Excuse the mess! New patterns are still on hiatus, but the Untangling Knots shop is getting some behind the scenes updates. Previously the shop was powered by Ravelry, but recent changes to their website left me wanting better options for Untangling Knots. The new system will still provide the convenience of instant downloads but now allows me to have more control to add a better gifting system right away, and eventually I will be able to add more payment options beyond just PayPal, products other than knitting patterns, and an affiliate program for podcasters and bloggers! Adding each patter ..read more

I’m taking a break from publishing new patterns, running KALs, and posting on this blog. I hope you’re able to find something to tickle your fancy in my current selection of patterns ..read more

In addition to picking up half-finished projects, this year’s OAL is counting projects in need of a do-over as eligible WIPs. Taking apart a failed knitting project and reworking it into something you love is so satisfying, but dealing with the ramen-noodle-yarn phase is the not-so-fun first step. Yarn that’s been blocked and/or left knit up for ages will set in the pattern it’s kept in. Depending on the fiber blend, the yarn may have little memory and quickly relax, or it may have a lot of memory and keep its kinks. Kinky yarn can cause gauge issues, depending on the memory of the yarn, how ..read more

Picking up an old work-in-progress sometimes has its challenges if you didn’t leave detailed notes somewhere easy to find! My projects using other designers’ patterns tend to be extremely long term projects that get put on hold for months at a time, so I’ve got a lot of practice trying to work out the mysteries of my WIPs, and the two biggest questions I run up against are wich needles was I using and where was I within the pattern? Here are my tips for solving those mysteries! Identifying the Needles Used 1. Check Ravelry. I’m not great about entering in my projects when I start them, but so ..read more

The Outfit Along officially begins today! If you haven’t shared your own Outfit Along plans in the OAL thread in the Untangling Knots group or under the hashtag #outfitalong2019, now is a good time to let us know what you’re working on. My own plans for my outfit include a knitting WIP that’s a colorwork pullover, and a pair of gingham cigarette pants. Since this is our sixth year running the Outfit Along and this blog is more than 10 years old (how did these things happen?), there are tons of great resources already available! Here’s a list of blog posts you may find helpful, as well as lin ..read more

Knit a piece. Sew a piece. Make an outfit. June 1st-July 31st. Get ready for the Outfit Along: WIP Cleanout! The Outfit Along is an annual craft-along thats pairs a sew-along with a knit-along to create a custom outfit, but this year we’re shaking things up and focusing on works-in-progress. The goal this year will be to knit a piece and sew a piece, with at least one of these being a WIP, to make an outfit. As always, the OAL is co-hosted by me and Lauren from LLADYBIRD and will run June 1st through July 31. Lauren will be covering the sewing half of things on her blog LLADYBIRD and her Insta ..read more

The Populuxe KAL starts today! I cast on using the long-tail cast-on. I generally use this one or the cabled cast-on method for my shoulders. They both offer a good amount of structure, which you want at the shoulders. Hop on over to the KAL thread in the Untangling Knots group on Ravelry and show us your freshly started cardigan! Before casting on, I should have knit a swatch, but because I’ve already knit with this yarn before, I had already done ones in a different colorway and know my gauge is right. My next step is to annotate my PDF so my size is highlighted. If you do the same, you mig ..read more

Over the last couple of years, I’ve developed a bit of a reputation for being the person that brings baked goods to things. It started when I had a roommate whose dad gave us a giant barrel of apples, and I began making apple-based fruit crumbles to bring to Sunday family dinner, and I’ve continued to bake most Sundays and sometimes on weekdays to bring treats in for my coworkers at my office job. I tended to make crumbles, cookies, quick breads, key lime pie, and not much else, but people started thinking I was good at baking in general, so I got the desire to break out of my rut and learn mo ..read more

Remember when I was sharing a cardigan from sketch to sweater? I finished it way back in April, but I was so busy working on new things for fall that it got tossed in the button-and-block pile after I bound off, and I forgot to share it here! I’ve been working hard on having plenty of new releases for later this year, and that means I’m churning through knitting projects so quickly that I forget to stop and share what I’m up to. So here is this beauty that I knit it using Hazel Knits Lively DK. It was inspired by vintage sunburst clocks and mirrors, and creating the motifs was a fun challeng ..read more

Earlier this year, I got it into my head that as a person who sews, I should know how to make pants. I rarely wear pants, but that wasn’t the point! So I picked out a pattern, Vogue 9189, and dove in. My first pair was bright orange and sadly too small. It turns out that the amount of ease one needs for sitting and walking is larger than what you need in a bodice to breathe. Go figure! My mom gave me a few suggestions based on photos I texted her, and I whipped up a larger version in green, with the zipper moved to the back for easier fitting. The green ones fit right, but I’m not a fan of the ..read more