Stitching Together Friendships: The Art of Making Friends in Knitting Groups

Knitting is more than just a hobby; it’s a craft that has that power to bring people together, forming bonds that can last a lifetime. And I say knitting here as the focus group but it applies to all crafts. My knitting groups I have some of us including myself do multiple crafts. We just started with knitting and that’s the bond that has brought us together. One of the most heartwarming aspects of the knitting community is the opportunity to make friends. My friends in my groups are some of the best friends I have ever had. In this blog post I’m going to explore a bit more of the joys of knitting, the camaraderie it fosters, and how you can make lasting friendships in these close knit communities.

  1. Finding your tribe: Knitting groups are like magnets for those who share a passion for the craft. Whether you’re a novice or an experienced knitter, joining a knitting group provides a safe and welcoming space to connect with like-minded individuals. These groups can be found in local yarn shops, (where I first found mine), community centers, or even online, making it easy to find your tribe.
  2. Common Ground: Knitting groups serve as a breeding ground for friendships because they revolve around a shared interest. The rhythmic clicking of needles and the whoosh of yarn passing through fingers create an ambiance of peace and focus. Sometimes you can just sit together and be silently working on projects together and also other times have conversations. Just being together is peaceful.
  3. Learning and Sharing: Knitting groups are just about crafting; they are hubs of knowledge exchange. Knitter of all skill levels gather to learn from one another. Newcomers benefit from the expertise of experienced knitters and in return, they share fresh ideas and perspectives. This mutual exchange strengthens the bonds between group members.
  4. Patience and Support: In knitting, as with all crafts, patience is a virtue, and members of knitting groups understand this better than most. They offer unwavering support during challenging knitting projects and unraveling mishaps. The friendships formed in these groups are often built on a foundation of patience and understanding.
  5. Social Outlets: Knitting groups are not just about needles and yarn; they’re about creating social connections. These groups often plan outings, charity projects, and events. This social aspects of knitting groups allows you to bond with members outside of the crafting circle. Like going to big events outside of your local area where like minded crafters are.
  6. A Sense of Belonging: Many people find a sense of belonging in knitting group, which can be particularly valuable for those who are new to a community or feeling isolated. The shared love for knitting often leads to a sense of inclusion and support.
  7. Lifelong Friendships: One of the most beautiful outcomes of joining a knitting group is the potential for lifelong friendships. The connections made over shared projects, stories, and laughter and tears can last for years. These friendships extend way beyond the knitting circle, becoming a cherished part of one’s life. One example I would like to share today is also the hardship when you lose one of those lifelong friends in passing. This weekend I had heard of the sad news of one of my dear friends from one of knitting groups I had gotten to know had left us due to some medical issues that had recently come up in her life. I had been able to bond with her over the years from our mutual love of the craft and we often shared stories of our life and family. I have so many wonderful memories of her that myself and my friends have gotten to share and remember recently from this and I know I remember her fondly cherish them. But it is also sad at the same time. These friends I have made from my various groups I have been a part of are some of the dearest friends I have ever had and have shared some of the best times with over the years. I wouldn’t trade my time with them for anything. They bring me so much joy and brighten my day every time I can spend with them. I have friends all over the world because of these crafts I do and it always amazes me how it brings people together.
  8. In Conclusion: In the world of knitting, the threads that bind us together are not just made of yarn. They’re woven from shared experiences, a passion for the craft, and the warmth of camaraderie. Making friends in knitting groups is not just about knitting. it’s about connecting with kindred spirits, creating lifelong memories, and nurturing friendships that stand the test of time. So, grab your needles and or hooks, join a knitting or craft group, and start stitching together those beautiful, enduring friendships. I know you will not regret it. Til next time, happy crafting and keep making connections.

Natural wool dryer balls: A sustainable and effective alternative to dryer sheets

In today’s eco-conscious world, many of us are seeking ways to reduce our environmental footprint and make sustainable choices in our daily lives. When it comes to laundry care, traditional dryer sheets might seem like a convenient option, but they often contain chemicals and and single- use materials that contribute to waste. In this blog post, we’ll explore the benefits of using natural wool dryer balls as a green and effective alternative to dryer sheets. Discover how these little eco-friendly spheres can transform your laundry routine and benefit both the environment and your clothes.

