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Did you see the stabby viral knitting video on TikTok? "Stab it, strangle it, scoop out its guts, throw it off a cliff."
Did it make you want to try your hand at knitting? Of course, it did! (Or maybe you are already a knitter and just found it hilarious, and you know you want to join in.)
To bring us all together and to help those new to knitting get started, I am hosting a Frankenscraf Knit-a-long (KAL for those of you new to knitter-speak.) We will be creating a choose-your-own adventure-type scarf using whatever supplies you want. Need some advice on supplies? You can see my Amazon suggestions here: Frankenscarf KAL Suggestions.
You can join the fun here, TikTok, or Ravelry.
Sign up for the free pattern and to get exclusive updates using the form on the right side of the webpage.
I will have a pattern for the scarf, but no need to use it! Throw it off a cliff for all I care, I just want everyone knitting!! And, of course, sharing their beautiful creations.
Look for me to be going LIVE on July 1st on TikTok at 8 pm CST. TikTok handle @girlfriendsknitting.
Grab some needles and some yarn, and come hang out!
What do you do when you post a simple video on TikTok and it blows up overnight? Why, you have a knit-a-long of course. (That would be a KAL for those of you not yet knowledgeable with knitter-speak.) Thus....drum roll please... on July 1 we will start a Knit-a-long!! It will be across multiple channels, with this being its main hub. It will be simple, accessible for all skill levels, and not require anything more than what you may already have. However, if you are looking for some more tools, check out these links below for some suggestions.
The comments for the viral video included questions about how to get started (casting on), how to purl, and what supplies I might recommend. I did create those two videos, and they are on my TikTok page. I will update them on my podcast soon.
As for the supplies, well, I have yet to meet a knitting tool or yarn I did not like, but here are some of my favorites: #promotion
When a knitting bestie texts you and wants a simple beginner sock pattern, you get to writing! Thus, here it is - Beginner Bliss Socks!
It is a simple pattern that is knit from the toe-up with a short row heel so that you can learn the basic construction of socks. There are simple instructions and pictures.
If you would like it, you can click the link below. Even better - use the email sign-up on the right side of the blog, and you will be sent the pattern for FREE! (I might even include another little gift just for signing up!)
I get a commission through purchases made from links to this site.
I think I have an obsession with Julia Roberts. I based the name of my blog off of a statement she made about knitting. and of course, there is the fact that she KNITS! Third, I adore the movie Steel Magnolias for many reasons, Julia being one of them. But more on that in a minute...
So why did I decide to name my blog "Girlfriends Knitting?" During the filming of the movie Larry Crown (she played a community college teacher! We have so many connections, I think we should be BFFs), Tom Hanks played a prank on Julia Roberts, who is known for knitting on the set. He had an assistant and the costume director prepare 50 skeins of yarn with a few rows of knitting, then passed out these knitting projects to 65 men in the crew. When Julia walked in, she began cracking up laughing, and immediately got into the spirit of the prank, talking about knitting with the guys.
Here is a small excerpt of that from Access Hollywood, but the line I remember most came from another video, that no longer exists on YouTube. (This one is still cute and worth the watch.)
In the longer clip, Julia says something to the effect of "All you need to get started is a girlfriend who knits!" That is how I got started, with my knitting girlfriend Virge showing me how to hold my yarn and follow patterns and fix mistakes, while visiting and laughing. It was fabulous. Thus, I wanted to create a similar knitting circle, although a virtual one, for all of my knitting girlfriends.
Furthermore, I am a Steel Magnolia. Born and raised in Louisana, just like Julia's character in the movie, and then moving to Mississippi and becoming a true magonlia at 18. Additionally, as her character states in the movie, "Pink is my signature color!" Thus, when I got married in 2016, and my mom asked me what colors I wanted for my wedding, the conversation ended up just being us repeating the following lines from the movie to each other:
Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful, Mama.
M’Lynn: How precious is this wedding gonna get, I ask you?
Shelby: My colors are blush and bashful. I have chosen two shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other.
