Author: Lindy

Nebraska Knit & Crochet GuildNebraska Knit & Crochet Guild

September 4, 2009September 4, 2009 | LindyLindy | 0 Comment | 5:29 pm

NKCG_logo
I recently joined the Nebraska Knit & Crochet Guild. It is a wonderful group of knitters and crocheters who meet at various locations in Omaha, Nebraska about three times per week. I have attended six “meet ups” so far and have found the women in the guild to be very friendly, supportive and willing to share their expertise with any and all.

It is a delightful experience to be able to meet up with a group of women who share my love for both knitting and crocheting. And the social interaction adds a wonderful new dimension to my pleasure at participating in these crafts. It does, however, pose some challenges as I find it difficult to concentrate on my knitting while busily chatting away with the other women around the table.

The Guild meets Wednesdays at Whole Foods from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. Saturdays at Willa Cather Library from 1:00 – 4:00 PM and at Panera on 78th Street on Sundays from 4:00 – 6:00 PM. I have been going to the Wednesday and Sunday meet ups. Saturdays are just too busy for me, so I probably won’t do any Saturday meetings.

Many of the Guild members are on Ravelry – so this is a good way to communicate with them. There is also a Yahoo group and I now get email updates periodically. If you are in the Omaha, Nebraska metro area and are interested, here’s a link:
http://www.nebraskaknitandcrochet.org/

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Finished SocksFinished Socks

August 31, 2009August 31, 2009 | LindyLindy | 3 Comments | 5:04 pm

Knitted striped socks

Knitted striped socks


I finished my striped socks yesterday morning. I am pleased with how they turned out. I used a self-striping yarn from Patons Yarns and it was fascinating to see the stripes evolve as the socks knit up.

I did not really use a pattern for these socks. There are literally thousands of free sock patterns available on the internet, but you really don’t need them if you understand the basics of knitting socks. I started with a gauge swatch and used my foot measurements to determine the number of stitches I needed. The “how to” of this seems to be enough for a separate post, so I will place that in my queue for future topics.

I choose to do a picot hem at the top of the cuff, a 3 by 1 rib for the cuff and instep, a slipped stitched heel flap with a square heel turn. My mentors for these socks were Nancy Bush – I consulted her book “Knitting on the Road” for advice on the square heel and Cat Bordhi, whose book “Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles” contains a wealth of information on how to knit socks.

Knitting socks on two circular needles

Knitting socks on two circular needles

I used the two socks on two circular needles for this pair of socks. I prefer to knit socks two at a time, because when you’ve finished, you have a pair of socks and don’t have to go back and knit that second sock. You can knit socks two at a time using either two circulars – as shown here in my photo – Or you can use the magic loop technique. I started another pair of socks last night using this technique – so I’ll post about them later.

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Knitting Socks in Waiting AreaKnitting Socks in Waiting Area

August 26, 2009August 26, 2009 | LindyLindy | 0 Comments | 11:55 pm

Yesterday, I had the role of being supportive of my DH while he underwent some tests at our local hospital. (Nothing serious, just part of routine maintenance for the over 55 crowd.)

Anyway, I decided to take along a pair of socks I am knitting as my “keep occupied” project for the time I would be sitting in the waiting area. I am doing cuff down, two at a time on 2 circular knitting needles. So I pulled out my knitting and started to knit away while I sipped on a cup of coffee. An older woman walked into the group of chairs where I was sitting — and pulled out her knitting!

She was knitting something on dpn’s in a pretty dark green yarn. For a time, we sat and knit without any conversation. Then, she put away her knitting and came over and sat next to me and chatted. (I think she was anxious about whomever she was waiting for, but she never really said.) I learned that she was working on a pair of mittens and she was very curious about the method I was using for knitting socks and my self-striping yarn. We exchanged bits of information about yarns and knitting and then she was called to go back with her family member while he/she recovered.

It’s interesting how knitting forms a link and an introduction for us. I know it made the time in the waiting room go by more quickly for me and I’d like to think it eased my companion’s anxiety a little and helped her time in the waiting room pass more pleasantly.

P.S. Started the socks so that I would have an easy knit project for the knitting guild meet ups. More on the guild in another post. I promise to post a picture of the socks when done.

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