QUICKtip: check the web for errata BEFORE you cast on

(A lot of QUICKtips lately because the garden calls--I've been hoarding these short little tips up for the busy days of summer....)

ERRATA (err-ah-tah; plural noun)
Errors in printing or writing, especially such errors noted in a list of corrections and bound into a book. [Latin errātum, from neuter past participle of errāre, to stray.]

Old hands have learned this the hard way--this TECHknitting QUICKtip is for newer knitters, and was inspired by a novice knitter I overheard in my LYS last winter--asking the workers why the pattern she'd bought a few weeks earlier wasn't working. The idea that it wasn't her fault--that the pattern could be wrong--clearly shocked her.

THEN

In the old days, publishers would send out "errata notices," little strips of paper that your LYS was supposed to paste or tape into a booklet to correct the errors the publisher found out about only after the booklet was published. Similarly, when you bought a pattern book, a flurry of little errata slips often fell out as you opened the book for the first time. The publishers quaintly believed that since the error was theirs, they ought to fix it.

NOW

With the advent of the web, publishers and designers have put the onus on YOU to check their websites to see if errata have been published. It would behoove you to do that--there are pretty much no publishers immune, and magazine patterns seem particularly prone to being full of errors. Not to mention yarn company patterns.

Bottom line: check the publisher's web site for pattern errata BEFORE you cast on. Heck, check the whole web--bloggers often find problems...before publishers do...

--TECHknitter

Litterbugs

When did it become acceptable to litter again? I don't think I got the memo.

Selfish Pigs
I find littering to be one of the most selfish and lazy activities a person can indulge in.

Most of the folks my age or older remember the television advertisements showing the crying Native American looking over a landscape of garbage. Those were the days when it was a bad thing to be a litterbug, and no one wanted to be caught dropping garbage in public.

Things seem to have changed a lot.

Cans, coffee cups, cigarettes, fast food refuse, receipts, soda bottles and anything else you can think of, get thrown out of car windows on a regular basis. The throwers seemed to exhibit no guilt or shame. They don't even try to disguise the fact that they're doing it.

I watched a young woman in a neighboring town finish a Dove bar and drop the wooden stick and wrapper on the ground in front of dozens of onlookers. I walked up to her and pointed out the fact that she had dropped something. She claimed she hadn't. I insisted she had, and she walked away calling me crazy. I picked up the refuse and, resisting my urge to throw it at her, I put in in a garbage can about 10 feet from where she dropped it.

I'd love to get back to a time where it was socially unacceptable to litter.

New Project
Since I was packing for Albany on Monday night, and I still hadn't decided what to start next, I picked up the wool/hemp blend and ran one hank through the ball winder. I figured minimally I could swatch it this week to see how it knits up.

I don't have a picture of the yarn, but it's a pretty mellow combination of light slate blue and natural colors that makes for a very mild color.

Spinning
For those of you who know me, I think you'll understand that I just couldn't stand the thought carding a whole box of mohair and not trying to spin some.



I tried spinning a thicker single than usual for me, and with the combination of the quality of the fiber (quite a few second cuts), the quality of my carding and the quality of my spinning, it's coming out very rustic. If I end up double-plying this, it will equate to an approximate worsted weight yarn (I think).

Readers' Comments/Questions
Janice notes that hand carding results in rolags, not roving.

She is accurate, but I just had difficulty calling the fluffy foot long clouds of fiber, "rolags". Carded fiber would be more accurate.

Michelene asks, "Joe, would the burnt orange tweed work on Hjalte, the Lavold design in the Spring Knitter's? I'd love to know if it was the sweater, or the model you thought worth shelling out 5.95 of your hard earned dollars?"

I'm not sure if the orange tweed would work with Hjalte from a gauge perspective, although it would be a perfect color/texture for it. As for the sweater/model value, I thought the model was very appealing, but it was the way the Elsbeth used the perfect yarn and a well thought out design that made me want to buy the magazine.

Michelle asks, "Now on the technical end would those bits you hand carded be called rolags?? I'm led to believe that if you use some combs that the yarn you spin up will be much softer?"

The rolags question has already been addressed, but as far as comparing combing to carding, I'm not sure it's the softness that differentiates the two methods of fiber preparation. Combing takes out more of the barnyard debris, and keeps the fibers going all in the same direction. This preparation is usually used when you want to spin a "worsted" yarn (not to be confused with a worsted weight yarn). Worsted yarns are usually smoother and stronger than "woolen" yarns which are usually loftier and softer. These types of questions are better left to Google and the experts.

Geek Alert

Okay, this PHP shit is FUN...well, at least for a geek it is.

