Converting Magic Loop Patterns to DPNs

(And back...)

I think everyone knows I prefer DPNs to magic loop for socks. No judgment on either technique - I know which one I prefer and I stick with it. I am good friends with avowed ML users; and they seem to tolerate me.

The thing that does frustrate me about the whole situation, however, is the patterns. It surprises me how many patterns are written specifically for one technique or the other. (And yes, I'm guilty of this, but I've changed, and am slowly trying to update my older patterns.) I think, as designers, we're doing knitters a disservice. Sure, a really experienced knitter can convert on the fly - but not everyone is confident enough with their needles, or wanting to do some homework with their knitting project.

Since ML and DPNs produce the same result, and really are the same technique with a single minor difference- how the stitches are distributed on the needles - there is no reason why the patterns shouldn't accommodate all techniques - hey, even those who knit with two circulars!

With this in mind, I wrote a blog post for my friends at Signature Needle Arts on how to convert from Magic Loop patterns for working on DPNs.

On Winding Yarn

Three years ago, after winding far too much sock yarn by hand, I was given a swift and ball winder as a gift. Changed my life, absolutely.


It seems like more and more yarn is only available in skeins, rather than in balls. All well and good when you have access to a swift and ballwinder - either at a friendly neighbourhood shop - or at home.

If you don't, then the resource have been known to press a chair - or a friend, husband or small child -- into service to hold the yarn while you wind a ball. It's not impossible, but just tedious.

I was teaching a class recently, and I think I frightened a student of mine. She was prepping a skein to be wound. She untwisted it, took the label off, and proceeded to start to undo the little ties of yarn that keep it in a neat skein.

All before she'd put it on the swift.

I might have barked at her. (If I did, J., you know who you are - I apologize!)

I do know I dashed across the room to forcibly stop what she was doing.

Once, a long time, ago, I used to do that. Undo all the ties before I put it on the swift. But then, once, I dropped it as I was manoeuvering to get it on the swift. The thing hit the floor in one giant tangled mess.

Needless to say, I don't do that anymore.

So, J. - I hope you weren't offended. Please know that it's all about saving your sanity - and time. Whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, undo the ties and remove the label until the thing is safely on the swift.

Trust me, I know.

New Patterns Available Online

The Scowl
Scarf/cowl hybrid, with clever buttoning. Uses one skein (100m) of a fabulous superbulky deliciousness. I used Misti Alpaca Super Chunky, and have also successfully substituted Berroco Peruvia Thick & Quick.





-Ravelry
-Patternfish

Silk Garden Hat & Wristwarmers set

Two balls of Noro Silk Garden for the set! Quick and easy for gift-giving, or just those days when you are seriously tired of your existing winter hat.


-Ravelry
-Patternfish

Creativ Festival/New Designs

Exhausting but fun.

It's unusual to find myself in a mixed crafts environment. And I'm not just talking about crochet... At the Creativ Festival there are quilters and embroiderers and smockers and cross-stitchers, not to mention the scrapbooking.

I love looking at the other crafts, to see how they use colour, to see what sorts of textures and designs you can create. I do occasionally flirt with cross-stitch - mostly because of its portability - but I'm otherwise pretty monogamous to (with?) knitting.

I have to say, though, that the highlight of the show was meeting Ozzy the Alpaca. Really! Ozzy was in the booth of one of the alpaca farms, and he was charming and handsome and serene. I'm sure he'd be very warm to cuddle up to on the couch...

It's also a great show for me because I get to meet knitters from other parts of Canada - I had knitters from as far away as Calgary and Quebec in my classes.

At the show, I launched a couple of new designs, in The Purple Purl booth: an updated Silk Garden hat & gauntlets set...



using standard Silk Garden. (The previous version used the chunky weight.) Two balls only for the set!

And then there's the Scowl.

It's a scarf-cowl hybrid, so named because that's the look you'll have on your face by the time it's cold enough to be wearing it...

It makes a cowl...



A collar....

And a scarf...


It uses two skeins of the Misti Alpaca Super Chunky, and some clever short rows!

Kits are available at The Purple Purl, and patterns will be available online soon.

Creativ Festival This Weekend

If you're around the Toronto area this weekend, I encourage you to come by the Creativ Festval. Events start today, and it runs all weekend in the South Building of the Convention Centre.

