|
2/1/2004 7:33:29 PM
|
|
Clanky Stash
|
I think, at a minimimum, everyone should, for ea size, one 16" circ in metal, one 16" circ in bamboo or wood, two 24" circs in metal, 2 24" circs in bamboo or wood, two sets of dpns in ea size from 0 down to 00000000. Misc single point sets are optional (you can always use circs as single points, knitting back and forth on them).
ADDITIONALLY, in the sizes you use most often, you MUST double those numbers. What do you do if you need to knit up a quick item for a specific need or request, and the size needles you have to use are stuck in a WIP?
Best to have multiples of everything all over the place!
|
|
2/1/2004 7:38:19 PM
|
|
beginner
|
Go to your local library and get a copy of Knitting Without Tears, (Elizabeth Zimmermann). Better yet, just buy it.
|
|
2/2/2004 9:37:42 AM
|
|
Simultaneous Tubes on 2 Circs, How-To
|
As I figure stuff out, I put it onto my computer so I will remember how I did it or so I can print off a copy for somebody else... especially true wth patterns! But as for time... ha, well, here is my secret for that... I am a night owl. I wait until my family has all GONE TO SLEEP to get into my main knitting and sewing projects. Of course the knitting I can usually bring along on errands, dance calss, shopping, etc, so that gets done in life`s otherwise "wasted" moments.
Farmin` Garmon... just dive in and try it. It`s very easy to do, not always easy to conceptualize. But once you have it, you`ll find there is no limit to the types of patterns you can knit this way, even those with directions telling you to knit separate pieces then sew them together afterwards (like that would ever get finished!) But you could always just file it for "someday."
|
|
2/2/2004 9:41:46 AM
|
|
Great Stuff mustangjudy!
|
Yes, I too think these are very lovely sweaters and interesting patterns... and I too have wondered how the Pakucho wears... I hear it is soft and I fear it may pill, as so many soft cottons do... how have you washed the sweaters made with it? Did it stay soft? Did it pill?
|
|
2/2/2004 2:42:07 PM
|
|
Theresa, MacChick - AG sweater dimensions
|
Thanks! I`ve copied your post into my knitting patterns folder and started a lavenday sweater for AG doll named Kit... my niece will love it!
|
|
2/3/2004 3:39:38 AM
|
|
No-Fear Steeks, How-To
|
Before you cut a knitted garment, knit a swatch to cut, and follow these directions. When you are done, you can tug and pull, to your heart’s content, to test how secure the edges are.
When you knit the swatch, designate three stitches in the center as the steek stitches. So even during the garter stitch rows at the bottom edge of this example, these three stitches were done in plain stockinette stitch.
From the wrong side, begin crocheting towards the steek stitches. I will be using red yarn on a white swatch so it will show up better. You can begin a few inches away or more. The stitch is as simple as possible: you are chain-stitching through the knitted stitches, though if you are adding a crocheted border to the bottom of the knitting and want to make this a row of single crochet, that works, too.
When you get to your steek stitches, start crocheting up through one half of the center steek stitch and one half of the steek stitch beside it. If you think of the knitted stitches as columns of Vs, you are crocheting through the right half of the center V (blue) and the left half of the right V (green) for ea crochet stitch, all the way up the column.
You can see that what is on your crochet hook will look like little teardrops. It may be easier if you pick up the knitting and fold it so the column of teardrops is the only thing showing as you crochet your way up.
When you get to the top of the knitting, crochet back along the top edge for a few inches or more. If the top happens to be the neck of a sweater, I find it looks best to just crochet all the way around. When you get back to the steeks sts, crochet your way back down to the bottom of the knitting. If you didn’t go all the way around a neck, just start crocheting from a few inches left of the steeks sts, along the top edge of the knitting, and then crochet down when you get to the steek sts.
On the way down, you are going through the left half of the center steek stitch (red) and the right half of the left steek stitch (yellow).
When you get to the bottom edge of the knitting, you will crochet out along the bottom, away from the steeks, for a few inches or more.
When you turn your knitting to the wrong side, you’ll be able to see exactly what needs to be snipped. It looks a little like the rungs of a ladder between your crocheting. O.K., now for the fun part: get out those scissors, and snip!
Next, you are going to knit a rib edging out from the cut edge of one side. When you’re done, you’ll do the same thing to the other side. With a knitting needle, pick up all of the stitches beside the steek stitch. Do not mistakenly pick up the other half of the steek stitches! You should still see them between the stitches you picked up and the crocheted stitches.
Your first row of knitted edging should be plain knit stitch from the wrong side, if you want a nice flat transition. If you want the look of having your knitting appear to be rolling under slightly to meet your edging, knit that first row from the right side. (For your swatch test, please do one half of the cut knitting each way to see which you prefer.) After that, you may want a K1P1 rib or other pattern for button plackets, if you’ll be finishing the edges of a cardigan.
Now this is the part I call my “Securing with Paranoid Overkill” final step. It’s how I’ve managed to feel good about crocheted steeks, even on smooth cotton yarn. It is basically a kitchener stitch connecting the crocheting to the first row of knitted edging.
