Oolong knits

If you've read my previous post on Portuguese-style knitting , you'll know I knit Portuguese because I find it easier and faster than either German or English-style knitting. You don't need to speak Portuguese to knit Portuguese-style, on the contrary, this style is used in many other countries where people do not speak Portuguese, like Egipt, Greece, and certain Eastern European  and South American countries. It is almost sure that it did not originate in Portugal either, so the its name is a misnomer (just like German and English-style knitting, which also most surely did not originate in these countries and most definitely are not exclusive to them). Still, I personally find it useful to keep a dictionary of Portuguese-English knitting words and this is the reason for this post. 1 stitch=1 malha row=carreira purl stitch=ponto liga, tricot knit stitch=ponto meia stockinette stitch=ponto meia, malha, jersey (this is confusing but in Portugal the knit and stockin...

Have you ever had your yarn ball rolling over to the other side of the room while you're happily sat on your favourite chair knitting away? Oh! and the mess you find after you've got up and picked it up. All covered in dust and lint picked on its travel through the floor (unless you vacuum-clean often, of course). Many knitters have thought of solutions to travelling balls. Here are a few I know of: The cheapest, easiest and most versatile method: use one of those plastic bags that have a seal. Close the seal half-way leaving a hole that allows the thread to go through easily but keeps the ball inside. No rolling and no dirt either. Very nice if you take your knitting with you. Also, if you're doing colour work, you don't need one bag for each ball. Keep balls in one bag, and seal the middle area, leaving two holes on each side (you can also make it work with more holes). This will keep the yarn disentangled. You can also poke some holes in the plastic bag if it...

The short version of this post: The difference between Addi and KnitPro is relatively small, so you'll be happy with which ever you buy. I personally prefer Addi Lace. KnitPro Synfonie and Nova being second best, in my opinion. Do not buy KnitPro cubics. Basic Addi have rounded tips that make knitting (knit and purl) easier and faster, but knitting lace (making increases and decreases) a lot more difficult. So I do not recommend them (even though I use these needle the most often), because sharper tips are simply more versatile. Metal vs. wood or bamboo: metal has less friction, thus knitting with this is faster and more pleasant. But, for the same reason, stitches are more prone to drop off metal needles. I'd recommend wood for beginners, metal for more experienced knitters. Metal needles are less prone to breaking. Long story told short, I own both a set of Knit Pro interchangeable Symfonie wood needles and the Basic set of Addi interchangeable metal needles. I also...

Whether you like his writings or not, Montaigne is undoubtedly the father of bloggers. Yep, it's a fact, the guy was writing whatever thoughts came to his head as early as the 16th century, long before the web and hence the weblog were invented. The reason I love and admire Montaigne so much is easy to explain and I'll use his own words to do it. This is the guy who wrote: If I come across difficult passages in my reading I never bite my nails over them: after making a charge or two I let them be. [...] What I fail to see during my original charge I see even less when I stubborn it out. In other words, he readily admits that if something is not simple enough to be understood at first reading, then he is too dumb to understand it... And in the same way, you'll find, when reading Montaigne, that you'll never need to read a passage twice. Everything is told in a straightforward, simple way... even if not everything he says is straightforward or simple... This is what ...