Archive for the 'tips and tricks' Category
Designing my own shawl … swatches
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
So, Now that I’ve picked out my stitch patterns for class, I’m swatching them to see how they flow…
Here’s a rectangular swatch:
Sometimes it helps to look at the swatch from an angle to see how the stitches really flow into each other:
Here’s how I swatch to see how things will look in the actual shawl:
Posted in Patterns, tips and tricks, Online classes | No Comments »
More Tshirt Yarn projects and a video how-to
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009
So we are well into week 2 of tshirt yarn class, and I’m really making a lot of projects!
Here’s a scarf that I knit, using a length of organic bamboo fabric that I cut into yarn. I overdyed it in tea! The tea stained the scarf in a really interesting way, and toned down the baby pink.
I also dyed this light pink yarn with tea:
Here’s what it looked like fresh out of the dye bath:
It was light pink to begin with, and the tea added those darker tan spots. I can’t wait to see how this knits up!
Here’s a little video on how to use tea or coffee to dye things:
Find more videos like this on UPcycled Tshirt Yarn Class
Posted in tips and tricks, video post, Online classes | 1 Comment »
How to join a new ball of yarn to your project (video post)
Sunday, September 13th, 2009
I’ve been so engrossed in “Fitted Raglan Shawl” class that I totally didn’t blog last week!
I was on such a video blog roll, too!
Well. I’ve got some stuff. I’m working on LOTS of videos for class, and I thought I’d share this one with all of you:
Find more videos like this on Fitted Raglan Shawl Class
We’ve been having some discussions in class about how and when to join new yarns. I was always taught to join at the edge of the knitting, but I think that if you use a splice (like the spit splice that I show you in the video) you can just join new yarn anyplace you run out and need to start a new ball. There are certainly as many ways to join / splice yarns as there are knitters, so if you google, you’ll find LOTS of techniques. These are the two that I use the most.
By the way, that’s Cascade 128 in a beautiful light blue, almost silver gray color. LOVE IT for this shawl. I use a bulkier yarn and bigger needles for the video examples so that everything shows up. I’ll add the directions for this bulkier version of the shawl to the pattern when I finish it.
Posted in tips and tricks, video post | No Comments »
My risky behavior gets you a Soak promo code!
Thursday, June 11th, 2009
Well, in the spirit of Summer knitting, FOs, and making things that I really LOVE (instead of doing a bunch of stuff because I HAVE to) I overdyed my Clapotis.
What does that have to do with Summer knitting? It’s a silk - blend yarn, and perfect to take to the movies or wherever the A/C might be blasting this summer!
What does that have to do with FOs? It’s something that is currently an FO, and will be even MORE F once I get it to a color that I can actually wear.
What does that have to do with making things that I really LOVE (instead of doing a bunch of stuff because I HAVE to?) I’ve been fighting this burnout, trying to rid myself of toxic people, situations that make me feel uncomfortable, tasks that I don’t enjoy or that are just not fulfilling…and somehow turning this scarf that took SOoooooOOOooo long to knit into something that I will actually use and love is a part of that.
It started out as a pretty Salmon color. I love this color. But I don’t like it next to my face. It’s just one of those colors that looks great on the mannequin, but not next to my skin. It’s a little too pink and not orange enough for my hair color. I would see it and think that I *should* like it…I *should* wear it. But I don’t. I don’t wear this color.
In this picture, I’ve folded it in half lengthwise, rolled it up, and put it in a bowl. I poured Rust Orange dye in the center, and Jet Black around the edges.
When I took it out of the dye bath, I could tell that (because this is a blend and I used a dye for cotton…so the silk will dye well but the wool won’t) it was going to be much lighter than a pure black. It’s risky, just pouring on dye and hoping that I like it in the end…but what the heck.
After the dye bath, it went into the protective mesh undie-washing bag and into the washer with a couple squirts of Soak Wash.
Here it is fresh out of the washer and off the clothesline (I use the gentlest cycle, cold water wash and rinse, with a fast spin. Spinning it really helps to get the extra water out so that it drys fast on the line.)
(I’m not sure what’s going on with my camera today…Mazie prints on the lens? It’s acting very Moonlighting.)
