FO: Choo Choo Hat for GS

January 16, 2012| LindyBeir| 0 Comment | 5:48 pm

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My GS is almost two and “Choo Choo’s” are one of his most favorite things at the moment. Now he got a train table and lots of trains and things to go with it for Christmas, but this Grandma just had to knit him a hat with a choo choo train on it. My first attempt was a little too tight, so I knit another a lit bit wider and it fit perfectly.

Since two year olds are always in motion when awake, it was a challenge to get him to stand still long enough to take his picture — But I was able to get one (and only one) good picture of him wearing his new hat.

Details: Knit with Paton’s Classic Wool in Blue, Red and Black on size US 7 needles. Pattern for the train is from “Patterns for Knitted Hats by Betty Lampen.

Returning to Blog and FO: Clapotis ShawlReturning to Blog and FO: Clapotis Shawl

October 13, 2012| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 3:39 pm

I have been away from blogging for about five months. There were a number of reasons for this. First, I just got busy with other things and didn’t seem to be able to find time to sit down and write any posts. And then, my knitting projects just didn’t seem to be getting finished — even though I was knitting. And then, my husband started on our remodeling project — which was/is my office. The remodeling will be worth it when it is done — but when it will be done doesn’t seem to be anytime soon. I now have my computer set up in the spare bedroom and I have retrieved a few skeins of yarn and patterns from the boxes I packed up several weeks ago — so I can knit. But heaven help me if I need to find any of my knitting books or any of my yarn stash! It’s all in boxes and plastic containers, stacked three deep and nearly to the ceiling in the garage. (So any future knitting projects are an excuse to go yarn shopping…) I’ll update you on the remodeling progress — here’s to hoping it’s done by the time I need to decorate for the Christmas holiday.

I do have a finished object! I have finished my Clapotis shawl.

I haven’t blocked it yet. Blocking will have to wait until I have free floor space again (remodeling). Here are the details:

Pattern: Clapotis – free on Knitty.com
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr (50% wool, 50% silk) Colorway: Teal Needles: U.S. 4 (3.5 mm)
Since this is a laceweight yarn, I knit 18 repeats of the straight rows to get the length I wanted.
Unblocked the shawl measures 17 inches wide by 62 inches long. It will be wider and longer after blocking.

It’s a lovely, soft shawl and I am very happy with the way it turned out. I liked the finished shawl so much, I cast-on another using Knit Picks Gloss from my stash. More about this WIP another time.

FO: Fancy Feet Anklets – “Monday”FO: Fancy Feet Anklets – “Monday”

September 5, 2011| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 4:19 pm

It’s been a busy summer and I haven’t done much posting of late. Now that summer is winding down along with the Labor Day weekend, I intend to post a bit more often. So I will start with my latest FO. Awhile back, I purchased the “Fancy Feet Anklets” kit from Knit Picks. This kit contained 7 balls of Comfy Fingering weight yarn in 7 different colors and a set of 7 patterns, one for each day of the week. The idea being that you have a pair of anklets for each day of the week. Now, I have to confess that this kit has been hanging around it my stash long enough that it is no longer available on the Knit Picks website. (I just checked.)

I started knitting one of the patterns in the kit (Monday) earlier this summer when I was looking for a small, portable knitting project to take with me here and there as we traveled throughout the summer. This was a perfect portable project. The Monday pattern is a feather and fan type lace pattern. I used the colorway Blackberry and size US 0 (2.00 mm) circular needles, 47 inches long so that I could do magic loop and two-at-a-time. Now, because this is a lace pattern, it does require keeping track as you knit. The anklet is knit toe-up — which is not my preferred method for doing socks — but I think it is the most practical way to knit this type of short ankle sock.

A couple of comments/notes to myself for the next pair: The socks seem a bit too tight across the middle of my foot, so I think I will knit the next pair on slightly larger needles. The socks are also a wee bit short for my size 8.5 foot, so the next time I will knit them about 1/2 longer before starting the heel. The heel on these anklets is made by doing 60 short rows (yep, 60). You really have to keep track of where you are in the pattern when knitting the heel. I found it best to do the heel in one long stretch of knitting rather than attempting to stop somewhere in the process. I also have decided I really don’t like the wrap and turn technique used for the short rows, so the next pair will be knit using a different technique.

I like the socks, but since they don’t really fit me, my sister (who has smaller feet) will be getting this pair.

My YouTube ChannelMy YouTube Channel

December 11, 2022| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 1:50 pm

I am now a YouTuber. I have started making short videos on knitting techniques. My YouTube channel is Knitting with Linda. You can find it here: @knittingwithlinda_omaha

I recently started teaching classes for beginning knitters at my local yarn shop here in Omaha, Nebraska. So far, I have held two “Learn to Knit -Part 1: Getting Started” classes that covered the basics of casting on, the knit stitch, the purl stitch and the standard bind-off. To provide my learners with a visual set of references that they could access through YouTube, I created several video demonstrations of each of those basic techniques. I included videos on using the Continental Method and the English Method for knitting and purling. If you’d like to take a look at them, here’s a link to my “Learn to Knit” playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-PJ63Dj62PHglVIBZZpZ7X1xW8-x0Jut

If you find these videos useful, please give them a “Like”.

In January, I will be offering new sessions of “Learn to Knit – Part 2: Next Steps” which will cover two types of increases, two types of decreases, how to fix a dropped stitch and how to weave in ends. I will be adding videos on each of these topics to accompany the in-person class and these will then be available to anyone on YouTube. If you subscribe to my channel, you can receive notifications when they are available.

I plan to continue adding videos on various knitting techniques throughout the year. If you have a suggestion for a technique you’d like to have demonstrated, please leave me a comment. Thank you.