Ruffles: Amy Did Warn Me

I'm quite proud of this, my latest design.

For some reason, I got it in my head that I wanted a ruffled border. I'd seen it used very effectively in other designs.

Well, yeah, the effect is amazing, but dear god it's a serious investment of time and yarn.

Using the sleeve edging as an example, here's how you make a ruffle.

There were 34 sts in the cast on edge of the sleeve. Sleeve has been seamed, so you're working in the round. With RS facing, and appropriate dpns, pick up 34 stitches in the selvedge edge of the sleeve. Yes, that's right, one for one. Knit 1 round even. Next round: kfb in every stitch -- doubling the number of stitches on your needles. Work another even round, knitting all those 68 stitches. Work another round of kfbs -- doubling again the number of stitches. Knit another even round. Cast off. You start with 34 sts, and end up with 136 stitches.


Which doesn't sound too bad. And then you start working the border of the body opening. In one piece. 76 sts for the lower back, 20 for the back neck, and 85 on each side. That's 266 sts. You then double that, and double it again, for 1064 sts. No wonder it took me 5 episodes of Rome on DVD and almost a full ball of yarn to finish the edging!

I think it was worth it, though... what d'ya think?

Pattern available from Ravelry and Patternfish.

Inflation

When I'm teaching sock knitting, I often tell a story about my grandmother, the Hilda after whom this blog is named.

Hilda was an expert knitter, all through her life. She told me a story once -- a story I didn't really appreciate at the time -- that when she was a girl she'd earn a penny by turning the heel of a sock for less-skilled knitters.

I finished up a two-part sock class today, and as he was leaving R. apologetically pressed a coin into my hand.

He couldn't find an English coin, he said, so this would have to do.

A Sacagawea dollar coin.

R. -- thank you. You're a terrific knitter, and a gentleman, and I will keep the coin in my knitting kit with me always. (It's there, in the tin with the safety pins and stitch markers.)

Hilda would be smiling, I'm quite sure.

Boring or Soothing?

The Highland Triangle Shawl is now coming along well (after some painful recovery from more mistakes than I'd care to admit).

Working the edging alternates between boring and soothing, depending on my state of mind. It's a vertically oriented pattern from a 6 stitch repeat, creating a rather nifty ribbed effect. Ok, so I like my laces geometric rather than organic.

I love how it's turning out. And after some encouragement from Denny, I've been working without markers!! The patterning is so obvious that once I got established, the markers were just slowing me down.

Way to go Marnie!

My sister-in-law, who is entirely humble about her knitting skills, produced this. She designed it all on her own. My contribution was to design the closure, based on those beautiful buttons, and sew it up.

It's made from the Paton's Lopi knock-off, which isn't a bad yarn at all.

Cash Iroha Ruffles

Love this yarn.

Great hand, lovely "organic" texture -- slightly slubby, slight variations in the colour.

Cashmere and silk, how could it be bad, really?

Life is getting in the way of blogging

Forgive me if I go quiet for a bit...

I'm knitting, just not writing.

I Broke Down

I wanted to do the Ribwarmer in black. (Of course I did.) But after all the emails back and forth with Emma about hers, after seeing the pics, and being in the middle of a design slump, I knew I just had to get one going.

So I dug through the stash and found two almost complete balls of Lamb's Pride in not-at-all complementary colours. Beggars can't be choosers, you know. (The other colour choices can be spotted in the pic, on the right hand side, on the lower shelf of the coffee table.)

And here we are. The knitting went very fast. Sewing up was unexpectedly a pain in the butt, and the edging was slow because I was playing "nearly out of yarn" chicken. There was lots of ripping back and measuring of the tiny bit of yarn I had left.

Yes, Denny, those are ends which I will weave in.

And that's Avery. She's the best dog in the world. You might think you know the best dog in the world. But her name is Avery, she's a 13 year old yellow lab, and she lives with us.

Fall 2006 Knitty

Woolly Acres farm visit
To quote Amy and Jillian: ...in which Kate learns that wool comes from sheep!

Pattern: sheep wrap
To quote Amy and Jillian: ...in which the sheepy wool turns into something to keep Kate warm

Thanks to the inimitable Denny for her help!

On Tension & A Ribwarmer

Emma Jane has finished her Ribwarmer and it's terrific! Cannot wait to make one myself. Am still waiting for the yarn, unfortunately.

I was talking to Denny and one of her friends this week; Denny introduced me as the Queen of Tension. "Kate always checks her tension," she said. I'd like to think there was a bit of awe in her voice, but I suspect it was more that she thinks I'm crazy. Denny's heard me give my lecture about measuring tension in a class several times. Yet she still never checks. (She also knits lace in angora with neither stitch markers nor a lifeline. Draw what conclusions you will.)

"My friend Emma never checks hers." Yeah, yeah, I know. And who got a Ribwarmer done first?
Anyway, Emma has kindly measured her tension for me, and I remain confident that Lamb's Pride worsted will do the trick.

Pride Goeth

You know the old Pride goeth before a fall thing?

Well, it goeth big time.

I was feeling all proud and smug about my first completed lace design -- the red thing of which I'm not posting pics. I had shared a pic with a couple of my best knitting pals, and their feedback was terrific. (Thanks Abby and Lorena!)

So on a quiet evening at home, I went back to the edging on the Highland Lace shawl, and discovered a colossal and unrecoverable mistake in the third row. And of course I hadn't bothered feeding a lifeline... So I had to pull back 5 rows of 360+ stitches very very carefully, and pick the stitches one by one -- including a billion yarnovers.

Argh.

B*gger.

So it's a no. Not enough yarn.

I ripped back a full 10-row repeat and was able to finish the edging, with not a heck of a lot left over. Others have said this before, but I continue to be surprised by how much yarn those last few rows use up...

Object is now finished, and I can move on.

(You want pics? Sorry, no, it's destined for somewhere else... you'll get to see them eventually, just not here.)