A Foray Into The New (For Me)
I'm teaching myself PHP and related technical skills so I can write the on-line ballot for the 2006 Knit Blog Awards at the end of the year (as I mentioned yesterday). I decided to start off slowly, with a brief reader survey to see if I could put together some of the tools I'll need. This is my first pathetic attempt.

Select One of More Preference for Blog Topics Enter Any Unique Userid or e-Mail Address: Knitting, Spinning and Quilting Leftist Political Commentary Personal Rants Stupid Surveys Family and Work Life Stories Gage Stories and Pictures Fiber-Related Purchases Personal Wounds - With Pictures Other - Note Below

Readers' Comments/Questions
Franklin, and then echoed by Marilyn asks, "May I ask, what book/manual/whatever are you using to teach yourself PHP?"

There are a bunch of free, on-line tutorials, but the one that I found most useful as a technically-inclined, but not-so-talented beginner was at Tizag.com.

Jacquie ends her comment yesterday with, "I knew you were a techie."

Actually, I'm a techie-wannabe, but I would never want to put in all the rigor associated with real programming. Way too detailed for me.

Regarding the Grist chart I posted, Carrie asks, "Anyway, doesn't the yardage per pound depend on the fiber you're spinning? Cotton is said to be much heavier than wool of the same thickness; does the yardage range take different fiber weights into account, or do the fibers really not differ as much as I think they do"

I'm not too sure. I'm sure some of the real spinners could answer this better, but I would guess that tightness of the twist and loft would have a lot of impact on these numbers as well.

Support Our Troops

With all the fallen war veterans, I hope you do something today to remember them and
understand the contribution they made to your lives.

Freedoms
No doubt, the greatest gift of veterans, are the freedoms that we are allowed as U.S. citizens.

One of those is the right to protest unfair trade practices.

Blog reader Frank, sent me this link to one of his blog entries, describing a cool on-line tool put out by by microRevolt, in support of their protests against sweatshop labor.

Check it out, and check out microRevolt while you're at it.

Thanks Frank.

Spinning
First of all, I promised a picture of the new color I'm spinning in the merino. I'm calling it cherry.



I needed a bright, lively color after all the deep purples and greens. This is the brightest of all the merinos I'll be spinning.

Also, this weekend, I decided to put some of my fiber preparation training to work. I had this bag of lovely mohair locks from an Angora Goat named Fred.



After some carding, I got this box full of puffy roving.



Eventually, I will spin it into a single and then probably ply it with something else. I'm not overly fond of knitting with mohair, so using it as a binding thread on some other fiber seems to be the best use for it.

Knitting
I finished the baby blanket, wove in all the ends, and washed and blocked it.



The blanket is a nice large size, and it's light as a feather. I love the way it turned out, and I will probably make another one of these someday in a DK weight to see if I like it in a heavier weight as well.

Next Project
First, I'll say, I am totally uninspired with all possible knitting projects.

I was thinking I might make another couple of pairs of felted clog slippers. Thaddeus' pair looks like hell, and mine are getting more and more worn, but still yet comfortable and warm.

Then, I considered putting all that lovely Manos to good use, in an afghan like the one I made my mother, except this one for Thaddeus and I.

Other possibilities are a man's sweater in either:

1. A wool hemp blend of blue and naturals that I got at Rhinebeck last year
2. Dark gray Cashmereno that I got at Webs over Christmas
3. Black Royal Tweed that I got when Simply Knit went out of business
4. Burnt Orange Royal Tweed that I got at the same time.

Of course I could make more novelty scarves in case I have another craft show, or I could work on the kid alpaca blanket/grave cover. But the blanket/grave cover takes hours to show any progress, so it's not very appropriate for knit-blogging.

Computer Woes
The computer is back up and running fine. They even recovered all my documents (including all blog pictures, etc.).

I'd like to say that I didn't get the computer until today, but I'd be lying. I've had it since Thursday night, but I've just been too damn busy relaxing in the sun to write a blog.

Thanks to all who kept the blog interesting in comments while I was slacking. And thanks to the latest cat toy, Ernestine. I couldn't have made up more interesting fodder for comments if I had tried, although I would have picked a less ridiculous nom de plume.

Surprise Business Trip

Sorry if blog entries are either short and pithy and/or too few this week, I found out last minute that I had to go to Zurich to make a sales presentation.



Yes, I'm in Switzerland
I ended up flying out on Monday night (Memorial Day), and I'll be flying home this Friday morning. Actually, I have seen nothing of Zurich so far, and probably won't have much time to explore. Here is the view from my hotel, on this cloudy, rainy week in Zurich.



