Impermeable barriers can be useful! If you are hiking in the forest and a bear tries to bite you, no problem. Your favorite hiking sweater is IMPERMEABLE and INPENETRATABLE (is this a word?)!

Oooo, I love me some Mission Falls wool as well. And all of mine has come from Supercrafty!

I can't crochet a border either (or anything other than LOOOOOONG chains). I used to knit so tightly my hands would hurt after a few rows. Now I try to knit while watching TV (if possible) and the distraction really helps me not to yank so hard on the damned yarn.

Shelly may be on to something. Maybe you should be knitting for the boys (and girls) in Iraq. On second thought...they may not appreciate the warmth of wool.

I'm sure you could devlop an entire marketing campaign to promote tight knitting around the benefits of impermeable knitting. Make us loose knitters feel inferior, go ahead. I don't mind. Really.

Just curious--are you on the waiting list for Ravelry? Or are you already in? If so, you could start a group for tight knitters and find a bunch of your sisters-in-impermeability. Just sayin'.

My Ravelry name is Divina, if you want to find me.

Oooh! I love Mission Falls wool. I fell in love with it on a trip to the beach (Outer Banks, NC - cool knitting store there). I just told myself that plenty of normal people sit around pulling out their wool and petting it - at the beach - in AUGUST!!

Crocheting an edge is so easy, it's fun! I am usually so focused on that fact I am actually CROCHETING OMG that I forget how many times I've double through and crap, that part sticks out, whatever.

FYI, the alternating squares on chunky yarn doesn't look THAT great (I did a lot of frogging that night). I'd suggest a straight seed stitch for chunky yarn. My mom is getting her afghan in 2011 made from seed stitch blocks on size 14 needles!

Love the square. Love Mission Falls. (it's superwash - the height of awesomeness!). Learned how to single-crochet a border last summer and it's a great skill to have!

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. I love the color and the pattern! Laurie Rocks, AGAIN... this time in impermeable green!

Missed you for three whole days. Needed funny and you were so not there!

I'm over it now...

...almost.

Yeah. Now....

beautiful pattern - you are one awesome knitter - tight or not.

p.s. I just have to know... How does one insert a crochet hook into the impermeable knitting? Does one need a jackhammer first? (runs and ducks)

Please drop it by. Michael will be home but I'll be getting all inked up again!!!

You know he adores you!!

It's weird, I am a totally uptight person but a really loose knitter. (That doesn't sound right.) ;-) My gauge is so far off I usually have to go down three needle sizes no matter how tense I actually am. Go figure. :-)

I'm knitting squares for a blanket right now, too! I am finding it totally impossible to make them the right size. They're either too small or too big. I've tried making a swatch, but once I'm making the square, all bets are off.

I'm using Mission Falls cotton and I love it!

Your knitting and my sister's knitting are the same, she too is a stressed out knitter and has the tightest stitches under the sun. Breathe and relax, the stitch will loosen up. Crocheting is so easy to learn, I have faith in you, you can master it!

I, myself, am a tight crocheter. I've often thought of making a hook out of a rolling pin, thinking maybe just MAYBE they'll loosen up. Who can say. Keep rockin the stitchery!

that. is. soooo. pretty!

green = best color in the world.

P.S. best wishes to Evan, i'm glad the doctors quit screwing around, and finally gave the little guy a chance. i'll light a candle tonight!

I'd crochet the border for you but I'm so HERE and you are so THERE.

*le sigh*
.

Such a pretty yarn! I went to this LYS a few weeks back and was surprised at the lack of selection for straight knitting needles. There were, however, tons of the circular type. I overheard the lady behind the counter convince a new-to-knitting customer to buy one of those. Apparently, they stock mostly the circulars because the straight needles can cause problems with your wrists, sort of like carpal tunnel syndrome, if you were to knit that much. Never heard of that but I suppose it's a possibility.

Anyway, I may try a circular at some point in the future. I love my straight and pink needles! I didn't tell the sales lady that I was a first time knitter. I didn't want her to try and talk me out of my pink needles! Heh. ;)

That square is brilliant...cute moss stitch and plain old stitch - I will borrow it, thank you! I love moss stitch, it reminds me a smidge of french knots in embroidery; a pretty thing. Thanks for the reminder about Allison with Evan's surgery. Will do some shopping at her store and send prayers for little Evan.

As a non-knitter, I was curious that everyone seemed to know this Mission Falls wool. What makes one wool or yarn typically better than another? I see that this one is merino. Is that considered a "better" breed of sheep for wool? Are you experienced enough to see a sweater and know what type of wool was used? Would answering all these questions take up a separate post?

Mmmmm. Purrrrty.

I bet if you KNIT MORE OFTEN, you would learn to control your tension and be able to knit something other than a flak vest. It is from experience I speak...

I love seed stitch! Did you block your square? It looks so uncurly on the edges. I blocked the last scarf I made and it still curled! Drives me batsh__.

Monkey ... but my tension is perfectly controlled! It is a very taut and even tension! Emphasis on taut!

hee.

