3 New Videos: Knitting Socks on Standard Machine

You can knit excellent socks on the standard gauge machine. There are lots of wonderful books on the market with patterns and instructions on machine knitting socks. Over the years I've tried a whole bunch of different methods. Lately, I puzzled over what kind of socks would be best for video lessons. I considered making a simplified sock that would be easier to teach and knit, but I decided to teach the best possible socks, even though this video is more difficult. I'll have to wait and see how knitters managed (I answer knitters' questions by email every day).

Should I go flat, main bed only, and have you seam them? Should I go toes-down, and put two seams in the cuff, like my fave Passap sock? Or toes-up and put one seam in the cuff? I finally decided to do toes-up with one seam. I think it's the best possible sock if you don't have a circular sock knitting machine because it has the fewest seams.

This is a little more difficult than some projects, but so what? It's a series of straightforward steps, and a little practice will conquer them. As you knit a few socks, you will master a whole bunch of useful MK techniques.

The overarching principle in knitting is quality. Just as I strive hard for quality in the video project, which is my current stiff learning curve, you're striving for a quality product, for something to delight the recipient. If you're going to all that trouble to learn machine knitting, to pay for terrific equipment and supplies, then whether you're making a sock or a designer sweater knock-off, you want a quality finished result.

There's no point in making socks with crummy yarn. Use a good superwash wool yarn with some nylon content for socks that last. You can wear holes in an all-acrylic sock in nothing flat, maybe even in one wearing. I have homemade wool/nylon socks in my sock drawer that are years old.

Here is the latest about the DVD project. A lot of folks have asked me to make DVDs of the lessons available for purchase. This week, I was on vacation and I was able to spend time learning the new camera and the new editing software. The DVDs we've recorded and played back on our TV are amazing. Even on the standard machine with itsy sock yarn, you can see the tiny stitches and all my goofs and fumbles in almost painful detail. Soon, I hope to have the sock DVDs and a companion book with all the sizes available for sale.

I jump off on the DVD project with this one; it's a start to see how they are received.

Go up to find the sock videos!

Resolutions and Knitting Socks

Our Weight Watchers talk tonight was about New Year's resolutions.

Y'all already know that I already made one resolution, to make the best quality videos ever, and then tonight I went to WW class in the miserable cold rain and got all inspired by a 70-year-old lady attending class. She said she went white water rafting last year, and her goal this year is to ride a zipline in Hawaii! She got me to thinking...I am mulling exciting things that I could do that I have never done before. Gosh, I'd love to ride on a zipline. White water rafting was incredibly fun. I went with friends, and if my friends hadn't wanted to go, I wouldn't have tried it.

What would you resolve to do that is totally out of your box?

Knittingwise, I hope I put some things on the blog that inspire you to do something entirely different.

For instance, some time back I was talking with my girlfriend, who said that she didn't buy an expensive knitting machine and spend months learning to work it just to knit socks! Socks are much too ordinary. She had more glamorous projects in mind.

As a matter of fact, I felt exactly the same way myself. I didn't learn to knit to knit socks, for Pete's sake. However, somewhere along the way I knitted some socks and now I'm hooked. My handmade socks are warm, soft, beautifully fitted so they stay up without all that nasty elastic in commercial socks, and they breathe because they are natural wool. Even worse, I shared some with relatives and friends who are also hooked now. I crank out many pairs of socks each year, normally on my amazing antique circular sock machine. I buy fun, crazy colors. I've experimented with lots of different sock yarns, but my preference is superwash wool with a little nylon for wear.

Socks make wonderful gifts, and they're a great little project for evenings when I've come home tired and just want to knit a little while.

You don't have to have a circular sock machine to make good socks. You can make 'em on the standard machine with ribber, as well.

A sock is a complicated shaped piece of knitting. Expect this to be a little more tricky and to require some practice.

Now I need to go to the knitting machine and get the video made showing how to do a sock on the flatbed standard machine with ribber!

New Video - Dyeing Wool Sock Yarn With Kool-Aid

Here's my newest video, filmed on my new hi-def camcorder:

New Resolutions & New Videos

After putting over a hundred videos up on YouTube over these past few months, we decided I must be pretty serious about this project and we ought to invest in better equipment. John and I purchased a high-definition camcorder and new video editing software so I can work in true high-definition resolution.

I was pretty dazzled by the camera after I got it working last night - took footage of my little dog and could see his individual hairs when we played it back through the television!

Naturally, the next step was to shoot a knitting video! I wanted to do something fun, so I filmed a video on dyeing sock yarn with Kool-Aid. John calls it "Dyeing With Diana" which isn't very nice, but I'll let that go. Kool-Aid dyeing is great fun, and maybe I'll put up a sock project, on the flatbed and not my circular sock machine, to go with the dyeing video. One luxury a machine knitter ought to indulge is the desire for wonderful, soft real wool socks, machine-washable besides.

I have plugged away at learning the new video software and at making this first video file. This software and camera will allow me to create DVDs with genuine high-resolution to make it easier to see what I'm doing as I demonstrate knitting. I go into the New Year determined to create higher-quality videos, and the new equipment plus the many lessons I've learned so far will help me get there. I'll be able to create true DVD disks, but I'm concerned about how large those files will be and how much will fit on one disk.

YouTube videos fit in the little box, which reduces the resolution anyway. I am creating the YouTube file and am curious how much better it will look than what I had in the past. We'll soon see, won't we?

Christmas Greetings!

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

And for grins...

Warm Ribbed Scarf to Knit

I did a project video today, a scarf made on the bulky machine with ribber using 2 skeins of Lion Brand Homespun yarn. This yarn is a little tricky to knit with, certainly as thick a yarn as you are going to be able to run through a 9mm bulky machine.

This simple scarf is a long rectangle of double fisherman ribbing. It's about 6' long and over a foot wide.

Here's the video:

New Profile Picture

I put up a new profile picture. I just got a new haircut - my hair was below my shoulders, and half of it is gone now - so my profile picture is different (left margin & down).

Got the day off, need to knit quickly before kids start showing up!

Asking Me Questions

If you want to ask me a question, please email me at diana_knits at sbcglobal dot com. I like answering questions.

If you ask it in a comment, it's hard to find and the answer is hard to find unless you know which post has the comment attached. Also, if you ask over at YouTube and you've asked in a comment attached to a specific video, the same problem arises.

Ready for Christmas

Last year, I struggled through the holidays overwhelmed with how much needed to be done for Christmas and I puzzled about how to organize myself. It is, after all, supposed to be a beautiful, meaningful celebration of our Savior and not just a stress bomb for the mom.

This year was completely different. To begin with, I made a decision not to worry about whether I was getting the best possible gifts! I have finally realized how impossible that is. I purchased gifts online for my out-of-state people and got all the orders done early. I stuck with things anybody would like or be able to use, for instance food gift baskets. Getting those packages mailed on time has been stressful in the past. While it is expensive sometimes to buy good gifts online plus pay shipping, there are deals out there and it was cheaper for us because it kept us away from the stores. Going to the mall with my husband, who enjoys shopping and feels no time pressure, can result in our buying all sorts of things along with the gifts. I'm the one who wants to buy it and get out of there, and John's the one who wants to browse, to get me to try on something he spotted or look in three more stores for the best price or item.

