Preparing for Retreats

I'm getting ready for a couple of retreats coming up. Two in September and another in October. Nice to get ahead with samples and class notes.

First up is two days of knitting at Lauzon Lodge in Algoma Mills, Northern Ontario on September 23 & 24. We're going to knit Gauge Free mittens. No swatches, no checking gauge, use any yarn and any needle to knit any size. It's magic! Knitting from 9:30am to 4:30pm for two days should result in at least one pair of fully finished mittens. Lunch, and it will be delicious, is included for the $90. Accommodation is extra if you're not local. Sharon has 3 B&B rooms open and there is a motel in Blind River. September isn't too early to think about getting some winter knitting done and maybe a couple pairs of mittens for Christmas presents.

Here is one happy student with her mittens from the Eastern Needlers Retreat made.

Next is a retreat the weekend after in Sudbury, Ontario (yes it's the northern ontario tour). I'm teaching Two Triangles Make A Hat. Another Gauge Free workshop. Again no swatches, no gauge to check, use any yarn with any needles for any size. Yup, it definitely works. It's a great group of women and we are going to have fun!

Fall Knitting Retreat

September 29 to October 1, 2017

ssands.sudbury@gmail.com

Prices include meals, workshops, snacks, door prizes etc.

from Friday night till Sunday afternoon

Single Room $270 Shared double Room $240 per person

Here is one sample I've finished and another in progress.

Now for a striped version, almost done but not quite.

Perfect for all the odd bits of yarn you have around. It's done with 2 50g balls of yarn.

Next, still time to get samples done, is our Cabin Fever Retreat at the end of October 27-29. Our design theme is Small Changes. Three classes where you will knit one wrister using the same 3 colours. You can go home with a set of 3 fraternal wristers which gives you 3 different looking pairs. Cool, eh? Here are a couple of samples for my class which is based on 2x2 rib pattern with small changes which result in a different pattern every time you change colours.

Lyn and Elizabeth Fallone are working on their samples so I can show you the fraternal wristers. I like to set up classes where at the end of the weekend you go home with something you can actually wear and 3 wristers is a pretty good bit of knitting over the weekend.

So far a little ahead of the game. I did finish my 4 directions of the compass sweater but the photos are on my phone and I'm at Tim's using their internet and forgot my cable to transfer the pics. Next time.

How is your knitting going? I'm knitting outside between rain showers, it's one soggy summer.
Deb

Retreat Mittens

Last weekend was another Retreat weekend. Yes, it's a hard life but someone (this time that would be me) has to do it. I was at the Eastern Ontario Needlers Retreat in Gananaque, ON teaching Gauge-Free mittens. Mittens you can knit to any size with any yarn. Here are some of the many results.

Thanks to Devon, Norma, Christine (who added stripes) and Nancy (who did 2 pairs). Great mittens. A lovely weekend with knitters.
-Deb

First Gauge-Free workshop

Even though it's looking like spring here, I did a workshop yesterday on mittens. But not just any mitten. We worked on mittens from a different perspective.

Have you inherited yarn? Did all of it have labels to tell you what it was and the suggested gauge? No? What do you make with mystery yarn?

You can make mittens without knowing the gauge at all. Not once during the knitting of these mittens does gauge come into play. This was my first run through of this idea and look at the lovely little sample mittens the knitters at the Beacock Library made.

They learned that you can make a mitten in any size with any yarn. Do they look happy with their mittens?

Had a whole lot of fun. Thanks knitters in London, ON.
-Deb

It's 9am and I have sewn 3 buttons on my latest knit of the Last Minute Baby Vest in Cotton Tweed worsted,

and if you know my feelings about sewing on buttons you know this is last minute (ha, ha) and urgent. Yup. Tomorrow we leave to go to the Kitchener-Waterloo Knitter's Fair in Kitchener, ON. It's shades of Christmas Eve around here, last minute sewing and knitting and wrapping up.

10:30am.  I sewed in the ends on a new pair of Ergonomic Mittens called Striped Mitten (I have to work on  garment naming, obviously) in Northern Lights chunky, soaked the mittens and set them out to dry (I don't think all my crossing of fingers is going to help my knitting dry in this humidity). All the time drinking very cold coffee since I forgot about it while sewing buttons on, a task that seems to take my undivided attention so there is no bloodshed.

