Today I stopped in at Carol's Needleworks, in Bridgeville Pa. A bit out of my way, but I have been wanting to check it out for a while now. It is a small store, but has a nice selection of yarn, notions and patterns. The store is neat and organized. I also had the pleasure of being waited on by Carol herself. Carol is absolutely lovely! Probably one of the nicest people I have ever met. I was greeted by her as soon as I walked in, which is not something you always get upon entering a store these days. Whenever I go to a yarn store, I always ask if they carry any Lorna's Laces; I've been lusting over Helen's Lace for quite some time, but really didn't want to shell out the bucks before fondling it to make sure I felt it was worth the money. (For the record, no store I have been in has ever had Helen's Lace, and Carol was the only one who ever offered to order some for me.) Carol does not carry any Lorna's, but when I told her what I was interested in, she pulled out a color/sample card which had a few strands. Honestly, it wasn't quite as nice as it looks in the pictures on Jimmy Beans.... sorry. I was glad I hadn't decided to buy any! She also suggested a similar yarn by Abstract Fiber called Hepburn, which is 1,000 yards of exquisite merino and silk (80 and 20%, respectively). The color.... Tequila Sunrise. How could I resist? I had to get it. I also fell in love with Audrey from Schaefer Yarn. The color I chose is called The Brontes, after the Bronte sisters of course. Audrey is a scrumptious blend of 50% merino, 50% cultivated silk. I cannot wait to get this stuff on my needles!! And, to satisfy my chunky yarn cravings I have been having, I picked up a nice hank of Elaine, also from Schaefer. Elaine is 99% merino, 1% nylon. I am not sure what the color is called, that tag must have fallen off. I don't care what it's name is -- it is fabulous!
If you are in the area, I do highly recommend stopping in at Carol's Needleworks. She definitely knows her stuff, is extremely nice and eager to please all of her customers. Excellent customer service! Below are some pictures of the shop, the yarn I got, and one of Carol herself. She let me take the picture since she was having a good hair day! Again, very nice lady and I can't wait to see her again!
I have long loved adding beads to my knitting. I have two small beaded bags that I use for going out, just for money, phone, etc. when I don't want to carry a larger bag; I also have a couple of scarves with beads.
If you have never tried knitting with beads, I hope this will encourage you to do so! It isn't as hard as you may think.
Beads come in many sizes, shapes, colors, and are made from different types of materials. You can find them in craft stores such as Joannes and Michaels; your local yarn store may even carry beads. There are also plenty of places online to find beads.
One thing to consider when choosing your beads, is whether or not they will fit onto the yarn you want to use. If you are in love with a particular bead, but your yarn is too thick to fit through the hole, you can use a thinner yarn to put the beads on, and knit with both strands. Choose a complimentary color, or a contrasting color - the choice is yours. If you only want a few beads here and there, sewing them on afterward is also an option. Something else you may want to consider is how much weight the beads will add to your finished item. Using lots of big, glass beads for example may make your scarf uncomfortable to wear.
There are probably as many ways to add beads to your knitting as there are knitters. The most common is stringing the beads onto your yarn before you begin knitting, or adding the beads one at a time as you go along with a crochet hook. The second method is the one I prefer. My problems with stringing the beads on beforehand are: A) If the yarn is a fine, thin yarn the weight of the beads may break the yarn B) The moving of beads up and down the yarn can cause a bit of fuzziness or pills on the yarn. If you are using a fine, delicate yarn and prefer to pre-string your beads, just do a few at a time. When you run out of beads, break the yarn, add more beads, and continue. This will also leave you with extra ends to weave in, which can be a pain.
As I said, I prefer adding the beads one at a time with a crochet hook. This method is the fastest and easiest for me, and the beads appear equally well on both sides of the fabric. There is no worry that a bead may be stubborn and want to show itself on the wrong side of your fabric! To add beads this way, you will need a crochet hook that is small enough to fit through the hole in your bead. I use a US Size 11 hook, which is teeny tiny. Since it is so small, it tends to snag on thicker yarns sometimes as you pull the yarn through the bead. If that happens, all you have to do is pull the rest of the plies through the bead, and it will be fine once the stitch is back on the needle and you have knit it.