John's joke, for years, is that he has Christmas completely figured out - he simply lets Diana do it! That's not true - John likes to help, but I'm keeping the lists and making sure everything gets done. (Kudos to my sweet husband - it's our 35th anniversary today!)

You know what? If you buy online a few times, you find companies that are wonderful! No affiliation, folks, but my favorites are Amazon, L. L. Bean, Omaha Steaks, Guadalupe Smoked Meats, the Texas Pecan Company, and Wine Country Gift Baskets (not for wine, think chocolate).

I also made up my mind to be bullet-proof about difficult people. Nobody's been difficult yet, but if they are, I'm ready! If any gift just doesn't work, I kept receipts, and if anybody is so tacky as to unreasonably complain about a gift, well, that's their problem.

The tree went up a little late - the weather was dreary, and we were waiting for a nice day on a weekend to do that, and that slowed us down. However, we have a lovely fresh tree.

Recently, John's mother was hospitalized, and we have been extremely worried about her. John went to California for a few days to see her. She's doing MUCH better, and he's flying home today. It's a good thing I was psyched, because this meant that I didn't have his help for the last few things I needed to do, including buying our sons' presents. I sat with a cup of coffee and all the newspaper ads this weekend and decided what I was buying and where to go, then went out and got it done, including shopping holiday food specials since the boys will be home.

One thing I do that has worked well for me is I keep a spreadsheet with the names and gift ideas, and finally I mark what I actually purchased each person. Since I've kept it several years, I can see what I got them last year.

Another thing I do is keep a basket of already knitted gifts ready to go. These are items that don't have to fit - for instance, shawls, blankets, and scarves. I always have at least one baby blanket ready to go. That circular baby blanket that I put up a video on is a great choice for a generic baby gift, and you can mix the colors up for either a boy or girl without it looking boring. I wish I had more ideas that are good for men.

As to my goal of making the holiday meaningful, which I wrote about on the blog last year, I have already had some great experiences. For instance, I attended an amazing choral concert and a holiday musical/comedy revue, purchased a new holiday album, and found time to pore over the Christmas letters we received. We go to church all year, but Christmas Eve our church has a beautiful service, which is a "don't miss" activity for us.

Have you got any great holiday ideas that work well for you? I'd love it if you shared them.

Knit Natters Annual Holiday Party and Gift Exchange

Knit Natters met on Saturday at Barbara's house, and had a great time. We had a good-sized group, lots of potluck food, and our usual crazy holiday gift exchange.

I kept my camera handy.

The first group of pictures are some highlights from the gift exchange. We bring something handmade, draw numbers, and do the swap-and-steal routine with them. This was a very lively exchange with more theft than I have ever seen! Here's a tote bag made by Mildren Beeson, held by its lucky winner, Sara. Next, Tiffany holding the item Sara brought (I won it. Perfect for me, holds an entire afghan!), a very large tote handwoven out of plastic grocery bags on a triangle loom. It's very soft and strong! Next item, Pat's show-and-tell item, a Knit Picks knitting tote with pockets and stiffening so it stands up. Next, Rose and Mary on the couch, and Mary's showing the scarf and hat that Tiffany (8 years old now!) made. This was "stolen" a couple times and I don't know who ended up with it. Next pic is Tiffany holding the chicken potholder that Rose knitted, also stolen. I am not sure who snagged it. Rose says she found the chicken pattern in a Charlene Shafer book. Next picture is Rose holding the crocheted shopping bags she originally got in the gift exchange, also "stolen," and went to somebody else, I think.

The next batch of photos pertain to our craft for the day. I think this was our best ever, but I realize that I always say that! Sara, who has made countless little fairies crafted from floral wire, wooden beads, wool roving, silk flowers, hot glue and other magic ingredients, showed us how to make them. Pictured are several of the samples Sara brought to our club meeting. Although I am hot-glue-gun-challenged, I am very proud of mine; she's a little girl riding on a red butterfly, and she's hanging in a prominent spot on my Christmas tree.

That last picture is Tiffany showing Barbara's show-and-tell project. She stood patiently while Barbara's wazoos were piled on her and I was getting the shot. Barbara has already made slippers for some deployed troops, and now she's doing wazoos, warm hats with long tails that can be wrapped around the neck for warmth.

At this meeting, we generally celebrate another year of Knit Natters! Month after month, Barbara Deike has hostessed this meeting at her house, even though she's got a very busy full-time job, a long commute, and a little granddaughter, Tiffany, to look after. Barbara has simply included Tiffany in everything, and she's one of us, even making a fancy project for the gift exchange. Barbara has been an incredible organizer and we are all very grateful for what she has done.

In January, we go back to our "normal" meeting format, which includes a Brother demo and a Passap demo. If you can make it, we'd love to have you!

Circular Swirl Baby Blanket - A Variation

Jimmy Vaughn gave me permission to put up this photo of the Circular Baby Blanket. This one is larger than normal for an older child. You can do this - just knit more stitches. And, there are two sections of each color for a whole different effect!

Jimmy's blanket makes me think of the circus.

Bulky Lined Slipper - Here's the Pattern

I have put the pattern up as a .pdf over at Knit Natters:

http://www.knitnatters.com/slipper.pdf

You will find this pattern much easier to follow if you watch the videos:

Part 1 of 2:



Part 2 of 2:


A few notes and comments:

1. Most people don't know sock sizes - at least I don't. What I decided to do was chart the slippers following the sizes at the Yarn Council's standards web pages. If you measure around the largest part of the foot (the ball) and you measure the length of the foot, you can pick your size that way.

2. The gauge of the slippers for the pattern is 4-1/2 stitches and 6-1/2 rows equals 1". In metric measurements, 18 stitches and 26 rows equals 10 centimeters. I got this with a light worsted weight yarn and Tension 4 on my Brother 270. Measure gauge with the yarn you are using for the outer slipper, not the lining. The lining is made on a tighter tension so it'll fit inside the outer slipper.

3. Yarn - For this project you can use up scraps of worsted weight yarn. Yes, American 4-ply acrylic yarn will work, but the better the yarn is that you use, the better your results will be. The slipper shown is less than 50 grams of each color. It's a woman's size 7-9 (sock size).

Knitted Slippers

Pix of the lined slippers I make on my bulky machine.

I've done some filming, but we are going out this evening. The editing and the pattern writeups will have to wait!

Getting Ready for Christmas?

I worked on getting ready for Christmas most of the weekend. I picked out and ordered all my out-of-state gifts online, having them shipped to the recipients in California. I had been thinking about what to give everyone for a while.

I struggle terribly with choosing gifts. It's almost impossible, when you see people very seldom, to choose an ideal gift. I know people who think they're great at giving gifts, but most of them aren't as good at it as they think they are. What I decided this year was simply not to worry so much about it - buy something nice that almost anyone can use, get it on its way, and forget it.

When I look at my blog last year, I recall my overwhelmed feeling as I struggled to make Christmas at least a little meaningful under the crush of endless shopping, events, and difficult people. This year I've adjusted my attitude and strategy - I made the necessary decisions, accepted that they can't be perfect choices, purchased the items, and now I can relax.