It has the great advantage of making the steek area lay even flatter against the back of the knitting, and it really will put your mind at ease. Use a finer weight yarn than the knitting, so as not to create bulk. I used fingering weight. If the knitting is with a multiple-ply yarn, I just use one ply of that same yarn: cut a length of yarn, and pull it apart like embroidery floss. If you aren’t able to do that, don’t worry about finding an exact color match, because it doesn’t show from the front at all. You’ll see when you do this on your swatch.
The first thing you should do after finishing this is to subject it to your own “Ultimate Test.” I made a strip of knitted cotton with this at its center, and it survived a tug-of-war between a ten year old boy and a 1 year old dog. I wonder what other tests could be devised?
|
|
2/3/2004 12:05:37 PM
|
|
MacChick- The Medieval Gothic Shrug--easy-fitting; a tracery of Gothic
|
OMG THAT IS BEAUTIFUL!!! It`s PERFECT!!! I can`t thank you enough... (now off to see what colors of alpaca are left here...)
|
|
2/3/2004 12:18:05 PM
|
|
Uros - possible problem
|
I wound it into a ball before knitting, because of the warning about excessive twisting if you knit it straight off the skein. I cannot break this if I want to... I have to use scissors or a cutter... and I`m on my third hat liner... (now I`m knitting liners for hats I haven`t even made yet! I`m addicted!)
|
|
2/3/2004 12:35:36 PM
|
|
No-Fear Steeks, How-To
|
This will sound strange, but I don`t have that kind of time. I have been wanting to put these two tutorials up here for some time, now, but it took me awhile to carve out time. This forum is perfect, because there are no deadlines, no expectations, lots of interaction, and everything is free for everyone... no fee for "classes," no fee for "hosting web space," everyone just gets to share info, and it all gets posted so fast, it makes my head spin! This place is perfect.
Back before Christmas, I asked what everyone was reading, and you know, I never got back to the people who posted, but I got some great ideas from them and have had so much fun making up variations of ideas found in some of those reading reccomendations! And the link Patricia just posted about the Med. Shrug has me chomping at the bit to try some variations of one of those. Then there is Theresa`s Barbie sweater, Marion`s Celtic Cardigan... oh, it`s hard to sleep at night with all of the ideas!
This whole place is just such a creative and inspiring environment... it`s like we have an artists` workshop or a think-tank going on all the time here! It reminds me of how it felt to be in my early 20`s and all gung-ho about changing the whole world and too inspired to doubt the possibilities for one hot second. It`s productive; it`s life-affirming; it`s good to be HERE.
|
|
2/5/2004 12:32:47 AM
|
|
buy tencel or hold out for silk?
|
I have not knit with Tencel yet, either, but in sewing with it, I find it to be very similar to silk and Rayon... drape, sheen, takes dye beautifully, etc., but seems to hold up to wear a little better.
As for the yarn... Do we know yet if they are going to restock the Peruvian Baby Silk? I`m in the same predicament as you, but over different colors. I`m thinking I`m going to get the Tencel, but if they restock the Baby Silk, I`ll get that, too, because it`s a finer gauge and it is what I really want. And that will free up the tencel for a different project. The Tencel actually appears to have a little more sheen, which can be a lovely thing in a damask type pattern, where the design is just made of purl stitches catching the lght at a different angle.
I say plan to buy both, and don`t start knitting the Tencel until you find out if there`s going to be more silk. Let`s all really hope they DO restock the silk, though!
|
|
2/5/2004 12:49:41 AM
|
|
steeks
|
Judy, knit a swatch of about 15 stitches for about 10 rows... a little thing that won`t take long, on big needles, so you can really see what you are doing. You won`t be afraid of cutting THAT, right? And if you feel good about the results, steeks will be fun, not scary. (You mght even start running around your house, bubbling with excitement, trying to turn every knitted pullover you can find into a cardigan!)
I cannot emphasize enough that everyone who is a little wary should TRY IT OUT ON A SWATCH FIRST!!!!!!!!!!! This would totally eliminate that sick-to-your-stomach feeling for both of us, because one look at your beautiful work and I would feel guilt-riden for the rest of my life to hear that you tried steeks, and the whole sweater unravelled on you! You just HAVE to know that it`s a sure-fire thing before you do it to a masterpiece... and a swatch will tell you that! PLEASE tell me you are doing it on a swatch first!!!!
|
|
2/5/2004 1:04:12 AM
|
|
Uros - possible problem
|
Theresa, once again I find myself copying your post into my knitting notes!
