Tight Knitters, Let it GO!

tight, uneven knitting tension

No to knitters have the same natural gauge or
tension.  It would be great if we did, but we don't.  Instead we work to "get gauge", or make our swatch have the same stitch count per inch as the pattern recommends.  One type of knitter seems to have more trouble establishing gauge than others - the tight knitter.  This problem starts when you first learn to knit, and if you don't break it, it follows you for the length of your knitting life.

I'm talking to and about the knitters whose wrists hurt from trying to force the needles into each stitch.  The knitters whose work never slips off the needle because the stitches are strangling the needle.  The knitters who can't imagine how people perform the magic trick of cabling, because every time they try, they break the cable needle due to extreme stitch tension.  Does your stockinette stitch always look wavy, even after blocking?  Then this is for you.

wavy knitting due to knitting too tightly below,
 corrected tension above

Besides the fact that it's physically uncomfortable to knit this way, why stop knitting so tightly?  Well, it's definitely going to improve the look of your knitting.  Loosening up will allow you to explore a variety of stitches that have never worked for you before.  And knitting at an average gauge extends the life of the garment you create.  (Why?  We'll get to that in a minute.)

How do you stop choking the needle?  First, commit to breaking this habit.  Just take my word for it, this works.  In between every step of the stitch, let go of yarn and needle and put your hand in your lap.  Put your needle into the stitch- hand in the lap.  Wrap the yarn around the needle- hand in the lap.  Draw the new stitch through the old- hand in the lap.  And start again.  After the first couple of rows, it gets much easier. 

check your tension

Now look at the knitting you've created with the new method.  It's much looser, and it's very, very even.  Did you need to learn to hold your needles in a slightly different angle so the work didn't slide?  Did you see that holding on to the yarn for dear life didn't, in fact, create any benefits?  Great.  Now, slowly but surely, as you move forward in your swatch, you can return to holding your yarn, but loosely this time.  At the end of every row, assess the tension of the stitches on the needle.  If you see that you're tightening up again, return to putting your hand in your lap.  Cool, huh?

When you pick up your work next time, repeat the exercise.  Do this until you check the last row you've worked, and it isn't tightening up.  You'll see that it doesn't take too many sittings.  You're most susceptible to going back to tight knitting when you're on autopilot.  But after a few sittings, regular tension will become second nature. 

Why do your garments suffer when you strangle the needle?  Because all the added tension you put on the yarn stresses the fibers.  They no longer behave the way they were designed to.  Flexibility and loft are lost, and twist is exaggerated.  This exaggerating causes the knitting to twist or bias on the diagonal as the yarn tries to return to its relaxed state.  Everything you do to the fabric you've created after it has been knit in very high tension breaks down the yarn, causing pilling, more twisting, messy edges, and irregular wear patterns.  Enjoy the fruits of appropriate tension.  You'll find it's faster and much more satisfying.

Freebie Friday

Colorblock Hand Warmers

These hand warmers come to us from the Purl Soho website, the website for the wonderful yarn shop in Manhattan. 

Why do we like this pattern?  Lots of reasons.  The long length of the sleeves is a great start.  It means they'll never come untucked from under your sweater or jacket.  Also, this pattern was designed to please the beginner and the experienced knitter alike.  Thirdly, there are instructions for a light weight version and a heavier version.  What's not to like about that?

This is a terrific "first" pattern to knit in the round, as it's big on satisfaction and low on complexity.  You will need needles in US 2 and US 3.  Like all "pair" patterns (mittens, gloves, socks) there is a slight risk of UFO if you don't stay committed, but you'd never let that happen, would you?

Knitting 101 - Knit and Purl

Perfect Stockinette in Cotton from Knit-together.com

Knitting 101 is an educational knitting series designed to take your knitting to a new level with ease.  Just like world-class musicians still play scales every day, expert knitters practice basic skills.  January's Knitting 101 skill is mastering the knit and purl combination.  If you knit the entire skill-building series, by the end of the year you will have significantly improved your knitting skill and confidence.  We will be improving our skills by swatching.  Swatches are like so many basics we've learned in our lives; sometimes we let them fade away into the background.  In this Knitting 101 series, we're going to swatch all the skills that make knitting the wonderful art that it is. 