Current Knitting
I had to come up with something to work on during the long flight and during sleepless nights as I get used to the time change. I didn't want to start a new/complex design, and lately I have been in the mode of finishing up things, as opposed to starting on multiple new projects.


How many of you remember the bed blanket/coffin cover I started years ago using the Andean kid alpaca that I got for practically nothing?



This project takes little or no thinking. Working on it, is more like fidgeting rather than knitting, so it has been a perfect project to work on during the varying lengths of knitting time I've had. Here's a closeup of the simple pattern, for those that are newer to the blog.



I know, the color is ghastly, but I eventually anticipate dyeing it some lovely deep crimson, or perhaps a smoky teal color.

Either way, it will look lovely as a lining for my casket.

Current Reading
If you're the kind of person that considers books to be things of great value, then I think you will truly enjoy this rather odd title that my sister-out-of-law recommended to me.



Outwitting History, by Aaron Lansky is the story of how a young college student decided that as Yiddish stopped being spoken by many of his contemporaries, the libraries of their parents and grandparents were being disposed of and destroyed at a pace that alarmed him enough to do something about it. I got totally wrapped up in Mr. Lansky's autobiographical adventure of trying to save the Yiddish culture encased in the Yiddish books he collected. I know the book sounds odd and possibly even boring, but the story is vibrant and alive and highly pertinent to the lives of many.

I've always thought that Yiddish was one of the most expressive languages. Kind of like the onomatopoeia of emotions, rather than sounds. Mr. Lansky brings this expressive language alive in his story.

A reverence for books and culture is a requirement for enjoying this jewel of a book.

QUICKtip: controlling extra-long cables

If you are working with an extra-long circular needle (like for "magic loop" or back and forth knitting) the trick of inserting your hand into the loops of excess cable will stop the cable from whipping around with every stitch, whacking everything around you.

This trick works very well with the newer flexible no-memory cables, such as with Addi Lace needles (illustrated). It works less well with old-fashioned nylon cables, but your seat mate on that next flight will still thank you.

(This is a 47" needle being used "magic loop" style to knit a hat.)

--TECHknitter

New Skills

I've always known I was a geek, and I take some pride in that, but getting excited about learning a new technical skill just seems to take it to a new level.

Bettering Myself?
I'm teaching myself a new skill in learning how to code PHP web pages, and I can't tell you how exciting it is when a page I create as part of an exercise actually works like it's supposed to. For the techno-tards out there, I actually created a MySQL database and connected to it using PHP.

My next project will be a survey page that will collect data. I will use it as a prototype for the second annual Knit Blog Awards at the end of the year.

Try not to get overexcited on my behalf about this. It will be very telling of the kind of person you are.

Weekend Wedding
My sister got married this past weekend, and I got the chance to see a lot of my family, which is always fun. I actually enjoy being around them quite a bit.

I took some pictures during the ceremony, but I was too far away for the flash to work. As a result, I have no useable pictures of the groom, so I'll post a picture of the bride (my sister) and her three daughters (my nieces).



Weekend Spinning
In addition to the wedding and the knitting I posted about yesterday, I also got a little bit of spinning time in.



I finished the first large bobbin of singles using the Romney-like wool, and then started my second bobbin.



Double-plied, this will come out to be about worsted weight, I'm guessing.

More Random Leftovers

Here are some additional activities that have been wandering about looking for a proper blog posting.

Canadian Sweets
In addition to having my favorite peanut butter, Canada also has some good candies we don't have down here in the states.

Thanks to both Barb and Ted, I was the happy recipient of two of Canada's candy options unavailable here in the states.



Barb asked Ted to be her mule and transport both Smarties (M&M-like candies) and Wine Gums. She sure knows how to make a man happy.

Also, Sean at Woolcott & Co sent along this nice gift along with my yarn purchase.



The product is Soak and is specifically for handwashed yarns and knitted items. I can't wait to try it out on my next sweater soak.

Current Knitting
I finished another two rounds on the inner border of the Ichida lace project. I'm now officially up to 1,000 stitches per round. I'm hopeful to get a lot done this weekend, but I don't know if I'll be able to finish it.

I anticipate the next picture you see of this garment will be the one where it's blocking.

Current Spinning
Here's what happen when you take your two spinning wheels with spun fibers on the bobbins to a fiber retreat where there are guys that want to learn how to spin.




This is both the tussah/cashmere spinning and the Black Bunny fibers laceweight I've been working on with some other attempts at spinning random fibers on top of them.

Sometime this week, I will unravel all the new growth and recommence spinning at least one of these projects.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Kate of scarf exchange fame writes, "did you ever hear anything about the project you left on the plane?"

