Blogs I am Following

It was fun to see come people finishing up their projects this week!


Eyrc - http://calmbone.blogspot.com
Nicole - http://radishgrowinggenius.blogspot.com
O'Neil - http://oneill-luxem.blogspot.com
Becca - http://crochetnotcra-che-t.blogspot.com

Week Seven: Dog Sweater!

I finished! I did it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am so happy and proud of myself and relieved not to have to knit anymore!

This is what the sweater was supposed to look like:

     

These are picture of two out of the three patterns that I used. 

The third did not have a picture. 

Drum roll please! This is Sunny's sweater!!!!!

I have to say, it looks amazing! 

Plus, it is crazy soft. 

This sweater took my forever to knit. Seriously, forever. 

I am not sure if you can tell, but this is a TON of knitting. The stitches are all tiny and delicate. 

The waistband and collar stripes are also stretchy and getting the stitches right was hard. 

(It was an advanced stitch.) 

So I did some math. If I were to give myself minimum wage for this sweater, the cost (counting the materials) would be a little over $500. THAT IS INSANE! Basically, my dog's sweater costs more than anything piece of clothing that I have in my closet. The supplies alone cost over triple that of a store-bought dog sweater! And a nice one!

My mom thinks that I was absolutely insane for doing this. Somehow, I don't. I am very glad that I took the time to knit this sweater because it is something that I am extremely proud of. It wasn't the knitting that I enjoyed but the relaxation and calmness that came with it. It was a great way to spend my spring break because I have been so stress free. 

I am very appreciative of this Genius Project because it gave me a chance to learn how to knit and to be a more relaxed and patient person. This project has also taught me a lot of appreciation for knitted things. When I took a good, hard look at the blanket that someone had knit for my father, I almost fainted. That would have taken me years. 

Plus, I now have the best dressed dog in the neighborhood. Take that dog-with-the-sparkly-collar! My dog's sweater is worth over $500! 

Week Six: Endless Knitting

This week all I have done it knit. And knit. And knit. And switched yarn. And knit. And switched needles. And knit. And hurt myself with a needle. And knit. And watched way more TV than is healthy while knitting until I got a headache. And knit. And knit. And slept.

The weirdest part is, I actually enjoyed it. Knitting is so relaxing and I have never felt less stressed! (Which is probably a bad thing because I do have to finish knitting in time to do other homework.)

I started on my last knitting project of the Genius Project: A sweater for my puppy.

My original goal that I set for myself during week one "is to knit a sweater for my puppy that has at least one more advanced stitch pattern it in." I think that I am going to meet this goal! I spent the first two days of this week finding the perfect pattern, buying supplies, and learning all of the skills that it requires.

I found three patterns, combined them, and altered them to make the perfect sweater for my puppy. It took me a while (and a lot of dog treats to keep Sunny still enough to measure) but I was able to calculate the exact amount of stitches, rows, and balls of yarn that I would need.

The pattern that I created evolved three different kinds of stitches. One of these stitches I already knew, but I had to teach myself the second two. One of them was fairly complicated, so the sweater meets my requirements of having one advanced stitch. I also had to learn how to knit on circular needles.

This is not me but these are the same type

of needles. The ones that I used were longer 

and much thinner. 

What I realized was that knitting on circular needles was basically like knitting forever and ever. You just knit on and on and on until you are finished. This was good and bad at the same time; it was intimidating that you never stopped but it was nice because I never lost a needle. 

I was very proud of myself for the progress that I made this week. Even though my task was daunting, I did not give up, I just knit. And knit. And knit. 

My readings: 

These are the patterns that I used and combined: 

     "Linus’ Sweater (Easy Dog Sweater Knitting Pattern)." Knit and Bake. N.p., 21 Jan. 

          2012. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. 

          <http://www.knitandbake.com/2012/01/21/linus-sweater-easy-dog-sweater-knitting-pattern/>.

     "Easy Dog Sweaters." Talking Tails. N.p., 2007. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.           

          <http://www.talkingtails.com/sweater.html>.

     "Knitting a Dog Sweater the Easy Way." United Hope for Animals. United Hope, 

          2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. 

          <http://www.unitedhope4animals.org/2011/02/knitting-a-dog-sweater-the-easy-way/>.

