Benefits of Knitting

Do people around you think knitting is quaint, simple, only something you do when you have nothing else to do? If only they had time to knit they might give it a try? My grandmother knit, it's so cute that you do.

Next time you can tell them that you're more relaxed and have a more alert brain because you knit. Benefits of crafting

Here's to knitting,
Deb

Bust Shaping

Good question Brenda (from the comments). I continue to look for ideas for Bust Shaping of women's garments. The idea that the Front should be wider than the back seems to make soooo much sense.
In the Need A Plus Cardigan? book we worked Bust Increases on the Fronts below the Divide so that they look like this. The Bust Increases are worked every other row.

For the pullover I have found that I can increase every round and there is room for more increases since it is a flatter dart.

It's interesting to discover more ways to work for a better Fit.
-Deb
P.S. What do you think, Brenda?
T_A, thanks for your lovely comments. I hope there will be some more information for you in the upcoming book. It's really coming along and I'll be posting some more photos as we finish up some more knitting.

Move the Markers to Adjust Sleeves and Body

I'm just writing the custom fit section of the new book Need A Circular Yoke (which should be ready in June). I had an idea for an easy adjustment to get a better fitting sleeve. Thinking out loud here so please wade in with your opinion.

After working the circular yoke, we come to the Great Divide where you put the sleeve stitches on spare yarn to work later and cast on underarm stitches so you can carry on with the Body. You will have placed Markers to delineate the Back, Sleeves and Front for the Divide Round.

Let's say you really wanted a sleeve that is 1" wider than the schematic indicates. You could move your sleeve Markers out at the sides 1/2" on each side to make the sleeve wider when you work the Divide Round.

This makes the Back and Front narrower. Additional width (add 1" on each side of the Front) could be made up on the Front with the Bust Increases to the correct number of Body stitches. The Back would remain narrower.

The new increases in this book give a flater line of Bust Increases which mean you could easily work an extra inch in the bust shaping.
What do you think? Would this work?
-Deb

While you're knitting up your spring projects (we're being optimistic here that spring is really coming along some time soon), you might consider some knitting classes over the summer. A bit of a knitting holiday.

I'll be teaching two different courses at the Haliburton School of the Arts in Haliburton, ON. The first one is Saturday, July 19 and is called Make It Fit Workshop .
We'll be taking measurements and talking about the adjustments to Raglans and Set-in Sleeve styles for each person's figure. The knitters will go home with a sweater map (a guide to work from) so that they can knit sweaters they are proud to wear. Does that sound like fun? OK, except for the measuring part!
-Deb

I am knitting again, YAY. Sometimes I have to have a bit of a break but it's good to be back. But what to knit? Winter is almost over hopefully (?!) but summer still seems a long way away. So it seems a good time of year to be knitting a top down capelet. Although maybe there isn't a bad time of year for these garments. Especially when I think of how cozy they are. Not a whole sweater but enough to keep the chill off my shoulders and it stays exactly where I put it (that's a reference to shawls which I feel I need to staple to my body).

Lyn and I have put our heads together and come up with a new Cabin Fever wool. It's dyed by Shelridge Yarns (that's Lyn). We're calling it Star Dust. It's worsted weight W4 (my fav) and is just lovely to knit with. This capelet knit up in no time at all. It's from the Need An Accessory? book with the cable pattern. Now I could make mittlets with the same cable pattern. I would look stylish and cozy (or not, ha, ha).
-Deb