Answers about the corn and a stitch change!

I have been using my corn yarn dish cloths and loving them, except the fabric created by my double crochet is a bit too loose. So, now I am working in a single crochet.

Also, I emailed Kollage Yarns because I was curious about why the tag said, "imported fibers" when the only content is corn! Well, Susan from Kollage, got back to me the next day and told me this... The corn used in the yarn is grown in the US. Because of a shortage of mills in the US for spinning and dying, they must send the corn  out of the country to a mill. Once the yarn is spun and dyed then it is back to the US for sale. So, I love it that they are using US  corn  for this! Anyone want to open a mill? Susan said they would love to produce the entire product in the US if they could.

Thanks to Susan at Kollage Yarns for answering my question. Kollageyarns.com is a great website with free patterns and a shopping cart for all their unique products, including square knitting needles! It is a fun site to visit.

More corn dish cloths!

I have decided to give up on the cotton dish cloth and expand my horizons because:

• they don't last very long at our house.
• they get stinky.
• they fade and get out of shape.

So, my new quest is with corn yarn because:

• it is naturally antibacterial.
• it comes in vibrant colors.
• it has a gentle abrasive quality that is great for getting food off of dishes
• and I get bored easily and corn seems a bit more exotic than cotton:)

Here is the yarn I found at 3 Kittens Needle Arts. It is 100% corn and they have many beautiful colors. Here is what I chose.

On the label it says "Made in the USA from imported fibers". So, we don't have enough corn in our country? Is this special corn? I'm going to have to investigate.

Halloween Sale at the Yarnery

Yes, today and tomorrow (October 30 and 31st) the Yarnery is have a 20% everything in the store sale!

I wanted to show you a picture of the great Cascade yarn I bought for making daughter #2 a scarf...but due to cleaning efforts for some out of town guests....I don't know where the camera is!!

My house is clean, I have yarn for knitting and will post my new treasure once I find my camera!!

Scarf for Daughter Number 1...Complete!

Yes, I did...I crocheted the scarf...and it went very quickly!! The things I like about the scarf are:

1. the two different colors are also two different weights of yarn. 
2. I incorporated a V stitch in the middle of the double crocheting rows to add some interest. This was something I learned from Theresa at my Crocheting for Knitters class. Use lots of colors and several different stitches.
3. The chenille is very soft and the length is great for my daughter.

HHHHMMMM what's next??

Crochet for Knitters

Last week I took a great class at The Yarnery in St. Paul. The class was called "Crochet for Knitters". Our pre class work was to bring a 7"x7" knitted square. The class was taught by Theresa Gaffey, who teaches many classes at The Yarnery. I had not met her before the one time class. She was great! She is a very accomplished knitter and crocheter.

As you can see from the square above we practiced single crochet, double crochet, the V stitch and the shell stitch. We all admired scarves that Theresa had crocheted and had on display in the store. I bought yarn and one of the patterns done primarily in single crochet...but that is for another day.

Things I learned from the class:

Crocheting takes a lot more yarn that knitting for a particular project,

Crocheting goes much faster than knitting,

Crocheting is a great way to make a border,

Crocheting is a great way to join squares,knitted or crocheted, together

Crocheting is fun and very forgiving:)

Once I got home I decided to practice, just like Theresa recommended, so I made some dishcloths. One is single crocheted...

One is double crocheted...

And that is all for now...

Teaching Someone to Knit

Earlier this fall we were visiting friends in Stevens Point again:) Of course when we are there, I always make time to visit Herschners to see what bargains they have on yarn. So, my friend, we'll call her Madge, who always accompanies me on these trips surprised me this time. She said, "I think I would like to learn how to knit."

How fun is that! Of all my friends Madge is one of the most creative ones:) I was sure that once she got going she would be creating fabulous color combinations and patterns of her own.

As much as I love to knit and so therefore think everyone should love to, I am very careful not to push my knitting values on others. Madge has always been happy to join me at Herschners and I just thought it was so we could get out and get caught up. So when she made her joyous announcement that she would like to learn, I had to hold back a "wooo hooo" from coming forth while we were in the store.

Now I felt some pressure come along with this request. If I did not guide her and teach her in a fun and light mode she may become impatient and drop her newly purchased purple needles and her fun yarn and let the kids do what they wish with it. But, if I helped her to stick with the knitting long enough to actually enjoy the process and have a basic understanding....I would have a new knitter sister!!

So, when we returned to her house with our treasures...me with my yarns for every ones scarves, and she with her new, purple, size 7 needles and some yarn...we turned on the Wii. As any mom knows if you want to get something done, distract the kids.

We sat next to each other on the couch and began to cast on. The trickiest part was the slip stitch, which is the first stitch that you make. Once she got that part she was off and casting. We decided to start with a dish cloth...as I have said before, everybody could use more, they are small, and if it is not perfect it doesn't matter. Our mantra was, "It's OK if you have to rip it out and try again." This worked well as we had to rip out her work several times and rework the stitches. Madge was great, she was not even upset about having to rip out a row because she knew, "It's OK if you have to rip it out and try again." Once this is understood the process just becomes part of the work, and not a reflection on your inabilities.

A few days ago Madge sent a picture of her first finished project.

What great progress she made in just one dishcloth!!  Great job Madge.

And I am feeling great that my pressure to "teach her without scaring her" went away. She is proud of her work and I am too!!

The Yarn Comparison...The results!

I started the yarn comparison on January 21, and then gave an update on February 16...see previous posts.

So, now that I am about to throw away this now yukky dishcloth, I thought I should share it with you first....

It actually looks nicer in the picture than it does in real life:) It is dry and almost crusty. I think both yarns, the $1.59 yarn from WalMart, and the $2.59 yarn from the local yarn shop fared equally unwell. While the more expensive yarn started off softer, they both came out stiff in the end. Also, both lost their vibrant color after the same amount of washing tables and being washed.

If you are going to knit cotton dishcloths, I say....go for the inexpensive yarn.