The struggle is real.....

Let's face it - we often (always?) need more than just a few stitch markers. With that in mind, I created a set of 10 of my most popular silver stitch markers - a "big" set of 10 medium sized markers! Perfect! Click below to go shop or take a look!

Oh I am loving these new SWIV360 cables from Chiaogoo! I am just sort of dipping my toes in but knitting most of a shawl using them, in a 24" length. So easy to use - the cable just turns as you turn the tips, no fiddling with cables and tips to get them to "behave". Love!!

​I will be ordering more as I need them. For now, I have the 14" and the 8" which will do for most things. I also bought the adapters so I can easily fit the large or small cables to either the large or small needle tips. 

Brand new earrings on the website! All sterling silver with tons of movement; about 2.5" in total length. I especially love the hammering on the circle - reflects plenty of light as they move. Perfect for all day, home or office or a night out.

​One for her and one for you because why not, right? :)

I started these double yarn socks on my elegant, brand new, driftwood Lykke needles which are so pretty! But. The truth is they were, at about 9", just too short for the job.

I almost switched to DPNS but then I realized I have the tools to make circulars of all sizes (well, almost) so....Chiagoo minis to the rescue! I used one 2" needle tip, one 3" tip and a 5" red lace cord and voila!!

​At 10", this was the perfect circular needle length for this project! Hurray for Chiaogoo interchangeables!

This book is wonderful. Lots of nice, very simple designs - nothing complicated. Even I could knit most, if not all, of the sweaters in this book. This sweater on the cover is my fave and I really want to knit it. The only probem is the price of the yarn it would take. Maybe it could be knit in a nice cotton yarn? Will do some research! 

This book!! All sorts of little interesting tips & tricks from real knitters & crocheters!! Organized by topic - everthing from multicolor knitting to managing your knitting to finishing & caring for your projects.

​Also included are sections about machine knitting as well as crochet. Lots of useful little tidbits AND I got an idea for a new type of sterling silver stitch marker for knitting & marking rows! Brilliant! Stay tuned for that! :)

Wow!! What a book - Kate Atherly is a force. I mean, if it's not in this book, you don't need to the information. Trust me on that. 

From the proper fit of a sock to a thesis on yarn, needles & gauge to stitch patterns and adjustments for "non-average" feel (how kind of her to say "non-average"), this book has it ALL. 

I have been knitting socks for awhile and have knit LOTS of socks, mostly successfully. While some of the "sock maths" kind of made my eyes glaze over (turns out I need my info in just tiny little bites), this book is amazing. In fact, a little takeaway for me is that I am changing the toe I will be using on socks. (Let's hear it for the "half & half" toe & why am I just now hearing about this toe??)  

Am I the only one who is tired of "cute" stitch markers?? I mean, puppies, kittens and tiny little Santas are great but sometimes, you want more, right?

Your knitted pieces are small or large masterpieces and you invest HOURS in making them just right and they deserve something better. So, for those knitted masterpieces that deserve better, check out my sterling silver stitch markers for both knitting and crochet. It's like hanging a tiny silver piece of jewelry on your project! Yeah - click the button below to take a closer look & shop!

Do you see the end of that little white "lightbulb" stitch marker?? Do you see the bare metal/soon to be rust on the end? That drives me crazy when I am knitting; that little rusty end ALWAYS catches on the yarn. If you are like me, you want and expect your stitch markers in your knitting (or progress keepers for knitting or stitch holders for knitting or crochet) to be SMOOTH. Totally smooth is what we are all after. 

Enter these gorgeous sterling silver stitch markers that I make - they are SMOOTH and they will NOT rust. Ever. Click the button below to take a closer look and shop. I'm telling you, these smooth stitch markers for your knitting or crochet projects are a complete game changer. 

I always have several knitting projects on the go. Usually at least four, sometimes more. In addition, I always knit in different places...in the car, near the TV, on the deck, at the coffee shop...you get the picture, EVERYWHERE. 

