tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684850.post3996369839272369731..comments2008-11-11T17:53:43.790-05:00Comments on The Misadventures of the Accidental Knitter: Which Way Is Clockwise?Marnihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14992337240659838859noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684850.post-71132566051220487802007-10-23T21:41:00.000-04:002007-10-23T21:41:00.000-04:00I'm sure you'll figure it out. It will just take ...I'm sure you'll figure it out. It will just take practice.<BR/><BR/>The frustrating new thing for me was learning to machine quilt. Straight lines with a walking foot ... piece of cake. Free motion (where you control the stitches and can do all kinds of curvy designs) freaked me out. When you get a big clump of thread on the back of the quilt, it is called a birds nest and believe me, I made more than a few!<BR/><BR/>But with practice, patience, practice, experimentation (and did I mention practice), I'm able to do a pretty good job with my free motion quilting. And my name is really easy to write into my quilting.<BR/><BR/>DebDeb S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15328475871536005930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7684850.post-44293582589084611152007-10-23T10:37:00.000-04:002007-10-23T10:37:00.000-04:00I hear ya, sister! Beginning with the spindle was...I hear ya, sister! Beginning with the spindle was frustrating for me too. It does get better, I promise!<BR/><BR/>Judge your "clockwise" spinning from looking down at your spindle; imagine a clock laying face-up on the floor, and your spindle hanging over it. Look DOWN at the clock and the spindle, and then spin the spindle clockwise to match the clock. (It's a lot harder to describe this in words than it would be to demonstrate!)<BR/><BR/>Clockwise vs. counter-clockwise spin isn't what's making your yarn break; there's nothing magical about twisting one way that holds and the other way doesn't. I'm too much of a beginner to know for sure, but from my own spindle-dropping experience I'd suggest maybe your yarn isn't twisted enough to hold itself together? The <I>direction</I> of twist doesn't matter, but the <I>amount</I> does. Or could it be too thin? I hesitate to make suggestions, I barely know what I'm doing myself yet!<BR/><BR/>Whatever the case, don't worry, you'll get it! It does take practice, but eventually it really does become fun instead of frustrating!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com