If you are new to knitting, you may be wondering how to knit a scarf. Scarves are good beginner projects, because you generally don't need to worry about gauge - something which often confuses newbies. Scarves can be knit as long as you want, as wide as you want, as skinny as you want. You can use any yarn you like, any needle size, and any stitch pattern. It can be simple, such as garter stitch, or something more complicated like lace.
Even though a scarf is a simple project, all of the options can be overwhelming. If you aren't ready to go it alone, there are more scarf patterns available on the web than you can shake a knitting needle at. If you would like to design your own, here are a few steps to get you started.
Find a stitch pattern you like. There are many web sites with stitch patterns if you don't own any stitch pattern books. The Weekly Stitch has a new stitch pattern posted each week, most with a video demonstration of the stitch.
Choose your yarn and needles. If you aren't sure of which needle to use for you yarn, check the ball band and start with the recommend size. While you don't have to swatch first, you certainly can if you like; you can decide from there if you like how the fabric looks, and if you'd like to make a denser fabric then try a needle size smaller than the one recommended. If you'd like something looser and airy, shoot for a larger needle size. Also, a swatch can tell you how wide your scarf will be. Myself, I just guesstimate and don't worry about it. Obviously, what type of yarn and needle size you use will affect the width. Finer yarn will require more stitches, and heavier weight yarn will require less.
Once you have your yarn, needles and stitch pattern you are ready to cast on.
Begin knitting your scarf; keep going until it is as long as you want it to be. Now you can cast off, or bind off. Use any bind off you like. The standard knit bind off will do fine, but of course there are many different bind offs. If you like to purl, you can try the standard purl bind off, or if you crochet perhaps the single crochet bind off will feel most comfortable for you.
If you have knit your scarf with wool or another animal fiber, you may want to block it before wearing it. Blocking is not required, but can open up your stitches and give the scarf a more finished look. You can always add fringe to your scarf if you like! Now you are ready to wear your new scarf!
Scarves are a good way to use up left over yarns; you can use several strands at once, or just knit with one until you run out and then begin with another. The scarf above was knit with four strands of yarn on large needles. I wanted to use up some scrap yarn, as well as get it done fast.
The holiday season starts with Thanksgiving - and turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing, and more turkey just when you think you can't possibly eat one more bite. And then the pumpkin pie!
Before you eat yourself into a tryptophan coma, here are a few cute Thanksgiving/Fall themed patterns for you to knit up.
Sunday Afternoon Dish Cloth - Get the pattern below!
Experienced knitters may not think much about how to do a simple project, like a dish or wash cloth. New knitters, however, probably don't know where to start. I know I didn't. So, if you are a new knitter, here is a tutorial for you. If you aren't a new knitter, then here is a quick and easy project if you need a little instant gratification.
There are really no rules for knitting a dish or wash cloth - you can use whatever stitch pattern you like, any size needles, make it big or small, it's all up to you. You don't even need to make a gauge swatch or block the finished cloth. I like to make dish cloths to get familiar with new stitch patterns, or just make it up as I go.
There are many yarns to choose from: Lily Sugar and Cream, Lion Brand Cotton Ease, Bernat Cotton Tots, Lion Brand Baby's First, Patons Grace to name a few. If you are just going to be using your cloth to do dishes, I recommend using a cheaper cotton such as the Sugar and Cream. You can use the same for a wash cloth, of course, but if you'd like to pamper yourself then use perhaps the Patons Grace or another nicer cotton yarn.
I usually use the needle size called for on the ball band; if you would like a denser, tighter fabric then try a smaller needle, and a larger needle if you'd like a less dense fabric. Of course, you can always do a small swatch in the yarn you like with different needle sizes to see what results each gives you.
Now, pick a stitch pattern. There are many to be found on the web, or if you happen to have stitch pattern books, grab a cup of tea ( or something stronger ), sit back, and spend time looking through them. Maybe there is a stitch you like but have been afraid to try - now is the perfect time to give it a whirl! Since cloths are so small, there won't be much wasted time if you end up not liking it and can easily frog it and try something else.
