Religion and Politics

Never being one to shrink away from controversial subjects, I've discussed politics, sex and religion before. Today I want to combine two of them.

The Religious Left
Most of you know I was brought up Catholic, and to a large degree, I developed a very strong spirituality in practicing that religion. When I reached adulthood, I realized that my relationship with God was a very personal thing, and explored as many different options in spirituality as I could find.

What I found (which is no big discovery), is that being a good person and living within my own concepts of personal integrity is all that is necessary to live a fully satisfying life. For me, this does include prayer, meditation, charity, honesty and integrity and a slew of other values I hold dear.

Despite a majority of citizens who passionately care about important issues, I see this country as a place which includes increased levels of capital punishment, polarized populations of very rich and very poor, healthcare needs that have raised our infant mortality rates to embarrassing levels, a failing penal system with a recidivism rate that is untenable, a government awash in self-serving corruption and a hawkish desire for war. I can't help but ask myself, "Has this country lost all sense about its purpose as spiritual beings?"

I don't have any issues about mixing God and politics, but when the elimination of the separation of church and state bring us to a time where we're more concerned with abortion than feeding our poor, or executing our criminals than helping our children grow up to be educated, productive citizens, my frustration is beyond description.

I urge you as progressives or as democrats, or even as conservative republicans, to be thinking people when it involves our society at large. To take as much action as you are able to make this country be a place of promise, and one that meets your own personal ideals of integrity and love.

Current Knitting
I finished picking up all the stitches for the border of the Accidental Shawl, and until I cast off and block this sucker, a decent picture will be hard to get.



It turns out that I only had to pick up 822 stitches. I used an approximation to determine how many to pick up based on the number of rows. If I end up with a ruffle instead of a flat border, I will be more forethoughtful next time.

Other Fiber-Related Activity
This past weekend, I finished sandwiching and basting the second of the two pillow tops. I also started the machine stitching for the three straight seams I have to sew, but the bobbin ran out in the middle of the first row of sewing.

This weekend I'll try my hand at hand quilting. I will try stitching on a swatch first.

The quilting guru, Liza Prior-Lucy, has offered her services to show me how to do this, but I have decided that the back of the first pillow is so dreadfully messed up, that I'd prefer to hide my shame, and use this whole project as a learning episode. They're only pillows fergodsake, so I'm not concerned that my stitching be perfect.

New Fiber Site
Reader Mama-e, has set up a new site to allow folks to display, sell, give away, or swap their stash. I thought the idea was an interesting one, although why someone would want to de-stash is beyond me.

Check out her site here.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Franklin writes, "Please, enough with the spinning. You are giving me Wheel Lust."

Sarah is right dear, it's a lot easier to just give in. Just borrow a wheel, or see if you can rent one. You know you have thousands of adoring readers who would be glad to send your roving from their stash. Now how could the be bad....When I count to three, you will be wide awake, wide awake and feeling refreshed...1...2...3.

Am I Getting Old or What?

When did I ever fit all this shit in?

Booked Solid
I never used to understand when folks said they were too busy for something. To me, that always meant whatever they were too busy for, was just less important.

Well, with just work alone, all else seems to be falling by the wayside, and I'm still falling behind in some areas of my work.

It's definitely getting to where I need to retire.

Knitting
I promised a picture of progress on the sweater. I was able to get a little more done.



I've actually finished the left-front, but I didn't have time to take a more updated picture.

JoAnn Yarn
Okay, I know novelty yarns are the epitome of knitdweebishness. And buying said novelty yarn at JoAnn's would indicate I live in a double-wide.

However, when I compare the JoAnn brand of novelty yarn to any of the other brands, I have to say, JoAnn's is better and less expensive.

When I used to purchase any of the more well-known brands, I could usually purchase enough to make a scarf for about $10 worth of yarn, and they were all acrylic.

Whereas with JoAnn's yarns, I can make a bigger scarf for anywhere between $4 and $8, and many of their yarns have some percentage (albeit, small) of natural fiber.

I knit the following three scarves and they look better than most of the earlier novelty scarves I've knitted.



I enjoyed working with the yarns so much, that I actually made three more scarves (well, two and a half, I haven't quite finished the last one).

Thaddeus liked the black one in the picture so much, he's claimed it as his own.

They're backing up the double-wide right now.

Magazine Reviews
I did a brief review and have minimal comments.

INK Knitters is boring as hell and I didn't find any of the technical articles interesting or useful. Others might. The patterns aren't even worth mentioning. They use one pale blonde model throughout the magazine that should be posed in a coffin.

Vogue Knitting had only one thing that I loved and that was Brandon Mably's sweater. His color choices are becoming more and more his own as he does less Kaffe-like color combinations. This one is a spectacular color combination and still perfect for a man to wear.

Also, the Koigu pants are fabulous. Would I make them? No. Would I wear them? No. Do I think they're practical? No. Do I love them? Yes, quite a lot. Again, the colors are phenomenal.