Recent dryer balls I made

1. Sustainable and Renewable: Wool dryer balls are crafted from 100% natural sheep’s wool, these being from Romney sheep. Making them a renewable resource. Unlike dryer sheets, which are often discarded after a single use, wool dryer balls can be reused for countless laundry cycles, reducing waste and promoting sustainable practices.

2. Chemical-Free Fabric Softening: Traditional dryer sheets typically contain synthetic fragrances and chemicals that may cause skin irritations or trigger allergies. Wool dryer balls, on the other hand, are free from harmful substances, making them an ideal option for those with sensitive skin or respiratory issues. As the wool balls tumble with your laundry, they gently soften the fabrics without leaving any residues.

3. Faster Drying Times: One of the primary benefits of wool dryer balls is their ability to speed up the drying process. When you add a few dryer balls to your load, they create space between the clothes, allowing warm air to circulate more efficiently. The increased airflow leads to shorter drying times, which not only saves energy but also extends the lifespan of your clothes by reducing exposure to heat.

4. Reduced Wrinkles and Static: Wool dryer balls help to minimize wrinkles and static cling in your clothes. As they bounce around during the drying cycle, they naturally separate and fluff the fabrics, leaving your garments softer and less prone to static buildup.

5. Eco-Friendly Alternative: Switching to wool dryer balls aligns with an eco-friendly lifestyle. By opting for these natural alternatives, you avoid contributing to the single use plastic waster generated by disposable dryer sheets. This small change in your laundry routine can have a big positive impact on the environment.

6. Customizable Scent Options: If you enjoy the fresh scent dryer sheets provide, you can still achieve a similar effect with wool dryer balls,. Simply add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to the balls before each load, and your laundry will come out with a delightful natural fragrance.

As I was making them. Needle felting them before washing.

The process of making these dryer balls is actually fun and stress relieving. Also another way of using some of the wool roving I have and making them into a sustainable, and environmentally safe way for use. I have several in my laundry and love them and will be having some to sell in my shop soon on Etsy and my shop at nexusknits.com.

In Conclusion: Making the switch from dryer sheets to natural wool dryer balls is a simple yet impactful step towards a more sustainable laundry routine. These versatile and reusable wool balls offer a host of benefits, from faster drying times and reduced wrinkles to eco-friendly practices and chemical-free softening. By choosing to embrace natural wool dryer balls, you’ll not only take better care of your clothes but also contribute to a greener, cleaner planet. So, next time you do your laundry, give wool dryer balls a try and experience the wonders of this environmentally conscious and effective laundry care alternative. your clothes and the Earth will thank you!!

Embracing the Transition: Fiber Crafts for a seamless summer to fall shift

I know it is still summer and it is hot right now in much of the world it seems but in the world of fiber crafts and crafts in general you have to think ahead a few months as you make things so I am now thinking fall and making things to transition to fall. Whether you are a seasoned knitter, a crochet connoisseur, or a newcomer to the world of fiber crafts, transitioning from summer to fall provides a ideal opportunity to explore new techniques and create cozy pieces to keep you warm during the cooler months ahead. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the magic of transitioning seasons through fiber crafts, exploring creative ideas and inspiring projects that bridge the gap between summer and fall.

  1. Lightweight Accessories: As the temperature starts to drop, you can ease into the fall season by crafting lightweight accessories that provide a touch of warmth without being too heavy. Consider knitting or crocheting airy scarves, shawls, and wraps using soft cotton or silk yarns. These versatile pieces can complement your summer outfits while offering an extra layer of comfort on breezy autumn days.
  2. Harvest-inspired Color Palettes: Let the changing landscape of fall inspire your fiber crafting endeavors. Draw on the rich colors of autumn leaves, pumpkin patches, and harvest fruits to select a warm and inviting color palette for your projects, incorporate shades of rust, mustard, olive, and deep burgundy into your designs, infusing your creations with the essence of the season.

