So ckonfused

I've been feeling really dumb as I try to figure out how to make the toe-up sock heel. I had started with this video reccomended by Wiksten but I just couldn't make it work.  Then I tried this tutorial and that was a disaster - I ended up with double the stitches I should have! Then I realized I could use the short-row yarn-over method that I learned in Craftsy. And then I went back to the initial video. I took tons of notes (yes - I have started a knitting notebook).

I have done all this in tiny socks for Antea. The left sock heel in the picture was done using the no-wrap method and the right sock heel using the Carol Feller method.

Sampler update

 Update on the the sampler I started, follwoing Karen Barbé's class in Chile.

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.