New Video for February - Two Edgings

Two fun edgings for machine knitters:

Inspiration at Knitting Up a Storm

Check out these beautiful felted slippers!

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Connie's Warm Idea & Other Variations on the No-Sew Lined Slipper

Connie has come up with a very clever modification to my sew-as-you-go lined slipper from the Footnotes book.  She adds a cuff, which is doubled like the rest of the slipper!  Connie says she lives in Michigan and needed to make a warmer slipper.

She was kind enough to send me a photo and give permission to share this great idea on my blog.

I asked her how she does it, and she said that after knitting the lining, she added 40 rows and then went back to the rest of the pattern.  It does take some sewing, of course, but it's minimal.

This Sew As You Go Lined Slipper is probably my most popular slipper pattern.  It's double, and when you finish knitting it, the only sewing you have to do is hide the ends.  With Connie's modification, the only sewing you'll need to do is sew the cuff closed and hide the ends! 

The Footnotes book has the slipper in 12 sizes for standard gauge, mid-gauge, and bulky machines.  Here's a picture of the slippers without the cuffs.  I make the slippers in all sorts of yarn, since I have all those gauges worked out.

When you have a pattern for a small project like this, and lots of gauge options, it makes a great scrappy project.  Connie used two colors on her cuffed slipper, and I used at least two colors (an outside and a lining color on the ones in the photo.  Consider, then, my brown and green scrappy variation from the Footnotes book:

To get this look, do your color changes at the narrowest part of the heel and toe of the outer slipper.

If, like me, you knit a lot of woolen socks, you end up with a bunch of small balls of leftover sock yarn.  Sock yarn works very well for the standard gauge version.

Finally, one more slipper idea.  For a luxurious slipper, you need only a small amount of a luxurious yarn, something super soft, for instance, baby alpaca, to line the slipper.

New Video Today - Tuck Mosaic

For February, the new video is about tuck mosaic, also called two color tuck stitch.  

I had a great time working with this particular tuck mosaic pattern.  The strong graphic design is quite striking, especially if you use a self-striping yarn with a solid color.

How about a placemat?

Tuck Mosaic Placemat

By Diana Sullivan

This will make a placemat.  You will find the stitch creates a relatively flat fabric with little edge roll, a pretty side edge, a lot of thickness and warmth, and a wide piece compared to slip mosaic.  It’s a very suitable fabric for garments, blankets, and household items.

Note that mosaic stitches, or two-color tuck and slip, have a different look than the diagram.  Here’s the diagram for this stitch:

Placemat:

Machine:  Brother 270

Yarn:  I used Caron Cakes along with I Love this Yarn in the white, but I want to try this with scraps or yarn that changes color more often.

Program the machine for pattern 146.  No variation keys.  Turn the center black piece in each of the pink cams on the bottom of the carriage so that end needles will ALWAYS select.

Needle arrangement:  Left 20 to right 21.  Set tension to #6.

Cast on with waste yarn and knit a few rows, then a row of ravel cord.  Change to darker yarn.  Knit 3 rows.  Turn tension dial up to #10 and knit a row.  Turn tension back to 6.  Knit 3 rows.  Pick up hem.

Turn the row counter to 000.  Turn on KC.

Thread with white.  Knit 1 row.  Needles will select.  Put in both tuck buttons.  Knit 2 rows.

Take out white yarn and “park” it under the end of the needle bed.  Put in color yarn.  Knit 2 rows.

Continue to knit 2 rows white, then 2 rows colored yarn, until row counter 84.  You should end with 2 rows white.

Turn off patterning.  Knit 1 more row white.  Thread colored yarn, knit 3 rows.  Turn tension up to 10, knit 1 row.  Turn tension back to 6, and knit 3 rows. 

Knit several rows of waste yarn in a contrasting color.  Cut yarn, leaving a long tail for sewing.  Sew the hem shut with a whip stitch through the bottom and top loops of each hem stitch.

Block lightly.

Edit:  I've added the chart, in case you don't have a copy of that Stitch World book.