A new meaning for "Netflix and chill"

For some, “Netflix and chill” is code for a casual hookup. For knitters (and other yarn crafters), it means something really sexy – guilt-free binge tv watching, resulting in lovely handmade items.

For experienced knitters, watching television or movies is the perfect accompaniment to easy knitting projects. Whether its miles of garter stitch, plain socks or a simple hat, a straight-forward knitting project is good for hours of binge watching. With the possible exception of sub-titled foreign films, pretty much any kind of video goes great with knitting. I’ve knit my way through season after season of the grittiest cop shows and the sweetest Jane Austen adaptations with nary a dropped stitch.

 Of course, watching movies or shows that feature great knitwear is a bonus. Knitting websites, like Ravelry, are full or posts ooh-ing and aah-ing over knitwear in Outlander, British TV shows set in the ‘40s or fashion-y shows like The Good Wife.

Ten Essentials for the Beginning Knitter

As you begin your knitting journey, you will find that your knitting rarely stays home. Indeed, one of the great things about knitting is its portability. Especially in summer, when so many people travel, knitters need a "go kit."

Following are the 10 essentials for knitting on the go -- just one knitter's opinion of course.

1.    Scissors. While most wool can be broken by hand, people working with linen, cotton or silk will need an implement.

2.    Small crochet hook. A smaller hook than your needle, but not too tiny, will make it easy to pick up dropped stitches and do other impromptu repairs.

3.    Darning needle. Weave in your ends, seam pieces or use it to put your project on waste yarn or dental floss (see below).

4.    Stitch markers. I carry ring markers (for indicating borders or pattern repeats) and locking stitch markers (to mark specific stitches).

5.    Row counter. Just like stitch markers, row counters are essential for lazy knitters (like me) or forgetful knitters (like me), who want to outsource brain functions like counting.

6.    Dental floss. A dual purpose tool, dental floss can replace waste yarn as a handy stitch holder and its built in cutters can cut yarn when your scissors go AWOL.

7.    Calculator/smart phone. Between figuring out sizes and making purchase decisions, knitting involves a lot of lower mathematics. Again, outsource! And save your brain space for knitting patterns.

8.    Measuring tape. Measure stuff, 'nuff said.

9.    Pen/pencil. I'm a big believer in marking up my patterns, taking note of where I stop knitting so I know where to start again. Sometimes, when you put a project down for the day, you may not pick it up again for weeks, even years.

10. Paper. See above.

Plus your needles and yarn, silly.

Pro-Tip Tuesday: Measure Twice, Knit Once

A mistake that took months to make

Knitters, this means you

CAUTION: Tiny little rant ahead. The forgiving nature of yarn and the use of blocking has given many knitters and crocheters the mistaken view that creating a gauge swatch is unnecessary. While I am at least as impulsive as the next guy (as long as he or she is a knitter), I rarely if ever attempt a project without first creating a gauge swatch.

Project planning and "rehearsal" is practiced by all types of artisans, whether they're painters creating "cartoons" before touching paint to precious and costly canvases, jewelry makers who lay out their strands on a board before stringing their gemstones or couturiers who build an entire dress out of muslin before cutting their silks.

Knitters and crocheters should treat our process and our materials with such respect. I find the process of swatching meditative and creative. This is no box to check by rote, but rather an essential element of the creative process.

The final product

My favorite description of swatching is finding out what the yarn wants to be. And this is a step no yarn crafter who wishes to raise their game should skip -- and I've learned this the hard way.  Exhibit A at right is a sweater I knit completely -- front, back and arms -- before deciding that the yarn was completely unsuited to the pattern. 

It took more than a year for me to find the courage to rip out more than $50 worth of yarn and try to re-think the project. Imagine if I had swatched carefully -- 'nuf said.