Recently, I’ve been helping some newer students work through their knitting projects, and I’ve noticed something: they keep getting stuck in similar places. It’s not because the knitting is hard, but because the patterns aren’t as clear as they could be. There’s a teaching in Pirkei Avot that asks, ‘Who is wise? One who learns…

As the seasons shift (at least on the calendar), I like to pause and give my yarn and fiber stash a little extra attention. Just as I care for my tools in the winter months, I believe our materials deserve the same respect. Some seasons it’s a full sort-and-organize, other times it’s just opening a…

The other day at knitting group, talk turned to knots in balls of yarn. Many were venting their frustration, and they seemed surprised that I just shrugged it off. I sometimes forget that I’ve worked in the industry (and watched way too many episodes of How It’s Made) so I have different insight and understanding.…

Last week I made a knitting mistake that I should have seen coming. I made the project much harder than it needed to be because I ignored my own advice: I didn’t swatch. I’ve been working on a new design influenced by Ayrton. Since it uses a similar yarn weight and gauge, I thought, why…

When summer’s warmth arrives and humidity begins to climb, it is difficult to stay focused on a large project. I can’t help but knit and crochet, even when the days grow warm. I’ve found projects that work to keep my hands in motion no matter the weather. I’m drawn to motif-based projects, they are smaller…

Sticky notes offer a quiet magic. Not simply for their adhesive charm, but because they’re humble, low-tech tools that keep my ideas organized, track progress, and pin “must remember” thoughts in plain view. My favorite 3×3 square notes live in all my bags, peek from notebooks, and nestle in my nightstand. With the rise of…