Walsh, Caley. "Knitting And Crochet Offer Long-term Health Benefits." PRLOG. 

     Press Release Distribution, 9 Feb. 2009. Web. 30 Mar. 2013. 

     <http://www.prlog.org/10179509-knitting-and-crochet-offer-long-term-health-benefits.html>.

          This site talked about the health benefits of knitting. I am at a very low risk 

          for heart disease! This is definitely a reason to keep knitting. 

Sorry, I Had to Share This

My Aunt (who is a huge knitter) shared this with me on Facebook.

Week Five: Vlog

I made a vlog talking about what has inspired me, how my readings and resources have informed my approach to knitting, interesting facts that I have found, and the development of my patience.


Brooke's Vlog from Brooke Rhea on Vimeo.

https://vimeo.com/62110443#

Week Five: An Angry Puppy

I finally finished my scarf! I am so happy and proud of myself! Even though a scarf for a dog is completely pointless, I will forever cherish my first completed knitting project! I thought that I would never have the patience to finish it but I did!

My dog, on the other hand, still has no patience for photo-shoots.

 Really? This again?

 This scarf is pointless. I am a dog. I have a natural scarf.  

 Get away! I want to sleep! 

 I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. 

 But really. Can I sleep? 

I am going to ruin all your pictures by sticking my tongue out!

THAT'S IT! I AM DONE! GET IT OFF!

I gave her a treat so its okay.

Overall I am really happy with how my spiral scarf came out. I was able to follow a somewhat complex pattern and I only messed up three times! I had to learn a new technique where you only knit a few stitches into the row, stop, loop around the next stitch, and then turn around so that you eventually create a triangle.

I am excited for next week! Sewing is starting to become a great way for me to relieve stress. Even though it is hard to sit down and just knit, when I do I forget about all my problems and homework and projects and can relax. (That is, until my dog notices what I am doing. Sunny jumped up onto the couch several times to steel my yarn.)

Next week I am going to learn a new, more complicated stitch, pick out a pattern for my next project, and start it. I really want to knit a sweater for Sunny. I think that would be rewarding. (Plus, if I knit it correctly, she may not be able to take it off!)

Wish me luck!

Here are my readings:

"Knit Away Your Worries." Knit Away Your Worries. N.p., 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2013.

     <http://www.hearthealthyonline.com/heart-disease-overview/stress-management/knit-away worries_ss1.html>.

          The repetition of the pattern in knitting gets rid of your worries! 


"Knitting Health Issues and Benefits." Blue Castle Fiber Arts. N.p., 2010. Web. 
     18 Mar. 2013. <http://www.spin-knit-dye.com/knitting-health.html>.

          This website talks about how knitting can help your joints and prevent arthritis. This
           is not a concern for me now but I think that I will continue knitting and make it a life
          skill, so it is nice to have the knowledge. 



"Knitting and Stress Relief." Knitvana. N.p., 25 Sept. 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2013. 
     <http://www.knitvana.com/knitting_stress_relief>.

          Knitting is healthy for you! If stress levels build up, your body cannot function to its
          fullest capability. Knitting can reduce stress and keep people in better mental, and
          even physical, shape. Knitting is used to treat patients with heart problems and 
          certain heart diseases. It reduces stress levels so their hearts can function better. 


White, Sarah. "Knitting for Stress Relief." Knitting. About.com, 20 Aug. 2007. 
     Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
      <http://knitting.about.com/b/2007/08/20/knitting-for-stress-relief.htm>.

          This website talks about studies which have proven that knitting helps to releive 
          stress. It also talks about the best ways to knit in order to mazimize your relaxation. 

Blogs I am Following

This week I read three blogs that I really enjoyed!

Becca Hong: http://crochetnotcra-che-t.blogspot.com
Ian Wilenzik: http://ianhebrew.blogspot.com
Sun Min Kim: http://20watercolorproject.blogspot.com

Week Four: Stitches

This week has been anything but exciting. I have basically just knit. Stitch after stitch, row after row. It is amazing how long I can spend looping yarn around a needle but still have little to show for it.

I underestimated just how much patience knitting was going to take. I had hoped that I could start another project by the end of this week but that did not happen. I have to change my goals once again.

