Today marks Yards of Happiness’s 4th anniversary! So for this new year I thought I’d finally do something I’ve been avoiding for a while. I made a video blog post! I just honestly didn’t feel like I had the time but I told myself no excuses this summer and finally sat down in front of my camera. You can subscribe to the YouTube channel so that you will know when posts go live (they’ll hit YouTube before they come here) or you can watch it here. I’m also listing links to everything covered in the video as well. But what I really want to know is what else do you want me to share in videos? Let me know in the comments.
Featured in this video:
- Mason-Dixon Knitting Writing
- PomPom Podcast Interview
- Durumi Tees
- Mrs. Brown Bags
- Peplum Top
- Premier Everyday Worsted Yarn
- Allison Cardigan
- Latest La Brioheme cardigan
- Soldotna Crop
- Six Point Tee
Happy anniversary and thank you so much for sticking with me and this blog.
Yards of Happiness 
Just watched your video blog, so happy to see it and hear you. I’m interested in how you pick colors, how you knit, how you pick such flattering patterns, how to customize, just for starters. I started knitting about 5 years ago and LOVE it. I enjoy your blog and enthusiasm for knitting!
Love everything you do! You are fearless in knitting! How to you become a fearless knitter?
Dana, what a happy surprise this morning when I sat down with my coffee to read some of the blogs I follow! Keep up the great and inspiring work, lady!
I was excited to hear your voice! An Q &A session would be fun…my first question is how do you wash all the cotton sweaters you knit? I don’t use cotton because of the reshaping required when you lay it flat to dry. I live in Arizona and would like to use it. I’d like to see you know to get an idea of your speed and technique. How many hours a day do you knit? I really enjoy your blog. Bobbie
Dana, Iam almost a pro lurker..don,t have a website. Take total freedom to create a video, I will watchand learn and a great big thankyou!!
So fun to see you and hear your voice. I work as a substitute school nurse so I have the summer off too. It’s good to have a break. I have enjoyed seeing what you create with cotton yarn. I haven’t made any cotton sweaters yet, however you are really inspiring me to give it a try. I enjoy seeing all your pattern choices. Also, I look forward to getting a peak at your dogs next video 😂. However, if they are like my dog Dori they may not always cooperate with getting videotaped.
Hi Dana! So excited to see and hear you! I’d love to hear more about the topics that others brought up. I’d also love to hear your thinking about choosing yarns for particular patterns. For instance, I just made my first six point tee (Thanks for the inspo!) but was disappointed that the yarn it was written for was discontinued. The first time I work a pattern I like to use the suggested yarn so that I can experience the designer’s intentions before customizing. I had a heck of a time picking out the yarn for my six point because chunky cottons are rare! Do you have constant go-to yarns that you’ll use? Or is getting gauge enough? Thanks for the joy you bring to the yarn world!!
What an amazing surprise! Listening to your voice for the first time and watching you talk about knitting. Keep up to good work, Dana! I could suggest talking about finishings: sewing, joining a new ball of yarn, picking up stitches, how to prepare the pieces for sewing (first and last stitches, for.ex.), etc. if you think they may be good subjects. Thank you for your inspiration!!!
I just discovered you a few weeks ago and has been a joy to appreciate your work. I’m really looking forward to more. You have a lot going on so you should know that it’s really appreciated the work you were doing and putting out for there for us to enjoy and share.
So excited to see your first You Tube video Dana & Happy 4th Anniversary!! I’d luv to see your woofies🐶in a video ;)) Also to see you knitting as you finish things so fast! A Q&A would be a great idea, too
Good morning, Dana!
What a lovely surprise this video is! I’m so happy to hear your beautiful voice as well as see your great smile! With all you do in your life, I’m amazed that you can knit SO MUCH!
I’d love to be able to see you knitting, to know something of how you schedule knitting into your day, to have you discuss how to determine features you really want in a garment, and how you put finishing touches on your work. Good stuff like that! And having knit two doggie sweaters, I’m up for more ideas on that front as well.
You are my fearless, joyous, talented knitting guru—brava, my dear!
Wanted to let you know that I did it. I got some cotton blend yarn from Berroco. It’s called remix light
Yarn Fiber Info:
30% Nylon, 27% Cotton, 24% Acrylic, 10% Silk, 9% Linen.
Have you used this one?
The other yarn is Uluru (a cotton blend)
I’m going to make a sweater called Elton by Joji.
Thanks for all the sharing you’ve done that helped get me going on the cotton trail 😃
What a treat to see you on video this morning, a great inaugural post! Congratulations on your 4th anniversary. I hope there will be many more. My curiosity centers on how you organize your stash (weight? color?), so you can dip in and find the perfect contribution to a project. Also, I’m not very confident about using different yarns in a project and love that you do just that, so would welcome a little empowering on how to approach it all. And last but not least, I join the chorus who would welcome seeing you knit. That would be so fun. Thanks for all you do to inspire us!