Saturday morning, John and I sat at the kitchen table and did all the Christmas cards. He helped me decide what to put in a letter, and we printed those. We used a Christmas address list that I keep on the computer.

The neighbor came over Saturday and asked John if we'd chip in on a new fence on one side of the house. John hired the guy to replace our worn out fence, and we split the cost of two sections with neighbors. These houses were all built around the same time and all the fences are needing replaced.

When our son comes for Christmas, his dog won't be able to pop a board loose and wander the neighborhood. As a puppy, she jumped fences, but now she's heavier and I don't think she will give us that problem. Luckily, neither his dog or ours is a digger.

This morning, this netbook that I use so much acquired a horrendous virus. I've seen this thing before - it announces that you're infected, pretends to run a scan, and wants you to buy their product. I spotted it immediately and stopped it from completely installing itself, but still, I had to work on the netbook for hours to get it completely off. There's a similar one we've had at work that I had gotten good at getting off, but this one is a bigger problem. My son's computer upstairs has yet another different but similar virus, and we still have to clean it up. Because it ran a little longer, it's more entrenched. I'll have to take his hard drive out of the computer and put it in an enclosure, then clean off the virus files, because his computer won't function at all. I was not very happy to be stuck at home doing what I so often have to do at work, but hey, I beat the virus in the end.

I also packed up the warm hats for the children in Tibet.

And, I wrapped up my stuff for Knit Natters' gift exchange next Saturday. Sorry, it's a secret!

Next Video - Slippers

I love to knit slippers, and love to wear warm slippers. This will be a 4-ply slipper, fully lined for warmth, in a mocassin style. They aren't the usual machine knit slippers; it's one of my patterns. Anyway, the video is about half done.

Inspiration

Great stuff out on hand knitting blogs today!


Look what can be done with one ball of yarn:

http://simpleknits.blogspot.com/2009/12/simple-cowl.html


Lacy scarf - cute - we could absolutely do this on our machines:

http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2009_12.html#002771


Anybody like illusion knitting? Darling holiday mittens which could be translated to machine knitting on a garter carriage, but with lots of stopping to change colors.

http://knitflix.blogspot.com/2009/12/fo-snowman-illusion-mitts.html


And another pretty triangle hand knitted shawl:

http://www.alltangledup.com/movabletype/archives/002018.html

All Kinds of Updates

1. Still doing Weight Watchers; I am not as diligent as I could be during the holidays, but I have finally realized that I have to work at it all the time for the sake of my health.

2. Plugging away on the written instructions to go with the beginner machine knitting course. This is exciting! I'm slow, though, as I strive for a high-quality product.

3. Did a whole pile of original new lace edgings, what Ludmilla calls an "automatic" edging where the lace carriage does the increases and decreases. You still have to add and remove needles at the right time. I have a longstanding routine that I use for that, which I plan to show in a video, and it works for me. I haven't seen anyone else do it quite the way I do. You'll either want to try it or you'll think I'm odd and it's not for you. Y'all have no idea what a knitting lace nut I am (yet).

4. The Sullivans are well into the annual holiday frenzy. In honor of Christ's birth, such a beautiful and meaningful remembrance for Christians, we run in circles with shopping, mailing packages, decorating, Christmas cards, parties, church activities, and several birthdays in December plus our anniversary! Yesterday was my wonderful husband's birthday, and I hadn't gotten my act together. I worked through lunch, left the office early, and shopped on my way home. I had the gift, card and a special dinner ready when he walked in. We ate quickly together and then went to a party. We went to a party the night before, too. And tonight, I have a meeting. We're going to eat fast food together first. I'm very grateful to have faith, friends, and family, but December is a frantic month.

5. Steven, our 19-year-old, has decided to transfer from Fordham University in New York to Texas A&M, which is less than a 2-hour drive from our house! We're very happy about this. They have a special program he wants to study. Every single person I ever met who went to Texas A&M thought it was a wonderful college and has terrific things to say about it, so hopefully Steve will also be very happy there. When he comes home on Christmas vacation, we can arrange to move him.

6. John Patrick, our 25-year-old son, has decided to spend some vacation days at our house at the end of the year. He'll bring his labrador. Steve will be home. My husband John will be home. I'll be taking some days off right at the end of the month, too. We'll have Steve's friends in and out, and two dogs, and it'll be fun. It's quite possible that I will get some knitting done!

7. Our anniversary on the 21st will be our 35th anniversary. We haven't planned anything special, but we're a couple of lovebirds and "still crazy after all these years," to quote the old Simon and Garfunkel song.

8. Just 'cause I'm busy and not getting vids up right now, don't wonder if I'm discouraged or wandering away from doing knitting videos. I plan to do lots more in 2010.

9. Knit Natters has its annual gift exchange and party on Saturday the 12th. We bring something we made or something knitting related for the gift exchange. I haven't decided what to bring, except that I am probably NOT bringing socks again this year. Pat and Sara ARE doing a holiday craft hands-on activity with us! Yes! Of course, new people are welcome at the Christmas party! Email me. In January we will go back to regular club meetings with knitting demonstrations.

Excellent Video on Using Passap Transfer Tool U100

Inspiration - Another Darling Doggie Sweater

From Mason-Dixon Knitting's Blog:

http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2009_12.html#002768

Knitting Videos & Copyrights

I have specifically asked everyone not to download and burn my knitting videos that I have posted on YouTube. However, the discussion swirls on. Aren't the videos public domain because they're on YouTube? Isn't it my own fault if people steal my work, for not publishing specific warnings?

Paragraph 5-B of the YouTube Terms of Service Agreement (for all YouTube users):

"You may access User Submissions for your information and personal use solely as intended through the provided functionality of the YouTube Website. You shall not copy or download any User Submission unless you see a “download” or similar link displayed by YouTube on the YouTube Website for that User Submission. "

It says the same general thing in several other ways. Read it youself. Furthermore, the copyright laws do not require specific warning or even copyright notices. Watch the videos, enjoy them, but don't burn your own CDs or DVDs. Link to them, and to this blog, if you like. If you really must have copies, wait for mine.

Circular Swirl Baby Blanket - Written Pattern

Swirl Baby Blanket
By Diana Sullivan


Round, 36” diameter blanket
Machine: 9mm Bulky Flatbed
Samples were knitted on Brother 270, Tension 4
Yarn: Bernat Coordinates – acrylic/rayon/nylon sport weight baby yarn
3 5-1/2 ounce skeins; 1 dark pink, 2 light pink

Make 5 dark pink triangles and 5 light pink triangles, alternating colors.

Rewind the yarn into center pull balls.

Please refer to the video instructions on YouTube. Here's the link list for those videos:

http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2009/11/swirl-round-baby-blanket-videos.html

First triangle: Using a short length of waste yarn, cast on over two needles, #30 left and #29 left. With dark pink yarn, knit 2 rows from left to right and knit back. Carriage on left. Increase on every second row on the right side only by bringing out one more needle on the right and knitting across and back. There is no increase on the left side of the knitting. The triangle will be asymmetrical with a straight side and an increase side. Continue increasing in this way until there are 60 needles in work and take the triangle off on waste yarn.

