Dragon Scarf Pattern

 I had an unusual year this year, because we did quite a bit of cosmetic work on our house, which was built in 1989, and we had to move out briefly.  I kept on knitting, though, because I took portable things with me.  I stopping putting any new patterns up for sale.

After we got settled again, I had a good, hard look at my inventory of new but unpublished patterns.  Sometimes I design a new pattern, and decide that it isn't all that great, but I had accumulated a long list of unpublished patterns.  It wasn't just the remodel giving me a backlog - it was my coming up with new ideas instead of finishing the old ones!  I was also insecure about whether people would like my patterns.

So I decided to "respect my work" and get some of these patterns out.

This one I'm putting out today is the Dragon Scarf.  I originally did it in 2023 for my knit club, and used Shawl in a Ball to make several.  Then I made one with Caron Latte Cakes.  It got put away during the house situation.  This is a good time of year to put out a gifty pattern like this.  You can make it with just one Shawl in a Ball, or about 5 ounces of self-striping or scrappy yarns.  I converted it to mid-gauge and standard gauge, too.  I decided it would be digital with links to a complete step-by-step video and then put short videos on YouTube with related and alternate technique ideas.

I put up three videos today and I have three for next week.  

With the BIG video, that's six videos, but I couldn't resist sharing these optional and highlight techniques.

First - I-cord is the foundation cast-on for the whole long scarf!  Have you used it for casting on?  How about trimming an open-stitch edge?  It's easy and terrific.  I used it to death in my shawl book, because it's great on all kinds of shapes.  I used it on my ripple afghan to give it a little thicker, sturdier edge since the edges of afghans get a lot of handling.

Okay, next video for today.  What if you want to make the bulky (9 mm) scarf, but all you have is a standard (4.5 mm) garter bar?  Well, bulky garter bars are rare and expensive.  I use one a LOT for teaching, because it's so easy for everyone to see, but a friend of mine said she frequently uses her standard gauge garter bar to turn work on her bulky.  She's a wizard who does beautiful work, so I had to try it for myself, and yes, it works so well, I turned it into this video:

And then, what if you don't want to use a garter bar at all?  A friend told me recently that even after seeing me teach garter bar repeatedly she just doesn't like to use one.  Hmm, that gave me an idea.  While I wouldn't turn the work for garter stitch using waste yarn - it's easier to hand knit that - but for these dragon triangles, it isn't so many turns and it works just fine.  So, here's how to turn the dragon scarf using waste yarn instead of a garter bar.

Brand New Pattern - Fancy Automatically Shaped & Lacy Berets

 

Two videos are going up today because I have a new beret pattern I’m really excited about.  This first video is the automatically short-rowed beret, and the other one is the same beret with a circular lace design.

These quick but impressive little projects are great to make for several reasons:  

• They're interesting to knit with lots of useful techniques included.  
• You can use small amounts of Group 2 yarn like self-striping sock yarn or 2/12 - the adult size is the biggest, and only uses 50 grams!  
• These are also cute in scraps for the sections.  Here's a way to use the leftover pretty stuff!
• The berets are fancy and impressive, easy to fit and wear, and make beautiful gifts.  
• Lace can be quite tricky to short-row, but this technique of having the machine do all the shaping works GREAT with lace.

This first video shows you how, using a Brother or Knitking electronic knitting machine that will handle wide stitch charts, you can shape your berets automatically!  This pattern is only for those machines.  

About that:  I do prefer to write patterns for almost any machine, but this pattern takes advantage of Brother electronic machines' capabilities.  Punch card machines do not have wide enough patterns for the width of the beret.  I did not work this out for Studio electronics, since I currently don't have one and my experience with them would indicate a number of difficulties to convert this pattern.  

You can still make beautiful tams on other machines!  Check out the Tam Take Two videos to see how to do these hats manually, here:  https://youtu.be/KTc_t_SBYg0?si=yxZdumUFd0j8-R1O

I am posting the pattern charts for these two baby beret examples here to ensure you will have complete free directions to make these two baby berets.  These are standard gauge hats, and this video version is especially nice in self-striping sock yarn.

Please consider purchasing the new Berets: “Auto-Shaped and Lacy” pattern collection, a click-to-buy digital download at https://www.dianaknits.com.  This new pattern has 21 different berets – four sizes, baby, toddler, child and adult, and five designs for each beret – auto shaped without lace, plus four auto shaped round lace designs, star, heart, diamonds, and cyclone.  You can program the patterns using the charts in the pattern or you will have access to all the pattern files in Design A Knit format.

The first video has some interesting and useful technique demonstrations.  For instance, how to use two 7-prong transfer tools to move the stitches quickly to the main bed, and how the hat top is automatically short-rowed using the machine memory and the part buttons.  Doing the shaping automatically is easy, fast, and accurate. 

