The Hook and Needle Nook

 by Kathy Conway Hi, my name is Kathy and I am a bead-aholic.  There.  I confessed it!! First of all, let’s face it.  We could all use a little bling these days.  Being addicted to beading has its benefits. Because of it, I have lots of ear rings, and necklaces. Most importantly, I have some super knitted items which I have bedecked with lovely, beaded accents that make me smile!! Knitting with beads is so much fun. How do I add beads to my knitting projects? There are several ways and all of them are fun, and believe me, I have tried them all!   Put them on your yarn before starting your project.  As you knit, scoot a bead between the stiches as you need to.  Add them over a stitch by using dental floss. Sew them on after the project is completed.  Attach beads to small lobster claw clasps and clip them onto the garment.  You can position them to add weight on the edge of your work, like the bottom of a shawl or to...

Making a nice comfortable pair of socks starts with picking the right yarn. After knitting several pairs of socks for myself and others, I have some yarn favorites that have worked best for me. Color Choice The first thing to consider is color. If you are a beginner, pick a light solid color. Sound too boring? Speckled yarn works as well. However, solid yarn can be the best bet when knitting your first set of socks. If you are an advanced knitter, pick any color or dye style you like! Keep in mind, if you like to knit at night, picking a lighter color or investing in a good Ott light can be game changing! Socks are great fun to knit. However, if you knit socks in the dark, be prepared to tink or frog back the next morning. Rule of thumb: Use light yarn or work in plenty of light and all will be well. Fiber Content Merino Nylon Blends As far as fiber content is concerned, the yarn blend most widely regarded as best for knitting socks is 75% Superwash Merino ...

 Picking the right yarn size can be an important step in your project process. We are getting ready for sweater weather here at The Hook and Needle Nook. We're even hosting a great sweater knit along using Kayla D. Brant's delightful Good to the Last Frost sweater pattern. We are obsessed with this pattern and the resulting sweater! In getting ready for this knit along, we have had a lot of questions on what yarn size to use, and what yarns fall into that range. These are amazing questions, and some of the finer points of yarn sizing have the most seasoned yarn crafters scratching their heads and shaking their needles or hooks (just hopefully not at the same time). As always we are here for you and happy to help in picking the right yarn size! Yarn Weight Names/Identification There are so many stores you can go in that sell yarn, and there are different ways they attempt to convey the size of the yarn and the yardage. The Craft Yarn Council has a very han...

 Let's dive into the knitty-gritty of shawl shapes! Shawl by our fiber buddy Kristiana in Malabrigo Susuros in the Teal Feather colorway Why Should You Try a Shawl as a Project? Shawls are amazing and versatile. You can make one at any time of the year, for any kind of weather or occasion. If you want to make an outfit shine, a shawl is perfect. At night, when you are knitting and your shoulders and top of your arms get cold, a shawl is a less heavy option than a blanket. Not to mention, if you wear the right shawl shape, it can restrict your movement less than a blanket would. A shawl can keep your shoulders warm, your neck warm, even your head warm, depending on how you wear it. If you get too hot when you wear it, it is easier to remove and carry or put in your bag/purse than a sweater is. You can easily crochet a shawl or knit a shawl. Therefore, this post is not knitting specific. In the summer, when it is hot, you can knit a shawl and not have it be...

We get a lot of questions about what kinds of yarn can work in what kind of project. We wanted to take some time and give some of the insight that we have learned in our knitting, crocheting, dyeing, and general fiber craft experiences. In this spotlight we want to tackle speckled yarn. Speckled yarn comes in a couple of different looks. There are more than a few techniques used to produce it. A yarn can be heavily speckled, lightly speckled, under-dyed another color before it is speckled, or speckled on top of white or natural colors. Different techniques might produce long, large speckles or short crisp speckles. In the past few years, speckled yarn has become more and more popular. It is striking and beautiful, and can really stand out among other yarns on the shelf. But, how functional is it really? Functionality The answer is; VERY functional. Use it to your advantage in almost any kind of project. Get the striking beauty of a variegated yarn, without having to be quite as cogniz...

  Fall is a great time to knit or crochet a sweater. We are geared up for Sweater Weather here at The Nook!!  In less than three weeks, we have the Fall Equinox and the season will change to my favorite time of the year.  The shorter days will bring that nip in the air and I already have sweater dreams dancing in my head!  I have a couple of recommendations if you guys get the itch to knit your own cozy sweater.  Whether you make a cardigan or a pull over, make a knit or crochet sweater, we have ideas here for you. Knit Cardigans                                                    Ramona Cardigan by Elizabeth Smith The Ramona by Elizabeth Smith , is a nice classic Cardigan that you can make really fast, as you use chunky yarn.  Of course, it is very fun to knit!  I knit mine with Malabrigo Chunky in the...

                              You don't have to craft alone! Knit Night Friends are important. Knit night or crafting nights with crafty friends can be a fulfilling part of life. Have you ever gone to an event or meeting where the other people in the room share your interests? If you have, you know how welcoming it can feel. Why is being with a group of people who share your crafting interests is so important? What is so important about fiber arts that they have endured centuries of fads? To start off I would like to share my "joining a knit group" story. I would like to share the reasons fiber buddies are so important to me. Story Time! When I was 24 I had my first child (to be joined later by his wonderful sister). He is amazing, of course. I fell in instant love with this little ball of joy, even though I was getting no sleep. Every one of my waking hours was spent with him. I crocheted...