When you learn anything, you need help. For some people it takes more time to learn a concept than another. Some learn from seeing, others learn from reading, still others from hearing. Regardless of how you learn, I hope you will find these websites helpful in your quest to learn about knitting.

http://www.knittinghelp.com/
This website has videos for how to cast on and how to do the knit and purl stitch both English and Continental style. They have some free patterns. I really like their section on increases and decreases because they tell you the why and what.

Knit Picks
Be very careful with this website! Unless I'm buying yarn from a local yarn shop, this is where I get it. I find that they have good prices on yarn and they have high-quality yarn. They have free patterns, a great book selection, tools to buy, and yarn, yarn, yarn! I blame them for my overflowing box of yarn. They are the reason I have a yarn addiction (I love this website). Now I just need to find the time to knit the yarn I've bought!

http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/
This is an amazing website. They have tons of free patterns and they are categorized and easy to find. The best part is that they are all free :) They also have a knitting instructions directory, which is also very helpful.

Ravelry
You have to register to enter the site, but then you have access to tons of great patterns (many free ones), yarn, a forum, etc. It's a great community for knitters!


Lion Brand
This website has a huge selection of yarn and patterns. While it seems to be a more commercial yarn, I have actually been quite pleased with their quality and they have thousands of free knitting and crochet patterns (and the recommended yarn to sell you). It's a great place for beginners to grow and for any knitter to find great projects.

Planet Purl
This is a great knitting community. By becoming a member (which is free), you have access to live web sessions of how to knit certain projects, or knitting techniques. They have archived videos too, which are helpful. They have a yarn shop finder, patterns, knit-alongs, and book suggestions. It's pretty awesome.

Caron
Whenever I go to Michael's or Joann's, this is the brand of yarn I usually buy (along with Lion Brand). Their Simply Soft is very soft and I've knit many a project with it. This website also includes free knitting and crochet patterns.

Rowan
Rowan makes high-quality yarns. They also have a beautiful collection of free knitting patterns. Check it out!

Daily Knitter
This website has free patterns everyday. I haven't used any yet, but I'm glad to know it's there.

Entrelac
I haven't yet attempted entrelac, but this website really breaks down the steps and I will use it to learn how to do entrelac. I will let you know how that goes! I'm going to try in June I believe.

Knitty
Again, I haven't had time to try any patterns, but it's another great source of knitting patterns. They have book reviews and techniques as well.

Dog Patterns
If you have a dog and have a desire to knit him/her something, this is the website to use! There are some free patterns and they have TONS of dog sweater ideas.

Knit N Style
This is one of my favorite knitting magazines. I have used three patterns from them so far. They have a great selection for women and men and I even found a sweater pattern for my boyfriend that he actually likes! There are free patterns on the website as well.

Vogue Knitting
It's a classic: they have great books, free patterns, patterns to buy, yarn finders, and books. One cool aspect that they have is that you can make your own knitting book by picking and choosing patterns that they have available. They are a little expensive, but they have some ornate and beautiful patterns. You can also subscribe to their magazine here.

Tatting
I am very interested in lace knitting, though it takes me forever! When I described lace knitting to one of my friends, she told me about tatting. While I haven't tried it, this website looks pretty cool. It also has free knitting patterns and tutorials for tatting.

And these are all the websites that I have used. Did I leave out your favorite? Please leave a comment and let me know! I'm always looking for new knitting websites!

Happy knitting!

Hi, fellow knitters!

I was reflecting on knitting and technology, which seems to be a paradox, complete opposites. However, I realized that technology has been essential in teaching me how to knit. My grandmother only taught me how to cast on, knit, purl, and cast off (which was a blessing indeed!). However, in order to progress, I needed to learn how to purl and knit in the same row, knit in the round, increase and decrease (know which ones, too!), various cast-ons, how to use double pointed needles, and how to color knit, to name some techniques. The internet was essential for this. In the near future, I will write a blog that includes my personal favorite websites and what you can find on them.

For the basics, Youtube has been a great help. Some knitting pictures of techniques can be difficult to copy, but youtube really helped me to visualize the hand motions. I also watched the same video over and over and over again.

Lastly, the ipad has apps that are useful for knitting. On flipboard, you can make a "magazine" that includes a bunch of knitting blogs and websites. Who knew? The Kindle can also show knitting books, though the ebooks on knitting are very limited. The possibilities for technology and knitting are basically endless.

So I suppose knitting and technology isn't really a paradox...

Happy knitting!

