Guard Your Heart – A Different Take

Jeremiah 17: 9-10 

The heart is more deceitful than all else

And is desperately sick;

Who can understand it?

I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the mind,

To give to each person according to his ways,

According to the results of his deeds.

Whenever I have discussions with Christians about emotions, without fail, this verse will be referenced, and it is so predictable. It is usually brought up to say that the heart is not trustworthy. After all, we cannot trust something deceitful that would be unwise. 

When I was doing a word search, I discovered something exciting. The word that we know as deceit in Jeremiah 17:9 is translated עָקֹב =ʿāqōḇ. So here is the Strong’s Concordance explanation: עָקֹב ʻâqôb, aw-kobe’; from H6117; in the original sense, a knoll (as swelling up); in the denominative sense (transitive) fraudulent or (intransitive) tracked:—crooked, deceitful, polluted.

However, the word aqob, comes from a root word עָקַב = āqaḇ. Here is the Strong’s Concordance definition of עָקַב ʻâqab, aw-kab’; a primitive root; properly, to swell out or up; used only as denominative from H6119, to seize by the heel; figuratively, to circumvent (as if tripping up the heels); also to restrain (as if holding by the heel):—take by the heel, stay, supplant, × utterly.

There are very subtle differences in the pronunciation of these words. But there is a big difference between what we think of as deceit and the root āqaḇ. Aqab means to supplant, overreach, or to take by the heel. 

So, when we hear this verse translated into English, in our time and understanding. We hear that our hearts are lying to us, therefore not trustworthy. But as the verse would have been understood in its original language and time, it would be saying that the heart often overreaches, or we grab the heel of something and let it run away, dragging us behind it. 

The heart would have been initially understood in this passage as the mind because there was a different Hebrew word used to describe the physical muscle of the heart. The original hearers would have listened to this term as we hear the term mind today. 

So, if you will give me a little grace, I will include some neuroscience in this study. Recent brain science discoveries have helped scientists understand that neurons in the human heart connect to the brain. 

So, is it possible that a verse Christians for centuries have used to focus on passions and emotions as being deceitful? Is God telling us our brains and hearts are connected? They are precious and not to be devalued.

“I, the Lord, search the heart,

I test the mind,” 

Also, notice. It says I, the Lord, search the heart and test the mind. Not us humans. 

Proverbs 4:23 

Watch over your heart with all diligence,

For from it flow the springs of life.

When we set a guard, we most often think of a guard as being set to keep something precious safe from something outside. So, if the Word of God is telling us to guard our hearts (minds), it must mean that something about what is inside is precious, and worth preserveing. 

A guard who loves and is loyal will also guard against the precious thing being carried away. Guarding by not allowing that which is unique to get carried away on the heels of something that could harm the value, being protected. 

When I came to this realization, several questions came to mind. 

Why did these verses and pictures get twisted into the theology that emotions are not valuable or trustworthy versus a theology that something special needs to be guarded and treated with great care. Why did this become a theology of emotional avoidance instead of emotional enjoyment of something precious?

We are guarding against the overreach of our hearts and emotions and keeping them from overreaching to spill into and overflowing the wells of others’ hearts in ways that smoother and flood others’ precious wellsprings of life. We keep our hearts from being grabbed by the heal and drug away down a slippery crooked slope. 

Remember, God says in Psalms 23 that a cup that overflows is a good thing, but a whole well running over might be overwhelming. 

It is time we change this theology back to the picture that emotions that spring from our hearts, and minds are precious and should be treated with care and gentleness.

Our hearts and minds are to be guarded against getting caught up in a stampede and running away without valuing ourselves or the value of others. 

Remember, perfect love casts out fear. When we guard our hearts and others together, we cast out fear and build joy. We show others love by showing them that their hearts and minds are precious and that God finds great value there. 

So many yarns choices! Which one should I choose?

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Before you cast a stitch onto your needles, there are important choices to make. There’s the choice of project, the choice of pattern, and the choice of yarn. If you are a beginner to knitting take a look at the article Beginner Knitting 101.

Sometimes there may be a skein of yarn you are dying to use. Before getting started with that yarn, you will want to take a close look at its label.

There may be other times, you start by falling in love with a pattern and know you’ll find the yarn later to make the project turn out the way you hope.