The knit and the purl stitches are the building blocks for all the rest of knitting.  Let's brush up to make every stitch uniform in size, tension, and texture.  Look at some of your stockinette knitting.  If your purl stitches don't look like your knit stitches, or if your stitches have one thin side and one thick side, or if your stitches have a little twist at the bottom, you know you have a problem. 

Simple Knit and Purl Swatch Exercise



If you hate knitting in silk, cotton, or other un-stretchy yarns, you may have a problem.  If you discover your stitches or rows are not all the same size, you may have a problem.  If you have no concern, do the exercise anyway!

More often than not the problem with stockinette knitting is the purl stitch method, so here's a video for a refresher.  If you knit in the American style, also known as "throwing", this is the method for you.  It's available at knittinghelp.com. 

http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/the-purl-stitch-english-English

If you knit in the Continental style, also known as "picking", this is the purling method for you.  It's from allfreekintting.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58BLppajAyo

The fastest way to learn to make perfectly even stitches with even tension is to work with a very unforgiving yarn.  Most cottons will work well for this purpose.  Use size 5 needles and  DK weight yarn or US weight 3.  Go with a solid color, and work with a yarn that has absolutely no give to it.  This will quickly reveal any unevenness in tension, structure, or skill.


Seed Stitch

Cast on 30 stitches, and work alternate knit and purl rows (stockinette stitch)  until you have a beautiful, smooth piece of knitting at least 4 inches long.  If that means you need to knit a total of 9 inches to get to 4 smooth inches, knit 9. 

When your swatch looks good to you, bind off.  Start a new one working a basic knit/purl pattern.  There are several available here: http://knittingwithkarma.blogspot.com/p/clothsquare-charts.html  Or, you can use the Vogue Knitting Basic Stitch Patterns page to make up a square.  Seed stitch is always good practice.  Make at least one full square of your pattern, whatever the chosen dimension is, and if you feel it isn't as smooth and neat as you'd like, knit another one.  (Remember, everything looks better after blocking!)

If you're a new knitter, it will take you a fair amount of practice to produce swatches you are proud of.  This is normal!  If you start with cotton, you will quickly learn to identify your mistakes, as yarns with no give and no halo (fuzz around the main strand) make every mistake really stand out.  This makes them much easier to correct!  Try it.  You'll love it!
 

First Freebie of 2014

It's been a long time since I brought you another great, free pattern.  Sorry!  I will return to Freebie Fridays at least once a month for the next year.

I've searched high and low, and found one that is well written, and adorable!  If you're a fan of the Scottie dog, knitting a toy for a child, or allergic to dogs and this is the only way you'll be able to own one, this pattern is for you.  It's called Radley Dog.  Make it on US Size 4 needles with DK or light worsted wool.  It comes to us from UK Hand Knitting, alongside over a dozen other charming free patterns.  Enjoy!

 

Yarns Storage: Part 2

kitchen scale

In the last article, we discussed some of the materials you'll want to have on hand to organize your stash for better storage and efficient stash dives.  You'll need the zipper bags for each skein or for groups of several skeins.  You'll need index cards, plastic bins or boxes or bags, and a kitchen scale that weighs in grams.  Bins are available at major department stores ($3-$15) as are kitchen scales ($18-$40).  Zipper bags are available at the grocer, or in a variety of sizes in large quantities on line.  (I find the online resources to be cheaper.)

Everyone knits differently, and works on different projects.  This will have an effect on the larger storage choices, but the smaller packaging I recommend will be the same.  The yarn needs to be clean and dry, and you need to bag it in dry circumstances (not on a rainy day near an open window!)  Lay out your bags, yarn, index cards, and a Sharpie marker.