Once you have your stitch pattern, you are ready to cast on. Use any cast on you like. I like to add borders on my cloths - you do not need one, but if you are going to do a stocking stitch fabric, a border will keep the edges from curling. I usually like to knit the first 2-4 rows in seed stitch, and then keep a 4 stitch border on each side in seed stitch. A simple garter stitch border will also do nicely. Depending on which yarn and needle size you choose, the number of stitches cast on will vary. In the Sugar and Cream yarn, 40-45 stitches gives me a large sized cloth; 30-35 makes a cloth that is a bit smaller and is just a tad bigger than my hand and feels most comfortable to me. I cast on depending on what mood I am in that day.
When the cloth is as long as you want it to be, bind off. If you have added a border, knit as many rows on the top as you did along the bottom edge and then bind off. You can use any bind off you like, and then weave in the ends. You can also make a loop to hang the cloth if you wish. Just cut an extra long tail, about 6 inches or so (better to have too much than not enough), and then single crochet to the end of the tail and attach it to the corner of the cloth.
I made the cloth in the picture in about an hour, on a Sunday afternoon, so that is the name I chose for it. This is a smallish cloth - I find it easier to do dishes with something that is relatively the same size as my hand, as opposed to having a lot of extra cloth flopping around. You can view and download a PDF the pattern for the cloth I make in the video here:
Double Shot of Caffeine Mug Rug (Instructions below)
Twice Knit Knitting is a type of Double Knitting. I just recently came across this technique; it is briefly mentioned in The Reader's Digest Knitter's Handbook. I was immediately intrigued, and an amazon search turned up Twice-knit knitting, by Lee Gilchrist. This is not a new book, however apparently not a technique that is widely used these days. I only found one or two blog references in my search for information.
I love it! Below are just the very basics of Twice Knit Knitting. There is a special cast on and bind off used for this technique. I recommend ordering the book if you would like to learn a bit more about Twice Knit Knitting. The book, as I said, is not new; the cast on and bind off are explained, along with the types of stitches created and there are a number of patterns. Some of the pictures gave me a good chuckle :0)
In Twice Knit Knitting, you are working each stitch twice. You might think this uses more yarn and time, but it does not. The act of working each stitch twice interlocks the stitches so that they actually do not unravel! You can use bigger needles and finer yarn for quick knits; the smaller the needle, the more dense your fabric will be. A very dense fabric is great for pot holders or hot pads, garments should be knit with larger needles so the fabric will have some drape to it. As with any knitting, swatching is the best way to find out if you like the way the fabric looks and feels using a particular yarn and needle size.
Double Knit On:
This is your cast on - you need two stitches to start
The book instructs you to begin with a slip knot, then using the knitted cast on method, cast on one more stitch. I do not like slip knots - so I cast on two stitches using the long tail method.
Then, to cast on additional stitches, you are going to do a 'modified' knitted cast on. Always work with the first two stitches on the left needle.
Begin with two stitches
Knit into both stitches to make the 3rd stitch
The third stitch before placing it on the left needle
To make the 4th stitch, you will again knit into the first two stitches on the left needle
Always work with the first two stitches on the left needle to make the next stitch
Double Front Knit:
To work a row of knit stitches, as with the cast on, you will always be working with the first two stitches on the left needle. The big thing to remember now is that you do NOT want to drop both stitches from your left needle - you will only be dropping the first stitch. Leave your second stitch on the left needle so you can work it again with the third stitch. Remember, in Twice Knit Knitting, each stitch is worked twice!
The first double knit front stitch has been made. The new stitch is on the right needle; you can see the loop of yarn between the needles - that is the first stitch from the left needle. The second stitch remains on the left needle.
In this picture, you can see I have worked the first two stitches on the left needle and created a second stitch on the right needle. The first stitch has not yet been dropped from the left needle.
I have now dropped the first stitch from the left needle - it is the loop of yarn between the needles
Continue working the next two stitches on the left needle, dropping only the first stitch each time until you come to the end of the row.
When you come to the last two stitches, work them together as normal, dropping the first stitch, and then simply knit the last stitch by itself.
Double Purl:
To work a row of purl stitches, you again will be purling the first two stitches on the left needle together, dropping only the first stitch from the left needle.