I spoke with a number of folks at the airline and one nice woman there actually looked through everything for my project and was able to confirm it definitely wasn't there. She was very helpful and apologetic, which is quite unusual for U.S. Airways at Philadelphia airport. I have mentioned before that I will re-knit this project, as it is probably my favorite in the two Ichida books.

QUICKtip: Knots can be your friends

The ancient Incas are said to have communicated by "quipu"--knotted strings which encoded information. You too can encode information in a simple knot. If you knit a swatch on size 7 needles, 7 knots go in the tail. The next time you wonder what needles you used with that yarn--ta da! Your own personal "quipu" is hanging on the swatch waiting to tell you. If you "borrow" your best size 5 circular needles from a project and put the project on a stitch holder, 5 knots go in the tail. When you find that project languishing 6 months from now, you won't be discouraged from taking it up again by not remembering what you were doing--your 5 knots will remind you that you were knitting with size 5 needles. As is apparent, this also works with millimeter sizes BUT you must not mix millimeter and American sizes--pick one or the other.

--TECHknitter

Nothing But Gratitude

If you love your freedom, thank a vet. Or if more would fit on that bumper sticker, I'd include thank the family of a vet, or the family of folks that fought other non-combat wars.

In Memory
I know a few families of soldiers that have died in Iraq, but I'm not close enough to any of them to express gratitude for their sacrifice, and so I ask you to meet the Murphy's.

I grew up with the Murphy's, a family with four children, Laurie, Tom, Timmy and Patrick who have suffered their share of wars in this lifetime. The Murphy's went to our church and Timmy was my age, and we went through some grammar school and high school together, and were good friends. It was tragic, when Timmy's older brother Tom was diagnosed with testicular cancer. There was much concern about both his life and if he would be able to father children. As a survivor of that cancer, he was able to do both.

In the mid eighties, Timmy was a rising star in Hollywood. He had been a regular on the soap opera, Search For Tomorrow, he had also been in a couple of movies, and then landed a regular role on Dallas, as the boyfriend of Charlene Tilton's character. Timmy fought this country's war on AIDS, and was one of its many casualties when he died in 1988.

Finally, the Murphy's suffered the last blow in the war on terror, when they lost their youngest son Patrick, on 9-11. He died in the World Trade Center collapse. I didn't know Patrick very well, but you can read a beautiful tribute to him here.



On this day of barbecues and pool openings, I send my prayers to the Murphy family.

Current Knitting
I've completed about five or six inches on the front of the Faux Rib sweater.



Even with weekend time to knit, this sweater still seems to be taking an eternity.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Cynthia asks, "I am doing my first intarsia project. I am doing well on the knit side of the work, but the pearl side is looking terrible. Any words of wisdom?"

I really don't. I know a lot of folks purl differently than they knit, but I've never really had that issue, and I can't imagine why it would be different just because you were switching colors. This sounds like a problem that would require you to show someone in person.

k asks, "I'm not a spinner yet. Could you define grist?"

Grist is basically the weight of the yarn, usually expressed in yards per pound or wraps per inch.

This little chart will give you a sense about how to estimate various yarn weights by yards-per-pound and by wraps-per-inch.

Yarn Weight	Yards per pound	Wraps per inch
Cobweb	6000+	42+
Lace	3000 - 6000	36-42
Baby	2400 - 3000	30-36
Fingering	1800 - 2400	24-30
Sport	1300 - 1800	18-24
DK	1000 - 1400	12-18
Worsted	900 - 1100	8-14
Aran	700 - 1000	6-10
Bulky	400 - 700	Less than 8

Unofficial Start of Summer?...

...Or the one day a year dedicated to honoring U.S. troops.



Americans
God forbid you should make the mistake of wishing a Catholic, "happy Good Friday!" Most will be all too happy to chide you and let you know Good Friday, despite it's happy sounding name, is the annual remembrance of the death of Christ. Wish that same person a happy Memorial Day, and most will gladly wish you the same.

Now, it's my turn to chide.

This day in the U.S., is the annual remembrance of a lot more people dying than one man. It is more so, the day to honor all the men and woman who have sacrificed either part or all of their lives to protect the potential for freedom and liberty and liberty in this country.

So, today, as you fire up your barbecue grills, take the cover off your pool and crack open a beer, try to take a moment to send a prayer or good wishes to the folks that truly allow this country the potential to be great. Or better yet, send off a care package to someone you know currently serving, or if you don't know anyone, use the AnySoldier.com website to send off somethings they suggest to an anonymous soldier.

