Sapphires-N-Purls Podcast: Episode 12

I have decided to post this episode on YouTube, because once again I have run out of space on my Podbean account, and another upgrade just isn't in the budget right now.  (For those who may be new to the blog, the pod cast started out just as a show to listen to; recently I decided to switch to a video pod cast.  You can find all prior episodes of the show on my Pod Bean Page.  For now, until I find a better solution, the show will be posted to YouTube.)

In this Episode:

I show you the progress I am making on the cable afghan I have been working on using Araucania Azapa. It's coming along pretty well, although slow.  I am just picking a color and knitting until I run out, and then starting a new color.  So far I have green, and just added a new skein of purple.  I really like how the cables are turning out!

I show you the yarns that I got recently at a shop called Bloomin Yarns, which is located in McMurry Pennsylvania.

Also, Patons Lace yarn from Joann's.  I can't seem to find the Patons pattern booklet for this yarn, or the beads I talk about on their website.

As always, I have magazines!  You can find links for the magazines in the Magazine Tab at the top of the blog:
Knit'n Style
Simply Knitting
Let's Knit
Knit Today!
Verena
Knitting
Knit
Knit Scene

Lucy Neatby's DVDs:
Knitting Gems 1
Knitting Gems 2
Knitting Gems 3
Knitting Gems 4
Knitting Venus 1
Knitting Venus 2
Double Knitting Delight 1

That about wraps it up for this episode.  I hope to have the next stitch pattern up this evening for The Weekly Stitch, along with the video.  Hope you enjoy the show - thanks for taking the time to watch.  Please come back for the next episode!

This and That

Interweave Knits is kind of getting on my nerves.  A while back, they sent me a DVD - Secrets for Successful Knitting: Intro to Fair Isle: The Ivy League Vest with Eunny Jang.  I watched maybe the first 10 minutes, and then forgot about it.  Now, I did not order this thing, and the paper they sent with the DVD clearly states that since I didn't order the DVD, I was not obligated to participate or send the DVD back, and could consider it a free gift.   They have now sent me 3 "reminders" to either pay for or send back the DVD.  However if I may also keep it as a free gift since I did not request it.

Please.  Stop sending me these reminders.  I really wish I knew what I did with the damn thing so I could send it back.

Today is a cranky day.

Without Internet service!

Once again I am having service issues. The wonderful folks at Comcast can't send a tech out til Tuesday. Fabulous. So. I will be spending a good portion of the next few days knitting, as there will be nothing else to occupy me. At least I have my phone to keep me in contact with the world.

Knit the Knits, Purl the Purls

Perhaps you have come across this phrase in your knitting, maybe not.  These instructions used to confuse me to no end. The first time I saw this was in a cable stitch pattern.  It was the first time I was attempting a cable, which can be daunting enough for a new knitter.  This was before I had discovered the wealth of information available on the internet, so although unsure of what I was supposed to do, I forged ahead in the manner I thought was correct.  I thought I was supposed to knit the stitches that had been knit on the previous row, and purl the stitches I had purled.

The first attempt was not good; I ended up with an ugly, lumpy thing on my fabric that did not look anything like the beautiful, winding cable in the picture.  I decided to try again.  I had not yet learned to recognize how each stitch looks, so I copied down the previous row on a piece of paper so I could mark off each stitch as I came to it, to make sure I got it right this time, and started again.  Of course, I got another lumpy mess of yarn instead of cable.  I was beginning to get frustrated at this point, and after a couple more attempts, I just gave up.  It didn't dawn on me to do anything different; I just thought I somehow kept making a mistake with only one stitch, which was causing errors in the rest of the row.  Having nobody to ask for clarification, I avoided all stitches and patterns that contained this phrase for a long time.

I can't remember what made the light bulb go off in my head, but one day it just hit me.  And now I understand what it means when the pattern says to knit the knits and purl the purls, or work each stitch as it appears.  So, if you also are confused by this, here is a video and picture that will hopefully help the light bulb go off for you.

If you are to knit the knits and purl the purls in this row, the stitches that are marked with blue arrows would be purled, and the stitches marked with red arrows would be knit.