Hi! I'm Rachel, I love to knit, and this is my knitting, crochet, and general craft podcast channel. You can keep up to date with my makes on Instagram as @woolseeknitting and on Ravelry as @localgoblin :)
I have finally started my knitted coat project (nicknamed my Canada Coat both because it was started when I moved here and the main yarn is Briggs and Little unspun, purchased when I was first looking at apartments here) with the Nostalgic Sweater Coat pattern. There's a long way to go but it's going faster than I expected because the gauge is quite big. My mum is the only one getting a sweater for the holidays this year but I'm planning on sewing my grandparents matching fleece vests and then a quarter-zip for my dad as well. Sewing is good for gifts because it takes less time to make garments (but harder to adjust fit as well, that's why I'm making outerwear lol) I love that beautiful purple yarn from the festival! I can't wait to see how it knits up into mittens.
i wonder if you would have better results if you start the contrast heel by knitting across with the contrast color before the first turn? i also like to go back and manually tighten the first few stitches from the half on hold for the top of the foot so that the other side isn’t loose either. hope this makes sense 😅
I'm ill and been on a knitting podcast binge and was just thinking I miss your videos and checked your channel a couple days ago to see if maybe im just not getting notifications - so it's nice to see a new video!
Yayy! Lovely to see you and all your beautiful knits since last time! Maybe the first set of ceramic buttons will go with your Howl’s Moving Castle cardigan? It’s looking fab. I’ve been wanting to try Peer Gynt for the longest time and this cardigan has me decided. The stitch definition and drape are chef’s kiss x
I am still working on the cardigan so I can't speak to how the Peer Gynt wears, but so far it's been great to knit with! It was also on my wish list foreverrrr and I've very really happy with it. I feel like it's a great ecofriendly option with so many colours at a good price point for 100% wool and a popular Scandi brand.
Glad to see you back and that you had a great summer! My knitting mojo kinda slowed with the warmer weather and I shifted to doing small accessories like socks too. I went to Rhinebeck last weekend and picked up an e-spinner so I'm very interested in what you're spinning!! That braid is beautiful, you should def do a show and tell of the yarn you're making! 👀
Omgggg Rhinebeck!! I hope you had a great trip. e-spinners are very tempting but I have the option of renting a wheel here in Ottawa from the local Guild and I think I'm going to do that before I buy anything for myself... but spinning is calling me again as it gets colder
@@woolseeknitting oooh that's a good call! That's a good reminder to check out some guilds in Toronto when I am in the city. Part of me wishes I tried more treadle wheels before I bought the one I have (louet hatbox wheel). I don't regret it at all because it's super cute but ultimately it's not nearly as functional as I'd like... which is why I got an e-spinner. Because I travel I like the idea of having something small and portable to take around too.
So funny that you uploaded just now, i actually checked your channel earlier today because i felt like i hadn't seen you in a while 😊 looking forward to watching the video tomorrow morning 🌞
I love your videos and loved all your projects in this one but especially the Beauty School sweater and the yarn subtle colors are really cute. And that Lavender/Lilac yarn looks really gorgeous. I also really loved your pajama pants. Sewing clothes and accessories is also on my bucket list but it would require more time and space than I have at the moment but pajama pants would be a really nice piece to start with. I love all the knitting content of your videos and my knitting motivation is back in full swing after not knitting much during the summer, but I wouldn't mind seeing some sewing or spinning content in your videos as well, especially spinning as I recently got a spinning wheel and I'm really looking forward to starting spinning some wool. I'm looking forward to see how your spinning yarns will come out as well as all your knitting projects. :)
Glad you had a great time in Europe. I can sympathise with your experience of the Tube, I used to live in London and it’s overwhelming, particularly in the summer! Glad you had a great time at your friend’s wedding
few thoughts: - so glad you got some kinross 4ply, i personally just block it with water and it always turns out perfect ! Fun fact: it's the same mill in scotland that produces Biche et Buches ! - on the same vein, John Arbon is the mill that produces the Marie Wallin british breeds ! Regarding the stiffness of the cowl you want to do, ive done a few marie wallin cowls with jamiesons yarn (same gauge) and because it's such a tight gauge, and i do my cowls as a big tube "folded in half" as opposed to a short tube standing upright, they're always super stiff and stand up straight. But if you dont have that much yarn you might do the short tube version of a cowl so ignore that, aha ! - schjeepes is sold at Loop London, if i remember correctly, funny how you find british brands in netherlands and flemish brands in england lol! cant wait to see your plans come to fruition!
