knitting

Has anyone tried this technique for changing colors? I tried it with a pillow, and ended up with a hopelessly tangled mess, so I gave up and just made the pillow in one tweedy color. I’m still intrigued by it, though. I love the way the many different colors look in a piece of intarsia, and I would like to work on my color skills, too.

If you don’t know, intarsia is a type of knitting that allows you to change colors throughout the piece without cutting the yarn or carrying it along the back of the work, like you do in fair isle knitting. It creates one thickness rather than the two that fair isle produces, and it makes for a neater back, too.

You have to wind the yarn onto bobbins and then let them hang along the back of the work, and that’s where the tangles came into my project. I think I just had way too many bobbins, and they were too big, and I wasn’t used to the technique, so it all spelled doom for my pillow. I am willing to try it again sometime, and I’d love to hear your experiences with intarsia knitting!

I have another favorite online yarn store that I’ve been meaning to talk about. Discontinued Brand Name Yarn is a little place located in Vermont that offers some awesome deals and closeouts in many different yarns. They just added new inventory, and it would be worth your while to check them out while it’s still fresh, because they only have short supplies of many of their items.

I’ve ordered from them several times, and they always ship promptly. They even called me once to verify something on an order, now THAT’S customer service, and that’s why I’m recommending them. I’ve always been pleased with the yarns I’ve gotten from them, too. They happened to have my very favorite yarn available in minute quantities in this closeout, so I just HAD to order it! In fact, I just ordered it today, and already I can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Let me know if you order from Discounted Brand Name Yarn, and what you think, OK? (No, I don’t get a cut, if that’s what you’re thinking!

I don’t know if you’re like this, but I tend to work in color palettes that make me comfortable, or I like, and stay away from many colors that just don’t “work” for me. I also don’t think I really know how to blend more than one or two colors creatively, so I don’t attempt it.

Well, if you have that problem too, then I may have found a book you can really use. Color Works, The Crafter’s Guide to Color by Deb Menz is a great book I just picked up, and I think it’s going to be one of my favorite crafting books. It’s full of information on color, from hues to values and harmonies, and it’s packed with photos that illustrate the author’s many ideas and descriptions about using color effectively.

It also has a great section on using colors in different crafts, from knitting to paper collage, and the last chapter is a whole set of color tools, complete with a color wheel, that help you discover color blending and management on your own. I love this book, and I can’t wait to put the tools into action, and learn more about colors and how to use them effectively. Please let me know if you get this book, and how you like it!

Have you tried knitting with wire yet? I have a book about it, some teeny-tiny needles to try it, and I just haven’t started on it yet. It looks just fascinating. I have seen jewelry and belts done with this technique, and it combines the best of knitting and jewelry-making, I think. The results look more like weaving or beading than knitting, but they are delicate and beautiful, too.

You can find wires in all sorts of great colors, too, which only adds to the appeal of the jewelry made from wire. I picked up some ear wires at Fire Mountain Gems for a good price, so I’m going to try to make some earrings first off. I think they are such small projects, once I get the hang of the technique, I can finish them up quickly and see how they look.

If you’ve tried knitting with wire, please let me know. I’d love to hear your experiences, good and bad, and find out what type of projects you created with your needles and wires!

What project are you working on now? Are you working on something special for the Olympics? I’m still working on my sushi bathroom set. I have one small rug almost done, and another bigger one to start when that’s finished. My DH has decided that he likes them, so he wants one similar for his bathroom, only huge! I think I’m going to be really tired of this project by the time I’m done with all these rugs!

I found a craft backing that I can paint on the back. Once it dries, it’s non-skid, and it’s totally washable. We’ll see how it works. I’ll let you know the results after I finish the rugs and put it on. I’m excited, because I’ve never made rugs before, and I think they are going to look really stylish in my bathroom!

After all those rugs, I’m looking for something small and fun to work on, probably handwarmers or a scarf, that I can whip up two or three without worrying about a bigger project. So, tell me, what are you working on now, and what are you looking forward to working on real soon?

Today marks the opening of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing (can anyone breathe?), and many knitters are joining it to knit along with the Games! On Ravelry, you can find the 2008 Ravelympics, with patterns, team competitions, and a general appreciation of all things Olympic.

Choose one of their patterns, and knit along as you enjoy the Olympics. While the teams are closed at Ravelry, you can still choose a project of your own and knit along, knowing all the while that knitters all over the world are doing the same. I love to watch the Olympics, and this year, I’ll be knitting while I cheer for the USA. Let the games begin!

I’ve said it before, knitting a gauge swatch is a necessity if you’re making a knitting pattern like a sweater or other fitted garment. If you ignore the gauge, you’re going to end up with a garment that is too big or too small, that’s all there is to it. But, how do you knit a gauge swatch? It’s easy!

