ( I tend to alternate between cardigans and pullovers) and felt like starting another sweater because it wasn't even winter yet and why not? My family was still in limbo with the transition between active duty Army and returning to Korea as a civilian contractor family. I had time to spare and nerves to settle. An offer I couldn't refuse My friend Rachel Costello posted a testing call for a new design that looked amazing, as well as a yarn discount from a dyer whose colors looked beautiful . I was in Missouri, away from my stash and other handmade sweaters, so I decided to go for it. The only problem was that I didn't know how much longer I would be there, and thus wasn't sure if I should have the yarn shipped to where I was, or to my American PO box in Korea. In case you missed it: this video should get you up to speed on some of the craziness of this transition. It was far from a smooth ride. Leap of faith I decided to go ahead and order the yarn and have it shipped to my parents' house in Missouri. I had no idea when I would be leaving or when the yarn would arrive; I just hoped that, like everything else in my life, that it would work out in the end. And thank God, because I ended up being in Missouri for over a month past when the yarn arrived. Yarn from Zeezee Textiles: Baby suri laceweight in "Matcha" and Natural fingering weight in "Cyprus" They are so soft, especially the baby suri, and do you see that twist on the darker green? That gives it great squish and stretch recovery. It's non-superwash, which I've learned not to fear. About that sweater... This sweater that I found so irresistable is the Duotone , which is a pullover sweater with a drop-sleeve and bottom-up construction. Normally I'm not a fan of dropped sleeves, but for some reason this one really appealed to me. Like many Knitters, I favor a top-down construction because of the ability to try it on and test for length before committing to the hem. Rachel designed this very thoughtfully with a provisional cast-on to allow for adding length after the fact if desired. And the sleeves were worked down from the shoulders, so that was easy. Best of both worlds! It's worked with 2 strands held together, one fingering weight and one lace weight mohair or something else with a nice loft. I like alpaca because it's less itchy for me, so I chose baby suri. (Suri Alpacas have straight hair as opposed to curly and wooly, which makes it a nice mohair substitute) There is a fun faux i-cord detail down the center front and back, as well as the sleeves, and I chose the version with the i-cord bind off rather than ribbing on the ends of the sleeves and body. If you remember my advice for knitting when stressed , this one ticked all my boxes: Mostly stockinette in the round interesting detail with a 2-row repeat soft happy color simple relaxed fit First things first The yarn arrived in hanks, so it had to be wound before I could do anything. I didn't bring my ball winder or swift in my luggage, but luckily I have some pretty mad ball winding skills , so I sat down on the floor to watch some nature documentaries with my kids, put the yarn around my feet, and set to work. It was a full body workout! Second things second Once the yarn was wound up into usable cakes, it was time for the gauge swatch. My personal tension tends to be tighter than average, so I started out with a flat square using the recommended needle size, then cast on extra stitches and switched to knitting in the round with the next size up. I like to measure my swatches before and after blocking, so I'll have an idea how much growth to account for when I'm knitting the sweater and checking sleeve and body length. The fun part Time to start for real! Knitting the body isn't really that interesting to journal about, but it's oh so satisfying and relaxing. Sweater, interrupted At this point, my husband had left to start his new job in Korea, but due to paperwork errors (so. many. errors.) The kids and I had to stay behind and wait for our approval. It was for the best though, because we were in the process of evicting a delinquent tenant from the house that was our first home together. The day after my husband flew out, the eviction was approved by the court. What a relief. But oh my goodness, I was not prepared me for the state that house was in. I spent many many hours (between homeschooling my kids and cooking for a very full house since the other adults still had actual full-time jobs ) cleaning that house over the following month, with lots of help from family and friends, as well as some paid professionals, and the job was still nowhere near done when it was time for me to fly back across the Pacific Ocean. But did I mention how much I love my family ? My brother, sister-in-law, parents, aunt, and uncle continued the restoration in my absence and it looks amazing now. Good enough for family to live in, which is good because I'll never trust a stranger again. Being a landlord isn't as luxurious as you might think! Home again Back at home, I was happy to be reunited with my ball winder and swift . I wound up the rest of the yarn and set to the task of finishing so that I could give Rachel my feedback. She seriously worked so hard to make this pattern easy to follow and fit many different body types. And she's not paying me to say any of this. Mods Of course I went rogue on something! I always do. As much as I loved the i-cord bind off style, I had a feeling the ends would always try to roll up and it would bug me. I decided to add bands of double knitting just before the bind off, and after a few tries, I figured out how to get it just right. You can find that tutorial here. I also added a couple inches to both the sleeves and body, since my arms seem to be longer than average (interesting, since I'm slightly shorter than average...) and I hate it when my wrist bones and belly show. Remember how I said I measure the gauge swatch before and after blocking? I knew there would be a very slight amount of growth once it was blocked, so I calculated how much length to add with this in mind. Here for the links? Pattern Main color yarn Highlight color yarn Ravelry project page YouTube video These are not affiliate links, but the ones below are: Knitpicks Aloft Super Kid Mohair Knitpicks Palette - fingering weight yarn These would be a more-budget-friendly option and still very nice for this pattern.