I just had to rewind the video to see if I actually heard you say „Ansbach“! Thats the town so grew up in 😄 did you visit there too? I am sorry Rauwerk was closed when you wanted to visit, they have all the wooly Bavarian wool. I think yarn stores are super tricky on vacation bc they usually have horrible opening hours 😂 hard to fit in between visiting the city and sights. Lovely haul! I can’t wait to get some Kinross myself 🥰
Just fyi! I've seen Marie Wallin's wool at the knitting loft! I love the colours you chose and it's giving Belle in winter in the animated Beauty and the Beast. Enjoyed the haul vid!! I wish I had known about Kinross yarn when I was was Scotland.
to reduce or eliminate the bleeding from the handdyed yarns, besides just soaking in vinegar, add heat and water. That should bind anymore additional dye in the skein
I think many museums exchange exhibitions these days. The exhibitions travel all over the world. The Museum of Islamic arts in Qatar (where I am) recently had exhibitions related to the silk trade of Iran. Accompanying this was the incredible golden spider silk garments crafted from the rare silk of golden orb-weaver spiders indigenous to Madagascar, famous for the golden colour of their webs. In the past, of course, many museums procured treasures from other countries in unethical ways. I love all the yarn you got. The blues are stunning. I would knit broad stripes of the blues in a gradient with a thin white purl stripe in between. The colourwork pattern you have in mind for it is very interesting. The pinks and greens just scream Victorian rose garden vibes. I completely understand the need to buy yarns you can't find where you live. In Qatar it's even worse than Canada. The international shipping costs to get yarn here is horrendous. So, yes, I also go nuts buying yarns when I'm in another country lol. Last time I was in Munich I was focused on getting a traditional dirndl dress. If I go again I will definitely look for Rodel yarns. Your trip looked awesome, I'm so jealous lol. Happy knitting!
That sounds so stunning to be able to see in person! I am so in awe of the skill and talent in craft and artistry humans have had for millennia. And I believe you in Qatar - I know in Canada, we are still spoiled for having access to yarn so I should not complain. Thank you for your comment.
Oh I love your idea for the colourwork/architectural stripey sweater. It will look so good in the blues. I feel so disappointed for you that you couldn’t visit the woolly wool yarn stores in Munich. I wish I could send you all the German wools brands over the pond.
Me too!! I was so excited to try all the beautiful German fibres I've seen you work with and then did not plan my trip well to actually get them. Alas! And I know you'd love all our Canadian wools. Maybe one day we will be slightly closer to each other and can swap :)
I had the same problem with the kolibri pattern that i made a while ago, i've only been knitting for two years but even then the pattern seemed both unnecessarily complicated and like johanna didnt provide all necessary information
I think the reason why your icords are so tight on the ties is because they have a different gauge. Since you used a bigger needle on the ties to make them lighter, the row gauge got longer, so keeping the same pick up rate there than for the rest would cause tension issue 😊 I have two tricks to help you out next time this happens : first, try to pick up and knit an icord on your swatch to find the perfect combination. Second, you can use the other end of your ball of yarn to do the pick up on your project and "chase yourself" by simultaneously picking up more sts and knitting the icord : like pick up ~10 cm with one end of the yarn ball, grab the other end and start knitting the icord (maybe use a spare needle also), pick up 10 more cm, knit the icord, and there you have enough icord to assess the tension. If you're not happy you only have a few cm to unravel and pick up again :) for sure those tricks could have been included in the pattern ! I really appreciate podcasters who also talk about the negative aspects of designs, please don't feel bad about it because it is super helpful ❤ (I'm also a podcaster and I get a lot of comments of people thanking me for pointing out weird stuff in patterns, so I'm also talking for them ✌🏻)
I think you are right! I picked up more stitches and went up a needle size to try to accommodate for this, but it wasn't enough. Some lessons learned for next time though :)
i appreciate your honest comments about the pattern and i think if designers are reasonable people, they should appreciate it too, to be able to improve future patterns. i think all of your criticism was constructive, and not just negativity for the sake of negativity.
Yay for your eye surgery. I’m like your parents- I had my Lasix 20+ years ago and it’s been so great! I wear one contact lens for close up now. You’re going to London! That’s so fun. And the fact you’re meeting up with Naomi, another one of my favorite knitting podcasters.
Omg I laughed at loud at the seeing in the shower part 😂 I also have astigmatism and I never wear my contacts in the shower , but whenever I do I gasp at the state of it and I'm always like 'damn I need to clean this more often'
We had a knitting gathering on Worldwide Knit in Public Day, and there was a pop-up by The Wool Pirate here in my part of Ontario. I bought the exact same Etrofil...never heard of it before! Maybe I'll swatch this weekend with it...I'd like to knit the Smookie by Kate Davies ❤
I've knit one pattern from Johanna/Kolibri and am knitting another one now, and I agree, I don't enjoy the way she writes her patterns either. I don't think it'd completely stop me from knitting another one but it'd definitely give me some pause. So you're not alone!
Yay congrats on your vision and graduation! I had laser eye almost a decade ago and I agree with it being an absolute game changer. My only negative was the slight light sensitivity, but it's cool to buy non-prescription sunglasses so I'm ok with that. I appreciate when people make notes/comments about the kinds of mods they had to make because either the pattern wasn't clear, or there were deficiencies. I don't think it's negative to say you didn't enjoy a knit because some knits are worth the frustration for the end result and maybe sometimes they're not. Looks great in the end an I'm sure your friend will treasure your efforts!
It’s funny that you talk about the Georges Sweater pattern. I am knitting my own dress for my wedding and bought this cardigan pattern to pair with it but after I saw the pattern I knew I would never make it 😂. I salute you for bearing through but I totally agree! I don’t feel like a beginner anymore but this pattern is far from standard. I hope your friend loves their beautiful cardigan nonetheless!!!
