Welcome to I’ll Knit (& Spin!) If I want To! I asked y’all to send in some of your questions (from everything from fiber arts, to designing and on!) so I could put together a little video for y’all every Friday doing my best to answer your questions!
1. Hi Andrea! I have a question about designing and inspiration. Sometimes when I have completed a knitting project, that I enjoy very much (most recently The Douglas cardi, love it!), I have difficulty to find inspiration for the next project. Usually I have some projects in mind, when I am knitting another, but then after I have completed something, I feel somehow empty and can't seem to find a new project, nothing feels right. Do you have these kind of feelings after designing and completing a new design? If so, how do you get over it or how does the inspiration for a new knitting project arise?
2. I just started knitting a traveller shawl, but using fingering yarns. I still going to knit it up to the bigger size. I´m thinking of continuing part one untill it´s big enough, but how can I find out the right number of stitches to pick up for part two?
3. Dear Andrea, I am a long time knitter and started spinning last year. I want to use my handspun for my knitting but I don't want all the time and precious fibers go to waste due to me not making the handspun "good" enough. I know about plies and twist adding durability, yet there are lace weight single ply commercial Yarns out there that do a solid job. But! In the back of my head there is always your story about your husband who has worn through a sweater in No Time and I recall you mentioning that it was a plying issue. Would you please tell us your cautious tail so we can learn from it? Otherwise I am afraid I will spin wire until the end of my days out of fear my knitwear will fall apart if I don't. Thank you so much!
4. Hi Andrea! I had a question for you about swatches. I have been knitting up a storm for 4 years and am getting to a point where I am finding yarns that I love to work with and come back to over and over again. My question for you is, can you save swatches of yarn to measure gauge for the same yarn and a different project (if the gauge swatch calls for the same stitch pattern, say, stockinette knit flat), or should you knit up a new swatch every time? I tend to discard my swatches to save space but I’m wondering if I should start hanging on to them if they would be useful again. Thank you!
5. I'm almost done with my traveler cowl made out of handspun (hooray) and want to squeeze in one more project for the March to May KAL. I have two sets of rainbow colored fingering weight miniskeins (two minis in each color of the rainbow - about 900 yards) and wonder which of your shawls would best utilize this stash yarn. I'm happy to add a contrast color or hold yarns together. I especially love your garter/brioche combos. Thanks!
