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Favorite Knitting Blogs
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I like Mason-Dixon, and Deborah's Daily Dilemnas (http://deedeenetblog.blogspot.com/). I have one, though it's not my favorite; I hardly post (http://knittingonfire.blogspot.com), but I do have a list of knitting blogs I like there on the right. Do you have a blog, Ruby?
I don't have a blog...yet. My family tries to be enthusiastic about my knitting, but it would be nice to share my obsession with people who 'get it.' I just need to set aside some time to blog.
I stumbled on ysolda.com and it's really cute. It seems to be about knitting and food (bonus)! I hadn't even thought about knit blogs until I found. I will definitely check out these recommendations! Thanks!
I've learned a lot at See Eunny Knit at http://eunnyjang.com/knit/Recently, she posted that she won't be adding content to the site, but there are two year's worth of informative archives. She is now the editor at my favorite knitting magazine, Interweave Knits, and will apparently be keeping a new blog there at http://www.interweaveknits.com/eunnyk...
By the way, the old Eunny blog was part of a combined food/knitting site, too. Makes perfect sense to me: food and knitting are two comfort activities--except when you try to combine the two and end up with fuzzy fingers or crumbs in your knitting!
I'm not big on reading blogs in general, but (not to self-promote -- heehe) I started my own knitting blog, Bygone Knits, this summer http://www.bygoneknits.blogspot.com/ , which I'm quite fond of, even though I'm not sure if anyone's reading it or not, other than about three people. It's all about top-quality vintage patterns and yarns (1920s-early '60s), and how it all connects to social/cutural history and the history of art and decorative arts of whatever era I'm writing about. Oh, and I throw in a bit about vintage sewing now and then, too.
Honore: I thought your blog was very interesting and your books sound fun, too. The photo comparison of the little black suit was very funny!I also enjoy vintage knitting patterns, but I've never tried knitting them with vintage yarn. I'd worry about moth damage or deterioration of the yarn over time, but maybe that hasn't been an issue for you. Do you have any tips for knitting with vintage yarn?
Sincerely,
Matthew Gatheringwater
Thanks, Matthew!
Actually, I've found vintage yarn, if it is of high-quality to begin with (I like Minerva or early Columbia-Minerva -- but they started to go downhill in the '60s -- and Pauline Denham best.), is often of FAR better quality than a lot of new stuff, nicer to work with, and holds up exceptionally well. Avoid anything with a high acrylic content -- not only is it icky, but it tends to pill and discolor more easily than wool. (Some rayon content is fine, though, as it's considered a sort-of natural fibre, unlike, say, Orlon.) I've accumulated my stash on e-bay over a period of many years -- sometimes it seems like I have too much -- don't we all? ;)-- but I like to use precisely what the pattern calls for whenever possible, which requires some patience, both in locating the correct yarn and the perfect pattern for it.
I think I've only ever had one problem with a vintage yarn purchase, with some Minerva wool from the 1940s -- it looked fine, but I discovered that at some point the interior of a few skeins had been infested with something (long dead, fortunately), so I had to throw the whole bunch out. Otherwise, I've had remakably good luck. Most of the time, sellers are at least fairly accurate in thier descriptions (and if not, as with all things, ask questions), and examaine photos carefully -- beware of stuff which looks like it's been opened (or worse, used, and re-rolled), dingy, or discolored (this may require saving the photo and adjusting the color to see the details more accurately.) Watch especially for discolorization in light colors, which are more likely to yellow.
Also shifty are sellers who say a yarn is a certain brand/type, but they've removed the labels, and wound it for machine knitting -- that happened to me once -- turned out the stuff was very nice, but it was most certainly neither the brand nor the variety the seller said it was.
Oh, and also beware of sellers who seem overly-gung-ho and/or are giving you the hard sell on anything -- that's usually a red flag. (Actually, that goes for pretty much any purchase of any sort, anywhere.)
I hope you continue to visit! :)
Actually, I've found vintage yarn, if it is of high-quality to begin with (I like Minerva or early Columbia-Minerva -- but they started to go downhill in the '60s -- and Pauline Denham best.), is often of FAR better quality than a lot of new stuff, nicer to work with, and holds up exceptionally well. Avoid anything with a high acrylic content -- not only is it icky, but it tends to pill and discolor more easily than wool. (Some rayon content is fine, though, as it's considered a sort-of natural fibre, unlike, say, Orlon.) I've accumulated my stash on e-bay over a period of many years -- sometimes it seems like I have too much -- don't we all? ;)-- but I like to use precisely what the pattern calls for whenever possible, which requires some patience, both in locating the correct yarn and the perfect pattern for it.
I think I've only ever had one problem with a vintage yarn purchase, with some Minerva wool from the 1940s -- it looked fine, but I discovered that at some point the interior of a few skeins had been infested with something (long dead, fortunately), so I had to throw the whole bunch out. Otherwise, I've had remakably good luck. Most of the time, sellers are at least fairly accurate in thier descriptions (and if not, as with all things, ask questions), and examaine photos carefully -- beware of stuff which looks like it's been opened (or worse, used, and re-rolled), dingy, or discolored (this may require saving the photo and adjusting the color to see the details more accurately.) Watch especially for discolorization in light colors, which are more likely to yellow.
Also shifty are sellers who say a yarn is a certain brand/type, but they've removed the labels, and wound it for machine knitting -- that happened to me once -- turned out the stuff was very nice, but it was most certainly neither the brand nor the variety the seller said it was.
Oh, and also beware of sellers who seem overly-gung-ho and/or are giving you the hard sell on anything -- that's usually a red flag. (Actually, that goes for pretty much any purchase of any sort, anywhere.)
I hope you continue to visit! :)
I simply adore you, Honore!
Why, thank you! You're pretty nifty yourself! :)
My favorite is a local friend's, Saltwater Purls, because she knits a lot of Rowan sweaters, which I lust after (but can't afford) ;)http://saltwater_purls.typepad.com/
And of course, Stephanie, the Yarn Harlot.
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/
--Denise
What are your favorite knitting blogs?