The Soak did a great job of washing out all the dye and mordant…and it smells great!
Because Jacqueline (the owner of the Soak company) is so generous, if you decide to order soak ANY TIME FOR THE NEXT MONTH, enter the discount code Soak09 and you’ll save 15%.
Posted in just chit chat, tips and tricks | No Comments »
New Lion Notebook Post is up!
Thursday, May 14th, 2009
Well, the next installment of the Lion Brand Notebook Knitalong that I’m leading has been posted: Textured Circle Shrug Knit-Along: Casting On and Working the Yoke.
I’ve also uploaded the photos to the flickr pool, so that you can enlarge them if you need to see something more clearly. I don’t think that I can order them within the group pool (I’m not a moderator) but they’re in order in my set.
See? I’m knitting! Really! And, for you seamstresses out there, yes, that IS another Built by Me shirt! This one is a cool Alexander Henry butterfly print that I bought locally.
Posted in Patterns, press, tips and tricks | No Comments »
Tweed Coat Collar Tutorial: finished
Wednesday, March 11th, 2009
Here’s what the collar looks like when it’s all finished. You can see how it curves around the neckline and even has a little height to the fabric at back neck.
TA-dada-DA.
Sorry if my rugged patio is distracting! I took the photos for today’s post outside because now that it’s nice weather, Mazie wants to be outside ALL THE TIME. I’m encouraging it!
AND…Here’s where I am on the crochet rug. It’s only about 2 feet long, so I need to keep going. I’ve got a lot of these fabric strips, but they may not all go together colorwise. We’ll see.
The whole point of crocheting this rug is to get rid of junk lying around (fabric strips) and save $$. BUT. I’m looking at the colors in this rug and wanting a new set of towels for the big bathroom. Hold me back. Maybe I can somehow add some of these colors to the towels we already have?
Posted in crochet, tips and tricks, Q&A, Bring Back the Zen | No Comments »
Results of yesterday’s tutorial…
Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Well. Yesterday’s post was the result of several emails that I’ve received from one reader. She was having trouble with the collar of the coat. So, I thought that it would be helpful to work through the coat with pictures and text as a guide for her and possibly for others who may be finding it difficult.
This morning I received an email from her. I’ll just post it here so that you can see…(directly posted from email, omitting her name):
i just wanted to write one last time. i have ripped this out and started over about 5 times now. i realize after reading your blog and seeing that other people were saying that they thought your pattern was “screwed up”. I personally never said that and all along i was thinking it was me. but now i see clearly the problem here. you need to admit to yourself that the pattern is unclear. when you gave your instructions on the blog i don’t think you went through all the steps and you don’t say exactly what is supposed to be done the whole way through the problem area and i can attest to that because now i have ripped out again after your instruction. i believe you are leaving out a big step and it might be at the point where you say to do it four times. do what four times. i really don’t know what the problem is exactly because i haven’t gotten it right yet. i guess it would be interesting to know if your explanation has helped people. i am sick of ripping this out and what started out as a cool fun project is turning out to be a nightmare for me. one more try for me and then i’m gonna make a straight collar and forget the short row shaping. a little background on me is i have been knitting now for about 10 years. i know how to follow instructions.
My response:
[Reader],
I spent hours writing that blog post, taking photos, and trying to go step by step through the instructions.
I’m sorry that it didn’t meet your standards. I’m afraid there’s nothing more that I am able to so on this for you.
Have a great day!
Stefanie.
Fortunately, I also received a lovely Ravelry note about the same sweater:
Stephanie,
I finished the tweed coat this week. I LOVE it! I think the confusion on the collar is that until you finish the second increase row the pattern is off by 1 stitch. But when you do the second increase row in that set–everything gets back on track.
I will post a picture this weekend but I wore it to my knitting group today and everyone loved it. Thanks for a great pattern. Yvonne
And I also see on ravelry 
that several people have already finished the sweater and have smiley faces to indicate that they’re pleased with the result.
So, while I didn’t do much for the first reader’s zen quotient, I hope that I did help clarify things for a few people! Thanks for reading, and I really do hope that you all have a great day!
