How I taught myself to knit.

On my last knitting post Christina from C + C Marriage Factory asked how I started the process of teaching myself to knit.

So today I will review a few of the knitting books I purchase and used to learn.

The first book I bought was actually a kit, 'I taught Myself Knitting Beginners Kit' by Boye.


They had it on sale at Michael's. It came with every thing you need to get started. I read the book and tried to work my way threw the examples. I didn't get very far with it. There was something about it that just didn't draw me in. The illustrations clearly showed what I was supposed to do, and the written direction made sense, but my hands just wouldn't do what the book was telling me to do. But it was a good price for all the items needed to get started, and I wouldn't have thought to purchase them separate.

So I tried a different approach I have a few friends that knit, so I asked them to tell me what I was doing wrong. That's when I learned that every person knits different, That was crazy. They all hold there yarn different, they all pick up a stitch different, they all wrap there yarn different. I got even more confused. There is the English way to knit and the Continental way to knit, and everyone has an opinion as to which way is best. A friend finally told me, 'Do what feel best for you'.

The first thing I decided was that I was going to knit the English way, then I went and found knitting video's on YouTube. There are plenty of then on there. I tried to go find the one's I used in early 2008 but I couldn't. I did find those from theknitwitch to be better than some of the others there now. The video's a clear not shaky and you can clearly see what her hands and the yarn are doing.

I started to get the hang of the knitting at that point, but I didn't want to knit in front of the computer for ever. I forget things quickly, when I don't use it often. So I went on the hunt for another book. I sat in the middle of the isle in a book store and read all the How To knitting books there were.

Then I found it 'Stitch 'n Bitch The Knitter's Handbook' by Debbie Stoller.


I fell in love when I started reading, yes reading she actually talks to you. Tells you about the history of knitting, examples of knitting supplies, explains the yarns. Gives you life stories. Then I took a look at the step by step illustrations and they were clear, I could see the placement of the fingers in regards to the needles and yarn, and which way the yarn was going. I took it home and that book doesn't leave my knitting bag.

Plus she mentions the knitting software company Cochenille that I work for!!! I was excited, I knew she had purchased it, but at the time 'This famous knit designer called to place an order' I had no interest in knitting. I really missed out.

I didn't know I had a Secret to 31DBBB challenge

I'm having an anxiety attack it's 8:24 am and they haven"t posted the question for Day 27 in the SITS community on the Blog Frog.

Ladies (and a few Gents I believe) you see it has become an obsession, but truly I was just ready for it. There are things in life that come to us at the right time. This Blog challenge came to me at the right time.

Plus I haven't been up to date the whole time, I did get behind around Day 16 or so, and I was about 3 days behind and I didn't like it. I really really wanted to put everything I had into this challenge.

My Secrets:

1. I don't have kids - well I do but they are 26, 22 and 19, only the 19 year old is currently at home.

2. I don't cook and I don't clean. My husband is retired from the US Navy after being in for 22 plus years - he says something like "22 years, 4 months and 16 days" those aren't the numbers but you get what I mean. He cooks and cleans, and does a really good job at it.

3. I have to be up at 5 AM not matter what (I take care of my mom she has Devic's Disease and there are things she can't do for herself), so I moved in next door because she didn't want to go in a nursing home, and really she is well enough not to have to, My little sister and I take turns caring for her.

4. In order to stay awake I take my dog for at least a 2 mile walk every morning. That is a great way to wake up, and feel energized.

5. When the challenge started I told myself that I would walk straight to the computer after walking the dog! Period! That's usually about 6:30 AM.

6. I print out at least 2 or 3 days of the challenge and I set them on top of a folder, as I finish the task, I move those pages into the folder.



7. I read ahead at least 2 days, because the tasks are 15 minutes a day if you have prepared yourself for the task, either mentally (by knowing what you are going to do) or physically (by doing the research and homework for the task).

8. I write my Blog Post if it is required of the task, I don't blog for all tasks.

9. Then I post on Blog Frog, I go check out and comment on at least the post before me but I usually do 2 or 3 before me! I like that part I would love to do more, But I have limited time.

10. Then I twitter, oh I love the twitter, I spend all my time following those links everyone tweets. Again I would love to spend more time on this but I just don't have it. I did set myself a goal to do at least 2 or 3 people interactions before my time runs out.

