Supplies...

It's taken me a while, but I've learned quite a few things about knitting supplies.  I used to buy the cheapest yarn and just get a wide variety of colors.  In time I've been able to use a variety of yarns and now know what type to look for depending on how I want my end result to come out. 

Something else I struggled with early on was deciding what size needle to use.  A lot of patterns will be specific to a type of yarn and will tell you to "check your gauge".  I've never checked gauge in my knitting career.  I've also come to realize that you can use the pattern with any yarn you want, not just what is suggested.  In addition to that, I should be using the right size needle to go with the yarn selected.  So how do I know what that is?

On the labeling of the yarn there is some information telling you the thickness of the yarn (in this case "medium") and the size needle or crochet hook to use (in this case US8).  For the best results, I use the needle suggested or one bigger (in this example, 9).  The yarn will be the easiest to manuver and won't be too stretchy if you follow this suggestion.  I used to follow the pattern but that resulted in using needles that were either too big or too small for the yarn I had selected.

Another awesome thing I have is a case for all my needles.  I can't remember if I mentioned but when my grandma gave me all her supplies she had all her needles in an old Pringles can!  Super cool container, but it was hard to find what I was looking for without dumping everything out each time.  Last year for Christmas I got one of these, a great way to organize my needles, hooks and has a small zipper for my needle gauge and tape measure:

I got some new knitting supplies for Christmas that I'm pretty excited about.  I'm in the middle of knitting a scarf on a rectangular loom, I got interchangable needles with cables, a ball winder and a couple books.  At our house we have a spare room which we call "the office" which is really more of a giant closet.  I just got done cleaning up and organzing my yarn.  I have two huge totes of yarn, a basket full of scrap balls and a bag of generic colors.  I also have three bags of yarn that I've purchased for specific projects that aren't to be mixed with the rest.  Yesterday I purchased a 10-drawer organizer for the yarn cave as well.  I have my circular needles, printed patterns, buttons, tags, sewing kits and a project I am working on organized in there as well.

One of our resolutions for the New Year is to keep the house as clutter-free as possible.  I'm hoping that my organization of the yarn cave is a good start.  That way I have a place to keep all my supplies and projects when I'm not working on them.  While I don't have any knitted projects to share today, I am working on a blanket for the front room and a scarf for a friend.  Hopefully I'll have some to share soon!