3. Transitioning Garments: Take advantage of the shift in seasons to work on garments that effortlessly transition from summer to fall. Light cardigans, ponchos, and sleeveless vests are perfect for layering over your favorite summer tops and dresses. Opt for breathable fibers such as bamboo or linen blends to ensure comfort as you embrace the subtle chill in the air.

4. Fall inspired Home Decor: I refer to the picture above as an example with drink coasters. Fiber crafts aren’t limited to wearables! Spruce up your living spaces with fall-themed home decor. Create crochet or knit pillow covers featuring autumn motifs like leaves, acorns or pumpkins. Or like these fall leaf coasters to decorate your table. A cozy handmade blanket with an autumn inspired color theme will not only add warmth to your home but also imbue it with the spirit of the season.

5. Preserving Summer Memories: As summer comes to an end, why not preserve its cherished memories through fiber arts? Gather your beach or vacation photos and incorporate them into a scrapbook-style quilt or a memory blanket. Each square can represent a special moment or a unique memory, making the transition from one season to another a heartwarming journey.

6. Prepping for winter: As you transition from summer to fall, it’s the ideal time to get a head start on crafting winter essentials. Begin working on heavier scarves, mittens, and hats using luxurious wool or alpaca yarns, bison, etc. These projects will your hands busy and ensure you’re ready to face the colder months with handmade warmth.

In Conclusion:

Embracing the transition from summer to fall through fiber crafts allows you to infuse your creations with the beauty and essence of each season. Whether you’re crafting lightweight accessories, incorporating harvest-inspired colors, designing transitioning garments, adorning your home with fall decor, preserving memories or prepping for winter fiber arts offer a boundless creative outlet. So, pick up your needles or hook, select your favorite yarns, and let the changing seasons be your muse as you dive into the captivating world of fiber crafts. Happy crafting!

The Therapeutic Magic of Fiber Crafts for Seniors

In this blog post, we explore the wonderful world of fiber crafts and their positive impact on the elderly. Engaging in various fiber crafts, such as knitting, crochet, weaving, and more, can offer numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits for seniors. Let’s delve into the therapeutic magic of fiber crafts and how they can enhance the lives of our beloved elderly community.

I recently visited my parents and my mom who used to crochet when I was younger had asked me to help her get back into crochet. Her oldest sister who is 96 now has been back into knitting the last few years making things like shawls, and now baby blankets. I have friends who all knit or crochet, etc and they have all said the same thing. The medical community also has said these activities are wonderful for so many reasons. As we get older and age takes it’s toll on things anything we can do to prolong that with crafts to help your fine motor skills and mental abilities as well as other things is a great start. Here are some of the benefits.

1. Mental Stimulation and Cognitive Benefits: Fiber crafts require focus and concentration, stimulating the brain and enhancing cognitive abilities in seniors. Learning new patterns, colors, and techniques can keep their minds sharp and agile, reducing the risk of cognitive decline.

2 Physical Dexterity and Motor Skills: The repetitive movements involved in fiber crafts help seniors maintain and improve their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination. This can be particularly beneficial for those with arthritis or other age-related conditions.

3. Stress Relief and Emotional Well-being: Crafting with fibers provides a calming and meditative experience, reducing stress and anxiety levels in seniors. It can serve as a creative outlet for expressing emotions, boosting their overall emotional well-being.

4. Social Connection and Community: Joining knitting circles, crochet groups, or weaving workshops to name a few, offer seniors the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals, fostering a sense of belonging and combating feelings of isolation or loneliness.

5. Purpose and Sense of Accomplishment: Completing a fiber craft project gives seniors a sense of achievement and purpose, boosting their self-esteem and confidence. It also allows them to create meaningful gifts for loved ones or contribute to charitable causes.

6. Intergenerational bonding: Fiber crafts provide a unique opportunity for intergenerational bonding. Seniors can pass down their knowledge and skills to younger family members, creating cherished memories and strengthening family ties. As well as integrating it’s you get folks in the groups.

