Self-Striping Yarn

Ok, I'll admit it. The most impressive thing I've seen in knitting has nothing to do with easy knitting patterns. Yes, it was cool to realize for the first time that I could actually make something out of yarn, but that wasn't the most impressive thing.

No, the coolest, most impressive thing I've seen is when my wife first made a sock with self-striping yarn. I was just completely flabbergasted. Now, I don't make socks yet (remember, I like the easy knitting patterns!) so I haven't gotten to use any self-stripping yarn yet. I'm still "learning my craft", so to speak.

But even so, I found this article on how to make your own self-striping yarn and I thought it was pretty cool.

Here's the link to the article at "See Eunny Knit".

It doesn't look too hard to do, it just looks like it will take some time and a bit of effort to make it properly. To me, it looks like the hardest thing will to be getting all the yarn organized and keeping the cats out of it!

It May Be an Easy Knitting Pattern, But Can I Use It?

Ok, so you found the perfect easy knitting pattern. But does that mean you're able to use it? The thought never crossed my mind that a pattern might be copyrighted. I suppose it would probably be ok to use the pattern as long as I'm not trying to sell the end product, but I'm certainly going to keep an eye on this issue!

"I believe that the complete pattern with all the words can be copyrighted in the same way as all my other postings are copyrighted. If it’s original content that I created, and I haven’t assigned the copyright to anyone else, then I have the copyright. So the main question is, can the straightforward description of the stitches (i.e., the “k1, p1″ bit) be copyrighted? Mark claims it can’t, because you can’t copyright the design and stitches. A related issue is whether you can impose licensing conditions on someone making the article described in the pattern (in the case of the cushion I designed, giving attribution)."

As always, you can read the whole article here.

I think this brings up a pretty good question. When we find things in books or on the internet, I'm sure the last thing most of us think about is who owns the copyright. I realize and appreciate that someone had to work very hard to come up with a unique pattern, and while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, where does it stand legally? And if you can copyright a super complex pattern, could you also copyright even the most basic, easy knitting pattern?

Let me know what you think about copyrighting a knitting pattern.

By the way, here's a great book that really helped me get going with knitting!

Finding Easy Knitting Patterns in the Digital Age

It is obvious from the abundance of easy knitting patterns available on the internet that knitting is more popular than ever. I mean, if I got hooked, anyone could! The blame/credit for that goes to my wife. And she was hooked by her best friend. And so on and so on. So, I knew that knitting was getting pretty popular. I mean, if I'm getting sucked into it, it must be pretty big. But the numbers I just saw on the number of people taking up knitting is insane!

"Once embraced by a few grandmotherly types and rejected as out of fashion by feminists, knitting is back big time, its new status evident nowhere more than on the Internet, where knitting groups, blogs, video tutorials, and podcasts are present in abundance. The Yarn Craft Council of America estimates that 53 million women in the United States knit or crochet. The number of female knitters between the ages of 25 and 34 increased 150% between 2002 and 2004, while a significant number of teenage girls up to age 18 and older women, ages 55–64, joined or rejoined the growing ranks of knitters."

150% increase in two years! That's amazing. Go check out the whole article here. And those are just the number of women that knit! There are plenty of men that do it, too. I’m evidence of that. So are the men that show up at the group at the local knitting store.

I think it is interesting that what was once considered a woman’s hobby has become such a trendy hobby for both men and women alike. And with the internet now, it is easier than ever to find easy knitting patterns for the beginners.

I'd love to hear your stories about how you got started in knitting!

Here's a book I found that helped both me (a total newbie) and my wife (actually quite good)!

Magically Easy Knitting Patterns

I just saw a great new book chock full of easy knitting patterns. The coolest part is that they're all based on the Harry Potter books. The book covers everything from wand cozies to hats, house scarves, even socks for Dobby!

"If the wizard has you under his spell and you'd like to knit something with a bit of magic in it, then you are in luck. No, I don't have the source for Molly Weasley's charmed needles, although I would buy a pair if I could. But I do have lots of good patterns and Web links to share.

I think you will be excited by Alison Hansel's new pattern book, "Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter" (Wiley, $14.99). Hansel has compiled a collection of her knitwear designs that cover the gamut of wizarding fashions from a quidditch sweater to an invisibility shawl. The book has easy-to-read patterns with very clear directions, color photos of the finished projects and wonderful charts for the enchanted design elements. I was especially impressed with the layout of the book, which is charming all by itself."

Here's a link to the article.

The last time I was at Borders, I looked through the book. The patterns looked pretty neat and I thought the idea was really cool. I don't really spend all day visualizing Harry Potter's world, but I have to say that Alison Hansel did a fantastic job bringing it to life through knitting. I'm not sure if the wand cozy will see a lot of use, but things like the Hedvig pattern looked fun. I also really liked the scarves, but that could just be my aversion to winter talking. You can also pick up the book at Amazon.

So, if you’ve got kids or are a fan of the books yourself, check out the book. It is full of original, fun, and above all, easy knitting patterns!