Here is an image of another VERY SIMPLE color work pattern I have been working on.

Color work is not difficult if you start out simple.

This green is Ginko Sock by Skein Yarn.

I first started color work with my stripes head wrap pattern. You can barely call that color work because I was changing colors in stripes. Anyway I have been working with a more complex pattern and it has been really fun. Here is a great knitting episode I found that explains how to do color work. I hope it helps any of you who are feeling ambitious enough to try color working. It may seen scary but in reality it is not that hard.

Managing Yarns for Color Work – video tutorial

I recommend with starting simple. Practice changing color of yarns to create stripes in your work and then start by switching one stitch to a different color every once an a while. The difficulty comes in reading color work charts and keeping the tension loose enough to make the pattern show and tight enough to not end up with uneven stitches.

Here is a great resource for learning how to read color work charts.

https://www.knittingobsession.com/tips/colorchart.htm

Once you master simple color work you can try something more complicated. The possibilities are endless! Here are some books that might be helpful. I am hoping to acquire several of them for my library.

Mastering Color Knitting

Fair Isle Basics & Beyond 

Colorwork Stitches

On an unrelated note I have been finding amazing things at flea markets and antique shops already! This was one thing I was really excited about with moving back into the city.

An old steam trunk. $30.00 I am going to use this as a coffee table in the coffee shop my parents own.

I also found this cool vintage box. Not quite sure what it was used for but the chipping paint and twine handles were calling to me.

Well this might just be my new “About Me” photo. As for those yarns? I don’t even know if I can label them all. Maybe after I move.

I did one shot of just the yarn…couldn’t help myself…all those beautiful colors!

Lately I have been thinking a lot about this question. What do you get the girl who makes everything? I have so many creative and artistic friends it is hard to find a gift that suits them since they make anything they want to. Artistic people are extra hard to buy gifts for. I thought I would share a few things that have been a hit when trying to find the perfect thing for the special creative someone. I would love hear any other ideas.

Vintage or beautiful jars that can be used for a variety of purposes…or even better a candle in a jar that can be used for many purposes. This jar used to have a mercury glass coating on the inside. It held a Volcano Candle from Anthropologie (in case you want to see what it looked like before). I took the coating off by accident but I LOVE it even more this way. If I figure out how to do it again I will post a DIY.

Buttons, though this one is probably the hardest for me to give because I am so obsessed with cool buttons. I collect vintage looking buttons and odds and ends. I have made little collections to give away. You can sew them to a scrap of fabric or cool paper if you want a fun way to display them as you give them.

This is an idea I just had. I made this yarn card for a friend. Because I knit I have lots of yarn scraps. Many of these are expensive yarns that most people wouldn’t buy. It is nice to have a few yards of different fibers to wrap gifts with, make pom poms, or any other number of creative things. I new my friend Allyson would love to have some fun extra yarn to create with.

Along the same lines hemp, string, bakers twine, and jute. Any of these things are great to include with a gift. I never have enough spools of natural fiber. If I don’t use them I decorate with them. I have given spools like this as gifts several times.

I hope this helps if you are on a search for a great gift for an artist friend. Some other ideas are fancy paper with prints or or blank, lace, and trimmings. Maybe even art supplies if there is something specific you know they like.