7. Adaptive Techniques and Inclusivity: For seniors with physical limitations, there are adaptive techniques and tools available that enable them to participate in fiber crafts. This inclusivity ensures that everyone can experience the joy of creating with fibers.

In Conclusion: Fiber crafts are more than just hobbies. They hold the power to enrich all our lives whatever the age but for seniors in numerous ways. From improving cognitive function and physical dexterity to promoting emotional well-being and social connections, these crafts offer a holistic approach to healthy aging. So, let’s all embrace the therapeutic magic of the fiber crafts and encourage our elderly loved ones to explore their creativity and passion!

I am thrilled that my mother and my aunt have done so and I personally know how it has benefited me in so many ways. Do you have a loved one or a friend that does any of the fiber crafts? I’d love to hear how it has helped them.

Having lifelines for your fiber craft

As a knitter, crocheter you know that crafting is not just a hobby- it’s a way of life. From scarves to sweaters, blankets to hats, there’s always a new project to start and a new skill to master. However, like any activity, knitting and crochet can take a toll on your body. That’s why it’s important to know about lifelines.

Now, I can describe the actual term of what a lifeline is for those that craft and use them which is usually a thin piece of thread or yarn that is placed into your knitting or crochet project at regular intervals. They can be used to help you keep your place in your pattern, but their main purpose is to provide a safety net. But I also believe and it is true for me especially lately that lifelines come in other forms besides a physical tool to help with a project. With my struggle lately mentally my craft has become a lifeline for me in so many ways. It is a release from the tension in my house and the stress I may feel either from work or home life. But I also know that besides the craft itself being a lifeline, I find that my social group of friends that knit and crochet with me weekly for a couple hours a week for a knit and chat time are also a major lifeline for me. Again all of these aspects being a safety net of some sort.

Why are lifelines important

Lifelines are important for complex patterns, like lace work or when working with delicate fibers. It’s easy to get lost in a pattern or make a mistake, and undoing work can be time consuming and frustrating. With a lifeline in place, you can confidently tackle even the most complicated of patterns, knowing that if you make a mistake, you’ll be able to get back on track. Additionally, if you are working with a delicate fiber like mohair or silk, you may not be able to unravel your work without causing damage. A lifeline can help you avoid having to undo your work entirely, which can be a lifesaver. I would add here that by reaching for your knitting or crochet or whatever craft you do when in tough times and stress, you can find some sense of peace and calm. For me it has become a type of meditation for me as well. Now to be clear, that is picking a simple, easy project to do that does not take a lot of brain work to do. But the process of just knitting or a simple crochet project like washcloths or something easy like a blanket, are great things to meditate with. Just focusing on the process of function to help you forget what has caused your stress or frustration is good.

In conclusion, lifelines are an essential tool for any knitter or crocheter. They can help you save time, prevent frustration, and ensure that your projects turn out the way you want them to and help your sanity and peace of mind. They come in many shapes and sizes, be it friends that support you and help you in a pinch or a piece of thread you use to save your spot in a tough project. Or as a form of meditation. They are all lifesaving and I have come to rely on them more and more lately.

Finding joy in the little things

View out my living room this morning

I know it’s been a while since I’ve written here but it was a tough holiday season and end to the year. But I have a new goal for this new year of 2023 and things are slowly looking up. Part of it is personal goals for myself and part is for my business of nexusknits.

One personal goal is to take advantage of the little things that come into my life and find joy in that. Like this picture of the sun coming up in the early morning outside my living room windows. The bit of pink and blue together. The quiet before anyone else is up (other than the animals). It’s a beautiful start to a winter morning here in Bozeman Montana. It brings me a since of peace and calm. Another new experience I am working on this year is my mental health and my overall health. With starting meditations and learning more about myself and how I’m feeling about things that come up and realizing that every emotion or feeling I have is ok even if it’s not a good one. So my big personal goal for this new year is to take care of myself first and not overwhelm myself with things I can’t control. Even those that live in my own house. Part of finding the joy in little things is also in my craft. Be it knitting, crochet, spinning, or whatever I do. That in it of itself is a form of meditation as well for me. When I focus on the process rather than the end goal. I am also learning to manage my time for all the personal things and my business things so I can get things done more. More to come on the business side of things and some new products to show. Til next time, find the joy in all the little things that come into your life like the sunrise in the morning if you can.