Posted in Book Talk, tips and tricks, Q&A, Bring Back the Zen | 11 Comments »
Working through the Tweed Coat collar: part 1
Friday, February 27th, 2009
Welcome back!
Today we’re going to start the collar of the Tweed Coat (see yesterday’s post for an introduction.)
I’m making the 3rd size, since that’s the size the last person to email me about this was making.
I’m also making just the collar…so I cast on sts while you will be picking up and knitting yours as per the pattern instructions.
Here we go…starting on page 99 of Glam Knits.
I’m skipping ahead to page 102 to get my cast on #s.
The instructions say to pick up and knit 58 sts along the right front edge, 56 along the cast on edge, and 58 for the left front. This does indeed equal the 172 sts that I will cast on.
I have placed markers between the above sections (after 58, then 56 sts) of my caston because it will help me later when I have to determine which sts are part of which section.
Next, we simply work 6 rows in k2p2 rib:
Now, we are asked to work one row in alternating rib. If you look at the stitch pattern definition on page 100, it says to work the first 4 rows such that you start with k2…but, since we are asked to begin working in alternating rib…I start here on a P2…so that I’m actually starting to work in stitch pattern. Otherwise, I just keep working in k2p2 ribbing.
This brings us to the “SHAPE CENTER OF COLLAR” section, in which we begin short row shaping.
Continuing to work in alternating rib stitch, we start our short rows.
Work to 5 sts after 3rd marker, wrap and turn, work to 5 sts after next marker wrap and turn.
Here’s what that looks like:
I’ve worked for 5 sts past the marker, and will wrap the next stitch, turn my work to the other side, and then work 5 sts after the next marker, wrap the next (6th) st, and turn.
So you do that…and then in brackets is:
[work to 6 sts before wrap of row before previous row, wrap and turn] 4 times.
You knit until there are 6 sts left before the wrapped stitch, then wrap stitch #1 and turn. And do that 4 times.
Each time you do a short row in this way, you’re working over fewer and fewer sts at the back neck.
**NOTE: A point of debate here might be that I say in the instructions to knit to 6 sts BEFORE the wrapped stitch, which would mean that instead of having sts numbered 1 - 6 in the image above, I’d have 1 - 7 (including the wrapped st.) Either way you choose to count will work. We are simply adding height here, and whether it’s 2 sts broader or narrower will not make much difference in the end.
After you do the above process 4 times, your work will look like this:
You have essentially inserted a lens-shaped piece of fabric into the back neck of your collar. This adds height to the back of the collar, so that it hugs the neck, rather than splatting out flat onto your shoulders and back.
In the photo below, I outlined our newly inserted fabric, so that you can see exactly what it looks like:
You also notice that within the outline, we are able to keep in stitch pattern as we go back and forth doing our short rows. BUT…there is some irregularity in the stitch pattern when we compare it to the surrounding fabric.
I *think* that this is what’s causing people to send emails about the pattern being “screwed up” when, really, it’s just a matter of having to insert a non-linear (or non-rectangular) piece of fabric into a rectilinear stitch pattern.
You WILL HAVE some partial pattern repeats in this section, which means that some of your ribs will be longer and some will be shorter. It’s just the result of working your short rows.
Once you finish this section, you are asked to work one row even, working remaining wraps together with wrapped stitches. All you have to do is work that row from the beginning in stitch pattern. By that, I mean that if you start at the right hand edge, and are supposed to begin your alternating rib stitch with a p2, do that. And work in p2k2 ribbing all the way across. (If you’re on a k2 section, start with k2 and do a k2p2 rib all the way across.) You’ll re-establish the alternating rib pattern, and be able to continue through the next stage of the collar shaping.
Let’s go on to that “SHAPE COLLAR” section together:
Row one says to [work to marker, LLI, slip marker, RLI] 4 times work to end.
So, you work across your fabric in st patt as established in the row above. At each marker, you increase 2 stitches.
Row 2 says to work even, working inc sts in alternating rib.
What you want to do in these 2 rows is to keep your 2 new sts in the same st patt as the two surrounding them. The markers are placed so that they’re in between two “like” sts…so (k m k) or (p m p). When you increase, increase to make (k k m k k) or (p p m p p).