Second triangle: Carriage on left. Hold the triangle with the purl side toward you, the straight, non-increase side of the triangle on top, and the waste yarn on the right. Pick up the bars along the side edge of the knitting onto 60 needles (pick up a knot along the edge somewhere away from the ends, if necessary). Hang weights. Bring needles to hold and push stitches back against machine. Add 1 empty needle in working position at the left. Thread the lighter pink yarn. Set machine so it will not knit needles in hold position. On carriage side of knitting (left) bring one needle to intermediate position so the first 2 needles will knit. Knit from left to right, then knit back. Don’t bother to wrap.

Bring one more needle from hold to intermediate position, and knit 2 rows. Repeat this method of increasing until all needles are in work, ending with knit 2 rows. Knit several rows of waste yarn and take off machine.

Third Triangle With the first two triangles purl side toward you and the dark pink triangle’s straight side up and waste yarn on the right, hang the bars onto 60 needles the same way the second triangle was hung. Put needles in hold and knit with light pink yarn in the same way as the second triangle.

Fourth through Ninth Triangles are made in the same way, alternating light and dark pink colors.

Tenth Triangle Hang the ninth triangle on in the same way the other triangles were hung. Put needles in hold. Hang weights. Add one needle at left side, as usual. On the first triangle, put transfer tool in first increase (at center of circle), twist the increase to make the increase hole close, and hang it on the empty needle. Bring the first needle on the left to intermediate position so it will knit. Thread lighter pink and knit 2 rows. Bring next needle from hold to intermediate position. Hang next increase loop on first triangle onto the same needle at left edge of knitting, twisting the loop, and knit 2 rows. Continue in this way until all stitches are knitted and the entire first triangle is joined.

Worm Edging: Using triple transfer tool, hang 3 stitches from waste yarn around edge of blanket. Knit 8 rows. Pick up next 3 stitches and hang them on the same three needles. Do worm edging all the way around the blanket, end by hanging the first 3 stitches and binding off.

Finishing: Sew one of the ends through each stitch in the center and draw it up. Hide all the ends. Steam the blanket lightly (this yarn is mainly acrylic, and heavy steaming will make it limp).

© Diana Sullivan Copyrighted material, all rights reserved.

Happy Thanksgiving! And Hi, Knitters

I've had the loveliest Wednesday before Thanksgiving! I hope y'all have, too.

If you're someplace that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, or if you're cooking yourself into utter collapse, my prayer for you is that tomorrow you will have at least one of those magical moments when you feel completely blessed and loved.

Our son Steven flew in today, and it is wonderful to have him home! He has been away at college. He has been considering transferring to Texas, and has acceptances from UT and A&M to consider. His older brother is working today and then will drive down tonight or tomorrow.

My boss gave us all the day off today, as well as an extra day at Christmas, as a thank-you to the staff at our Boy Scout Council. It's been crazy busy at work lately, and enjoyed slowing down today. I spent the morning tidying up and knitting. My house is always in some state of clutter. We haven't figured out how to conquer our pack-rattiness.

I am knitting lace edgings. I create the chart in DAK (but I'm not using the lace tool for these) and then I download it to the 965i and knit it. I usually have to fix it to get the edging to work. Making the lace "travel" along the edge and create scallops or zigzags is an interesting challenge. I have a routine for making shaped edges, and a notebook full of original edgings I've done in the past. Of course, I didn't think any of the ones in the notebook were exactly right for the shawl I am making. Now I have several that I think will look good with the shawl, and must decide.

Does anybody have a Studio 160 (mid-gauge) sized garter bar for sale? I've been contacted by a knitter searching for one.

I also heard from Ludmilla today, who sent along an amazing web address, if you want some incredible garment inspiration: http://www.millma.com/1024.htm# You will need to click on English first, and then you can click around the collections of beautiful knitwear.

Copyright Issues - Knitting Videos

If you want to do something with my videos, please ask me for permission. I can be emailed at diana_knits at sbcglobal.net (spelled out the @ to thwart spammers). I like to say yes, but you need to ask.

There was a brief thread over at the absolutely wonderful Yahoo Machine Knitting group about knitters downloading the videos and burning them to CDs and then sending them to fellow knitters who were having trouble viewing them, mostly because of bandwidth issues, like only having dial-up. I know folks are just trying to be helpful, but don't do that. Respect my copyright.

I am aware of the need and am trying to figure out solutions. I've shared CDs before, but don't really have time to do it piecemeal. I need to keep working on videos in the free time I do have.

I love my day job, and I don't think a busy knitting business is in the cards for me again.

On down the road, I'd like to make some CDs with video files on them (or DVDs - surely I could learn how to work with DVDs) and sell them at very reasonable prices wth a decent workbook.

For now, I just want to teach people to knit. Then I want them all to fall in love with the hobby and add to the general level of buzz and creativity around MK.

I have started writing the workbook for the beginner course, but haven't gotten too terribly far.

Gotta run - the shawl and shawl video is needing some Saturday morning work.

Inspiration - Lace Handknit Sweater

Isn't this pretty? I had to comment and ask what fiber she used:

http://knitflix.blogspot.com/2009/11/hkf_20.html

Sneak Preview

I have four sections of the shawl done. Four to go, plus an edging.

What's Diana Working On?

Are you wondering why I'm "quiet?" Well, I am knitting a lace weight shawl in lace using the swirl idea (like the swirl baby blanket). I have simplified this so that there are only two passes with the lace carriage and 2 passes with the regular carriage, then an increase. I want it simple so everyone with a standard Brother and a lace carriage can make it. In fact, I'm using a small enough pattern repeat to work with punch card machines.

This is slow going for me because lace yarn is SO fine and I only have a little time each evening to knit. It takes more stitches and rows, and I need lots of light to pick up the tiny edge stitches. I probably won't do this again - I'll use a fingering-sock-2/12 weight instead and have a bigger shawl, still gorgeous, in less time. The technique will be just the same, though, and this makes such a big impact for an easy technique. It just takes patience, and you have to be very gentle with the lace weight yarn so it doesn't break.

You can make lace shawls every bit as beautiful as the handknitters do, and they often knit for months to get one done.

After I get the shawl triangles done I will film the edging and photograph the finished project. Maybe tonight I'll get a photo to put up of the current state of the project.

Inspiration - Lace tam

Over at All Tangled Up, a great lace tam:

http://www.alltangledup.com/movabletype/archives/002017.html

Inspiration - Adorable Doggie Sweater

So cute! And so is the little dog:

http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2009_11.html#002759

I also have a cute little dog who likes to take walks, no matter how cold it is. Yes, we actually do get cold days in Central Texas. Well, this little number wouldn't take much yarn at all, and isn't it cute!

Child's Warm Hat - My Pile, So Far

Once I got the pattern figured out and the video filmed, edited and uploaded, I kept on knitting kids' hats through the weekend.

I had a lot of odd balls of sock yarn, much of which has been sitting around a while. It was fun to knit these up and see how they'd look in all the different sock yarns.

Pictured: two of my favorites in a close-up, and then the whole crowd. These hats are big enough for a middle-school child. I tried a few smaller ones and then decided to go a little bigger.

