Hey Norman, in case you don't come up with an better idea and are happy to pass it on: many (German) kindergartens love to get yarny donations for the pre-school kids to learn how to weave with a frame, make pom poms, weave braids, embroider, sew with etc. That way they train their fine motor skills, patience, perception and so on. In general I used wool/fiber for a lot of projects throughout the kindergarten year. The yarn didn't have to be wound up in balls, I often received swatches or lose ends. Thanks again for your persistent well thought through content - you're always my first go to! 🧶
11 months ago (edited)
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Yes, that just about equals the number of swatches I knit to try and get right your tips in your videos! 😉 But it's worth it, and very useful
11 months ago | 21
Your explanations & dissections are always fantastic! I have learnt an enormous amount from your work. Your video quality & editing are always excellent too. Thank you for all the hard work!
11 months ago
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Thank you so much for everything you do Norman! My Mum taught me to knit the basic stitches as a child, but I really learned to knit in my early 40's during covid lockdowns by watching your videos. Any time there's a technique I need to learn I come to your channels, knowing that you will show me exactly what I need to know. Hope you find someone close by who will take all those swatches off your hands and turn them into something amazing...I can only imagine how big your bin must be after all the videos you have made for us! Thank you xx
11 months ago
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Thank you Norman, your videos have helped me finesse designs and the stretchy bind off is one of them. I usually knit with a 2-stitch i-cord, it looks good and doesn’t use much yarn. Also knitting a project with a silk/baby camel blend yarn that I dyed because it’s been one of the strongest blends I’ve found and temperature regulating than insulating, perfect for Alaskan early summers.
11 months ago
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Sounds about right. And your work reflects all of the hard work you put in ! Much appreciated!
10 months ago
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Yes, watched it with deep appreciation. Right now experimenting with knitting a sock in the round. This will definitely be trial balloon. Tried your four needle method first but too much fiddling for my old arthritic hands. Enjoy your videos very much and appreciate all of your prep work. Thank you.
11 months ago
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Wowza, that's a lot of yarn and a lot of swatches! 😯 Thank you for all the work and effort you put into creating your videos!
11 months ago
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I sow my presentable swatches together to create small blankets for dementia patients in our local nursing home. I adorn them with small items and I quilt the thin blankets. They are quite popular with patients and staff.
11 months ago
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So much yarn!! So many dpns!!! Thank you for all you do to teach someone like me!! ❣️❣️❣️
10 months ago
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Thank You For All You Do !! It's Worth It All,.. I So Appreciated 👍 Your Awesome In All You,.. It Sure Helps When Your At A Hard Spot In Knitting,. Good Tips.. Thank You Again ... Happy Knitting 😁👍
10 months ago
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I agree with the idea of donating your old swatches to school systems in your area (or your old one). It will not only give the benefits outlined by another fan, but it will give a legitimate target for destructive actions, of a sort.
10 months ago
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I love this! I sometimes start over a bunch of times if I'm not familiar with a stitch pattern to get it right before actually making something. The swatches usually turn out to be washclothes👍
11 months ago
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This looks like me trying to start learning and then getting discouraged a few dozen times lol
11 months ago | 0
You could use them for stuffing if you sometimes make toys or plushies. Or you could keep them until you have enough for a pouf
11 months ago
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Mystery solved! I had wondered what sort of yarn you use to get the particularly even knitting that you do. I should have realised that it was cotton - I made a cardigan in cotton and it is almost ridiculously even.
10 months ago | 0
NimbleNeedles
The actual number of swatches I've knitted for my last video!
If you've ever wondered, just how much time goes into creating one of my videos, here is your first glimpse. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. I think I use up around 5kg of cotton yarn each year just for swatches. Can you believe it?
Some day, I should put that to good use. Right now, I am just saving it up for some worthy purpose in a trash bin, ha! The problem is, that cotton yarn becomes a bit fuzzy after unraveling. So, I can only use it once or twice for videos (at least if I want to maintain the clean look). Of course, there are ways to fix that and the crimp - but I simply do not have the time for that. I can either produce more content or rescue yarn.
Either way, hope you found that bit interesting.
Norman
PS: And if you haven't watched my video on stretchy cast-ons yet, do it now & show it some love <3
11 months ago | [YT] | 952