Cute Knitting: October 2007

Lulu is apparently having problems with PDF downloads today - I talked with them and they say their engineers should have it fixed within a day. If you ordered something today, please let me know and I'll email you the PDF. I don't have the covers for the booklets though - Lulu adds those during the order process.

Also, you can always go back and download any of the PDF downloads again if you ever have problems with a download. Just go to http://www.lulu.com and log into your account (at the upper right of the page) and you'll see all your previous downloads and you can download any of them again.

Anyway, sorry to everyone who tried to order something today!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Yes, that really is a Manny Ramirez (slugger extraordinaire for the Boston Red Sox) pumpkin with I-cord dreads on the left.

Even Peaches is feeling festive as she shows off her jack-o-lantern bunny chew toy.

on my walk...

Most days I head out around two o'clock to give the horses their lunch, feed the chickens & cats, and check for eggs. If the weather's not bad I love to take a walk up the lanes and trails.

We have not had the most colorful fall foliage this year due to the drought.

Remember Pia...well Pia is now Pete, not the girl we were told she/he was. Our vet set us straight when she came out to give shots, and this is not the first time this has happened...

The hens...well they have not laid an egg in weeks/months. I am not sure what their excuse is, but I really, really hope they get back to work soon...

The wood pile is growing slowly. Yesterday we had our first fire in the woodstove...

Today is much warmer, so after my walk I planted some Gladiator allium. Every couple of years Brecks sends me a $25 coupon with no minimum purchase required. I love it (!) and pick out something that I wouldn't normally spend the money on, like these beauties...

Only, I had no idea which end was up when planting the gigantic bulbs ~ I hope they are smarter than me and can find their way UP next summer!

the wine train

Sunday we spent a great day on a train excursion with friends.

We rode in NY Central passenger cars dating from the late 1940's...

...and had a continental breakfast onboard our car which was even decorated for fall. One of our stops was an old New York Central freight depot, which now contains the largest freight depot museum in the country. The building itself was built in 1905, and is one of the largest and last surviving wooden freight depots in the United States.

Out the window of the train...
Our stop at a lakeside winery, where we had a fabulous chicken barbecue and wine tasting, while enjoying a live band...
Much of our trip bordered the Erie Canal. As we went over the train bridge we could see the locks ~ the current ones on the left, and the original five that are no longer in use, on the right...
Another view from the other side of the bridge...
I think this train ride will have to become an annual event!

Hope you all had a great weekend :)

Life on the edge--stitch patterns that can take it and not curl up (shown in pictures, knitting shorthand and diagrams)

Today's post is a simple review of different kinds of knitted fabrics--ribbing, garter stitch, seed stitch, moss stitch-- which are adapted to life on the edge. These are stitch patterns which don't curl up when unsupported along one or more edges.

This post serves as a kind of a bridge. It contains further review of reading knitting shorthand and charts from the last post. It also prepares the ground for a new TECHknitting series on improving your knitting by making better edges--the next several posts are about:

1) why the very edges of bands and cuffs are wonky and
2) some things you can to do about it.

REVIEW OF NON-CURLING FABRICS

Stockinette curls. Ribbing doesn't, and neither does seed stitch, moss stitch, garter stitch. For a full explanation of why this should be, click here.

Non-curling fabrics are traditionally used at the edges of garments. Below is a review of these different non-curling fabric which are usually used as bands (bottom bands, front bands, neck bands and cuffs, also hat bands). These stitch patterns are also used as the "frame" around a flat item, such as a scarf or afghan.

1. Garter stitch (below)

(below) To knit garter stitch flat: knit every row. You will note that on this chart, the row numbers appear on opposite sides of the chart. This indicates that you are to knit flat (back and forth) because you can see that you are to start at a different edge for every row.

(below) To knit garter stitch in the round: *knit one round, purl one round* repeat.You will note that on this chart, the row numbers all appear at the same side of the chart. This indicates that you are to knit circular because you can see that you are to start every row at the same edge--a thing only possible if you knit around and around, coming back to the starting place with each round.

2. Ribbing (1x1) (below)

(below) To rib flat: on an odd number of stitches,
row1: *k1, p1* repeat until last stitch, k1
row 2: *p1, k1* repeat until last stitch, p1
repeat rows 1 and 2.

(below) To rib (1x1) in the round: every round on an even number of stitches, *k1, p1*

3. Seed stitch (below)
(Seed stitch is sometimes called single moss stitch)

(below) To seed stitch flat: every row, on an odd number of stitches, *p1, k1* repeat until last stitch, p1. A 4-row repeat is shown to give a bigger sample of the overall pattern.

