Tshirt Success!

I did it.  I have successfully transformed 3 white men's tshirts into a pretty green yarn. 

I started out by dying the tshirts; I did a bit of reading and followed the advice of those who went before me saying that it was easier to dye first and then cut.  I found out that I should have bought more dye...I used a RIT dye in Kelly Green and when reading the instructions (on the inside of the package)  found out that they recommend 2 cups of water per package for the maximum colour effect.  2 cups of water is not a heck of a lot of water.  I started out with 4 cups and threw in the first shirt which quickly absorbed most of the liquid.  I then put in the second shirt which picked up any remaining liquid so that the 3rd shirt really didn't have a chance.  What could I do but add more water?  By complete fluke it turned out as I planned with the shirts each being a different shade of the same green (I had planned on doing this by leaving them in for different amounts of time - who knew?).  Next time I will know to buy a few more packages of dye. The shirts also had a bit of a tie-dye effect going on but I wasn't overly concerned with that; I figured it would give the yarn a slightly varigated look.

Next came the cutting.  I went with the spiral cut method, starting at the bottom of the shirt, removing the hem and cutting in one continuous spiral up to the armpits.  When I got to the armpits I used Stephanie Japel's method of continuing up the back of the shirt (she cuts the square into a spiral).  I'm glad that I did the spiral cut instead of the other method of doing straight cuts and connecting them...the reason why?  The 'straight cut' method leaves little corners that stick out of the yarn - the same thing happen when I did the spiral on the back of the shirt.  I like the look of the spiral method better.

After the cutting it was easy-peasy; just give it a tug and voila!  I only broke the yarn once where I had cut it a bit too thin. 

Next step - knitting with it!

Knitting for Baby

A friend of ours is having a baby in the spring.  Very exciting for the obvious reason, but also because that means that I again have an excuse to knit baby gear!  There's lots of reasons I really like to knit for babies. Most of these reasons are pretty well documented by anyone who has undertaken this task, but I feel the need to expound again on just how awesome this kind of knitting is. 

First off, babies are small.  I know, this is pretty obvious at first glance, but their smallness works well in so many ways; it makes them ever so cute, and it makes it so that knitting clothing for them goes ever so quickly.  I cast on for a baby-sized hoodie this afternoon and already I am 3/4 of the way through the back of it.  If this were a hoodie for an adult, this would take days.  Another reason baby knitting rocks is because they are very gracious recipients.  They will not complain about the colour choice or style, and they do not have a preference on the type of garment they receive.  This makes them the perfect people to knit for!

The hoodie I am knitting is the Circles Stroller Jacket by Susan B Anderson.  This is the third time that I have done this pattern.  It has become my go-to pattern for shower gifts.  It is quick, easy and practical; living in Canada, you always need a sweater for the baby and the hood comes in handy when you've forgotten to pack a hat (yes, even in the summer, and yes, even the most prepared and awesome parent will forget that hat).  This time around, I am doing the hoodie in dark green and am going to try to embellish it with lighter green leaves.  I am once again going to leave out the liner because, I'll admit, my sewing skills are a bit lacking.  I can do it, but I'd rather not. 

I may even have time to do a couple of hats and bibs.  I love knitting for babies!

Tshirt Yarn

Who knew that a grungy old Tshirt that would formerly be a contribution to the rag bin could be upcycled into something beautiful and new?! Stephanie Japel, that's who! Last night I happened across the website of one of my new favourite designers and came across a video on how to turn those old Tshirts into a fabulous yarn. I was instantly intrigued and searching my closet for old shirts! Unfortunately we cleaned out our closets last weekend and most of those shirts went to the Goodwill - I'll have to canvas some friends for donations ;) I am definately going to try my hand at this and I think I will take the online course on it that she's offering as well.

The Journey Begins

I've been debating for a while on starting a knitting blog. I mean there are so many out there that I'm not sure what I would have to contribute. After some thought I've decided that it's not about what I can contribute. It's more about recording my thoughts on knitting so that I can look back on where I've come from, where I'm going, and how I got there. And so it begins; my adventures in knitting...

I've been knitting for just over two years now. Looking back, I can't believe that those two years have gone by so quickly. I think it feels so quick in part because it also feels like something that I have always done. I started on a whim, I thought I'd try it on for size, like you try on a pair of shoes, to see how it fit. I've tried lots of crafts and hobbies in the past (crochet, cross stitch, hook rugs, beading...you name it I've tried it) but had never kept with any of them. As soon as I started knitting, I knew that I'd found my craft. It really was (and is) a great feeling! And now two short years later I'm still going strong. I want to learn more about this wonderful artform - and not to disappoint, the artform seems to have a limitless amount to learn.