Whether you start with the pattern or the yarn, the match between the type of yarn and pattern is important. Those little numbers and words on the skein’s label provide information that you’ll need to understand to make the project one that you love. 

A couple of important things your yarn label will tell you are the yarns material and the yarn’s weight. Today we’re going to talk about yarn weights and the basic details you need to understand before getting started.

YARN WEIGHTS

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  Yarn Weight Comparison

There are now seven basic weights of yarn. These range from super thin to super-chunky. As you move up the scale, the yarn increases in thickness and the average number of stitches per inch (gauge).

Sometimes you can make a pattern work with a yarn weight neighboring the one suggested in the pattern, but substituting a lace weight yarn for super-chunky is simply not going to work. 

Here are a few basics about each type of yarn:

Lace (Also known as Fingering) This yarn is very thin. It may easily tangle and/or break. Typically, it is used for lace patterns in projects such as doilies and delicate shawls.

Super Fine (Also known as Fingering, Sock, or Baby) Also can be used for lacy patterns. Many baby items, sock patterns, and again shawls are great options to make with a super fine.

Fine (Also known as Sport or Baby) Use this yarn for socks, tight-knit sweaters (like the cardigan you might buy from a store), and baby items. It can also be used for blankets with a loose or lace pattern.

Light (Also known as DK or Light worsted) Near the middle of the yarn weight spectrum, this yarn is appropriate for heavier baby items (a thicker sweater or hat) and also great for adult garments.

Medium (Worsted, Afghan, Aran) This yarn is used the most often. It is very versatile and easy to work with. Beginners often use Medium weight yarn for their projects. It can be used for a variety of projects including hats, sweaters, and blankets.

Bulky (Chunky, Craft) If your goal is to finish a project quickly, use bulky or the next levels up. You will want to use large needles with this yarn. Bulky yarn makes great sweaters, blankets, scarves, or rugs.

Super Bulky (Roving) Near the heaviest end of the yarn weight spectrum, Super Bulky yarn and Jumbo are very thick. The roving yarns are typically unspun and can be used if you are wanting to do a felting project. It will make a nice scarf, hat, or cowl.Jumbo (Roving) This yarn weight is relatively new to the market. (It was added in 2014.) Jumbo is useful for arm knitting and is a super thick yarn.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT YARN

Patterns will indicate what brand, weight, and size of the needle the author used. Often, they’ll even offer a color suggestion. If you cannot use the exact same yarn suggested, you will find yourself less frustrated if you can at least match the yarn weight and fiber content. If you choose not to use the exact yarn suggested in the pattern, you will need to understand the modifications that may need to be made.

Regardless of what yarn choice you decide on, really even if you use the yarn suggested by the pattern, you will want to knit a sample swatch first to check your gauge. Be sure to see what yarns are available at Jimmy Beans Wool.

CHECK YOUR GAUGE

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Check You Gauge It Is Important

It’s important to understand that the weight of yarn you choose relates to the gauge. Don’t panic about gauge. While it’s important to understand each project, it isn’t complicated. Gauge is simply how much yarn it takes you to knit one inch. 

The weight, or thickness, of your yarn, will be a factor in determining your gauge. Another factor is your personal way of knitting. Some people hold their needles loosely which takes less yarn per inch and others may hold the needles tighter. Tighter knitting means smaller stitches and more yarn per inch. 

The yarn label will have the expected number of stitches you can expect to knit per inch using the suggested needle size. If you make a sample and it does not measure the number of stitches and size expected, you will most likely want to make adjustments to the pattern. 

Don’t be discouraged. Knitting the swatch to make sure your gauge matches the label will save you frustration in the end and will make a difference between a knitted item you love and one that just doesn’t fit quite right.

Now that you have a basic understanding of yarn weights, you’re almost ready to get started, but don’t get your needles out yet. It’s also important to understand the types of yarn material. We’ll cover that in our next post. Comment and tell us about when you learned gauge is important.

Beginner Knitting 101

So you are wanting to start knitting? Maybe you have watched some videos on it.  Maybe you just want to start making a baby blanket for a new baby. But where do you start? There is a lot to consider.

The options at yarn stores are overwhelming, and all the labels make no sense. Don’t worry you are not the only one overwhelmed by the knitting isles at your local craft stores. If you have a local yarn store. This is a great place to start, looking for the right project, and yarn. 

