This is a new experience for me. One project. My bag looks very empty. Maybe monogamous knitters have smaller knitting bags.

Usually mine is filled with about 3 knitting projects, plus the obligatory 2 books just in case I get stuck somewhere, run out of knitting and need a book to read. Along with working on several knitting projects at the same time, not exactly at the same time you understand, I also read multiple books at a time too. I am currently reading a novel, a marketing book, a book of essays about artists and a book about writing. And although I am knitting the last baby sweater I also have a scarf in the queue right behind it, along with an adult sweater in chunky cotton and the second brown waffle sock. I'll work on all three of them over the next couple of weeks and finish my books too (I should mention that I don't have cable so don't watch TV at all).

Is this multi-ness normal?

-Deb

I'm knitting my last little baby sweater for the new book. At least I'm going to shortly cast on and then I will be knitting it. I've saved one of my favourite stitch patterns until the end, the waffle stitch. It's easy, it's effective, I think it looks great.

Waffle Stitch:
Row 1:  *K2, P2; repeat.
Row 2:  *P2, K2; repeat.
Rows 3 & 4:  Knit.

This cardigan is from the Teens and Tweens book and then we did an adult version too.

I've also used it in the Need A Sock? book.

Waffle Stitch:  'in the round'
Rounds 1 & 2:  *K2, P2; repeat.
Round 3:  Knit.
Round 4:  Purl.

And now this same stitch pattern is going to adorn a baby sweater. I can't get enough of it.

Do you have stitch patterns that you love to do? Which ones are they?
-Deb

It looks like I came home from Ottawa and then disappeared off the face of the blog. I did but I was teaching in Midhurst last weekend so it's been a busy teaching couple of weeks.

Last weekend I taught a beginner lace class over 2 days for the Simco County Arts and Crafts Assoc..

They made this crescent scarf in DK weight yarn. It was a quiet class with much counting of stitches under the breath. But they all did very, very well.

You begin this scarf with the lace work. That entails many, many stitch markers, one for every repeat of the pattern. This Oatmeal one is in Cotton Tweed.

And then I knit this bright one in fingering (sock) weight yarn but it's a little short.

So the blue one I'm working on now has 4 more repeats of the pattern on it.

I'm still enjoying knitting scarf no.4.

-Deb

I had a wonderful weekend in Ottawa teaching all sorts of Top Down classes.

The first one was an exploration of what you could do with a basic pattern.

And all the students showed me that you can do a lot. How about a fancy cable down the back with a lovely fancy cable bottom border to match. Laurie is going to pick up around the neck and make a matching collar. It looks terrific with her choice of yarn (makes me think of watermelons).

By Monday night at the Ottawa Knitting Guild meeting quite a few little sweaters were more than half done. Even those students who had to go home and give their project a rethink to get their pattern placed exactly how they wanted it to be had the finish line in sight.

Back in the classroom we tackled V-neck shaping on a teddy bear sized sweater.

Lynn brought her very well-dressed teddy to the guild meeting. Adorable. We finished the classes with some solutions to 'fit' issues which I hope will enhance their future adult-sized projects. A great time. Thanks Ottawa knitters.

I also got the chance to have lunch with Liz who happened to be spending the day in Ottawa. Note to self: It's good to get out of the house sometimes. It gives me a chance to see people I usually email. She has a brand new pattern out Perth Cardi available on Ravelry. It looks terrific.

And more news from the Ottawa area. The Eastern Ontario Needler's Retreat sign up is opening soon. If you're in the eastern Ontario area it's a great time. I'm checking my dates because I would love to go again.
-Deb

I’m on the road again and it’s coming up soon. If you’re in the Ottawa, ON area the Ottawa Knitting Guild is hosting me for a weekend of workshops on April 9 & 10. Ottawa Knitting Guild

On Saturday I’m going to be teaching “Designing for the Faint of Heart” which is based on our upcoming baby book. This should be fun with lots of creative juices flowing. On Sunday we’re going to throw all the rules of the raglan yoke shaping out the window and see what we can come up with. Always a favourite class for me because I love to play 'what would happen if '. And then we’re doing a 'Top Down that Fits' class. I have lots of ideas for that and some adult sized samples with some of my experiments.

After sewing on about 25 buttons I have a stack of samples to take and only one puncture wound to my finger. That's pretty good for me.

I think I'm done for tonight.
Deb

Could the numbers I had worked out for the Baby booklet work for an adult sweater? I decided to knit an adult size and see.

I think it turned out very well. Using chunky weight Northern Lights I worked the numbers for the newborn size in sock weight yarn. I did some calculations to decide that that size would give me the neckband measurment I would like. I made some modifications. I cast on 3" at the underarms, put in waist shaping and made it short sleeved. Now I have to find some buttons which match this gorgeous new Apricot colour of Northern Lights.

Isn't gauge a wonderful thing? With a change of gauge you can take the numbers for a sock weight newborn sweater and make an adult sized sweater, amazing.
-Deb

Here's the Ridgeway Lite sweater with a slight change. Janell took out the vertical patterning on the front at the request of the guy she was knitting it for. I think it turned out very, very well. Nice fleck to the yarn too. The ability to make adjustments to patterns really frees you up to make a garment that you might like better than the original. After doing this a couple of times you will be able to look at a pattern photo and see the possibilities that slight changes might give you. It will take you somewhere new.

This pullover is knit from the bottom up 'in the round' with Elizabeth Zimmermann's nalgar shaping in the yoke (raglan spelt backwards). In the Nalgar shaping you set up 4 markers just like a raglan yoke but the twist is that you work increases instead of decreases at these points. It's fun and weird and wonderful. You can read about this shaping in Knitting Workshop by Elizabeth Zimmermann, an excellent book and in Vogue Knitting Magazine Winter 2010-2011 in the article MEG SWANSEN ON: THE FOUR TOPS: For the final installment of her EPS yoke series, Meg spells "raglan" backwards.

It's a cool yoke shaping and can totally stump your knitting friends if they're not familiar with EZ's work. We have to get your jollies somewhere, right?
-Deb