I'm teaching two classes - Socks Friday, and Entrelac on Saturday.

The retail fair runs Friday 10am-8pm, Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 10am-4pm. I'll be in the booth for A Needle Pulling Thread magazine - drop by. You may also run into me at the Yarn Cafe, hosted by my friends from the Purple Purl.

The show covers many crafts, not just knitting, but there's definitely a good yarn presence. Exhibitor and instructor list.

The Westminster Fibers booth has a display of Rowan garments and designs going back over 30 years, and on Friday and Saturday, in booth 1024, you'll be able to meet an Alpaca (which I will be keeping away from my face).

Oohh... New Noro... And Mitten Weather

I was surfing around, checking out some of my favourite LYS sites, and I tripped over this on the Naked Sheep site...


Gorgeous, eh? This mittten was worked with Noro Bonbori, using my mitten template as published on Knitty.

Everyone knows I'm a ho for Noro (t-shirt, anyone?), and this is a Noro yarn I haven't worked with. I'm dying to try it out. Just look at those colours!

On a related note... it's zero degrees Celsius in Toronto this morning... brrr... definitely mitten weather.

If you've got some Noro lying around, or your hands are cold - or you just realized like I did that it's just over 10 knitting weeks to Christmas - then you might be interested in revisiting my mitten knitting lesson and design-your-own-mitten instructions at Knitty.

This is what the lovely ladies at the Sheep used to make the mitten pictured above.

Teaching TV Hosts to Knit

Don't laugh, but I'm going on TV tomorrow morning. It's the CH11 Hamilton breakfast show, "Morning Live", but it's still TV. 8:10am, I believe. (No, Mum, I don't know which channel that is on your TV, and yes, we'll be recording it...)

I'm there to talk about the Creativ Festival, and the all-Canadian needlecraft magazine, A Needle Pulling Thread. I have a 5 minute segment, and they've suggested I teach the hosts to knit.

I do have a partially knit scarf on the needles, and I figure if I can get someone to execute a single knit stitch properly, I'll be good.

I was working on the scarf yesterday, thinking about teaching. I don't often teach beginners, and so it really forced me to think about the process, and how I hold the needles. I knit English (that is, I throw the yarn with my right hand), and with the very large demo needles I'm using, it's pretty cumbersome. I have to hold the right needle with my left hand so that I can pick up and wrap the yarn.

So I decided to try Continental - with the yarn in my left hand. Although I'm clumsy at it myself, and my gauge wasn't wildly even, I think it might actually be easier to explain and demo.

Something to noodle on.

I am taking a whole load of knitwear for me and the hosts to wear, so if nothing else, people can see what cool stuff they can make. I'm hoping that N. cashmere toque is going to get its 5 minutes of fame on the head of a Hamilton morning show host.

Worst Baby Yarn Ever?

The other day I ran into V., a student and knitting buddy of mine.

She's always up for new and interesting projects, and is participating in a craft swap with a co-worker. Her co-worker is a skilled potter, and is making some custom items for V. In return, V. is knitting sweaters for her co-worker's two young children - a baby and a two-year-old. The co-worker had tried knitting in the past, but decided that it wasn't her thing. So she dug out the yarn from the inevitable half-finished project and asked V. to use that for the sweaters.

Thing is, the yarn is Lopi. Dark green Lopi.

Lopi is less common, it seems, than it used to be. There's only a couple of the stores in the city I know of that carry it. And I know of knitters who have never heard of it, and have certainly never knitted with it.

Suffice it to say that Lopi is about the worst choice possible for a baby sweater.

It's not washable.
It's chunky.
It sheds.
And - most important of all - it's not what exactly you'd call soft.

Me, I'll wear any fibre (well, except for alpaca, apparently), and I'm not prone to itching. But prolonged exposure to Lopi makes me even me itch.

Now, in all fairness, it's a jacket yarn, rather than a sweater yarn. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for an adult. Well, ok, as long as I know it's not going to be worn next to the skin, and I know the adult will hand-wash it, and owns a good lint brush.

But for kids? No way.

The problem is that the Co-worker told V. how much she'd loved the yarn when she chose it - and V. is a nice sort who doesn't really want to insult.

We discussed some coping strategies. Jackets? Felting it? An extended soak in cream conditioner?