What now? I have three balls for swatching for design ideas... Needful's fluffy and rather sweet Joy, Noro's swoonworthy Cash Iroha (silk and cashmere and wool... ) and Rowan's oddly enchanting and not overdone Romance.

I'll let you know what I think of the yarns as I work with them.

Estimating yardage, part two

So I'm working a lace shawl design. (!!!)

It's worked from the tip up. I'm trying to keep it to 3 balls of the particular yarn I'm working with, and I feel like I'm playing chicken.

I've got this much yarn left. ...
I need to work a knit row, an eyelet row, 5 or 6 garter rows and a cast off - and I'm at 175 stitiches. I'm really not confident I have enough.

It's a delicate balance -- maximum use of yarn. I personally hate a pattern that makes me buy 3 balls and barely uses the third. But if I pull it back a full 10-row repeat, there's going to be a fair bit of yarn left over, I fear.

Oh well, I'll just have to keep working and keep my fingers crossed. .

Estimating yardage

Fell in love yesterday with some yarn in the bargain basement of the aforementioned R___ shop. It was inexpensive, a really great colour, and clearly 100% wool. Oh yes, and unlabelled. The woman working the (probably awful) basement shift could confirm it would wool, and that it was from Philopher's. It was 4 ounces (because she'd measured it, she told me). But she couldn't tell me the yardage.

ARGH. Could I have come up with some kind of approximation, by looking at other yarns of similar gauge and fibre composition... but I was without my calculator, and wasn't feeling particularly clever.

Very annoying.

She told me that none of the small Canadian yarn producers put the yardage on their labels. I have a hard time believing this. I shall have to do some research, I think.

Banned from planes again?

Great story about a woman's knitting needle exploding as she was using it....

It's just absurd enough to be true. There's even a plausible science-y explanation.

That doesn't stop the conspiracy theorists and rumours, though... "space aliens"?

I'm just worried that the TSA will hear about this and ban knitting needles from planes again.

Lace Designing!

I'm chosing to blame this on Cheryl Oberle and Barbara Walker, rather than Denny.

As I get into the zen of it, as I get more familiar with the lace pattern of the Highland Shawl, I'm able to think more about the shape of the stitch patterns, rather than just trying to figure out what comes next in a row. And as I do that, I think about what might happen if I do a left-leaning decrease rather than a right-leaning decrease, or what might happen if I put the yarnover before rather than after the decrease... and hey presto! I'm designing lace.


The Highland Shawl continues apace, and with it, in red, you see the start of an idea upon which I am noodling.

Correction - Oops!

The fingering weight yarn for the lovely Cat's Paw shawl actually came from Hopeful Farms, not Woolly Acres as I'd previously mentioned.

Thanks -- and apologies -- to Michele and Gil of Hopeful Farms.

It's Official

I am a lace knitter. I bought blocking wires.

I blame Denny.

The Ribwarmer is on Hold

So the answer is indeed a heavier yarn. Emma Jane proved it. Although she did confess that she often plays fast and loose with gauge... with sometimes hilarious results... in this case, she got it right.

LK doesn't have Lamb's Pride in the colour I want, so I've ordered it, and will be forced to focus on one of my other existing projects until it arrives.

That's not a bad thing.

What is on my needles right now?

For Boring TV:
There's the Highland Lace Shawl. Requires much attention.

For Exciting TV and Car Journeys:
Requires little attention, but is large and hard to carry around: a feather-and-fan shawl in some hitherto abandoned cast-off Fleece Artist Country Wool.

For Commuting:
Small and requires no attention at all: rainbow socks.

Newsflash!

Thanks to a chat with Abby, I solved the problem. The yarn required for the ribwarmer is a heavy, heavy worsted.

I just swatched with Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted on 5mm needles and it matches the cable pattern gauge.

The rib pattern gauge has got to be the misprint.

Wahoo! Off to buy some more yarn! The good news is I know it will knit up very quickly.

ARGHHH

They don't call it "tension" for nothing.

The yarn substitution I made for the ribwarmer isn't working. In a big way.

First all, it's pretty clear that the original yarn must be an aran, not a worsted. That, I can handle.

But I'm still hugely puzzled about the difference in row gauge across the two stitch patterns.

A k4 p4 rib should be 18 sts/24 rows when lightly stretched... that's basically st st, so that's a perfect aran.

But then a 8-row cable pattern with the same yarn, same needles should have 16 rows to 3 inches. Which is 21.3 rows for 4 inches. WTF? It's got to be a typo, must be 16 rows to 2 inches.

I spent some time with the schematic, and I'm even more puzzled.

10 repeats of a second 8-row cable pattern, essentially the same as the other one, should provide 15 inches. Which means that they're serious about the 16 rows to 3 inches thing. I have NO idea how this is supposed to work.

Am I missing something about the behaviour of cable patterns that the row gauge changes so radically? I thought I was pretty good at this stuff, pretty smart.

ARGH.

Distracted

I got distracted.

The new fall Vogue Knitting has this faboo little cable vesty shrug ribwarmer thing.

I'd seen someone wearing something like it last year, sketched it out as a possible design project, and then promptly forgot about it.

In my recent survey the pre-fall offerings in my local megamall, I saw and tried on a similar thing. It was indeed as stylish on as I thought it would be.

So I hurried my butt over to LK, picked up the mag and some yarn, and cast on.

I bought Nashau "Julia". The gauge seems slightly off what the pattern calls for. The manufacturer of the original yarn says it's a worsted weight; other sites suggest it's an aran.

I'm a bit suspicious, because there's wildy different row gauges given for the two (not that) different cable patterns. One gives 24 rows/4 inches, another gives 16 rows/3 inches. That doesn't feel right to me.

We shall see how this goes.

The Zen of It

I'm getting the hang of this new lace pattern, slowly but surely. The approach is entirely different.

Instead of mindlessly placing markers and repeating patterns between the markers, the pattern requires a careful count at the start of each row.

