Knitting Gadgets

Sometimes commenters on my blog will say they could never attempt a project that I posted. I often believe it is just because they don't have the correct tools to work with. For instance, a knitter may not attempt a more complicated pattern because of too many family interruptions. In such a case, a magnetic board woks wonders.  It can be purchased at Jo'Ann's for about $7.  You can also purchase a separate stand for less than $10.


The board looks like this with magnetic strips and a mangetic ruler.  An old metal typing stand will work just as well.

As you knit a row, you just slide the magnetic ruler down the page.  Simple!!!!

Buttonhole measurer/marker.  It evenly spaces the placement.

This gadget is wonderful!!! Select the number of buttonholes you want, expand this gadget and it evenly spaces where the buttons/buttonholes should be. It sells for about $20, but is well worth the money. Sorry, I can't give you more information as to the exact name or where I purchased it. Perhaps one of my readers will be able to comment and tell us.

Lizzie made me this row counter about three years ago. For each row, slip it up or down one ring. Simple and fun!!!

Or, you could use these candies, put 10 in a dish and after each row, eat one of the candies. Three candies left, you've knitted 7 rows. Ok, admit it......you like that idea!!!!

And if you have an Iphone, check this digital knitting gadget (click).

I started teaching my "Beginner Knitting Class" this week.  It is a full class.  My classes are a maximum of 8 and a minimum of 4.

Happy Knitting!

Gadgets!!! Don't You Just Love Them!!

If you were reading my Yahoo 360 blog last year, you probably recognize this picture. I was threading beads onto the yarn to knit a shawl. I used nail polish on the end of the yarn to facillitate the threading. Scroll further to see the gadget I can now use instead.

The "Ice Queen" pattern has been one that I have wanted to knit for quite some time. It is a cowl, a head scarf and more using the feather and fan pattern. However, the thought of stringing beads was not a welcoming thought. I have this beautiful apricot and beige lace weight yarn of alpaca and silk. Today I decided to prepare the yarn for my project using the following:

It's a bead spinner. A fish hook type needle designed especially to accommodate yarn threading (or other fiber) is suspended into this container as you spin it. The beads catch on the hook and voila!!...you can easily thread your yarn.
In this picture you can see some of the beads on the needle and a small piece of the yarn that is already threaded through the bead needle. The cost for this gadget was $20 but I only paid $11.99 with my 40% off coupon at Michael's. It's also a sales tax-free weekend in Vermont so $11.99 it was!

Happy Knitting!