Making the Double Purl stitch
The newly made stitch on the right needle, before the first stitch has been dropped from the left needle
Now the first stitch has been dropped from the left needle, and I am ready to now make the second double purl stitch
Binding Off for Twice Knit Knitting:
This works much the way a standard knitted bind off works, with the exception that you will always have 3 stitches on the right needle, and will be lifting the first stitch over 2, instead of 1. So, work three stitches (the bind off stitches are worked like double front knit stitches - knit the first two stitches from the left needle, drop the first stitch only, etc.), and then begin to bind off:
With three stitches on the right needle, I am ready to bind off my first stitch
Pick up the first stitch, pass it over the second and third stitches
The first stitch has now been passed over the second and third. Work another stitch from the left needle, then pass the first stitch on the right needle over the second and third. Continue binding off in this manner until you reach the last three stitches.
This picture shows the last three stitches to be bound off. Pass the first stitch over the second and third as normal
You will be left with only two stitches to bind off. Simply pass the first stitch over the second, leaving you with one stitch on the right needle
Treat the last stitch as you would any final bind off stitch. Cut the yarn, pull it through, and weave in your ends.
And there you have a tutorial on Twice Knit Knitting! I do recommend purchasing the book; you will learn to do the Double Back Knit Stitch, along with the stitches created with this technique: Silhouette Stitch, Herringbone Stitch, Braid Stitch, and Graphic Stitch. Apparently you don't even need to bind off if you don't want to, because the stitches won't unravel. Also, you are supposed to be able to cut your finished piece as you would a regular piece of fabric. I have not yet figured out how to do this, and don't see detailed instructions in the book. I tested the cutting of fabric on a small piece, only to have it unravel! So, while there is obviously a particular way this has to be done, I am not aware of it at this point.
If you would like to make yourself the Double Shot of Caffeine Mug Rug, here is the "pattern":
You will need either Sugar and Cream or Peaches and Creme Cotton yarn and US size 10.5 needles
Cast on 28 stitches
Work 4 Rows of Double Front Knit Stitches
Then work alternating rows of Double Front Knit and Double Purl for desired length (mine is 3.5 inches)
Next, work 4 more Rows of Double Front Knit Stitches
Bind off. For the fringe, cut 4 inch pieces of yarn. I used two strands in each of my cast on and bind off stitches, but you can use more strands and/or space them out along the edges to suit your taste. Trim if you like, or leave the fringe wild and crazy!
Also, here is a video demonstrating the Double Knit On, Double Front Knit, Double Purl, and binding off. Enjoy!!
-by Sharon Turner **Just a note on this one. I flipped through this in the store a week or so ago, and was excited when I first saw it because I love stitch pattern books. My excitement waned as I saw the stitches though. I didn't see any "new" stitches; practically all of them I have seen in my other books. I have all of the Harmony Guides, the first two Walker Treasuries, Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns, Essential Stitch Collection, among others (you can check them out in myLibrarything in the left sidebar). If you have several stitch pattern books, I would pass on this one. You probably already have these stitches in there, or they can be found online. If you only own one or two stitch books, or none at all, then you might enjoy this one.
I can't believe I forgot to post about this this year! I was in Michaels this morning, and saw the Bernat set up with their pink yarn and patterns, and it reminded me.
Go to the Bernat website for their patterns and yarns for breast cancer awareness knitting. Lots of nice stuff.
Here are a few more links with patterns:
Classic Elite Yarns -- this is for 2010, it doesn't look like they did anything for 2011 that I could find
Hi knitters! Here is info on what I talked about in this episode. You can find links to all of the magazines I show in the 'Magazines' tab at the top of the blog.
THE MAGAZINES:
I did not have Knit Simple or Knit n Style on hand, but those issues are also currently available right now.
The Knitter
Knitting Magazine
Simply Knitting
Knitter's Magazine
Filati Handknitting
Verena
Cozy Winter Knits - Special issue from Knitting Today!
Love of Knitting - Special holiday issue
Knitting Traditions - from Interweave Knit.Wear - Also from Interweave
Hi all! I am in the process of adding fringe to a little project I've been working on, and thought I'd share how to do it, incase you have never played around with fringe before. Here is the video. Enjoy!
There are oodles of other patterns out there, just Google or Bing away and you will find them.
