Knitting: Binding Off

You have finally knitted your scarf.  Now you have to bind it off or secure the remaining stitches on the needle so that it does not unravel.

To do this, you will knit the first 2 stitches.  Then you will take your left hand needle and slip it into the first stitch you knit (from left to right) and pull it over the second stitch and off the needle.

Then you will knit the next stitch from the left hand needle onto the right hand needle.  Again, you will bring the first stitch over the 2nd stitch and off the needle.

When you have reached the end, you will have one stitch remaining on your right hand needle.  Cut the yarn a few inches out and bring this end through the remaining stitch, slipping the needle out.  Weave in this strand of yarn.

done

Knitting: Garter Stitch

Now that you have learned how to cast on, it’s time to learn a basic stitch…the knit stitch.  When you knit EVERY stitch on EVERY row, it is referred to as the garter stitch or pattern.  With this stitch pattern, you will make a SCARF.

Materials:

Size US 9 needles; one pair

Any plain worsted weight yarn (like Red Heart)

(no fancy stuff)

Cast on 30 stitches as you learned in my previous post.  Switch the needle from your right hand to your left.  You should have the tail end yarn and the working yarn (the yarn comming from the skein)  at the beginning of your needle (at the point).  Pick up your other needle and insert it, from left to right, into the first stitch.  They will form an X, with the right hand needle resting behind the left hand needle.

Bring up the working yarn from behind the right hand needle and between the two needles.  Grab the yarn with the point of your right hand needle and bring it through the stitch on the left hand needle and at the same time slip the old stitch on the left hand needle off.

Repeat across until you have completed the row.  Switch the needles to opposite hands.  The right hand needle goes in your left hand and the left hand needle goes in your right.  Repeat the procedure above. 

Continue doing this until you have almost used up the entire skein of yarn.

Follow along on this video (please forgive the quality…I promise to do better with the next one).

done

Knitting: How to Cast On-Long Tail Method

To begin any knitting project you must be able to cast on, the art of putting stitches on the knitting needle.

Materials:

1 pair size U.S. 9 knitting needles

1 skein of plain yarn (no fancy shmancy stuff-you need to be able to see your stitches)

To being we will be using the long tail cast on method.  It is by far the easiest to learn for beginners, in my opinion.

Take your skein of yarn and pull out or unwrap approximately 1 yard.   Grab the yarn at the point closest to the skein and make a slip knot.  Slip this on your needle.

Next, hold the needle in your right hand and both strands of yarn (the tail and that strand comming from the skein) in your left hand.  You will have to pull out/unwrap more of your yarn.

Holding your needle above your left hand, slip your first finger and thumb in between the two strands. Your tail end strand should be around your thumb and your working strand (from the skein) should be around your finger.  Now bring your needle down towards your palm.  This creates a loop over your thumb and first finger.

Bring the point of your needle to the far side of your thumb and slip the tip under that strand.  Next bring your needle tip over the strand on your finger to the right of it.  Hook the strand  with your needle tip and bring it through the loop on your thumb.

Let the strands off your thumb and first finger and pull gently.  You have created your second loop on your needle.  Repeat this procedure until you have the required number of loops on your needle.

Here are some photos followed by a little video to further explain this procedure.  Please forgive my amateur video production.  It’s the first time I’ve used the video application on my camera.

done

Please practice this until it becomes second nature.  Yes, that means to remove those stitches and start again, repeatedly.

Next post will be the garter stitch.  You will be making a garter stitch scarf.

Won a Few Ribbons at the Fair

I did win a few ribbons at the Fair.  I got a total of 3 blue, 1 red and 1 white.  These are the items:

Blue Ribbons:

Knitted dress above with beads.

Photos:

Red Ribbon:

White Ribbon: (crocheted mystery flower)

Our Fair’s 75th Anniversary

Yesterday was the 75th anniversary of our local fair.  Entry was only $0.75 per person.  All rides were $0.75 and a multiple ride ticket was only $7.50. 

It was crammed with people …. eating and riding those thrill giving rides.  I was not one of those riding.  Way too chicken.  And the food is way to greasy for my taste.  I did enjoy the exhibits, though.  I even won a few blue ribbons in my categories.  I’ll post pics of them later.

Here’s one of those rides that scare me (I’m more a merry go round person).

The Elusive Butterfly

Yesterday, I heard a tapping at my kitchen window.  So I went to investigate.  One of my cats had the same idea.  He was up there staring fixedly at something, his tail twitching wildly.  When I got closer I noticed a bird pecking at the window.   Don’t ask me why, I have no clue. 

I grabbed my camera and ran outside to get  a shot of this bird, but he flew off before I could even get him in focus.  I stayed out there hoping he would come back, but he didn’t.  I guess he had other plans.

I noticed something fluttering around out of the corner of my eye.  I turned and walked toward the flutter and caught this critter when he landed.

I have been trying to get a descent photo of a butterfly all summer.  Luck was with me.

Storing Photos

There are numerous ways to store photos from downloading them to your computer, copying to a CD and/or flash drive to printing and scrapbooking with them.  There are even free image hosting sites and data hosting sites to which you can store your images.  You can even keep them on the original memory card.

Whatever you use, make sure you back them up.  I’ve  seen too many folks lose their favorite family photos because their computer crashed and they hadn’t taken the time to back them up. 

Personally, I prefer at least 2 ways to store my photos.  I download them first to my computer, then to a CD and a flash drive (sometimes called a flash pen or flash stick).  If my computer crashes, I at least have my photos stored on two other portable devices.

Fresh Fish and Pictures Too!

We went downtown to Joe Patti’s for some fresh fish today.  There are quite a few places around here to get fresh fish, but we prefer Joe Patti’s as they seem to have the largest selection.

While we were there I took some pictures to share with you.

 

 

Wild Daisies in My Yard!

They are everywhere!  I don’t really know where they came from, but there all over my yard.  Average height is about 3 feet.  The bees and butterflies love ‘em.  I do too.  Hubby hates them and pulls them up, but I think that just makes them spread faster, LOL!

The Bee’s Knees!

I’ve been wanting to get some insect shots.  But it seems that they always came out blurry.  I think I got very lucky today.  This insect “cooperated” with my camera.