And landed on the simplest of all: "Hey, Co-worker, this yarn isn't machine washable. I wouldn't want you to have to worry about hand-washing these lovely sweaters I'm about to knit for you. How about I find you something that doesn't require so much maintenance?"

I'm definitely allergic to something/Yak/Not Fussy

Hmm... this is the third time in recent weeks that I've had irritated eyes. On each occasion, I was knitting and/or handling yarn (but then there is rarely at time I'm not), but each time it was different yarn.

I've had a few helpful suggestions on how to test for an allergy - and some optimistic ideas about what it might be other than a fibre allergy. Could be dust, or the dye, or something that's used in the yarn preparation process. Fingers are crossed.

I did the basic test - tuck a bit of the fibre I think is bothering me into my clothes, in a sensitive area. Let's just say that my underarms have no issue with Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

On a different but related note, I've been working with Bijou Basin's yak yarn of late... it's seriously delicious stuff. Very nice soft hand, light with a bit of drape, and the colour is wonderful - a sort of tweedy hot chocolate shade.


I'm working a design for a men's vest. Plain and simple, no fussy detail, nothing fancy. I don't know about the men you know, but the men I know don't like anything fussy. When talking to men about knitwear, the word "fussy" comes up a lot, in combination with the word "not".

The vest is a lot of stocking stitch worked in the round, and therefore is straightforward, not-very-interesting knitting. To add a bit of fun for the knitter, however, I've included a cheeky detail - a tiny little cable at the side seams.


I think this qualifies as "not fussy".

I hope.

Alpaca Rash?

I've been playing with some Misti Alpaca of the Super Chunky variety.... working on a scarf/cowl sorta idea, with short rows. (I think I'll call it a Scowl since by the time it's cold enough to need a giant cowl, that's what I'll be wearing on my face.)


After three or four hours of on-and-off knitting, and wrapping the piece around my face and neck, I noticed that my eyes were itchy, and there was some redness on my cheek.

This disturbs me no end.

The yarn is a 50/50 wool and alpaca blend. It doesn't seem very sheddy, but I did feel like there were little hairs coming off it as I worked.

If I have to choose, I'd rather be allergic to Alpaca than wool, but it's not a choice I want to have to make.

I spent half an hour or so with it a couple of days later, and nothing untoward seemed to happen, but I am a still a bit worried.

February Lady Sock: Free Pattern!

You might recall that I knitted a February Lady Sweater.

Being a socky sort of girl, I decided that a pair of socks might be nice, to go with it. The lace pattern lends itself very nicely to socks - it's a nice ribby sort of look.

SIZES:
Ladies’ S (up to shoe size 7), L (shoe size 7½ and up) - for a wider foot work the larger size.

MATERIALS:
400yds/365m sock yarn that knits to gauge
1 set 2.5 mm double pointed needles OR 1 long 2.5mm circular needle for magic loop method
stitch marker if you're using magic loop

TENSION:
36 sts = 4”/10 cm in stocking stitch using 2.5mm needles
28 sts = 4”/10 cm in gull lace pattern using 2.5mm needles

GULL LACE PATTERN: Over a multiple of 7 sts, worked in the round.
Round 1: *K1, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k1; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 2: Knit all sts.
Round 3: *K2tog, yo, k3, yo, ssk; repeat from * to end of round.
Round 4: Knit all sts.

METHOD:
Directions are for smallest size, with numbers for larger size in parentheses.

Cuff & Leg:
Cast on 50 [56] stitches. Distribute stitches evenly across needles and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist.
Ribbing round: *K1, p1; rep from * to end of round.
Repeat ribbing round until sock measures 1 [1.25] inch/2.5 [3] cm from cast on. For smaller size ONLY, k2tog at end of final round.

Change to Gull Lace Pattern and work until leg measures 6.5 [7] inches/17 [18] cm, ending with Round 4.

Turn Heel:
This portion is knitted flat, in stocking stitch.

Knit first 28 [28] stitches. (Slip the rem 21 [28] sts to a holder if you wish.) Starting with a purl row, work 21 [23] rows of stocking stitch on these sts, slipping the first stitch of every row. RS is facing for next row.

Heel turn row 1 (RS): Knit 19 [19] stitches, ssk, turn.
Heel turn row 2 (WS): Slip 1, purl 10 [10] stitches, p2tog, turn.
Heel turn row 3 (RS): Slip 1, knit 10 [10] stitches, ssk, turn.
Heel turn row 4 (WS): Slip 1, purl 10 [10] stitches, p2tog, turn.