(below) To seed stitch in the round: on an odd number of stitches,
round 1: *p1, k1* end with p1
round 2: *k1, p1* end with k1
rounds 3 and 4 are simply repeats of rounds 1 and 2, and are shown only to give a bigger sample of the overall pattern.

4. Moss stitch (below)
(Moss stitch is sometimes called double moss, Irish moss and small broken rib)

(below) To moss stitch flat: on an odd number of stitches,
row 1: *p1, k1* repeat until last stitch, p1
row 2: *k1, p1* repeat until last stitch, k1
row 3: same as row 2
row 4: same as row 1
repeat these 4 rows

(below) To moss stitch in the round: on a even number of stitches,
round 1: *p1, k1*
round 2: same as round 1
round 3: *k1, p1*
round 4: same as round 3
repeat these 4 rounds.

Do you see a pattern? Each of these stitch patterns puts a nearly equal number of knit and purl stitches on each face of the fabric. With knits and purl equally distributed on each face, there is no tendency for the fabric to curl. (Again, for more information about all this, click here.)

The next post will turn to the very edges of all these non-curling fabrics, and find out why the edges of your cuffs and collars, bottom bands and front bands are so splayed out, or so tight -- so darned WONKY!

--TECHknitter
(You have been reading TECHknitting on "four non curling knitted fabrics--pictures, charts and diagrams")

How to read knitting shorthand and decode knitting charts

Does knitting shorthand alienate you? Do charts confuse you? Perhaps after you read this post, that will no longer be the case.

* * *

Knitting, like every other human endeavor, has its own language, its own jargon. Some parts of the knitter's language are funny: UnFinished Objects become UFO's. A frog in a pond says "rip-it, rip-it" and so "fogging" has come to mean ripping back -- unraveling -- knitting. You can put a UFO into the frog pond, and most US knitters will know that you have unraveled a partially knitted project, although a non-knitter will imagine something else altogether by this sentence.

Not all of the knitter's language is a joke--some it it seems serious and terse, incomprehensible, almost. This is because, in "Knitter-ese," like most languages, the repeated parts get turned into a kind of shorthand. Although you may find this shorthand confusing at first, you may well come to prefer it, or at least, to read it well enough to follow a pattern. "Use makes master" as the old folks used to say.

Suppose you saw knitting directions written like this:
knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1, then purl 1, then knit 1.

You COULD plow through all that. It is, after all, written in plain English, and what you are to do is very clear--the directions allow of no confusion. Or do they? In fact, having to count up the exact number of knits and purl IS confusing. Perhaps we should write these instructions like this:

Knit 1, then purl 1, then repeat these two stitches 28 times more. End up by knitting 1 stitch, and then you are at the end of the row.

That's better, but there are still extra words in there. Shorter and less wordy is:

*k1,p1* 29 times, end with k1.

In this version, stars ** are used as the signal to enclose the action to be repeated. In other words, the stars surround the action to be performed (k1, p1) and you do that action 29 times altogether. One stitch will be left, and you knit that last stitch. The amazing number of repetitions in the first version has been tamed down into one little sentence fragment. So far, so good.

Now, suppose that you see this:

p1 # *k1, p1* 2 times, *p2, k2* 2 times , p2, *p1, k1* 2 times# 2 times, p1

What in the world does THAT mean? Well, the same principles apply. The first thing to do is to p1. Next comes a set of instructions encased in two matching symbols, ##. The notation "2 times" after the final # indicates that you are to do everything within the matching ## symbols 2 times altogether. In other words, the entire row written out above is divided into 2 identical sections. Within the ## marks delimiting each section are THREE sets of instructions: the first is k1,p1, which you are to do 2 times; the second is p2, k2, which you are to do 2 times, then you are to do a single p2. Finally, you are to end each section with two repetitions of p1, k1. The point of the ## symbols is that you are to repeat all three sets 2 times altogether.

Knitters accustomed to these sorts of instruction can see this row clearly laid out in their mind's eye. This is a row of ribbing knit flat (back and forth). The row starts and ends with a p1. The rest of the row is divided into 2 sections. Within each section there is a center section of 2x2 ribbing (the middle set of stars), and this center section is flanked by 2 outer sections of 1x1 ribbing (the 2 outer sets of stars).

The problem with these sorts of instructions is that, as clear as they are to knitters experienced in reading this sort of shorthand, they are not very user-friendly to knitters who have not gained that sort of experience. To add to the confusion, knitting is created from right to left, and from bottom to top, whereas English is written from left to right, and top to bottom. So, in seeing this sentence fragment as a knitted row in the mind's eye, a knitter experienced in reading shorthand is not only decoding the abbreviations and symbols, but is also transposing left with right and up with down. What a trick, hey?

