Know your craftsy

I've just discovered Craftsy. I'm starting with a bunch of free classes and I am really learning a lot.

I am now taking the Know Your Wool class. This made me realize the importance of keeping a knitting journal and do proper swatches when buying yarn - not just for the gauge but also to practice stitches. And if the swatches are consistent in size they will not only be a useful tool, they will be beautiful in themselves.
The class also made me realize the importance of buying good quality yarn. Often I have bought yarn just because it was cheap but in the end whatever I do with it ends up looking cheap as well. So it takes me back to what I learned from reading Elizabeth Cline's "Overdressed" - I don't buy or eat cheap food just because it's cheap. Why would I do that with anything else if it will also feed a "cheap industry" of any kind that will harm everything in the long run? Plus, knitting with good quality yarn is so much more fun and pleasurable.

I am also taking the Short Rows class. That was a lot of fun and I know I am going to use that technique a lot. The method I most like is the Japanese method.