What's on your Christmas knitting list? ARGHH, it's December already and I've not started.

I was at a Knitting Guild meeting last night and Sandra (who knits for everyone at Christmas) gets a phone call from her sister-in-law:  "We really liked those hats you knit us last year, could you do us each some more this year and we really liked our socks and the kids would love leg warmers and . . ."    Sandra's comment was "The hats are doable, but where was all this information when I asked in August?! And how long does she think all this knitting is going to take? It's December already!!"

I guess it's time to get down to some sort of list.
2 Toques, one for my son and a second one for the daughter's new boyfriend, both in black, of course.
Socks, at least 2 pairs.
Cowl and matching mittens.
Finish mittens for myself since it's getting cold here.

Must get going on it.
-Deb

If you are knitting a Bag from the Top Down, you can finish the bottom of the bag in several ways. Here's a rectangle bottom done in stocking stitch. You could also do it in garter stitch.

After knitting the bag down to the desired length, pick out 4 stitches for the corners of the bottom. As you work around your last round, work a phoney seam at each corner. This is a set of photos for this technique how to do a phoney seam .

*On the next round, at each corner, work a Double Decrease (see below). Work a knit round.* Repeat from * to * until you run out of stitches on the short side of the rectangle, ending with a Double Decrease round. Turn it inside out and work a 3-Needle Cast Off across all the bottom stitches.


The Double Decrease involves 3 stitches, the centre stitch is the corner stitch.
Work to 1 stitch before the corner stitch, slip the next 2 stitches together as if to knit, K1, Pass 2 slipped stitches over.

Just need to work my strap and I'm done.
-Deb

Lyn and I were busy last week getting ready for the annual Cabin Fever Retreat.

Lyn is reskeining the lovely dyed wool made by the students that took her dye workshop.

This year's Design Focus was on waist and hip shaping. We had fun with the 2 projects.
Wristers, where we practiced waist and hip shaping.

We worked one wrister with waist shaping (decreasing) and the second wrister with hip shaping (increasing).

A second project was to make a bag with shaping that reflected our own body shape.

Here's a closer look at my own bag.

The bag handle has to be added. But it certainly is a good look at my figure.

And here's Kelly's alternative use of a wrister!

We're all looking forward to next year.
-Deb

Size It Smaller

Top Down garments really lend themselves to specific sizing.

You guessed it, Lyn is not a plus size but the cardigan from the Need A Plus Cardigan? book can be easily adapted to a smaller size than the pattern is written for or to work in between sizes. The smallest size in the book is for a 44" finished sweater. We made the green one 42" finished.

The green cardigan for Lyn, and the new blue cardigan for myself, are cast on as written in the book for the size 44". The Yoke was knit as written for the 44" size until I was an inch or two from the bottom of the Yoke. The adjustment for sizing is done in the last couple of inches before the Divide Round.

I checked the chart for the number of stitches required for the Bottom of the Yoke for the 44" size then contemplate my size change. I want to make it 2" smaller for a 42" cardigan. I want the Back to be 1" narrower and the Front 1" narrower.

The chart for the Bottom of the Yoke gives me stitch numbers for the Front, sleeve, Back, sleeve and second Front for the 44" size. I only look at the Back. If I subtract 1" worth of stitches (approximately 6 sts if using DK yarn for example) from the number of Back stitches in the chart, that would make my Back 1" narrower.
Bottom of Yoke Chart (pg.17):  size 44"  Back 96 sts
Adjusted for size 42" by subtracting 6 sts:  new Back will have  90 sts

When I knit to that number of Back stitches that automatically takes 1" off the Total Front too, which gives me a cardigan that is 2" smaller. Ta, Da, done.

I knit the Yoke until I hit the adjusted number of stitches for the Back and continue to work the Great Divide using my markers as a guide (because now my stitch numbers don't match the Divide chart). I cast on the correct number of stitches for the underarm cast on and continue with the pattern for Bust Increases, etc, as written. The Body of my garment is now the 42" size I wanted.

You may wonder if the back of the neck would be too wide since we're downsizing. On these cardigans the front Buttonband is picked up in one piece all the way around. When I knit across the my first buttonband round 1 decreased 3/4"-1" worth (5 sts) across the back of neck. Now it's narrow enough.

Do you need to work in between sizes for a better fit? That's really, really easy. Next to no math. I'll tackle that next. Stay posted.
-Deb

Can't put it down

Do you have projects that you love knitting so much you just can't stop? I'm knitting one now, the Panel Cardigan out of the Need A Plus Cardigan? book . I like to knit adult-sized sweaters but must admit that some of them are more fun to knit than others, especially near the end. This is going really fast. The Lace Panels are interesting to knit and the stocking stitch in between is a rest and motors along to the next Panel. And this is for MYSELF, Yay.

Here's Lyn in one of the lace cardigans from the book. This is the one I'm reproducing. I really like the collar. I think I'll put a lace edge at the bottom of 3/4 length sleeves.

Mine is in blue.

The pattern is really pretty. 

Have you knit something lately you couldn't put down?
-Deb

P.S. Brenda (from the comments) A NEW blue cardigan for the next 6 years!
t_a (from comments) The scissors are very, very scary the first time you use them.

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

Sweater Surgery

Do you have an old favourite that you're just not willing to part with even though it's showing some wear? My  Lakeside Raglan from the Button Up Your Top Down book (blue cardigan in the centre) is that cardigan for me. I've worn it very steadily for 6 years and now the collar needs some tightening up.

Scissors to the rescue.

Ta, da. 

New tighter collar. OK, you might have noticed that the collar is a different looking colour. Dye lots change a lot in 6 years and washing and wearing might have something to do with it. But my old fav is back and now that I'm on a roll, I think it could probably use some new cuffs. Where are those scissors?!
-Deb