Current Knitting
I've been working on finishing as much as possible. First, I finished knitting the fourth (I thought it was the fifth, but I've only made four so far) pair of felted clog slippers, and sewed up all the seams. They are all now ready to be felted.

I also finished the colorblock cardigan.



I ended up using these great glass buttons that I had on an old sample card. Since they already came in multiple colors that worked well with the colors of the sweater, I was in luck.



You can't see it very well, but the buttons look like they're made the same way as marbles are made. I will try to get a picture of me modelling the cardigan after I've had the opportunity to block it.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Regarding the FiberTrends clog slippers, Clare asks, "What yarn did you use for your clogs?"

I almost always use Cascade 220 for my felting projects, and that's what I used for all the pairs of clogs I made. Like you, this is one of my favorite patters from FiberTrends.

How to make pom-poms

Includes 8 illustrations, click any illustration to enlarge
A couple of days ago, a knitter on a community board asked how to make pom-poms. Immediately, the little voices in my head led me to sit down and illustrate this subject.

1. (above) The traditional way to wind pom-poms: Cut two cardboard doughnuts of the same size. Sandwich a yarn (illustrated in red) in between the two layers.

2. (above) Wind yarn (illustrated in green) over the doughnut, around and around, working the yarn through the center hole on each pass.

3. On illustration 2, you can see that the center hole is small. As you can imagine, it is something of a pain to wind the yarn through that center hole again and again. When I was 10, I had to make dozens of pom-poms for a project. Being as lazy as the next 10-year old, I figured that, per illustration 3 (above), if one-quarter of the circle form is cut away, it is MUCH faster and easier to wind the yarn around the resulting three-quarter pom-pom form, and the pom-pom comes out just as well. As shown, with a three-quarter form, as with the original full circle form, you begin by laying a yarn in between the two layers.

4. (above) As with the full circle form, wind the yarn around and around whole length of the three-quarter form, making sure that the center yarn does not get lost inside the form. The more yarn you wrap around the form, the bushier your pom-pom will be.

5. (above) Lay the form on a table and press it down firmly. Insert a scissors between the two layers of the form and cut the strands of pom-pom yarn where they pass over the outer edge of the form.

6. (above) Working carefully, pull up the center yarn tightly, then remove the form and lay it aside. Tie the center yarn in a very tight knot--this knot is what holds your pom-pom together. Refinements are possible: for example, you can wind the center yarn several times around strands once they have been cut free, knotting with every re-wind, or knotting just once at the end.

7. (above) Fluff the finished pom-pom into a three-dimensional shape. Trim off any oddly long strands. Remember not to pull on any one strand, or it will pop loose of the pom-pom. The ends of the center yarn can be used to attach the pom-pom to the hat top (or whatever else you are decorating). In real life, of course, your center yarn would be the same color as the pom-pom, and it will therefore be invisible.

8. (above)
a. Some yarns want to unravel when cut. In a very bushy pom-pom, this will not be a problem, because the yarn has not the room to unravel, but in a sparse pom-pom, you may face this issue.
b.& c. You can solve this problem by tying a little overhand knot (granny knot) in the end of each strand of the pom-pom yarn. A sparse pom-pom of perhaps 10 or 30 strands with each strand topped with a knot is quite charming--the knots give the strand ends a little heft and they swing about charmingly when you move and look like a little fountain, or a spray of fireworks.

One final note: You do not need to use a continuous strand of yarn to make a pom-pom. After all, you are going to cut the yarn into lots and lots of little pieces in step 5. You can wind little scraps of yarn over the form just as well as longer pieces--even if the scrap goes around the form only a couple of times, you can still use it--simply anchor it in place by overlapping its end with the next scrap. A pom-pom made of lots of scraps may shed odd bits where the center yarn did not catch the tail end of the scrap, but that is no particular problem--just comb out the pom pom AFTER you tie the knot, and these uncaught bits will fall right out.

Related posts:
How to make a tassel
How to make an I-cord tassel

--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on: "pom-pom how-to.")

How Do Parents Do It?

Our cat Nico had a bout of feline asthma this past holiday weekend, requiring us to bring him to the emergency veterinary hospital. It was very stressful for both Thaddeus and I as we worried a lot for the poor little guy as he struggled to breath. We couldn't imagine how parents deal with this kind of thing with their own children.

Nico's Fine Now
Despite a traumatic trip to the vet (any trip requiring Nico to get into a car carrier is traumatic) during his labored breathing...a little oxygen, a couple of puffs of Albuterol and some prednisone, and Nico is now breathing normally. Thaddeus and I will return to breathing normally shortly.