If you don’t have a local yarn store, the post below will help you start to figure out how to learn to knit. Where and how to choose yarn and needles, and get you started on the path to knitting enjoyment. It really is the perfect fidget toy. Fun, challenging and productive all in one.

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Yarn

This may seem obvious.  You can’t knit without yarn. However, good yarn is expensive.  Beginning knitters often need to unravel, redo, and repeat the process as they learn. This can ruin good yarn.  

There are a lot of mistakes, that has to happen as you learn to knit. It’s a normal part of the process. When starting a brand new project you can purchase second-hand yarn, ask a friend to give you some, or just purchase inexpensive yarn. When you have settled on the project and feel comfortable with the new stitch pattern, consider how the finished product will be used. 

For baby blankets,  look for sturdy but easily washable yarn. Baby blankets get used and abused quite a bit, so the yarn has to be up for that type of use.  For afghans and blankets, something softer and not quite so sturdy since afghans and blankets generally don’t get washed as often. 

Expense is also a consideration. Good quality yarn is not cheap. husbands tend to roll their eyes when wives head off to the yarn store because they know that yarn will easily cost a chunk of change.  However, the adage you get what you pay for is true. If you want the finished product to last, you have to purchase good yarn.

Needles

Another one that seems obvious – until you get to the knitting aisle and see a wall of needles.  Which one do you choose? The cute little needles that are freakishly adorable? Or those big honking needs that Hulk’s grandmother uses?  For beginners, try a size 10 to a size 13. They are a good size to hold and manipulate the yarn without hands cramping.  

When you decide on a project and pattern, there is usually a suggested needle size. Do not deviate from what is suggested because the pattern will not turn out. Gauge is a topic for another post.

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Time

Time is something else to consider. Most people don’t sit down and learn to knit in an hour or so. It takes time to practice. Where do busy people find the time?  Seriously!! Most people work full-time, have kids, take care of the house, etc. So when do you find the time to knit? 

It is found in 2 places.  The first place can be time is watching a show or the news. Knitting is the perfect fidget toy. When the show ends, most people us that as a timer, or their binge-watching time. 

The second-place to find time is in the car while waiting for kids.  Lots of knitters keep a project in the car that doesn’t really need to have a set pattern. If practice runs late, no problem –there is a project to pass the time. Carving out time is difficult for anyone, but it is necessary when learning to knit.

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Support

Knitting can be frustrating.  It is important to find a knitting buddy. YouTube videos can be very helpful, but they don’t help if you run into an issue that isn’t covered in the video.  A knitting buddy can help.  

Mothers, knitting friends, a knitting class, are all great places to find a knitting buddy.  However, that is not a possibility for most people. Check the yarn store for beginning knitting classes.  Try looking for a church that had a working mom’s knitting group that meets monthly. The human support is nice so that you have help and not get frustrated and just quit.

In conclusion, with the right tools and support knitting is a great way to de-stress and reduce anxiety. Gain enjoyment from picking a project, buying the yarn, finishing the project, and then giving a gift that was made with love.

Quick & Easy Quilts For Kids, A Book Review

A Gift For Kids That Like Sewing

Are you looking for a gift to give the crafty kiddo in your life? Do you want your kids to learn how to sew?

Learning to sew as a child is a gift, though I wouldn’t have said that at the time, I was learning. Quick and Easy Quilts For Kids might be the book for you, or in this case, for your child.

(The Links In This Post Do Give Me A Slight Commission.) 

“I Saw That Playing Out Differently In My Head”

For my daughter’s 9th birthday. I had the brilliant idea to give her the supplies to make her first quilt. I say glorious because, similarly to Hitch, I saw the whole project playing out differently in my head. I had this idea that she would do most of the work. It ended up splitting the work 50/50, which has been a great way to connect. 

She was so excited. We got started washing, drying, cutting, and organizing. Then we started sewing only to realize that we were piecing and sewing it incorrectly. We decided that we would need to start over on the piecing and sewing. Needless to say, we were both a little frazzled by this, and we put all the sewing away, life got busy. A year later, here we are working on it in earnest. 

Recently she got the itch to sew again, so we pulled out the quilt almost a year later. We buckled down and spent about three days piecing and sewing. She would sew, I would make and trim, and iron, and then we would switch jobs. The top of the quilt is finished, the batting and backing are basted, and we are waiting for our quilting stencils to arrive.