Repeat last two rows until all stitches have been worked. Ensure RS is facing for next row. 12 [12] sts rem.

Re-establish Round and Create Gusset:
Knit the heel stitches. Pick up and knit 15 [16] stitches along selvedge edge at first side of heel, using slipped stitches as a guide. Work across the 21 [28] stitches of instep as per lace pattern round 1. Pick up and knit 15 [16] stitches along selvedge edge at other side of heel, using slipped stitches as a guide. Work 6 [6] stitches from the heel. 63 [72] sts total.

The beginning of the round is now at the centre of the heel. Place a marker if required for magic loop method.

Decrease Gusset:
First gusset round: K6, k 15 [16] tbl; work across 21 [28] sts of instep in lace pattern as established; k 15 [16] tbl, k6.

Gusset decrease round: Knit to 2 sts before instep, k2tog; work across 21 [28] sts of instep in lace pattern as established; ssk, k to end of round.
Work 2 even rounds.

Repeat these last three rounds until 36 sts remain on the sole - 57 [64] sts total.

Foot:
Work even in pattern as established until foot measures 5 cm/2 inches less than desired length, ending with Round 4 of the lace pattern.

Setup for toe: K to instep sts; *k2, m1, k3, m1, k2; rep from * 2 [3] more times; k to end of round. 63 [72] sts.

If required, rearrange your sts so that there are 31 [36] on your instep needle, and 32 [36] for the sole.

Shape Toe:
Work a decrease round: Knit to 3 sts before instep, k2tog, k2,ssk, k to last 3 sts of instep, k2tog, k2, ssk, k to end of round.
Work 3 rounds even.

Work a decrease round followed by 2 even rounds. Repeat these last three rounds once more.
Work a decrease round followed by 1 even round. Repeat these last two rounds twice more.
Work decrease rounds until 11 [8] stitches rem.

To finish, cut yarn, draw through the final stitches and tighten. Weave in ends.

These socks will benefit from blocking: get them soaking wet, roll them in a towel to wring out most of the water, and then put them on. Remove them immediately, and hang to dry.

I Tried It Again/Smelly Needles

Some interesting discussion on Magic Loop, within the comments, on Twitter, and in my classes this week.

I was working on another Open House Sock, this time in Koigu, and I decided to give it a go again.


I'll be honest, part of what has kept me from magic loop has been the needles themselves. Everyone told me that Addi Lace needles are the way to go - the needles are pointy but not too slick, and the cords are nice and flexible.

So that's what I tried the first time around.

And I gamely knit a pair of socks. But as I was working, I noticed something weird. I honestly thought it was just me at first. Or maybe the yarn.

But no, it's not just me. And it wasn't the yarn. Addi Lace needles give off a distinctive smell. A coppery tang.

There is brass in the needle composition, and as they warm up in your hands they smell. It's stronger for some knitters than others, apparently. Something to do with skin chemistry. And for me, it's pretty damn strong.

Inspired by some of the feedback I had about cord length, I decided to try again, this time with a 40 inch long Addi Turbo. They don't smell, which is great, but they simply aren't as good for magic loop. The cord isn't as flexible - I actually managed to make a little kink in the one I was using. And the points just aren't as sharp. The needles are faster, though. The Addi Lace needles are a little bit slower, not as slick - which is terrific for lace. But you don't necessarily need that level of control for stocking stitch socks.


So it's back to my dpns, at least feeling relieved that it's not just me that doesn't like the smell of the Addi Lace needles.

On a related note, TracyKM left a comment on one of my recent posts about magic loop, pointing out that she found a reference to it in Debbie New's spectacular book Unexpected Knitting. She doesn't give it a name, but says that she's been doing it and teaching it for years. I wonder when the name got attached to the technique...

And on a different related note, one ball of Koigu is enough for a pair of Open House socks!

More on the Magic Loop Question

Some great input through the comments and via Twitter. A snapshot, in case you're curious:

• GlennaKnits@wisehilda I use 32" if it's Addi Lace or Knit Picks needles. 40" if normal Addis.
• charlotte2001@wisehilda 32" if I'm doing one at a time, 40" if I'm doing two (which I usually find too awkward to bother with).
• dennyknits@wisehilda 32"
• tapeheads@wisehilda 40" I find 32" just that much too short.
• indigodragonfly@wisehilda 32"

Thanks to everyone who replied!