Readers' Comments/Questions
kiki mentions that her knitting with GemStones (the black JoAnn yarn) came out ghastly.

I knit a simple seed stitch on US10.5 needles and it came out like felted cloth with colored thrummings. For the purple scarf, I went up to a US15 and I like the looser fabric.

On Parka zippers, there is a secret to making them work easily.

Making sure both zipper carriages are at the bottom of the zipper, insert the male end of the zipper into the top carriage and pull down on the male side while pulling up on the carriage side. Pull more than you think you need to before guiding the top carriage gently up the zipper. It works every time.

As far as usefulness of a parka zipper...they come in very useful when you're driving. It allows you to unzip up from the bottom to accommodate your lap more easily.

A Different Rhythm

A reader recently commented that the rhythm of their knitting was disrupted by switching colors in intarsia knitting.

Like Riding a Horse
It made me think of the first time I ever rode a horse. The beginning of the horse ride was a trot through the rainforest areas of St. Croix. As beautiful as the scenery was, trotting was not a rhythm that my ass was appreciating. Until I realized that there was a pattern to the rhythm, at which point I could anticipated the movement of the horse, and ride it much more comfortably.

Similar to riding a horse, the rhythm of knitting in intarsia, is slightly more complex beat, but still can be comfortable once you get used to it. Especially when doing a repeating pattern like the colorblock sweater.

Current Knitting
I'm just about to reach the arm hole shaping on the front of the dark tweed pulover, and I've gone just past the arm hole shaping on the back of the colorblock garment.



As part of knitting this section, I ran out of my pre-made butterfly bobbins, and ended up making about 120 more. So now I should be in good shape to make ongoing progress on this sweater.

Update On Nico
The new little cat had just gotten comfortable with being around us, sleeping in our bed, sitting on our lap (some, not a lot), and playing with mouse toys. Here he is scaling the heights of his scratching post.



One visit from a friend to our house, seemed to have made Nico a little skittish again, but Thaddeus has worked to get him back to being comfortable again.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Regarding my review of the new Almodovar movie, Rachel asks, "And talking about movies did you by any chance see the movie: Jesus Camp?"

First of all, I just found out there is a new release of 8 Almodovar movies available in a Almodovar DVD set. I've already pre-ordered my copy for Thaddeus' birthday. In answer to Rachel's question, no, not yet, but I plan on watching it. I've heard and seen some information about it, and I'll be interested to see it.

Cortster writes, "Would it be too presumptious to ask for a close(r)-up picture of that mend job? It is truly amazing and a quick description of how you actually did it sure would be appreciated."

I'll see if I can get a closer picture. Basically, I just unravelled the knitting, starting at the hole, to detach the bottom of the sleeve from the upper portion. I unravelled both edges to elminated any damaged knitting, and then picked up all the active stitches on double pointed needles. Since I was able to match the antique gold yarn, and the darker yarn, my only mismatch was the light blue. I used as much of the unravelled yarn as I could to re-create the missing fabric. I then grafted the two pieces together.

This kind of task always seems daunting until I actually do it, and then it seems to go pretty well.

Who Is Alan Smithee?

This past weekend, Thaddeus brought home the newest extended version of Dune on DVD. Being a big David Lynch fan, I was surprised to see the name "Alan Smithee" credited as the Director. Huh?

Alan Smithee is Maligned
I've come to find out that when a director feels that the studio has bastardized his/her movie, they can request that the Director's Guild of America and the Association of Motion Picture and Television change the director's name to Alan Smithee as a way of saying they don't like the overall result of what the studio has done. Wikipedia has a brief summary of the origins of the tradition.

Current Knitting
I started picking up stitches for the border, but haven't made a lot of progress.

I'll post a progress report in my next entry.

Other Weekend Fiber Feats
I was just about to say I had finished one bobbin of the Blueface Leicester and start the second of three, but I just couldn't stand to not have it completely full before starting the next one.



I sweater I'm going to weigh an empty bobbin, and the full bobbin to see just how much fiber these bobbins hold. It seems like there has to be a pound of yarn on this one, but I know it only seems that way.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Duffy asks, "Have you been able to keep up on the latest news on GLBT Knit and Charles formerly of Wayne?"

I just went and read all my deleted e-mail from the GLBT KnitList, and found out what you're talking about. For any of you who remember Charles from Wayne, PA, he had recently moved to Paris with his partner, but unfortunately had to return to the states to deal with some form of cancer.

Prayers from those who believe in them, I'm sure would be greatly appreciated.

Three decreases-- *knit 2 together *slip, slip, knit *3 stitch decrease

*Knit 2 together *slip, slip knit *three stitch decrease
click picture

includes a how-to

This post is about 3 handy decreases.

The first, "Knit 2 together" (abbreviated "k2tog") slants to the RIGHT. K2tog decreases away ONE STITCH every time it is done.

