Finish for Fall: The Finish

"The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/Gang aft agley..."***                                             To The Mouse by Robert Burns

We studied this poem in school and I'll never forget our teacher reading it off as written in the Scottish-y dialect that only Robert Burns ever seemed to get away with. In fact, I hear this line in my head, in her voice, to this day (many many years later) when plans don't go as I had expected.

I hear it in my head now.  My plan for Finish for Fall included a Total Organization of ALL Yarn and Yarn-Related Items.  It was a good plan, and while I did make progress, I didn't make all the progress I had wanted to make. I have to decide that, for now, this is OK. I managed to complete some projects, frog some others, and recover many needles and stitch markers.  I donated a bag of yarn and accessories and I ended up with a bag full of now empty knitting bags. I also have the resolve to not fill all those bags back up with half-finished work, then shove them in the closet. To date, of the 14 projects I found, only 4 remain. They are on the back burner, but having seen them recently, I can't soon forget them. And it's OK.

The journey is sometimes as important as the destination, and in this case, the fact that I was able to travel on this journey with YOU made it special and I am extremely glad to have undertaken it.

***Less Scottish: "The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry."

Some of the yarn I rediscovered <3

Simple Knitting Tips: Organize your stitch markers

Every now and then a knitting trick comes my way that it is so clever I wish I had either

1.   thought of it myself  -or-
2.   heard about it sooner.

At the Knit Inn this month, someone bought a project bag that had one of these Book Rings on it.  Turned out that one of the uses for it was to keep your stitch markers organized and handy.  GENIUS!  

I can't figure out why it doesn't say "Stitch Marker Organizer" right on the package!

I've had a couple of these rings in my office supplies for years (no clue where they came from) and I am delighted to be able to tell you that you can actually BUY THESE AMAZING THINGS at your office supply store of choice (Mine is Staples, because EASY button, of course!).

2/20/14: Edited to add: The bag was courtesy of my friend and tech knitting editor, Jessica Higdon, who was clever enough to buy it and show me the genius ring :)

Organized and adorable!

(originally published 2/19/14 on knitoasis.blogspot.com)

(you know, back in the old days...)

KnitOasis: The Ravelry Group

I think most of us who use it will agree: Ravelry is an amazing resource.  I call it The Font of All Knowledge.  If I have a question about knitting, blogging, iPhones, Dr. Who, local happenings, even world events, I can find someone in the Rav forums discussing it, or post a question to be answered by the amazing bunch we call Ravelers.

Recently, I asked my daughter if she thought it would be useful to start a KnitOasis Ravelry group.  Her response?  "What? You don't already have one???"

And so I started one.

Why join another group on Ravelry? And more specifically, why join the KnitOasis group on Ravelry?

Well, technically, you don't have to join ANY groups on Ravelry to get a lot out of it.  As a database for patterns and projects and yarns and designers, it's probably the top website out there.  There are others, but I have yet to find one that offers everything Ravelry has and is as easy to use as Ravelry. You can live your whole life without joining a group and you will most likely be happy enough.

But, if you take the step of joining some groups (your local yarn shop's group or a group that discusses your favorite TV program or even one for knitters with cats) and participate in discussions in those groups, you will find a new level of involvement in your knitting (and crocheting, etc) life.  Back in the old days, before Ravelry, when we wanted to find other knitters, we had to either bump into them in real life (True story: I was stopped by a woman one day as I walked into a grocery store because the bag I was using as my purse was something I had handknit and she could TELL that it was handknit and she and I had a lovely chat about knitting and patterns and yarn.) or find them via the webrings we joined our blogs to. (Remember webrings? Do they still have those??) When Ravelry came along, however, it was like, "There are knitters EVERYWHERE! My people! I have found my people!"

The point is: Community. I can't tell you how many times I have been reassured of my sanity because it wasn't just me having a problem with a pattern/garden bug/movie plot/electronic gadget; there were others and sometimes there were helpful solutions and sometimes there was just company in our misery.

I'm not afraid to embrace the Shameless Plug right now and ask you to join our little group. It's free, it's painless and it will (hopefully) add dimension to your life as we discuss...well...whatever! Patterns, yarns, entertainment, history, pets...you name it! To join, all you have to do is 1) Be a member of Ravelry and 2) Click "join this group" on the group page. That's all! Then join in the conversations that have already begun or start a new one. Ask questions, post comments, tell us a joke! (I love jokes!) (They don't even have to be good jokes.)

Why can't a bicycle stand up on its own? Because it is too tired! Get it? Too/Two tired?? (See what I mean?)

On that note, I'll stop before my kids throw things at me (they hear my jokes a lot). I'll see you on Ravelry!

Simple Knitting Tips: The Knitting Bag

Those of you who have been knitting since the earth was cooling will find this pretty obvious, so you want to go find a brand new knitter to read this to. Go ahead, I'll wait. 

Find one? Great!! 

This Knitting Tip is indeed super simple, yet vitally important.  If you are a new knitter, one of the first things you need to add to your equipment, after you've mastered the knit stitch, is a knitting bag.  Please, please hear me when I say this knitting bag cannot be a plastic grocery bag.  You have embarked on a journey of fibery fabulousness.  You have learned a new skill.  You have joined the long proud history of People Who Make Things.  You are a Knitter!  You deserve a nice sturdy bag to carry your knitting things around with you to knitting classes and knitting groups and in the car on trips. In knitting, as in so many things, you can spend a lot or you can spend a little.  So it goes with a knitting bag.  It doesn't have to be a $300 Brahmin tote that you have converted into yarn and needle storage (but it can be, because, Brahmin!).  It can be $5 canvas bag from the craft store that says "Crafts".  It can be anything in between.  

One of my first knitting bags <3

Some things to look for in a knitting bag:

• Not flimsy plastic grocery bag!
• Solid construction. No holes that knitting needles can fall through. Or poke through!
• Either many pockets or none at all. This is a matter of preference.
• Size is not crucial.  Once you've been knitting awhile, you will acquire larger bags into which you will stuff the smaller bags that you use for one project.
• Quantity is not crucial. I started with one.  Now?  Let's just call it "less than 100."
• Can be handmade: knitted, crocheted, or sewn are all lovely. If it needs a lining to make it solid, be sure to add it.
• It should make you smile when you see it and use it.  Knitting is your new, exciting, rewarding hobby.  Enjoy it, enjoy your knitting bag(s) and welcome to the family,  you Knitter, you!