We may not have the high temperature, but we do have RAIN.. lots of it!! And a cold rainy summer isn't all that nice when you think of it.. (I'm not complaining though, we're used to it.. wouldn't want 106 degreese, either) ;)

oh.. nice knitting, BTW.. :D

I loved Norway when I visited there. Except I got lost and ended up in Sweden. I was like, "Oopsy! guess we're in a new country now! Next time maybe you should not fall asleep while I am driving on a new continent!" hee.

I loved Norway, though. It was gorgeous and the food was AMAZING.

Come, try living in norway, today started with sun, then the wind came, blew everything we had outside down, so I went out to pick it up, then came the rain... then there was just a whole lot of clouds, then, the sun came again! and all of this has been going on the whole summer. The local newspaper wrote today: "40 of 74 summer days has rained away!"
So... this is norwegian summer!

Ha en fin dag! (have a nice day!)

-Solveig

I, too, have perfect tension. I am perfectly tense all the time!

Thank you for the friendly reminder about the upcoming surgery, time to buy something from Supercrafty!

And honey, it's been in the 100s here back home for the past several days, a couple of small towns are having power outages and at least one person has died from the heat inside their house. It's 120 inside FEMA trailers without power. They've opened some shelters in blacked-out towns.

Love that Mission Falls, but hey, it's green!

Love that seed stitch, I've been experimenting with different stitches but can not decide what my next project is going to be.

Any suggestions?

I've tackled scarves, hats, socks, purses, and cozies so I have the confidence now but am in dire need of some inspiration.

Oh and speaking of little boys, my oldest son left for college this weekend. Talk about time flying when your having fun. He was just a baby yesterday!

Positive thoughts and prayers for little Evan.

I may give you a run for your money as World's Tightest Knitter. Two things I tell my friends (some of whom helped me knit my Stupid Blanket and will never knit after me again):

1) If you make each stitch as tight as it will go, you've reached the only finite place in knitting tension, therefore all your stitches are beautifully even.

2) A bulletproof scarf may save your life.

I never care about tension, which makes me a "bad" knitter.

oh I need someone to crochet me an edge too.
Too bad you are way over there
and I am way over here.
we could do a double drop in :)

Andree, I'm on your side - who cares about tension? I just like to knit small furry animals and they never mind if the tension is wrong.

Uh, this is random, but I just realized that my band, The Whoreshoes, is playing in LA on Thursday, and you live in LA. And we're playing at the Silverlake Lounge, which people say is cool, so maybe that means it's air conditioned? And maybe you're pining for some country music, and maybe you should come see us? Feel free to email me with questions, commentary or discussion. It would be lovely to meet you! Thanks!
Also, I always get gauge exactly. Always have. It's awesome.

Very pretty. And learn to crochet a border? Nah, I would just accept my fate as a tight knitter and would probably cast on some extra stitches.

Your taut knitting must be the universe (cannoli, Luca Brassi, whatever ;) ) balancing my loose knitting. I have issues (I voluntarily teach teenagers Spanish!) but my knitting is soooo loosy goosy.

PS, I've been reading for a while now. I found your site while looking for a hat to knit last christmas. Brangelina fit the bill. It came out great! thanks for the free pattern, and I can't wait for the book to come out!

Laurie,

When you figure out how to crochet a border (or even knit one, I'm not picky) please post instructions. I'm 8 squares away from having my daughter's afghan done and still am not sure how I'm going to put it all together.

Cute seed stitch! I love the fact that knitting can be as simple or complex as you want it to be, and beautiful either way. Waterproof is just icing on the cake!

You started knitting again just as I finally bound off what are now referred to as "those damn socks." Full time job + size one needles = long project. Anything other than fingering weight looks delicious about now...

maybe you should knit condoms...they would give a new meaning to ribbed heehee

Heck, I don't even swatch...don't tell! ;-D

Not that I have the equipment for one, but...knitted condoms sound itchy!

AMEN!

The Valley in the summer is the worst. Being an ex-Valley Girl myself I totally feel for you. Come out to Camarillo, much cooler and yet less cool, if you get my drift.

Please tell Evan's momma and wee Evan that we are all thinking of them and keeping them close to our hearts. While my two monkeys (ie, children) drive me completely batty most days, I try to pause amidst the chaos and thank the gods that be that they've so far been healthy. Well, except for the barfing flu, but let's not go there.

You need to get yourself some summer cotton :) Then it's no problem if you sweat on it because, hey! Machine washable :) Cotton Ease has got to be my new cheapo yarn favorite.

Also, I wanted to ask you about the Stitch & Bitch you go to, I'm moving back to the Ventura area & was wondering if that was open to all or it was just a "we all know each other already" thing.

Thanks!

Okay, I'll admit I did a little *squee*. I'm working for Mission Falls/CNS Yarn/Lily Chin yarn for the summer. Every time I file paperwork for clients in California, I wonder which shop you go too. Just because I'm a fangirl like that.

Watch out, you have stalkers and they carry needles...knitting needles, that is. :P

Pretty!

