This week, the staff at WEBS is buzzing about gifts! Amy designed the Love Monsters, a perfect Valentine’s Day knit; while Lise and Mary have been busy knitting for babies!

Every February I am inspired to knit in pinks and reds to counteract the gray gloom of New England winters. Luckily, Valentine’s Day gives me the perfect opportunity! This year I couldn’t find anything that was inspiring me so I decided to make something myself. These Love Monsters were the result. By the time I got the pattern worked out I had my whole family represented. I used some yarns from my stash, Cascade 220 and Valley Yarns Berkshire and Berkshire Bulky, but they have been so popular around my house that I had to stock up on the Berkshire yarns again. They don’t take long to knit, so I’m going to whip a couple more up for Valentine’s gifts. You can find the pattern for the Love Monsters here on Ravelry. > Amy S.

My cousin is expecting a baby in March and I wanted a blanket that would be cozy for our new family member and fun for me to knit. The Cuddly Monster Blanket from Rebecca Danger’s Knit a Monster Nursery fit the bill. It is an adorable project and it was a fun knit. I used Spud & Chloë Sweater, which isn’t the least expensive yarn, but I have used it for baby blankets before and I love the way it feels and washes (it’s already gone through the washer and dryer and looks great). It’s so soft and squishy if I could keep it for myself I would! > Mary K.

This week, Sara Delaney shows us a clever and simple way to create beautiful plaid fabric with your knitting!

Knitting plaid fabrics can seem like a daunting task when you consider that they could involve not only two or more colors but intarsia work as well. And how do you keep the tension even in an intarsia section that is only one stitch wide?

Why not skip the intarsia all together with some cleverly placed purl ravines and the use of a crochet hook!

Work the horizontal stripes of your plaid normally and wherever you’d like to have the vertical stripes just work a purl stitch in that vertical column of stitches.

Once you’ve finished knitting the piece you can go back with your crochet hook, and slip stitch a line of stitches into the vertical purl ravine. The slip stitches will lie even with the surface of your knitting.

With this technique, it’s easy to create multi-colored plaid by changing the colors of your vertical stripes. You can stick to two colors, or get creative with as many as the color wheel can hold.

Easy to make plaid sweaters, cowls and hats…it’s addictive!

Knitting and crochet are fantastic hobbies for all the reasons we already know, but one of the best things about them is that they are super portable! A small project is the perfect thing to have with you to keep occupied while in line, waiting for the doctor, waiting for the kids to get out of practice, on a plane, in a car – anywhere.

How do you keep your project organized while you’re out? I’ve been known to just toss my project in whatever purse I’m using that day, but velcro and zippers can be dangerous to a project. The GoKnit Pouches are fantastic! They keep your project safe and have a handy strap that can be snapped around your wrist or belt loop. They protect your project from the other items in your bag, and keep your project and tools organized in one place, so you can grab and go.

The Chic.a Single Yarn Keeper is a portable way to tote and protect the yarn you’re working with. You don’t have to worry about it getting tangled in anything else in your bag since you just feed your yarn through the eyelet on the top and the yarn inside the pouch stays protected.

We have lots of other options for bags in tons of sizes and styles. There are bags like the Namaste Harlow that not only store your knitting, but everything else you need – wallet, keys, work, and more. We also have many project bags, like the Blue Sky Pretty Cheep Bag that is perfect for storing your project and stuffing it into a larger bag.

When I knit while I’m out and about, I always get asked “What are you making?” So far, no one has really looked at me funny for knitting in public, but maybe I haven’t picked anywhere all that unusual yet!

What’s the most unusual place you’ve ever knit or crocheted?

The best part of being organized is having everything you need in one place. When you have a well stocked knitting or crochet tool kit, you’re prepared for any curve ball your pattern may throw at you. Luckily, my co-workers here at WEBS are a lot more organized and prepared than I am! They’ve shared with us their tool kit essentials.

Dena keeps two tool kits. One larger, main tool kit with all the essentials, and a mini kit with the bare necessities when she wants to travel light. On the right, Dena’s mini tool kit includes: Clover Locking Stitch Markers, small ring markers, a tape measure, a crochet hook, two sizes of Clover Bent Tip Tapestry Needles, small scissors, and dental floss. She uses the dental floss as waste yarn and lifelines for lace knitting. So clever!

On the left (her main kit), Dena has her full set Addi crochet hooks, scissors, Clover Soft Stitch Ring Stitch Markers, locking stitch markers, Clover U Cable Stitch Holder, a tape measure, highlighter tape, tapestry needles, Nancy’s Knit Knacks Needle & Hook Gauge and Knit Kards. Highlighter tape is perfect for keeping track of your place in a pattern. You place the tape over the row you’re on so you can easily see your place. Then, you just peel off the tape and move it to your next row!