Also, I will once again be watching my favorite Halloween movie several times between now and Halloween.
This is a favorite of my sister and I - for some reason we just love it and must watch every October. It's fun and something you can watch with the kiddies, if you have any.
I think I mentioned last year, I have some black and orange Sugar n Cream floating around in my stash somewhere. I never was able to track that down, otherwise I would have my own pattern posted here. I will have to check again and if I find it see if I can come up with something quick.
I've been making an effort to finish up my UFO's that are lying around. If you follow me on facebook, you may know that I finally joined the sleeves to my sweater a couple weekends ago! Yay! It was a lot less scary and much easier than I anticipated. So, I now only have about 8 inches or so and it will be done! I am a little apprehensive about doing the collar for some reason, but I am sure that will be like the sleeve fear - easier than expected!
I've also been thinking about breaking out the Kool-Aid and dying some yarn. I have some Lion Brand Fisherman Wool that I'd like to dye some autumn colors - maybe brown, dark orange and orange-red. I'd like to do that this coming weekend, if I have time. I may need to do a Kool-Aid run to make sure I have enough of the flavors I need to get these colors. I would like to try and get some deeper, richer colors this time than I have in the past. I've heard coffee or tea will make a nice brown - I may have to do that in conjunction with the Kool-Aid. Either way, I am excited - I love dying yarn!!
Well, fellow knitters, I am going to go and do some work on that sweater! Here are a few pictures of where I am. I will certainly be posting pictures once it's complete. Hopefully by the end of this month!
This is the quite the order I wanted the pictures posted, but blogger is not cooperating and letting me arrange them how I'd like. Until next time, Happy Knitting!
Sleeves with the underarm stitches on waste yarn to be seamed with the body later
Close up of the sleeve and body joined, with the reserved stitches waiting to be seamed up later
Here is the body, with a portion of stitches reserved to be seamed with the underarm of the sleeves later
This is just a close up of the body with the reserved stitches
This is a few rows after the sleeves have been joined
Gauge. I am not fond of that word; however as a knitter, it must be used. On occasion, at least. If you have followed me for a while, you may know that I tend to knit things where gauge is not quite so important. Not only am I impatient and like to get started on my project right away, but I am rather mathematically challenged. Calculating is not my strong point, therefore by choosing to knit scarves, dish cloths, etc. I don't have to worry about spending many hours knitting something that may not fit even after carefully calculating my stitches. If you are a math whiz, then this will be a simple process for you.
If you are knitting a sweater, hat, socks, or anything else that needs to fit - then gauge is a very important step that should not be skipped. If, however, you are knitting a dish cloth - why bother with gauge? After all, gauge is just a square, and so is a dish cloth. I think that is a waste of time, but I often see "To save time, be sure to check gauge" noted on many dish cloth patterns. If you are a stickler for getting the exact same sized dish cloth as the pattern, then by all means, swatch away!
Gauge is typically measured over 4 inches of stockinette or garter stitch, although you will at times have a pattern call for the gauge to be taken over the stitch pattern used on the garment. Since you are measuring 4 inches, your swatch should be larger than a 4x4 square - 6x6 is the minimum size I would recommend for swatching. You should always treat your swatch as you plan to treat your finished item; for instance, if you are using a yarn that is machine washable and dryable, then you should wash and dry your swatch before checking the gauge. If you are using wool or other natural fiber that you plan to wet block, then your swatch should also be wet blocked prior to taking measurements.
Now, once your swatch is ready to go, get out your ruler. Be sure the swatch is laying flat, and you are not stretching or pulling it in any way. Choose a spot around the middle of the swatch to lay your ruler. Place some type of marker at the edge of the ruler (you can use a DPN, split ring marker, safety pin, etc.) and then another at the 4 inch line. Count the stitches between your markers, and then divide by 4. This number gives you your stitches per inch. (See the pictures below) Half stitches should also be included - do NOT round up or down to make it easier on your brain, no matter how tempting. If you end up having more stitches than needed for your particular pattern, then swatch again using a larger needle; if you have too few stitches than needed, try using a smaller sized needle.
