I’ve been writing handouts since I began teaching. As a student, I prefer to have the instructor’s highlights of class material to help me remember the material. When having an “ah HA!” moment, your brain excitedly spinning as a puzzle piece falls into place or a connection is formed, it is too easy to miss the NEXT thing the instructor says. Handouts help. With your own notes scribbled all over them, of course.
Writing instructional articles was a natural extension to writing handouts. Below you see the first paragraph or so of articles written to date. Most, if not all, were accompanied by “skill booster” projects. Writing articles for magazines led to my 2016 gig as Creative Knitting magazine update editor. I put together a tutorial for every update, mixed in the latest news from the magazine and Annie’s Craft Store, and added my own twist to wrap it up. It was a wonderful year of writing for online publication.
Need someone to help you with your online content? Email newsletter? Marketing copy? Get in touch!
All photos by Beth Whiteside unless otherwise credited.
Article: Sustainable Stitches
“Being an educated consumer is tough. Being an educated green consumer is even tougher. In the past 10 years or so, the USDA has developed…
Article: The Beauty of Long Stitches
“The width and height of our stitches are determined largely by the size of the needles we use. But there are some neat tricks that…
Article: What a Delicious Recipe: The Hand-Knitting Pattern
“Patterns are our recipes, supplying our knitting list of ingredients and instructions on what to do with them. Like recipes, patterns assume a certain amount…
Continue reading → Article: What a Delicious Recipe: The Hand-Knitting Pattern
Article: Make Like Weavers Do: Leno!
“Life is busy. Sometimes, we just want plain knitting but we don’t necessarily want a plain sweater! There are many ways to gussy up our…
Article: Upcycle That Old Sweater
“Add swagger to any project or sweater—handmade or store-bought, firsthand or secondhand—with surface embellishments using that single skein in your stash, notions from your sewing…
Tutorial: Knots in Your Knits
“Knots have been holding things together at least as long as knitting, and the I-cord projects in this issue bring them together. Like knitting, knotting…
Article: Check the Map!
“The squares of traditional knitting charts provide a graphic representation of knitting instructions. For many stitch patterns, charts resemble the fabric produced when following said…
Tutorial: Joined With a Twist
“Some years ago I came across a scarf with vertical stripes of color created using separate balls of yarn joined with intarsia techniques. I wanted…
Article: I-Cord Basics & Beyond
“The humble tube of knitting first christened Idiot’s Delight and later shortened to I-cord by Elizabeth Zimmerman has a multitude of uses. As an edging,…
Article: Practical Pleats, Wondrous Welts
“Go from ordinary to extraordinary and learn how to create pleats and welts. This tutorial will guide you through theses easy techniques, allowing you to…
Continue reading → Article: Practical Pleats, Wondrous Welts
Article: Building a Log Cabin
“Traditional quilts were made with odds and ends of fabric that were cut and pieced together. One of the best-known block designs is the Log…
Article: Going In Circles From The Inside Out
“Most knitters learn early on how to work in the round from the outside in—that first hat project teaches us how to decrease and use…
Continue reading → Article: Going In Circles From The Inside Out
Article: Weaving It All Together
“Basket weave, herringbone, slip and wrap stitches, stranded color work turned wrong side out—many knitting techniques allow us to imitate the look of loom-woven fabrics.…
Article: Learn the Basics of Lace and Openwork
“The mechanics of lace involve only a few moves—master those and you are on your way!” Accompanying Project: Lacy Tank and Skirt Article in Creative…
Continue reading → Article: Learn the Basics of Lace and Openwork
Article: A Small Circumference Alternative
“Baby hats, gloves, sleeves, socks—they’re all too small to knit in the round with the standard 16-inch circular needle. Traditionally these items have been worked…
Continue reading → Article: A Small Circumference Alternative
Article: Classic and Cable Cast Ons
“This issue’s Skill Booster continues our conversation about cast ons. We’re going to discuss two more basic cast ons, the “long tail” and cable cast…
Article: Cast On Options—Knitted-On and Picots
“Casting on creates the foundation stitches of our knitting. Most knitters cast on in the same way they were taught when they learned to knit.…
Continue reading → Article: Cast On Options—Knitted-On and Picots
Article: Making Sense of Yarn Overs
“Ever find yourself with one stitch more than expected? Chances are you’ve accidentally executed a yarn over, one of the most common mistakes beginners make.…
Article: Get the Lowdown on Short Rows
“Short rows let us create sock heels that fit our heels, work shoulders without the ugly stepped bind offs, and put darts right where we…
Article: Tripping the Chevron Fantastic
“By strategically placing increases and decreases you can make interesting chevron patterns! Bias or diagonal fabrics can be created by adding a stitch at one…
Article: Double Decreases: From 3 to 1
“Double decreases are the means by which we turn three stitches into one. Like double increases, double decreases enable us to knit beyond the basics,…
Article: Double Increases: And Then There Were Three
“Increases add stitches to our work and decreases take them away. They enable us to knit beyond rectangles, and to fashion sweaters and socks, hats…
Continue reading → Article: Double Increases: And Then There Were Three
Article: Show Your Bias!
“As knitters we seem predisposed to knit scarves and shawls and garments widthwise, in horizontal rows. The knitting mimics the structure of woven cloth, with…