M’Lynn: But the bridesmaids dresses, they are really beautiful.
Shelby: Ceremony will be too. The walls are banked with sprays of flowers, in my two shades of blush and bashful. Pink carpets especially laid out for my service, and pink silk bunting, draped over anything that would stand still.
M’Lynn: That sanctuary looks like it’s been hosed down with Pepto Bismol!
Shelby: I like pink! Pink is my signature color.
Though we got married outside on a gazebo overlooking a lake and not in a sanctuary, I still had sprays of flowers, in my two shades of blush and bashful, everywhere. And it was indeed precious!
As I was reading the old posts, I came across the following Christmas wish list. (See Dear Santa. It is still a great list for the knitters in your life if you ever need one.) #promotion
Signature needles (any size circular, with a long cable) - or the whole collection! (Haha, as if!)
Really, any wool blend yarn would make me happy, so check out all the gorgeous yarn on Etsy and pick me up a skein, or three. Doing that also supports local small businesses, which is nice.
Those yarn blends make for some gorgeous socks, which I am in love with knitting right now. So any set of Wendy Johnson patterns, particularly her Socks in a Box, would be awesome.
With all that yarn, I will need to be making and blocking final projects, so there are also, blocking wires and Sock Blockers (women's large).
Blocking those new hand-knits requires wool wash, such as Soak.
For the big spenders out there - how about a Schacht Spinning Wheel, as I would love to start spinning.
Or, if you want to enable me in my spinning experiment but can't fork over the hundreds of dollars for a spinning wheel, how about a gorgeous hard-carved drop spindle or notions from Deerfield Creations?
As I was reading, it dawned on me how blessed I have been in the intervening years since I wrote that list. Let me show you.
I laughed at the ridiculous wish of getting the whole collection, yet my brother did indeed buy that for me for Christmas. WHAT?! And later, my precious husband bought me another whole set. Thus, I now own both circular needles and double-pointed ones. 😲
I received several more skeins, which were then chewed on by my dogs when left out in the open. Grrr...They are lucky I didn't rehome them! 😡
Lots and lots of yarn from many Etsy stores! I have totes full. Totes, I tell you. (As does every other knitter you know, probably. It is our little dark secret.) 🙈
Not only do I have multiple of these patterns, I also fell in love with Cookie A patterns and wrote a few of my own. (Want one of those that I wrote? Sign up for Exclusive Content, and you might find one in your inbox before you know it!)
Blockers of all shapes and sizes, including some for large male feet now that I have a husband and grown bonus son (and a brother and nephews and ... you get it).
My ladybug!! That I love so so much! AND... as if that wasn't enough, my generous parents also bought me an electric wheel.
And lastly, several gorgeous drop spindles in expensive, beautiful woods now serve more as decoration than as spinning tools. Thank you, Daddy. 💓
Sometimes, it really is all about counting our blessings to realize how truly rich we are - not with the stuff that comes and goes - but with people who love us so much.
Praying for blessings and gratitude for you today,
Your (much blessed) Knitting Girlfriend!
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Have you ever time-traveled? I have this week - back in time over ten years to when life for me was much different. Some of you have traveled with me, having seen my current TikTok videos under the same name and googling Girlfriends Knitting to find an old blog with over 80 posts about knitting, spinning, and life with a disabled spouse.
I perused the pages, watched some of the videos, cried a little, laughed a lot, and just reminisced.
It is very odd seeing your life documented in front of the camera that way.
Your brain has what my dad liked to call revisionist memory. It will edit out the bad parts, blur some of the parts that sting a little too much in full color, and add embellishments to make stories better, funnier, sweeter. But not the camera. It shows everything. You can't say something didn't happen when it is right there in recorded history. Roll the tape!
I have decided to revisit that time in my life, review the footage, learn and grow from my new vantage point of increased age and restored faith. I am rebuilding my community, many of whom have remained my close friends throughout these many intervening years. And hopefully, growing my community to include new friends. Friends who might not have joined me before. And for those of you who meet my new self and decide you liked the old me better? No hard feelings and I wish you joy and love.