The second decrease, "Slip, slip, knit" (abbreviated "ssk") slants to the LEFT. Like k2tog, ssk also decreases away ONE STITCH every time it is done.

In lots of garments, paired decreases are used: k2tog AND ssk to make raglan decreases, v-necks (and other shapings too, like hat tops, sock gussets, etc.)

A third type of decrease "3 stitch decrease" (abbreviated "3stdec") slants neither right nor left, but makes a STRAIGHT LINE. 3stdec decreases away TWO STITCHES every time it is done. It is used especially on the tops of hats where a flat top is wanted (tams, roll-brim shaped hats) or to make the flat bottom of a knitted bag.

click picture

Here are directions for each of the three decreases:

KNIT 2 TOGETHER
(k2tog)

click picture

1. PREPARATION: Insert right needle from left to right (knitwise) through the two stitches at the tip of the left needle. Draw the yarn through the loops.
2. The FINAL RESULT: The LEFT stitch lies on top, the RIGHT stitch is hidden behind, and the decrease slants RIGHT. One stitch appears where 2 were before, so k2tog is a one-stitch decrease.

SLIP, SLIP, KNIT
(ssk)

click picture

1. FIRST SLIP: Insert the right needle from left to right (knitwise) into the first stitch on the tip of the left needle, and slip the stitch onto the right needle.
2. SECOND SLIP: Repeat same step with the second stitch
3. KNIT TOGETHER THOUGH THE BACK LOOPS: Insert the left needle into the front of the 2 stitches previously slipped onto right needle. Draw the yarn through the loops from this position.
4. The FINAL RESULT: The right stitch lies on top, the left stitch is hidden behind and the decrease slants left. One stitch appears where 2 were before, so (like k2tog) ssk is a one-stitch decrease.

3 STITCH DECREASE
(3stdec)

click picture

1. Inserting from left to right (knitwise), run right needle through TWO loops at tip of left needle and slip these two stitches onto the right needle. Note: You are to slip both stitches at the SAME TIME, therefore, insert the needle from L to R through the second stitch from the tip, then through the stitch at the tip, then slip both off the L needle, together, onto the R needle. 
2. Knit the next stitch. 
3. Next, insert the tip of the left needle under the 2 slipped stitches and lift them OVER the knitted stitch. (This is called "passing the slipped stitch(es) over" and is abbreviated "psso.")  
4. If 3stdec looks like combination of k2tog and ssk, that's because it is. The stitch which originally lay two from the tip of the L needle comes to lay on top of the resulting stitch sandwich, and it is pointing straight up--the orange stitch in the above diagram, while the two stitches lower down in the sandwich (green and red) slant R and L, respectively, as shown.
5. One stitch appears where 3 were before, so 3stdec is a two-stitch decrease.

--TECHknitter

To Filibuster or Not To Filibuster

Now that our mighty senator Kerry has announced a filibuster, I'm worried that he may have put the Democratic party in some debt.

The Democratic Party Needs Balls
I would LOVE to see a filibuster of Alito's nomination vote keep him from being appointed. He will be awful for this country in ways too numerous to count.

However, if they don't have enough votes, I can only hope that the Democrats who supported this action (thanks, Hillary) stand up and say it was still the right thing to do. It seems progressives have become the eunuchs of the political world.

With all the corruption in the current administration, we should be in a good position to regain one or both of the houses this year, as long as they don't go all milktoast on us.

Current Knitting
I finished the length of the Accidental Shawl this past weekend.



It's about 62 inches long now, and I'm hoping to add about 5 inches on all sides, making it a six foot long shawl after it's blocked.

I'm gearing up to pick up stitches for the border now. I'm not sure how many I'll need to pick up, but my bet is that it comes out to be close to 1,000.

Knitting Questions
I've been using a P2Tog while I work on this garment back and forth. Since I'll be doing the border in the round, does anyone know what is the equivalent of a P2Tog from the right side?

Is it SSK or K2Tog? Or does it matter?

I've asked this before and gotten all sorts of different answers, so I'll be interested to here what the experts say.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Concerning all the excellent feedback on the quilting stitch, Marilyn asks, "Are you getting the idea that the quilting stitch isn't as easy as you might have thought?"

Yes, very much so. I read through two descriptions of how to do it, and I understand it, but I will definitely take Duffy's tip and try this out on a swatch first. Thank you all for the cautions and the advice.

Work With Me

Why does it seem that every time I think the president has done the most audacious thing he could come up with, he comes up with one more thing that drives me insane?

At Least The Man Has Balls
Not to besmirch the lone female running in the presidential primaries, but I have to at least give credit to this president for being willing to ask for things way beyond what he deserves.

In his last (thank dog) state of the union speech, he asked the congress to work with him on fixing global warming...but...only if they do it his way. Yes, the impact to the World of global warming is much less important than affecting the U.S. economy. The economy is of the HIGHEST priority to this president.

So, work with him to fix what's turning out to be a global disaster, but don't do anything that might inconvenience the rich folks (including the Bush family) in this country that have worked so hard to keep their riches.

