Look, if you are one of those people who are using this time to write your novel or finally get your kitchen perfectly organized or step up your workout routine?  Cool. I'm delighted for you.  I want you to be happy and safe, and I wish you all the best. But if you are one of those people who are mostly just trying to hold it together more or less one minute at a time, well I'm right there with you.  This is your occasional reminder that you're cool too. It is 100% ok if things feel too weird to [...]

You're absolutely ruining my reputation.  The story we've all agreed upon is that I am mean and sarcastic and totally bereft of feelings.  And something happened yesterday that just totally blew my cover. Yesterday I brought out the pattern for Cracked. I felt a little weird bringing out a pattern when things are like, well, this, but everyone assured me it was fine. But I wanted to do something a little different because things are so hard for so many people right now.  So I set up a code to let a few folks who really needed a lift but [...]

So, I'm going to be very direct. Putting out a pattern for a knitting pattern (and a frivolous pattern at that) right now feels weird.  But I talked with some people myself, and I've seen other conversations happening online, and the consensus seems to be that folks understand.  Folks understand that this is how some of us pay our bills (and want us to keep doing that).  Folks understand that some people could really use a distraction right now (and a new pattern can be a great distraction).  And folks understand wanting to do things that feel normal (and for [...]

Ahem. This is exactly what I need right now. No counting. No real need for a chart (I mean there is one, but it's tiny, and once you've worked it twice you don't need it any more). No tricky bits. Just knit, look how pretty it is, knit, pet the knitting, knit, and try to ignore the world. ⁠ ⁠ Hang in there everyone. If you're staying home, you're helping us get through this as safely as we can. You can be a bit bored and cabin feverish if it will help save lives. And if you're still working because [...]

Ok, finally finally finally we're actually at the project stage. Except you know what? This is actually the second cast on. This isn't the same background yarn I used in the swatch (I'll do yarn info in a later post). But it is one I'd used for a hat before, so I thought I could just more or less wing it based on the earlier hat and get the cast on number right.⁠⠀ I couldn't. I also thought maybe I wanted a rolled brim.⁠⠀ I didn't.⁠⠀ So I got to knit an inch of plain stockinette and then rip it [...]

Ready for the plot twist? Remember the progression of swatches over the last few days? Yeah, well this was the next one. I had the sudden realization that I did not, in fact, want to be knitting something where I had to count and do fiddly increases and decreases and manage somewhere between four and six balls of yarn (yeah, we hadn't gotten to that point in the conversation just yet, but it was coming). What I wanted was the most chill, relaxed, basic knitting I could manage...while still using a fuzzy yarn as an accent. So I changed course. [...]

I know I'm not the only one feeling some combination of scared and heartsick and overwhelmed right now. Which is why I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Connecting with people and doing something nice for someone else is a great way to feel a bit better for a moment. So that's what we're going to do today.⁠ These are some of the wonderful goodies that my friend Crystal McLain makes. Crystal is a powerhouse with more energy and good cheer than any three people should have. Art is her passion, but she also runs a massage [...]

Are you still with me? Still following along on the Frankly Alarming Parade Of Swatches? If so, I commend your dedication.  The good news is we're getting close. Swatch 1 was proof of concept (the wee blobbies can be awfully cute). Swatch 2 was instructive (skinny fluffy yarn is not bold enough). Swatch 3 was also instructive (thicker fluffy yarn is good, but you need a more mellow background yarn). And now we're at swatch 4. Swatch 4 has an awful lot of promise. The fluff is thick enough it doesn't disappear. The background is solid enough it doesn't look [...]

Ok, more tiny slices of time in stitches, more tiny things to think about for just a little while at a time. ⁠ ⁠ This is the third swatch. In the previous one, I learned that super skinny fluffy yarn just can't really hold its own in this stitch.⁠ One option would be to hold the fluffy yarn double. But that's not really what I wanted to do here. But that's ok, because there's a second option, and that's to use a slightly thicker fluffy yarn and a slightly thinner background yarn.⁠ This swatch is using a sport (ish) background [...]