I've got to repeat a 24-row chart 5 times. The wrong side rows are plain knits (other than an increase). The 12 right-side rows repeat 2 different stitch patterns, at a different offset...

stitch pattern one: k2tog k1 k2tog yo k1 yo
stitch pattern two: k3 yo [slip 2 together knitwise, k1, pass 2 slipped stitches over] yo

The magic is in knowing how many stitches in from the edge you start the pattern, and which stitch of the pattern you start on. The rest is just repeats of the 6 stitch pattern from there. Markers don't help because of the offset, and because of the yarnovers. I find it tricky to keep a marker in the right place when you're doing yarnovers either before or after it.

I've got a copy of the chart with the key rows labelled, I've got a sticky note and a pencil. When I'm done a row of the chart I note it. Simple! Well, easy enough that I can mostly pay attention to the TV.

More Adventures in Lace

Feeling emboldened by my recent success, I decided to take on another lace project: the Highland Triangle Shawl from Folk Shawls. I chose it because it's got three separate elements -- the basic triangle, an inner border, and the outer edging, applied row-by-row. Seemed like a good test of my skills.

In a word: holy mother of god. It is a test indeed. I'm struggling with the basic triangle. The problem is with the lace pattern. The Cat's Paw shawl was sets of vertically aligned 7-stitch pattern repeats. I could place markers, and repeat the pattern across the row. When the sides grew another 7 stitches I would place a marker and work additional repeats of the chart. Easy! I was actually working on this one in the streetcar! I could work it while watching TV!

The chart for the triangle is a mind-binder. It has repeating elements, but the basic pattern repeats at an offset, and the repeats blend into each other. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason to how you add increased stitches into the pattern.

I tried placing markers, but because of the pattern alignment, there's no good position for them that doesn't get wrapped up into the double decrease. So each row requires me to read the chart and count stitches. Which means that it's a total attention-absorber. I can't do anything else while I'm working it -- no TV watching, no talking. And because I need the chart in front of me, I can't work it while in the car, either. Sigh.

I shall persevere.

Finishing Queen!

Another FO! A modest-sized (50 or so inches wide, 25 or so long after blocking) shawl in undyed fingering weight from my friends at Woolly Acres Farm. (Have I said recently how much I love their yarns?) The picture doesn't convey the depth of the grey -- it's really very lovely.

It's not bad, considering how badly I suck at lace knitting. There was some serious ripping 'n' cursing required to get it done. I am a master of threading lifelines, though.

I messed with the pattern, of course. I added the eyelets at the top, before the border, to balance it out a bit. It's garter-edged with an easy-to-memorize 7 stitch cat's paw lace pattern repeated across.

"Even I Don't Do That"

I'd heard many rumblings, over the years, about the friendliness -- or lack thereof -- of the staff at a certain big, old Wool shop here in downtown Toronto.

I've been going for years, since I used to live to around the corner, and I've never had a single problem. They were helpful when I was a beginner, asking stupid questions. Their selection is unbeatable. But maybe I like it because, for the most part, they leave you alone to rummage. And don't engage in unnecessary chat or banter that might distract me. I like to be left alone in paradise.

I dropped by yesterday, looking for some inexpensive superwash DK for a lace wrap project I'm experimenting with.

I started in the bargain basement, I always do. It's a positive Aladdin's Cave. (Worth a visit since they moved it downstairs.)

There was a lone staffer downstairs... "The DKs?" "Wool?" "Yup." "Over there."

I pondered the colours for a bit, and ultimately a chose an interesting green colour. (Still not confident enough to do lace in black.)

As the staffer rang me up, she asked me what it was for. "A lace shawl." "What, now? But it's August." "Yup. Hey, it could be worse. A few summers ago I made a mohair wrap for a friend's September outdoor wedding."

"Mohair in August? Even I don't do that." She handed me the bag and we were done.

Some might consider that insulting or unhelpful.

Me, I took it as a massive compliment. If I'm doing stuff that even a R___ staffer doesn't do, then I must be hardcore.

Thanks Denny! Got it!

That is all.

(This will all make sense in a month or two.)

FO

At last! A pair of bee stripe socks!

And I'm loving how this next sock project is turning out. The yarn is Sheldrake Farm Soft Touch Ultra 100% wool which I picked up at the Knitter's Frolic in the spring. Great rainbow striping. These will bring some serious fun to my winter boots.

These will be my fourth pair of 100% wool, hand-dyed, small producer sock yarn socks. Am a bit worried about how they'll wear... ask me again in April, after a winter's worth of boots.

Trad & Mod

I live in a condo building, and our garbage and recycling room has a small table on which people leave things that they don't want, but aren't ready or appropriate for throwing out.

Someone occasionally leaves stacks of fashion magazines. That's always fun. (Not to mention the odd broken VCR that for some reason makes my husband all nostalgic...)

But last week I struck gold: a knitting book! Well, just a Patons' booklet of knitting and crochet patterns for baby clothes from the late 1960s or early 1970s. But it's still knitting! It's called "Trad and Mod: a collection of classic and trendy designs for today's baby". (Note the trendy caps-free subtitle.)

It's a real mixed bag of utterly timeless, very-much-of-the-time, and "dear God I can't believe that made sense at any time".

The oddest combo of all, at least from the perspective of practicality, is a long sleeve pullover with a matching vest/tank top thingy and shorts. The poor baby would be uncomfortable in any weather, with upper body wrapped two layers of 3-ply and then -- as shown in the photography -- only a pair of shorts and ankle socks. It's a good thing the model has pudgy little legs, you'd need the fat to keep you warm.


Of course, it's all in "Courtelle". You can dress up a pig and give it a nice name, but it's still acrylic. Bah.

Hey Denny!

Leave your comments here!

(And not just because I'm jealous that you've been commenting on everyone elses' blogs but not mine... ;-) )

thanks!

Hate the Yarn, Hate the Project

The bamboo tank has been done for a few days now. I was wrapping it up to send to the shop last night with the patterns, and I decided I actually like it. I've had a few compliments on it based on the picture, and I have to say I'm pleased with the fit. The drape of the yarn works well for that shape.