Current Knitting
I knit like the wind the last couple of days and I finished another 10 rounds on the ever-growing red lace tea cloth.



Now I really am on the last round of petals or leaves or whatever they are, and I will soon be starting on the last pattern stitch to finish this lovely piece of lace. I can't wait, so then I can start my next lace project.

New Books
Both Cybergran and Ted mentioned books that have Herbert Niebling patterns or at least Herbert Niebling-inspired patterns in them.



As Ted noted in comments, these two books are available through Laci's (do a text search on Niebling to find them) although a bit expensive. He's also correct, in that the charts are very small, and in Japanese (with a sheet to translate for the Japanese-impaired Americans). I've already picked another small tablecloth design that is very floral.

I am very excited about starting this project, but I won't until I finish the tea cloth...I promise.

Current Spinning
Even though I'm only posting about one of them, I actually have two spinning projects going. At the moment, I can only write about the tussah/cashmere project, except to say that I'm about halfway through the other project, and I will soon have two spinning wheels to devote to Carol's fiber club roving.

Here's where I am with the tussah/cashmere blend.



You'll note I've finished spinning the blue and I'm almost finished with the orange. Just the purple and red and my singles will be done.

What Would You Do?

A coworker was telling me that her mom used to knit incessantly until arthritis made it too painful.




Would You Ever Consider Knitting With Your Feet?
I do know that not being able to knit would be a devastating blow, but I don't know if I would try and adapt by learning to knit with my feet.

But I still thought it would be an interesting question to pose.

How far would you go (or have you gone) to keep yourself knitting?

Current Knitting
A few more inches grew onto the end of my sleeve this week...by now you'd think I'd have a whole sleeve completed, but alas, no.



It is moving along a little faster, but it's still stranded knitting even though most of the sleeve is black. Carrying the white behind still takes a little more time than plain knitting.

Readers' Comments/Questions
I'm glad Mette is still reading here...it was quite fun to do a multi-national book trade...especially when it was knitting books that were flying around the World...and I was also glad to find out from her about Isager's daughter...lovely items. Thanks also to Erin for information on the Isager yarns...I will definitely have to check them out.

Pure Genius

Does everyone else on the planet love watching movies by Pedro Almodovar?

His Latest Masterpiece
When I'm designing a sweater, I take a lot of care to make sure the yarn I'm using is appropriate for the end garment. I pick out what I hope will be the perfect stitch pattern. I plan colors, so that they will interesting, different, and still yet appealing to the eye. I measure carefully, so fitting will be flattering for the eventual wearer of the sweater. And even after all that care, I still sometimes end up with something that just doesn't work.

That never seems to happen with Almodovar movies. He puts together odd characters, interesting locales, brilliant dialogue, and actors with the strongest screen presence I've ever seen, and every time comes up with a masterpiece of a movie.

Volver is his latest movie. Penolope Cruz (who I don't usually like very much in English-language movies) was brilliant, as was the young actress that played her daughter. I left the movie yesterday evening feeling amazed that I could enjoy a movie as much as I did this one. I get this feeling everytime I leave an Almodovar movie.

Now, if I could just get my sweaters to come out perfectly every time.

Current Knitting
I did get some work done on the Dark Tweed pullover.



The work seems to grow at an evolutionary pace, but I have completed about 13 inches so far on the front. Thaddeus is liking how it's turning out so far, so I'm happy to be working on it. I can already tell that the sleeves will be a painful process.

Sweater Mending
I was very busy this weekend. In addition to putting in a lot of work on the Dark Tweed pullover, I also finished knitting the replacement fabric on the sleeve of the brother-out-of-law's sweater, and then grafted the sleeve-end back onto the sweater.



If you look closely at the work I did, you'll notice a stripe of brighter blue knitting and also that my Fair Isle work is one row less than the same section on the non-damaged sleeve. Overall, I think the mending is hardly noticeable, and the owner will be very happy to get his hole-less sweater back.

Readers' Comments/Questions
With regard to parenting, knit-friend Kathy notes, "Well, maybe Joe would make a great parent--if actually liking children weren't a pretty much expected part of the proposition."

I've always had an enormous respect for parents, and while I'm pretty certain I'd have some decent parenting skills, I'm glad I never had to test that theory. I actually do like some children, and I don't like others (it's very similar to my view of adults). I can't imagine what it must be like for a parent to raise a child he just doesn't like very much. Now THAT would be a test of parenting skills.

Ordinary chain bind off, part 2b: binding off in the middle of a fabric--ending the bind off

includes 8 illustrations click any illustration to enlarge

The last post was about starting a chain bind off in the middle of a fabric. This post is about ending the chain bind off.

At the end of your bind off for a pocket or a neck opening, you may often find that the last stitch looks messy. This is because the traditional method of ending a chain bind off in the middle of a fabric is to work the last stitch by the same method as you have made the intermediate stitches. Per illustration 1, at the red arrow, this results in the passed-over bar of the last bound off loop showing on the face of the fabric.

