Pie Are Square Shawl

I'm trying to work on a new style of knitting for me - armpit knitting. The theory is that holding one needle stationary means you can knit faster. Faster is not my goal although it would be a great by-product. The exercise for me is to find a style of knitting that's as far from continental knitting as I can find. I think this is it. I need to stop the repetitive action of knitting so many hours in one knitting style.

courtesy of mqdefault.jpg

Now to find a pattern that makes it easy to knit in a new style but produce something interesting. I checked everywhere I could to find something that grabbed my attention. I didn't want to have any stitches that would discourage me, that means no decreases allowed since at the beginning they are a little difficult to work with a needle stuck in my armpit.

Elizabeth Zimmermann to the rescue. I'm knitting The Pie Are Square Shawl out of the Knitting Around book which is one of my favs. This shawl is perfect, all garter stitch worked back and forth, except for some Yarn Overs which are easy to work. Yay.

I'm knitting with some Malabrigo lace weight which will probably produce a kerchief size Pie Shawl. Hopefully all this practice will result in some increase in speed. Fingers crossed, not while I'm knitting though.
- Deb

Girl Stepped Pattern

I'm testknitting the Baby Vest pattern with a stepped stitch pattern. The boy's version is done and now I'm knitting one in a girl colour. 

I've done charts and written instructions. It's so logical to me when I look at the charted version. It's the written instructions that take quite a bit longer to write and check. Charts or written, which works for you?

I'm really pleased that the pattern is showing up so well. Almost to the Great Divide. A vest is so quick to knit. I feel like I'm almost done.
-Deb

Stepped Stitch Pattern

This is a little baby vest I just finished knitting for a workshop I'm giving this weekend at the Eastern Needlers Retreat in Gananoque, ON. We'll be experimenting with adding stitch patterns to top down garments. This little vest is based on the Basic pattern from the Need A Baby Cardigan book. Working cap sleeves makes it a really quick knit. I added the waffle stitch on the Fronts and Back.

Patterns are a little more of a challenge to introduce from the top down. This pattern is stepped. The stitch pattern is 4 stitches wide. Increases are worked at the Raglan line and when 4 more increases are worked there are 4 more stitches available on the Front to work another repeat of the pattern.  I'm going to write this one up next week so you can try it yourself.

Deb

German Short Rows

I now have another new favourite way of working short rows: German Short Rows.

The first time I tried them I wasn't convinced they were for me. It was a first date after all. But there are so many ruffles in this Ruffled Cowl

that I kept going back to these short rows just because they're different. Eventually I fell in love with them. Now I want to do another short row project just so I can use them.

On the knit row, knit to the turning point, turn to purl side and WITH YARN IN FRONT, slip 1 stitch, pull the working yarn tight to pull the stitch up so you see 2 bars like this, called a double stitch. Take the yarn over the Right needle to the back, bring under the Right needle to the front again and purl stitches back.

On the purl side, purl to turning point, turn to the knit side and WITH YARN IN FRONT, slip 1 stitch, pull working yarn up tight to produce a double stitch (it's twisted and should look like that). Take the yarn over Right needle to the back and knit stitches back as directed.

When you need to work past the last time you turned, work the 2 bars of the double stitch together by working a K2tog or a P2tog. It really works great.

You can substitute them for the standard Wrap & Turn but you need to make a small adjustment. If your W&T directions say to K8, Wrap & Turn, then for German Short Rows, K9 (one extra stitch), Turn and with yarn in front slip the first stitch and pull tight to make a double stitch. The double stitch stands in place of the Wrapped stitch and is done after the Turn. This video explains it quite well  German Short Rows for the Wrap & Turn.

Fun with Short Rows,
Deb

I've fallen off the Writer's Challenge wagon. But for a very good reason, teaching.

It's amazing to watch knitters finish their very first sweater. It's an experience never to be repeated so that first one is special. The knitters at the Ramara Community Centre finished not one but several little sweaters over our 5 weeks of classes.

On the road last weekend, where Bea of The Match Factory in New Liskeard, ON hosted me to teach many kinds of Short Rows. It even snowed for half and hour twice during the day. We were glad to be inside knitting.

A great group of knitters there.

 

Then on Sunday I was at Stix and Stones in North Bay. . .

where many knitters came out for tea and a talk about our Cabin Fever books. They're all ready for Halloween there.

Boo.

Deb

Day 10: Boredom is Good

How can being bored be a good thing? It can make you a better knitter, that how.

• Learn a New Method:  I have been working on a Short Row cowl which is taking rather a long time to knit. Because I was bored I started looking on the internet for at all the ways there are to knit short rows. I can now work 6 types of short rows and did just that in my project. Not bored anymore.

• Decorate the Sides:  If you have miles and miles of stockinette stitch to work in the Body of your sweater, consider working a stitch pattern in a panel at each of the sides. Not bored any more. Side Pattern Vest

• Better Borders:  If you're working down your Top Down sweater and need something to keep you going, look through your stitch dictionary and find a really fantastic stitch pattern for the Bottom Border and the Cuffs. Worked a Slip Stitch pattern for a ShirtTail bottom border (from the Need A Circular Yoke book). Not bored any more.

• Knit Theme Socks:  Knit socks a lot? Looking for a cool stitch pattern to put in your next pair? Look through your Stitch Dictionary with someone or something in mind. What stitch pattern reminds me of my grandson? Or which stitch pattern represents Marriage, Life, Winter Fun, the Beach to me. These remind me of Fall, Pine Cone Socks.

Get bored and see what happens,
Deb

Day 7: Is there a Wrong Way to Knit?

How many ways do you know how to knit?

Sometimes I have someone in my class that knits in the combination continental method (wraps her purls from underneath and knits into the back of her knit sts). This means that her K2tog is our SSK and vice versa. As I try to explain the reversal of these stitches, the question of the correct way to knit comes up. Is there a correct way?

There is definitely a way of knitting which makes it easier to follow North American patterns. There are ways of knitting which make it easier for other knitters to help you when you run into problems. But a right and wrong way to knit? As long as the fabric looks good and has no crossed stitches on the stockinette fabric, I don't think there's any wrong way.

There are advantages to knowing other ways to knit. I get tendinitis in my right elbow quite often. The cure is rest. Yay, right, no knitting, like that's going to happen!! On my way home after hearing this terrible news, I thought "what if I changed how I knit, that might work". So I knit for 2 weeks working the Portuguese method and the elbow pain went away. Wow, just like that.

Mix it up. Try a new style of knitting. Work across the knit row with one style and the purl row in another style. Work one project with your main knitting style and a second project in a different style. It can't hurt.

Deb
P.S. Thanks Jill, Sharon and Liz for your comments. I'm glad to hear you're knitting everywhere you go. I take my sock project with me when I buy a new purse because the project has to fit or I can't buy the purse no matter how much I might like it.