If you plug away at this, you will certainly get it--knitters have understood this shorthand for over a hundred years now, and YOU are certainly as smart as all these hordes of knitters. But in the meantime, if you'd like a more graphic representation, perhaps you will consider charts.

Below is the same stitch pattern which we have already examined, laid out in both writing and in chart form.

If this is a bit too small for you to see, a click on the picture will enlarge it.

As you can see by the arrows, knitting charts are meant to be read in the same direction as knitting is created: from right to left. As you can also see, the pattern of the fabric is now not only obvious to the experienced knitter's mind's eye, but to any knitter at all--the pattern is laid out graphically on paper for all to see. The alternating sets of ribs is now plainly displayed.

If you would like more information on reading charts and on reading knitting shorthand, there is another post which goes into further detail here. Also, the next post in this series will offer 4 fabric patterns, each illustrated in detail, and each accompanied by written shorthand AND charts, laid out for flat knitting AND circular.

--TECHknitter
(You have been reading TECHknitting on "reading knitting shorthand and decoding knitting charts")

TECHknitting (TM) and a QUICKtip on conditioning knitting needles.

Further fruit from Ravelry: A discussion in a forum there made me anxious to trademark (TM) the name TECHknitting. I really apologize if that little TM blazing out of the header looks crass to you--it does to me too. But what got me worried is that someone could use the TECHknitting name and what then of all these hours and hours at the computer with the illustrations? Evidently some bloggers find that a second person will take the same name as them, and almost the same graphics. The second person to take the name could wind up being the beneficiary of all the work and care of the first blogger, and the first blogger has no recourse. I find this too horrible to contemplate, so please, accept my apology that the modern world we live in has struck again--and please forgive that horrible little "TM" which now seems to jump out of the title. As awful as it looks, it seems better than the alternative.

Here is a little bonus QUICKtip on conditioning your knitting needles, which will hopefully sweeten this rather sad post:

If your needles are being grabby, run them through your hair (along the scalp) once or twice. The "preening oil" naturally on your scalp will help the needles slide through the wool more smoothly. Conversely, if your needles are getting too slippery, put on clean rubber dishwashing gloves and massage the needles a little, then drag each needle between your pinched thumb and forefinger. This will clear oils, and restore a better "tooth." For a very slippery needle which does not respond to this treatment, a drag through a barely dampened, doubled over "Mr. Clean Eraser" will certainly restore tooth--the "eraser" is actually nothing more than micro-scale sandpaper. Be really careful before you go this route, however. Although some needles (like bamboo) respond splendidly to this treatment, other needles (like Addi lace needles) have a coating, and the "eraser" could ruin it.

--TECHknitter

This scan shows the chain stitch better on the Norwegian star hat but the colors are off.

I think I'm close to being finished with my Christmas knitting. I've been saving up knitted items for two years so I should be able to fill six holiday boxes. I'm currently working on another pair of Knitty's Cigar Gloves in some Aran weight yarn. I also plan to make a Nordic hat, probably from a Dale of Norway ski pattern, and a few tams using Palette.

My Glove Knitting booklet has been reviewed on the Craft Gossip web site. I need to spend some time finding more places to email review copies.

Norwegian Star Hat

I have an FO to show you but I can't wait to take photos after the sun goes down behind the mountains. At that time I'll be too busy watching the World Series. I like both the Red Sox and the Rockies so I figure I can't lose.

Anyway, here is the Norwegian Star Hat from Stranded Color Knitting knit in Nature Spun sport weight. The real colors are closer in the sun-dappled photo. I wasn't happy with the ways the colors were blending so I did some chain stitch embroidery of one of the cuff colors near the top and one of the top colors near the cuff. This really seemed to help blend the colors together better.

a mini wallet

I'm still knitting dishcloths and really needed a little break. I wanted to sew something... I found this wonderful tutorial for a mini wallet ~ just what I've been needing for some time. Instead of fumbling with my present wallet, where cards, bills, and change are each in a different section, this little pouch will hold all three.

I have had this hedgehog fabric (from Superbuzzy) for almost a year and decided to put it to some good use. There is a thin layer of cotton batting, a red and white polka dot lining, and a little snap closure...

