Right slanting decreases on trial

Today - Brother Amos, I've turned the heel, things are going so well I'm playing with different decreases, I'm swatching some of my own handspun. And finally a book report, that is a report on books that have come thru my letter box recently.



So I finally sat down and had some focussed quality time with Brother Amos, the sock and I are now on good terms, so much so the heel is turned, and I have only 2 lace repeats to finish the leg section and bind of in i-cord. Sadly I have had to forgo my lovely harmony wooden knit picks circs, and am now back to plain old Innox circs, as the leg is shaped by increasing a needle size every repeat. The Innox needles I'm using now do have a smoother join than the ones I started this sock on and gave up in dispear with, but the cord is twisty and stiff. I expect many of those who dislike circs for socks, and prefer dpns, were like me, struggling with low quality, stiff, lumpy circs, while our encouraging friends had smooth slippery circs with un-kinked cords. For lace socks, circulars do make things much easier. I will shout my self some new knitpics in the new year. Once you have tasted quality it is hard to go back to cheap and nasty.




Last post I told you all about introducing a sytk into this pattern, replacing the older style ssk. I also mentioned how at that stage I hadn't seen any real difference. Suzanne, messaged me to say that twisting the stitch resulting from the decrease in the next row might help, so I tried that. For the first leg repeat, I sytk'd all the left leaning decreases, and in the next row, knit thru the back to twist that decrease stitch and then K2tog the left ones. It resulted in this - the left leaning bit (the right leaning bit is next to a set of of m1's), a very nice line of straight stitches, with no twisting around. What I have not been able to find in a quick search is any 'hints' on line to twist the stitch backwards in the next row to straighten out a line of Right leaning decreases.


Then I realised I hadn't really given the new immigrant sytk an opportunity to show me what it could do on its own, so this repeat I am just sytk. I know one should test these things in a swatch, not in the second sock, but I'm impatient. Given these will be under jeans, under boots or hidden inside hi-top chucks, well, whatever I do in the leg will be just fine. So this is where I am up to, right now it looks twisty, but I will continue till the end of this repeat before deciding which method to use to finish the sock.



I've knit up some of my white 3 ply corridale homespun, seems really weird to be knitting yarn I made, surreal almost. And thankfully when I knit it up, the knitting was square, not trapezoid like the commercial Alapa swatch a few posts ago. You can't believe how happy that made me. After the Alpaca spiral incident - well that was a fear, what if I couldn't spin yarn that knit up nice? That was an even bigger fear than the "what if I don't want to knit what I spin?" fear. So this swatch, 12 wraps per inch, I knit up on 3.75mm needles and was fairly happy, but look =>


Rowing out, can you spot that rowing out in the first section of the swatch? It is more obvious on the wrong side. That hasn't happened in ages, I blame the thickness of the yarn. I know how much to compensate my purl and knit stitches for fine yarns when I knit flat, but obviously not for heavier yarns. I tried a few rows tightening the knit stitches, my standard fix - but it didn't work. So I switched to knitting combined, which fixed the problem but resulted in a much tighter gauge, so I knit on with larger 4.5mm needles. Then thinking I should swatch for something, I swatched Brioche stitch for a EZ style watch-hat for Poppy. I found some good on line instructions for bi-colour Brioche in the round, and for knitting different methods of Brioche. All my EZ books suggest Brioche is better worked flat, much arder to work in the round but the instructions i've found on line seem clear. I'm as yet unclear of the difference bewteen the 'knit into the stitch below' and the 'yarn over whist slipping stitches' and if they end up looking the same, the sound like they would be the same structurally.


And here, I've been following KathyR's advice to keep some of my unplied and unwashed spinning to use in guiding me towards better consistency. As part of that I clipped a little section of the yarn after plying but before washing, look it does puff up! I guess in time I will learn to 'see' how the yarn will be after setting in hot water not the yarn I have just spun.

And books, Well I have obtained a copy of Twined Knitting, a Swedish Folkcraft Technique, by Birgitta Dandanell-Ulla Danielsson, well 2 copies actually. An embarassing internet hic-up - which I am sure happens more often than we like to admit. What I don't like is that one copy is a de-stashed copy from the Oshkosh public library. Legally I might add, but I now know that knitters in Oshkosh can not access that copy because the library decided it was 'old' and out of date, and sold it off to make room for newer and probably non knitting books. I spoke to a librarian friend here, an she knows of this library phenomenon, and regularly takes out all the old knitting books from our local public library so they have a record of use, I think I will join her in this. I also ordered Sheila McGregors Traditional Scandinavian Knitting, because when you buy from Amazon they helpfully say "people who bought that book also liked this one", and some times they are just so good at guessing what I want that I give in. All of these were second hand. And, yes embarrassingly there is more, I sometimes think this blog should be renamed, "knit-shop-frog' because I seem to spend as much time posting about knitting as about shopping for knitting related items. So there are one more book still to come, both from Fishpond (new zealands version of amazon - with much cheaper shipping for me), Mary Thomas's book of knitting patterns, This book is vinatge, circ 1947> I stumbled onto an online discussion of 'good' knitting books on Ravelry's Knittech where knitters were raving about Mary Thomas Knitting, which I have, I have both her Embroidery and the knitting book by Mary Thomas, a legacy of a crafty MIL. I suggested that there were much better books than MT knitting, only to discover they were singing praises of MT Knitting patterns book, so off I went to obtain one. Then Vintage Purls (local knitter) brought one to knit night to show me, and so now my own copy is winging it way to me.