It was a good reminder about the importance of the yarn in the experience of knitting. No matter how much I might love a design or a pattern, or the colour, if I don't like the feel of the yarn and how it handles, I'm going to be miserable. And I was.

Would I recommend the bamboo yarn to others? With reservations. Certainly not for a beginner, or for an autopilot project, but I betcha it would look nice for lace work.

Given my very recent change of heart about lace knitting, I not going to risk trying it out. If you do, let me know how it works out for you.

OT: Firefox is Good

Image posting issues fixed with Firefox.

The Bamboo Sweater

See? It's really quite nice, after all that moaning and complaining.

N's Baby Jacket

Truly, awesome. This is a beginner's first project.

Beyond the Scarf: Other Good Projects for Beginners

I teach a class for knitting novices who are ready to take on their first major project. It's a 5 week workshop, designed to take a novice knitter through the process of choosing a pattern approrpriate to their skills and interests, and equipping them with with everything they need to know to get it done.

My students have typically knitted scarves, and are looking to take on a sweater project. I talk about gauge, help them choose a pattern, choose a yarn and start work on the project.

Typically, my students (with guidance from me, admittedly), lean towards simple shapes and designs. Lots of ponchos, shells and tank tops and vests, sweaters for babies and kids. Lots of plain stocking stitch or garter stitch, with simple ribbed or seed stitch edgings. The odd fully-ribbed pullover. Although time-consuming, Noro designs are terrific for new knitters, as the yarns are great fun to work with, and the shapes are typically simple.

And typically, students end up with chunky or worsted weight projects -- nothing too fat and difficult to handle, but also not so small that they can't make visible progress.

Part of the first class is taken up with students cruising through pattern books and leaflets, looking for something they like. I always provide a selection of books with manageable but interesting designs.

Last winter, a student -- let's call her N. -- brought a pattern with her. A beautiful layette -- jacket, bootees, hat and blanket. A very traditional, detailed design calling for baby weight yarn on 3mm needles. A very detailed design with cables and lace. She had her heart set on knitting the jacket.

I showed her all sorts of other designs. I showed her patterns with some basic lace, a few simple cables, but she was not swayed. I showed her baby clothes with a larger gauge.

Even the directions for the swatch were complex -- in the cable pattern. That, I figured, would be the test. At the end of the first class, N. headed off home to work on her swatch.

Yes, N. was a novice, but she wanted nothing more but to learn how to knit that jacket. And she persevered, and she did it. The swatch went slowly, but well. Gauge was good, and although there were mistakes, N. was clearly getting the hang of the design. She made slow but gradual progress through her design in the five sessions of the class. By the end, N. was able to work the cable design without breaking a sweat, identify and fix mistakes, and even -- most amazing of all -- hold a conversation while knitting. I remember my first cable design -- I could barely listen to the radio while I was working on it, let alone hold up my end of a discussion about politics.

I had an email from N. just this week with this picture of her completed jacket. It's beautiful work, and I'm so proud of her!

(picture to come, blogger is being weird today and I can't upload the pic)

Who says that beginners can only do scarves?

The Streetcar Knitter Takes a Break

Ok, it's officially too freakin' hot to knit wool socks on the streetcar. 35 degrees, and that's before you factor in the humidity.

More on the Bamboo Yarn

Ok, so I ripped back that first section, made some new calculations, and started again.

I'm doing a lot better with it this time. It's still boring, but I've got a bit more confidence in what I'm trying to do, so I'm able to just work on autopilot.

Look! It actually looks like something now!

That having been said, I'm still not in love with the yarn. It's splitty and moves around a bit much -- I find my tension isn't entirely even. Plus I can't figure out how to make an elegant join.

But again -- it does look good from a distance and the colour is rich and reminds me of plum cake.

World Cup Knitting Indeed

My brother had suggested World Cup Knitting, a while back. If you can knit for the Olympics, he said, you should definitely knit for a more important event.

I had suggested that scarves would be appropriate. I am clearly a dilettante.

Sue, of Wilmslow (a detail only - but highly - relevant to those who know where that is), knitted the England World Cup squad.

Every player who set foot on the pitch.

She started at the first kick-off on June 9th, and finished in the nick of time: by the final half-time.

Continuing Adventures of the Streetcar Knitter

I was working away on a shiny Inox circular needle, knitting that plum-coloured bamboo yarn.

As she was getting off at a stop, a woman leaned over to me and asked me what size needle I was using.

I told her -- 4.5mm. She smiled, thanked me and got off the streetcar.

How on earth could that information be any use at all to her?

Maybe she wanted to know the length of the circular... ? I could see that information being useful. But the needle size?

It was a 16 inch/40cm, by the way.

First pair of socks!

So remember M., who was knitting a sock based on my pattern on Knitty?

She's finished the pair, and they're terrific. Way better than my first socks.

Way to go, M.!

"Look Mommy, A Knitter!"

I was knitting away on a sock on a busy streetcar this morning.

As another crowd pushed their way on and jockeyed for seats, I heard a mother remark to her daughter "There's room for you to stand there. And that way you can watch that lady knit."

I didn't realize I was providing entertainment. Perhaps I should charge.

Arts student knits a Ferrari

Genius! Instead of feeling guilty about knitting instead of doing schoolwork, Lauren turns her knitting into her schoolwork.

Original story.

Yarn Review

Rosarios 4 Bio Bamboo: It's 100% bamboo, and comes in some lovely, rich colours. It's a great yarn, it really is. It's soft and silky to work with. It glides through your fingers and over the needles.

The resulting fabric has a beautiful sheen, and the weight and drape is magnificent. It's light, flowing, and somehow still substantial.

So what's the problem?

I'm working on a design for this stuff, and I've been avoiding it like mad. I think I've figured out why: it's boring. I've been working of late with a lot of interesting wools, with lots of texture. This Bamboo stuff is too damn smooth.

