My favorite things - 4kcbwday6

Today's topic for Knit and Crochet blog week was the easiest one for me so far - talk about a favorite tool. When I saw this prompt the first thing that sprung to my mind were my Hiya Hiya steel double points. They are my first (and only so far) pair of nicer needles. I ended up getting them when I discovered that when it comes to socks I knit too loosely on a Size 2 and too tightly on Size 1s. Rather than needed to do math just to knit a pair of socks, I went on the hunt for Size 1.5s.

I settled on these for a few reasons: the cheap needles from Joann's don't come in that size, I have a sensitivity to nickel and I'm not a fan of wooden needles. So the Hiya Hiyas were the logical choice. I have to say I really enjoy them; they are just plain fun to knit with. Sock knitting is addicting enough - these needles are the icing on the cake. Next step is to get them in other sizes too.

Aren't they beautiful?!

I have a couple of other favorite tools too. My MIL gave me a tabletop Ott light for Christmas this year and I love it. Especially for my current WIP, a dark grey cardigan. The light really amplifies my stitches. My other favorite tool is a little simpler; it's my needle sizer. I can't believe I didn't get one sooner, but as I've begun using circulars more than straights and using DPNs all the time it's become quite necessary. Truthfully I'm rather disorganized with my needles. I have them all mixed together in one bin. This tool makes my life immensely easier.

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Infographics - 4kcbwday3

Today's challenge for knit and crochet blog week is to create an infographic, which is basically a way to combine text and pictures into one informative graphic. I wasn't sure what to look at. I thought about one that shows my thought process from start to finish during a project. Or maybe a Venn diagram showing time wanting to knit crossed with actual time knitting. Ultimately I decided to look at what type of projects I knit. I don't have a great record of projects pre-Ravelry so I went with what I've done since I've joined. Truthfully this covers almost everything. I didn't make a lot of progress when I was first knitting.

I'm totally not surprised that toys were the highest. I make them for my friends having babies, for my kids, my nieces and nephew. Blankets are low but those take forever (and I tend to lose motivation halfway through). I am surprised I've made so many washcloths. My other category was things like headbands, a cup cozy, socks, slippers. I think it would be interesting to chart each of these categories over time and see if I've shifted my focus.

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My mascot - 4kcbwday2

Today's task for Knit and Crochet blog week is to think of a project related to your house. I'm a manatee so I was on the lookout for comfort. I realized that the project I'm currently working on (a test knit cardigan) embodies this. Specifically the yarn.

This is Patons Classic Wool. It's 100% wool, worsted weight, in dark grey. To me, this describes comfort perfectly. It's soft and easy to work with. Nothing flashy, just a nice cuddly yarn.

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I'm a manatee - 4kcbwday1

It's time for the annual Knit and Crochet Blog Week, run by Eskimimi Makes. I participated last year and enjoyed it so here I am again. (Plus it's a great motivation for my New Years resolution to blog more.) This year the first day involves picking a House to be a part of, either a monkey, peacock, bee or manatee, all of which have unique characteristics.

It was easy to eliminate two of the houses. I'm definitely not a peacock. I'm not into embellishments or anything fancy - my current WIP is the first thing to actually even require buttons! I'm not really a bee either; up until recently I was very much a one project at a time kind of gal. While I actually do keep more than one project on the needles now, it's making me a bit antsy that I currently have three going. The only bee tendency I have is I'm already onto ideas for my next project in my mind and my Ravelry queue gets long by the day.

The next two were much harder to choose from: was I a manatee or monkey? Manatees go for the softer side of knitting. Let's look at the projects here:

Cardigan? Check.

Socks? Check

Stuffed animals? Check

Okay so there's definitely an argument for manatee. Now what about the monkey? Monkeys like to be challenged with something new on every project. Let's see what the argument is here:

Cables and lace? Check

Colorwork? Check

Knitting in the round? Check

Plus through my projects I've learned new increases, decreases, turning heels, basic crochet stitches...I'd say I've got some monkey traits too. So which one am I?

Picture courtesy of Eskimimi Makes

As you may have guessed by the title, I chose Manatee! Just by a tiny bit. While I am always trying to improve my knitting, some projects are done just because. And they are almost always soft, squishy, cuddly, cozy things - socks, cardigans, toys, blankets. Hooray for the House of Manatee!