In the photo above, there are 2 k sts on either side of the marker (k k m k k)
In the next increase round, we increase so that we go back to our alternating rib pattern (k k p m p k k) or (p p k m k p p). I’ve outlined this in the photo below, in which I’ve completed an increase set and worked one half alternating rib st patt reapeat (4 rows.)
Here’s what the collar (to this point) looks like from a broader perspective:
Any inconsistencies in the stitch pattern are due to the insertion of our curved or lens-shaped area of fabric into a rectangular stitch pattern, and are really not that bad on the grander scheme of the whole collar.
The rest of the collar is pretty straightforward.
Now that you know what the basic setup is like, maybe you’ll even find a smoother way to insert your short rows in stitch pattern and share your mods with us!
Posted in Book Talk, Patterns, tips and tricks, Q&A, Bring Back the Zen | 1 Comment »
Tweed Coat: Let’s cast on together!
Thursday, February 26th, 2009
I’ve seen a few posts and received a couple of questions about the Tweed Coat from Glam Knits.
I think we should work through the collar together.
There are a few issues at play that seem to be giving knitters pause.
For those of you who are currently paused…you’ll have to hold on a little bit longer. But…for those Tweed Coat knitters of the future…TADA!
OK. The aforementioned issues are:
1) All over stitch pattern.
2) Short rows to shape collar’s back neck (in stitch pattern.)
3) Increases within collar (in stitch pattern) to help it lay flat.
An all-over st patt is no big deal, the whole jacket is patterned. But the thing that’s messing people up is having to short row in pattern, and then also to do increases for the collar shaping. And it’s making them think there’s an error in the pattern. SO…we need to work through it and find out!
I’m going to wind some yarn and be right back (tomorrow) with progress photos and explanation.
Posted in Patterns, tips and tricks, Q&A, Bring Back the Zen | 2 Comments »
One designer’s process
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
OK, so you know I’ve coordinated a couple of the newer Mission Falls knitting pattern books? I’ll show you how I go about submitting a design, and then working up the sample garment.
This is just MY method…others will do this differently.
SO, it all starts with a sketch and a swatch:
Since it’s my job to coordinate this booklet, I wait to decide on my own yarn colors until I plan the color palette, and see what the other designers submit. Then I determine which colors everyone else’s designs will use, and fill in my own colors last. I usually try to work with the designers on their color choices, and not use too heavy a hand in choosing things for them.
Since this is a booklet for one yarn company, I need to look at fashion sites, determine what “the” fall color palette is, and then interpret that in the company’s existing colors. Here’s an example of what that looks like:
I chose a few main colors, some neutrals, and then what I call “pop” colors…brights that will “pop” against the main colors when used as accents. I use this palette to assign colors to the designers, using their sketches and swatches as I go. Then, I use my own design sketches to fill in the color ‘gaps.’ Deciding ahead of time on a color palette ensures that the booklet will present a coordinated “line” of patterns even though we are four designers with four very different viewpoints. Assigning colors myself ensures that one color isn’t over-represented, and that there’s a nice overall theme and feel to things.
Once I decide which color(s) my sweater(s) will use, I do a swatch for each in stitch pattern to double-check my gauge, then do a big swatch for each at the raglan increase, to make sure that my stitch pattern will work with the increases that I want to do. Here are the (unblocked) swatches for the above sketch:
Sorry that pic is awful! It’s night-time. I also don’t want to reveal too much before the pattern is officially published.
Once I have those swatches, I finish my pattern and either knit the garment myself or send it to a sample knitter like my good friend Cathi. I also just found a wonderful LOCAL sample / test knitter (hi Michelle)!! I feel like the luckiest person in the world to have a local sample knitter. We can meet periodically and make sure everything is working out…online that’s so tough!
I’ve got three designs in the Fall ‘09 Mission Falls booklet, and I have two sample knitters…I’m still deciding which one to knit myself. I’m tempted to keep the worsted one and send out the two DK ones, but in reality I know that I should actually keep the more difficult one, and send out the ones I know will be trouble-free from the beginning.