No hay
El cielo.
El cielo no existe.
Sólo hay nubes de tinto—
No como ‘tinto de verano’
Pero como tinto de calamar
Muy oscuro, duro, opresivo.
La opresión está en el aire, en la humedad—
Con la calma, con la tranquilidad, con el silencio tan grande
Que no puedo escuchar el viento en los árboles porque ya no hay hojas.
La tempestad ha llegado. Todavía no hay lluvia ni granizos, pero habrá violencia.
La naturaleza me dijo un secreto, pero ahora, sólo hay
T

R

A

N

Q

U

I

L

I

D

A

D

Today my boyfriend and I ate at a nice restaurant for lunch. It is located in the "rich" part of town, but it's not too expensive, $10-15 per dish. As we're eating there, I realized that most of the people eating were women, women with huge diamond rings. Since it's Friday and they weren't at work, they probably don't work. The party next to us had eaten there earlier this week. In that party, one women shopped clothing on her ipad, another spoke on her iphone, and the older woman simply sat with her own thoughts. Their husbands were probably working. They probably do nothing but shop, but stuff that they don't need, and spend money that their husbands make.

While that realization was upsetting, getting the bill was even odder. When the waiter saw that we were done, he said that he would grab the bill for "the gentleman." I looked at my boyfriend, took his wallet, and told him that there was no way he was paying. The waiter brought the bill saying, "Here you go, sir." He must have been shocked when he read a female name on the credit card. Needless to say, when he returned, he simply thanked us, leaving any gender comment out. I guess it is rare for women to treat their boyfriends/husbands to lunch or dinner these days. Today felt like the Women's Movement had never happened.

Since I am writing to you, obviously the plane flight went well today. I must admit, when I first saw the plane, I freaked out a little bit. However, I had a lot of fun. I loved flying and I absolutely loved seeing the mountains from a new perspective. I don't know what I'd do without my mountains :)

I am a timid person: I don't like change and I don't like to take risks. However, whenever I leave my comfort zone, I have a blast. Today reminded me of that.

One of my co-workers has a private plane. Her husband absolutely loves to fly. When she invited me and a seminarian to go, I jumped at the opportunity. However, it's tomorrow and I'm starting to feel afraid. I keep thinking about John F. Kennedy Jr.... It's a small plane, only seats four. While I like to fly, I am a little nervous. Will I be claustrophobic? Will I panic at the danger? Her husband has been flying for years, so I'm sure that my fears are unfounded. Besides, a priest-to-be will be with us. That means God will take care of us even more, right?

I'll take pictures and let you know how it goes!

PS I'll bring my knitting to calm my nerves :D

Now that the boleros are done, I have a bunch of free time to work on other projects. On my Google calendar, I created a To Do List for projects in progress and future projects. I have already finished a hat and I am in the process of finishing a shawl, a scarf, and a border for a blanket. I'm hoping to finish it all this week. I really enjoyed knitting the hat. I felt so satisfied being able to finish a project in a day. Maybe I should knit more hats...My friends in colder weather who might be reading this, let me know if you want a hat!

I did one other productive thing: I organized my yarn! I separated my yarn into different projects. I put each future project in a bag with a post-it note so I remember what I planned to knit. I found a prayer shawl to give away and I have a bagful of excess yarn. I didn't realize how much yarn I had. My boyfriend's desire to be constantly organized has rubbed off on me, but I feel relieved to have my knitting supplies organized. It gives me a sense that I can do anything and pick up a project just like that.

Although I realized that I have more than enough yarn and planned projects, one of my favorite yarns is being discontinued (a bulky yarn from knitpicks.com; it's called Comfy Bulky yarn). I haven't actually knit with it, but it is SO soft! I think I may have to buy it simply so I can knit with it, though I have more than enough yarn and I don't know what to knit with that yarn...Oh well. I have an addiction. I think I'm okay with it.

Happy Knitting!

The other day, my boyfriend and I decided to go for a walk at night. We walked on 4th Avenue, the hangout street in my city. People were going out to eat and going to the bars. We were enjoying the nice weather and chatting.

Suddenly, a girl passed us. She was walking with purpose. She deliberately turned around and said, "Good afternoon," first to my boyfriend and then to me. She looked us straight in the eyes and said it with such conviction that both of us replied, "Good afternoon," like children who had just been scolded at school. Needless to say, I didn't mention that it was evening or even night. My boyfriend slowed us down. Both of us agreed that she was creepy and weird and it was that type of person that one should really stay away from.

However, looking back, she was just being polite, right? When did recognizing people on the street and looking them in the eye become weird? When did etiquette become creepy?

