Life Lines and Frogging

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.

Miss Marple and Knitted Lace

Knitting before breakfast?

That is the opening line in Miss Marple: Caribbean Mystery.  Miss Marple is on holiday at a Caribbean resort, and some saucy broad comes waltzing past and sees Miss Marple knitting, and asks her "Knitting before breakfast?" I couldn't figure out what she was knitting; at one point it shows her looking at the pattern, and it says "Diddle Dumpling".  I kept pausing to see if I could figure out what it is, but the picture was too blurry.  But wouldn't you know it, I am not the only one curious!  I came across this while in search of the pattern.  Interesting!  There are also a few scenes in which she wears a beautifully delicate, lacy shawl.   I'd sure like to have that pattern!!

I rather enjoyed watching this, and plan to watch some more just to see what Miss Marple has on her needles.  I've heard of Miss Marple before but never read any of Christie's books featuring her.  I don't recall how I came across this, but am glad I did.  (You can rent this from Netflix, or if you are an amazon.com Prime member, it is available to watch instantly for free.)

PieceWork Magazine had an article titled "What Would Miss Marple Knit" in their September/October 2010 issue.  I will have to go back and read this - I believe I just skimmed it the first time around.   I've poked around the net a bit to see if there are any Miss Marple patterns out there with no luck.  I did find that apparently Jennifer Garner will be playing a younger Miss Marple - in which the knitting does not play a part.  Huh?  Say it ain't so!  I liked seeing the knitting throughout the movie I watched the other day;  perhaps this is when she comes up with the solution to the mystery.  Myself, knitting tends to be a time to reflect and think.  I don't think you can have Miss Marple without knitting.

Moving on, I just received Knitted Lace - A Collection of Favorite Designs from INTERWEAVE.  Yes, these have appeared in the magazine over the years, and aren't new patterns.  However, since it would take forever to search through all of the magazines looking for each pattern, plus since I am missing some of the issues, this book is pretty handy.  Here are a few of the patterns I love:

Oriel Lace Blouse by Shirley Paden from Interweave Knits Summer 2007.  This is knit with Alchemy Yarns Silken Straw (100% silk)

Facing Lilies Stole by Nancy Bush from Interweave Knits Spring 2010.  This is knit with Wooly West Horizons (100% wool)

Apres Surf Hoodie by Connie Chang Chinchio from Interweave Knits Summer 2010.  This is knit with Rowan Cashcotton 4 Ply, which is discontinued according to their site.  Elann has a substitution tool to help you find a suitable replacement if you can't get your hands on any (35% cotton, 25% polyamide, 18% angora, 13% viscose, 9% cashmere)

And my most favorite, Forest Path Stole by Faina Letoutchaia from Interweave Knits Summer 2003.  This is knit with Suri Elegance (100% Suri alpaca).  This is absolutely gorgeous, and I must have it!  Adding this one to my Knit-Q!  If you love lace and entrelac, this is for you too!!

That will wrap it up for now.  I am going to do some work on my shawl.  Until next time, Happy Knitting!

Knooking!

No, this has nothing to do with the e-reader from Barnes and Noble.  This has to do with knitting and crochet - knitting with a crochet hook, to be exact!  Knooking is not really new, but the first time I was introduced to it was a couple of weeks ago.  I was just browsing around in Wal-Mart, and happened to see a little kit in the craft area.  Obviously I was intrigued, so I bought it.    You can also purchase this from amazon, if you aren't near a Wal-Mart, or perhaps don't like Wal-mart.

Now, I have only played around with this a little bit; I am undecided if I like this and will continue or not.  I am no crocheter, so this is very awkward for me.  Right now I am very slow, but I guess that is the norm with anything new until you get the hang of it.  If you are interested in learning more about Knooking, you can find an instructional video from the Leisure Arts website or YouTube, or their blog, and there is also a Knooking group over on Ravelry.  I am sure they will be able to answer any questions you may have about this technique.

Here is my video if you are interested.  Enjoy!

Slipping the First Stitch

Back when I first started knitting, I kept seeing "Slip the first stitch for a nice, finished edge".  Well, I slipped the first stitch, but didn't see that it made any difference from when I didn't slip the first stitch.  I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was over slipping the first stitch!

One day, when I was just playing around trying to think of something to knit, I figured I'd give slipping that first stitch another whirl.  This time, instead of slipping the stitch with the yarn in the back, I slipped it purlwise, with the yarn in front.  As I continued to knit, I was amazed at the lovely, braided edge I had.  All that time I had been slipping the stitch knitwise.  I could have been saved a lot of frustration had I been told how to slip the first stitch, not just "slip the first stitch".  For some reason, the how is never included in instructions, at least not that I have ever seen.  So, here are some pictures and videos on getting a nice clean edge on your knitting.

Picture A shows the edges of a fabric that have not had the first stitch slipped.  There really isn't anything wrong with this edge, it is just a matter of taste.  If you like the bumpy edge, then don't slip the first stitch.
Pictures B and C show the result of slipping the first stitch; there are several ways to get these edges.  For Picture B, you would :

Slip the first stitch purlwise, with the yarn in front, and knit the last stitch    OR
Slip the first stitch knitwise, with the yarn in the back, and purl the last stitch
Either of these methods will give you the lovely, twisted stitch (or braid as I like to call it) along the edges of your work.  This is my favorite edge.

For Picture C, slipping the first stitch purlwise with the yarn in front, and knitting the last stitch through the back loop will give you an untwisted, open edge.  This is looser than the twisted edge stitches, so may not be appropriate for all projects.  (Which is why swatching is an important step!)

A: Unslipped edge stitches

B: Slipped stitch edge

C: Slipped stitch, open edge

I have also made a video demonstrating each of these methods.  Picture B is a wash cloth I knit, and all edges are the same, including the cast on and bind off.  To achieve this lovely border, in addition to slipping the first stitch, you will do the crochet cast on - this matches the standard knit bind off.  Below are the videos of slipping stitches, and the Crochet Cast On.  (And just a side note regarding this cast on - if you were to use waste yarn instead of a needle, this would give you a provisional cast on, in which the waste yarn would be removed at some point leaving you with live stitches.  I have never utilized a provisional cast on because I am scared of having live stitches hanging around.  I plan on overcoming this fear soon, and will post more on provisional cast ons and their uses as I learn about them.) In addition to creating a nice, neat edge, slipping the first stitch is immensely helpful if you will be picking up stitches along the edge, or sewing pieces of fabric together!  I hope this has been helpful.  Enjoy!