As I create a video to upload each month, I'm trying to have a wide mix of machine knitting topics - sometimes a small project, sometimes a simple technique, sometimes an essential skill, and occasionally, something fancy.
Today's video looks fancy, a double bed technique where you make a lace motif that stands up on top of a purl background. Although this is hand-manipulated, it is very easy to do, and I believe it could be done on any double-bed machine. I just love the way this looks, and hope you like it, too!
Monday, January 2, 2017
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Happy New Year! Best Posts of 2016
Happy New Year! I wish you every blessing in 2017!
Here are my favorite picks from my 2016 posts. I stuck with my discipline of putting up a video each month, so many of these are videos:
- Curved, slanted pocket lesson in a video. This one's a little longer than most, but it's quite a thorough lesson.
- Video showing how to knit both sides of a neck at the same time.
- Take the Ronnie Challenge! I was so impressed with Ronnie, the lady who let me stay at her home while I taught at the Chicago seminar, her knitting expertise, kniting creativity, and her amazing charitable knitting output, that I wanted you to get that shot of inspiration, too.
- You don't need a special Intarsia carriage or special setting to do picture knitting. It can be done on just about any machine, with a little planning and manipulation. Here's the video.
- Want to learn picture knitting, and you DO have an intarsia carriage? Here's a video teaching how to do Intarsia with the Brother carriage. It's a 3-color cable design, by the way, but I do go through the usual Intarsia basics, especially how to manage all those yarn ends.
- I love lace, and I do peculiar things to "hack" the knitting machine's lace capabilities. Here's an old favorite of mine, Mirror Image Lace, shown in a video. I often show this at seminars. It gets you thinking about the directional movements of the machine and stitches.
- I interviewed Kris Basta, the creator of the wonderful, made-in-America, very cleverly designed garter bars for all sorts of gauges, bulky as well as mid-gauge. Here's yet another hobbyist who has used her unique talents to help all of us.
- Here's a post about stumbling onto and acquiring a fascinating vintage Juki machine.
- February's video was a simple little craft project that is a huge favorite - stuffed hearts for Valentine's day! I've made these into pin cushions, sachets, throw pillows, and heating pads.
- Based on reader feedback, I believe the most popular video of the year was the Cloche Hat project. I hope you'll try this one and learn to make two-stitch English Rib as well as the flower embellishment.
- Now this video teaches a darn good buttonhole technique.
How do you plan to spend your Near Year's Day? John and I aren't exactly worn out from partying, since all we did was watch a couple Netflix movies and then watch the ball drop. This morning, we went to church. We're relaxing right now with hot tea, but one thing for certain - I plan to have some time for knitting today! Lately I've been having the best time with my antique sock machine and I've also been playing with Red Heart Scrubby yarn.