Stitching Christmas: Day 12

Have you ever knitted a Christmas stocking? If so, please share a picture and, if you like, the pattern that you used to make it. I'd love to see what you've done!




Have a blessed Christmas season!

Stitching Christmas: Day 11

Isn't this beautiful? I don't see a pattern on the page this pin links to, but maybe there is one on the site somewhere. With the picture, maybe someone could work it out on their own. It would be a fun adventure. :)

Stitching Christmas: Day 10

Isn't this little elf adorable? There are links for tons of patterns at the site linked on this pin.

Stitching Christmas: Day 9

Check out this awesome angel!




Have a blessed Christmas!

Stitching Christmas: Day 8

Wouldn't these be just beautiful with the tree lights shining through them?




Happy Stitching!

Stitching Christmas: Day 7

This site has tons of beautiful things to make for Christmas and every day, too.




Have a blessed Christmas and New Year, everyone!

Stitching Christmas: Day 6

Have you ever knitted ornament-sized mittens before?




Have a wonderful week, everyone!

Stitching Christmas: Day 5

This site links to various ornament patterns. The one shown in the pin below is not written in English, just so you know. It appears to be Danish, according to Google Translate.




Have a great December, y'all!

Stitching Christmas: Day 4

Want to keep your cup of coffee or hot chocolate warm or at least looking festive?  How about this cup cozy?




I hope that you're having a blessed Sunday!

Stitching Christmas: Day 3

This page is not in English, but it has graphs/charts to go by.  Aren't they pretty?




Have you made any Christmas ornaments this year?  Have you ever made any?  Please share where we can go to see a picture of them!

Have a blessed day, y'all!

Stitching Christmas: Day 2

How about some snow, y'all?  If you live in a warm climate like we do, where snow is most likely not going to happen, these beautiful snowflakes could be the next best thing!




Have a blessed day!

Stitching Christmas: Day 1

It has been far too long since I have posted here.  It is my hope to post a Christmas-related pin each day throughout December.

Please share with me what you're working on this month.  I'd love to hear all about it!

Isn't this the cutest thing?

Kissy's New Hat

On my other blog, PS Annie!, I promised that I would share a picture of the hat that I've been working on.

Here is Kissy wearing her new hat!

I started out to follow the great pattern that I found at this website: Annie Cholewa: Downtown Hat

It took me a couple of starts to get it going because I first had trouble with picking up the stitches on the crown. I've never done that before. I ripped it out at least twice and started over. The switch over from the straight needles to the circular needle went just fine. I wish I could say as much about my memory!

Crown

I forgot where I was in the stitch pattern so many times that I had no idea what I would end up with. I definitely couldn't do it exactly the same again. It is a one of a kind original, as they say. I gave up trying to follow the pattern once the stitch pattern changed itself because I knitted once (or maybe three times) where I should have knitted twice. Either way, it was off. I ended up with a diagonal pattern for a few rows until I forgot again how many knit stitches I had done and set it back on course for the way the pattern started out.

Brim and side

Side

  

Diagonals - Oops!

So, what do you think?  Do you think this one turned out okay? Do you think that I should try, once again, to do the original pattern?  Let me know in the comment section, please. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Learning to Crochet and Knit

I learned to crochet when I was a young girl in middle school. I was age 13 and in 8th grade. Granny squares were all the rage around me. My Aunt Vi taught me how to make granny squares. Everything else I've fought through and learned on my own in regards to crochet. Aunt Vi loved to crochet and had granny square afghans all over the place in her house. It was a colorful house.

Learning to knit didn't come so easily for me. When I was pregnant with my first child way back in 1986, I desperately wanted to be able to knit a pair of booties. I had no clue how to knit, but my mother-in-law was a knitter, so I turned to her for help in learning. That didn't work. I tried; I really did, but I just couldn't master it. I was disappointed.

Fast forward to the late 1990s, David and I started a charity called Littlest Lambs that gave items to premature babies and babies in need. I could crochet, but my volunteers could do so much more. Two of these volunteers, very sweet and talented ladies named Mrs. Poole and Mrs. Walters, could knit up a storm. They could have a pair of booties knitted in the time it took me to cast on. Though they had their work cut out for them, they took me on. They had a great deal of patience and taught me to knit.

They knitted two entirely different ways. Mrs. Walters did what she called the "throwing method" and Mrs. Poole, from South Africa, knitted continental style. Mrs. Walters got to me first, so the throwing method stuck. She said the reason that my mother-in-law couldn't teach me to knit was *because* she was my mother-in-law. Some things just don't work, no matter how hard either party tries.

I can see that the continental style that Mrs. Poole used would be much faster if I could just master it. With the throwing method, there are all sorts of opportunities for dropping stitches or having the needle just slide right out of everything if I'm not really careful. I am in search of a tutorial or video that can help me to fully grasp the continental style so that I can speed up my knitting. Right now I'm slower than a snail.

Crochet comes much easier for me and I can do it much faster than knitting.

What about you? Do you knit or crochet? Which do you prefer to do? Which comes easiest for you?

Please share your answers in the comment section. A link to your family-friendly blog is welcome!



    

National Crochet Month

 ©2009 Suzanne G. McClendon

 

Did you know that March is National Crochet Month?

What are some of your favorite crochet blogs, Pinterest, or Instagram feeds?

What project do you have on your hook this month? In the comment section, please share links to your blog posts, Pinterest boards, and Instagram feeds showing us what you've been working on. We look forward to seeing your creations and reading all about them.

Also, check out the Crochet Guild of America website if you get a chance. They are a great resource for learning about crocheting. CGOA

Free Book: Knitting for Beginners

This Kindle book is currently free on Amazon.

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Our Etsy Store is Now Open!

Our Etsy store is now open. We are selling knitted and crocheted items such as hats and scarves. Other things will be added along the way. Please stop by and visit whenever you have time.

Have a blessed evening!