GOODKNITS // a knitting & crochet blog

Crochet: Getting Cozy

By Lisa Gutierrez on 06/12/2014

Last week, I wrote a post for the Craftsy blog about post stitches. If you aren’t familiar with post stitches, or you need a refresher, check it out here- Add a Little Texture: A Tutorial for Crochet Post Stitches.

The result of my little tutorial was this really sweet ribbed mason jar cozy.

Yarn: Knit Picks Comfy (fingering weight)
Hook: 3.75 mm (US F)
Pattern: I chained an even number to fit around my jar, then joined to make a circle, being careful not to twist the chain. I made a round of DC, then the next rounds were made by alternating front- and back-post double crochet stitches. Check out this post on Craftsy for more information about post stitches. You can make it as tall as you want. I only wanted to cover the center portion of my glass, so I made 12 rounds of DC and a final round of SC at top.

Are you keeping cool this summer? I sometimes struggle with getting enough water, so I’m filling a BIG bottle everyday and then just setting the goal to finish it by the end of the day. It does indeed help to measure out what I need at the beginning of the day instead of trying to remember how many glasses I’ve drunk. I am SO bad at logging water/food/whatever!

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FREE Knitting Stitches Bundle from Craftsy!

By Lisa Gutierrez on 05/23/2014

FREE Knitting Stitches bundle on Craftsy

Hey, guys! I hope you’ve had a great week. I’m here to share a bundle of knitting stitches I contributed to. It is seven basic knitting tutorials bundled into a REALLY sweet file. Like the title says, it’s completely FREE. The layout of the files is top notch and really easy to follow. I think it would be a great companion for new knitters who are looking to branch out. Give it a look! The tutorials I contributed are:

Let me know what you think! Are you a new knitter? Thinking of learning? I learned to crochet before I knit, so I love to talk to crocheters who are *thinking* of adding knitting to their yarny crafts but just don’t know where to start.

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Crochet: Cropped Cardigan

By Lisa Gutierrez on 05/13/2014

Pattern: Craspedia Cropped Cardigan by Linda Permann (also on Ravelry here)
Yarn: 6 skeins KnitPicks Comfy (fingering weight) in Planetarium
Hook: 3.75mm (US F-5)
Modifications: Had to go up in hook size to get gauge. Only 5 DC in each scallop instead of 7.

I finally made myself something to wear. This is the first time I have crocheted a garment in pieces. I did some legit blocking and seaming, guys! I wanted a lacy, but not too lacy cardigan. I liked the cropped-but-past-my-boobs look of this one. The rounded, scalloped front is adorable and the gathered sleeve caps are killin’ me. It was a fairly easy pattern to follow, too!

The yarn isn’t anything fancy, but I like it. The color is brighter in natural light, as above. It looks a little navy-ish in darker environments. It’s soft and washable, though I haven’t put it through my machine yet. I wore it, this weekend, to a graduation. I put all our other clothes to wash and left this out. I’m ALWAYS nervous to wash my crocheted stuffs. I have these visions of opening the washer and finding a ball of yarn. It hasn’t happened yet, but still… it could, right? Please tell me I’m not the only one who feels like this!

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Knitting: with two hands!

By Lisa Gutierrez on 05/06/2014

I have been knitting since 2006. Almost eight whole years! I gave it a shot after crocheting for about 6 months and fell in love. Actually, that’s a lie. I hated knitting. It took me three tries and mostly because the book I was using only demonstrated the English style and my brain just did not understand what to do with yarn in my right hand. I was so used to holding the yarn over my left hand and working the hook with my right. When I found videos of Continental knitting, I had that “aha!” moment and things went more smoothly.

I’ve given English knitting a try here and there through the years. I knew it would make fair isle and colorwork easier if I could hold yarn in both hands. It never really stuck, though. I always went back to Continental, even during stranded knitting projects.

Well, a few weeks ago, I bought some Létt-Lopi to feel it out for a future sweater and to see the colors in person. I couldn’t wait and decided to draft up a colorwork pattern for the yarn.

After a bunch of drafts that included sharpies, fine felt tip pens, and eventually a spreadsheet, I got to work on a beanie! I knew from the get go I would need to practice my English knitting and worked every other round of the rib like that. It was a chore, but eventually my right hand seemed to “wake up” and get it. It felt less and less awkward as the rounds went by. Soon, I was breezing through my charts! The first wasn’t a very intuitive color pattern, but once I started feeling antsy and/or bored with it, it was time to move on!

I’m calling it my “This and That” beanie because it’s got a little bit of this and a little bit of that. I love love love the sprinkling of contrast stitches in the crown. I did the same thing with some colorwork beanies I made a few years ago. Those beanies took days to create and the one in this post took two measly evenings! I’m pretty happy with that.

Are you working on any new skills? This one seems kind of simple, as English knitting is often how knitters start, but for me, it was a milestone! I feel like I could knit a fair isle sweater or something!

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Goodknits for Craftsy

By Lisa Gutierrez on 04/22/2014

First: Hi! I hope you had a nice Easter weekend. We were on the go Friday through Sunday. I was completely exhausted by the end (also fighting some sort of sick that made things harder/more dramatic than they needed to be), but we had a great weekend!

Second: Come check out the blog’s new look! I actually put it up a while ago, but hadn’t officially “announced” it yet. I de-cluttered the sidebars a bit and composed an actual page with all my patterns and/or tutorials! Check THAT out, here: PATTERNS & DIY.

Third: Here are three posts I have written for the Craftsy blog recently. I’ve begun to write a few more crochet pieces. It was my first love and I’m always happy to share it!