Knitting Thoughts

2022

Sock heel patterns glossary

2021

Close the gap knitting in the round

Rippled Shawelette Mandala Yarn

Messy Squishy Toque 

Annie's Half Throw (crochet) 

Chinese Waitress Cast On 

Chinese Waitress  Cast On and Cast Off

Lace Edging - Doll Clothes 

2020

2019

Hermoine Socks -- google for videos



Mattress Stitch

Knit Clean Edges

Yarn Weights

2018

fair isle knitting
Doll Knitting
TUTO ROBE A PLIS
Knitting Dictionary translating
Purl Stitch French
Wessley Hat
Wesley Cowl
Twist and Weave Color Change

Cozy Knit Shrug Heavy yarn. 
Cast on - Chinese Waitress Method
Maple Leaf Mittens
Avoiding gap on heel flap
Crossing Stitches to Avoid Hole in Heel Flap
2017
Autumn Scarf
weaving in knitted yarn
2015
Ordinary chain bind off and what to do with the last stitch
The Caffinated Knitter - headband
Come to Silver -- Two socks toe up circular needle
Silver's Sock Classes
Knitting Needle conversion chart
Knitting Techniques
Blocking Swatches
Arenda Hollady's blog (Master Knitter)
Closing the heel gap in socks
How to Make 1 Left or Right
Cable Fun with Lucy Neatby (Part 1 of 4) - the rest should be in the side bar on YouTube
Transition from ribbing to stockinette stitch
Sock Knitting - master class by Ann Budd page 103
When you want to switch from a knit 2, purl 2 ribbing, start your ribbing with a purl 2. When you do the amount of ribbing you need, do the Twist (tw) to align your stitches to a knit 1 purl 1 ribbing. Purl first stitch. Insert needle knitwise into the next knit stitch (skip purl stitch) and knit it but do not slip it to the right needle. Insert the needle into the purl stitch you skipped and purl it. Slip both needles off to the right needle. Knit and purl the next two stitches. Repeat the Twist to the last stitch and knit the last stitch. (August - October 2014 Cast On Magazine)
2014
Downton Abbey Hat

Crochet Magic Ring

Crochet Shark Hat Pattern

Fair Isle Knitting

Chinese Waitress Cast On
Fair Ilse Knitting
Basic Toe Up Pattern
Free Sock Patterns
Needle Tote
Fleegles Toe Up Sock
2013
How to Knit a Sweater

Sweater 101 - The Book

What a great site. It has me wanting to learn more and more and more. So, I am going to knit the size 1 pullover as a sample. It will be my learning piece, my practice piece. Yes, it is dropped sleeved but there are so many things to learn that can be transferred to other sleeve types.

Once that piece is done, I will do a larger size until I am doing adult sizes. That way I can play with yarn types, needle sizes, and continue learning.

Socks are not out of the picture as I am going to continue knitting them. Just taking a break from them.

The Knitter's Book of Socks

The simplest and fastest way to add elasticity to any yarn or sock is to introduce ribbing.
Some maintain that k1/p1 produces the most elastic fabric, then k2/p2 and onward but Elizabeth Zimmerman insists that k2/p2 ribbing is the most elastic of all, and who would argue with Elizabeth?

Cables -- the smaller the cables the more elasticity they tend to allow in the fabric. The larger the cables, the less yielding the fabric. Cables require more yarn than most other stitches, creating a dense fabric. Cables are best worked in lighter-weight sock yarns whose fibres and/or twist will give the fabric lots of twist.

Faux Cables -- use of cleaver increases and decreases to create the illusion of cables while avoiding the potential density and inelasticity of true overlapping stitches.

Gauge
  • fingering weight - 8 to 10 stitches per inch
  • Sport or DK weight - 7 to 8 stitches per inch
  • Worsted weight - 7 stitches per inch
Drop down a needle size when doing the heel for a structural difference.

Resources:
Seaman's Cap

Socks

Resources

Fingerweight Socks

Stretch Cast Off

Sweet Tomato Heel

2012
Elizabeth Zimmerman's Surprises

Resources

Baby Surprise Jacket -- Raverly Discussion

Panda Man's Knitting Corner

Baby Surprise Jacket -- Raverly Wikki

Knitting and com Baby Surprise Jacket

Books

The Opinionated Knitter

Knitting Without Tears
November 11, 2012
Baby Surprise Bonnet
When I first saw Elizabeth Zimmerman's Baby Surprise Jacket, I was taken back with it. Knit on one needle from cast on to cast off, I had to make one. In my innocence and stupidity, I made my first BSJ and gave it to a young couple for the birth of their first baby. I said I would make another one as I liked that little jacket.

In her book, Knitting Without Tears, Elizabeth Zimmerman devotes chapter two to Gauge - Required Reading. I read it with care as I had a project go wrong both in yarn and gauge. When she and another person said to disregard needle size in the pattern and to look at gauge, I realized the next thing was important -- the dreaded gauge swatch.






I did the gauge swatch for the bonnet, which calls for 6 sts to the inch. The yarn is a acrylic baby sport and I am using 3.25mm bamboo needles to knit the suprise bonnet. I figured it would be a good starting point. To do the swatch I cast on 25 stitches, knit 6 rows of garter stitch, then repeated the following two rows:

  1. knit 
  2. knit 5, purl 15, knit 5

When I had done a total of 15 to 17 rows, I did a stitch count to see how many stitches were to the inch.  Perfect in the number of stitches and the feel of the sample (not too tight that it felt funny to the touch). If I had followed the recommended needle size, I would have tossed this project as far as I could and and quit knitting. This bonnet would have fit a teenager.