As the same time the hat top is knitted, the band is attached with a very simple sew-as-you-go technique.  The resulting “seam” is professional-looking.  I also demonstrate how to graft the first and last rows of the hat invisibly and how to gather the center of the circle neatly.  I block my berets using a steamer after putting them over a plate, saucer or other round object, which results is an excellent look for the band cast-on edge and an accurately round hat top.

The second video is the beret plus a lace design that goes around the six sections of the top of the beret.  These are really impressive-looking little projects, but the machine does all the counting and lace transfers!  This video shows how to make the lacy hat top in detail, but you'll rely on the first video if you need some help with knitting the ribbed hat band or sewing up the hat.

Here is the pattern chart for the automatically shaped baby beret: 

Here is the pattern chart for the baby cyclone lace:

Here's a link to the Beret patterns on my shopping cart site:

https://square.link/u/98BZgtOY

Brand-New Digital Pattern - No-Sew Socks

 

“My” knitters love to make and give beautiful, quality socks, and I have already written two sock-making books.  One is for the standard machine with a ribber and the other book is for circular sock machines. 

However, if you have a standard gauge machine and you don’t have or want to use a ribber, this pattern is for you!  This sock is great to knit on any brand of Japanese 4.5 mm flatbed machine. 

This NO SEW SOCK comes off the machine finished!  All you have to do is hide the beginning and ending yarn tails!  Check this out:

·         NO toe grafting

·         NO stitching side seams

·         NO ribber required

·         NO circular knitting

·         COMFY socks without bulky foot seams  

This pattern features “sew as you go” knitting by picking up side loops as well as mock rib cuffs which are also joined as you knit on the machine.  The pattern has many color closeup photos of the techniques as well as linking to a detailed video which teaches each step.

Choose between a shorty sock to wear with gym shoes or a longer sock.  The pattern contains 12 sizes, from babies to big guys. 

Make this with quality Group 2 hand knitting sock yarn.  I like solid and variegated colorways for this project.  Self-striping yarns are difficult to match.   Sock yarn with 75% Superwash wool and 25% nylon can be machine washed and tumbled dry and will last for years.  

The No Sew Sock pattern is an automatic digital download, available at https://www.dianaknits.com.

And, here's the technique video:  https://youtu.be/hiFB5KsnEN0

My Latest Sock Making Adventure - A Brand New Tru-Knit CSM!

 

Recently, I purchased a Tru-Knit Circular Sock Machine.  I’d been looking at new CSMs for a while, and I had tried out the Ehrlbacher, the Lamb, and the Tru-Knit.  I liked all three.

I’ve knitted a lot of socks for at least 15 years.  I actually have owned an antique Legare 47, an antique Auto Knitter, and two antique Ehrlbachers, and I got them all to make good socks.  I owned a beautiful NZAK.  I even wrote a book, The Happy Cranker, which featured the Legare and the NZAK.

I kept the Legare and I still use it quite a lot.  I am always on the lookout for nice sock yarn, too, and I’ve gotten much pickier about sock yarn over the years. 

After I got the Tru-Knit machine I was very impressed with it.  I did a review of the machine on YouTube.  I tried to be unbiased, but honestly, I just love the machine and I really admire people who devote their resources to making excellent equipment for us knitters, even managing to manufacture in the USA.  After owning so much knitting equipment, I was just stunned at how beautifully made the Tru-Knit it and how reliably it knits.  I hope they sell LOTS of them, and I think their customers will be quite satisfied.  

As I did my review, I tried to discuss the features and give lots of information for those who are actually shopping for a machine.

I wanted to make sure my evaluation took into account what the machine is like to actually use, so I worked with their directions and made all the socks in their manual, trying to do them their way (which isn't quite like my CSM habitual ways of doing things.  

The review is here:  https://youtu.be/8PtUlYckq-A

In addition, I made a series of Quick-Start lessons on the machine, hoping that I can be of service to the novice CSM knitters who might be overwhelmed with the learning curve.  Hey, CSMs are tricky to use at first!  I had a tough time myself working in a circle after years of flatbed and hand knit work.  

Even though there are lots of fabulous other videos out there, but I wanted to make just a few in logical order to get knitters who follow me started and knitting that first good sock:

Quick-Start #1 Cast-On & Knit a Tube  https://youtu.be/E3mLR2q8oiI

Quick-Start #2 Make a Hem  https://youtu.be/ZyYYavRDO6M

Quick-Start #3 Shape the Heel  https://youtu.be/FI5mH6gzmpE

Quick-Start #4 Shape the Toe  https://youtu.be/2dHW2OPGkvs

Quick-Start #5 Finish a Sock  https://youtu.be/0NppK_t7ak8

Quick-Start #6 Knitting a First Sock - After showing the five key skills in those first 5 videos, and hoping people will practice and get comfortable, this video shows the whole sock:  https://youtu.be/NjMMR51GVYk

Quick-Start #7 Introduction to the Ribber  https://youtu.be/-0tU3CDMRGU 

Here are a bunch of other CSM resources:

Tru-Knit Website - Shop for a CSM!  My setup in the videos is the 60-stitch cylinder and ribber with the reduced ratio setup for easy turning.  Jamie Mayfield recommended that setup to me, and it was really helpful because I probably want almost every cylinder and I had a bad case on indecision.  It’s an excellent, versatile setup and that’s where I’d start you if you were trying to decide. 