Let's diagram this bind off, so we can analyze the stitches one-by-one.

• the second to the last stitch of the bind-off is illustrated in BLUE
  
• the last stitch of the bind off (also called the final stitch of the bind off) is illustrated in GREEN
  
• the first stitch made in the fabric just past the left end of the bound-off opening is illustrated in PURPLE
  
• The stitch in the row below the first fabric stitch is illustrated in BLACK.

As we saw in the photo in illustration 1, and as repeated by the red arrow in illustration 2, with the traditional bind off, the passed-over loop of the last (green) bind-off stitch lays over the first (purple) fabric stitch. This bound-off loop interrupts the smooth march of the column in which the purple stitch lies, and that interruption is what makes the left edge of the bind off look so sloppy.

Our mission today is to get rid of that interruption. We'll smooth off the left edge all neat and tidy, so that the purple stitch lies in an uninterrupted column of stitches. We are going to reach this goal by using a combination of k2tog and a pull-up of a stitch from the row below to eliminate the passed-over bar.

a: Bind off until you are at the second-to-last stitch (blue)

b: Do NOT knit the final stitch (green) to be bound off. Instead, pull the green stitch up onto the right needle--this is the pull-up of the stitch from the row below discussed above.

c. Pass the blue stitch over the green stitch as if you were doing an ordinary bind off, but hold the running yarn in the back when you do it. This passes the loop of the blue stitch, which has already been knitted, over the loop of the green stitch, which is not yet knitted.

d: Return the final (green) stitch to the left needle, so it lays just to the right of the black stitch.

e: knit the black stitch together with the green stitch (k2tog). The illustration shows the result after you've k2tog'd the green and the black stitch: the k2tog arranges the black stitch on top, while the green stitch is hidden behind, and the first fabric stitch past the bind off--the purple stitch--has no bar laying over it. In other words, the bar lays over the green stitch, and that green stitch AND the bar are hiding behind the black stitch, instead of laying over the purple stitch! Neat, huh?

OPTIONAL: The illustration above shows the final (green) stitch simply knitted together with the black stitch. However, as an optional additional step, if you find that the green stitch is so loose that bits of it keep popping out from behind the black stitch, you can tighten it by twisting it a couple of times before you return it to the left needle in step d.

illustration 3 is a photograph showing what this bind-off ending looks like in real life, in all-green yarn.

As shown by the red arrow, the column in which the final stitch lays is not interrupted by the bar of the final stitches' bind off, because we have hidden that last bar. Our goal of a tidy and uninterrupted column for the first fabric stitch has been met.

One last note to dispel possible confusion: All the stitches in illustrations 1, 2 and 3 have been worked to the end of the row because the bind off is complete. Therefore, the working yarn is not shown: it is "off the screen" so to speak. This is in contrast to the step illustrations a-e: in these illustrations, the bind off is shown in progress, and therefore, the working yarn--still in use--IS shown.

* * *

This post is part of a series. The others in the series are:
Ordinary chain bind off, part 1: binding off along a straight edge
Part 2a: binding off in the middle of a fabric--starting the bind off
Part 3: binding off circular knits.

* * *

--TECHknitter

(You have been reading TECHknitting on: "ending a bind off in the middle of the fabric.")

New Books on Pre-Order

I just put in my pre-order for two new Mariane Isager books - Classic Knits
and Japanese Inspired Knits.



Can't Get Enough
Friend Kathy told me about Isager years ago and I order as many of her Danish books as I could get my hands on. She quickly became one of my three favorite knit designers and I even ended up trading some American books to someone in Norway for a copy of a Danish book...it got so complicated.

So, you can imagine how excited I was to find out Interweave Press is publishing two books of her design collection in English and in the states.

Mark my words...Isager is soon going to be bigger than Alice Starmore was during her best of times.

Current Knitting
I should probably include a progress picture of my current sweater to show the cover design of the Knitting Out of Africa book by Isager, but the "progress" is hardly noticeable. I did about 2 more inches on the first sleeve, and if you compared a picture from today with the last blog post picture, you could tell, but it's just not worth the effort.

Probably not even worth the effort of having written all that!

Readers' Comments/Questions
JellyDonut back-pedals with the following comment, "I AM sure the quality of your work keeps the frogging down to a minimum; therefore, you finish your work faster than those who hurry along and end up with mistakes to be dealt with. Am I right?"

I'm not sure. On simple projects, I don't usually frog, but I certainly do on lace projects and even sometimes when I just realize the shaping didn't work (for instance I frogged back the neck/shoulder shaping a couple of times on my current sweater). But I'm not sure if I frog more of less than most people...probably about average. But Seanna Lee is exactly correct in that I knit all the time, so my finishing rate is fast even if my actual knitting isn't.

John asks, "Have those Knit Picks circulars ever come apart on you? I saw it happen to a friend. Not where the needle is attached but where the purple cord is attached to the metal."