Just so you know, in Dec/Jan, it's plenty cold in Iraq (at least some 50 miles north of Baghdad) and wet, too. Those scarves and slippers and wristies that people are knitting and sending over are much appreciated by the folks over there. And they make nice gifts for the locals, too, especially the kids.
And impermeable and impenetrable are great additions to warm and cosy. :)

Oh ... and there are knitted condoms over at "the Anticraft, Lughnasadgh 2006, called :Old reliable" ... more as a cover for buzzing toys, but .... :)

Great square. She and her family are definately in my prayers.

I have been told that I am the world's tightest knitter. LOL

I made a sweater for my son. I wanted a 2T and had to make the child's size 6 to get it big enough to fit. Who me tight? Never. ;)

one word for your summer knitting...warshcloths.

Oh you're back! Missed you! Wondered where you were and .... you had melted, hee.

How about knitting lace? Nice and light !

I am still giggling at 'knitted flak vest'.

Cute square! but even cuter tyke. Hope all goes well next week and that mom and dad hang tough.

I love it so far - keep up the good work!

Let's see, I live in Norway and it's been raining all summer... and guess what.... it's raining again today! UCK! 20C and rain, too humid for me :)

"ya'll know complaining is my primary way of burning calories. When it's this hot I'm practically missing my cardio."

Okay, I haven't even read the rest of the post yet, but this made me snort my tea. Hahahaha!

How do you keep the edges of your knitting so neat looking? Mine always look a little chewed on. Of course, that could be my cats...

I haven't read everyone elses comments so I don't know if anyone has suggested SQUARE needles to you for the tightnes... or maybe some ky?? ok, now I am just being bad.

I cannot believe that that adorable pal of yours from houston hasn't converted you to crochet yet.

Mission Falls Cotton is nice stuff too..
Love the color you are using.. I must be in my green time.

Leeny wrote:
"Apparently, they stock mostly the circulars because the straight needles can cause problems with your wrists, sort of like carpal tunnel syndrome, if you were to knit that much. Never heard of that but I suppose it's a possibility."

For me it's true - straight needles KILL my hands. I can only knit for a few minutes with them, but I can knit for hours on circs. I am also a tense knitter with loose tension - go figure. :-D

Beautiful square CAP! I've been wanting to try some Mission Falls, so I think I'll break my Knit from my Stash promise and order some from Allison (best wishes to you and your little guy!).

No one's answered Neil's nonknitter questions so I thought I'd take a stab at it - Neil, Mission Falls got known (at least that's how I found out about it) on the internets because they were in danger of going out of business a year or two ago. Nothing makes a yarn popular like saying it's "discontinued."

But as far as deciding what makes one yarn better than another? Merino is known for its softness, but a soft yarn can also wear or pill faster so if a long-wearing sweater is what you want, you wouldn't choose merino. Although I've heard that the blue-faced leicester sheep have long "hairs" so the wool is hardy and yet the wool is supposed to also be next-to-the-skin soft.

Finally, I wouldn't know exactly what a sweater is made of if it's a plain wool, but some yarns are distinctive, like Noro, so I would recognize that.

Hey, Laurie, like Neil suggests, how about a post getting one of your famous fibery friends to explain the different wools? I'd love to read it!

To add to Tina's explanation, for Neil...

There are more sheep breeds than dog breeds, so there is lots of wool to choose from. Also, some are "meat breeds" and some are wool breeds, and some can be used for both.

The diameter/thickness of the hairs is one consideration for softness, as well as how much crimp is in each hair.

Other spinners can tell you more about soft wool breeds. I have heard Corriedale, Blue-faced leicester, Tunis, Wensleydale, and Romney as popular wools to spin that are soft enough to wear against your skin.

Usually I can only tell if a yarn is merino or not merino. More experienced knitters/spinners might be able to tell breeds from the finished yarn.

Many people who say they are allergic to wool can wear a sweater out of merino, because of the softness.

Hope this helps!

Have you met Anti M of AntiM and the Rickety Blog? It took a village to knit that blanket and when the rest of us took turns the blanket got longer but also wider. By about 2 inches. Seriously.

You so need to get this book...try amazon...

Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits (Hardcover)
by Stitchy McYarnpants (Author)

Are those friends "regular awesomest", or are they "mostest awesomest"? Just askin'...

I just love reading your blog you make me laugh when I am down. Thank you.

Not completely off topic from your post, what brand of circular needles do you use? The points look different than any brand I have ever seen - and how do you like them?

Ooh, Mission Falls 1824 is like sex, but in wool. Springy, playful, soft, always makes you smile, makes you wanna go back, and washable.

:)

Thank you for the Magic Scarf!!!!!!!! I am brand new to knitting -- I just learned the basics this past weekend. After months of stalking your blog, you have inspired me and I'm working on a scarf at this moment. Unfortunately I too am a "SupaTightKnitter", so I'm going to have to undo the 10 inches that I have done so far.
I bought a 10 1/2 set of needeles and I'm going to try my hand at the magic scarf! I'm too excited about this and fear that I may need to get a life. :-( Oh well!! :-D Thanks again!!