Knit Knack

We moved house last weekend and, boy, do we have a lot of stuff.  

I’m still in the process of unpacking my various belongings and finding places for them to live, but what I don’t have a place for right now are my knitting and cross-stitching projects. 

In the old apartment, I just used to keep the project I was working on at the time tucked away at the end of the sofa, and everything else in a bag in the spare bedroom. Now, though, I want to try and find a more stylish solution.  

Rather than a “spare bedroom”, which to me is just a place to keep stuff that doesn’t go anywhere else, the new apartment has a proper guest bedroom which is all ready for whenever anyone wants to stay over. I’d quite like to keep it that way, so don’t want to have bags of yarn and needles all over the place.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to stylish storage solutions for knitting/cross-stitch projects? I can see I’ll probably end up going with something like faux-leather storage boxes, but was wondering if there was anything a bit more exciting out there!

I’ve got the crafting bug.

For a while now, I’ve been itching to buy a sewing machine to make some stuff – cushion covers, purses, toiletry bags, customise clothes, that sort of thing. I don’t know where this urge has come from.  I haven’t used a sewing machine since school, when we were forced to make things we would never use.

The only thing is, I don’t know where to start! I’ve had a look at a few on the internet, but I don’t want to spend a lot of money straight off the bat. I understand that for a beginner, looking for something with dozens of stitch options really isn’t necessary, because the most important ones are the straight stitch and zig-zag, being the two most often used.

I think I’ve got a lot of researching ahead of me, but any suggestions would be gratefully received!

I wanted to share with readers of this blog a site that I found invaluable when I was learning to knit, and which I dip into every now and again. As someone who likes to try out a number of ways of doing things, or to double check with different sources that I’m doing something in the correct way, I always like to have sites that I know I can rely on to contain reliable, valuable information.

The About.com Knitting Site contains guides on how to knit as well as tips, tricks and techniques for knitters of all levels and a selection of patterns and links to patterns that all readers will love.

I hope you find this site as useful as I have.

As 2008 draws to a close, I thought I would share my knitting/cross-stitch resolutions for 2009.

In 2009, I resolve to:

Finish my cardigan – it still isn’t done and I’ve made absolutely no progress with it;

To plan ahead and make thoughtful, heartfelt gifts for people for birthdays and Christmas – I think given the current financial climate, people will be grateful for a handmade gift from the heart;

To finish off the cross-stitch projects I have already begun before starting any new ones;

To learn how to crochet properly.

I’m sure many of you are thinking these aren’t the most ambitious resolutions, but as someone who never seems to finish any of the projects she starts and who is fairly self-conscious about giving handmade gifts, each of them is a pretty big deal for me. And I’ve always wanted to know how to crochet and just can’t get the hang of it.

What do you hope to achieve in 2009? How are you going to go about it?

Happy New Year!

How many of you knit for other people?

I have to say, I’m a very selfish knitter. Not that I’m the most prolific knitter out there, as it can take me forever to get one project finished.

The reason for it is that I just don’t think other people are very appreciative of the time and effort that it takes to knit or crochet something by hand. There’s the old cliché of people getting poorly made, ill-fitting sweaters for Christmas, so there’s that part of me that would hate something I’ve spent hours (or months, if I’m honest) making being viewed in that way.

I’m even reluctant to make anything for when my nephew is born, because I think it might get relegated to the back of the drawer in favour of more “trendy” stuff – although, I might just make some little things for him to wear when I look after him.

I’d love to know what other people’s views are – both on giving and receiving handmade presents for Christmas, birthdays, and any other occasions.

Hi, I’m Sarah and I’d like to welcome you to Knit Knack, a blog on knitting, crochet and other needlecrafts.

I have recently returned to knitting after not having done any at all for quite a few years. My decision to do so was motivated by the fact that I’m soon to become an auntie for the very first time, and I wanted to make something special for my nephew.

Currently, I’m part way through a very simple baby blanket and a knit wrap-over jacket for myself.

I also decided, a couple of days ago and inspired by the knitting magazines I’ve been reading, that I needed to learn how to crochet. It seems awfully hard compared to knitting - but I’m fairly confident I’ll get the hang of it in the end. 

As well as knitting and, now, crochet, I enjoy cross-stitch but have a terrible habit of buying new kits, starting them and then getting distracted by another… I intend to try and complete at least one of my ongoing projects before the end of the year!

I hope to be able to provide some useful information on the above topics, and on any other needlecrafts or techniques I try, as well as providing regular updates on my projects. 

I’d love to hear what other people are doing, so please let me know about your own projects. In addition, if there is anything you would like me to cover, please leave a comment and I’ll do my best.