Each individual skein or group of skeins in a particular dye lot needs to go into its own bag.  So if you have 4 skeins of Mountain Colors Bearfoot in Juniper colorway, they'll all go into the same plastic bag.  Or, if you have 2 full skeins and a partial skein of Bearfoot, they will also go in the same bag.  The total contents of each bag should be weighed on the kitchen scale.  The bag contents will be listed on an index card in large, bold writing as follows:

Mountain Colors Bearfoot


zip close bags

Juniper
426 grams total

If your stash is large, you'll want to squeeze all the air out of the bag before you close it.  Most skeins are almost 1/2 air!  Squeezing it out gives you more storage room.  (Don't worry, it bounces back after a few hours out of the bag.)  The purpose of the big printing on the index cards is that it's easier to read than a ball band, and gives you all the information in one place. 

Now, the question I'm always asked at this point is, "Why do we have to weigh everything?"  Because you can tell how much yardage you have by knowing the weight.  If your yarn gives you 200yds per 50g, you do the math and get 4yds per gram.  Now, however many grams are listed on the index cards multiplied by the number of yards per gram = how much yardage you have in your stash.  Exact yardage is great to know before you start a new project.  The pattern will tell you how much yarn it needs, and you know at a glance whether you have enough.

If you're on Ravelry, you don't need to do the math for your yardage.  The "Stash" function keeps track of it all for you.  And you don't need to look into your stash boxes, either.  Click on the yarn name in your "Stash" list, and you can locate a photo of the yarn!

Group yarns as you wish.  I choose to group by weight and by fiber.  Worsted cotton has a bin, worsted alpaca is in another, and worsted wools are in another.  (My stash is embarrassingly huge!)  Other people group by color, manufacturer, season, or whether it's machine or hand spun. 

Doing all of this takes some time.  You may not want to do it all in one sitting, or even one weekend.  But when you're finished, your stash will be compact, safe from pests, smells, and other contaminates, and neat.  What more can a knitter ask for?

New Year's Resolution: Yarn Storage

It's just a start, and we'll get into it more deeply later.  For starters, how do you store your yarn right now?  Is it in bags and boxes and bins and closet shelves and basement corners and attic shelves?  It's time to update your plan.

This project will take a little planning, and some time.  Before you begin, figure out what kind of storage you're going to need to make an organized stash.  Make a solid estimate of how much yarn you really have.  Maybe a few plastic storage bins are all you need.  Maybe a few large plastic zipper-close bags.  Definitely labels OR index cards or both.


Next, you'll need to figure out where they yarn will be stored.  You can put it anywhere except the attic as long as it's properly packaged.  It needs to be safe from heat, humidity, and dust.  Under the stairs, a guest room closet, a heated garage, the basement, empty bookshelves, a wine rack... The places are endless.  The packaging is the key.

Many folks like to store their stash in open bins and shelves in their homes in a den, craft room or guest room.  That's very pretty, and effective in some cases.  However, if you leave your windows open at any time during the year, or prop your doors open, you risk moths and other pests settling in to your stash.  YUCK!  Pulling out a skein and discovering it's been moth eaten is annoying and expensive.  Yarn also absorbs cooking smells, cigarette smoke, pet dander and scents, and of course, cats love to play with any exposed yarn they can get their paws into.

The system of using shoe pouches is a better one, in that it protects the yarn on three sides, and it's easy to tell what colors and yarns are in your stash.  The yarn labels appear to be missing, which I would advise against.  Still, the yarn is open to bugs and contaminants.  Zipper bags in the pouches would be better.

The system I would recommend is putting your yarns in a sealed plastic container.  I love the clear plastic bins, and zipper bags.  I use them together.  If you want to use the shoe pouch system, put each skein in a zipper-close bag.  Ditto if you want to use an open bin system  No matter what system you use, keep a ball band with the yarn whenever you can. 