I still need to sew the side seams on over half of them. Here's the collection so far - I say so far because there are still two full plastic shoeboxes with little balls of leftover sock yarn.

Just for Smiles - Video from Mason Dixon Knitting

Y'all enjoy...



Who says we knitters don't have our little secrets, our dramas, our love triangles?

New Video - Warm Child's Hat

A project for those little cold ears. I am using wool sock yarn for this one. Each hat takes about 40 grams. If you don't have enough of one color, well, do stripes! Use any standard machine with ribber:




My hope is you'll knit some warm wool hats for the Nepal project described at Crossroads Knits. She's collecting the knitted goods and getting them over to the charitable agency:

http://crossroadknits.blogspot.com/2009/11/project-nepal.html

Cute Baby Knits

How does she get so much cute handknitting done? Check these out:

http://thecaffeineatedknitter.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-poor-blog.html

Answers to Questions on Swirl Baby Blanket

1. Quantity of yarn - I used one skein of light and one skein of dark pink for the blanket, plus a good chunk of a third skein for the edging. Five skeins would make two blankets. Not much yarn for a generously sized baby blanket. (Yarn goes farther when you knit. I remember when I had the yarn shop and we were crocheting afghans, a number of our decent sized crocheted afghans took 3 pounds of yarn!)

2. The blue blanket in worsted was 50 stitches at the wide end for each triangle. The pink, sport weight one, 60 stitches at the wide end for each triangle. I've been thinking about doing a fingering weight scrappy blanket on the standard machine, and I will need more stitches for that thinner stuff.

3. When I describe picking up the second triangle, yes, one needle is empty and pick up one bar on each of the other 59 needles. What I was trying to say there (and not succeeding) is that all together, there are 60 needles. What matters the most is that you do each triangle with the same number of stitches and rows.

4. You could certainly have a nice circle with 9 triangles. However, that won't let you alternate 2 colors. It might be nifty with 3 colors, though.

5. Most round baby blankets seem to be short-row jobs. On this project, I actually may have come up with something we haven't seen before, but machine knitting's been around a long time with a lot of talented people coming up with ideas all the time. When I had the idea, poor John couldn't even get me to talk to him. I had to knit it RIGHT NOW and see how it worked out.

More swirl ideas have been hatching all this week, and Saturday I will have a chance to try some of them out.

Heartbreak at Fort Hood - Mentally Ill or Evil?

Ft. Hood is not far at all from where I live. I grew up on military bases, and am tremendously grateful to our soldiers. My thoughts and prayers are with them and their families.

In the aftermath of his killing spree, it seems awfully twisted to speculate that Dr. Hassan "snapped" or was "stressed" or had "mental illness," and as a result, killed all those people. If the media's going to speculate at all for the sake of rolling a good story and pulling in viewers, why not examine his many previous comments and behaviors realistically? It appears he planned the crime. He said many worrisome things, such as comparing a suicide bomber to a soldier who saves lives by covering a grenade, he discussed the murder of Infidels at a medical meeting, and he pushed his Islamic radical views on co-workers and patients. Oh! Did I mention his religion? I must not be politically correct. If a non-Muslim did this, say a Christian or a Jew, his religious faith would be fair game. The "terrorist" word would be trotted out by now.


The reporters are yammering about the guy's mental health and spinning like tops to avoid discussing his other issues.

All this pointing at mental illness seems shockingly unfair to people with actual mental illness!


I worked at a mental health non-profit for several years, and the professionals there told me that:


1. People with serious mental illness, and their families, suffer terribly.


2. Many people do not seek treatment and do not receive available relief because of societal stigmatization of mental illness.



3. The vast, vast majority of people with mental illnesses do not commit acts of violence.


4. Millions of people with mental illness live loving, productive lives, requiring on their part considerable struggle and courage.


Let's make a strong distinction, please, between "ill" and "evil." Let's not be soooo politically correct that we compare murder and mental illness in the same breath.


America has been good to Dr. Hassan. I don't know what his life would have been like in Palestine, but in America, he had a free education - including free medical school, fully paid by Uncle Sam. He lived in beautiful parts of the country, and he worshipped freely. He was a Major, a high rank in the U. S. Army, with great pay and benefits. We have an amazing, generous, free and tolerant people, and he ought to have been loyal to his country and fellow soldiers.

Americans are generally a fair people, and we know hooey when we hear it. We know that for every radicalized hater, there are a million other people of minority backgrounds who want to worship, live and prosper in peace. We must protect all our people from killers, their manipulators and apologists.

Swirl Round Baby Blanket Videos

Swirl Baby Blanket Part 1 of 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBje2C9n3Oc

Swirl Baby Blanket Part 2 of 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYbFGR5D4Ew

Swirl Baby Blanket Part 3 of 3:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVp0qM1Qsck

Newest Video Project - Circular Swirl Baby Blanket

I have completed the videos for a new project.

I call this the Circular Swirl Baby Blanket. I've made it twice so far, once using a light-weight worsted yarn in a light denim blue, and the second time, using two shades of pink.

This can be made on any flatbed knitting machine. It's all main bed; no ribber required.

I needed a very "girlie" blanket for a co-worker's new baby daughter, and I went to the store looking for whatever color combination struck me. I loved this, but it didn't photograph as well as I hoped. On the videos, in particular, it bounces too much light. Go figure, I can get a glare from yarn that's worse than the glare issues off metal needles!

Anyway, the pink version took a little more than two balls (you'll need part of a third ball for the edging) of sport-weight Bernat Coordinates yarn. It's in 5-1/2 ounce skeins.

Here is a detail of the seaming between triangles. You do not have to sew ten triangles together! The pieces of the pie are put together with a sew-as-you-go technique.

I would characterize the project as a beginner difficulty project. The videos are detailed, as usual, and there are three videos. The first video shows how to do the first triangle; the second, how to do the second triangle, joining one edge as you go. The third through ninth triangles are knitted just like the second triangle. The tenth triangle joins the first and ninth triangles as you knit, so the whole circle is knitted. A "worm" edging going on after that. You will need an afternoon to get it all knitted and edged. Finishing entails gathering up the center, hiding all the ends, and a very light steaming.

This pinwheel closeup is the center of the blanket. When I do something that entails gathering up a circle of stitches, I like to go through them with the needle two or even three times, pulling the yarn up tightly. This center isn't going to open up easily.

The other thing about the blanket videos that you might get a kick out of is that I used a "worm" edging. This is a very easy and popular edging, and if you've never done it, you should try it.

The "worm" edging is on the third video, along with a little finishing information.

I will upload the videos this evening.

Please help - knit for cold children in Nepal

Information:

http://crossroadknits.blogspot.com/2009/11/project-nepal.html

Inspiration - Great Scarf

This scarf would be a great gift:

http://knitting-up-a-storm.blogspot.com/2009/11/double-looped-scarf.html

John and I went to Wurstfest in New Braunfels. We had never been to a Wurstfest before, although our son has been telling us how much fun it is. German people settled much of this area and this is a family event.

We enjoyed a spectularly pretty day in New Braunfels, Texas, with the sun shining, the sky clear, and temperatures in the 70s.