Oh, and, Farmin` Garmon... While I sincerely hope this problem resolves itself for you (I`m knitting another hatliner out of Uros as I wait for pages to load on the computer here, and visualising it working out for you already!) if you get TOO frustrated and just want to unload the Uros, and happen to have unused skeins of it in "Fresh Cream," just say so, and I will gladly buy them off you! I don`t expect to be able to get single-ply Lama yarn again for about a dog`s age, and I just did a little felting experiment on a swatch of it, and dang if it isn`t beautiful for that, too!!!
|
|
2/5/2004 1:23:49 AM
|
|
MacChick- The Medieval Gothic Shrug--easy-fitting; a tracery of Gothic
|
How about a group experiment, then? We should all contribute ideas and theories! As for my part, it`s gotta simmer in my brain for awhile first... the one thing I never liked about shrugs was the fact that it appears as though you can`t cover up the front of yourself... you know, like your chest would get awfully cold. But now, if you could vary the shrug, keep those lovely and practical arms, but get a little better chest coverage, and yet still have it be a thing that stays on by itself, but yet not looking like a poncho with sleeves... you see what I`m trying to puzzle out here. I`ll usually try out some ideas in fabric first... I always find it`s quicker to cut and drape and sew and construct with muslin until I have a shape that is working right, then try to construct that shape out of knitting. (And, of course, the obligatory: "and how can it be done on a circular needle, so I can just mindlessly go around in circles?"
|
|
2/5/2004 1:50:32 AM
|
|
feeling very blessed - waxing philosopical
|
Yes!!! I totally agree! This place is so friendly, informative, and inspiring, not to mention the VITAL part where you get to find out you are not crazy, that there are other people out there who obssess about how to get more yarn, where to put it, what to knit with it, and what needles to use... other people who fondle their alpaca yarn, sniff their unwashed fisherman`s wool, and wear strands of yarn around their necks, claiming to be "testing for itchiness," but more likely just wanting to be near their yarn every minute...
Have you ever seen that advertisement for Interweave Press? It just says:
"Do you knit in your dreams?"
The first time I saw that, I thought, "Yes, OMG, I thought I was crazy, but there must be others..."
Then I came to Elann.com and found them!
|
|
2/5/2004 2:21:32 AM
|
|
What I did last summer - my trip to Elann.com
|
Wow! I can`t imagine the process of doing the Newsletter! I never stopped to think about what an effort that is!
I wonder if the people assembling the newsletter know what a treasure the newsletter is to us? I keep all of mine in a binder, in chronological order, just in case anything gets restocked, or as a cross-reference to make comparisons... sometimes I just get out that binder and go through it and touch some of the yarns that were lovingly knitted into projects long ago mailed away as gifts. Every now and then, by some fluke, I get an extra one... one comes in the mail but then also in with an order... I think it`s only happened three times. Once, I mailed the extra one to my sister and told her to get me gift certificates to this place every year for my birthday (which she now does). Another time I mailed one to my sister and asked her to pick out a color she liked, and she did, and I bought a bunch of it.
One of the extra newsletters I gave to a lady I saw who was sitting at a counter kitting this beautiful afghan out of ugly-crappy department-store-acrylic yarn. I just said, "It`s beautiful. You deserve better yarn. And it doesn`t really cost much if you get it from this place." Then I just walked away, and I heard her mumbling, "ooooh..." as she was bent over the newsletter, stroking the samples with her fingers.
|
|
2/7/2004 3:20:23 AM
|
|
You know it`s bad when...
|
So there we were, waiting in line at the DMV, and playing the alphabet game. One person thinks of a word that begins with "A" and the next person tries to guess the word... and you work your way through the alphabet. It`s my daughter`s turn to guess, and the letter is "E," and without a moment`s hesitation, she shouts out: "Elann.com!"
|
|
2/8/2004 5:26:17 PM
|
|
Steek photos
|
I`m glad the pics are helpful. The best way to get the whole thing onto your computer for saving and/or printing is just what you`ve described: copy the text and paste it into a word processing program. If you are using MS Word, you can also get the accompanying pictures into the document by just dragging them over to it. (Another option is to just drag pictures onto your desktop, then add them to whatever documents you want at a later time.)
|
|
2/8/2004 5:35:32 PM
|
|
You know it`s bad when...
|
Yea, I wasn`t surprised when "A" was for Alpaca, but the "E" is for Elann.com was a hoot! Y for yarn and W for wool were predictable... and you know you`ve taught your child to be a fiber-snob when she says "N" is for NO POLYESTER! And you know you`re old when she thinks nothing of saying J is for JPEG and P is for Pixels (and when somebody in the line mumbled something about a kid that age doesn`t even know what a pixel is, she overheard and told me, loud enough to be overheard herself, "It stands for picture element and I do know what it is... it`s what makes all the pages at Barbie.com load soooo slowly." But I still get a chuckle every time I think of "E" is for Elann.com... oh, her Kindergarten teacher next year is going to get an earful!
|
|
2/8/2004 5:41:37 PM
|
|
Be Careful What You Wish For : ) !!
|
Oh, you summed up it well... that`s where we`re all headed, isn`t it?
|
|
2/8/2004 5:45:18 PM
|
|
New Color on this Site?
|
So is everyone seeing this in a new color? It`s kind of a warmer and easier-on-the-eyes look... I like it!!!
|
|
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25... Last
|