In the bin system at right, the ball bands are with the skeins.  The bins are completely sealed, so basements and garages are now an option, because humidity, pests and contaminants are kept at bay.  The bins are medium-sized, which makes organization and stash-diving very easy.  I would add labels to the ends and top of each bin, but otherwise, this looks like a major step in the right direction. 

Assess your stash, and start planning.  In the next article, we'll detail the packing process.  It will make your stash a delight.  I promise!

 

A Bit of a Break

It's been another strange season, my friends.  My move has been delayed several times, but finally looks like it will happen this weekend.  My mother in law has been very ill, and has required a lot of attention.  And my Asperger's Syndrome daughter has learned to drive, received her license, and completed her first semester of college.  Managing her workload, her life goals and her schoolwork have lead to the violent meltdowns that only Aspies really understand, including visits from the police, and long suspicious looks from the neighbors.

Amid all of this, I haven't been blogging much.  (Perhaps you've noticed? Ooops!)  So a quick update:  I've been teaching less but I'm still out there.  I've been designing sweaters lately, instead of my beloved accessories.  Two of these patterns are for Mountain Colors Yarns.  The magical Colleen will once again be the intrepid sample knitter who turns my swatches and sketches into a garment. 

Upcoming blog posts include:  Sample Knitting; What Size to Make?; and Designing a Sweater.  Stay with me.  I'll be back soon! 

Knitting and Ladders

I hear it all the time: "I'm not very good," or "I'm just learning."  So many of the best knitters I know are very talented, and yet shy of teaching what they know. Ask them a question, and they'll pass you on to a knitting teacher, and sigh with relief when you walk away.  What doesn't happen often enough is that they don't help you up the ladder of learning.  They stay on their rung, and let you stay on yours.

Why do so many of us doubt our own knitting skills?  Why are we so attached to one "right" way of knitting?  Let me burst your bubble:  there is no one right way to knit, and you're better than you think. 

Remember when you were a child and thought that your parents were magical beings because they could open tough jars, at least hit the backboard with the basketball, and fix your broken bicycle?  Well, knowing things about knitting makes you a wizard to anyone who doesn't know that same skill.  Maybe you aren't great at cables, yet you know three different, terrific cast-ons.  Teach 'em to anyone who asks. 

Are there "wrong" ways to knit?  Not really.  There are ways that are slower, ways that create stitches that twist a little, and other variations.  As long as the stitches stay knitted and don't unravel, you're off to a good start.  We tend to be so self-conscious about the skills we don't have that we overlook the skills we do well.  Not sure?

Try this.  Find one of your knitting friends, and plan some time together each teaching the other one skill.  Maybe you know a nice bind-off, and she knows a decorative lace stitch.  Trade knowledge!  Ask each other, "Do you know this stitch/skill?"  "I'll be happy to teach you a cable technique, or I-cords!"  A few cups of coffee and some hearty laughs later, you'll have bolstered your knitting skills and your friendship. 

What to Knit Holiday 2013 3 - Adult Sweaters

This time of year as the evening temps drop and the day temps are a little schizophrenic always gets me thinking of all the wonderful sweaters I could knit if I just organized a plan.  It's definitely time to shop for yarns for holiday sweaters, and spend weekends completing assigned numbers of rows and finishing work in preparation for finishing on time.  With all the lovely yarns on display in the shops and magazines, I find I want to play with all of them at the same time, and not commit to just a couple for a sweater!  Well, one challenge at a time.

To give yourself some peace in all the decision making, try choosing sweater patterns that aren't dependent on a specific yarn to make them work.  The patterns below should help you shop with confidence. 


Original February Lady Sweater

Rosape's February Lady Sweater

This is the perennially popular February Lady Sweater.  It's the product of Flint Knits, based on a baby sweater pattern from Elizabeth Zimmerman.  This pattern is beautiful and easy, and incredibly versatile.  Any fiber in a worsted weight will work, and it has been knit successfully in cotton, polyester, tencel, silk, alpaca, wool, and many more.  The button sizes have been varied as shown, and of course, any color that you love will work beautifully.  As a worsted weight piece, it knits up quickly, too!

