top 5 iOS apps for knitters & crocheters

March 14, 2015 by 11 Comments

Even aside from craft store apps that give you coupons, there are tons of apps out there for knitters and crocheters.  These are my personal favorites.

top ios apps for knitters and crocheters

Knit: a row/stitch counter that can keep up with multiple projects at once.  The developer doesn’t speak English that well, but the cuteness of the app makes up for that.

Wooly: If Ravelry had developed an app, it would be like this.  You can add projects, add stash items, and queue patterns, you can add photos (which is great if you’ve experienced the frustration of trying to add photos to Ravelry on a mobile device), check your messages, and more.  Super handy.

wooly ios appYarnPro: Like a reference book in your pocket, and this screenshot says it all (or almost — I should add you can customize the units of measurement):

yarnpro ios appGranny Square (by Simply Crochet): Free granny square patterns!  A variety to choose from.

granny square ios appRaglanify:  Haven’t acually used this yet, but it will generate a custom raglan sweater pattern for you if you imput your desired measurements, gauge, etc.  It thinks of everything!

raglanify ios appSo those are my current top 5!  Give ’em a try if you have an iPhone!

 

 

 

 

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giveaway winner announced!

March 11, 2015 by 5 Comments

Congratulations Cathy from raggz2baggz.com, you’ve won the prize:

giveaway prize on notyouraveragecrochet

Thanks to everyone who entered!  Stay tuned — I may have another giveaway coming up soon!  😉

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how to knit a neater edge in garter stitch

March 7, 2015 by 1 Comment

how to knit a neater edge in garter stitch

There is now a permanent page here in the menu bar with these instructions (click here for that).

This method works in plain garter stitch as well as lace patterns that do not have purl rows.  The example shown is the Gentille cowl.  This does not work in stockinette stitch.  Look at how the edge looks finished:

how to knit a neater edge in garter stitch

HOW TO DO IT

The trick is simple: slip the first stitch of every row purl-wise with your yarn in front.  Then move your yarn to the back and continue knitting!

Now you know!  Use this tip from anything like scarves to blankets!

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what are you reading?

March 2, 2015 by 17 Comments

Today is Read Across America Day!  To celebrate, I’m sharing the books that I’m into right now.

First up is “Wide Sargasso Sea” by Jean Rhys.  It’s a short novel from the perspective of the mad wife in “Jane Eyre,” and it’s very interesting.  The back of the book says: “Set in the Caribbean, its heroine is Antoinette Cosway, a sensual and protected young woman who is sold into Marriage to the prideful Rochester.  In this best-selling novel, Rhys portrays a society so driven by hatred, so skewed in its sexual relations, that it can literally drive a woman out of her mind.”

Read Across America Day - what are you reading?Next on my list is “Longbourn” by Jo Baker.  This novel is similar to the one above in that it adds to an already existing novel, but in this case it’s a new view of “Pride and Prejudice.”  Focusing on the servants in the Bennet household, it gives a refreshing perspective to Regency England.

Read Across America Day - what are you reading?

My dad got me both of those books and I’m loving them (thanks Dad!).  I’m also listening to an audiobook as I knit/crochet/surf the Internet: “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”  I know that’s not very new for me — I’ve read and/or listened to it a gazillion times — but it never gets old or less magical!

So what are you reading on this Read Across America Day?  People in countries besides America, I’m asking you, too!  🙂

 

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Gentille cowl ta-da!

February 25, 2015 by 16 Comments

My busy hands have completed a new project: the Gentille cowl!  Available for about $5.74 on Ravelry (click here), this pattern makes a great one-skein wonder!

"Gentille" cowl - a wearable knitted piece with great drape!

The yarn used was awfully hard to photograph properly, even in natural light, but if you’re wanting a pretty accurate representation of color, check the source: KnitPicks Hawthorne in Ladd’s Addition.  It’s essentially a blend of dark blues and purples with a pop of hot pink that has a tail end of bright orange.  Less brown than in my pictures here.  I think it’s gorgeous, but that’s not the only thing about this yarn I love: it may be 80% wool but it’s not scratchy at all, even after a whole day’s wear; it blocked beautifully; the drape is perfect.  This is my favorite yarn of the year so far, for sure.

Gentille cowl draped on a chairAs you can sort of see, there are two “sections” to this pattern: a garter stitch section and a lacy chevron section.  That constitutes 1 pattern repeat, and my 357 yd skein was perfect for 4 repeats total.  Here are closeups of the two “sections:”

Gentille cowl - garter stitch sectionGentille cowl - lacy chevron sectionI like the way the bright pinks/oranges make a sort of zig/zag pattern throughout.  This is called “pooling,” right?  Well, I really like the way it pooled here (I know sometimes it can be a mess)!

In conclusion, even though the pattern was pretty easy to remember, I don’t regret paying for it — I’m sure I’ll use it again someday.  This pattern mixed the mindless garter stitch with interesting [but not difficult] chevrons, and it looks more complicated than it actually was!  This is the sort of pattern you could churn out in a week for a gift, and I think anybody would love to receive one, don’t you?

Well, that’s all for today, but this isn’t the last you’ll see of the Gentille cowl!  Look out for a special knitting tip coming up soon!  As always, thanks for stopping by!

 

 

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