Knitting Needles etc.

4/28/2008 at the Tattered Cover

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We had some doubt as to who was stealing the yarn from the rack while we were gone, so I set up my video cam on time lapse to catch the culprit. The music is Corey Vs Corey’s Katamari Damacy cover.

Duration : 0:1:33

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I would like crochet some dog toys for a humane society fundraiser and need to find a tough yarn that would make good toys.

There is a yarn on the market called Phentex and it is also nylon, and pretty much bullet proof. It goes in the washing machine very well.

Part 2 of the How to do Yarn Extensions series.

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This is the unorthodox method I use for spinning worsted roving slivers into worsted yarn using a drop spindle. I hope that it may help beginning spinners by showing an alternative method to more traditional operations of spinning.

Duration : 0:1:21

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I want to make one of those purses out of plastic grocery/walmart bags that you see everywhere, but I don’t know how to make the "yarn" first.

I have an idea on how to make the purse on my Knifty Knitter, so I don’t need to know how to do that. I just want to know how to make a couple balls of the material that I can use to make the purse.
How would I cut the bags in a spiral?

crochetpatterncentral.com has a category for plastic yarn, tutorial and items to make

I crochet items for nursing homes, hospitals and the aspca. Only I can’t afford to buy all the yarn needed for these projects, So I need to find sources for free yarn to make all these goodies that I hand out through the year.

Besides talking with your local yarn shops, joining freecycle, and checking at your local thrift stores you could also write a letter to the yarn manufacturers and see if they could donate yarn. I’ve heard them do this in years past, but their donation supplies are limited so you need to keep in touch with them on a regular basis so they keep you in mind.

GROUP 9: Leisure Arts Inc. and Blue Ridge Yarn?
A) Sassy Swing Jacket designed by Lisa Gentry in Bamboozle, Crystal Palace for Leisure Arts
B) Cabled Confection designed by Debra Newton in La Gran Mohair from Classic Elite for Leisure Arts
C) Dancing Tides Skirt designed by Sue Hansen in Jubilee from Blue Ridge Yarns?

GROUP 10: Claudia Hand Painted Yarns and Pagewood Farms
A) Fair Isle Extravaganza designed by Gwen Bortner in Fingering from Claudia Hand Paint Yarns?
B) Granny Takes a Trip designed by Ellene Warren in Sport Weight from Claudia Hand Painted Yarn?
C) Needle Felted Ruana designed by Fayla Reiss in Silk Scarves w/Tinkerbell Fluff from Pagewood Farms

GROUP 11: Karabella Yarns and Jojoland?
A) Hairpin Lace Jacket designed by Berta Karapetyan in Margrite Bulky from Karabella
B) Fur Trim Crochet Vest designed by Berta Karapetyan in Margrite & Rabbit Fur from Karabella Yarns
?C) Swirl Vest designed by Lijuan Jing in Rhythm Superwash from Jojoland

GROUP 12: Interweave and Fur Yarn By Paula Lishman
A) Blanket Coat designed by Melissa Wehrle in McTaggart Tweed & Heather for Interweave Knits Fall Magazine 2009?
B) Twisted Flowers Pullover designed by Shirley Paden in Jade Sapphire Cashmere this Fall from Interweave Press
C) Muskoka Stroller designed by Paula Lishman in Sheared Beaver & Chinchilla from Fur Yarn By Paula Lishman

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ANSWERS TO COMMENTS: the tow rope was used to tow the boat out to the site about 15 miles offshore (you can’t intentionally sink a boat with a working engine on it). NO ONE DIED. The boat was thoroughly cleaned over the course of more than a year before it was sunk, to make sure it conformed to government standards. It is now home ot thousands of fish.
* * * * On Thursday, August 24, 2007, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources intentionally sank the aging research vessel Jane Yarn to create an artificial reef. The Yarn, named for the late environmental pioneer Jane Hurt Yarn, served since 1998 as the primary research vessel for Grays Reef National Marine Sanctuary off the Georgia coast. This new use for the ship honors Jane Yarn’s commitment to the Georgia coast, and a plaque affixed to the new artifical reef bears her name.

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I’m almost finished with the first piece and I need to find out how to work in the next yarn.

I follow the crochet book’s instructions of how to change thread. It works whether it’s the same color or a different color, depending on the type of stitch you are using: Place the end of the new skein along the row you are currently crocheting. (About 1½ inches.) Using the old skein, crochet over this "tail" and make two or three (I sometimes finish the current pattern I’m in, which may be five or six) stitches over the tail. Then, during the LAST step of a stitch, drop the old yarn, pick up the new yarn and complete the LAST step of the current stitch you are on. This puts the new yarn at the top of the stitch, ready for the next one. Then, as you continue crocheting, make sure the old yarn is being crocheted over with the new yarn, for a couple of inches.

At that point, cut the OLD yarn. Then weave in the ends of each "tail" using a needle with a large eye (tapestry needle as noted by another answerer is okay). Do this on the back part of the garment — if it’s an afghan, or some item that is reversible, either side is okay. Make sure the ends are woven in invisibly (I put it through the thick part of the stitch on the row right below).

Takes a long time to tell how to do, but a short time to do it. Once the ends are woven in, just continue on with your crocheting. The yarn doesn’t slip out and is actually pretty sturdy because of being crocheted over then woven in.

One Note: If you are changing color frequently during your project, like making stripes or blocks:

If it’s stripes on each row, just change colors at the end of each row.

If it’s several blocks across the length of the item, carry the unused color underneath instead of cutting each time (just crochet over the unused color for the whole length of the block, then when it’s time to change color on the same row, bring up the color you were crocheting over and use that color to then crochet over the one you just finished.

This way, there’s no knots to worry about. And I hate changing colors, so weaving in as I go is much easier for me than doing it after the project is finished!