I got tired of not having paper/pencil when I needed it or being ready to close the toe and not having a tapestry needle in my bag. So I decided to get organized. Thanks to Amazon and things I had around the house, I was able to put together a little pile of what I needed in each bag! So, without further ado, here is the list of important knitting notions that I now keep in each of my project bags!

1. yarn/needles of course
2. pattern (or parts of a pattern)
3. extra needles (I switch between small cirulars and dpns so ALL those needles need to be in there)
4. tapesty needle
5. small ruler (gotta know when to start the next section)
6. tiny crochet hook (to pick up the occasional dropped stitch)
7. pencil/paper (random notes)
8. stitch markers (I like to keep a variety of sizes on hand)
9. ball band with project notes on the back.

I think that's it!! Will update as I come across other things that need to be in there.

If you like the silver stitch markers, click the button below to get a closer look & shop! 

Two of my all time favorite sock yarns! Knitting them both at the same time has given me a really good idea of the differences and similarities between these two yarns. First the similarities: both of these yarns could be called "heavy" fingering or maybe "very light" DK yarn. The thickness of both the Wildfoote (by Brown Sheep Yarn Co.) and Paton's Kroy are very close to the same. 

The Wildfoote is "rougher" in the hand - it feels more "scratchy" than the Paton's Kroy, which is quite soft. Once they are washed, however, the Wildfoote is very soft, too. I also find the Wildfoote to be ever so slightly more "splitty" than the Kroy. Not enough to cause trouble and certainly not a deal breaker but it is something I noticed. 

Wildfoote is one of the first sock yarns I used and I still love those socks - very soft and cozy. Once the socks with Kroy are complete I think they will feel much the same. Two very good sock yarns! 

Wildfoote is mostly available online although there are LYS around that carry them. I just bought some at my local shop in New Orleans (which has since gone out of business, sadly) and I also bought some at a small yarn shop in Portland, Oregon last summer. (Starlight Yarn Shop) The price for Wildfoote is around $8.00 - $9.00 per skein (you'll need 2 to make a pair of socks) and comes in lots of nice colors, solids and variegated. Kroy is sold at Michael's as well as Hobby Lobby here in the States and the cost is about $7.00 per 50 gram skein - you'll need 2 skeins to make a pair of socks. Nice variety of colors.

The most popular sterling silver stitch markers is now a set called, you guessed it, the Most Popular Set of Stitch Markers for Knitting and Crochet! 

This set includes three of the most popular stitch marker sizes - the first fits easily over knitting needles US size 4 (3.5mm) and the second fits over knitting needles size US 10 (6mm).

Perfect for those who knit socks (like me) or any project at all that calls for smaller knitting needles. Since these markers are open, they are also perfect for almost all crochet projects! 

Another little set of sterling silver stitch markers for knitting and crochet!

This is the "mini". This set of stitch markers includes one marker for each of the four original stitch marker sets: one extra small (for holding stitches), one small (perfect for socks and other small projects - fits knitting needles up to size US 4), one medium (fits knitting needles up to US size 10) and one large (fits knitting needles up to US size 15). 

A mini set of stitch markers to get your collection of handmade silver stitch markers started!

People have been requesting mixed set of stitch markers for knitting and crochet so I put 4 of those stitch marker sets in the shop this week! 

The first set is called the "Little Set". It is a set of 6 markers, two each of three different sized stitch markers. The tiniest marker is not meant to fit over a needle but it used instead to simply mark stitches. The other two sizes are great for any small/medium project - the smaller stitch marker will fit easily on knitting needles up to US size 4 and the larger markers will fit up to US size 10. Perfect stitch markers for sock knitters, hat knitters or anything else you knit with relatively small knitting needles! The stitch markers are shown below on US size 2 knitting needles.