 

When she received her birthday present. I had taken the time to look through Quick and Easy Quilts For Kids and felt comfortable letting her choose the pattern. She wanted the pattern, “Here’s My Heart.” This pattern is fun, and possibly the most intricate design in the book. She is so thrilled with how the quilt is turning out. 

A Book Review

So, down to the book review itself. Quick & Easy Quilts For Kids is a light and bright book. Perfect for catching kid’s and adult’s eyes. The patterns range from simple to an intricate, yet simple design. 

The piecing, even for the most detailed of patterns, is simple enough that my nine-year-old was able to layout the pieces.  We choose colors in blues, pinks, and purples, the quilt is lovely.

Purchase this wonderful book today, Click here to visit the Amazon Product Page. ( I receive a small commission from purchases made through the above link.)

 

What Quilt Books Do You Love?

In summary, this book is an excellent book for helping a child learn to sew quilts. I would give it five stars.

It initiated wonderful quality craft time with my oldest daughter, and the bonus is the finished product is useful and beautiful!

Leave a comment and tell me about your favorite crafting book. What do you like about it?

 

Sock Yarn Worth Its Weight In Galleon

Does this Autumn chill in the air have you starting up knitting projects? Perhaps it has you starting to pursue what sock yarn to buy next?

Look no further. I have the next sock yarn you should buy right here.

Night Owl Fibers – Harry Potter Club- Diagon Alley – Sock Yarn.

The first thing I want to point out is that I was expecting the bare minimum in packaging.  But Rachel goes above and beyond. Not only does she dye beautiful colorways, but she also sends the yarn of the month with a lavender sachet and a witch hat charm. Well, when the theme is Harry Potter, anyway.

The thing that threw me over the top and caused me to smile like any good Harry Potter nerd would is the stitch marker.  It’s a bronzed witch hat! I was expecting sock yarn and received much more. So, Rachel, the packaging gets a thumbs up in my book.

The Yarn

I know you are all here for the yarn. So I will stop geeking out about the other stuff. But really a witch hat, and a lavender sachet? Who else does that?

Okay. Okay. Really on to the yarn.

The yarn is Rachels well known Barn Owl Base. It’s soft, comfortable to knit, and feels excellent as a finished sock. I have used Barn Owl Base yarns for at least four pairs of socks.

Barn Owl base is a plump sturdy yarn that is 75% Merino and 25% Nylon.  It is super soft and warm wool.

Self Striping

Self Striping yarn is the best if you want to be able to knit, and not have to think about how the stripes work out.  I love fancy sock patterns, but I have realized this busy season is not the time to try patterns that I have to think about knitting up.

Look at those perfect stripes and adorable witchy charm.

 

Colorway – Diagon Alley

Rachel was inspired to dye this yarn after her trip to Universal Studios in the Fall of 2018. She immediately noticed the dark greys and browns that made the majority of the background. But when really studying the environment, the pops of color bring an air of excitement.

Imagine all those Hogwarts students bustling to gather school supplies. Now imagine all those students in self-striping socks made by Ravelry’s best knitters.

Knitting It Up

I love this yarn so much. I really didn’t want to stop knitting until the project was finished. I used Mina Philips, the Knitting Expats Vanilla Sock Recipe. Between the ease of her knitting recipe for double knitting socks and the self-striping yarn, this knit was a dream of knitting ease.

A friend pointed out that the colorway matched my Cady girls’ pants. Shh, yes, I let my daughter go to the park in pajamas. It was a weird interim between Summer and Fall clothing swaps. We really just needed to get out of the house. They play I knit. It is a win, win situation.

Rachel, I look forward to seeing what the next color of the month will be. Your creativity and dying skills are a lot of fun to see.

Check out Rachel’s work over at Night Owl Fibers. Buy your Diagon Alley sock yarn before it’s too late. If you are too late don’t worry next month’s Harry Potter Yarn club promises to be a keeper.

 

Confessions Of A Binge-Watching Knitter

Am I the only knitter that gets carried away binge-watching while knitting? Please comment and tell me I am not alone in this?

I recently discovered a trick for managing my time better and still getting to relax and be amused. Without letting entertainment rule my life.

So, I will give you a list of my favorite movies or shows, and then a couple tricks for how to get the best of both worlds. Knitting and enjoying a show, while still getting all the things done.

A few of my favorites…

Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee – Available on Netflix. 

