knitcole

Tips and Tricks for Knitting and Crocheting.

I always have people asking them to help them learn to crochet or knit so I thought I would share a couple of my favorite tips and tricks.

 

Stitch 'N Bitch books: These books by Debbie Stoller are great. I bought the crochet book, The Happy Hooker, to help me become a more proficient crocheter and it definitely worked! I became so confident that I was able to begin making my own patterns. I bought The Knitter's Handbook when I decided that it was time for me to be able to knit on my own. (I could knit if my aunt helped me get started.) This book has been a God send! It has the best instructions and I use it every time I get ready to knit for a refresher.

2. Crochet Lite Crochet Hooks: I adore these things! I can't seem to find them in stores anymore but Amazon has them. I have them in my favorite sizes, H and J, and they are perfect when you have low light, you just flip the switch and turn them on. They are also great because they are ergonomic.

Short Knitting Needles: When I first started knitting I thought that the long  needles were the way to go. They look more impressive when you're knitting too! Come to find out if you want to knit while you sit on the couch they are the WORST! The needles hit the couch and it's very annoying!

These are just a couple of my favorite things, I could go on and on about notions and things but that would be an excessively long post. I hope that these little tips will help even just one of you in your crocheting and knitting adventures!

Nicole

 

Where have you been?

Perhaps you have been asking that very question about me...well...I've been crafting away like a crazy person! On top of being under the weather for the past three or four days I have been diligently trying to get everything ready to open my Etsy store. I'm almost ready, just one more day or two and it should be up and running!

Here's a sneak peek of some of the things to sell.

Aprons - I'm going to be selling aprons and here is my favorite so far. 

Beanies and Booties - For the little babes in your life.

Bouquets - I'm not quite sure how this one is going to work yet but I'm definitely going to try to give them a whirl!
 
Nicole

The perfect knitting or crocheting bag!

I love when I find accessories that can assist in my crafting adventures. This means that when I received a particular knitting / crocheting bag from one of my friends I was pretty excited. Before my bag I think I was like most people who knit or crochet; I carried all of my projects around in separate tote bags. It worked but it got to be be quite cumbersome because I am always working on a few different projects. So this fancy bag has saved me from my cumbersome tote bag hell. (Side note, I actually have two of these awesome bags now because I overfilled my first one and broke the zipper. Oops!)

This bag is awesome! It holds six skeins of yarn on one side with feeders that you feed the yarn through and then Velcro strips that hold the yarn in place. It's great for my afghan projects where I use multiple skeins for each afghan. 

Then it also has another zippered pocket on the opposite side. This pocket is huge and I can fit a project or two in addition to the afghan that is already on the other side. It's great!

On each end of the bag there is a pocket just the right size for magazines or other books that you might need for your projects.

The top of the bag is perfect for notions. I have a few different things in mine along with my Krochet Kids International sticker!

This bag has worked really well for me. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a great bag for their projects without spending a lot of money. The bag can be found on the Walter Drake website here for $14.99. After shipping it was still less than $20.00! Now that's a steal! 

What are some of your favorite crafting accessories?

Until next time!

Nicole