If you want a professional-looking finish for your sweater sleeves and hems, but also want a departure from the standard ribbing, you'll love this trick. I'll show you how to modify any stockinette pattern to add this type of hem. It's seamless, maintians the stretch of the fabric, and won't roll up. The sweater I'm demonstrating on is the Duotone, designed by Rachel Costello. You can read all about that project here. It's worked in the round, which is how you will be learning this technique today. Step 1: The setup round At the beginning of the round, knit one stitch and then cast on one stitch via the backwards loop method. For a crash course on the backwards loop: 1. Make the loop Make a single loop in the working yarn, with the tail end in front of the end attached to the work. 2. Put it on the needle "backwards" Give it a half-twist counter-clockwise and slide it onto the right-hand needle. Gently tug the yarn to snug up the new stitch. Don't pull it too tight or it will be really hard to work into on the next round! Repeat this knit 1, backwards loop to the last stitch, and end with a knit. You will have a regular knit stitch at the beginning and end of this round, with no backwards loop in between. This makes a more invisible transition. Step 2: The Purl Round If you're using a beginning of round marker, slip that and begin the second round by slipping the first stitch with the yarn in back, and purling the backwards loop stitch with the yarn in front. Yarn in back, slip 1, yarn in front purl 1... Repeat until the end of round. I do find that it's easy to zone out and accedentally start working a knit 1, purl 1 ribbing because it's so familiar. To combat this, I find it helpful to say out loud (or whisper under my breath) "Slip, purl, slip, purl..." So that I don't forget what I'm doing. All knit stitches will be slipped, and all loop stitches will be purled. On the following rounds, they will be more distinct purls. End the round with a slipped stitch. Step 3: The Knit Round Slip the marker, and knit the first stitch with the yarn in back. Then slip the purled stitch with the yarn in front. Yarn in back, knit 1, yarn in front, slip 1... You know the drill. Repeat until end of round, ending with a knit stitch . You may or may not notice at this point that the yarn is always staying on the inside of the slipped stitches, rather than passing over the outside of the fabric. We are essentially creating 2 separate layers of stockinette with a hollow in the middle. Keep Going Repeat Steps 2 and 3 two to four additional times. It's crucial to alternate between them and avoid repeating the same round consecutively. You can choose the width of your double-knit band. In my opinion, it should have at least 3 sets of knit and purl rounds. For this sweater, I did that for the sleeves and completed 4 sets on the body hem. Finishing To finish the edge, I don't recommend the regular bind off, but rather a tubular bind off, which also goes by the name of kitchener bind-off, sewn bind-off, and Italian bind-off. On this sweater, I did a stylized i-cord bind-off and I love the way it looks. Finished edge with i-cord bind-off Don’t be scared to play around! Making modifications to sweater designs can seem daunting at first, but it's so rewarding to look at something you not only made with your hands, but also added your own special touch to. This was a great design and I loved the creative finish to the edges, but knew I would hate the way they would roll up. It took me 3 tries to figure out just the right way to set it up, but it really paid off!

