Posted by: trimitup | March 30, 2011

Organize the yarn Addiction

Day Three:  Tidy mind, tidy stitches.

How do you keep your yarn, needles, & hooks organized? 

Trying to keep organized is a chore in it’s self.  I really like things in there place but it’s hard when you keep collecting needles, yarn, patterns and of course all the gadgets. (I love gadgets!)  I do have some pics of some of my stash bins but not all of it.   I like to keep the wool together, and sock yarn together, etc.  It’s not pretty but it works.

Some of my yarn stash

 Same with my needles and hooks.  I have a set of Knit Pick cicular needles in the top pouch with black trim.  The other pouches are from Stitches West in the San Francisco area.  (I love these!)  I still need another pouch for all my 16″ circulars.

Portia had to get in the pic too!

  I have two shelves devoted to knit and crochet books…well maybe just a handful of cookbooks on that shelf too.

My knitting & crochet books

Many of my patterns are saved on Ravelry and on my computer.  I think that is a good way to keep your patterns organized without all the paper clutter.

Happy Organizing & knitting 🙂

marilynknits

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Posted by: trimitup | March 29, 2011

Skill + 1UP last year & now 2KCBWDAY2

Day Two: 29th March. Skill + 1UP 2KCBWDAY2

Look back over your last year of projects and compare where you are in terms of skill and knowledge of your craft to this time last year. Have you learned any new skills or forms of knitting/crochet (can you crochet cable stitches now where you didn’t even know such things existed last year? Have you recently put a foot in the tiled world of entrelac? Had you even picked up a pair of needles or crochet hook this time last year?

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Day 2……Last year I started to work on designing my own patterns.  It turns out that it’s very time consuming but also very rewarding.  I needed to challenging myself because I was getting too dependant on everybody elses patterns which I landed up changing it out to some degree anyway (Not that there’s anything wrong with that).  I have challenged myself to design 10 patterns this year.  It might not be a big deal to you but I need this new challenge to stir the creative juices in me.

My first pattern I posted on Ravelry was a simple crochet cowl.  Here’s the link from that blog.  In all fairness, this pattern was not too challenging, but it’s a start!  https://marilynknits.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=60&action=edit

Working on new skills for your craft or your job is really important so you can keep your mind active as well as being productive and a feeling of contribution to others.  I think it is sad to continue to do the same thing over and over again without changing it up a bit now and then (I personally get bored).  All though I’m sure everybody reading this blog has added extra creativity to their knitting or crochet projects many times! 

Stay active and Happy knitting & crocheting 🙂

marilynknits

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Posted by: trimitup | March 28, 2011

Yarn vs Yarn 2KCBWDAY1

 2KCBWDAY1
For the first day of blog week we are asked to talk about a favorite yarn and a least favorite yarn.  I love yarn in general so it’s very hard to choose a favorite but I have to say Araucania is a wonderful hand spun yarn to work with.  The colorways are amazing. My knitting friend turned me on to this yarn, since then I have made several projects with it…..one of them is my latest wrap that I recently finished. (Sorry to those who have seen this pic already) There are tiny beads throughout the wrap.  This yarn it perfect for lace work!

 Another yarn I love is fisherman’s wool by Lion Brand Yarn.  Yes I know it’s a craft yarn but it felts really well, and not too expensive.  When you make a felting project it takes a lot of yarn so I really appreciate this yarn.  The only down side is the limited color choice.

The  acrylic yarn by Carron  is a little too flimsy for a pattern that I designed.  The yarn has a nice sheen to it which I like but is a little limp if you get my drift.  It might be nice for someone just learning how to knit or crochet.

Happy knitting 🙂

marilynknits

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Posted by: trimitup | March 24, 2011

6 months since the big move!

Just an update! It has been 6 months now since the big move and it’s been a ride, I must say!  Our move to Southern California came to a surprise last year when the company where my husband worked closed their doors and moved to China.  My husband took a new job in Southern California which meant we had to move and I had to leave my job.  We had to say good-by to all our family, friends and neighbors; saying goodby to my knitting friends & favorite knitting store was hard too!  I’m happy to say that John is in the groove with work and loving it.

Though its beautiful here it’s just not the same without family here.  I’ve had to learn to be proactive in learning a new city and finding all the new knitting stores (Most important).  Making new friends is not easy and I must make a conscious effort to do so, like taking some knit classes for starters.  Maybe a jewelry class too!   I have visited three yarn stores now (not including craft stores), and all are so completely different.  More on that another soon!  I’ve learned to blog for sanity reasons and to stay connected. 

All in all it’s not so bad…..as people have pointed out, there’s lots to do here.  Lots of new restaurants to explore, and the beaches are beautiful and of course the weather is not bad either.  We have entered a new chapter in our lives and must move forward to what God has planned for us here.  

The Kitty sign says "spoiled rotten cats live here!"

Happy knitting!

marilynknits 🙂

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Posted by: trimitup | March 22, 2011

Knitting & Crochet Blog week!

I’m excited about the knitting & crochet blog week coming up…..maybe this will stretch my skills! As a fairly new blogger I am really looking forward to this opportunity. And it will be fun to see what everyone else will post about. If you are interested in joining, here’s a link!

http://eskimimiknits.com/knitting-and-crochet-blog-week-2011/

small yellow

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