11:30am Then I edited new patterns: 1920's Stripes (hat) which match the Striped Mittens. Phew, can't believe I have this much done already. Best to get everything done before the temperature soars. Load patterns up on Ravelry. Done. Check.

Afternoon: Now I'm trying to finish that last knitted garment. Doesn't this bring back December 24th and not in a particularly good way? One more Swirl Cowl in a new variegated Cottage Colours worsted wool. I really like watching the swirl cut across the colour but I'd enjoy it more if it went just a teensy weensy bit faster.

It might be a late night! If you're going to the K-W show come by and say Hi. We're having a SHOW SPECIAL. Come and check it out.

-Deb

I-CORD THUMB

I couldn't make a video. Somehow what I needed wasn't coming up on my computer today (or lots of other days, it's just me). So here's the I-Cord Thumb in pictures. The instructions for this mitten and the Alternative Thumb are in the Need An Accessory? book

Knit your mitten as usual, putting the thumb stitches on spare yarn.

When you're ready to do the thumb put all the stitches on ONE double pointed needle. (Tip: If there are really loose stands beside the needle stitches, pick one strand up, twist it and put on needle.) Knit across the stitches.

Now SLIDE the stitches to the other end of the needle. Yarn from the ball is now attached to the last stitch on the needle. Pull the yarn across the back of all the stitches and Knit the first stitch. Knit across all the stitches on the needle. You can see the ladder that makes. All is well.

Again, *Slide the stitches to the other end of the needle, pull the yarn across the back of the stitches and Knit all the stitches; repeat from * for the length of your thumb. Work a couple rounds of K2tog to decrease the top of the thumb. You'll have a lot of ladders going up the inside of the thumb. Wonderful.

Now, get out your crochet hook and let the magic begin. With the crochet hook, pick up a leg of a stitch at the base of the thumb (this is a stitch in the fabric of the palm).

Pull the first ladder through this stitch. 

Hook up each ladder, one by one up the thumb.

Put the last loop onto the needle. Using a sewing up needle, thread the yarn through all the thumb stitches and pull tight. Sew in end. Use the end at the base of the thumb to tidy up the little hole.

Ta, da, ladders are gone. Thumb is finished. This photo has NOT been doctored!!

That's how easy it is. You can knit a thumb in minutes. Try it.
-Deb
P.S. Sharon in Surrey, Lazy, ha, ha! You have so many socks on the go. I just finished 2 pair this week. Now only 2 toques to knit. Good luck with the knee warmers.

It's mitten wearing weather now for us here in Canada.  The knitters in the Need An Accessory? book mitten class , last Saturday at Yarn Forward and Sew On in Ottawa, got a head start on their pair. As you can see, the yarn weights ranged from DK to bulky weight and everyone got one mitten done and started the second one. And lots had cables running up the back.

I've been wearing my own pair and am knitting a fingering weight pair to put inside when it gets really cold. I'm ready winter, bring it on!

 - Deb

Pat did a different pattern on the Chunky Mittlets.

I really like them.

A suggestion that was made to me was to take the YO that sits at the end of your double pointed needle and move it in one stitch. Terry pointed out that if you put the mittlet down and pick it up again you could loose the YO. It turns out the moving it one stitch in also makes the increase tighter.

I've incorporated it into the pattern. Sometimes it's the small details that make the difference in a pattern. Thanks Terry.
-Deb

This Top Down has a squarer neckline than a standard raglan,though not perfectly square. The back of the neck is 7" wide and the cast on for the sleeves is 4" wide. A more standard sleeve width would be 1"-2" wide. This changes the neckline, making it a wider rectangle and gives a nice drop to the front and back of the neckline without any fancy short row shaping.

The stripes are continuing. I'm finding that this is a cheerful knit. I smile while I'm knitting.

More Mittlets. Terry came to our Mariposa knit club this morning with her version of the mittlets.

She worked a lace pattern down the back of the hand in two different yarns, as you can see. But she went a litte further . . .

and ran the lace pattern up the thumb. Nice, very nice. All that from a plain mittlet pattern in stockinette stitch. A great idea.
- deb

Junebug859 has added cables to the back of her mittlet. Nice, tight cables make a distinct pattern. They look great.

How about adding some bling?  Barb added beads to the Little Poncho pattern.

"Here’s the poncho with my sweet granddaughter Clara wearing it. I used the Czech glass beads interspersed in the broad band at the bottom." Barb.  [Doesn't Clara look happy? Ed.note]

Adding Beads. There's an idea!
Add Beads wherever you want:  Knit the stitch where you want to place the bead. Pinch the knit stitch off the Right needle, insert crochet hook into the hole of the bead and pull the knit stitch through the hole. Place the beaded knit stitch back onto the Right needle.