If you're a knitter in Korea, or you've looked up yarn stores in Korea at all, you've probably seen pictures and videos of the store with the giant wall of thread cones, artfully arranged by color. It's a beautiful sight. Even though I've been in Korea for 4 years, I'd never visited, until now! The store is called 바늘이야기 , or the shortened Banul for the logo. It translates literally to " Needle Story ." I wasn't really sure if it would be worth the hype, since all I'd really seen of it was that one wall, and the cafe upstairs. But I booked myself a weekend alone in Seoul, and made a point to finally check it out for myself. Blog contents: Location Yarn selection Other tools and supplies Cafe Location info [NAVER Map] 바늘이야기 연희점 Address:  서울 서대문구 연희로11가길 15 Phone number:  02-771-9771 (did you know that you can enter the phone number into Naver to find a business?) https://naver.me/G7D4f3CC How to get there: As you can see from the maps, it's not very close to a subway station, and while you can drive there if you have a car, there isn't a lot of parking available either. Personally, I don't enjoy driving in Seoul if I can help it, and I'm recovering from a foot injury, so I opted to take a bus. If you're new to Korea or public transit in general, (hi, it was me too) don't be nervous! Just get a T-money card, look up directions in Naver, and you are set! Yarn selection I was pleasantly surprised by the variety and amount of yarn available in the store. It's not only beautifully displayed with great lighting, there is a wide range of weights, fibers, colors, and prices. Natural fibers I've gotten questions from other knitters and crocheters in Korea about where to find natural fibers, and while most of the yarns had some synthetic fibers blended in, there were still quite a few that were 100% natural fibers, such as wool, alpaca, cashmere, and cotton. They also had some of the traditional Korean paper yarn. As you can see from the photos, some things are labeled in English, but there is still quite a bit in Korean, so if you are in Korea but haven't yet learned to read Hangeul , do it! In the case of yarn fibers, if you can just sound out the words, they will sound the same as their English equivalent, so it really will make things easier. Additional tools and supplies In addition to a great selection of yarns, there were quite a bit of tools and other things to complete a variety of projects. Some, but not all were: knitting needles crochet hooks buttons safety eyes embroidery needles snaps tags bag bases and straps rings stitch markers Banul Cafe After you've gotten all your supplies, you can head up to the second floor to the cafe, which has your usual selection of drinks, and cakes that look like buttons, or ice cream that looks like yarn! I did get a little over-stimulated trying to make a wise choice and excercise self-control with my purchase, so the cafe was a good place to unwind (and knit my gauge swatch) before getting back on the bus. Overall opinion: I think it's safe to say I'm a fan and will be back. I have to also give bonus points to the girl who rang up my yarn purchase for asking me if I remembered to check the dye lots on my yarn. So check it out if you get the chance, and let me know what you thought!

I’m beginning a new series on making stuffed animals. I think knitting plushies is a great way to expand your skills and learn some new techniques without the pressure or investment of making, say, a sweater. And yet, a lot of knitters are intimidated by the thought because there are so many things you have to do beyond actually knitting. Not Just for Toys I’m going to walk you through some of the techniques for finishing these little toys and making them extra cute. First up is the mattress stitch! You won’t need this for every toy, but if you’re making my fox pattern, you’ll need it for those. (It’s also what you’ll use to seam up the sides of sweaters and anywhere you’ll be stitching 2 selvedge edges together. Invisible Seam If you watched the video, you can see that the mattress stitch creates an invisible seam. No Frankenstein stitches here! If not, well, now you know. It’s kind of hard to explain the steps without demonstrating, so you really should watch it. (You can turn on captions if you need the sound off) What are you waiting for? Go get that tapestry needle and try it out!

Do you celebrate your alphabet's birthday? Until this week, I had never heard of such a thing! But what’s so special about Hangul (the Korean alphabet) that it deserves its own national holiday? Well, I’m new to this country and the language, but I have to say, it’s a pretty genius alphabet. It got even cooler to me when I learned a little about the history. Since I’m hardly qualified to teach about it, I’m going to give you a list of some of the things that helped me understand how it works and why it’s celebrated. Psst! If you like this, check out my new post about learning Hangeul here. Here's a great overview: Now, I know, if you haven’t been exposed to the Korean language at all, you’re probably still scratching your head and wondering how in the world they can call those symbols simple. When I found out we were moving to Korea, I immediately determined to learn the language. The first place I went was the Duolingo app, and it started with the alphabet, which I was surprised to learn was actually phonetic. (I know now it hasn’t always been that way) It felt like my brain was going to explode and I would never get it, but once I started to notice the way the letters connected to each other, I knew there had to be a better way to learn. Enter Pinterest and a quick search for Korean alphabet graphs and voila! It all made sense. One of my favorites: (If you click the image, you will be taken to the website where I found it, along with more insight on how to interpret it.) Notice how the vowels with 2 lines going the same direction just have a “y” sound added to an existing vowel.. Each syllable is constructed into a block. Pretty cool, right? There are more consonants that that, but I think you get the idea now. If you want to see more, you can visit my Pinterest Board to see lots of helpful things. As far as pronunciation, I learned the most about it from an audiobook I borrowed digitally from the Army MWR library. I haven’t been able to find the same thing available for purchase anywhere else, but I found a similar video. Well, that’s all for today! I hope you’re inspired to start learning!