I commonly write to folks on my blog or in on-line forums who ask questions that could easily be answered by a quick internet search, that "Google is your friend."

Well, it's also true when your pet isn't feeling well. A quick search on "feline labored breathing" resulted in Thaddeus being able to make a good/educated guess as to what was going on with Nico and how to determined if veterinary care was necessary.

It's quite amazing how much information is available on feline asthma as well.

Current Knitting
I finished the first sock using Marlowe Crawford's design that she specifically made for the Men's Knitting Retreats.











Her pattern calls for using a contrast yarn for the toe, but I also used it for my heel. I used some of the leftover Supreme Merino/Possum yarn that I got from James at Joy of Yarn in New Zealand. I think my next pair of socks is going to be the same design, but with the Merino/Possum yarn again...god I love that stuff.

I tried to show in the pictures how Marlowe shaped the arch of the sock through increases and decreases...not sure if that shows up too well in pictures, but it makes for an exception fit on this sock.

I hate to tease readers who can't get this pattern, since it was so kindly donated to the guys at the retreat, but there is a very similar and excellent pattern by Marlowe that I've also purchased that I'm looking forward to making as well.

Random Things

With most of my focus on the Men's Spring Knitting Retreat, I've had a few things building up in the queue.

Fiber To Scarf Exchange
One of Ted's other projects (where DOES he find the time?) has been a Fiber to Scarf exchange. He basically got a group of spinners/knitters to agree to send him some roving and in exchange, get someone else's roving and make them a scarf from it.

I stupidly ignored the intimidation factor of spinning someone else's fiber and then making something creative in the form of a scarf...I ignored it at least until the fiber arrived, and then I was like, "shit...what can I make with this?".

It was even more intimidating not knowing which of Ted's extremely competent readers/friends I was spinning/knitting for.

It was even more intimidating when, I found out it was for Kate...someone who's been around on-line knitting forums forever, and also works and instructs and designs for a yarn store.



Oh well, now that it's over, I can share with you the full story. Read about it here.

Current Knitting
I have been working diligently on the Ichida lace project. I grafted together the two center sections, and picked up a bazillion stitches around the outside.



Over the weekend, I was able to complete up to round 14 out of 64. It takes a while to do each round since there are now over 800 stitches on the needles.



One nice aspect of the border sections is that the repeats are short and easy to remember without constantly referring to the graph.

Readers' Comments/Questions
Thanks everyone for the information on Knitting in the Old Way: Designs and Techniques from Ethnic Sweaters. Now I realize I have to own it as well.

How to count rows

Angie, a reader, (and a blogger who takes a nice photo) asks:

"How do I count the rows accurately in my active work? Do I include the cast-on row and the stitches on the needle(s) or not?"

A 2-part question gets a THREE-part answer...

1. COUNT THE CAST-ON?

Whether to count the cast-on depends on HOW you cast on.

• If you cast on with a loop method (such as backwards loop or forwards loop) the first row you knit is the first row of the work--the loop cast-on is not usually counted as a row. (This is a convention because, if the cast-on were to be counted as a row, pattern writers would have to write a different set of instructions for the first repeat of a texture pattern counted in rows.)
  
• If, however, you cast on with a long tail method, the first row is knitted at the time of the cast on. Therefore, the first row you knit (or purl) after the cast-on is actually the second row of the work. (There is a more detailed explanation in the long tail post.)
  
• If you cast on with a cable method (also called "knitting on" or "chain cast on") then it's knitter's choice -- this kind of cast-on is heavier than a mere loop cast-on, but not quite doubled as is the long-tail cast on. You must make up your own mind.

click picture

This illustration came out small (another mystery of html). If you click it, though, it'll get bigger.

2. COUNT THE STITCHES ON THE NEEDLE?

As to whether to count the loops on the needle -- the answer is "yes." You do count the loops on the needle, because they are stitches which have already been knit. The confusion about this is understandable--it is the NEW stitches you are going to put INTO the loops already on the needle which is going to determine how those loops will lay--whether they will be knit stitches or purl stitches. BUT, because they have already been created and are laying on your needles, there is no question that the stitches on your needle have already been knit. Because they have been knitted, they ought to be counted, unless the directions tell you otherwise.

Now, having said all this hyper technical stuff, I can also tell you that one row more or less might make a horrible mess of a TEXTURE pattern in a fabric (such as this one, for example). BUT -- one row here or there is unlikely to make a difference in the FIT of any knitted garment. Whether you choose to follow the convention to exclude the cast-on row from your row count will not make a noticeable difference in your finished garment. What WILL make a difference in your fit is whether you are CONSISTENT in counting rows between the different parts of your project.