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is an American web series hosted by Jerry Seinfeld. I love this show because it combines coffee, laughter, and classic cars. As well as allowing you to see famous comedians in an offstage setting. Real life.

The Kings Speech – Available on Netflix and most streaming sites.

The Kings Speech is a heart wrenching, and simultaneous heartwarming story. Centered on King George the 6th and his ascension to the throne in 1936. Who can resist a Colin Firths acting? Am I right?

Mcleod’s Daughters – Available on Amazon Prime. 

Mcleod’s Daughters is a story about family, about working hard and caring for one another no matter what. Set in Australia it tells the story of a working ranch and the people whose lives it is the center of. Admit it you were sold at Australian accents, right?

So, now that trick I mentioned?

Make a list of your goals.

The benefit of this list is that you now have a way to see progress. I even started a list of my goals for knitting projects, as well as a list of things I need to do. That way I can keep a better balance on both measurements.

Use a timer.

I know I know, they are as annoying as hell. But it keeps me from watching an episode and then starting the next and so on. It is a sensory reminder that you have a life outside of knitting and entertainment.

So, there you have it. My current favorite fiber work entertainment.  Now, I will need more ideas when I finish watching the above. What are your current favorites, and how do you keep yourself from binge watching too much?

Interview with Tin Can Knits

I love the positive upbeat vibe of this creative duo. The colors they choose pop, their patterns are beautiful and useful.

Question 1 Tell us a little about yourself?

We are Alexa and Emily! We met about 10 years ago while we were both working at our LYS. We were both doing a little designing at the time and thought it might be fun to join forces and create a book. That book was 9 Months of Knitting and we have been a team ever since! Here at Tin Can Knits we create fun, modern, clearly written knitting patterns in a wide size range (baby to 4XL). We aim to share our love of knitting and inspire.

Question 2 How long have you been designing?

We have both been designing for about 10 years. When we first started working together our designs were more individual, but over the years we have become a lot more collaborative. A sketch or a swatch by one of us will often be taken up by the other to complete.

Question 3 Do you still enjoy designing? When did you consider your self successful at designing?

Designing is definitely the best part of the day! Creating something new, solving the mathematical puzzle of grading, and knitting up something great. I’m not sure when we would consider ourselves successful at designing… We have been designing exclusively since 2012.

Question 4 Do you still knit for fun outside of the business of designing?

Yep! There isn’t a lot of time outside of sample and design knitting, but we do manage to re-knit our own designs in an exciting new yarn or colorway, and occasionally something by another designer. Emily is working on Threipmuir by Ysolda and I just finished Hoarfrost by The Petite Knitter.

Question 5 What is the biggest mistake you made as a new designer?

It’s hard to look at things as mistakes per se, let’s just say we learned a lot! Navigating the world of contract design, learning how to self publish, creating pattern writing standards for ourselves, and deciding what work to do or not do are all definitely a challenge at first. Also knowing when a design just didn’t work, and needs another round of knitting, sizing, construction, etc. when to keep pushing to make it even better. That’s something we’ve had to learn.

Question 6 What is your favorite weight of yarn to work? Or favorite colorway? 

I’m always a bit conflicted on this one. I love sock weight sweaters, but I usually knit in worsted weight or DK because it goes faster! It’s so hard to choose a favorite colorway, since we’ve been knitting so much colorwork lately, involving a whole palette rather than a single color. I do gravitate towards a teal blue or a golden yellow though!

Question 7 What is your favorite design that has been released thus far and why?

Alexa: My current love is the Cartography sweater, it looks complicated but the construction is simple and there are only 2 colors at a time.

I just want to knit those little stranded patterns over and over again!

Emily: I don’t know if it counts, but Strange Brew!

It’s a recipe pattern to design your own colorwork yoke sweater, so the possibilities are endless. It’s like a designers playground.

Question 8 What is your biggest project for 2019?

Well, hush hush, but we are working on a little something coming out in May!

Question 9 What is one thing your fans don’t know about you?

Hmmm, good question. Emily studied Architecture in school and worked in the field for a time and I have a teaching degree and was on my way to becoming a High School Social Studies teacher before we started Tin Can Knits.

Question 10 What is one thing you would say to new indie designers?

Just do it! Don’t worry too much about other people think. Be confident and go for it.   

Question 11 What is one of your personal goals for 2019?

