Introducing knitable!

I have a YouTube channel!! Why?!?
I was confounded by so many things when I started knitting.  There is SO much to learn at every turn. I gleaned as much as I could from books and magazines, but drawings of hands and needles mostly confused me more. Admittedly, I am a visual and kinesthetic learner, I need to see and do (and repeat!) in order to truly grasp a technique. I took a lot of classes and was perpetually wading through YouTube for explanations and demos. As a result, I spent a LOT of time watching veeeery long videos, unsure if I would EVER learn what I tuned in to find.  
Several years later, when I began to teach knitting, I was reminded of how confusing every little thing can be.  Just entering a stitch on the wrong side can throw everything off - and it’s so easy to do!  This set me on a mission to make good, clear, concise information that makes it fun to learn. That’s why I created knitable - the home of bite sized tutorials. They get straight to the point so you can get back to your knitting.
The initial set of videos is focused on basics.  When I teach beginners how to knit, my students stand behind me and watch me before they do it on their own. At some point, they started recording me and I realized how useful it would be if I made my own video for students to review so they could remember what to do when they got home. It was clear, after learning the knit stitch, they would need to review the purl stitch, or how to decrease when making their first hat - and the collection grew. These days, I’m working on a series of striped patterns and have created multiple videos to illustrate techniques in support of the patterns. Just this week, I published a video of Judy’s Magic Cast-On to support my latest pattern - the Simple Striped Hoodie. That’s right, JMCO isn’t just for socks anymore!

As you will see, the videos are ultra short and to the point. There’s no chitchat, just some fun music and my hands. I hope you like ‘em. There are many more to come! If there are tutorials you would like to see, let me know and I will add them to the list. Subscribe to be notified about new videos. Please spread the word - and the knitting love!! 

Ever

Have you ever bought yarn with little to no plan? A lot of yarn? You would never, right? Of course not. But is it really a crime to buy 12 balls of yarn if you have a vague idea? What if you give yourself a deadline?

At this time last year I bought a very large bag of wool that I promptly stowed in my closet - in the original shipping box - without even opening it! I had dreams people, dreams of a big bulky cardigan. Something kinda tailored, but cozy. Something sorta chic that I could dress up with a pencil skirt and boots or down with leggings. Something that would knit up quick with some textural interest. Something that I could wear outside as a jacket on crisp fall days and would keep me warm in my drafty old house on the most frigid days.

I absolutely swoon over bulky yarns. First off, a sweater is usually a commitment. The idea that I could finish knitting an entire sweater in 10 days is quite appealing. But beyond instant gratification, I love how the scale of the a bulky yarn brings the texture into clear relief. And yet, while it can make for a joyful and quick knit, bulky sweaters can make a person look bigger. Frankly, I don’t really need to look any bigger than I already am, so I tend to shy away from bulky garments. Unless it’s fitted, you run the risk of looking like a blob. But if you pair volume on top with something tighter on the bottom, it is possible to get away with it. I did a little yarn research and landed on Rowan’s Big Wool. Dusty pink would be the perfect antidote to the gloomy days of winter. With this vague “plan” in mind, I placed my order, but by the time yarn arrived, I had so many projects in line I just didn’t get to it and all of a sudden it was Spring. My dream of a big beloved bulky cardigan melted with the snow and the big ole box of yarn languished at the bottom of my closet collecting dust. Gone, but not forgotten. Until now.

I might have blown my original self-imposed deadline by a mere 10 months, but here she is! Meet Ever. She’s an every day, kinda chic, long and lean bulky cardi with flare. And I mean that literally. Did you see the collar? As much as I like a busy mashup of texture, I wanted something simple, but with enough interest that I would be excited to reach for her every day. In fact, Ever is the first piece in a collection I am working on called Quotidienne. That’s French for daily, for you Francophobes. Quotidienne will be a collection of basics that you will reach for every day with pride. Easy enough to make and just what you want to wear. You won’t even think twice. Ever.

