New Design=Free Pattern!!! :D

I'm Stephanie (Hi Stephanie). And I am an sock knitting addict. I love to knit socks. They make me think, which may or may not be a good thing. Most days it is good. I love to knit them. The yarns that are available are absolutely delicious, and what you can do with socks is unbelievable!!! I love socks.
I knit socks like crazy, but they are mostly slipper socks. Well, the other day I decided that I wanted to knit sock socks. Not slipper socks, but sock socks. I was wondering what type to knit, and whom to knit them for, when I remembered that my first ever pair of socks were given to my mother as a birthday gift. Thus, I came to the conclusion that I would knit my first ever pair of sock-socks for her as, yet, another birthday gift. Well, seeing that her birthday is in July, I decided that some sort of light lacy airy pattern was necessary, but the ones that I found just didn't scream "Mom!" so I decided I would try something out. And lo and behold, I came up with this beautiful meshy type pattern that covers the top of the foot and the ankle. It took me 3 days to knit the entire pair (yay for starting 5 months early), and I just couldn't wait to give them to her. She now wears them like crazy. Now I must think of a new gift idea for Mom.

Watch for my next post which will include the Mom's-ocks sock pattern, designed by Moi!

Yay for knitting!!! There's nothing more relaxing and enjoyfull (is that a word?) than knitting. It's chocolate chunk cookies, but for the soul!! But what if you can't knit? My motto: Never say can't. Because you can. And I will show you how. The tutorial below doesn't have pictures, but eventually I will add pictures to aid in the learning process, and eventually (don't you just LOVE that word?!) I will have a video to teach you how to knit. My My My. Anywho... enjoy!!!

This is a quick paced tutorial to teach beginning knitters the basics of knitting. I hope it works. Also: Coming soon will be the more in-depth tutorial for beginning knitters.

Are you ready to knit? To start, you will need yarn, and knitting needles and some chocolate. For learning purposes, no specific type or size is required. Later you will learn about gauge. ((P.S. You may want to eat some chocolate in between each portion.))

I. Cast on!
A. Create Loop

B. Pull another loop through.
C. Insert needle and tighten.
D. Later, Rinse, Repeat, Voila!!

II. Knit Stitch!
A. Insert needle
a. front to back, through 1st loop on needle
B. Wrap yarn
a. clockwise (start under, left, up over to the right)
C. Pull yarn through
a. pull wrapped yarn through the loop (1st stitch that the needle is sticking through)
1. the loop on the needle in your left hand will have the new loop on the right needle coming out of it.
D. Slide Off
a. slide the loop you just came out of off of the stitch, but keep the yarn wrapped around the right needle on the needle. Just let it fall in between the two needles.
E. Lather, Rinse, Repeat, Voila!

III. Purl Stitch (not from clams :P)(Reversed of the Knit Stitch)
A. Insert needle (back to front, through 1st loop on left needle.)
B. Wrap yarn (counter clockwise; over the top from right to left)
C. Pull through (pull yarn back through loop)
D. Slide off (slide stitch off the same as with the knit stitch.)
E. Lather, Rinse, Repeat, Voila!

IV. Bind off!
A. Knit into 1 loop.
B. Knit into a second loop. (you will now have 2 loops on your right hand needle.)
C. Use left needle to slip the first stitch you knitted over the second. (There will now be 1 stitch on the right needle)
D. Knit into 1 loop. (2 stitches on right needle)
E. Repeat C.
F. Repeat D and E until there are no more stitches.
G. When the last stitch is bound off on the right needle (only 1 stitch) cut yarn and pull through stitch. This will knot it.

Tada!! You have just successfully knit!!! Yay!! You can now knit anything, mostly. If you combine knits and purls (one row knit, and then a row purl, knit, purl, etc.) you have Stockinette Stitch. If you just knit every row, it is Garter stitch. Now go eat some chocolate. You deserve it.

Cast On

This is the very first post on my new knitting blog. I am so excited! I can't wait to be able to share all of my knitting adventures and what-not with you, my readers. Eventually in this blog, I want to be able to create a section to have a "How-To-Knit" blogette for newbie knitters, and have some more advanced tips and what-not as well; things from casting on and knitting to cabling and kitchenering. I would also eventually like to have my own podcast. That would be an adventure!! Eeek. I don't know if I could handle it, but it would be interesting. And Patterns!! I want to offer patterns for my lovely readers. I would really enjoy doing that. So basically, I would love to have this blog be pretty much everything that a knitter wants to find in a knitting site. Comments and what-not are great, and I would love to hear from everybody. Also, advice on what you would like me to post here would be GREATLY appreciated. As for now, a paper that needs writing is calling. Knit on!!!

((Picture retrieved from: anacleta.homestead.com/knittinghumor.html; this site has many humorous knitting comics!))