No...never. In fact, I've had more problems with Addi Turbos than I have with KnitPicks' Harmony needles. I hope your friends experience was just an anomaly.

Enabling

It's bad enough when I can't walk past a table at the flea market with any knitting items and not come away with something. But now Thaddeus is even doing it for me.

Local Flea Market Strikes Again
Since I'm not home during the week, and the local flea market is open on Wednesdays, Thaddeus often goes there without me. Look what he picked up for me on his last trip there.


This is about 40 Workbasket magazines from the 50's, 60's and 70's. He also picked these little items up.



Vintage knitting booklets from Minerva, Bernat, etc. Folks tell me how lucky I am to have Thaddeus...they're exactly right.

Current Knitting
I continue unabated the pace of knitting on the red lace tea cloth.




Even on two 32 inch cable needles, it's starting to become difficult to get a good picture. I also realized that I have another repeat of the leaf motif before I hit the final outer section of the cloth.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Regarding my mention of Niebling lace in my last post, Cara asks, "Are you planning to attempt something like that?"

Yes, I'll be posting something about it in my next post.

Meribeth adds, "I have heard that his patterns are very difficult to come by..is this true?"

Yes, it seems that most of his work was published in Burda magazines called Anna. They are often available on eBay, but often go for higher prices.

Avoiding yarn twist--why does it matter?

The two most recent posts touched on yarn twist and how to avoid it.  However, in a surprising twist (har!) an important point was overlooked. As MB wrote in the comments: "There's one detail I don't understand yet--why does it matter if the yarn twists?"

What a great question!

Yarn, of course, is twisted in its very nature--that's how it's made. Specifically, yarn involves imparting twist to overlapping lengths of raw fiber--the twist holds the fibers in place. In other words, yarn is twisted out of raw fiber--no twist, no yarn. The problem is therefore not twist itself, but too MUCH twist--overtwist as it is sometimes called.

Spinners, both hand- and commercial- have come up with clever, clever ways of restraining the power of the twist to the yarn itself, so that the twist does not cause problems in the finished fabric.  Yarn made of several plies (i.e., twisted, then countertwisted) is one familiar example.  However, sometimes these spinning strategies do not succeed, or sometimes we knitters inadvertently add excess twist to yarn by winding and re-winding yarn, center-pulling each time. 

The most obvious announcement of overtwisted yarn is when the yarn itself humps up, twisting and writhing in the stretch between the skein of yarn and the knitting.  

overspun yarn twisting and writhing

This sort of overtwisted yarn is usually dealt with by stopping every so often and letting the project dangle, slowly turning and turning, to rid the excess twist. 

Although this sort of overtwisted yarn is annoying, at least you know what you have and can take steps.  More often, overtwist is sneakier than this.  The yarn is overtwisted, yes, but not enough to announce itself in the yarn.  Instead, this sneaky kind of overtwist announces itself first when the finished fabric biases (slants). 

biased knitted fabric

Biased fabric is actually all-too-common.  Commercially knit garments often suffer this problem, and it is most obvious when you see sweater seams not hanging straight, but instead, spiraling around the torso of the wearer. Sometimes, not only do the seams spiral, but the entire garment is biased ("racked") also. Hand knit garments, sadly, can also suffer this problem.  

biased ("racked") garment with spiraling seams

It may happen that the yarn itself is overtwisted when bought, a sad state of affairs.  However, we can at least avoid ADDING to the problem, and that is why it pays to take whatever steps possible to avoid creating additional, excess yarn twist. The previous post indicates how to do this:  smoothly unspooling yarn from the outside of the skein or cake into which it is wound.  

(PS: Since the last post, I found a demo of a neat-o gadget which helps with smooth unspooling: a "yarn susan." The demo at the link does not mention the twist issue, but does clearly show what unspooling smoothly from the outside of a skein ought to look like.)

--TK  

You have been reading TECHknitting blog on "avoiding twisted yarn--why does it matter?"

Jogless stripes--a new way

includes a how-to

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Knotingale asks "can you explain the 'jogless' join method for stripes knit in the round? I can't understand the instructions I've found thus far."

As we say here in Wisconsin, "yup, you bet!" Here's the short answer.

JOGLESS STRIPE HOW-TO
(a new way)

• On color change rounds, change colors by knitting the first stitch of the new color as you usually would. Then, knit the rest of the stitches to the end of the round.
  
• On the next round, slip the first stitch of the new color, then knit the rest of the stitches.
• On every following round, knit every stitch as usual

Keep doing this over and over again. That's it. That's really all there is to it. Well--nearly all. You still face the issue of--

STACKING the COLOR CHANGES

The only thing at all complicated in jogless striping is how you choose to stack the color changes. If you choose to let the beginning of the round travel one stitch to the left with each color change (this WILL make sense as soon as you try jogless stripes with needles) then every part of every row will be the same height and have the same number of stitches. Such jogless stripes are called "traveling stripes." If you choose to hold the beginning of the round in the same place, then at one spot on every stripe, there will be one fewer stitches. Such jogless stripes are called "stationary stripes."