Example: suppose the front of your new sweater is knit to 76 rows to the underarm, NOT counting either row of a long-tail cast on as the first row, and NOT counting the stitches on the needle (in other words, not counting the red, green or blue rows of the illustration.) Now suppose the back is knit to 76 rows to the underarm. This time as part of the 76 rows, you DO count the rows you didn't before (in other words, this time, you do count the red, green and blue rows of the illustration.) The front piece would wind up 3 rows longer than the back. This will make for awkwardness when it comes to seaming up.

Bottom line: There is a convention for which rows to count as part of the row count. However, to achieve a good fit, CONSISTENCY in counting is the most important thing--much more important than whether you choose to follow the convention.

3. ADDENDUM:

Even though it's not part of Angie's question, the title may have readers wondering a different question. Many knitters ask: "If you want to keep track of rows as you knit them, what's the best way?"

There are lots of ways to keep track of your rows as you go--clickers of various sorts are popular, I often use the little green kind that hangs around the neck. Also popular is that hardy perennial--pencil and paper. Some knitters make hash marks on a blank page, some make Excel spreadsheets with little boxes to check off. As to the question of whether the row should be noted BEFORE starting or AFTER finishing, this is a dispute into which I will not go. As long as you are (say it with me now) CONSISTENT in your approach, it makes no difference whether you mark the row before you start or after you end.

Whatever way you keep track, however, the one certainty is that you will lose track. The phone will ring, or your kid will crash into something, or your city council rep will ring the bell to explain why she should be re-elected as you stand there wishing you'd brushed your teeth after that cheese-and-pickle sandwich. All of this is a long-winded way of saying that "reading" the fabric, as Angie wants to do, is your best insurance policy.

Have a safe Memorial Day weekend, and drive carefully!
--TECHknitter
(You have been reading TECHknitting on: How to count rows)

Oil Companies' Veiled Threats

Who's the biggest enemy of conservationists and folks pushing for bio-fuels? That would, of course, be the oil companies.

It's My Bat
The New York Times recently reported that the oil companies are virtually guaranteeing the inflated cost of oil and gas in this country because of the president's recent call to increase production of bio-fuels. The oil companies' claims that uncertainty in the amounts of bio-fuels that will be produced, are making them reduce their increased building and upgrading of refineries to process oil.

In essence, this is their way of putting a crimp in the pipeline of petroleum products, which will keep prices inflated.

Without knowing much about this industry, I can only hope this blows up in their collective faces. Perhaps this will be one more impetus for Americans to look for alternative methods for producing energy. I'm also hoping that the decreased capital going into petroleum refineries will be put into alternative sources such as ehtanol and bio-diesel production.

Current Knitting
I started work on the button band and collar for the colorblock cardigan.

Trying to get a picture of it, required some participation from Nico. Despite his playful paws, you can see, I didn't get very far (almost finished one side of the button band and sewing it on), before I got distracted and had an overwhelming need to work on something different (again).

I realized that I only needed to make one more pair of the FiberTrends felted clog slippers before I was done with the five pairs I originally set out to make. So I worked on this.

I'm almost done with this last pair, I just have to finish the outer sole and "bumper" on the last slipper of this pair, and of course sew up the seams and felt them.

Current Reading
I most recently forced myself to finish a book, which hasn't happened for a while.



George Saunders' In Persuasion Nation was not my type of book. It came highly recommended by the staff at my local book store, but I found it more petulant and naive, than inspiring and genius, like some folks seem to feel about his writing. Although, I have to admit, this could be a case where my taste in literature isn't sophisticated enough to "get" his brilliance. But honestly, I almost put this book down without finishing about four times. Fortunately for Mr. Saunders, the book is short and a quick read.

Reading Comprehension
Did my comments about vanity plates leave people to think that I thought being vain was bad? If so, I misled.

Making Up Your Own Argument
While I did say that vanity plates are vain, if folks like Ernestine had read the content of the blog, they would realize I just think vanity plates are stupid.

And when did I EVER say that vanity was bad. I am vain. Blogs are complete vanity.

Kim S. said it perfectly right in her comments.

As with blogs, if you can't say anything but stupid drivel on a license plate, go with the DMV generic version. Why would you waste your money to say something moronic, or totally unclever (good word Kathy)?

The other thing I LOVED about Ernestine's comment was it made me think she was either one of the poorly critiqed designers in one of my reviews, or personally knew one of the maligned designers, and was offended by my opinion. What does vanity and being critical have to do with each other? If she had cited (thanks Jo) the fact that I have 2 lists of 100 items each, all about ME, or the fact that I've been writing incessantly about personal projects for two years, I could understand how that proves her invalid point about vanity.