(If you're going to give it a try, be warned that it is a bit splitty, too.)

Dear Santa

My birthday is very near to Christmas. Which means that when I decide that I desperately need something in the middle of the summer, I either have to wait or go buy it myself.

Very, very tired of winding balls by hand. I might need to go shopping very soon.

OMG

Ok, so I've been quietly pleased with my progress with lace knitting. I've been getting good, I thought.

I can spot a problem. I can fix a missing yarn over on the next row, no worries. I've even figured out how to fix a missing yarn over on the next right side row. Wahoo!

I'm pretty experienced with cables, and the Yarn Harlot's demonstration of techniques for fixing a cable wasn't news to me. And I'd been applying roughly the same technique to figure out how to fix issues in lace, which has permitted me to fix a couple of mistakes in situ, when the mistake has only been 2 or 3 rows back.

And then, this morning, I read Yarn Harlot's post about S. Kate's lace fixing escapades. I am in awe.

Not only has S. Kate ripped back what looks like 15 rows! 15! rows! but it's in black! I can't even knit lace in black yet, let alone fix it.

It's good to be humbled once in a while.

Stitch Markers: A Treatise

Doing so much lace of late has required me to use a lot of stitch markers.

I've tried a number of different types, and each has its drawbacks. For some types, I'm still trying to identify the merits....

Little rubbery "cheerio" markers: have a tendency to bounce very far away and disappear forever when dropped.

Hard plastic markers: break.

"Split-ring" plastic markers: get tangled in the knitting.

Beautiful hand-crafted metal with beads: at $2+ each more complex lace designs require me to spend more on markers than I do on yarn.

Believe it or not, the markers I'm happiest with at the moment are the spare colour rings from our electric toothbrush. The heads for the toothbrush come with a couple of different coloured little plastic rings that you put around the bottom of the head to make sure you know whose is whose. You sadly can't get them off the head once they've been installed, but there's all those extras. And they make really great stitch markers.

Lace: Theorems, Corollaries and Lemmas

Things I have learnt...

1. More repeats of pattern on a row are easier than fewer as you get a chance to get into the rhythm of a row.
2. Stitch markers up the wazoo.
3. Spend more time that you imagine possible examining your work to make sure you're ok. Particularly before you feed a lifeline.
4. Feed a lifeline every pattern repeat or two.
5. I've said this before, but for the love of god make sure that when you feed a lifeline it's into a row that is in itself correct. And that the rows below the lifeline are also correct.
6. Before you begin a set of pattern stitches -- between two markers, of course -- count the stitches you're about to work. A corollary to that is that a missing YO is easily fixed on the next right side row.

I have to say I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've made more progress in the last few evenings, even watching really exciting television, that I'd made in the first couple of weeks.

But I guess the biggest thing to get used to with lace is that ripping back is not an extraodinary measure. Ripping back is the way of things. You'll do it a lot.

Did You Even Know that Sheep Came in These Colours?

Something I'm working on with yarn from my visit to a sheep shearing party this spring.

I love these colours.

Lace on a Plane

I thought this lace scarf would be a good choice for travel knitting:

I don't need a printed pattern other than a little card on which I've written out the three right side rows of the lace pattern repeat.

And I'm doing it on a short bamboo circular, which is entirely plane-safe.

And it's more intellectually engaging than sock knitting, so it will keep me more entertained.

Not so much, I learnt.

My attention kept getting dragged away -- "anything to drink?", "headphones?", a fidgety seatmate. So I kept making mistakes.

And it's hard to thread (or rethread) a lifeline when you don't have a needle with you. A crochet hook would have worked, if I'd thought of it in advance.

And then those clever little rubber stitch markers bounce very, very far when dropped.

It's very much two steps forward, one step back with this project. I do love the yarn, and when it's working well I like the design. But it is a patience tester...

Toronto is OK

Spent the weekend in New York, on a short vacation.

I did a bunch of research before I left: which knitting shops should I visit? Purl and School Products rose quickly to the top of the list, based on what I'd read about them online, and personal recommendations.

Both are terrific shops -- with welcoming staff and a nice selection and interesting locations. And I bought a book in each. I was hoping to find some hidden treasures, some books that aren't available in Toronto. What I ended up with were two books that have been on my list for a while, Barbara Walker's Treasury of Stitch Patterns Volume 2 and Debbie Bliss's Toy Knits. But both of these are available at home.

What about the yarn, you ask... Yes, there was certainly some stuff on the cone and unlabeled skeins that looked really interesting in School Products. Purl had a lovely selection of Rowan, Noro, Alchemy and similar sorts of products. But again, for the most part, there was nothing I couldn't find here at home.

All in all, I came away from both stores with the feeling that we're pretty well off here in Toronto. We have a variety of stores, each with its own niche, and we have access to some absolutely terrific yarns of all types -- the inexpensive practical stuff, and the luxurious and truly remarkable. We should be proud.

Ignoring My Own Advice

Ask me how many times I've started this damn shawl. Go on, ask me. I dare you.

This is the third attempt.

Never work on a lace project during the season finale of your favourite TV show. In the dark.

And about that lifeline thing...

Sigh.

Sort-of Off Topic

Most people who know me know that I watch TV or movies when I knit.

I therefore feel that it's not entirely off-topic to mention the newly launched blog brought to you by the man making the recommendations on what TV and movies to watch. (Not to mention working the remote.)

Norman's blog. Which may or may not be about movies.

It is hair, after all

I buy a lot of vintage. One of my latest purchases is a lovely red aran cardi. I couldn't resist -- the bargain-basement price was a factor, but I loved it most of all because it was red. You never see red arans.

But damn it, it's itchy. Wow. I can see why it ended up lonely and forlorn in a vintage store on the clearance rack.

But wool is hair. And conditioner is good for hair. So there's no reason why conditioner isn't good for wool, I figured.