Here it is, one more time, slower, with complete step-by step directions and more photos.

TRAVELING JOGLESS STRIPES

1. On the round BEFORE you intend to change colors, insert a stitch marker at the place you intend to change colors.
   
2. On the color change round--slip the marker, then change colors by simply starting to knit with the new color.
   
3. On the following round, when you come to the marker, slip it. Then, slip the first stitch of the new color from the left needle to the right needle WITHOUT KNITTING IT (and without twisting it--this is called "slipping purlwise"). Knit all the rest of the stitches of the round.
   
4. Knit as many rounds as you desire for the stripe, knitting every stitch.
5. One the round BEFORE your NEXT color change, shift the marker over one stitch to the left.
6. Make more stripes by repeating steps 2 though 5.
   

These stripes are called "traveling jogless stripes."

• ADVANTAGE: Every part of every round is the same height.
• DISADVANTAGE: The round beginning "travels" one stitch leftward with every color change.

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STATIONARY JOGLESS STRIPES

1. On the round BEFORE you intend to change colors, insert a stitch marker at the place you intend to change colors.
   
2. When you come to a color change round, slip the marker, then change colors by simply starting to knit with the new color.
   
3. On the following round, when you come to the marker, slip it. Then, slip the first stitch of the new color from the left needle to the right needle WITHOUT KNITTING IT (and without twisting it--this is called "slipping purlwise"). Knit the rest of the stitches of the round.
   
4. Knit as many rounds as you desire for the stripe, knitting every stitch.
   
5. Make more stripes by repeating steps 2 through 4.

These stripes are called "stationary jogless stripes."

• ADVANTAGE: the color change remains in the same place.
• DISADVANTAGE: at one part of each round, that round will dip one stitch lower.

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WHICH TO CHOOSE?

With stationary stripes, each stripe dips one stitch lower at the color change. With thin stripes, and/or in thin wool, you'd soon have substantially fewer stitches along this column, so the fabric might start to "pull" along that column of stitches. However, with thick wool (5 st/in or fewer) and/or thicker stripes, this isn't an issue because the knitting stretches enough to solve the problem. Therefore, stationary stripes are best for thick wool and/or thick stripes.

With traveling stripes, a faint spiral pattern will develop along the diagonal of the color change, so be careful not to pull your yarn too tight, especially if you are carrying the yarn behind from stripe to stripe. This spiral pattern is more obvious in heavy fabrics and less obvious in thinner fabrics, so the traveling stripes are better for thinner stripes and/or thinner wool.

If you have thin stripes in thick wool, or thick stripes in thin wool, you'll have to make up your own mind.

JOGLESS STRIPES AND GARMENT SHAPING

If you choose stationary stripes, you have no problem you wouldn't have with regular (non-jogless) stripes--you begin the garment shaping as directed in the pattern. If, however, you choose to let the round beginning shift by one stitch with each stripe--what will happen when you come to shape the garment?

Suppose your directions require that, "at the beginning of the next round," you must increase (or decrease) to shape the garment. If you've been using traveling stripes, where the heck IS the beginning of the round? Is it where the COLOR beginning of the round is, or is it where the cast-on ACTUAL beginning of the round is?

Long answer short: if you've used the 3-in-1 TECHjoin to start your circular knitting, you won't really be able to tell where the cast-on beginning of the garment is. This frees you to use the COLOR beginning as the beginning of the round. You start your shaping opposite the last color change (double-headed arrow photo below). When you start the shaping, you switch gears. In other words, once shaping begins, you hide the color change IN the shaping (the right part of the photo below). This keeps the color beginning of the round from wandering further and avoids complications.

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Are you wondering how the spiral shift of traveling stripes will affect the shape of the finished garment? Will the one part of the garment be longer than another? The short answer is "no problem." Many knitted garments face this issue--to match shaping, the left front and the right front of a cardigan are almost always off by one row. The same thing with shoulder shaping--that too is almost always off by one row between the left and the right shoulders. Even a circular-knitted sock is one row off between the left side and the right side of the heel tab, or on either side of a short row heel. Knitting stretches, and a spiraling round beginning will not cause any greater problem than do any of these.

WHY ARE OTHER INSTRUCTIONS SO COMPLICATED?

In some other instructions, the pattern writer seeks STATIONARY color changes (the color change should stay in the same place) AND the same number of stitches in every part of every round. The only way to accomplish this is by somehow inserting an extra stitch in the same column as the color change, which can get messy pretty fast.

In other instructions, the jog is evened out--not by slipping the first stitch of the new color as set forth in this post--but by slipping some other stitch or part of a stitch already knitted (typically, a stitch in the row below). The complication isn't really one of execution--it is one of explanation. In other words, the complication arises from trying to explain which stitch or which part of which stitch from the row below should be slipped "up" onto the left needle, how that should be done, and what to do with it once it's there.