Such a happy surprise this morning to wake up to a video from one of my favorite bloggers. Sitting here with my morning coffee and my fur babies by my side and enjoying your video. You are such an inspiration. I love seeing your projects and all the color. Such joie de vivre! I am happy to watch anything you want to share … also dogs. 😍
Also I have had the six point tee in my queue for quite awhile and seeing in on you has made me move it right up to the top of my summer knit list.
I found you when you featured on Ravelry and you have inspired my current sweater phase. I just finished the six point tee. It is currently being blocked but turned out so cute! I just bought the yarn for the Soldotna top at Stitches in Atlanta this weekend. Would love a knit a long!
Hi Dana–I loved your video! I soooo look forward to your positive blog entries and now a blog video entry! Woo Hoo!
I would love to see you demonstrate how you’re able to knit so quickly and maybe…we can meet Jellybean and Cher?
Thanks again!
Hi, Dana! Loved hearing your beautiful voice and seeing the latest in your workshop. I’m with the others who love learning about how you match colors to patterns and then following wips to completion. I appreciate that your stash runs the gamut from budget yarns to specialty skeins. Your assessment of how the different yarns and fibers knit up and wear has been really helpful to me. And who doesn’t looove a sweet puppy picture?! Happy anniversary… And wishing you many more!
I want to know how you knit so fast! 🙂 English or Continental?
Also measuring and approximating for dog sweaters, esp the mini me kind.
Thank you for sharing yourself on this tough day. Looking forward to more. Take care!
I loved the video. I am interested more in learning how you pick knits that you like when you actually wear them. I’m having trouble finding things that I feel like knitting for myself, and I need to do more “selfish knitting” because pretty much everything that I make gets given to other people. I also like hearing you talk about your WIPs and have a bit of a dialogue about them.
Dana, I just have to tell you….your like a deep breath of fresh air. As my grandmother said about her favorite people.. Your students are so blessed being in your class. Thanks for your blog! I look forward to it every time. It’s so awesome you mix it up… JoAnn’s yarn to high end yarn. Love how you mix your stash with new yarns. Totally love the colors you showed today. That purple and orange. That will be amazing! I’d love seeing more about color. But seriously I love your approach to life.
Thanks, Nancy King
Sent from my iPad
>
I loved your video. I would love to see it all. I am interested in your color picks. How you decide to mix combinations, what catches your eye. I love your projects and am curious to know what do you look for in a pattern. You are so AWESOME 😄
I love to see the sweaters you love and to see you try them on. If you made any modifications for fit, I’d like t hear how’s you do this. Happy blog anniversary!
I recently started following your blog, although I’ve been following you on Instagram for a while. I loved the video blog but had to laugh as I knew that you had just finished a semester and thought,”this is how she relaxes during the summer (?)” Carry on!
Also, so sorry to read about Cher. Losing a beloved family member is so hard. It’s so cool that she had that last road trip.
I found you via Mason Dixon knitting and excited to follow such a colorful knitter! Love to see how you knit fast as you have described yourself. I’m a quilter and knitter thus I’m always torn between the two but knitting has always intrigued me. You suggested a lot of topics to YouTube about and I love all your ideas for video blogging. I’m so happy to connect with you through YouTube and your blog! Happy knitting and pats on their heads for your puppies too! Oh yeah, you are blessed with a supporting mate as well! Lucky you!!
Thanks for the great video blog, DWJ! I’m a new follower looking forward to reading past and future issues. I enjoy seeing your sweaters and your pups! And looking forward to seeing your crop sweater when it’s complete – I can’t wait to see the colors working together.
Dana, I really enjoyed your video! I’ve loved the blog and it’s just great to see you and hear you in real-time more or less. And what a pro in front of the camera. My partner works in marketing and she taught me how hard it is to sit still and not fidget when in front of the camera. You have great presence.
I really appreciated you talking about knitting with acrylic, the price of yarn, buying yarn at JoAnn’s. A lot of the chatter about knitting seems to take using high-end yarns for granted—and believe me I’ve bought my share—but it excludes many knitters I know.
I would love to see you model the sweaters you’ve knitted since there is such variety. I came to your blog late so mostly what I’ve seen recently has been bulky but I’m curious to see sweaters in different weights and different styles. They always look terrific on you, and I wonder if you do any fitting adjustments and how you figure those out.
Dana,
Great video blog! I loved hearing your voice and seeing your creative space at home.
I am an educator now in my third act. I taught elementary school for 10 years ( and took off 4 years to have our children), served as a head of private schools for 21 years and am now teaching Third Grade in a charter school in Florida. All along, I have knit and crocheted sweaters, hats, shawls, blankets and little animals. Working with yarn is my craft passion.
I would love to see you model some of your favorite sweaters. Honestly, the number of sweaters you create in a year is astounding.
I look forward to seeing more of your video blogs1
Best,
Judy Miller
tedmom on Rav