So when you’re finished with your gift knitting and you’re ready to give yourself something special, Ever might just be the thing! And as a special holiday treat, the pattern is 20% off until Christmas. Go get her!

your knitting pantry

And you thought kitchen scales were for cooking! My scale is just as likely to be covered in yarn as all purp flour. It’s especially handy when I’m stash diving for a new project.

Ironically, while the global pandemic rages on, there are quite a few babies popping up around me. That’s all the excuse I need to get busy. Actually - not true. I don’t need any excuses! For a spring baby, I will knit a size 6-12m to fit next fall. By that time, she will be wearing little person clothes and a tiny cardi will come in handy.  

I’ve decided to knit Beebo for baby Una, which calls for 2 skeins (200g) of worsted weight wool. But how much do I really need?  The yarn requirements in any pattern, mine included, overestimate the yarn needed for the project by about 10%. This allows for swatching and the difference in knitters’ gauges. That amount of yarn is then rounded up to full skeins.  I pulled the lilac Beebo cardi from the 10tk pile that happened to be 6-12m and plopped her on the scale. At 167g, that’s significantly less than 2 skeins.

If there’s one thing that I’ve realized since coronavirus descended - it’s how hard it is to prepare for a lockdown. Within 10 minutes of the discovery of the first case of coronavirus in the United States the entire American toilet paper supply vanished. About a month ago, I realized that if I was going to start on the next batch of designs during a quarantine, I need yarn! Panic set in quickly and I started aimlessly shopping for yarn with no specific projects in mind. Then I looked around at my 12 tubs of yarn (yikes) and the giant basket of wool that sits in front of me (double yikes) and I remembered I have more yarn than I will probably live to knit. I’m going to see what I can do with my knitting pantry full of yarn - at least for the swatching phase. It’s the only responsible course of action.

If you’re a prepper-knitter, it might be worth keeping a list in the notes section of your phone, of the weights and gauges of the items you are likely to repeat. Yarn is typically sold in 50 or 100g skeins. Say you’re a sock knitter, and you like mid-calf length socks. Weigh a pair of socks that you have made! Then, when you see a sock yarn you like, you will know how much to buy or you can calculate whether you have enough in your stash. If you don’t have enough of a single color - stripe it! Generally speaking, when we talk about sweaters, a garments made with dk weight yarn will be lighter than worsted, and bulky weight projects will be heavier. Likewise a heavily textured garment covered in cables will require about 25% more yarn than a similarly sized garment of simple stockinette. 

As a professional yarn hoarder, I thought I must have enough stash yarn make a new Beebo. When I poked through my giant basket of leftovers from 10tk I found 187 grams in a natural shade of ivory. Perfect. Now I don’t have to play yarn chicken (so stressful!). I’d much rather spend my knitting time focusing on more important things - like what those crazy kids are up to on the next episode of Schitt’$ Creek.

philadelphia, born and raised

Remember when you used to go places…and see people?? I try not to think about it too much these days as I wander from my bedroom all the way to the kitchen, then back upstairs to the bedroom, then downstairs to the kitchen again. Today I visited my husband at the dining room table. And I might even make it to the curb to take out the recycling.

When we did go places, and visit relatives, we would very often go to Philadelphia to visit my in-laws. One of my husband’s most endearing qualities is the fact that he is from Philadelphia. I always hoped we would live there some day - but it was a cruel trick. We won’t. Luckily he’s also handsome and witty.

He grew up in a trinity house on a one block brick lane right in the middle of the city. It was the sweetest. Now that his parents have left, we still go out of our way to drive by Pat’s for a cheesesteak if we are headed south. Or stop by Federal Donuts for some fried chicken and donuts. But wait - Dizengoff has hummus bowls across the street. And you really can’t leave town before dropping in to Amada for tapas. But I digress. Every time I go to Philadelphia, I am gobsmacked by just how charming it is.

A few years ago we were staying in Old City and as I was taking pictures along our spring walkabout, I thought about knitting the images into a baby sweater. Cobblestone streets could be represented by moss stitch, the columns from the first bank could be stitched garter rib, and the flemish brickwork of Society Hill - a basketweave… It was a way to hold on to something dear to me. And that’s how Beebo was born. It was my first design.