One thing that surprised me was that everything I needed was in the package.  The only thing I can think of that is badly needed in addition to that package is a sturdy stand.  If you don’t have one, get one.  They sell a folding stand on their website. 

https://https://tru-knit.com/shop/

Tru-Knit has a bunch of teaching videos, very well done, and you’re going to want more information than I gave in my brief Quick Start set.  There are so many, many tech videos to help you improve your knitting – too many to catalog here.  Go explore these!   https://tru-knit.com/videos/

I like their Aktiv sock yarn, which I used in the videos.  It comes on cones, the perfect put-up for CSMs.  https://csmsupplies.com/product-category/yarn/   Your socks are only as good as the yarn you use!

Another great place to learn and make friends is to join a Facebook group for CSM Knitters.  Sock crankers help each other with all kinds of questions and issues.  Don’t crank alone!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/561948523913745

If anyone is interested in my book about making socks (using my Legare and NZAK), which has some common-sense information about a number of topics, it’s "The Happy Cranker," Diana's book teaching sock knitting on antique CSMs & the NZAK, available here:

https://dianaknits.square.site/product/happy-cranker-circular-sock-machine-success-book-dvd/17?cs=true&cst=custom

Also, another great site for antique CSM lovers, that I’ve enjoyed for years:  https://www.angoravalley.com/

 

OOPS - Tension Not Right!

I made a sock as a sample of an upcoming pattern for single bed, no-sew socks.

But then I got VERY distracted by life.  Our son visited, we all got Covid, we all recovered, we quarantined, our son left, and then I started working on a project with an awesome new circular sock machine.  Those videos drop this coming Saturday.

Today I thought about my cool unfinished no-sew socks, and here was one sample shorty sock sitting on my Brother standard gauge.  It's been sitting there almost a month and the second sock needs knitted, so I decided to make the second sock.  I had the written instructions, I had some film of the process, no problem.  But I had a nagging suspicion that I did something different from the written instructions to get the gauge in this yarn, but what was it?  I followed the written instructions, but now the sock is too big, and I've looked at little bits of paper near the machine, I am pretty sure I was three whole tension dial numbers off.

Check out how big a difference that makes!  It's 1-1/2" longer.  No biggie, I'll rip it out and reknit it.  

I make an unbelievable number of knitting mistakes.  I also knit an unbelievable amount.  More knitting equals more mistakes, I figure.  I am pretty good at fixing mistakes, since I get so much practice!  Also, with all that practice, I'm pretty good at not getting overly upset about my mistakes.

I make so many mistakes that I even have mental categories for them.  This one goes in my Rookie Mistake category.  Those are stupid things I should not do anymore.  After all, I started knitting as a teen and I started machine knitting at age 25.  I've taught it many years, and I'm 72 now.  I still make Rookie Mistakes.  It's not really discouraging, because as a machine knitter, I can re-knit this sock in 45 minutes or less.  

If I hand knitted the second sock on the wrong needles, that would have more consequences.  But as a machine knitter, I just laugh at the goof and fix the thing.  I'm not claiming I never get frustrated, but certainly not by this small re-knit job.

This is a great example of why it's so important to get the right gauge.  Just look how much difference a few numbers on the dial makes on such a small project!

I also want you to know I make LOTS of mistakes, and I hope you are not discouraged by mistakes.  

Bye!  Got a sock to re-knit.

Errata as of 7-10-24

 

ERRATA

As of July 10, 2024

 

Shawl Collection

Page 2:  Change this line to read “mid-gauge or bulky” as follows:  Machine:  You may follow these directions for a mid-gauge or a bulky machine.

Page 16:  In the third paragraph from the bottom, after “Thread garment yarn and knit 1 row to the right,”  add this sentence:  Set row counter to 000.

Page 16:  In the second paragraph from the bottom, delete the words after Repeat * to * up to the last sentence, which you leave.  Replace them with “until row counter reads 040. You will have only a few needles in work.”  This paragraph will now read: “Carriage on right.  Set the carriage to H for short-rowing.  In H, it will not knit needles extended to “hold” or E position.  *On the far left, pull 7 needles to hold.  Knit to left.  Put one more needle in hold just to the right of the ones already in hold.  Knit to the right.*  Repeat * to * until row counter reads 040.  You will have only a few needles in work.  That is the decrease part of your triangle.”