It was super quick and easy to sew up! I know I'll be making some more of these soon.

pear & cream cheese tart with puff pastry

My dad recently brought me a large basket of Seckel pears from my brother's tree. These pears are small, but full of delicious flavor, and I had to figure out what I would do with them. I had a box of puff pastry in the freezer, browsed a few recipes on the web, and came up with this...

...which was perfectly delicious with a cup of tea.

Pear & Cream Cheese Tart with Puff Pastry

1 pound puff pastry

Pears ~ enough sliced to cover the top of a 12 x 17 inch jelly roll pan (sorry, I didn't measure this out)

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

some cinnamon sugar

sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to form a 12.5 x 17.5 inch rectangle. Cut off 1/2 inch strips from each of the four sides and, moistening with a little water, place them on top of each corresponding edge of your large puff pastry rectangle ~ these form a raised border around the sides. Transfer pastry to baking sheet and chill for 1 hour.

Beat cream cheese and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed til blended. Add egg and vanilla, mix well. Spread evenly over puff pastry that has been chilled. Arrange pear slices nicely over the cream cheese layer; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, and some almonds if desired.

Place in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating baking sheet in oven about halfway through.

I didn't have any almonds, but thought they would also be nice on this. If your oven is on the hot side like mine, you might want to lower the temperature to 375 degrees.

This didn't last long at our house!

COWYAK--a waste yarn method of provisional cast on

includes 4 illustrations

On a Ravelry discussion board recently, several knitters were batting around various methods of provisional casting on. A consensus developed that the very best method of provisional cast-on is to simply cast on with some waste yarn, knit a couple of rows or rounds, then switch to the garment yarn. When the time comes to remove the waste yarn, there will be the garment yarn loops, waiting to be worked in the other direction.

In the course of the conversation, one commenter called this method the "cast on with waste yarn and knit a few rows" method and the next commenter condensed this to the catchy name "COWYAK." Sounds good to me, so, with permission, I'm adopting COWYAK as the acronym for this method: the letters stand for "CAST ON (with) WASTE YARN AND KNIT."

There is nothing revolutionary about the method itself--machine knitters cast on with waste yarn all the time, as do many hand knitters. However, it is a good technique to remember, and giving it a name makes it even more useful--it's going to be handy to be able to refer to this technique by the name COWYAK, instead of launching into a full-blown description every time.

The reason (imho) why COWYAK works better than any other method of provisional casting on is that the garment loops which will ultimately be worked "down" are more protected with COWYAK than with any other method. With ordinary provisional casts on, the garment loops to be worked "down" stay right at the edge of the knitting during the entire course of the work. Being at the edge like that subjects these stitches to wear and abuse. By contrast, with COWYAK, these loops are several rows or rounds into the fabric, and so are better preserved.

Here's how to do it:
1. (below) In this illustration, the work was begun by casting on with waste yarn (green) and kitting a couple of rows. Next, the garment yarn (pink) was worked into the next row, and several additional rows were knitted.

2. (below) When the time comes to remove the waste yarn, it is removed up to the last row (easiest way is to snip one stitch at the edge of the last row of waste yarn). This last row is unpicked with a knitting needle, one-half stitch at at time, and each freed stitch is immediately caught on a needle to prevent runs, as shown.

3. (below) After all the waste yarn is removed, the tails of the garment loops are "live loops," capable of being knit "down," (i.e. in the opposite direction from the original knitting of the garment loops).

Here are some further tips for COWYAK:

1. Use waste yarn of the same weight as the garment yarn--this helps maintain correct tension on the first row of loops in garment yarn.
2. Cotton works well as waste yarn, because it will not mat or felt together with the yarn of the garment.
3. A further refinement is to run a life line through your first row of garment loops, so when waste yarn is removed, the garment yarn cannot run out.
4. A further refinement is for use patterned fabrics: You can do a repeat in the waste yarn as a "warm up" for the garment fabric.

*THANK YOU* to Ravelers Msmcknittington and Swroot for being the naming team which came up with the acronym COWYAK, for permission to use same, and for posting about refinements 3 and 4. *THANKS* also to Valerie and Kathryn who commented on this post, pointing out confusing usage accompanying the third illustration (usage which has now been corrected).

PS: If you are not yet on Ravelry, consider signing up for the waiting list. Or not. Ravelry is a well-designed social networking site for knitters with interesting content BUT (fair warning!) being a Raveler will remorselessly obliterate whatever remaining bits of spare time you have...

(Addendum added 12/20/08) OMG: evidently, there really IS such a thing as a cow-yak hybrid_ it is called a cak, and here is a photo.

--TECHknitter
(You have been reading TECHknitting on: COWYAK-- a method of using waste yarn for provisional cast on.)