Knitting on Circle Looms: Part 3

Finishing my Hat!

Hello all and welcome back to my blog! In my previous post I began the process of knitting a hat and have finally finished. Using tips from my previous blog, I completed a project that was good quality and wasn't rushed. 

Throughout my journey of knitting I have learned to focus on on the quality of what I am creating rather than how quickly I can make the product because it determines whether or not you are happy with the outcome. Knitting has taught me to keep moving forward but to fix your mistakes as you go along.

My hat (Left) and the hat I made for my niece (Right)

Denise Layman, author of Learn to Knit on Circle Looms, said, "All of these knitting loom projects will surely make wonderful gifts to share with your friends and family" (Layman 2). This made me realize that making something for yourself feels great but putting time and effort into a project then giving it to someone makes you feel even better! Because of this, I knit a hat for my one year old niece!

In my last post, I finished the brim of my hat, and for this post I am going to finish the rest of my hat. Layman pointed out that, finishing your knitting project is the best part because you finally get to see all the hard work you have put in! (Layman 16).

To finish your hat, you will need:

- a plastic knitting needle (in addition to the materials needed in my last post)

Steps:
1. Repeat the same steps from my previous post
2. Cut off the yarn and cut off an extra 2 ft. of yarn
3. Use a plastic knitting needle to sew the extra yarn through each peg of the loom 
4. Take each knit off the peg and tightly tie each end together

Question: Do you feel more accomplished when you use your skills for yourself or for others? Comment down below!

Citation: Layman, Denise. Learn to Knit on Circle Looms: 10 Easy Projects! Berne, IN: DRG Pub., 2006. Print.

Creating a origami hat

Origami Hat

As my last post says I really enjoy doing art but didn't know what kind of art I'll be doing so I decided to try out origami. As my experience grown I will be trying to do more difficult origami then before and this time I decided to go with making a hat out of the origami paper. Also as this project continued I have found a new hobby in doing origami during my spare times.

In my book Easy Origami by John Montroll he mentioned that "Fold the creases very well will help the shapes"(1 Montroll). As I mentioned before creasing and folding the paper is very difficult for me and that's one of the main points of doing origami by folding papers and creating the design that you want.

John Montroll mentions that if the folds are not well folded than the shape you want will not have a successful origami. He also mentions tips for having a successful crease which is running your thumbnail along the creases.

What's your tips for having a successful crease on the paper?



Knitting on Circle Looms: Part 2

Knitting a Hat

Finished Scarf

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! If you saw my previous post then you know that I have started knitting on circle looms for the first time and attempted to create a scarf. I have since finished the scarf and am starting a new project on my circle loom: knitting a hat!

Finishing my scarf was a bit difficult for me because I continuously lost my place while knitting and rushed the process. As a result, my scarf had many mistakes and wasn't up to my standard of quality. Learn to Knit on Circle Looms by Denise Layman, taught me that knitting can be a tedious hobby, "Be sure to take the time to lift off the bottom 2 loops on the pegs that have 3 loops...repeating 15-17 times" (Layman 18). Thus, taking your time and making sure you are correctly following the directions will not only help one become a better knitter but a better person as well. 

The mistake is in the middle of the photo.

Through knitting, I have found that when doing a project, activity or just in general, you should give it your complete and entire effort because failing to do so will result in a product that is poor quality. Layman underlined that the key to mastering knitting is to realize your mistakes and going back to fix them (Layman 18). Doing so will not only help with knitting but beyond that as well. I struggled with this while creating my scarf, so I was set on succeeding with my hat!

To knit a hat on a circle loom, you will need:

• An adult sized circle loom 
• Yarn
• Yarn Needle
• Loom hook

The Brim:

1. After gathering the materials you will need to create a basic "slip knot" and put in on the first peg of the loom. 

2. Wrap the yarn around all the pegs from the front to the back.  

3. Repeat this step once more. 

4. "Yarn over" by taking your loom hook and flipping the bottom yarn pieces over the peg. 

5. Repeat this step multiple times to the desired length and fold both ends over each other. (The brim of my hat was 14 stitches)

The Rest of the Hat:

1. Repeat steps 2-5 from "The Brim" after you have created the brim of the hat. (My hat will have about 15-17 stitches)

* The number of stitches depends on what size hat you want. 

Finishing:

1. After knitting your hat to desired length, cut off the yarn.

2. Cut off a piece of yarn that is about 2 feet and use a knitting needle to sew the string through the knits on the pegs of the loom, take your hat off the loom as well.

3. Pull the hat inside-out and tie the two strings at the top of the hat.

4. Pull the hat right-side out and you have created a hat!

I am very proud at the progress I have made while completing my hat. By learning through my mistakes from my first project, I am taking my time in completing this project. Now that you know about my first experiences in loom knitting: 

Do you think it is better to accept failure and move on if you keep making mistakes or to never give up? Tell me your thoughts below! 

Citation: Layman, Denise. Learn to Knit on Circle Looms: 10 Easy Projects! Berne, IN: DRG Pub., 2006. Print.