Then I go to work - I work from 9:30 to 4. Then at 4 I go visit Mom again don't get back from there until 5:30 or so. My husband has dinner ready we eat. And then I either sew or knit or finish what ever craft is calling my name. I have way to many unfinished projects, That's why I'm adamant that this one is not going to be one of those unfinished projects.

And then in bed by 9:30 no matter what!

I'm 40 years old

I turned 40 years old yesterday. For about half the year my family kept asking me what I was going to do for my 40th Birthday.

I had wanted to go to DisneyWorld in Florida. I put that as a plan in the back of my mind and started saving, the savings didn't add up to much. Then my brother asked if we wanted to go to Hawai'i. My daughter had never gone (neither had I but it really wasn't on my To do list) and my husband had been to all the Hawaiian Islands except for the Big Island which is where my brother was suggesting we go. I agreed we went and had a wonderful time - there are plenty of blog post to prove it.

So after that trip I knew that there was no way we would be able to go to Florida for my Birthday, heck I still can't seem to recover from Hawaii.

I put my Birthday out of my mind, didn't make any plans or invite any one over. Then finally my sister said on Sunday we have to at least have cake!

Sure but I want Chocolate! We have never been able to buy chocolate cake for Birthday cakes because my mom doesn't like chocolate cake. They bought me a chocolate cake and then they made vanilla cupcakes.

It was great, all you need to mark a big occasion is family, friends (that come even if you invite them last minute) and chocolate cake.

We lit the candles 3 times one for me and then for keegan because he just has to blow out the candles and his tia lets him do anything he wants and then poor chris started crying so he got to blow them out also.





Then there is always someone trying to make you have cake on your face, I'm not a joker so none of the adults tried it. My nephew Adrain wasn't scared of me - he told me to smell the cake because it smelled funny, mind you he wouldn't smell it first, so I smelled it just for kicks but only because I knew the frosting was slick and wasn't going to make a mess out of my face! He got a real kick out of it. He has kind enough to take the candles off of it first, that kid is growing up way to fast!



Tell me what did you do for your 40th Birthday or what do you plan to do for your 40th Birthday??

Featured Blogger

As I go through the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Challenge with the SITS Girls on the Blog Frog community. I learn to apply things that are basic human knowledge and that apply to life that you wouldn't think to apply to a blog.

Day 22 is Pay Special attention to a Reader.

For everyday Darren Rowse explains the task and then he explains why it works. For this task there was a sentence that really made sense. "many bloggers who build great blogs actually go out of their way to make there readers more famous."

I love this - When ever life is going wrong for me and things just seem like they are falling down around me, I stop and think "who have I served today? yesterday? this week? this month? this year? If I can't think of more that just a couple of things It means I'm to wrapped up in myself. When I'm to wrapped up in myself then I'm not serving my purpose, I'm not serving my family, I'm not serving my neighborhood, I'm not serving my community. We are not here to be alone. (As big of a loner as I am and like to hide) It's just not the case, and we will be reminded of it!

As I started to reach out to other bloggers and visit and join other sites, to see if my blog was needed and if it was something that I needed to continue for a purpose (since my time was slowly diminishing with other responsibilities) There were more than a handful of wonderful people that reached back.

Today I would like to feature one of them. Maria from BubbleGumAndDuctTape. I love how her blog also has a wide variety of crafts, and small snippets into her life. She has shown some crafts that I would have never thought of! She has wonderful instructions for those items that she shows you how to do.

I also feel a kinship as she is just starting out but unlike me she started out by reaching out! What a wonderful example. If she is a small blogger and not afraid, then neither am I!

Go on over to her blog and see for yourself.

Digital versus Conventional Scrap-booking

About a year ago I decided to give Digital Scrap-booking a try. I thought to myself everything gets done much faster on a computer, Right? I came to realize that wasn't case, at least not for me it wasn't.

I do graphic design I have Adobe Photoshop CS2 - I've been working with Photoshop for about 10 years now. I would say that I'm quite proficient at it. So what is Digital Scrapbooking they are graphics and photos and you bring them together, Right?

Wrong there is an art to it, at it has a higher learning curve than I thought.