Are ponchos on their way back?
-Deb

 

 

I got some wonderful feedback on the mittlets (2 posts back) and the Challenge. The increase didn't cause anyone any problems, phew. The Challenge was to make up a 8-stitch pattern for the back of the mittlets to see how they would turn out.

Miss Mouse (teal pair) made a plain pair to check out the increase. 

Brenda (brown pair) put a rope cable of her own on the Back.

Bernice made up her own knit/purl pattern for the back of her mitten.

 

I think there are a couple more coming. Bring them on. I'm looking forward to seeing them. THANKS for joining in. I really appreciate the feedback.

-Deb

This is a mittlet pattern I'm going to put in the Accessory Book we're working on now. There are instructions for both versions: a Basic (stockinette stitch mittlet) or a Patterned mittlet (with a pattern up the centre back). Would you like to try it out and tell me what you think of it? In the book it will be in many gauges but for now it's really quick to knit in chunky weight yarn.
It has an interesting increase which you may or may not like, let me know. You could substitute the easier Kf/b increase if it's a problem.
And if you can catch any errors please let me know. (If you print this off it's about 6 pages but watch that you don't continue to print the 5 posts that follow it, that's a lot of paper.)

CHALLENGE: The challenge I gave the Kawartha Hooks and Needles Guild was to make up their own 8-stitch pattern. Have a go. There's an empty chart at the bottom. You can make your stitch pattern any number of rows high. Send me a photo of the mittlet with your own stitch pattern on it. I'd love to post them.

I'm going to take this down on March 11.

 

ERGONOMIC MITTLETS
For Adult with CHUNKY YARN
Designed by Deb Gemmell

Pattern will be available on Patternfish in April, 2013.

I am playing with mittens again. I need to knit quite a few to get the pattern writing details down. One detail I spotted on these is that it's necessary to specify which yarn to use for the decreases at the top of the mitten. I think the decrease stitches should all be in the solid purple colour (see the bottom mitten - one set of decrease sts are in variegated blue and the other side is in solid purple).

Details, details.
I am enjoying the small project colourwork. Do you do colour work? Do you do big projects or small things? Do you knit with a colour in each hand? I'm finding the variegated/solid colour combo gives a big impact.
Deb

I've been playing with mittens. They are the greatest little project to play with colour. This is an easy stitch pattern with 2 Main Colour rounds of 2x2 rib and Contrast Colour knit and purl rounds. The mitten on the left has the purple as the MC and the variegated wool as the CC. The right mitten has the variegated wool as the MC. They do look quite different in person. I like the right one better.

I love the striped palms. I think I'll do the next set of mittens all stripes, forget the pattern, I like it so much. I'll be working on the thumbs tomorrow. I'm going to work them as a large I-cord. Never tried this with stripes before so will be interesting.

Deb

It's Here!

Yes! Teens & Tweens has arrived! Here are a couple of images from the book. I'll post all the colour pages on the gallery on the web site.

The Cabled Hoodie above, Kendra's Tunic below:

The Waffle Scarf & Mittlets, below left, Mirror Stripes Pullover, below right & bottom left, and the Tam & Zigag Scarf bottom right:

Now to update the web site!

-Lynda

I'm moving along with my Teen knit. It's a little hard to knit with my fingers crossed but I'm at the great divide now and had to take a run to the shop to collect a couple more skiens of wool.

There is some more knitting on this sweater on the program tonight.

Last night I made a mitten.

And this morning I started the second mitten. I had put in some short rows across the back of the hand and when I got to that point this morning I couldn't remember how often I had worked them. Last night I thought 'I'll remember how many rows I did'. HA, HA, HA, HA. What is it they say about us being our own worst enemy?! I don't know what I was thinking. I was being delusional. So... I ripped back so they were both at the same point and thought I would knit them both together. Have you ever done this?

Both the backs of the hand are on one circular needle and the palms are on a second. I tried knitting them this way for a bit and finally resorted to using a third circular needle, like knitting with 3 very long double pointed needles, which worked pretty good. They will match now but I must admit it's a bit awkward since I kept dropping the empty needle as it emptied (if that makes any sense).

They are drying now on my mitten dryer over the hot air vent.

-Deb