How’s the blogging? I know, I know. I don’t blog much, and I lose focus after blogging for awhile. Right now on my hayley hoodie, I’m 6 inches down and may have the pocket to start in 4″. Woo! I should be doing a little bit every day, but then I had ideas for scrap yarn. You can’t blame me. We all have a project we start then put it aside. I know feel guilty that it’s sitting in my bag upstairs lol.

A community of knitters. I love that. I love it because I need you guys to yell at me to get it done. Make sure you leave me lots of comments to get it done and bring it tonight. It’s sweater night tonight, so if you want you can bug me tonight to knit it

Sorry it took so long! I had to find the video to show you the provisional cast on!

First, you want to cast on the amount of stitches then work with your pattern. Once the hood is done, you should be able to understand part 4 when it is published.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R10JY2tkBbI

Time for part 2! You have to do a gauge swatch. I’m not saying it because my mom enforces it; I’m saying it because if you’re going to invest that much time and money on a sweater, it’s important to have it perfect on the first try!

I did not do a gauge swatch. Why did I tell you to do a gauge swatch when I didn’t? I started the hood way back in August then stopped. My gauge swatch was the hood and was perfectly fine. I picked back up, and my gauge is tight! I thought I fixed my gauge problem in the few projects I completed recently. Apparently, if I speed knit, I think tight and fast —- not fast and loose! Problems will occur later on if you did not do a swatch! But, never fear, my mom (Lea-Ann) will help me through!

From Lea-Ann — BASICS OF HOW TO SWATCH: If you don’t want to use the hood as a swatch, like Tara did, gather together your needles and yarn. Start with the recommendations in the pattern and cast on at least 4″ worth of stitches and work in the stitch pattern for at least 4″. Remember to use the needles that you will use for your project (and the yarn too).  BIND OFF! Yes, you need to bind off. No, you are not wasting your yarn. You did buy an extra ball for “just in case” (and that can be returned for store credit if not needed). You will want to treat this swatch like you will finish the finished garment. For example, if its wool and you’ll hand wash and lay flat to dry, that is what you need to do. Or cotton that is machine wash and dry, then do that to the swatch.  This gives you a chance to observe if the swatch will shrink, grow, pill, etc.  It helps if you keep really good records about your swatch including the needle size, the yarn ball band, the measurements, etc.

NEXT: The next focus for this project is the provisional crochet-cast on.

It’s been a busy seven days while receiving everyone’s votes. We’re excited to say that Denise from Fort Wayne has won the Holiday Hunt! She entered all 7 days! The patterns of her choice were Woolly Snowman, Woolly Snowman Hats, and Woolly Accessories. If you participated in the Holiday Hunt, we did send you a special email

Thanks again for participating, and have a Merry Christmas!

-Tara and Lea-Ann

The winner will be emailed at noon.

Did you know both of these birds live Down Under? The Woolly Penguin, is sporting a wool hat and cap, with applied felt face features, but what is the Kiwi bird wearing?  It is sporting fur from a ???.

• First, identify what animal we’re talking about
• Then, search for that animal on our website at http://www.knittingtoday.com – http://theyarnsisters.com/conservation/ will help identify the animal.
• We knit Fetching from knitty.com with it, so it isn’t a fingering weight yarn.  That eliminates a whole category of choices for you to look through.
• And, we love this yarn because it is a “green” yarn.

sorry! Darn Microsoft . . .

Normally, we read “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, but what if you don’t have a Chimney?  Someone (comment if you find the author) has come up with a nice little poem that goes like this:

Our stocking’s hang on a wall. We have no ????? at all! You see the problem is quite clear. Santa, how will you get in here? We heard a legend. Is it true? Of magic only you can do. We’ll leave out this special key, and “mark” it Santa so you can see. Your magic makes the key fit right, so you can get inside that night. Thank you Santa, here’s our key. The milk and cookies are on me!

In this featured picture, our Woolly Gnome has become a Santa Claus — isn’t he darling??  Marie Mayhew has posted the transformation tips on her website called Woolly Something. So, the clue you are looking for is the word missing from the poem above. We won’t lead you on a wild goose chase today, just a quick and easy search and click-through.

Once you find the featured picture above, send the URL to customerservice@knittingtoday.com. You’ll be entered in the drawing for a three pack of Marie Mayhew patterns or projects (value up to $30) which takes place on the 19th.  A new picture is posted every morning at 9am est so come back to the Knews blog and check it out.

By the way, I’m still working on getting the coupon module installed in the new storefront.  Once that is done, anyone who has entered the giveaway will receive a coupon to give it a try — one more reason to enter the Woolly Hunt!! — Lea-Ann

So, DH Tom says to me “Jacob (our almost-two-year old grandson) needs a Christmas stocking this year.” Really? I’m thinking. We always forget to take Tara’s (daughter) stocking home from the store display. I designed and knit it for a class at Benjamin Franklin’s in about 1993 and still display it; even translated it to machine knitting, so it gets displayed every year. Consequently,  our stockings hung by the chimney with care are mis-mash  of stuff that really needs attention.  Eyes are falling off trent’s (son’s) bear stocking. I don’t think I ever even made one for Haley (youngest daughter). I think she uses one I had when I lived at my mom and dad’s. Mine has a coffee stain. Tom (Mr. UPS man) has several his customers gave him and he takes back to refill every year – rofl.  Lukinda, (daughter-in-law) doesn’t have one yet. And, besides, Jacob opens presents at home and has his own stocking there so maybe I’ll just glitter glue his name on a purchased stocking? Really! Scrooge-ish? Or do I need to suck it up and  do something about the sorry state of stockings affair at the McGregor house?

Show us your stockings….maybe I’ll be inspired?

We have been planning to talk about socks on this blog. When you think of it, you either have frustration because of the techniques, needles (lots of them), the size of those needles, or something! But we found a pattern in the Knitting Today! Magazine April/May 2011 that would be cute socks for anyone to understand.

This pattern is featured on page 13 called Happy feet.  It’s a one skein project which surprises me! It takes one ball of Regia Softy Color.  These socks  are more like the sporty kind, not a big cuff. There is an optional pom-pom.

If you have someone in mind that loves fuzzy socks, this what you want to make for them! I got fuzzy socks last Christmas and loved them! They kept my feet so warm in boots and running around the house. Washing them was the tricky part.

A great thing to do after knitting this would to add some Heel foot cream (only available in scentless at this time) to your gift. Makes a perfect gift to help smooth out those dry parts on your feet for the “I’m-pampered” feel. To wash them, try the product Soak, a no-rinse wash like Eucalan. Some amazing scents we have in stock of Soak. It’ll give them a fresh feel and a cleaner look instead of putting them in the washer and dryer. It makes them all staticky and weird looking. Hand-washing is the best way to go, at least in my opinion. If you don’t want to hand wash because it takes time out of your day, go ahead and put them in the washer and dryer (see ball band).

Hope you decided to make these socks for someone! Don’t forget to buy these items for us. Each one has a link to our website page and the product!