Greta’s tool kit is in the center. She keeps everything tucked away in her Spud & Chloë case. The case has since been discontinued, but the Namaste Lola Case is a similar size. Her essentials include a crochet hook, stitch markers, a yarn needle for weaving in ends, a needle gauge, a cable needle, and pin cushion for sewing needles.

1: Kristin’s tool kit is an adorable vintage chocolate tin. She keeps a row counter, a tape measure, locking stitch markers, darning needles and a yarn cutter pendant. They snip your yarn neatly and don’t have any pointy tips that can poke you.

2 and 3: Sara is so organized, she has two tool kits. She puts my organizational skills to shame! Her tool kit has a small magnet in the lid that all her needles stick to (out of the way so she don’t get stabbed!) She has a tiny pair of scissors, a tape measure, stitch markers and a few random buttons in the top compartment. In the bottom she keep extra darning needles, her business cards and a larger cable stitch holder.

4 and 8: Tina is another organizational pro. She carries most of the regular essentials in her knitting kit: crochet hooks for picking up dropped stitches, a row counter, sticky notes, scissors, a gauge ruler, a tape measure and she prefers straight wooden cable needles. She likes to keep her kit in a clear bag. Our tools are small! So, when trying to find something like a tapestry needle, she likes to be able to visually locate it before diving into the bag. Another thing she finds important is having at least one stitch marker that is a completely different color than the others. If she’s working on a project in the round, with lots of markers, she needs the one that denotes the beginning of the round to stand out from all of the others. That way she doesn’t confuse the beginning of the round with a decrease, for example. (See, I told you she was an organizational pro!)

5: Mary sticks to the bare necessities. She keeps stitch markers and a yarn needle with her.

6: Stephanie likes to be prepared, and keeps practically all her notions with her at all times! She has locking stitch markers, stitch holders, two kinds of tape measures, a pencil, sewing needles, yarn needles, row counters, scissors, a crochet hook, a needle gauge a sewing needle threader and pins. Stephanie and Tina are the only ones here with a pencil in their kit, and it seems like an essential that’s commonly overlooked!

7: Greta keeps her kit in her Lantern Moon cases. We don’t have these specific ones anymore, but these Lantern Moon cases are a similar size. She keeps yarn needles, a tape measure, a stitch holder, a cable needle, locking stitch markers, soft stitch markers and a crochet hook. My favorite part of her tool kit is the Lantern moon cable needle set. It’s beautiful!

What’s in your tool kit? Do you like to be prepared for anything, or just stick to the basics?

Now that you have all your needles and hooks organized, (I don’t know about you, but I discovered a lot of duplicates) you’ve made them easy to find at home when you’re ready to get knitting or crocheting. Now, we’ve all been there. You’re at the yarn store, pattern in hand, wracking your brain trying to remember if you have that G hook at home, or that 32″ US 6 circular. Having everything organized at home is great, but knowing what you already have will save you the trouble of buying duplicates, and will help keep that needle and hook stash down!

 

Personally, I prefer the Ravelry method of tracking my needles and hooks. You can go to your library, and very easily add your needle and hook inventory to the grid. It even has the option to show how many you own of each size. This is so handy when you need two circulars for a project and you can’t remember if you have one or two at home. Then, just print out the card and keep it in your wallet! I put a few strips of clear tape over mine to keep it a little sturdy. When I’m at the yarn shop and buy a needle, I mark it on my card and update my Ravelry when I get a chance. You can even add comments if you want to keep track of the brands you have. 

Have a smartphone? There are a lot of great apps to help you keep track on the go. I like the Vogue Knitting iPhone App. Not only can you keep track of your needles and hooks, but you can also track the yarn and books you have at home, as well as storing information about all your projects.

The Knitting Needles App. lets you organize your needles in an easy to read chart as well as a list. You can also try the Ewe Stash – Knitting and Crochet Inventory App. for comprehensive needle, yarn and project organizing.

The Nancy’s Knit Knack Knit-Kards are fantastic. They have handy notes like knitting and crochet terms, as well as charts to keep track of your knitting needles and crochet hooks.

How do you keep track of your needles and hooks? Do you keep a chart or your smartphone with you to track while you’re out, or keep an inventory at home? Or maybe you like to live dangerously and rely on memory alone!