I'd read about using hair conditioner to soften itchy sweaters. And it works! A good old simple cream conditioner, and I soaked the sweater for over an hour -- but it is noticeably softer.

Very pleased.

Can't Write, Too Busy Knitting

Lots of stuff cooking right now...

the bee socks are almost done, another pair of rainbow socks, yarn and a pattern for modest-size lace shawl, and a super-secret thing in the bottom left of the pic.

Another clue:

And I have to say that it's Erin's fault, with her Lady Eleanor.

Who Knew?

Wool comes from sheep!

A modicum of fame!

A few people I work with know about my "other life". It came up at work the other day... B. said to me that M., a co-worker, also knits, and I should tell her about my blog.

M. tells me she is making her first sock. It's a sassy little pink number, in Cascade Fixation. Very nicely done, too.

And then she tells me where she's learning from... my piece on Knitty. She didn't know it was me.

I'm so proud -- of M. for knitting a really great sock the first time around -- and of my piece that clearly works so well.

Wow.

Signs that maybe you've knit too many socks

When you can turn the heel on the bee stripe sock on 2mm needles in a dark bar, after a pint of Wellington County Ale, while dancing along to the music, not only without a pattern, but without looking.

If we can knit for the Olympics...

My brother the footie fan has posited the idea of World Cup Knitting.

It's a thought.

Projects would have to be limited to appropriately coloured scarves, though.

It's like I was asking for it

My piece on repairs has been up on Knitty barely a month....

So there I am at lunch, with a member of the Knitty family, and she points out to me that the neckline of the vintage aran cardi I'm wearing is unravelling.

And I realize that this is a situation I didn't cover in my article!

(Note to knitters: keep a safety pin in your purse. Mine is attached to my little Swiss Army knife.)

Real Sheep Scarf

This stuff is lovely.

I'm particularly enjoying the sensual experience of the knitting process. The wool is barely processed, so there's lots of lanolin left in it, and it smells marvellous. It's suprisingly soft, too, for something so close to the sheep.

The striping is fairly evident -- this yarn has no dye lots, needless to say. A colourway is a rough combination of various natural colours.

Mistake stitch ribbing, easy-peasy. This is definitely a yarn that demands a simple stitch -- it needs room to tell its own story.

Incredible Indeed!

Last summer I was approached by a very nice lady at Lion Brand about my Non-cho pattern that appeared in Spun last spring.

I did it up in a couple of Lion Brand yarns and sent it off to them. I had basically forgotten about it until today, when I was surfing their site checking yardage on one of their products for a substitution... and there it was! My Non-cho in Lion Brand Incredible! (Behind a registration wall, be warned.)

Wow. I feel like I've hit the big time.

Spun Mag Spring Issue

Check it out. Some terrific patterns, interesting articles and great book reviews. And I'm not just saying that because me and some of my knit friends write for it...

Best Yarn Magazine Art Ever, also.

Real Sheep!

My brother the environmentalist is a member of an organization called "The Rare Breeds Survival Trust" in the UK. In their words, "the RBST is the leading conservation charity working to restore Britain’s native livestock breeds". He buys terrific Christmas cards from them, with beautiful images of livestock -- notably, in my opinion, the sheep. In all their natural glorious colours.

You'd think they'd sell the yarn, wouldn't you? I'd buy yarn and contribute to the Trust. You'd think they'd promote places that sell the yarn, wouldn't you? Nope. Nothing. (They do promote the sale and consumption of the meat from these animals, though.)

At the Downtown Knit Collective's Knitter's Frolic this weekend, I found Woolly Acres' "Real Shetland". It's yarn that comes in sheep colours. Undyed. Terrific tweeds and combos.

My brother is getting a scarf for his birthday.

Further on the Practicality Thing

I was in a waiting room type of situation today. With my knitting, as usual. I've picked up the Bee Stripe socks again. (I did mention I'd had to rip them back, didn't I? Anyway.) Knitting away in a waiting room.

The other waitee, an older woman, asked the inevitable question.

"Socks."

"Oh yes," she said, impressing me, "I knew it had to be socks or mitts because you're working in a circle."

"Are you a knitter?"

"My mother was. She made lots of socks and mitts."

"I like sock knitting, it's very portable."

"And practical, too."

Err... I have had many people say many crazy things about my knitting, but never that it's practical. Sock knitting with hand-dyed yarn on 2mm needles is practical? Paying $20+ dollars for the yarn, and spending hours upon hours (I hate to count, the thought frightens me) to create something I'm going to put on my feet.

Practical.

If you hear a woman telling a story about being laughed at by a redhead knitting yellow and black socks -- that was me.

Practicality vs. Art

Have I shared with you my theory about knitting generations?

My mother is a very skilled knitter but she doesn't really like doing it. Her mother, Hilda, was a knitter without parallel. No matter how skilled her work, Hilda knitted because she had to.

My mother sees knitting as her mother's drudgery, and if she doesn't have to do it she won't. I don't have the negative association. I see knitting somewhat romantically, something my beloved Grannie used to do. And so I can knit with love for the process. (I wonder if the generation after us will feel this way about ironing?)

For our grandmothers, knitting was about practicality. They were making clothes for the family. They were making garments and accessories to be used, that would last, that were to meet a need. Knitting was a chore, not an art.

I was reminded of this recently. An older friend of the family was showing me a blanket she's working on for a new baby in the family. Beautiful, detailed, lacy work... In acrylic. Cheap, nasty, rough acrylic. I could feel the pills forming as I touched it. Surely she can't be enjoying the process, knitting with such awful yarn? Surely it must be a chore.

Oh wait, it is.

Bye Erin

Just wanted to say bye to Erin. It was fun working with you, and sharing our passion for socks and music.

Safe travels and hope to see you again soon.

Taking a Good Look

Every class I teach is different. The students are at different levels; they have differing degrees of experience and confidence in their own skills.

But it's pretty universal -- all "beginner" knitters seem to have one thing in common. They don't look at what they're doing.

