New Free Patt at Needles to Say

Mary Anne Oger has a garter bar project for your midgauge at her blog - a nice, dimensional blue scarf:

http://knitwords.blogspot.com/2011/12/garter-bar-practise.html

I view of the popularity of the LK-150 mid-gauge, I've decided to get one.  I actually have an unusual mid-gauge machine, the MK-70, which is 6 mm spacing, and there's no garter bar is available for that, as far as I know.  I like to teach on machines that lots of knitters have, an the LK-150 certainly qualifies for that.  Mary Anne used an LK-150 for this pattern.  She used to run lots of very nice mid-gauge patterns in KnitWords magazine, and did her share to popularize hand-manipulated work.

Notice how she's got you not only turning the work but occasionally moving every other needle for an eyelet lace?  That can be done with the garter bar, too.  Check out my lessons on how to do that:

Lesson 9 - Eyelets (2 Parts) Move ONLY Selected Needles!

Part One

Part Two


I admit this technique, where you move only the stitches on certain needles and all the other stitches stay put very securely, takes a little study and practice.  Once you practice it, though, you'll really like the efficiency of doing a whole row of eyelets so quickly and accurately on a machine where no lace carriage is available.

Oh, if only, if only the LK-150 or something similar were widely available in the everyday hobby stores and big box stores!  Maybe one of these days.  We'll all have to keep teaching new people to machine knit and bring the demand on up.  People are certainly paying for fancy sewing machines, so let's turn them on to KMs, too.