I am going to spend the next few days finishing my scarf so that I can move onto another project. I have been looking for something else to knit afterward but I have not found anything simple enough. (I need a pattern that will not take a long time but that incorporates a new skill.) Depending on how long this scarf takes me, I may just knit it extra long and not start on another project. Instead, I may knit practice squares with new stitches. (This way I cans still learn a new skill.)

I have achieved my goals for this week, though; I have gotten better! The first pieces of my scarf are uneven and have a few holes (oops) but the second half looks even and has no blemishes! I am so proud of myself! I became a better knitter!

Even though I don't have much to show for it, I have learned a lot about myself. I found out that knitting really does relieve stress, although you have to be wiling to be patient. On the other hand, I learned that I am not patient. If I ca only come out of this project with one thing, I sure hope it is patience.

Here are my readings: (I also read a lot of patterns but I did not want to list them.)

Ellis-Christensen, Tricia, and O. Wallace. "How Can I Become More Patient."  
     WiseGeek. N.p., 2011. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.
     <http://www.wisegeek.com/how-can-i-become-more-patient.htm>.

          According to this site, knitting will make me more patient. I hope this is true.

Kohler, Brian. "The Red Toe Diaries." The Red Toe Diaries. Blogspot, 2013. Web. 11
     Mar. 2013. <http://redtoediaries.blogspot.com/>.

          This is my Uncle's blog. He is a professional knitter/sewer/I am not really sure.
          Right now he is trying to knit 24 pairs of socks on one needle all at the same time.
          It is fun to read this because it actually has some greats tips/tricks for knitting.

Martin, Michel. "Knitting Behind Bars." NPR. N.p., 9 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2013.
     <http://www.npr.org/2012/01/09/144904615/knitting-behind-bars-learning-focus-and-patience>.

          This site talks about a program in a Maryland prison that teaches inmates how to knit.
          It helps the prisoners develop patience and life skills. I hope this is true for me, too!

Blogs I am Following

This week I read some really interesting blog. People are really making some progress!

Nicole: http://radishgrowinggenius.blogspot.com
Ashley: http://ashleyknitbook.blogspot.com
Rebekah: http://rebekahgeniusproject.blogspot.com

Week Three: Setbacks

Lesson One: I should never knit in the car again. It will make me car sick.

I have gotten a little bit ahead of myself this week and made a lot more progress than I thought I would. Originally, I planned to continue knitting squares this week. I knit one more and then realized that it was time to move on.

On this square, I alternated between two different types of stitches (the knit and perl stitches) to create a pattern. I didn't mess up once and it actually looks like it is supposed to! (By alternating the patterns, the front and the back turn out different.)

The next skill that I decided to attempt was joining yarn and knitting with more stitches on my needle. This worked out a lot better than I expected!

I think that it actually looks good!

After this, things went downhill again. I decided to attempt to knit a sock for my dog. I didn't use a patter, I just wanted to see if I could make a sock-like shape that would fit Sunny. As you can tell from Sunny's eagerness to wear the sock, it turned out wonderfully! Or not...

She kept trying to shake it off...

I am not really sure what this is but it definitely is not a sock.

This brings me to my set back...

My goals for week four and five were to knit a pair of socks. This is not going to happen. I have learned that knitting the heal and alternating the knit and perl stitches and using a circular needle or (five double pointed needles) in order to knit the ankle was WAY above my skill level. Instead, I have decided to knit a scarf.

My goal for week four is to knit a scarf for my dog. I know what you are thinking, "A scarf... for a dog? Is she insane?" Well, I am a little bit insane but there is also logic behind this. Knitting a scarf for a person would take weeks but knitting a scarf for my dog, which is basically just a miniature scarf, will only take a couple of days. If I knit Sunny a scarf, she may not use it, but I will have more time to try my hand at other patterns.

I found a really pretty pattern for a spiral scarf, which I am going to cut in half so that it will fit my dog. This scarf has a repeating pattern that was difficult at first but I am getting the hang of it. Since I am a little ahead of my plan, I decided to start. This is the scarf so far. (It is about one third done.)

When it is done, the whole thing will spiral like this.

I feel like a real knitter!