365 Knitting Clock Creates a New Scarf Each Year | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Ahem! Are You Talking to Me? (Or Texting?) - NYTimes.com

I officially started knitting my bolero January 21. 86 days later, I have finished knitting two boleros: one in light blue and the other in lavender. They are the same pattern, but they turned out slightly differently. One has a more narrow neckline and the other has the border that's slightly tighter in the back than the front. However, both look really nice. I feel a sense of relief, that I've actually accomplished something big. Yet I also feel a sense of emptiness, like what am I going to knit now? I realize that the question is ridiculous, since I still need to finish a scarf from Christmas, a shawl, and an open-work scarf before I can say that I've finished all of my in-progress projects. I am glad that I've learned so much doing this as well. I've learned how to seem, how to cast on for certain areas, what different decreases mean, and, most importantly, how to weave in the ends (though I am still paranoid that the ends will come loose. From here on out, I'm only buying yarn that I can felt).

Tomorrow is the day when I give my boleros as gifts. I hope the girls like them. One is a birthday present and the other is an early graduation present. I'm a little afraid that they won't like them or won't wear them, though many people have seen them and said that they really liked the boleros. It will feel weird that the boleros will no longer be around, even though they aren't in my size and I could never wear them. At least I will have the pictures.

I will keep you updated on the new projects I take on, as well as any lessons I will learn in the future. Knitting is a life-long luxury and I intend to enjoy every minute of learning new techniques.

Happy knitting!

» The Art of Ben Cuevas Grunge Geek Design

Book Review for Super Stitches Knitting by Karen Hemingway

This is a wonderful collection of stitches bound to keep you busy for a long time. I love the organization of this book. It has a collection of knit/purl designs, cable designs, textures, color, lace, and edgings. If you are a beginning knitter who might not know the techniques for color or how to make a cable, then this book might be a little difficult for you. It is written for the knitters who know how to go between a knit and purl stitch and know how to do color changes, cables, etc. There is a section at the beginning with some diagrams for how to do these things, but it can be challenging to teach yourself new skills with only pictures.

This is the perfect book for people who want to experiment with different patterns for scarves or who need pattern ideas for designing cardigans, sweaters, etc. I love looking through this book and have used many of its patterns before. Most of the patterns are written out, but there is an occasional chart. The patterns don't usually go more than 20 different rows for patterns and those are the difficult ones.

I highly recommend this book to knitters. It should be in your knitting library.

Happy knitting!

Book Review: Contemporary Classics by Jean Moss

I highly recommend this book. There are many cute patterns with a variety of difficulty levels. I have made the bolero from this book and it turned out perfectly. All of the patterns are explained with abbreviations, but she does include a few diagrams. As long as you are careful to follow the directions (meaning that you really need to slow down and read the directions sometimes), the patterns can be easily reproduced. In fact, the bolero that I have just completed is in this book. I will include a picture of it completed. If you chose to buy the book, you will see that my bolero looks almost identical to the picture in the book.

Moss includes many patterns that are simple, yet elegant. I look forward to trying more of her patterns and I am searching for more of her books.

Happy knitting!

Warm Weather Knits by Deborah Newton

I bought this book from knitpicks.com. I saw it there and in another knitting magazine, so I thought it would be a good buy. It is a good buy. I think the patterns are beautiful. Living in the desert, I'm glad to have a book of patterns that I can use for people who live here, even though knit wear when it's 100+ degrees outside still is a little extreme.

Most, if not all, of the patterns are for intermediate knitters. While I do consider myself intermediate, there are a few things I haven't attempted. In order to make most of the right side of some of the cardigans, I have to figure out how to reverse the pattern from the left side, as well as to reverse the shaping. In this case, a chart would be most helpful. I think that when I finish the projects on my to-knit list, I will have to go to my local knitting store and ask the expert knitters there how to do such a thing. If Newton does have the charts, I would like to have access to them online, or to be able to email her my questions.

While this book presents beautiful patterns and ideas, unless you know how to reverse shaping and patterns or know someone who can help you, you may want to pass on buying this book. Since I have it, I will challenge myself to figure it out. When I do, I will let you know how to do those things in my blog.

Happy knitting!

Here are some projects that I finished in 2010.

I got an amazing pattern for a purse. However, it requires a purse frame that is 11.5 cm long and 4.5 cm wide. Where do I buy stuff like that?!? I know how to get yarn and needles, but sewing accessories are a mystery to me. PLEASE comment with places that can help me.

Thanks!