I've decided to go for my masters

I've thought long about this step.  I think it will help me be a better teacher.  I think it will help me be a better knitter and crocheter. 

Which master level 1 am I starting with??? 

Musical ching a ring as Danny Kaye would say in movies like White Christmas.

Dun du du du (imagine the musical notes since I can't figure that part out)



Crochet.

I have picked my yarn.  I have my hook selection made.  I have my stitch and written work packet downloaded and printed.  I have a basket to contain this.  I have the materials for creating the binder as directed almost complete.  I'll be using an acrylic worsted weight yarn per directives, Lion Brand, Vanna's Choice in ice blue.  This might not be the actual name, but that is the color as it appears to me.  Probably I should have lined my basket (a wicker picnic basket) but not happening at this point.  My hooks will be Boye in a variety of sizes that will be changed as needed to get the gauge requested.  I will also be using a metal yarn needle to weave ends where needed or directed to. 

Now that the church carnival is over I can fully concentrate on it.  I'll post my progress as I make any without giving away the program.  Always a tricky job for those who attempt it, I think.  I will also be resuming as I indicated the year of stitches.  I love charts, now if only there were a standard knit chart font or symbol set the way there is for crochet

Have you gone through the CGOA masters program?  Let me know your thoughts.  What did you learn?  What did you think you knew but learned a lot about? 

I'm also working ahead on my online classes.  Yes I did say that a year ago.  However, there was a serious illness and a death in the family of my camera man and things fell by the wayside.  In the parable of what fits in the jar, I was not one of his big rocks, I'm sand.  Find the story here for those who don't know it.  What are your rocks?  Mine would be my husband, sons, daughters in law, grandchildren, parents in law and siblings. 

A Year of Stitches will resume

Hi all,

Yes I'm going to be continuing with this project.  All my good intentions were derailed by a wedding, a vacation and a church carnival.  The bride was beautiful once she was through the ceremony.  The vacation was relaxing.  The carnival was exhausting.  Behind the scenes for these events has had me running in 20 directions at once.

Now I'm done with them.  I'm working on the posts and hopefully swatches for each.  I found the shopping bag I stored all the materials for this project in a recent clean up. 

A bunch of charted stitch patterns will be coming our way.  I love me a good chart.  In looking at the crochet charts from around the world, all the symbols are mostly the same.  But the same can't be said for the knitting charts.  A post will be following to help explain the symbols.

Enjoy your summer if you are in the northern hemisphere.  Enjoy your winter in the southern.  Seasonal changes are coming....maybe....

Knit Books & Crochet Books Or Not

This post started out being about books about knit and crochet.  But it changed its mind.  This is about what we listen to while we knit or crochet.  Or watch on TV, or perhaps read?

Do you prefer music?  What kind?  Do your hands keep time with the music as you stitch?  Mine used to.  If I listened to a fast paced music, my hands made the needles heat up,  Now not so much.  Issues with repetitive motion stresses have slowed me down.  If I listened to something swing-y, my work conducted.  What artists do you listen to?  In today's time, I like Glenn Miller and Brahms.  Yes they are very different.  But I don't really listen to much music while working.

I prefer audio books now and podcasts these days.  I like series of books so I can go from one to the next and so on.  I have a real love for the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich, Harry Potter obviously, a historical/contemporary time romance mystery series by Lauren Willig and a few others.

Amazingly,  I  came across this question on a Facebook knitting group post.  I'll check out those suggestions.

I recently made a list of the podcasts I listen to since my phone went in the drink and I was afraid it wouldn't keep going.  So far so good, but it's only a matter of time.  But my podcast app of choice is podcast addict.  I put into the search bar knit, knitting, crochet, yarn.  I can specify if I  want audio, video or both.  Since I listen on the go as well, I try to keep it to audio only.  Here's a partial list.  Maybe you will find some new ones.  Post yours and maybe I will.

knitmore girls                 savvy girls                  2 knit lit chicks          90% knitting           a playful day

actually knitting              betty in the sky           bhooked                    capital yarns            cast on

close knit                         coffee knit repeat       cogknitive                 colors & cocktails   craftish

confessions of a pink haired maker                   crochet crash course   crochet cast            doubleknit

crocheter's connection    curious handmade      destined to knit         down cellar studios  f this knit electronic knitter            knit breathe relax        fiber hooligan           fiber knitche             free crochet

hand y machine knit       Hollywood knitter      house of knitting       in a sknit                  kino knits

jane and jen knit funny   keep calm and carry yarn                             kitchen stitches      knit 1 geek 2

knit actually                   knit dye read               knit picks                   knit.fm                     knit circus

knit british                      knit together               knit pug                      knit one crochet two

You should find something interesting in this list.  Sadly there seems to be a lot fewer crochet podcasts than knit.  Some are older like knit picks and cast on.  But they have a lot of useful information and are fun.  These are all English.  I can't keep up with the very limited Spanish and German I know.  So I don't listen to other languages.  It might be a great way to eventually learn a new language though....