But instead, she cites (thanks again Jo) my harsh critiques as a demonstration of vanity?

Methinks she was somehow hurt by my comments somewhere along the line.

Should we call Dr. Phil?

Spin-Off 2005 - Review



First, I have to say that I love this magazine. It doesn't try and pretend to be something that it's not. It does not try to be overly sophisticated. And it is always chock full of ideas and techniques and designs and information.

There are really only 8 "designs" in this magazine, for a cost of US$7.99. It also contains the following articles:

Behind the Scenes at Lendrum - Cindy Ellen Hill - Interesting way to mix advertisement with good information
Spinning Basics: The Short Draw - Carol Huebscher Rhodes - As a new spinner, I always read through this part a few times and try it out.
The Handspun Tapestries of Sandy Burstein - Laura Silverman - Simple interview with a talented artist.
50th Guild Anniversy - Susan Sullivan Maynard - Charming story, if you're into charming
Fiber Basics: Black Welsh Mountain - Carol Huebscher Rhodes - Amazingly thorough review of this sheep and its fiber
Handspun Gallery of Sweaters - Small, but varied selection of homespun designs
Standing on the Shoulders of Giants - Judith MacKenzie McCuin - A beautiful way of ending the issue

I'm not going to review the eight designs, but I will say that the there were two projects that both Selma and I liked a lot.

The first was a weaving project by Selma Miriam. It's this amazing Linen-Hemp Shirt. Beautiful, and cleverly constructed.

The second one was the cover project of Handspun Coiled Baskets by Elizabeth Hubbard. Hers are absolutely beautiful.

Current Knitting
I didn't get the chance to do any knitting between the last blog entry and now, but I'm still hopeful to finish the blanket project this long U.S. holiday weekend.

I also forgot to mention, that I did some additional knitting this past weekend on the Bed Cover, and I'm still not up to 12 inches on that project.

Spinning
I did finish spinning the grape merino and started on the next color.

Since I will have my regular computer back this Friday, I will be able to post pictures. It turns out the hard drive was really screwed up bad, but they were still able to recover the majority of my data. That stuff amazes me.

2009 Men's Knitting Retreats

Yes, you read correctly...PLURAL...retreatS.



MFKR 2009
Looks like I will be heading out West to go to my first Men's Fall Knitting Retreat on Labor Day weekend.

It is going to be so amazing to meet folks like WonderMike and CraftyAndy...guys with whom I've corresponded over the years and now I get to meet in person. Plus I can't wait to see all the guys who were also at the East Coast retreat...and of course, seeing Franklin and Kiwi James again is going to be great. At last count there were about 25 guys signed up for the retreat, and Michael tells me that he will probably limit registration to 40 maximum for anyone who's interested.

I am more excited than I can possibly write.

Final MSKR 2009
For those interested in reading blog entries, or seeing hundreds of pictures of the recently completed Men's Spring Knitting Retreat, I have consolidated all the links I know of and pictures about which I am aware on Flickr on the Past Events page of MensKnittingRetreat.com web site.

Go enjoy, but also check out how many fiber-related vendors supported our event through their contributions. If you've been looking to order some yarn or fiber or buttons (Regina's amazing buttons!), please also check out the full page of vendor links.

Current Knitting
I was able to finish seaming up the Easton Mountain afghan and sent that off to one of MSKR's master crocheters (we had at least two) so a border could be completed.

I knew as soon as I received them, that my next project would be the socks that Marlowe Crawford designed specifically for the Men's Knitting Retreat.



I just finished turning the heel using a contrasting color (the pattern only calls for a contrasting color for the toe...I just decided to use it on the heel as well), and the arch shaping has already begun at the same time. I am using "Flat Feet" for the yarn that I got at Sean's store in Cambridge, MA. The pattern is very nice so far, despite how my picture makes it look. It did make me realize that I want to purchase her other arch-shaped sock design and work that one too. I'm also realizing that I need to purchase some of the sock yarn she uses in her designs from A Verb for Keeping Warm.

New Book - In Praise of the "C" Word
It's always great when friends I have known for years author a book...I love seeing their names in print.

Kathy Merrick has been reading this blog since I first started writing it almost 7 years ago. I originally met her when she was working at Tomato Factory, and even back then she was referred to as the master crocheter. Kathy has in incredible eye for color and she has combined that with her crochet expertise to come up with Interweave's latest book.



Crochet in Color: Techniques and Designs for Playing with Color has just been added to the Amazon database for pre-ordering with an expected release date of October 2009.

Suffice it to say, I have my order placed already.