Beebo is named, obviously, for Philadelphia’s most illustrious citizen, Benjamin Franklin. When he was little, Benny was quite restless. I imagine that when he asked his mother if he could go fly a kite, she said “Sure Beebo, but be careful out there. It looks like rain.” (0;

10 Tiny Knits - Ta Da!

In between obsessively checking the latest news about the global pandemic, making lists of all of the groceries that we are constantly running out of, and walking my little poochie while dodging the neighbors, I have managed to finish my first book of patterns! I won’t lie, it feels extremely awkward to be putting out this joyous little collection today. Yesterday the number of coronavirus cases in the US surpassed China. My own corner of the world is 12 miles from New York City, which has come to a screeching halt while we all shelter in place. This is SO STRESSFUL!!! But do you know what’s good for stress? Knitting! And do you know what brings joy? Babies! And you know what else? Knitters gotta knit!! Maybe now more than ever. With that - I present to you …

10 Tiny Knits is a collection for the littlest people in your life.   These are everyday knits that come toodling down the stairs for breakfast; they like to romp around the neighborhood playground, followed by a nice long nap, wake up, go to a birthday party and eat cake before dinner.   There are blankets that tell stories, sweaters inspired by family trips - boldly colored, sculptural, squishy knits to keep warm and cozy while blowing bubbles and jumping on the couch.  They are easy-on, easy-off, more than a little bit special, and so much fun to make!   Truthfully, these are the things that I would have liked to knit for my own children. 

Ironically, I didn’t knit when my kids were little.  In fact, I clearly remember sitting in a waiting room at the YMCA,  watching a woman knit a beautiful, brightly colored poncho while my then 4 year-old daughter was taking a swimming lesson.    And I thought to myself, “Wow, she’s really using her time well”.  Not “I used to knit”... or “I could do that”... or “Why am I reading this tattered People magazine?” Nope.  Nothing.  But I prefer to blame my husband.  He didn’t give me the damn copy of Stitch ‘n Bitch for Valentine’s Day until several years later. 

Once I got started, I didn’t let go - of my needles that is.  I got as far as I could reading that book, and then I grabbed a knitter friend who graciously and patiently corrected my mistakes. I took classes at my local yarn stores. I bought a thousand pounds of knitting books and magazines and I knit one thing after another.  Eventually I churned out some lovelies - sweaters, hats, mittens, and socks that I actually wear all the time.  But I found my greatest joy was in knitting for my family.  There is no better way to show someone you love them, than to make them something with your own two hands.

I am a designer who loves to knit and I made sure that there is something for every knitter in 10 Tiny Knits.  My favorite projects keep my mind occupied with easily memorized patterns that become intuitive after several rows.  You will find many pieces like that here.  One of the joys of knitting for babies and little children is that the projects are small.  You can try new techniques and gain new skills with the finish line clearly in view.   Projects range from simple knit-purl textures to the challenge of cables and brioche.   The stitch patterns will keep you interested and engaged as you work through your projects.  Some sweaters are knit in pieces, then seamed, while several are knit from the top down, a favorite construction technique. 

10 Tiny Knits is available as an ebook on Ravelry and here on my website. The patterns are also available to purchase individually. I will be posting tutorials for the special little techniques people may not be familiar with in the coming weeks. If you do decide to knit any of these patterns I would love to see your work! Please connect with me on Instagram and Ravelry if you have not already.

Needless to say, your local yarn stores need all the support they can get in this time. If you happen to live near Montclair NJ, my own LYS, Yarnia, is currently closed to the public, but open for business! They will fill your order and deliver it curbside. They have many beautiful yarns to choose from and will be happy to make suggestions when you are ready to jump into a project.

I hope that whatever you may be knitting brings you welcome distraction. But mostly I hope that you and your loved ones all remain safe and well. Cast on, curl up and knit on people!