For the gentleman on your list, the Leo Sweater from Kristi Porter (Knitty, 2004) fits the bill for the "no frills" sweater so many of our men love.  It's beautiful and form fitting, and though it's knit in a finer gauge than the February Lady, it also offers a variety of warmth options by varying yarns.  Baby alpaca, camel, silk, cotton, mink (yes, mink) buffalo and quiviut all offer different levels of warmth with a very similar look.  How luxurious do you want your sweater to be?  How durable?  The choices are nearly endless.

The shoulders on this sweater are set-in, and the collar is rolled.  The sleeves are self-cuffed, making it a snap to make the right length.  It's an easy pattern that was definitely designed to accommodate men's shoulders and longer body length.  Adapting the pattern to a taller or shorter person would be easy, as the shaping is minimal.  Give it a go!

A jacket that will look terrific on all of the women on your list is the Tanja sweater jacket from Drops Design Studio.  The shaping is very easy due to the chevron knit into the pattern.  It largely shapes the garment for you!  Picture it in the recipient's favorite color or favorite fiber!  The shawl collar is flattering with most tops, from turtlenecks to tanks.  It goes to the office, to a cookout, or wraps around pajamas on Sunday morning.  After you make one for your loved one, make one for yourself. 

As regular readers kno I'm in love with some good colorwork, and if you are, too, this may be the project for you.  In the late 90's and early 2000's, the poncho made a big comeback.  Now the poncho had evolved a bit, into capelets.  Capelets give the wearer the warmth you want without the draping fabric that can sometimes be in the way of reaching, shopping, and driving.  With the shorter length, it also has a sportier, more professional look. And we all know, of all the colorwork techniques out there, none are more classic or faster to knit than stripes. Try this Shoulder Cozy for Mom from Red Heart North America.  The recommended fiber is acrylic, but you know by now you can switch to any fiber you like as long as you maintain gauge. 

I hope this group gives you some ideas.  Now get knitting!  Time is running out!

What to Knit Holiday 2013 2 - Baby Sweaters

It's time to select the patterns and yarns for the holiday sweaters you'll be wearing and giving this season, so here's a little help.  These are some terrific options for the little ones on your list!

For babies and toddlers, these sweaters are stylish and quick.  Remember, you can change colors or fibers as needed to match your local climate or recipient's taste. 

Le Chat Noir

This adorable black cat sweater can be made in any color to match your cat or the baby's personality.  I love this!  Le Chat Noir is a piece by Stephanie Mason of 100 Baby Sweater Patterns.  A yarn with a little halo to it would be adorable, but be mindful of the challenges to laundering some yarns.  Babies tend to make a lot of laundry!  This is a quick knit in simple stockinette with basic shaping.  (Sew down all felt/cloth pieces to keep baby from sucking or chewing them off.)  The sleeves are shown closed, but if you are not making a newborn/infant size, you can knit them as regular sleeves.




Raglan Cotton Baby Sweater w/Stripes

From the great folks at abc knitting patterns comes this cute striped sweater, Raglan Cotton Baby Sweater with Stripes.  Any combination of colors and buttons can make this sweater personalized to whatever style you choose.  Consider adding contrasting cuffs and collar, or making the stripes out of multiple colors to put a personal spin on this terrific pattern.  The long cuffs on the sleeves allow baby lots of growing room, ensuring lots of wear!  Organic or recycled cotton would make a very soft and cozy, breathable garment. 




Our last offering in the baby department is this adorable Garter Stitch Kimono by Joji Locatelli.  It's a very easy, quick knit, with plenty of styling options.  Add contrasting sleeves, contrasting piping as shown here, or even make each panel in a completely different color!  Add stripes.  Choose some fun novelty buttons.  Run wild!  This pattern is available in Spanish, French, Italian, and English.  The link will take you to the Ravelry page for the pattern where all the versions are available.