CONCLUSION

One thing is for sure: regardless of how you choose to stack your color changes, whether with traveling jogless stripes or stationary jogless stripes, your result has got to be better than regular (jogging) stripes--see photo below.

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--TECHknitter

PS: There is a different version of this same information in a newer post with prettier photos, so for a different and prettier view of jogless stripes, here is the link.

Joining circular knitting--the 3-in-1 TECHjoin!

includes a how-to

Joining the first round of casting-on for circular knitting can get ugly. There is a horrid loose stitch where the join occurs, as well as a "jog." The tail gets unwound and makes the loose stitch even looser, while working in the tail has the potential to make a mess of the cast-on edge.

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It need not be this way.

Here is a join for circular knitting which avoids that horrid loose stitch, eliminates that nasty little "jog" AND works in your tail, three tricks in one! Here is the TECHknitting 3-in-1 TECHjoin!

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HOW TO

1. Begin with long-tail casting-on. Long-tail casting on actually consists of a foundation row AND a knitted first row. This double row is substantial and so is easier to keep "sunny side up" when joining.

2. For the first stitch of long-tail casting-on, do not use a slip knot. Instead, use a simple loop.(more info about the simple loop in the long tail post)

3. Make the cast-on row as follows:

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• Make the first stitch as a simple loop over one needle, not two.
  
• Make the next two stitches as ordinary long-tail cast-on stitches, again looping over one needle, not two. (more info about casting on over two needles in the long-tail post)
  
• After you've created the first three stitches, create additional cast-on stitches by looping over two needles until you have TWO LESS stitches than you need, total.
• Create the next two cast-on stitches over only one needle.
• ADD AN ADDITIONAL stitch, again casting on over only one needle.
• Count your stitches. You should have one stitch more than you need, and the first and last three stitches should have been cast on over only one needle (not two)
  
• In the photo above, the first stitch cast on (extreme right) is made by a simple loop. There are 23 stitches cast on, for a 22 stitch tube.
  

4. Create the join and the knit first round as follows:

• Make sure that the stitches are "sunny side up" (not twisted).
• Pull out one needle so all the stitches lie on one needle. (For dpn's, distribute evenly among 3 or 4 needles.) Arrange your work so the cast-on stitches to knit first lie on your LEFT needle.
  
• Slip the first stitch (the one you made by the simple loop method) from the left needle to the right needle WITHOUT knitting it.
• Starting with the second stitch, knit all the way around.
• When you come to the end, knit the last stitch together with that first slipped stitch (in knitting parlance, knit 2 together, abbreviated k2tog).
• SLIP THE NEXT STITCH (which was the second stitch you created, and the first stitch you knitted).
• OPTIONAL: If you want to mark the beginning of the round, insert a stitch marker after this most recently slipped stitch.
  
• Catch the tail yarn and hold it together with the standing yarn (standing yarn=the yarn coming from the ball). Knit the next three stitches with BOTH yarns, then drop the tail yarn and continue with the ball yarn.
  

Ta da! The right number of stitches, no loose join, no jog, and the tail end is already "worked in." A real 3-in-1 trick!

Are you nervous about trimming off the tail end? Wait until after you've washed and blocked the garment. This helps the tail felt into the fabric a bit more. For non-felting yarn, such as superwash wool or acrylic, consider working the tail in even further by picking it up on the second round and knitting it together with the standing yarn for an additional three stitches as you come past it on round 2.


--TECHknitter

Quick Entry

I'm very busy, so I'll make this short and to the point.

JoAnn's Fabrics
I finally got to JoAnn's last night and found a zipper that will suffice.

It's brown and 26 inches and it is a separating zipper. The only down side is that it's a "Parka" zipper, which means it's got bi-directional separation (two zipper carriages will separate the zipper up from the bottom and down from the top).



Did this really require a picture?

Olive Cone Sweater
Now that I have the zipper, I can finish the left-front of the cardigan.

Updated picture in next entry.

I've gotten up to the sleeve shaping on the left-front, so it will progress quickly from here.

I also forget that I was planning on doing pockets, so I will have to do a couple of after-thought pockets.

A cardigan without pockets is like a...I'll let the readers finish this sentence.

Other JoAnn Purchases
JoAnn had a bunch of their own brand of novelty yarn on sale last night, so I picked up a few balls to try it out.



I also picked up some eyelash yarn. I liked the color.



Not sure when I'll get to this, but if I ever have another craft show, this shit'll sell pretty quickly I would bet.

Other Other JoAnn Purchases
I also picked up these two magazines while I was there.



I haven't even looked inside either of them yet, but I'll review them both within a few days.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Marie-Hélène asks about the olive cardigan, "Quel sorte de col vas-tu faire ?".

I'm not sure yet. I won't be doing a button band, so I think I may just do a simple crew-neck collar in 2X1 rib (similar to the original design