Author Archives: sweatyknitter

About sweatyknitter

Fiber artist, practitioner of yoga, author, consultant and amateur chef.

Knitting By Example

Posted on May 19, 2013

I have childhood memories of sitting on my dad’s lap and “teaching him” how to knit.  I remember he would half smile as he watched me, 5 years old, knitting so seriously.  While I do not recall that he ever … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting | Tagged , , | 7 Comments

Big Heads

Posted on May 15, 2013

I have always despised the knit and crochet hat patterns that boldly assert they fit the “average sized head.”  What is “average” and for whom?  In statistical language, an average is the central tendency of data, and the three most … Continue reading →

Posted in Crocheting, Knitting | 15 Comments

For Mother’s Day: Mrs. M’s Mandelbread

Posted on May 12, 2013

I have always thought Thor lucky to have a mother who both loved being a mother and enjoyed cooking for her family.  He has always been especially fond of her mandelbread.  When I learned that it was a favorite of Thor’s, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cooking | 12 Comments

Tackling the Poorly Written Pattern

Posted on May 9, 2013

The pattern I tried to follow for the garment my granddaughter F wants (the gilet pictured to the right) drove me batty. My friend Naomi – the queen of color -gave me this button. The yarn is Verde Collection Seedling Hand … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting, Miscellany | Tagged , | 8 Comments

On the Heels of “Anatomy of a Pattern”

Posted on May 5, 2013

I recently and for the first time had the opportunity to read The Knitting Collection ): “From the publishers of Yarn Forward (Knit) magazine. The Knitting Collection, 56 Stunning Patterns Inside!” It is curious (providential?) that I was given this … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting | Tagged , , | 33 Comments

Needles & Hooks, Part 1: Sources

Posted on May 2, 2013

Knitting needles have certainly evolved over the years. I remember a couple of pairs of circular knitting needles of my mother’s where the cords were actually a thin braided or twisted wires. They had an awful tendency to snag the … Continue reading →

Posted in Crocheting, Knitting, Miscellany | 18 Comments

Holding the Attention of My Impatient Knitter

Posted on April 28, 2013

In my last post, I described the first part of my approach to capturing the interest of my impatient granddaughter F whom I hope will succumb to the knitting bug.  The second approach is through books. As a bookish child … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 24 Comments

Grabbing the Interest of the Impatient Knitter

Posted on April 25, 2013

Before my daughter started school she would sit on my lap while I knit, her hands resting on my lap.  “Look!  I’m knitting,” she would happily exclaim.  Soon she morphed into putting her hands under my hands.  “Look!  I’m knitting … Continue reading →

Posted in Knitting | Tagged | 43 Comments

Grandmothers & Academic Study

Posted on April 21, 2013

For many of us, our love of fiber arts has been passed down through generations.  In particular, it seems, our grandmothers have sparked, encouraged and/or nourished our interest. The picture to the right is of my grandmother and mother (circa … Continue reading →

Posted in Crocheting, Fibers, Knitting, Norwegian Knitting | Tagged | 27 Comments

How NOT to Write Instructions

Posted on April 16, 2013

The picture to the right shows a portion of the instructions for a knitting pattern.  This is how it reads: Wow.  What a mouthful.  It is a run on sentence, and, as is, leaves a lot of room for error … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 37 Comments