They're concentrating on each stitch, on reading the instructions, on holding the needles -- they're concentrating on the knitting, but not on the knitting. I looked at the work of a couple of my students this week and there were some really very obvious mistakes. For one student, it was purl stitches where there should be knits in a number of places. For another, a wholesale change of sides so that what was stocking stich became reverse stocking stitch.

And in both cases, they hadn't noticed the mistake, they said, until much later.

I read in a book, once, a long time ago, that a good knitter stands back to admire the work in progress, on a regular basis.

I tell all my students to take a good look at what they're working on. Hold it up. Examine the pattern stitch. Make sure that you're working the right direction.

I've seen fronts of sweaters with the armhole shaping only done on one side ("Oh, so that says 'at beginning and end of the row'"?) . I've seen stocking stitch reversed mid-way through a piece. I've seen purls where there should have been knits. Cables that haven't been crossed. Mis-aligned ribs.

Hey, I've done many of these myself. Every knitter makes mistakes. Even experienced ones. The difference, it seems, between a beginner and a more advanced knitter is how quickly the mistake is spotted.

Fixing mistakes is another set of skills entirely, of course. But you start by knowing where a mistake is.

OT: Rant about pleats and vents

Ok, this is OT but I have to rant somewhere...

People: That jacket you just bought, with the vent in the back. The loose thread holding the vent shut is meant to be removed before you wear it.

Oh yeah, and the same goes for the label on the sleeve of your new winter coat that brags about the cashmere content.

They're sewn very loosely so you can remove them.

Sheesh.

Repairs 101: Spring Knitty

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEspring06/FEATrepairs101.html

The thrill and sense of pride that comes with being included in Knitty will never get old. I'm honoured to be included with such excellent company.

Fitting a Sock - Harder Than It Seems

Am working on some cotton socks. Cotton's not like wool. It stretches, it loses elasticity, and worst of all, it changes shape after washing.

So how do you make a pair of cotton socks that actually fit?

Ribbing, sure. But how tight? Really tight ribbed socks will certainly stay up (for a while at least), but oh how they clutch at the leg. Looser is great for comfort, but they're down at your ankles in no time.

All this thinking has sent me scurrying back to my myriad hand-knit wool socks. And something has occured to me: I'm making 'em too big. They're loose. Way too loose. They fall down. This is why I knit, isn't it? To make things that fit me ... little old petite small-footed fine-ankled me. So why in god's name am I knitting one-size fits all for socks? Certainly, I knit them to the right length, but what's the right width?

Hmmmm....

Different needles, different gauges: it's true!

So I indulged a bit of time in some knitting science yesterday. (This is what happens when I'm stuck at home with a cold and a lot of back episodes of CSI.)

Here's two swatches of the same yarn, on the same size needles. One was knit circularly, on dpns; the other flat.

The gauge is indeed different... I'm looser on dpns than flat. 30 sts/10cm flat, 28 sts/10cm round.

Hypothesis proven. (Note careful notations pinned to swatch.)

Meditations on a Sock Project/Bendiness

Why is 3x1 ribbing less tedious than 1x1?

And knitting with drinking straws isn't nearly as much fun as you think it might be. I tried those new Pony plastic dpns - they're yellow with red stripes. (That's weird, I can't find any reference to them online to link to them... Hmmm... .)

Very cute, but too damn flexible. Way too bendy. They may be more manageable in a different size -- I was using 2.5mm. They feel nice, and they have the right level of slight slipperiness for knitting cotton. But I found the bendiness slowed me down significantly.

Look at the picture. I mean, really! I'm hardly putting any pressure on them. Knitting needles should not bend this much.

Four Senses

I've always known knitting is a sensual experience.

It's the feel the of the yarn -- rough, silky, smooth, bumpy.

There's the look of the piece as it grows in your hands.

Consider the sound of the needles, clicking endlessly.

But scent.... Scent is rarely discusssed. I was helping some students in my class choose their projects. L eventually settled on a Handmaiden kit for a wrap, in silk. Mmm... silk... The scent of silk is distinctive and fairly strong.

Denny and I were talking about it. She suggested some washes to get rid of it, but I like it. I clearly remember a purple raw silk top I owned 15 or so years ago, and its constant, faint aroma.

So now I'm obssessing about what I'm going to knit in silk.

All about accessories at the moment

I don't know whether it's the in-between weather (14 degrees) or just me, but I can't seem to wrap my head around any actual garments at the moment.

I'm thinking scarves and socks and little capelets, but nothing with sleeves.

Flotsam Optimist

As pattern below, 11 sts. Creates a nice scarf, about 10cm wide and 150cm long.

Flotsam

Am swatching up an interesting new novelty yarn from Louisa Harding, called Flotsam. (At least it's not named after an Abba song.)

40% cotton, 35% polyamide, 15% acrylic, 10% viscose. It feels a bit like paper. Trying it out for my Optimist Scarf. It's the sort of yarn that doesn't really lend itself to a solid fabric (despite some of the supplied patterns), but makes really great low-effort, high impact accessories. A one-ball wonder. The colourways are interesting, too.

The Optimist Scarf - for Days When You're Going to Wear a Light Jacket Anyway, Mercury Be Damned

The Optimist Scarf
Two versions - a single yarn narrow version, and a wider version created with two yarns held together.

Version One: Cool Blue
Materials:
1 x 50gm Rowan Cotton Tape
1 pair 8-12 mm needles – whatever you have on hand; the sample was made with 10 mm needles

Tension:
Doesn’t matter!

Finished Measurements:
8 cm wide x 60 cm long, approximately

Version Two: Cotton Candy
Materials:
2 x 50gm Lang Opal
1 x 50gm Rowan Calmer
1 pair 8-12 mm needles – whatever you have on hand; the sample was made with 10 mm needles

Tension:
Doesn’t matter!

Finished Measurements:
20 cm wide x 60 cm long, approximately

Method:
For Version One, cast on 11 stitches.
For Version Two, using a strand each of the Calmer and the Opal held together, cast on 21 stitches.