Gauge in the round is done a little differently, because your tension tends to be a little different than when you knit flat. Your swatch should also be done in the round, or, use the trick in the video below to 'sort of' knit a round swatch. Basically, the idea is just like when knitting an I-Cord, except that you are leaving a lot of slack on the back side instead of pulling it tight - by doing this, it will allow you to lay the fabric flat to get an accurate measurement - do not turn the work, but slide the stitches to the other end of the needle and continue knitting. You always want to work on the front of the fabric, because that is what you do when knitting in the round. Here are a couple of pictures of a swatch in the round, but please do watch the end of the video as this is better demonstrated than in written word.
Now, here are some pictures of both garter and stockinette fabrics and the SPI (stitches per inch) in each of these examples.
GARTER STITCH:
Place your ruler at the beginning of the first whole stitch, and a marker at that stitch, and another at the 4 inch mark. Be sure you are measuring somewhere around the middle of your swatch, so that any sloppy edges aren't interfering with your stitch count.
Count the top row of bumps between the markers as shown here; then take that number and divide by 4. That is how many stitches per inch. In this example, I have 14 stitches over 4 inches, which is 3.5 stitches per inch.
You can see here in this 1 inch, I have 3 whole stitches, and half of a stitch
STOCKINETTE STITCH:
Just as with garter stitch, place your ruler somewhere in the middle of your swatch, at the beginning of a whole stitch. Place your marker at this stich, and another at the stitch at the 4 inch point. I have 18 stitches, divided by 4 is 4.5 stitches per inch.
For stockinette, you want to count the 'V's. These are your stitches. I find counting stockinette stitches harder than garter stitches - my eyes tend to go a little buggy. In this photo, I have highlighted the stitches to make it easier to identify.
You can see here, I have 4 whole stitches, (highlighted in pink) plus half a stitch (highlighted in yellow) in an inch.
Below also is a video on gauge, in garter, stockinette, and in the round. There are articles a-plenty around the web. I've also included some links for further reading. Happy Knitting!
Hi fellow knitters! I am on vacation right now on the Jersey Shore - no, not with Snookie! - and working on a beaded scarf using the Milanese Lace stitch from the second Walker Treasury. You can check out my progress on my FaceBook page. (I am Sapphiresn Purls on FB) It's coming along very nicely. Can't wait to finish. Happy Knitting!!!
Just thought I would make a little video on adding a crochet border to a knitted item. If you aren't a crocheter, don't worry - you can still do this. I don't know much about crochet, but this is simple enough for even someone like me.
Usually, I add a few extra stitches to my stitch pattern to make a border around my knitting, so that when I bind off, I am done. However, if you decide you would like to add a border after the fact, this is an easy way to do it.
You should use a crochet hook appropriate for whatever yarn you are using, or, whatever hook looks closest in size to the knitting needle you used for the main part of your fabric. You can use the last loop of your bind off as the starting point for your crochet border, or break the yarn and make the border in another color of your choice.
I never seem to learn my lesson - I am referring to using life lines when knitting. I will not detail how to put in a life line, because I never use one. There are articles a plenty on the net, including this one from Knitting Daily. A life line is kind of like a book mark, and can save you time and grief should you make a mistake. Just insert a life line to hold the place of the last row you know doesn't have a mistake, maybe every 5-10 rows or so, or whatever you feel comfortable with. And should you make a mistake beyond that life line, all you have to do is rip back to that point.
Myself, I usually just work backwards until I reach my mistake; this is handy if the mistake is caught in the same row it is made, or just one or two rows back. Many more than that, and if it won't cause a major change in the flow of the fabric, I tend to just let it go and deem it "character". If I am not far along in the project, I just frog completely and start over from the beginning. Or, set the project aside for so long I forget where I was in the pattern; in these cases, I just shrug and frog and put the yarn back into my stash bag.
You may know I have been working on a very big cabled afghan - if I calculated correctly this puppy will be 6 feet by 6 feet. This is by far the largest project I have ever worked on. I can't for the life of me figure out why I wanted to do this. I've flubbed a few times, and this afternoon did it again. So, deciding to make lemonade from my lemon, I decided to share with you how I work backwards to fix my mistakes.
, by Lee Gilchrist. This is not a new book, however apparently not a technique that is widely used these days. I only found one or two blog references in my search for information. 