Yesterday, we went through all our knitting needles and crochet hooks to purge the duplicates and unwanted ones. Now, what do you do with it all? For the organizationally challenged like myself, it can be so tedious sorting through that big pile, but it does pay off in the long run. When I’m ready to start a project, the last thing I want to do is dig through a bottomless pit of hooks, straights, circulars and double points, needle gauge in hand checking each one for the size I need. We asked our staff and our readers for some ideas on how to store your needles and hooks.

Straight or Single Pointed Knitting Needles

• Try using a needle roll. If you’re even a basic sewer, you can try making one yourself. It’s a fairly easy afternoon sewing project.
• The most popular suggestion for storing your straight needles is to stand them up in a vase or a jar. You can let them fall where they may for a decorative look, or to keep things organized, use a rubber band or hair tie to secure same sizes together.

DPNs or Double Pointed Knitting Needles

• You can keep your double points on display in a vase too. It’s best to tie these together by size so you don’t have to check each one when it’s time to start a project. You can use a rubber band, hair ties, or even twist ties.
• Keeping a three ring binder with page protectors for your double points and circulars is my favorite solution. I keep one size per page protector.
• Double point needle tubes are an inexpensive solution for keeping them safe from breakage and organized by size.

Crochet Hooks

• Tea tins are the perfect depth to stand your hooks up and keep them on display.
• If you have a big crochet hook collection, sorting by brand first and then size might be the way to go.
• A pencil case is a simple, compact and portable storage solution.
• The Lily Crochet Roll works great!

Interchangeable Knitting Needles

• Most interchangeable sets come with a carrying case already. You can usually fit some notions in the case too.
• The Della Q Fabric Case is a beautiful solution if you want something extra special to store your set.

Circular Knitting Needles

• You can use your three ring binder for circulars too. I like to organize by cable length, then size. I have binder dividers sectioning off each cable length, so all the 24″ length needles are in one section, and then each size is in its own page protector.
• The Que Theo needle case keeps all your circulars organized and easy to find.
• I love the hanging circular needle organizer. It keeps needles on display and in order.
• You can keep your circular needles in separate boxes, and each size has its own zip-top baggie with the needle size written on it.
• The Namaste Circular case is an easy solution. Or, try getting a tri-fold portfolio style case from your office supply store. They are perfect for circulars. Write the needle size and cable length on the tabs to make them easy to find.
• The original packaging is actually an easy and economical way to store your circulars long term. They’re usually easy to open and close without ruining, and can even be hung up or filed away easily.

How do you like to store your knitting needles and crochet hooks? Do you like to keep them on display or tucked away in a binder or drawer?

Moth is a four letter word in the fiber community, and keeping them away from our precious yarn and finished projects should be a high priority. Working for months on a sweater only to have it ruined is heartbreaking. Preventing these little critters from getting into your stash isn’t too difficult. Removing them once they’re there can be harder, so some preventative measures are the best way to go. We asked our staff for their favorite ways to prevent yarn disaster.

I keep anything I bring into my house separate from the rest of my yarn for a little while just to make sure, and then it goes in plastic bins. – Mary K.

Lavender is a natural moth repellent, so using lavender sachets (which are easy as a DIY project with some fabric and dried lavender) is a good combination with an airtight container. (See image below)  - Michael W. and Sara D.

Within my storage bins, I group my yarns by weight and brand and keep each in a separate seal-able bag. For example, if I have 6 skeins of Cascade 220 I will put those into a zip-top bag, and put my 5 balls of Valley Superwash into another bag, even though they are both worsted weight yarns. That way, if moths happened to come home with me when I bought the Cascade 220, they will likely only destroy what was in that bag.  The Superwash is likely to be safe even though they were all in my worsted weight yarn container.  - Tina

Plastic storage bins with latching lids have been the best solution I’ve found. Some say that the original eucalyptus and lavender scents of Eucalan also discourage moths – they certainly can’t hurt! In the end, though, if your stash is more than a few years old, you’re going to have to know when to freeze it (if you suspect moth contamination, noticing a granular, sand-like “dust” on the yarn or find some adult moths on or near it, a few days in the freezer or outside in a bin in winter should kill moth eggs) and when to toss it. If you notice frayed ends sticking out of the yarn, you know there are even more within, and it’s time to let it go. But natural, undyed fibers DO make good compost – just saying!  - Kirsten H.

This week, the staff at WEBS is giving us some great ideas of what we can do with our leftover yarn!

(Left) I like to use leftover yarn as decoration at the bottom of a vase or mason jar. I filled this one with little pom poms made from scrap yarn and use it to keep my crochet hooks on display. > Mary K.