First row (WS): knit all stitches.

RS: K1, *yfwd k2tog; repeat from * to end.
WS: Knit all stitches.
RS: K2, *yfwd, k2tog; repeat from * to last stitch, k last stitch.
WS: Knit all stitches.

Repeat the last 4 rows until you’ve just about run out of yarn. Finish with a WS row, and then cast off.

Knitting for Summer?

Am working on some designs for summer.

Knitting for summer? Does that even make sense? I used to think that summer knitting was only about the odd shawl or cardigan to drape around your shoulders in an agressively air-conditioned office.

It was actually a sock design commission that made me think differently about summer knitting. I worked on them last April, designing open-toe and flip-flop socks. It made me realize that knitting is an ideal solution for those early spring days when you really do want to wear your summer clothes (and shoes) but it's not really warm enough for them. Want to wear your flip flops? Flip flop or open-toed socks keep you warm. Want to wear a light summer dress? A shawl or cardigan or capelet will insultate you from drafts. A short-sleeve top in long-sleeve weather? How about wristwarmers? A light jacket? How about a light scarf to go with it?

There’s a wealth of patterns for these kinds of early summer projects, and some truly wonderful yarns that provide a nice compromise between warmth and weight and a summery look. Am really enjoying working with Rowan Cotton Rope – it's heavy enough to provide an actual layer of clothing insulation if you need one, and comes in light shades that conjure thoughts of flowers and seaside and ice cream treats.

And who says that scarves aren’t appropriate for summer? I have a white jean jacket that looks terrific with a colourful scarf draped over it.

And a Hat to Go With the Wristwarmers

This used up the leftovers from the 100gm ball of chunky weight yarn I used for the wristwarmers

Simple Hat
One Size Fits All

Materials:
1 100gm ball chunky weight yarn
(approx. 100m)
1 pair 6mm needles

Tension:
20 sts and 20 rows over 10cm/4” square in K2 P2 rib (unstretched) using 6mm needles.

Finished Measurements:
50cm/20” around, approximately
20cm/8” long

Method:
Cast on 70 stitches.

Row 1 (Right Side): *K2, P2; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, K2.
Row 2 (Wrong Side): *P2, K2; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, P2.

These two rows establish K2 P2 rib pattern. Repeat Row 1 and 2 until hat measures 18cm/7”, ending with a Wrong Side row.

Complete final 6 rows of hat as follows:
Row 1: *K2, P2tog; repeat to last 2 stitches, K2. 53 stitches.
Row 2: *P2, K1; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, P2.
Row 3: *K2tog, P1; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, K2tog. 35 stitches.
Row 4: *P1, K1; repeat from * to last stitch, P1.
Row 5: *K2tog; repeat from * across row. 18 stitches.
Row 6: *P2tog; repeat from * across row. 9 stitches.

Cut yarn, leaving a 30cm/12” tail. Draw yarn through final stitches and pull to tighten. Use the yarn tail to seam up the hat.

The Moebius: Indeed A Mind-Melter

Another one to file under "because I had to". I picked up a kit for Cat Bordhi's Moebius capelet on the weekend, and had it finished by Monday evening.

Denny, who has a nice sideline as Moebius cast-on consultant, got me started. She even let me steal a circular needle from her current WIP. Now that's friendship!

Being a mathematician, I do understand what happens... and it's very, very cool. But I'll be damned if I can figure out how Cat worked it out. I'm in awe of her spatial skills.

Another UFO

I was in the shop today. A woman came in carrying a bag that was clearly identifiable as a UFO. She admitted it was probably 20 years old, and had been abandoned for the last 15. She had picked it up again recently and needed some help getting going again.

We've all been there, as I've discussed before.

She took us through the project. It was mostly done. The back was complete, as were the sleeves. Here's where it got a little silly, though... "Well, I didn't like the stripes so I bought all one colour yarn."

Ok, no issue there.

"And I only want two buttons."

Uh-huh.

"And I don't like the fact that the placket is done in a different yarn."

"And I don't like the neckline or collar."

Errr...

Again, I've been there, wanting to make changes to a design. I've used a commercial pattern as the basis or inspiration for a garment many times.

Here's the kicker.

"But I'm not a very good knitter."

I thought Erin was going to run out of the store screaming. I enjoy a challenge, so I had no problems taking it on as a paid design job.

But who on earth sold this poor woman a pattern she dislikes so much??? No wonder she abandoned it.

Free Pattern: Wristwarmers (What I did while waiting for the Olympics to start)

Size:
Small (Teen), Large (Adult)

Materials:
100m chunky weight yarn
1 pair 6mm needles

Tension:
Approximately 20 sts and 20 rows over 10cm/4” square in K2 P2 rib (unstretched) using 6mm needles.

Finished Measurements:
15cm/6” around, approximately
20cm/8” long

Method:
Where two numbers appear, the first is for the Small size, the second for Large. When only one number appears, it applies to both sizes.

Cast on 26 (30) stitches.

Row 1 (Right Side): *K2, P2; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, K2.
Row 2 (Wrong Side): *P2, K2; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, P2.

These two rows establish K2 P2 rib pattern. Repeat Row 1 and 2 until gauntlet measures 4cm/1.5”, ending with a Wrong Side row.

Right gauntlet thumbhole:
Next row (RS): Work 8 (9) stitches in pattern, cast off 3 (4) stitches, work in pattern to end.
Following row (WS): Work 15 (17) stitches in pattern, cast on 3 (4) over gap created by cast-off in previous row, work in pattern to end.

Left gauntlet thumbhole:
Next row (RS): Work 15 (17) stitches in pattern, cast off 3 (4) stitches, work in pattern to end.
Following row (WS): Work 8 (9) stitches in pattern, cast on 3 (4) over gap created by cast-off in previous row, work in pattern to end.

Continue from here in K2 P2 pattern, until gauntlet measures 20cm/8”.

Cast off loosely in pattern.

Seam.