First, use the needles and yarn called for in the pattern, or find a yarn that is very close. Next, cast on enough stitches to measure about 4 inches wide, and start knitting in the pattern according to the directions. Knit a swatch about 4 inches square, and make sure you use the same pattern stitches the instructions call for.

Now, measure the gauge of your swatch. You can use a ruler, or you can use a gauge measure, available from just about any knitting shop or online. Measure about two inches of the pattern, both stitches and rows. It should match the gauge given in the pattern, for example, 6 stitches to an inch, and 4 rows to an inch, or whatever your pattern states.

If the gauge is right, you can begin your pattern in earnest, but if it’s off, you’re going to need to adjust. If you have more than 6 stitches per inch, you’re a tight knitter, and you’re going to have to go up a needle size (or maybe more). Try the next largest needle, and knit another swatch, and then measure. If it’s not right, you’ll need to go up another size.

If you have less than 6 stitches per inch, you’re a loose knitter, and you’ll need to go down a needle size. Use the next smallest needle and knit another swatch. If it’s still not right, go down another needle size.

Don’t worry if your swatch isn’t right the first time. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to knit, so if you need a larger or smaller needle, just adjust, and remember that you’ll probably have to do that for most patterns.

I don’t know about you, but I’m hooked on vintage knitting patterns. I’ve found some from the 1930s through the 1960s that are just great, and many of them could be right back in style today. The biggest problem with some of these patterns is figuring out what modern yarn will work in them. Many of the yarns they use simply aren’t available any more, and there are so many more options today, it’s sometimes confusing if patterns aren’t specific about the ply or weight of the yarn.

They didn’t use the numbers we use today to designate yarns, so sometimes the easiest thing to do is to knit up a swatch of the pattern (which you should do anyway!) and see how close you come to the gauge the pattern calls for. Because we have so many new and different yarns today, you can often take a vintage pattern and really make it new just by changing the yarn, it creates an entirely new look in many cases.

It’s amazing to see how many knitted dresses and suits there were in the 1930s and 1940s, and how stylish they were. A lot of things that are popular now, like shrugs and shawls, were really stylish then, too, and of course, things like baby clothes never seem to go out of style. Check out some of the vintage patterns online, and you may be surprised by what you find!

I’ve been knitting the same thing for over a week, and I’m getting to feel like I’m in a rut. I’m making these “sushi” mats that I was on the old Knitty Gritty (boy, I miss that show!). They were originally meant to be toilet tank covers, but I’m knitting several to use as runners. I finished three of those, decided I liked one as a toilet tank cover, and now I’m adapting the pattern to be rugs for my bathroom to match the tank cover.

Do you ever get tired of making something over and over like that? The good thing is, I have the pattern memorized, so I don’t have to use the printout anymore. The bad thing is, I’m getting tired of making the same thing, and I still have a rug and a half to go! Luckily, I bought enough yarn for extra, so that’s not a problem.

I’m using Caron’s Simply Soft yarn, which I just love for projects around the home. It’s a nice, soft cotton yarn, with a beautiful sheen to it. I’ve used it for pillows, for these runners, and now for rugs. I think it would make good kitchen items, like dishcloths and tea cozies, too.

I’ll post pictures of the entire ensemble when I’m done, so you can see my new, cheery “sushi” bathroom!

I have another new gadget, and I love this one, too. It’s an electronic counter, and before you say, ‘what on earth would you need that for?’ I’ll tell you. In lots of patterns, you not only have to count rows to follow the pattern, you have to count sets of rows to finish the piece. You know, the instructions say, “repeat the last 12 rows” 20 times to complete the pattern. Now, you can put a counter on your needle, and count the 12 rows every time, and add another counter to count how many times you’ve repeated the 12 rows, but that’s kind of a mess on your needle, especially if you’re working on a piece of lace. The counters can get in your way and mess up the gauge of your stitches, too.

The electronic counter hangs around your neck, so it won’t get in the way of your knitting. It also has three different ways to count, so you can count rows, and then count repeats of the rows, and even more repeats within the pattern, if you need to.

It has a large, easy-to-read digital display, and it stays on all the time, so it won’t lose your count if you put your knitting down and don’t touch it for a few days. The buttons are easy to push, and it has an audible “beep” so you know you’ve added or subtracted a row (yes, it subtracts, too). The battery is supposed to last for at least a year (like a watch), I’ll keep you posted on that.

If there’s anything wrong with this counter, it’s that the display doesn’t have a light for night use, although I haven’t had any problems seeing it at night. The buttons are easy to push, and I’ve found that if I forget to take it off, and wear it around the house, I may press a button by mistake and throw off my count. Other than that, it’s a really handy gadget, and I may never use the manual stitch counters that hang off my needle again!