Gearing up for Christmas

There is so much to do and so little time left. There is only just over a month left before Christmas, and I usually am done my Christmas shopping by now. I have decided to make some of the gifts this year, to ease the financial strain. I wasn't taking into account how much extra time it would take. So, here I am wondering if I will get it all done in time. Here it goes...

Wrist or Rest?

Well, it has been 2 weeks since I have had wrist pain. I have been craving crafting again. I know that if I did any crafting right now, I will most likely injure it again. I figured that if I did a little blogging, it might curb that craving a little bit. And I could "chat" a little with my fellow crafters. So... I still am longing for something creative. Oh, well. Maybe I'll go read a book.

Contest time!

Craft Junkie is having a CONTEST! Go check it out!

Here are the rules:
1. Post comments on her blog (anonymous comments will not count and will be deleted) with one entry per comment beginning now through the end of the contest at 11:59pm CST July, 23, 2008.
2. Post about this contest on your blog and share the link back in your comment.
3. Subscribe to her blog feed. RSS/Atom
All entries must be received by Tuesday 7/24/2008 12:00am CST to be eligible. The winner will be randomly chosen. Open to US and Canada residents only, sorry.

How to Knit

There are many resources on the internet on how to... I myself spent many hours searching and learned to knit and crochet from these. I thought that it would be a good idea to share my knowledge with all of you.

The first site I went to was Knitting.About.com. It gives detailed, but easy-to-understand instructions. They also have a wealth of free patterns to learn from.

Another one that was really helpful was FreePatterns.com. This one was great for all different types of crafts; like sewing, quilting, crochet, cross-stitch and tatting. Also, if you are looking for conversion charts or how to substitute yarn; this site is great, too.

Now, for learning the terms and abbreviations, go to knitting-crochet.com. What a lifesaver this one was for me.

So, now you know the techniques and terms and you want to start on your very first "real" project. Not just another scarf or potholder. Here is my list of favorite sites for free (but still quite trendy) patterns:

FreePatterns.com
Knitting.About.com
Berrocco.com
Lionbrand.com
Knitty.com
Bernat.com
Craftown.com
Michaels.com

I hope this information is helpful to you on your journey to learn how to knit. Knitting is definitely one of my favorite forms of crafting. Good luck.