We are looking into exploring cables next. A good deep dive like we did for colorwork (although really we still only scratched the surface). You might not see any designs come of it this year, but we are giving time to really explore. On a personal level, I think we both have the goal of reading more this year. Our kids are a little bigger now and finding time to read is getting (somewhat) easier!

Question 12 What should a new designer avoid doing?

I would say don’t put out a pattern that you don’t think is ‘all the way there’ ripping and re-knitting and re-writing are all part of the process (not the most fun part, but a part none the less)

Question 13 Top Bucket List item? Knitting and in life?

Knitting wise, Emily and I are both working on our own sweater wardrobes. Thus far it’s a lot of yoked sweaters, our current passion. We are often distracted by the quick kid knits though!

Question 14 If you could nominate one indie designer to be part of this series who would it be?

I would nominate Denise (bayronhandmade on Instagram) her Cardizen and Hatdana patterns are fabulous.

Interview with The Knitting Expat

I started this interview series with the desire to stop feeling isolated as a knitter. I taught myself to knit via Youtube videos.  As I was reading Mina’s answers, it was a lot like holding a mirror up to my own design life. I was surprised to see that my struggle is common in the knitting design world.

 

Starry Skies Shawl Raverly pattern.

My first experience with Mina’s podcast was listening to her lovely accent while knitting and exploring knitting videos. I love her openness with her audience and seeing her beautiful knitting and family life mesh so well. Her “Two at a time” Sock tutorial changed my sock knitting life!

So, without further ado here is the interview.

Tell us a little about yourself?

Hi, my name is Mina and I currently live in the UK in a small town just south of London with my Husband, our 2yr old Daughter, and our 2 cats! We’ve traveled around a fair bit over the years and since getting married my husband and I have lived in Dubai, where I taught myself to knit, and then in Bahrain, where I started my video podcast, and then we moved to New York, where our Daughter was born, and finally we moved back to the UK just over a year ago.

As I mentioned I taught myself to knit while we were living in Dubai, it was something I had always wanted to know how to do (a lot of my Aunt’s and older cousins used to knit and my Mum still has lots of the baby clothes that were knit for me by them), once I got started I was soon hooked and couldn’t stop! Then I found my local group of knitters in Dubai – the UAE Amiras – and that’s when I became introduced into the wonderful world of hand-dyed yarns and podcasts.

Soon after we moved to Bahrain where out of sheer boredom I decided to start a podcast exactly a year after I had taught myself how to knit. A few months into that I released my first couple of designs and the rest, as they say, is history.

How long have you been designing?

I actually had to go double check Ravelry for this one but my first designs were published in April 2015. So it has been almost 4 years. Although initially it was more of a hobby and I wasn’t looking at it as a potential job. It was really towards the end of 2016 that I started to realize this was becoming more of a job for me and that realization was so exciting.

Do you still enjoy designing? When did you consider your self successful at designing?

Absolutely I love it. It gives me such a creative outlet I never thought I would have in my work. I never grew up believing that I would get to do something I enjoy so much as my job. It’s a dream (that I didn’t know I had) come true. I think it was when I published the first sock club that I realized that this was going to be a job that would be worth me pouring my time and efforts in to. Having said that I still don’t necessarily consider myself to be a successful designer as I struggle a lot at times with feelings of not being good enough or that people don’t like what I am publishing and that can be hard.

Do you still knit for fun outside of the business of designing?

Vanilla socks are really the only non-design-work knitting that I work on these days. Other than that I have also recently started Spinning which I have found to be a nice break from knitting if I’m getting overwhelmed with work.

What is the biggest mistake you made as a new designer?

I’m not sure, to be honest, I don’t feel like I’ve made too many “mistakes” as it were. I have definitely learned a lot from the process over time, made changes and refined my processes along the way. I think my main take away would be to make sure your layout for the design is clear and easy to read and that someone else checks your work, be that a tech editor or test knitters.

What is your favorite weight of yarn to work? Or favorite colorway?

I love working with fingering weight yarns, I feel like they offer the most flexibility, you can use them single stranded for any project (pretty much), you can hold them double to get a DK/Worsted gauge if you want to knit heavier weight hats or mittens or anything else, and I love that you can hold several strands together from the same or different skeins to get some fun marled effects.

Having said that I also love a good DK/Worsted weight yarn for a fun and quick satisfying project!

What is your favorite design that has been released thus far and why? 

