Wool Free and Lovin' Knit

Looking for some Swift Advice

I have owned two yarn swifts in my knitting life so far.  

The first was an Umbrella Swift/Skein Winder  by Lacis which was made of plastic and thin wire and it eventually started to get bent out of shape.

 I can still use it in a pinch, but it was really never meant to be a heavy duty worker - I think it was advertised as a travel tool for knitters on the road. 

Most recently I purchased a wooden swift from Knit Picks.

 Regrettably that swift did not last long either.  The wood screw (which keeps the swift in place) had a nasty habit of letting go at totally inopportune times.

 Thankfully Knit Picks allowed me to return it but now I am without a yarn swift. 

In the meantime, I've noticed that a lot of knitters have gone to the Amish-Design Wooden Yarn Swift   (even homemade versions of it).  I can see a lot of "pro's" for this design (definitely easier to set up and take down) but I'm wondering if there are any con's? 

I'm hoping you'll all share what type of yarn swift  you have and why  you chose it?  I'm going to have to make a decision pretty swiftly since I have a lot of new yarn to wind.

All Wound Up

I finally cashed in the birthday money I've been hoarding for the past few years and purchased a Heavy Duty Ball Winder from Nancy's Knit knacks.  As you can see, this baby is about as SOLID as they come.  

I love the position of the handle -- so much easier on the arm compared to traditional ball winders and it rides very smooth.  I didn't splurge for the electronic handle, but it can be added on anytime (hint, hint family). 

I wound about 25 balls of yarn this afternoon just to get the hang of it. I did get a few wonky balls (user error) but once I figured out what I was doing wrong it was a "cake" walk. 

Practice makes perfect and not to worry, there's plenty more unwound yarn where that came from so I'll get lots of opportunity to use it again soon.  In the meantime, hauling all those unwound skeins of yarn out made me realize I'd better get knitting!

Any ball winding tips and tricks you want to share?  I'm all ears!

How to make Seaming Seem Fun

Yesterday, Alyssa shared that she hates seaming and asked if I had any tips to make it more fun.  My first thought was, it's all relative.  For example, in contrast to knitting the fiddly bobbles on the final square yesterday, seaming seemed a lot more fun.  

So that would be my first piece of advice.  Whenever you get to a really tedious spot in your knitting, pull out a seaming project to work on instead.  It will seem much more fun. 

But no, it's not that I LOVE seaming myself, but I have found it to be more enjoyable now that I know HOW to seam various types of stitches.  By watching on-line tutorials (like this one) and studying knitting technique books (like The Knitter's Companion: Expanded and Updated (The Companion series) ), I've learned to make most of my seams "invisible" and that means that when I'm done seaming, I feel pleased with the finished result.  Knowing how to seam is one of the things that made seaming more fun for me.  

So, what about you? Do you love or hate to sew up the seams on your knitting projects?  How would you answer Alyssa's question?  How have you made the task of seaming more fun for yourself? 

 

Colonial Rosewood Interchangeable Circular Needles -- One year later

Well, it's just under a year since I received my Colonial Rosewood Interchangeable Needles and I've been asked more than a few times (and just yesterday again) how I feel about them now that some time has passed.  

I still like them very much.  I've used them A LOT.  But there have been a few disappointments along the way which, in the event you are considering buying them, you may want to know about. 

1. Quality control is not 100%.  It was months after getting the needles that I went to use one of the larger size tips and discovered that it was not properly constructed.  I had purchased my set at Webs and they were able to replace the tip right on the spot, but their comment, "no problem, this happens a lot" tells me that my experience was not unique.  Do your own quality control on ALL tips when you make your purchase. 

2. The little gold painted numbers VERY QUICKLY rub off with wear so if you still want to be able to identify the size of your tips at a glance in the future,  paint over the number with a light coat of clear nail polish. 

3. The 16" cable is one I don't use because it is so short/stiff that it does not join smoothly -- thus you'll have yarn catching on the join on one side (very frustrating).  I have heard from other users that this flaw has been noted by the manufacturer and they are working on improving that for future sets (not sure how soon this change will happen or if it's happened already).

4. The case is very flimsy and I find myself wishing (often) that the fabric was a little stiffer.

5. The tips screw on which means they also screw off.  You want to make sure your tips are tight when you pick up your knitting as it is possible for them to loosen in your knitting bag or over time if your garment is heavy and you may be left holding a tip with your stitches on the floor (doesn't happen often but I try to remember to tighten things up regularly). 

Having said all that, I'm still a fan and I still haven't found anything out there I like better. The rosewood is very smooth, very strong and still has a good point to it even after a year's use (there are tips I've used a LOT, 4.5 mm for example, that still feel like new). I still think it's one of the best materials for wool-free yarns. 

If you've got any first-hand experience with these needles please share it by leaving a comment!

Just Sayin'

 I had to stop into Windsor Button the other day to pick up some more cream denim yarn and I noticed these darling sock needle sets on the counter.  They're from Regia Strumph-Stricknadlen and they come 4 needles and 2 rubber socks to a set.  Thought it was a very cute way to keep your needles together.  

They'd make a great stocking stuffer for a knitter, wouldn't they dear? 

 

The Lacis Swift in Action

I love this  Umbrella Swift/Skein Winder   and I especially love how you can turn it on its side (recommended) -- it looks just like a pretty Ferris wheel going around and around.

I used it to wind my hank of  BC Garn Jaipur Silk Fino.  The only problem is I'm not sure what I want to knit with this gorgeous periwinkle yarn.  I have 100 grams (600 meters) and they recommend a 2-2.5mm needle.  I'm sort of favoring a small shawlette that I could wear more as a scarf than a shawl.  Any suggestions? 

Weighing In on my Newest Knitting Gadget

Several months ago,Glenna at Knitting to stay Sane, shared a new knitting gadget she had just bought.  It was from Lee Valley Tools and I decided right then and there I had to have one.  It was this pocket weigh scale.

It wasn't  marketed for knitters,  but it works really well for weighing left-over yarn.  I love it because it is super small and compact (folds closed, weighs 500g) which means it tucks away easily (key for my small space living) and is portable too in the event I should ever feel the need to weigh yarn on the go. (okay, that's a stretch but you never know).  

The thing that came to mind immediately when I saw this scale was that I could finally know the answer to a burning question I've had. You see, I have some left over Seasilk from the Waterfall Scarf I made and I've never really known how much it was exactly.  Enter the weigh scale and voila, I have my answer.

Now if anybody has a pattern I could knit up with 1.75 oz of Seasilk I would love to hear about it.