I am still not sure what I am going to do during week five, but I will find out after I am finished with the scarf. One of my goals is to knit without looking the whole time. I am impressed with my aunt who can hold conversations while knitting socks and sweaters and I wish I could at least watch TV while I knit away.

Hopefully, I will not come across too many more problems!

Wish me luck!

Here are my readings: (Again, I used a lot of YouTube videos for learning skills.)

Allen, Pam. "How To Join Yarn in Knitting." Knitting For Dummies. 
     For Dummies, 209. Web. 01 Mar. 2013. 
     <http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/how-to-join-yarn-in-knitting.html>.

          This site taught me how to join yarn. 

Aragona, Kara. "Knit It Out: Soothe Stress a Stitch at a Time." Women in Business. 

     Abut.com, 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.

      <http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/stress-at-work/a/knitting-reduces-stress.htm>.

          I found this article really interesting! It is all about how knitting can relieve stress!
          There are some really cool tips on the best way to knit if you are looking for a
          to calm down after a long day. (It also talks about knitting for charity.)

Dickens. "How Knitting Can Relieve Stress and Lower Blood Pressure." HubPages. 
     N.p., 2011. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.
      <http://sd-dickens.hubpages.com/hub/How-Knitting-Can-Relieve-Stress>.

          Did you know that knitting can reduce your blood pressure? This article talks
          about the health benefits of knitting, which include stress relief.


"Learn to Knit a Spiral Scarf." Very Pink. N.p., 27 June 2012. Web. 01 Mar. 2013. 
     <http://verypink.com/2012/06/27/learn-to-knit-a-spiral-scarf/>.

          This site had a video and a pattern showing how to knit a simple spiral scarf.

Week Two: Yarn!

In order to learn how to knit, I needed a lot of supplies. I went to JoAnn and asked the employees what I needed if I wanted to knit. They filled my cart. 

I think this is most of it. I bought yarn for my first few projects (I chose a few different types of yarn so I could get used to knitting with different thicknesses and types,) as well as needles (I also chose many types of needles, again to discover where my preference is.) 

I started out using the biggest needles, the only reason being that THEY WERE PINK! 

My goal for week two was to learn the basic knit stitch and to make practice squares. I am proud to say that I was actually able to complete this! It only took me four hours to learn how to cast on and knit! 

Sadly, it didn't take long for things to take a turn for the worse... 

I realized very quickly that knitting is a very slow process and that I tend to mess up, a lot, when I try to knit fast. My first square was kind of a disaster. When I picked it up, it fell apart. Oops... 

After a couple of days, I got better. I was able to knit squares that didn't fall apart! (Binding off proved to be more difficult that I expected. It is a tedious process.) I started to use different types of yarn and needles. 

On the pink rectangle I experimented with different types of stitches, which was actually really fun. 

All in all, week two was successful. I learned how to knit, even though not extremely well. My goals for week three are to knit better squares, to get better at the perl stitch, and to play around with what I can knit (because squares are boring.) 

Wish me luck!

Here is what I read while I learned how to knit. I watched a lot of YouTube videos in order to learn the basic stitches but these sites helped a lot, too. 

Bo, Sondra. "How to Knit the Purl Stitch." WikiHow. N.p., 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.  

     <http://www.wikihow.com/Knit-the-Purl-Stitch>.

          This site has great step-by-step instructions for the perl stitch. 

"Knitting Abbreviations Glossary." How to Knit. Knitting Help, 2008. Web. 01 Mar. 2013.      

     <http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-glossary>.

          This site was my glossary for knitting abbreviations. 

Webster, Sondra, Jack Herrick, and Filigree Peehen. "How to Knit the Knit Stitch."

     WikiHow. N.p., 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2013. 

     <http://www.wikihow.com/Knit-the-Knit-Stitch>.

          This site has great step-by-step instructions for the knit stitch. 

Blogs I am Following!

This week I have followed and commented on some really interesting blogs!

Ashley: http://ashleyknitbook.blogspot.com/
Jenny: http://designsbyjennyd.blogspot.com/
Nicole: http://radishgrowinggenius.blogspot.com/
Chloe: http://wissahickoncompliments.blogspot.com/
Mayank: http://iphonefanboyblog.blogspot.com/