calling David Letterman

I started knitting about a year ago.  Christy and I bought a Groupon to an awesome shop here in Wichita called Twist.  Along with a couple other friends we we took our first knitting class and were purling like crazy!  [A special thank you goes out to our instructor, Lindsey, who put up with our constant interruptions, very loud conversation, and Christy's intermittent (or not really so intermmittent) swearing-- WE LOVE YOU LINDSEY!!!]

Christy and I then dragged Jennifer into our expanding web of yarn and we took then next knitting class from Lindsey.  (Elaine has been knitting all her life and has no need for pedestrian classes like the rest of us).  The past year has brought 3 dead fish hats, 10 ruffled scarves, 4 placemats, 1 baby Harry Potter Hat, 3 Griffyndor scarves, one dog scarf, a stuffed rabbit, 3 Christmas Stockings, 4 Gap-Tastic Cowls and countless scrubbies, but we finally feel like we know what we are doing with our needles and yarn.

We like knitting so much, we want the whole world to knit with us.  So, if you haven't learned yet, take a class at a local business.  And to help you out at your new venture, we have put together a little list to help you get started in your own knitting revolution!  So, without further ado, here is my Top 10 list.

Top 10 Websites for New Knitters

1.  Learn how to knit with KNITTING HELP for free!

2.  Ravelry is like facebook for knitters and crocheters. Find friends and free patterns.

3. Knitty

4.  High Quality, Low Cost Yarn at Knit Picks.

5.  Planet Purl: After you learn how to knit, you will want to visit yarn shops all over the world.  This site helps you do just that!

6.  Purl Bee is great for a daily dose of creativity.

7.  Knit Purl Gurl

8.  Knitting Fool has over 2300 stitch patterns and counting.

9.  Knitting Lemonade

10. the knotty krafters :)  Check back for new patterns!

Cheers!  Jaime

Happy Belated Turkey Day!!

Perhaps it is because of the long weekend of shopping and overindulgence, but I have a strong desire to listen to Queen sing christmas songs all day and quit my job.

I love my job, wouldn't trade it for any other.  But today, like many others, I would much rather sit around drinking tea, dancing in my kitchen, and sewing all day.  But moving on.  This is supposed to be a summary post; a bridging post; a post to fill you all in on what in the hell we've been doing since any of us posted last; GET. IT. TOGETHER. So this fall has mostly been a craft crash of everyone getting presents ready for christmas.  Jaime I'm sure will give you a full summary once all her gifts have been disbursed and everyone is incredibly happy with their new savvy homemade gift.  She's making everyone's present so I'm sure she's going crazy.  I should probably check on her, make sure she hasn't succumbed.  In the interest of not ruining anyone's christmas glee, I will be vague and only go over the public projects. First we took a christmas stocking class. Through this we learned to do colorwork which I think everyone will agree makes general knitting seem SO MUCH EASIER. The green things are supposed to be dog bones, but clearly it looks more like barbed wire. So we'll run with that.       One of our Harry Potter book club members--yes, we have a book club (we have finished HP and are now on to game of thrones)--one of our members is expecting, so we threw a HP themed baby shower with themed foods, drinks, games, and gifts.  Was the best baby shower I've ever been to. Here's a picture of the diaper cake we created which includes a baby hat, scarf, and shirt, and a scarf for mom. Most recently I visited Chicago, and while it has NOTHING to do with anything here, I'm still using it as an excuse for the severe lack of posting, so here--have a picture! Last but not least, I forced my sig fig to attend the Elk Falls Outhouse Tour. Yes, I couldn't possibly make this up.  (For proof, see http://elkfallsouthousetour.com) There were outhouses placed all over Elk Falls, along with food stops, crafts, and even a quilt show.  For a dollar you got a button, a map, and a ballot.  Absolutely amazing.  I think it may actually become an annual trip for me and it may become a supper club outing as well.  It is the weekend before Thanksgiving every year, and the weather could not have been better this year.  To prove I'm not lying, here's a picture of the winning outhouse. More posts to come on the status of our christmas projects and pictures of the decor as well.  Until then, THERE ARE ONLY 27 DAYS TO CHRISTMAS-GET OFF YOUR ASS!

--Christy

How to Read a Pattern (Knitting Addition)

How To Read A Pattern (Knitting). If a knitting pattern looks like greek to you, try this handy video!