(Right) Adrian at Hello Yarn just published a beautiful mitten pattern that is BEYOND perfect for using up scraps of worsted weight yarns – which I happen to have tons of! The Hickory Mittens are gorgeous in just about any color combination you can think of and I’m already done with one, I’ll have a pair by the weekend and it is ALL STASH YARN! Cascade 220 and Northampton. > Sara D.

(Left) I have a basket full of random single skeins of yarn, and I want to get in the habit of doing a little creative knitting every day. So, every day this year, I’m knitting a small rectangle from my scrap basket and piecing them together on random weekends. By the end of the year, I’ll have a blanket! I’m taking a picture of the square I’ve knit each day and posting it to http://annualblanket.tumblr.com/ if you want to follow along. > Kirsten H.

(Right) I use some of my leftover yarn from bigger projects to give these crocheted hemp (or linen) bowls a decorative splash of color at the top. > Amy S.

(Left) Leftovers are perfect to use for tiny projects like toys and even for the stuffing inside them! > Grace H.

(Right) Yarn dolls use very little leftover yarn and are a perfect project to do with the kids. > Kristin L.

(Left) I love making felted slippers with my leftover feltable yarn like Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride and Valley Yarns Northampton. Since you hold together two strands of yarn for the Fiber Trends Clogs, you can get some fun results. > Dena C.

(Right) These furniture feet are a great way to protect your floors and add some design to a room. They use very little yarn but have a big impact. > Grace H.

Today is Day 8 in the 31 Days to Get Organized series, and we have a great tip for you! On Day 2, you went through your WIPs to see which projects were worth keeping, and which needed to be frogged.

Once you decide which projects to frog, you have to get that yarn back into shape so you can work with it again. A lot of my WIPs have been sitting for months and even years. After I frog a project, the yarn is left crimped and crinkled from being knit up for so long.

To get your yarn back into shape, you first need to get the yarn back into a hank. You can wind the yarn straight from your project onto your swift. You can make a hank by using the back of a chair or a niddy noddy too. Tie off segments of your hank to keep it all together using a bow or a loose knot so you can get it untied easily later.

Next you want to give your yarn a good soak. Make sure it’s fully saturated and the water reaches all the nooks and crannies. Get all the excess water out by rolling it gently up in a towel, then just hang your yarn to dry! It will drip, so keeping it set up in the bathroom or outside is your best bet.

Once the yarn is dry, you can put it back on the swift, wind it into a ball and you’re good to go!

Before storing, if you know the identity of the yarn, label it with some essential info like fiber content, weight, and yardage. If you know it’s a partial skein, weigh it on your kitchen scale and write down the weight so you know later how many yards you have left.

It’s so satisfying to bring old yarn back to life. Do you have an old WIP knit or crocheted in a yarn you would love to make into something else?

This week, the staff at WEBS is buzzing about some belated gifts for the holidays and a stunning bag knit in Cascade 220 Sport and lined with fabric!

I’ve used Cascade 220 Sport before, but now I’m even more in love with it after making my Scallop of the Sea clutch for the Holla Knits Holiday KAL. It’s light and lofty with a wonderful texture that makes knitting time just fly by! The hardest part was picking four colors for the pattern–I chose 9451 Lake Chelan Heather, 8013 Walnut Heather, 7802 Cerise and 9408 Cordovan, but I saw countless other perfect combinations. The yarn is also just sticky enough to keep your floats in check on the most complicated of stranded colorwork patterns! > Emma W.

(Left) The book 200 Fair Isle Motifs is an amazing resource for Fair Isle knitting. I’m planning an epic project, and the color photographs are wonderful. It includes charts for each motif, an easy reference for the number of stitches and rows each motif uses, and alternate all over pattern charts based on each motif. There’s also a bit of information on how to do fair isle knitting, steaking, and the history. I’m really excited to get the time to plot out the patterns I want to use. There’s an index showing all the patterns, referencing their page number so you can browse through all the beautiful colors. I’m super glad I got this one! > Kristin L.

(Right) Being a little behind in my knitting projects (I am not even talking Christmas!!) I have finally completed the afghan designed for my nephew who was married in July. The pattern is a free Ravelry download called “Nancy’s Favourite Afghan” by Nancy Duff. I did adjust the number of squares and added my stockinette border after instead of while knitting the entire piece. I just find that it adds more stability to the piece. I used one of my all time favorite yarns, Cascade Eco+ Wool, #8010 and just love the feel and stitch definition it produces. Now let’s see if I can get it delivered before their anniversary. > Lise G.