Happy Valentine's Day

Thanks to Jen Tocker for the swell heart!

And thanks to everyone who posted a comment or wrote to me about Elly. She's just started a new sweater--we'll take this each day as it comes and she's in good spirits. Didn't EZ say, "Knit on, through all crises"? Well, we do in my family.

Small Spinsters and Spinmen
What better way to spend a Valentine's Day than with your grandchild's 5th grade class? I did a spinning demonstration for all the 5th grade classes at Duffy Elementary in Wharton, NJ. Elisabeth was thrilled that Grammy lugged her wheel. Grammy was thrilled to be with kids for a few hours.

And the kids were polite, interested, and asked far better questions than any adult would.
"Do you make money with your yarn?"
"If you reverse the wheel, does that make the yarn stronger?"
"Who taught you how to spin?"

What great kids! It was an enlightening morning and I came away the better for it.

Getting What You Don't Pay For
There was a little to-do on the Knit List regarding a poorly written free pattern, wherein Joe Wilcox and Kathy Merrick pointed out that a lister's piano scarf pattern was, um, highly suspect and not very nice knitting technique. They were absolutely right in their criticism. In fact, although Joe was quite nice about it and made some cogent observations, the lister became past indignant:
This is a free pattern freely given to knitters to promote our craft. I feel insulted that members of this list have chosen to pick it apart. If you don't like the pattern, you got what you paid for it.

So free means badly written? Free means you have no responsibility to the end user?

I don't think so.

Any time anyone publishes anything, they have a responsibility to the reader/user. I spent hours on my free patterns because I'll be damned if I put out anything that reeks and sign my name to it. I know other knitters who take the same care with their free patterns. And some are just inexperienced and do not know how to write instructions. Or maybe just can't knit well enough and shouldn't put out any designs.

It's always caveat non-emptor in this case. However.

Those who spread their knitting ineptitude across the internet to unsuspecting knitters should take their medicine publicly and make it right. Free has nothing to do with it.

It has everything to do with taking pride in your work. It has everything to do with doing your best.

Simply Knit Review
Just go to the No Affiliation Knitting Review page.

Free = handy. Well-written = rare.