Here is a view of the Guadalupe River, taken from just inside the entrance gate to the festival.

The concessions are operated by local groups to benefit local efforts, like Little League, Rotary, Optimists, and high school clubs. There are places selling bratwurst, sauerkraut, beer, german chocolate pie, cheesecake, ice cream, funnel cakes, deli sandwiches, crafts, crazy hats, roasted nuts, clothing, Christmas ornaments, beer steins, and I forget what else.

There's a quiet little beer house at Wurstfest, near the beergarten, which contains an amazing beer bottle collection. The last picture here is just a small fraction of the collection.

We saw a lot of adults, even old guys, in lederhosen and folk clothing. Tyrolean hats abounded, but I also saw lots of zany novelty hats, my favorite being the lady's helmet with horns and blonde braids being worn by manly men.

In addition, there was a big crafts fair, heavy on the lederhosen and folk clothing, woodworked and hand painted items. There's a railroad museum, but we didn't make it over there.

There were rides for kids, and lots of children there. There were big tents and rooms with oom-pah bands. The bands were quite talented and polished, good enough to draw crowds who weren't eating or drinking, just listening, even though it's not every day one hears accordion music and yodelling! There was an awful lot of chicken dancing going on, the crowd just generally having fun.

What I'm Knitting

I am cranking socks these last few days. I'm rather fussy about my socks. I use the 72-stitch cylinder on the Legare for most of them, and I run ribbing down the top of the foot for an elegant look and somewhat better fit. I have that whole gorgeous grab bag of sock yarn I bought from Barry, and Christmas is coming. I have several people who will be disappointed if they don't get socks at Christmas.

Of course I'm thinking about what the next videos will be, and for a while, I think gift ideas are the best plan. I have a scarf pattern I made a bunch of last year that I might put up, and I have an idea for a warm scarf/hood as well. Additionally, I have a baby sweater in my head that needs to get worked out and knitted and would be a great little gift sweater.

I didn't go to Weight Watchers until Tuesday this week, and lost about a half pound for the week. Last week I had lost just a little over a pound. So I continue to work at it and expect some health benefits to accrue.

Inspiration

Beautiful scarf:

http://the-panopticon.blogspot.com/2009/10/story-of-scarf.html

LOVE the way the cables are done!

Hmm, we could do something like that on the knitting machine with ribber, or the garter carriage. You just have to be patient and do some hand-transferring.

Crazy Woman Puts Shawl On Tree

Finally, a pretty decent photo of the drop lace shawl.

Last night when I got home, it was beautiful outside with plenty of good light, but I still had to walk the dog and do a few things before I could mess around with trying to photograph my shawl. Attempts to photograph this big black object inside the house had been very frustrating, and I'm dismayed to admit that there isn't a good shot of it in the how-to video.

I didn't have a model. I was home alone. The shawl is too large to show on a hanger. So, I draped the shawl on a low branch of our magnolia tree. (I always wanted a magnolia tree, and when we purchased this house in Texas, the tree was small but healthy. Now it's as tall as the two-story house. It blooms with enormous, plate-sized fragrant white flowers. Its shade is so dense that no grass grows directly under it.)

By the way, see the nice straight edges on this shawl? The only finishing is one row of single crochet at each of the two narrow ends. On the sides of the panel, I had two extra ribber stitches on each side, which did not have corresponding main bed stitches. Since the main bed stitches create the drop holes, there were never any holey spots along the edge. Those side edges look just fine. Also, after killing the shawl, curling is minimal.

Lunchtime at the Thai Noodle House

I met Melissa, a UT student friend, for lunch at the Thai Noodle House in Austin. This little restaurant is tucked away on a tiny side street (maybe I should say, alley) off Guadalupe, the street lined with businesses that cater to University of Texas Students.

It rained and was gloomy in the morning, but by lunchtime, it was sunny and beautiful.

The Thai Noodle House serves delicious Asian food, and on nice days, you can sit on the deck and enjoy the flowers.

Inspiration

Georgeous bed jacket at Mason Dixon knitting:

http://www.masondixonknitting.com/archives/2009_10.html#002747

Drop Lace Stole

I continue to be frustrated in my desire to photograph the black lace stole and show how very pretty it is! We have rain and gloom here, so an outdoor photo hasn't been possible. Here I've hung it over the door, draped it over my arm, and John took a photo. I don't think the lace shows much at all, nor does the drape.

Drop Lace Stole

The lace stole turned out just beautiful! I am finding it very difficult to photgraph, since it's black. I will have to try and photograph it in the bright daylight.

What makes the stole luxurious is it's generous size and it's softness. I would like to make this again, possibly using a yarn with a run-along metallic thread.

It takes two videos to show how to do the project. Here are some details:

Yarn: Worsted weight, fuzzy acrylic. I used 6 50-gram balls.

Pattern Stitch: Brother 270 stitch world 158 with reverse button turned on. You could use any pattern that's suitable for drop lace. I did a ribber lesson on drop stitch lace.

The videos:

Part 1 of 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPq5N320ZEU

Part 2 of 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RciRRhS3ZIU

Upcoming Ribber Project Video

I have a whole bag of black, fuzzy yarn (Pingouin Mousse) given to me by my elegant youngest sister. I've had it a long time, and Karen probably only dimly remembers giving it to me. Well, I'm turning it into a long, slinky stole/shawl using drop stitch on the bulky ribber.

Suitable yarns - fuzzy, acrylic yarns like Unger's Fluffy, or Reynolds Kitten, or Lion's Jiffy. But a warning: do not use a bulky weight. It has to be a light worted weight yarn. Fuzzy yarns knit up thicker than they look.

Here's the swatch, sideways. The actual project is knitted (and I filmed my work) up to the blocking stage. I am going to block it hard with steam this evening - what we gentle knitters call "killing" the fabric. It won't have any bounce, spring, or curl. It'll be flat and drapey, and hard-blocking will make the lacy stitches show better.

I hit on the idea of having two extra stitches at the ends of the ribber bed to make a little better edge, and am pleased with that. I decided not to add fringe, and merely crocheted on the ends for a cast-off.

Interesting Handknitting Stitch

I got this from an 1846 book, Exercises in Knitting by Cornelia Mee, which I downloaded from Amazon to my Kindle for free. I had to do a little research to figure out that when she specifies "seam stitch," that's a purl stitch.

She calls for large needles - "large wooden pins" - but I don't know how that would compare to today's needle sizes. Just for grins, I knitted up this swatch. It's called "German Pattern of Open Double Knitting, Both Sides Alike," and knits up rather thick. I've knitted a lot of stitch patterns, but this one was new to me, and I hope I knitted it correctly. I've translated it to our jargon.

Cast on 71 stitches.

First Row: *Purl 1, yarn over, Slip 1 purlwise, repeat from *, end purl 1. Do this row only once.

Second & All Remaining Rows: *Purl 2 together, yarn over, slip 1 purlwise, repeat from *. Purl the 1 stitch left at the end.

Why You Need These Ribber Wires

On the right, see my old ribber wire, and to its left, the new ribber wire?

What a difference good ribber wires make! These wires from Helen Griffiths are sturdier and not so easily bent. I finally have enough for all my machines!