First of all when you buy Digital Layouts some come with one file and the layout is there! Just erase what you need and place the photo on a layer below it. Done, Yes, if you like the layout the way it is. To be honest I've never liked anything the way it is.

Then there are Digital Layouts that come with a folder and each image is it's own file - I thought Great this is for me. Again not what I thought. If they are all JPG then you have to clean around them.

There is nothing in the descriptions of Layouts that explain to you exactly what you are getting, I guess it's one of those If you are buying this then you must know what you are doing.

I did get the hang of it, and thanks to the SBE Newsletter I didn't have to invest money while doing it - each month the Newsletter comes with free layouts again some one page files and some folders, you never know what you are getting.

The one benefit of Digital Scrapbooking is space you save it all on your computer and if you want to print it and put it in your book you do and if you don't you don't. There are no additional stamps, pens, color pencils, paper packets and all kinds of other stuff to store.


I like Conventional Scrapbooking. I like it because the design process feels different. You are working with your hands (not just clicking with a finger). You can feel the paper, the detail of using the color markers, pencils or different color inks on a stamp. I have to admit I like going to the store and acquiring more 'Stuff'.

Learning to Knit Flash backs

I started this blog as a way of holding myself accountable to the task of learning how to knit!

Getting Started

I quickly realized that blogging as well as knitting needed time and dedication.

Knitting Woes

Then there is nothing like get sidetracked in the middle of learning a new craft with a different aspect of the same craft.

Going from hand knitting to Machine Knitting

And there were plenty of Woe's with that aspect of the craft as well.

Universe is against me

I felt like I was never going to learn to knit with all the things that happened in the beginning.

My trial in persistence.

But I was victorious.

I Knew Stubbornness was a positive trait.

I knit a garment.

Review Knitting goals.

I was so happy that I had learned enough to feel good about writing a tutorial.

How to knit a bag.

Time has eluded me this past year, but I am determined to get back to Crafting and Blogging!

Here's my sneeze page I think I caught something over at the SITS community on the Blog Frog!

Looking for a wedding gown!

Looking for a wedding dress can be overwhelming, and some personalities make it even worse on themselves.

The first thing anyone should do is pick one person to help you. Make sure it is a person that has similar taste as you, and is willing to be honest with you.

Start by looking through magazines:



Ripping out pages of things that catch your eye. Yes, I said things not dresses. It can be a theme, a style, a shape, the color, the waistline, the length anything that catches your eye. Make sure to write on the paper why you ripped it out because you will forget.

Then put it all together somewhere I like to make design boards for the brides that come to me for a dress:



If you are going to purchase a dress off the rack try to make something that you can carry with you when you go shopping. Visit as many dress shops as you can and try on as many dresses as you can. Take a camera with you just in case you come across something that you like (if it's a dress detail in a shop you will need to ask if you can take a picture), if they don't let you then pull out your small design book and start sketching if you don't sketch well give it a try anyways and write a detailed description.


If you are going to buy something from the internet, make really really sure that the company has good recommendation. Make sure that you can return the dress if you don't like it. If you are going to contract someone on the Internet to make you a custom dress again make really really sure that you get recommendation that you can contact. I've had two brides purchase a custom dress online and come to me and ask me if I can fix it because it didn't look like the picture they saw on the internet and it didn't fit at all.

If you are going to hire a seamstress to make you a dress, also make sure that they show you pictures of past work and they can give you a recommendation sheet of people you can contact. More than likely the process will go as follows:

First an initial consultation (some charge for this some don't) - if you made a design board bring it with you - they will love you for it! They might still make there own but at least you've done a lot of the leg work.

Then they will call you with an estimate (they might ask you to come see them for this), I do if I know the person is only asking me for an estimate - if they are seeking several estimates I ask them how they want me to deliver the estimate usually by email.

If you decide to hire the seamstress you then need to visit them for Measurements. Most Seamstress ask for half the money at this point. (Don't ever pay them in full until you have a dress on time!)

A short period later they will call you in to do a test fit (this might be the actual dress or a muslin). Most of the time I do a Muslin (a mock dress) just in case the neckline is to low or not the right curve, stuff like that then I can just cut into the fabric while they are wearing it and they can see how it will fit. If the dress is simple I some times jump right into the actual fabric.

