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Knitting meets Pinterest & FREE patterns

Girl Guides Brownie 1960

Girl Guide Brownies in Europe where I excelled in earning badges like the knitting badge and a lifelong skill that relaxes me anywhere I take my knitting needles and bag of wool.


My mom took it upon herself to teach me how to knit so I could earn my knitting badge. I soooo remember the rules that the square had to be even tension and a certain size. I tried stretching it to make it bigger to get out of knitting. My mom laughed but kept me encouraged to finish. That was something I had trouble with, starting was GREAT, but finishing was hard to do.

Many years later, I decided to get into knitting and got into complicated sweater patterns which took me a year to make most sweaters. Hats were more fun cause you could get them done fast. Even made a few sweaters for boyfriends which if they pissed me off during the year, that sweater was ripped back to balls of wool! I still have the balls of wool from one ex-boyfriend's sweater I knitted for him, back in the '70s!

Without wool shops or someone to pass on the knowledge and demonstrate, back in those ancient days before YouTube, it was near impossible to figure out those patterns on your own. Loyalty was needed with wool shops so you could come back again and again for guidance. My mom was great at teaching and somehow between the two of us, we could figure out most patterns and sometimes still had to seek out the wool shop expert to show and tell.


Now replacing mom guidance, is YouTube, filled with people who are willing to demonstrate certain stitches and you name it, it's there. I have posted some of the ones I needed into my Pinterest account to reference quickly while also sharing with other Pinterest pinners!


Norma, crocheting a huge blanket  with my dog Dixie thinking its for her!

My mom, Norma, crocheting a huge blanket with my dog Dixie thinking it's for her!
We laughed when I took this photo and titled it, "Sooo many men and so little time".

LOVE Pinterest, I have had fun finding new recipes to try, connections with other people around the world, and re-discovered my joy for knitting and crochet.  It inspired me to dig out my old needles, buy some fresh yarn and take up knitting once again with lots of FREE patterns I have recently discovered, swapped, and saved on Pinterest.

2012 I discovered Pinterest. I set up my account not really knowing what good this was going to be for me or was it just another time waster. What I did like, being visually oriented and dyslexic, was information saved with images which is a  bonus, where I could quickly review and read later.



Norwegian slippers are knitted in squares then sewn together.

Norwegian slippers are knitted in squares and then sewn together.

Thankfully I have studied geometry to figure out how to put these together!

squares are all sewn together ready for the next step

The squares are all sewn together ready for the next step.


The photo shows the knitted slipper ready for the hot water wash to FELT it to my foot size 7.
Shrinking wool is also called felting which uses a hot water wash in a washing machine.
 Not all wool shrinks the same so a sample size to determine the shrinkage is an important first step. 


Finished Norwegian Slippers with a pom-pom.

I finished Norwegian Slippers with a pom-pom.

Knitted gift sent to my sister for Xmas.
Warm and cozy!


skull buttons and knitted stripes for my son's slippers!

 
I added the skull buttons and knitted stripes for my son's slippers!

WOW, many free patterns and some for sale that are available online. The inspiration  I found to be endless and found the knitted projects I did were discovered on Pinterest.  I find it's like eating nuts, I just can't have one or 10 board collections!


crochet head band.

My model, the red ball is posing for my crochet headband. Quick and easy to make and off they went as gifts for family. It's adjustable to fit any size head with a large button on the back of the headband.


crochet head band.

The headband flower detail was stitched after all was made.

I invite you to take a gander at all my Pinterest collections, including inspirational artists, art lessons on YouTube, and lots of other fun and interesting things I have collected on Pinterest.

Happy New Year 2013

3 comments :

Unknown said...

I love to knit but I can only knit scarves :( I love the squares blanket!

Anonymous said...

Were there Canadian Brownies in Belgium in the sixties? That's interesting, I don't think there are now. Anyway, great picture! From a former American Girl scout Brownie in Belgium and a current British Girl Guide leader.

Minaz Jantz said...

WOW, thanks 'Girl Guide' for stopping by and leaving a comment! Was it not two fingers to the temple salute?..I think that what we used to do to address our fellow guides? Funny too I use Art Girl Gallery as my name...hhhmmm influences maybe?

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