In you need ribber comb wires, Helen's the person, prices are good, and you can email her at helencliff@msn.com. No affiliation. I'm just a fan of Helen's.

Chorus Austin

My friend Victoire (on left) and me, at the Chorus Austin performance Saturday night. We ushered, and then in this shot, we were holding the donation baskets. My husband was there, ushering, and friends Diane and Elaine were there from the Austin CPA chapter.

We had so much fun! There are over a hundred singers and quite a nice orchestra, too. It was an absolutely beautiful performance.

Happy Saturday!

Saturday morning updates -

Weight Watchers - I keep forgetting to update this. I am staying the course! Two weeks ago I lost over 2 pounds and then the next week, gained one back. I wasn't really doing anything different, but it goes up and down in this zigzag way. I don't weigh in again until Monday evening, and I'm eating soft foods because of my dental work Thursday, but I think I did okay this week.

Tonight we're attending a choral concert. Some friends of mine sing in this group, and they do classical pieces with some kind of orchestra - I don't know how big of an ensemble. I know they work very hard on this production and have maybe 100 voices and lots of talent in the group. This will be interesting!

Ah, knitting, don't quite know what's next. I may go right off my beaten path and spend some time with my Passap and my CSMs over the next few days, or I might put up another gifty project pattern or two. It's certainly time to start planning seriously for the holidays.

I got my ribber comb wires in the mail this morning that I ordered from Helen Griffiths. The ribber wires that came with each of my Brother machines are just awful, flimsy, bendy and frustrating, and Helen's wires are straight, sturdy, and fit like a dream. I believe her husband Cliff has a source for the right stuff and makes them. I didn't have enough for all my machines, and now I will. In fact, I ordered an extra set. In you need ribber comb wires, Helen's the person, prices are good, and you can email her at helencliff@msn.com. No affiliation, just an honest endorsement.

One more thing - you know that post, below, about the beautifully matched striped socks? Well, if you look in the comments, the knitter has remarked that she does two socks at a time on circular needles and watches the striping to absolutely ensure that it matches! That a great tip for handknitting the socks; I don't know how to apply it to machine knitting them unless I had another circular sock machine and cranked them both at the same time...I bet you can just picture that. :)

Matching Self-Striping Yarn

A wonderful example here:

http://knitflix.blogspot.com/2009/10/hkf_16.html

Good quality self-striping yarn will usually match fine just fine if you start each garment piece (or in this case, sock) at the same place in the color sequence.

Yarn Label Symbols

Hat tip to The Patchwork Frog:

http://www.patchworkfrog.com/yarnlableinfo.html

Goodies from Barry Arrived!

Barry Travis is a participant in the online circular sock knitting machine community, and answered a lot of my questions and dished up lots of encouragement as I was learning. Now that I'm a habitual sock cranker, and he was selling a 15-pair grab bag of sock yarn, I couldn't resist. He also has coned boot yarn for sale, and I bought some, but haven't tried it yet. I have bought parts from him before. It really helps to have a good, new cylinder springs, and I bought a couple of those as well to put on my Gearhart, which I plan to use soon for some sock yarn I have that is too fat for the 72-stitch cylinder.

I like the colors! There's enough for a pair of socks in each color scheme.

No affiliation, he's just a nice guy and a good source for CSM parts. Barry is at kawblt@aol.com if you want to email him about his items for sale.

Child's English Rib Sweater - Links

Video 1 of 3 - Start Knitting the Child's English Rib Sweater
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fgFltnEZTM

Video 2 of 3 - Finish Knitting the Child's English Rib Sweater
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtHqTENS4eM

Video 3 of 3 - Sewing Up & How to do Child's English Rib Sweater on Bulky Machine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb77UxXDa7c

Photo of Sweater on Tiffany & General Notes
http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2009/10/childs-english-rib-sweater.html

Pattern for Bulky Version
http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2009/10/english-rib-sweater-bulky-machine.html

Pattern for Sport Weight Version - On Standard Machine
http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2009/10/sport-weight-english-rib-childs-sweater.html

Pattern for 2/12 Version - On Standard Machine
http://diananatters.blogspot.com/2009/10/212-english-rib-childs-sweater-version.html

Child's English Rib Sweater

I now have this little sweater in three weights - fingering (well, 2/12), sport weight, and sport weight on the bulky. I found that I couldn't get the same gauge on the two different machines - no surprise there, so two sets of instructions are needed.

There are two videos, because that's what it takes to go over the basics. Of course, virtually everything was covered in the ribber lessons, but sometimes you just want to knit and not go back to the lessons and review, so the instructions are in here all over again.

You do not need patterning for this project. You need either a bulky or a standard gauge machine with a ribber. This photo is Barbara's granddaughter Tiffany in one that Barbara made, and Barbara decided to crochet around the neckline.

Even though the pattern is just rectangles, we were very pleasantly surprised at how good it looks on the body. It's all ribbed, so it moves with an active child. It's an elbow-length sleeve, again, for a busy little critter. It could be a warm wool sweater, though, and if you want a long sleeve, you'll have to adjust it. The sport-weight sweater I knitted is much warmer than the 2/12 Tiffany's wearing. If I lengthened the sleeve, I'd do some shaping to make it narrower toward the wrist.

I was using the pattern as a stash-buster, and for knitting sweaters for charity, and for using small amounts of leftover variegated sock yarn.

English Rib Sweater - Bulky Machine Version

English Rib Child's T-Sweater
by Diana Sullivan

Yarn: Sport Yarn

Machine: 9 mm bulky gauge with ribber; patterning not needed
About Tension 2 - both 1 x 1 ribbing and English Ribbing

Gauge (relaxed): 5.8 stitches and 9.8 rows per inch in 1 x 1 ribbing
Gauge swatch - 40 sts by 60 rows, 6.9" wide by 6.1" tall

Front and Back (made the same):

Size 2, Size 4, Size 6, Size 8, Size 10

Width Across in Inches: 12.25", 13", 13.75", 14.5", 15.5"
Starting at bottom edge
Stitches to Cast On: 71, 75, 79, 85, 89
The needles on the ribber count - so for instance, if it says cast on 71, you will cast on 36 stitches on the main bed and 35 stitches on the ribber in full needle rib.
T 0 Zigzag Row
Hang Comb & 2 lg wts
T2, Circular knit 3 rows
T5 or tension to give gauge
RC 000
Rows to knit in full-needle rib: 8 8 10 10 12
Switch to full-needle English Rib
Length to armholes 9.5", 10.5", 11.5", 12.5", 13.5"
Rows to knit 84, 94, 102, 112, 122
Row counter says 92, 102, 112, 122, 134
Place marker
Length of armhole 5.5", 6", 6.5", 7", 7.5"
Rows to knit for armhole 44, 50, 54, 58, 64

Knit to row #144, 160, 176, 190, 210
Switch to plain full needle rib, rows to knit: 8 8 10 10 12
RC #154, 168, 186, 200, 220
Change to plain ribbing settings and very loose tension, knit 1 row. Change to waste yarn, regular tension and circular knitting and knit 20 rows (10 rounds), then cast off using the loop-through-a-loop bindoff.