A 2nd fitting of the actual dress if any changes were needed or the First fitting of the Actual dress.

Don't be scared to tell them any hesitations that you have! The sooner in the process you speak up the easier it is to change things.



This is my 'Solve a Problem' Post for my 31DBBB challenge I can't believe it took me 4 days to remember where my knowledge base lye! Man I have really lost my focus!

Learning to Sew

There are 5 Basic steps to learn to sew:

1. Learn your machine. The best way to do this is to read the manual that came with your machine. If you have purchased a used one you can do a search online and most major companies have PDF manuals on there websites. If you are very new to sewing it's going to feel like you are reading a foreign language, and guess what you are. Every craft or Trade has it's own jargon. Don't worry about it, just read it the first time from cover to cover, not intending on knowing it all. What will happen is that as you sew your projects you'll run into things you have to do (like sew a button hole) and you'll remember where you read it and it will make more sense when you go to use it. If there is something that really confuses you and you really want to know what it is, do a search. There are lots and lots of Free online resources that will give you the answer to anything!

Manual search results

Sewing Bias Tape search


2. Learn to read and buy a pattern. To a new sewer a commercial pattern is going to seem like Hieroglyphics and again that's because they are. A new language that you have to learn. This one is easy, because it has pictures. I believe the best way to start is with PDF patterns from self published people. Most self published patterns have more detailed directions and step by step illustrations. Unlike commercial patterns which you will soon learn never fit, Self published patterns have a higher 'good end result' because there reputation rest on your satisfaction.

Search result for Reading a Sewing pattern

search result for Buying a Sewing pattern

Etsy search result for Sewing patterns.

3. How to choose your Fabric. There are endless choices of fabrics, and not all fabrics are the best choice for you every project. Even though you really can use any fabric for any project, don't limit your creativity just because a book or a website told you that is not the fabric for that project. I've used Upholstery fabric for skirts. As you work with different fabrics you'll come to know each fabrics Pro's and Con's and only with time be able to visualize in your mind the outcome of a project sewn in a particular fabric.

Search results for choosing Fabric for Clothing

4. Learn to Cut your fabric and Pattern Pieces.. Now you are ready to cut! There is a right way and plenty of wrong ways to cut fabrics. Yet at first I would start with sewing pillowcases, Aprons, Bags, and other small projects where the cutting isn't going to make a difference. So that you have time to get comfortable with cutting fabric without it effecting your projects end result.

Search result for cutting fabric

5. Sew! Then you sew! You will want to practice sewing Straight lines, square corners and curves. (I had some handouts for this - I can't find will continue looking until I find them and post them here as PDF's.) This takes practice. Again Start with simple projects so that you don't get disappointed with your results.

Search Result for 'Sewing Corners'

31DBBB Day 1: Write an Elevator Pitch

When the wonderful Nirvana Mamma posted the questions of BlogFrog 'Does any one want to join me in doing the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog workbook'. I thought that could really help me find me focus. Since there is no focus in my life right now.

To be honest I didn't find a focus, but I did find a better way of wording a tag line and my About Me section so that people have a clue as to what they might be getting by visiting my blog.

My new Tag line: My all over the place life, as an all over the place crafter!

This tag line has some how given me focus, and the freedom to really express how all over the place I really am. I seemed to have been holding back, because I would think that things that I was doing didn't fit in - so I wouldn't post about them.

My new About me: I am Sonia Barton I taught my self to sew at the age of 11. I then picked up on other crafts such as quilting, cross-stitch, embroidery, stamping, scrap booking, beading (I'm sure I'm forgetting a few) And I taught my self how to knit by hand and machine a few years ago. I love doing and teaching all these crafts.

I work for www.cochenille.com it's a company that produces Software for textile artists. Garment Designer for creating Sewing, Knitting or Crochet patterns. Stitch Painter a grid paint program for Knitting, Crochet, needlepoint, weaving, cross-stitch and other gridded crafts.

I have a Degree in Fashion Design with this degree came lots of dreams, I worked with a couple of High End Designers in San Diego, I then started doing Custom Bridal and Formalwear, and I have currently moved into starting a PDF pattern line for Beginning sewer's. This is some of the all over the place stuff - that consumes my all over the place Life!