Oh, that is a tough one

 Changes Shawl.

   Vida Shawl

 

The above are designs are two of my favorite shawls that I’ve designed, although I do love them all I have had so much wear out of those two. I also love my Pinwheel Scrap blanket pattern as I’ve found it is a great scrappy blanket project and perfect for travel knitting in the car as it worked in blocks so very portable!

What is your biggest project for 2019?

Oh I have a couple of big projects this year, I have several fun collaborations coming up but I am planning on designing and knitting my husband a Gansey inspired sweater (it is the first garment I’m knitting for him too) and I’m hoping to get his input on the design throughout the process which will be interesting. 

I’m also running 3 pattern clubs this year, the first is the Seasons Sock Club which is currently going on and the last pattern for that will be released on 1st April 2019. Then from May-August, I will be running a Mini Skein Pattern Club, and finally, for the last 4 months of the year, I will be running a Gift Knitting Pattern Club. So that is another big undertaking for the year that I am excited to be working on.

What is one thing your fans don’t know about you?

I think I’m fairly open about myself and my life on my Podcast, but I think maybe one thing people don’t know about me is that I struggle a lot with feelings of self-worth and not feeling like I’m good enough. Its something I struggle with daily and most of the time it’s manageable but some days it can leave me feeling really overwhelmed and wondering if I’ve made the right choice to do this as a job.

What is one thing you would say to new indie designers?

It can be hard when you start out to be able to afford the upfront costs of getting your designs tech edited, and while I do think using a tech editor is valuable and important to do if you can, when I first started out I couldn’t afford to do that, so I only used test knitters to start with. Initially, I think getting your work test knit is more important. Making sure that your pattern is understandable by a knitter is really important and if you can find knitters at a range of skill/experience levels that is even better. (Ravelry has forums where you can find testers if you are struggling to find some).

What is one of your personal goals for 2019?

To start and finish the sweater I have in mind for my husband and for him to actually like it! That would be an amazing goal to achieve for this year as its something I’ve wanted to do for several years now!

What should a new designer avoid doing?

My number one rule with designing is to design something I would want to wear/knit myself, I also don’t suggest following trends just because it is what is popular at the time, but to create designs you are passionate about.

What other designer do you wish would join this interview series?

Joji Locatelli and Jaclyn Salem (Brooklyn Knitfolk)

Top Bucket list item?

Do you mean to knit? If so then that would have to be an adult-sized Colourwork sweater of some kind, I haven’t done that yet and it is in my plans for this year!

Big Red Pullover

 

Mina thank you for taking the time to chat with me. For bringing light to the fact that even knit designers feel isolation at times. And for sharing your beautiful designs with us.

Oversalls in Dk Action Shots…

One of my favorite types of photos on Ravelry happens to be action shots. Real life, quality photos of a finished object in action. A friend was kind enough to send me these adorable photos of her little one enjoying the cozy, warmth of Overalls in DK.

“We’re in LOVE with them, by the way! Super soft and comfy, and fit over her cloth diapers really well!” Love from a happy Mom. Her little is quickly outgrowing her first pair of the overalls.

To celebrate the release of this pattern, I am offering 25% off for the first month after its release. Use coupon code NewPattern on Ravelry and NEWPATTERN on Etsy.

Here a is the link roll for this adorable project. Ravelry, Pinterest, Etsy.

Please feel free to share this post.

 

Overalls in DK

Is there anything better in the cold winter months than cuddling into a cozy sweater? Overalls in DK is a design created to allow my little’s the same simple pleasure. Cozy and warm, as well as being soft and machine washable. We even added room for cloth diapering.

Knit in DK weight yarn these overalls are super squishy and extra soft. Plus there is the added benefit of using a cotton yarn for a spring or summer knit.

To celebrate the release of this pattern, I am offering 25% off for the first month after its release. Use coupon code NewPattern on Ravelry and NEWPATTERN on Etsy.

 

The pattern is in PDF form, and comes in sizes 3 months, 6-9 months, 2 toddler, and size 4. It looks great in primary colors, and in variegated yarn.

You can find this pattern on Ravelry, and  Etsy. If you decide to try your hand at this project. I would love to see it via Ravelry projects and hash tagged on Instagram as #OverallsinDK. You can also pin it via Pintrist.

I hope you enjoy knitting these as much as I do.

Whitney