Work Hard. Play Hard. Knit Harder. Archives

All it needs is a little bit of love

By Christina Lee| August 9th, 2020|Craft Paper Scissors, Knitting, Work Hard. Play Hard. Knit Harder., Yarn Addict|

My sister has been working on this decades-long knitting project for some time now. I taught both my mom and sister how to knit years ago, and they each worked on their own knitting project. My sister pursued the Stockinette stitch and worked on this coral pink scarf. Back and forth she went, knit on knits and purl on purls. She made it through two balls of yarn before she got stuck (binding off) and left it in her desk drawer… for the next TEN years.

With a little summer cleaning, she was able to fish out her project. It came rolled up like a fruit roll up binded with rubber bands on each side to keep it from curling up at the ends. The problem with the stockinette stitch is if your knitting tension is too tight, it curls.

To finish this up, I casted-off since the scarf was already at a good (foldable) length. Then I laid it flat on the table and ironed it to reinforce its natural shape and form. And finally, it was time for the fun part, the part that everyone seems to like and want on their scarf — the fringes. Snipping away, I cut the yarn at around a length of 10 inches and adhered two pieces of yarn per stitch. When you fold it, it’s about 4.5 inches long.

Bouncy, plush and full, I returned the scarf to its happy owner.

Craft Day: All About Finishing

By Christina Lee| September 22nd, 2018|Craft Day, Handmade, Humbling Hobbies and Habits, Knitting, Oh My Crafts!, Work Hard. Play Hard. Knit Harder., Yarn Addict|

Today’s Craft Day is all about finishing! Over the last couple of month, I’ve accumulated enough crafting supplies to last me another decade or so. I’ve got skeins of yarn pouring out of boxes, knitting needles of every size and stitch markers between the couch cushions. With all those supplies, it’s hard not to start a new project. In fact, I think I’ve started more projects than I can even count on my two hands and I don’t think I’ve finished even one. Yikes, it’s time to get cracking… starting with picking up this baby.

Sadly, I started this cable knitted scarf in January 2017 and made some good progress as I was learning a new technique. For some reason, this fell by the wayside, and sat and sat, season after season. That reason was probably because it required a fair amount of concentration to relearn how to cable knit, lots of counting and the ability to use a separate hook to do the cable knitting — all of which detracted from the usual knitting and wine drinking regimen on the couch. At least I’m being honest, right?

Nonetheless, I’m glad I picked this project back up. It’s amazing how a cable knitted pattern produces such a rich, woven texture. Paired with a thick wool-like yarn and bright colors, the braided ropes really pop. All it takes is a little bit of patience and some practice. Want to learn how to cable knit? Here is a step-by-step tutorial with visuals on how to knit a cable.

Knitting on the Go

By Christina Lee| March 3rd, 2018|Handmade, Knitting, Work Hard. Play Hard. Knit Harder., Yarn Addict|

I’m due for another business trip and that means over 24 hours of travel (15 hours of flying on one airline, a layover and 4 hours on another). With all this time on the plane, what am I going to do with myself? It looks like I am going to have ample time to get cozy, watch a couple of movies and begin my knitting marathon. Lucky for me, there is no shortage of yarn in my closet from all my trips to Michaels!

Most of the patterns that I’ve knitted in the past couple of months have been over ten lines long with lots of counting and tallying. The patterns themselves aren’t challenging, but there’s as lot to keep track of and count. This time around, I decided to go with the “Eyelet Ribbed” pattern, which is only six lines and more manageable for traveling. If you can knit, purl, yarn over and purl two together, then it’s relatively easy. I like this pattern because it’s simple, doesn’t have too much counting and you end up with these beautiful column ridges at every other stitch along with these cute little peepholes. I also think this pattern goes well this spring colored yarn.

Well, off to my next flight!

In a Cable Knitting Frenzy

By Christina Lee| January 7th, 2017|Handmade, Knitting, Work Hard. Play Hard. Knit Harder., Yarn Addict|

Exploring the Bay Area for new coffee shops and finding that warm, cozy niche is my idea of making the most of a wet, wintry weekend. I’m always on the lookout for coffee shops with the right atmosphere — a balance between community tables with enough elbow room, an area to lounge, good coffee and bite-sized snacks, music and the right temperature. That’s not so much to ask for, right?

While the big chains, Starbucks, Peet’s and Philz are at the turn of every block, I’m a big fan of discovering independent coffee houses. There’s something about the warm, wholesome authentic feeling of being at home while sitting at a ‘mom and pop’ coffee shop that just cannot be replicated by the big leagues. But that’s not to say I’ll shy away from the chains, since you know what to expect for the most part.

We ended up making our way to Redwood City to check out the Starbucks Reserve. I’ve heard several good things about Starbucks Reserve — their freshly brewed reserve coffee, limited edition menu, gourmet wine and food selection — and even affogatos (!) on a hidden or soon to be released menu. I helped myself to a Butterscotch Reserve Latte in a hefty black, Reserve mug while picking up a new knitting pattern. Drunken off the creamy whole milk latte, I found myself tightly wound into a cable knitting frenzy as I braided one stitch over the other. This is my first attempt at cable knitting and I have YouTube to thanks for the step-by-step pattern. I’m looking forward to adding more stitches to this ‘brioche’ scarf, then bundling up to it during San Francisco’s cold, wintry season.

The Ribbed Diamond Pattern Scarf

By Christina Lee| October 1st, 2016|Handmade, Knitting, Work Hard. Play Hard. Knit Harder., Yarn Addict|

It’s craft day and I’m ready to pick out a new knitting pattern for a scarf. In flipping through my e-reader, I came across the Ribbed Diamond Pattern which caught my attention. This pattern is both reversible and symmetrical, so it’s perfect for a knitted scarf or cowl. I especially like the delicate texture and the flow of the ribbed diamonds as they cascade downwards.

Initially, I wanted to bring this scarf with me on a trip, but found it better to accompany me on my reading chair. There’s plenty of tallying and counting that comes along with the pattern, so my glass of red wine will just need to sit on the side. I’ve been working on it a little bit each week and have made some good progress, but there’s still quite a bit of work that needs to be done aside from the fringes that everybody loves. That said, this scarf is going to a very special Aunt and I’m hoping it will keep her warm in her daily commute to work.

The ‘Manhole’ Scarf

By Christina Lee| September 18th, 2016|Handmade, Knitting, Work Hard. Play Hard. Knit Harder., Yarn Addict|

It’s been a while since I completed a knitting project, and it’s the same feeling of accomplishment that feeds my soul and compels me to start another knitting project.

This pattern is called “The Manhole” and I thought is was rather fitting that I choose more of an olive green to accompany the circular indentations. The rounded texture is very prominent with uniquely positioned diagonal slant. It reminds me of a more pronounced version of the double seeded stitch.

If you’re interested in getting your hands on this pattern, you can get a copy of the Knitting Stitches by Sharon Turner. This visual encyclopedia is composed of over 350 stitch patterns, edgings and more.

Follow Me

Categories

Recent Posts