The pattern for the bonnet is in The Opininated Knitter -- leaflet #22. You can buy this book at Amazon and Schoolhouse Press.



I cast on the required stitches using the long tail cast on. To get the front of the knitting facing me, I knit the first row. Then I knew that I could do the decreases on the front of the bonnet and just knit across the back. I also used a row counter to help me out. Once I had done the first 10 rows and then the make 1 stitch row (back to the original number of stitches), I set my row counter back to 0. I then started again. When I came to row 11, I couldn't really decide if it was K5 M1 with the decreases or just K5 M1 with no decreases. Some quick counting told me no decreases to get back to the 122 stitches which were the original cast on number.

For the decreases, I did sl 1, k2tog, psso or as Zimmerman calls SK2P. When I knit 2 together, I did it in the traditional knitting sense and will try knitting the 2 stitches together in the back. It might give it a different look at the decreases.

I continued on knitting wondering about the back of the bonnet. Actually, I was wondering if I would end up with 26 stitches on the needle. The surprise is -- it works. When I finished the last decrease row, I picked up 29 stitches/ridges down the side, turned, knit back and picked up the remaining 29 stitches on the other side.

When doing the next set of decreases, you are to K 10, K 2tog, then knit the next row. On the third row you do K 9, K 2tog and decrease the 9 to 8 to 7 on the odd numbered rows. Ask me how I know that. Next time I will knit 2 to the back of the stitches to see how that looks.

The end result without the ties on it.






November 11, 2012

After finishing the bonnet, I looked at pictures of it (few and far between) and saw that two had I-cords for ties. I did a YouTube search and found this great video on how to do it.



After doing the cords for the bonnet seperately, I would do them together so they are exactly the same length.  

Finished bonnet. It looks so boring in white but I am using up some yarn I had left over from my spring knitting.

 November 12, 2012 - Baby Surprise Booties


I made the first one yesterday and I have to say they are cute; higher up than a normal bootie which is nice. The tension was the same as the bonnet so I cast on the 51 stitches ad started decreasing to 3 stitches remaining. Fairly easy to keep track of with a row counter.

You have to knit up on the sides of the booties and I am coming to the conclusion that I will start on the right side and pick up those stitches all the way across to the other side. Then I will knit back so when I start the next row I  have the bars when I need to Make 1 stitch. I finished the bootie and then sweat a bit with the weaving but got it figured out. The second bootie is over half done and I will finish it tonight.


I will add the I-cord to the ankle and the start on the jacket. Stay tuned for that as I will be using tutorials and YouTube videos to see where my previous mistakes were.

Knitting on 4 or 5 Needles

 November 16, 2012  - Baby Mitts

I found this cute pattern on ehow. The page is so full of adds that I copied it here for easier reading.



































Things You'll Need


  • 1 ball (or less) worsted weight yarn  I used a baby sport yarn
  • 4 U.S. size 8 double-pointed needles  I used 3.25 mm needles
  • Stitch marker
  • Yarn needle
  • Length of ribbon or cord
Instructions

  1. Cast on 24 30 stitches. Use your preferred cast-on method. Divide the stitches over three needles, so that each needle has eight stitches. Place a marker at the end of the row, and join the stitches in the round. Be careful not to twist the stitches.
  2. Knit the cuff of the mitten in a 1x1 rib style. This means you knit one stitch and purl one stitch (K1, P1) for the whole round. Repeat the K1, P1 pattern for eight ten rounds.
  3. Knit an eyelet row. Start with a yarn over (YO), which means bringing the yarn to the front of the right-hand needle and then back over it. Then knit two stitches together (K2tog). Repeat these two steps–YO, K2tog–until the end of the round. Work 24 rounds of regular stockinette stitch–knit every stitch for 24 rounds. I knit 22 rounds, then K 1, K 2tog, knit 4, K 2tog, K1 on each needle to get back to 24 stitches. Then knit 1 round.
  4. Work a decrease row. Knit two stitches, and then knit two stitches together (K2, K2tog) all the way around. Knit all the stitches for the following round. Work another decrease row with this pattern: knit one, and then knit two stitches together (K1, K2tog) all the way around. Knit all the stitches for the following round. Work a final decrease row by knitting two stitches together (K2tog) all the way around. You should be left with six stitches on the needles.
  5. Cut the yarn, leaving a six-inch tail. Thread that tail on to the yarn needle, and thread the needle through the six remaining stitches, removing them from the needle. Pull the thread tightly, closing up the hole at the tip of the mitten. Thread the end through to the inside of the mitten. Weave the end securely through a few stitches, and cut the tail.
  6. Repeat all the above steps to make a second mitten. You should have a row of small eyelet holes just above the ribbed cuff. Weave a length of ribbon, cord, braided yarn or I-cord through the eyelets. You should leave ends long enough to tie in a bow around the baby’s wrist.
Tips and Warnings
  • If you have lots of small scraps of yarn, use them to make stripy mittens. Whether the stripes on these mittens match does not matter.
  • You can use the same pattern to make mittens of different sizes simply by changing the size of the knitting needles and/or the weight of the yarn.
  • You can also adapt this simple stockinette pattern for any stitch pattern that can be worked over an even number of stitches, including seed stitch or garter stitch.

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