I don't think so! Anyway, this is another series we discovered during the (ongoing) pandemic. This show follows a man who recently lost his wife to cancer and how he manages (barely) to hold onto life. 

Ricky Gervais is brilliant as Tony and there are lots of other really good and interesting characters, too. His brother in law is just trying to help, the older woman he meets at the cemetary and the prostitute who befriends him. Not to mention the mailman, Pat. 

Warning - language may be objectionable to some (almost contant use of "f**k") plus lots of sexually explicit references. So, yeah, this little 3 season show is not for everyone! 

What did I do while we watched? I knitted socks, of course - what else?? Click below to shop the new sterling silver stitch markers!

Last week I wrote a comparison of double pointed needles, which I use for sock knitting. Click here to read a comparison of the needles. Anyway, since I wrote that post, I ordered another set of needles - the Nova Platinas. I ended up with a whole set because the price was right and I also wanted to try the 5" needles. 

Anyway, I think these might be my new favorites! Super smooth (like HiyaHiay) with a very nice sharp point (but not so sharp that they are as dangerous as the HiyaHiya Sharps!). 

So today in the Good News Journal was easy - in fact, I easily found TWO good news stories! Whaaattt?? Woot! 

I am not going to lie - today, only Day 2 of my little good news journal, I had a tough time finding even one news story that could be considered "good news".

I finally settled on this, kind of the best of the worst plus a funny thing about Covid + the lovely silver stitch markers. I love them, so it's happy for me. 

While it is good news that Grand Isle finally had power restored, it is not so good that it took 138 days. That's a lot of no power days. Such is life on an island in south Louisiana, where hurricanes routinely disrupt everyday life ("disrupt" is putting it mildly; I am, afterall, trying to be upbeat here).

Which double pointed knitting needles (aka, DPNS) to choose?? That was a question I asked all the time when I first started using them until, finally, enough time passed that I ended up ordering several different types (ok, pandemic shopping but, still.....). 

This is my review of the needles I have used. Bear in mind, this is just my opinion....your mileage may vary! 

Disclaimer #1: I am a sock knitter, almost exclusively. I knit a lot of socks on 9" circular needles but also use dpns regularly. 

Disclaimer #2: I have only been knitting seriously for about 2 years....opinions could possibly change with more years of knitting.

Disclaimer #3: I am a fairly tight knitter which means I hardly ever have problems with my stitches falling off the needles (or the needles falling out of the stitches). 

I knit mostly English style but sometimes flicking or Norwegian.

HIYAHIYA dpns:
​Price on Amazon about $13.00

Pros:
* smooth (but, strangely, not as smooth as the Addis
* nice pointy needles (side note, you can also order HiyaHiya "sharps" which i did but returned;    you could open a vein with those needes....+ have you ever sat on a super sharp steel             needle? Ouch. No thanks, but you might love them if you are more careful than I am and don't   use your finger to push the needle one way or the other)

Cons:
​* made of steel so, naturally, not as lightweight as Prym or Addi...which, by the way, you don't      really notice until you knit with one of the others

These are wonderful needles and I use them a lot but, still, I prefer the Addis.

​Cons:
​* not super smooth but smooth enough and, if I didn't knit so tightly, the stitches would glide but still, if super smooth is what you want, these might not be for you. 

Pro or con?? the shape is triangle which is supposed to be better for your hands but I don't really think it matters much in this tiny size. (2.5 mm)

In conclusion....

For me and the way I knit, the best double pointed needles are tied for first place with Prym and Addi double pointed needles in the lead and the HiyaHiyas in second place. The Addis for the weight and the smoothness, the Pryms for the weight and the super sharp (but not dangerous) little "teardrop" shaped tip. The Hiyas are extremely smooth which I love. 

My least favorite needles are the Clover bamboo needles but I do use them in a pinch. Although lightweight, they are not smooth enough for my tight knitting nor are the points consistently sharp enough for me. 

Click here to see my newest review - Nova Platina double pointed needles for knitting.