Sleeve:

Width across: 11", 12", 13", 14", 15"
Cast on in full needle rib T5 (or tension for gauge): 63, 69, 75, 81, 87
RC 000
Knit to row #8 8 10 10 12
Switch to full-needle English Rib
Knit __ additional rows: 64, 66, 72, 78, 80
RC #72, 74, 82, 88, 92
Cast off LOOSELY (same technique and back and front)

Sport Weight English Rib Child's Sweater - Standard Machine

Use this pattern for the standard machine. You won't get this gauge with the bulky machine - there's another pattern for that machine.

English Rib Child's T-Sweater
by Diana Sullivan

Yarn: Sport Yarn
Machine: Standard gauge with ribber; patterning not needed
About Tension 7 - both 1 x 1 ribbing and English Ribbing - Adjust tension to get your gauge!


Gauge (relaxed): 6.75 stitches and 12.75 rows per inch in English Rib
40 stitch by 60 row swatch: 4.7" tall and 5.9" wide


Front and Back Pieces:


Size 2, Size 4, Size 6, Size 8, Size 10
Width Across in Inches: 12.25, 13, 13.75, 14.5, 15.5
Starting at bottom edge, cast on 83, 87, 93, 97, 105 stitches
Set up for 1 x 1 rib
Tension 0 Zigzag Row
Hang Comb & 2 large weights
T2, Circular knit 3 rows
T5
RC 000
Rows to knit in 1x1 rib 8, 8, 10, 10, 12


Switch to English Rib
Length to armholes will be 9.5" 10.5" 11.5" 12.5" 13.5
Rows to knit: 108 122 134 148 160
RC #116 130 144 158 172
Place marker - this is where the armhole begins


Length of armhole = 5.5" 6" 6.5" 7" 7.5"
Rows to knit for armhole: 64 70 74 82 86
Knit to row #180 200 218 240 258
Switch to 1 x 1, rows to knit: 8 8 10 10 12
RC #188 208 228 250 270
Mark for neck opening (left and right needle numbers:
25,25 25,25 27,27 29,29 29,29


Knit one row on loose tension and cast off (loop through loop bind off)


Sleeve:

Width across: 11 12 13 14 15
Cast on in 1 x 1 rib, T5, 75 81 87 95 101
RC 000
Knit to row #8 8 10 10 12
Switch to English Rib



Knit __ additional rows: 84 86 94 100 102




RC 92 94 104 110 114

Cast off LOOSELY

2/12 English Rib Child's Sweater Version

English Rib Child's T-Sweater
by Diana Sullivan

Yarn: a 2/12 like Trenzado or Trenzi, or 2 strands 2/24
Machine: Standard gauge Brother with ribber; patterning not needed
Use Tension 5 or tension to get gauge. Both 1 x 1 ribbing and English Ribbing are the same tension.

Gauge (relaxed):
9 stitches and 7-1/2 rows per inch in 1 x 1 ribbing
13 rows and 7 stitches in English Rib

Front and Back Pieces:

Size 2, Size 4, Size 6, Size 8, Size 10
Width Across in Inches: 12.25, 13, 13.75, 14.5, 15.5"

Starting at bottom edge, cast on: 71, 75, 79, 85, 91
Set up for 1 x 1 rib
Tension 0 Zigzag Row
Hang Comb & 2 lg wts
T2, Circular knit 3 rows
T5
RC 000
Knit 8, 8, 10, 10, 12 rows in regular k1, p1 ribbing
Switch to English Rib (set ribber carriage to tuck one way)
Knit 84, 94, 102, 112, 122 rows
Length to armholes: 9.5, 10.5, 11.5, 12.5, 13.5"

RC #92, 102, 112, 122, 134
Place marker
Rows to knit for armhole 54, 58, 64, 68, 74
Length of armhole 5.5 , 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5
Row counter will read: 146, 160, 176, 190, 208
Switch to 1 x 1, and knit 8, 8, 10, 10, 12
RC #154, 168, 186, 200, 220
Mark these needles for neck opening: 22,22 22,22 23,23 25,25 25,25
Change to big tension, CO

Sleeve:

Width across: 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
Cast on 64, 69, 75, 81, 87 in 1 x 1 rib T5
RC 000
Knit to row #8, 8, 10, 10, 12
Switch to English Rib
Knit __ additional rows
72, 72, 80, 84, 86
RC #80, 80, 90, 94, 98
Cast off LOOSELY

Thursday at Home

Quick update. I had a long session with the dentist this morning and took the day off. I'm doing very well and didn't need to take any of the pain prescription.

I had all the filming done, so today I am uploading YouTube videos for the Child's English Rib Sweater. It took three videos to cover it:

1. Part 1 - knitting the sweater
2. Part 2- finished up the knitting techniques
3. Part 3- sewing-up (all mattress stitch) plus, what to do differently to knit this project on a bulky machine

I have all the patterns written (2/12, sport weight, and sport on bulky machine) and need to check all my math again and then put up the patterns. I'll put them here. You can also find the 2/12 pattern over at Knit Natters.
You're going to need to print it out and circle your size. I charted it for a bunch of kids' sizes.

Another Shawl

I must be in a shawl mood. Here's another very pretty shawl:

http://droppedastitch.blogspot.com/2009/10/purple-aestlight.html

Angelika's Table of Yarn Weights

Very, very important information for knitters:

http://www.yarn-store.com/different-yarns-for-different-knitting-machines.html

Lace Inspiration...

Here's a gorgeous shawl pattern (handknit) that I found on the internet:

http://monika-freepatterns.blogspot.com/2008/05/mohana-shawl.html

Photos from Knit Natters last Saturday

Repeat announcement: In November, Knit Natters is attending Kid 'n Ewe instead of our regular meeting.

Great club Saturday! Let's see, we had Barbara, me, Pat, Sara, and Mary, with some folks under the weather or otherwise engaged. Barbara's had a tough month with some skin cancers removed, but hostessed us anyway. I've had the tooth, but I did bring some Boy Scout green bags to give out (I work at a Boy Scout council) and I brought along some of my projects I've been doing with videos. s

Here's Pat Tittizer's new handknit sweater. I don't think the pic is showing the subtle colors to their best advantage, plus this is one of those natural fiber creations that's nice to feel. The striping pattern is a Fibonacci sequence of five with four repeating colors.

Mary brought some scarves she's finished, and I goofed and didn't get a picture.



Austin is home to the University of Texas and FOOTBALL is a very big deal here! In fact, I've been told it's a religion, but really, attending games is a very social, fun thing to do in Austin.

When Sara started hand knitting a UT blanket, she got begged for more, and I got a sense that one of Sara's immediate goals is to stop knitting Longhorn blankets! Sara was in the crochet-it-together phase on this one.

Sara found the hard-to-find burnt orange at Hobby Lobby in worsted I Love This Yarn. I think it's showing darker than it is in the picture. She used Red Heart for the black and white because she couldn't find that in the same yarn. Her mom (Pat Tittizer) did the charts. Sara twists her carried color floats as she works, so the back looks great and won't snag.

You must use your imagination, because lovely young Sara is hiding behind the blanket! Last month, I got her to poke her head above the triangle shawl she brought, but no such luck this month.