Winter is here

Let me start by saying I know the calendar says it’s still fall but here in Montana it has been winter since the beginning of November. It is dec 3rd and there is snow outside and it’s currently 6 degrees F.

What does that mean to a lover of the fiber arts like knit and crochet? It means I get to play with warm fuzzy stuff longer. I’ve almost finished two sweaters, one in knit and one in crochet already.

Knit tee shirt style
Crochet pullover

As well as more hats and socks, etc. Now let’s be clear I am not a seasonal crafter. I don’t just knit and crochet in the colder months like some people do. I do this all year round. There are just some fibers that are easier to work with in different temperatures.

Do you craft just in the cold months or all year? I’d love to know. Not judging just curious. My crafts are not just a hobby for me. They are my lifeline and my business as well. If you like to knit or crochet what do you make when the weather gets cold. I’d love to hear. I am going to try to do better in the coming year to blog more. One of my things on my list to do. Until next time, happy crafting and whatever holiday you celebrate this month, please enjoy and have a safe and healthy end of the year.

As the seasons change

Hello, so does anyone else feel like we were cheated out of summer? In Montana we get a short summer anyway so this year it feels doubly so with all of June being so wet and cold a lot of it. Now Aug is over and September is here. Everywhere things are transitioning to fall items like pumpkins and fall colors. When you have a handmade business like mine you have to think a few months ahead anyway. As I look to the end of the year for 2022 and starting 2023 I am deciding that I need to make some changes in my business moving forward. I am going to be adding some new products to my shop in the coming weeks and months. Also I have been looking at the option of subscription plans and what that would look like for nexusknits. If I were to offer a subscription type option for people what would it be.

The obvious one people think of is offering a video class exclusively for subscribers. Well, that may be a option in the coming year as I look at what equipment I would need to successfully take that on. I have had people ask me about that. The option though I was looking to start with is a physical product. Since I am a small, one person run business I had to come up a product that I could offer that I knew I could put together in a relatively short period of time and offer multiples of. So I am going with my stitch markers. It will be a special, monthly, exclusive stitch marker set with probably some extra goodies thrown in. The theme will be something happening in each month, whether that is a holiday that falls then or a season, etc. If it is successful then I will look at other ideas for themes. You would have a choice of deciding to buy monthly, three months, or 6, or a year. What do you think? Obviously this is meant for people who knit or crochet. These also make a wonderful gift for that special person who does too. I’m still working on the details and will give more details as it comes available. But for now I would love some feedback. Would you go for something like this? Do you subscribe to anything?

Here are some examples of new products available. The bubble tea stitch markers are in the shop now. The baby hat and bootie set will be available soon. I am also stepping it up a bit and have gotten some custom labels made for my products so to look more professional, and up to date with my brand.

As I’ve said, my goal, mission with my business and craft is to make items that bring about some connection for people. Whether it is a accessory like hats, baby items, kitchen home items, and or the stitch markers and key chain items I offer. With that in mind I am also evaluating what hasn’t been selling and adding new, fresh things. The items that haven’t sold will be donated instead to my local charities that could use them for people in need as they are still very good things just not a interest for people to buy. Yet another way I can build connections. In conclusion, as the seasons change so is my business changing in a good way. Til next time, keep making connections and take care.

Summer morning in Montana

As I sit out here on my new deck on this nice summer day, I’m reflecting on why I called my business nexusknits. What makes me a nexusknitter . Since nexus in brief means connections, making connections I have looked at what I make and especially for my business and everything I make for my business and myself can be said to have connections in mind as I make them.

I knit and crochet all the items I make in my shop. Everything I have can be made to connect with people in some way whether it is for the home or for the family. I believe that connecting with people through a handmade item is a perfect way to show you care. It’s personal and original. Each one is unique.