I've been asked why I was asking... was it because I was going to give Magic Loop another go? Nope. I'm perfectly fluent in the technique - and I prefer a 32 inch needle - but I'm still happier with my dpns.

Which brings me to the reason I asked... it's just a bit of non-scientific research for some friends of mine.

:-)

Quick Survey: Magic Loop Needle Length

For the magic-loopers in the crowd: what's your preferred needle length? 32 inch? 40 inch? ?

(This may or may not be somewhat related to the post immediately below. Draw no conclusions... yet.)

Leave a comment, please!

Newsflash re: Signature Needles

If you're not following my Twitter feed, you should be.

There's a special treat for Canadian readers & fans of Signature Needles.

A Cautionary Tale

It's late, you're tired, and you don't have easy access to a swift and ballwinder.

Really, how dangerous could it be to knit directly from a skein?


Don't do it. Just don't.

This is what results.

Knitting MacGyver Tip of the Week

J., in one of my classes, is working on the February Lady Sweater. The body pattern has 7-stitch lace repeat, and even in the smallest sizes, there are over 150 stitches to work in the pattern.

I recommend, particularly for those who are new to lace, that knitters use markers to divide up the groups of 7 stitches.

Which means that you've got a heck of a lot of markers on the go.

J. was working on her sweater late one evening, far away from the closest yarn store, and realized she was short of markers.

Being the resourceful type, she dig a bit of digging around in her apartment and landed on a brilliant solution...


twist ties!

Bend them around a pen or large knitting needle to make a nice circle shape, and knit on.

Tacky, Maybe, But I Just Had to Share

Patternfish is a regular sponsor of Knitty, and they always have wonderful ads with images of great designs.

And I'm thrilled that they chose one of my designs for this issue.

New Design: Open House Socks

Pattern available for purchase for $5.00 from Ravelry and Patternfish.

This design was inspired by a request from a home insurance agent who gets asked to take off her shoes at the door: she doesn't like padding around in customers' houses in bare feet in the summer so she wanted a small socky sort of thing she could keep in her purse.

The Open House Sock was the result.

Open House, too, as I think of the upcoming Holiday/High Holiday season, and all the dinners and events we attend. As the weather gets wet and snowy, I'll be leaving my shoes at the door and slipping these on to protect my hosiery, and keep my feet warm and stylish. (After all, come the fall, the pedicure isn't necessarily maintained with the same care, and I don't really want the extended family and guests to realize that I've only got polish on 8 of 10 toes.)

They'd also be great as travel slippers. Emergency gift, too.

And requiring less than 150m of sock yarn, they are a terrific way to use up leftovers. The sample was worked with Araucania Ranco because I had some leftovers in my stash, but any sock yarn will do. A single 100gm/350m skein was enough to make a pair of "real" socks, a pair of Open House socks, and there's still a bit leftover. ( I weighed them - 115m for the small size.)

They're also a first for me: they're worked from the toe-up! And the heel is a clever modification of the standard band heel: it's upside down, but still fits just as well.

Before I started this design, I did some research on what makes a good slipper/sockette. I did two things differently: the position of the strap, and the relatively high toe. The strap represents a significant improvement on many slipper patterns out there, in my opinion: the placement at the back of the heel keeps the sock from slipping off. And the relatively high toe is to provide some coverage and warmth.

I've been wearing them a fair bit already: I might need to make another pair or two for myself.

In exchange for years of cooking, laundry and love

Mum asks me to help her choose yarn for her projects. Seems entirely fair!

And yesterday, at the K/W Knitter's Fair, I found some very well priced Briggs & Little in a lovely green colour. Last year we bought some Handmaiden year, the year before a Philosopher's kit.

All great choices.

Now here's the thing. Mum knits for my brother T. who lives in a cold and damp place and enjoys wool very much. And T. is tall.

So we need a lot of yarn.

And invariably, the yarn we choose - because we choose very nice yarn - comes in skeins.

Guess who has to wind it? All 8 skeins of it.

You can see in the background of this shot my coping tools: a cup of coffee and a copy of the New York Times. I don't often knit and read at the same time, but I can absolutely wind and read.

Winding, winding, winding,winding...

P.S. Mum and T. - I hope you both like the colour!