Trish Knits.com

Category: blog

  • Knitting Knews this week

    Photo of Magic Loop Knitting Technique

    There’s a new knitting community for folks who enjoy the Magic Loop method of circular knitting. The group is called magic-loop and it’s being hosted on Yahoo. There was another group of a similar name, but the owner has gone AWOL and the current moderator is having a really hard time managing the group without being able to change any settings while she is away or whatever.

    I absolutely love the magic loop technique. I use it for all of my circular knitting projects, which to date have been mostly hats. Someday I will attempt socks but haven’t done it yet. Maybe later this year…

    Yarn Harlot Books Now on iTunes!

    Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off Book Cover

    Guess what I found last night?? Stephanie Pearl-McPhee now has two books on iTunes!! Stephanie Pearl McPhee Casts Off, and At Knits End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much. I bought them both!! Finally they have a couple of knitting books on iTunes. It’ll be great for listening to by the pool once I’m done with Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Love it!

  • Happy Knitting Day!

    rainbow stripey blanket in progress again

    So today was spent as every 4th of July is at my house — at the Whitehall Pool and Tennis Club, enjoying a fun picnic and great company. As per usual for me, my time at the pool was spent with much knitting! I know I’ve said it about a thousand times, but I am getting so bored with this project! My intentions are honorable and I will keep going, as this is a baby blankie for a dear friend who is expecting her first. I’m even growing sick of the rainbow colorway, but I keep my energy up because people keep coming up to me at the pool and telling me how pretty it is. Sometimes I choose to believe them, and sometimes I just nod and smile, knowing full well that they can notice this blindingly bright blanket in progress from hundreds of yards away! I do hope that my friend will like it in the end, even though I am growing increasingly doubtful that the project will be done before the baby gets here.


    Now Playing on an iPod Near Me…

    Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Audiobook CD cover

    So while I’m knitting at the pool, I’m listening to the audio version of “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.” I am quite ashamed to admit this, but when I picked up knitting about 4 years ago, I all but stopped reading. (Except for knitting books!) Prior to being a knitter I was an avid reader and I especially loved the Harry Potter series. But here I am, two years after the release of this book, and only weeks away from the release of the ultimate chapter in the series, and I still had not read the book in its entirety. Egad, how awful this was, especially given that my husband arranged for Amazon to deliver it on the very day it was released. I am truly ashamed.

    But, I must admit… a year ago I purchased the Audio CD version. I had heard that the books were very well “performed” by Jim Dale, and wow! What a treat for the ears this is! I wish I had listened to it long ago. If you’re a knitter AND a Harry Potter fan, these Audiobooks are the way to go! They are pricey, but I am also tempted to get the one for “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” since the movie is coming out soon. I need to refresh my memory a bit!

    Anyway, that’s my update for now. Exciting, eh? We’re expecting severe summer storms so I’d better log off for now. Hope all in the US are enjoying the 4th!

  • Wrapped in Comfort

    Wrapped in Comfot Book Cover

    This week I received my copy of Wrapped in Comfort: Knitted Lace Shawls by Alison Hyde. I’ve had the pleasure of getting to “know” Alison over the last several years, thanks to the Internet, and the various mailing lists we’ve been on over time. I always love hearing her stories of her knit scarves and shawls, and how they somehow find their way to just the right person at the right time. She has a knack for that.

    I’m so glad Alison wrote this book! Ok, I’m so NOT a lace knitter, but this book makes me want to try. The patterns are clearly presented in written form as well as in charts, which is great for me since I don’t do charts very well. But the cool thing about this book is that it’s not just a great collection of beautiful patterns from the heart. It’s not just a knitting book. It’s also ABOUT the knitting. Each pattern has a story, and Alison included the story of the pattern, and the person it was for, or the situation in which it was created. Not only do the shawls and scarves presented in the book wrap the recipient of the objects in comfort, but the book does this as well. It is, indeed, a “comfort read” for knitters.

    Way to go, Alison! And thanks for sharing so much of yourself and your talent with the rest of us.

  • …and Ham!

    Green Eggs

    Do not adjust your monitors! This is what my children wanted to eat for lunch today. Really. My daughter even cooked them herself. Just thought I’d share!!

    In my knitworld, I’m still knitting away at the baby blanket pictured in the entry just before this one. I’d post a photo, but it wouldn’t be too different from the last one. So that one will have to do for now. Maybe next week I’ll post an updated picture.

  • Blankie Update Again

    rainbow stripey blanket in progress

    Well, it’s been a while since I’ve written an actual post, so I thought I would show an update on my progress with the rainbow striped blankie I’m working on. It’s finally starting to look like a blanket! But alas, I have a long way to go!

    If you’ve never seen my blankie before today, check out my April 5 post to learn about my methodology. It looks random but it isn’t, and I’m still looking forward to each color change as it occurs.The baby that will be the recipient of this is due in late August and I am worried that I won’t be done in time. Thankfully we have a trip to Florida coming up in August, which will mean at least 28 hours of knitting time in the car. That should help! Don’t tell anyone, but I think I am actually looking more forward to the car ride than the vacation itself. Yes, we’re going to Disney in August. (Have you checked their website lately? The music is obnoxious!!)

    Ok, it’s crazy to go in August, but the kids don’t have day camp then and we’d need to take off anyway to take care of them. I’m going to try to be “good” when we go there, but I hear that they don’t let people in wheelchairs ride the wheelchair accessible rides unless you get out of your own wheelchair and ride in one of theirs. This of course assumes that the wheelchair user can actually stand up or move easily, which hey, might apply to some people in wheelchairs, but leaves a lot of folks out, sweating in the heat. Something tells me I’m going to get lots of knitting done on this trip!

    Podcasts

    I am listening to several podcasts this summer. My favorites are of course Cast On, the KnitPicks Podcast, and Stitch Stud and his Bride. Of course I am partial to Cast On, and what fun! Brenda Dayne is taking her listeners to “camp” this summer! I shall enjoy this immensely while knitting by the pool. I admit to being secretly envious of all of those knitters who attend knitting camps, cruises or other events, and maybe this series will help me to feel a sense of community even when I am knitting in solitude.

    I do have to say that even though it is hard for me not to view the KnitPicks podcast with a degree of skepticism, given that after all, they sell the products they rave about, it is very well produced and fun to listen to.

    And stitch stud? So far I’m just enjoying the “guy” perspective on knitting. Check these out! All three are great things to knit by, and no, you don’t need an iPod to listen.

  • Hello Again!

    I’m still busily adding my old blog entries into the new blog system, but so far so good!

    I’ve noticed that some folks out there have linked to particular pages in my old blog. With the new WordPress file structure, all of my link names are changing! The most common pages linked are my tutorial on setting up to knit on one long circular, which is here:

    Yes You Can! Knitting Small Round Items without Double Pointed Needles

    and my two patterns, which are here:
    Fancy Cabled Braided Scarf

    Cables and Eyelets Scarf

    If you did happen to link to these things before, thanks! And now you have updated bookmarks.

    Of course I am still busily working on my stripey baby blanket. It has most of a new band of yellow on it and I am hoping to start the next color soon. I’ll post a new pic later this week. Until then, happy knitting!