Friday, January 16, 2009

PRACTICE DOES NOT MAKE PERFECT?

You have a brand new project to stitch! You are so excited to start it! You can't wait to get to the "meat" of that project because it looks so interesting to make! But....you come to a point in that project and your stumped because of a technique.

What I like to do is test the technique out on scrap yarn first. Most of the time, when the instructions give you a technique, say for example, a bobble, they will explain how it is done. I don't like to test it out on my project because I don't want to put it in, take it out, put it in and take it out again. That weakens the yarn, makes it fray and then the yarn looks like it went through war!

According to a psychologist I saw on TV sometime ago, practice does not make perfect----PERFECT PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, and it's better to practice on your scrap swatch then on your project. Let's keep that project free of in and out boo-boos!!

HAPPY STITCHING, my friends!

WHO DONE IT?? DON'T READ AHEAD!

Sometimes I make myself laugh! I was helping a customer who was reading ahead in her knit instructions and she didn't understand what to do at that point.

I told her that it isn't a good idea to read ahead because when you don't have that area stitched, you won't be able to understand what to do.

So, how did I make myself laugh? I asked the customer this question: 'When you read a book, do you go to the end and read the last page? It's just like reading that novel, don't read the last page.'
Her reply to me was 'yes I do read the last page!' Guess I won't be asking that question again!

HAPPY STITCHING, my friends!

DIFFERENT YARNS, DIFFERENT GAUGES

So, you are the one in a million (maybe not) who knits or crochets to gauge. Do you think that everytime you pick up needles or hooks and different yarns you're going to get to gauge? What fantasy land do you live in, because I'd like to go there too!

The point is that NEVER ASSUME (you do know what assume means: you make an ass out of you and me) that every yarn you use you will knit or crochet to gauge. Not so. Take the time to make the gauge and IF you do knit or crochet to gauge then good for you! But you were smart to take the time to check it out first.

I don't know about you guys, but I don't want to get through my project and then learn halfway there that it's wrong. GAUGE IS VERRRY IMPORTANT!

HAPPY STITCHING, my friends!