Take care
Stell

So with Fannigan gone - what am I knitting now?

Today - how the Brother Amos sock is an attention seeking sock and was this close(holds thumb and first finger very close together) to a session in the time out section of my knitting basket, plus I try a new technique, some mistakes I found after I finished Fannigan, the Andean hat grows despite using 2mm needles, and next week new/old books.

Brother Amos, I still like these socks, but with putting them on hold to finish Fannigan - well I lost my way, and I got mesmerized by these, which I want to cast on for NOW. But then Bro Amos will never be finished. Brother Amos knows this, and to frustrate me further (- can socks do this? appliances can), has misbehaved 3 or more times during the last pattern repeat. Of course knitting Bro Amos when out and about and not taking the chart was courting disaster, twice, and not counting stitches carefully when I frogged and put them back on the needles was also asking for trouble. Now I have tamed that sock, I knit quietly, at home, uninterrupted, with the chart at my side and I will finish this sock soon.
The close up here of Brother Amos is of the decreases, about four rows back I switched from a standard ssk to the more modern sytk. Now this is is claimed to be a better or closer pair for a k2tog, what do you think? I must admit to not seeing as much difference between the earlier ssk's and the more recent sytk's as I expected. I will keep knitting using sytk, and compare the entire sock leg when finished.

and I am still using the 2-circ method, its good, every now and again I knit them all up onto one circ with a twist in the middle, but with good smooth circs the method is perfect for patterned socks. No having to work repeats split by dpns. So a big thank you to Suzanne aka lace lunatic aka Magpie for enabling me to knit this way, and encouraging me to try.


And Fannigan, well I hinted in an earlier post there were at least 2 mistakes that I was not frogging for, this is them: first on a row that should have had a knit dot every 4th stitch, I confused myself and k3 red where there should be 1 red. Well its small, and not really noticeable and public now. The other mistake, well a small hole in the sleeve, where I wove in the ends the 'wrong way. That is I wove them in in a way that they pulled the join spot open, rather than snugged it closed. Oh well - that one is fixable, some time, maybe ...



Andean hat : it grows, faster than Kelly's, who mailed me and asked if it should be 2mm not US2's, as she had cast on apparently for a sweater not a hat. I didn't know how not to laugh, 54 puntas is a lot of work to rip back. Kelly was a good sort about it, just one of those communication things, but I'd have to say neither of us did gauge swatches so we probably deserve any size mishaps we get. I've lent her my extra 2mm circs, as a token of my guilt. At knit night, we did try and talk Kelly into continuing and then felting/fulling the hat, and making it a bag - but she frogged, she said no hat would beat her. My own Andean hat grows, I'm up to chart A, which seems to be forming well, the first 4 or 5 lines looked messy but then the direction of the pattern came together.


and the inside, some of the floats are over 10 or so stitches, but the gauge is so small I just left them floating. With white being a main colour I was reluctant to weave and risk show thru. I'm sure they will felt in just a little,

and I just have to say, that new sock knitter I enabled, a graduating student, well I get exited phone texts when she turns the heel, more txts saying she might have to open a sock business, and then more inquiries about narrowing the foot. I think she is hooked, don't you? Kathleen - you know who you are, I enabled even further now with a graduation prezzie of ashford dpns.

Well that was interesting!

I'm back, and unfortunately plowing thru a pile of ironing, a combination of my fiber snobbery (cellulose fabrics feel so good to wear but they crease), and Bear and Grand-dad spending the weekend hedge cutting - not keeping up with the domestic chores. Still, I'm not complaining. Today I've got a workshop report (made me think), a shopping report (inevitable), and a new project starts and finishes. I have made some minor progress on the Andean hat, but it is a photo rich post, so more about that next time, and nothing to report on my Bro Amos socks. Plus a great bit thank you to all of you who said nice things about Fannigan, I'm 'chuffed' (is that a unique NZ word, do you all understand it?) that you took time to stop and admire and let me know. Now - what can I do with those lighter clasps that are now spare?

So - workshop, Knit to fit with Barbara Paley (scroll down). Two other knitters and I headed of late Friday, to a weekend of knitterly girly things, we had a historic beautiful cottage booked in Clyde, and the weather could not have been better. I do recommend this workshop if you ever get the chance. The workshop was held at Touch Yarns, a wondrous place. Since discovering EZ and the magic of EPS, I have knit the round and seamless shaped sweaters but Barbara took us thru the basics of recognizing what a straight arm scye and fitted shoulder line could do for a less than ideal body and suggested that there were some significant fitting benefits of knitting a sweater in sections. Now I teach pattern-making and we use standard measurement charts, the very ones that result in all those poorly fitted garments you all buy, but Barbara pointed out for many people a custom fitted sweater can provide a much better look than standard measurements. Barbara, was lovely, and managed to communicate clearly the intricacies of drawing sweater sections, then making patterns to fit ourselves, including sleeves to a group of 'novice' pattern makers very well. Here you can see some of my workings, complete with sleeve diagram.


So - can I give up knitting sweaters in the round? I'm not sure, Barbara felt the resistance at 'our end of the table', Lorna, Pam and I want to knit in the round, and on day two Barbara had us practice seaming, short rowing and decorative deceasing. I think she thought we knit in the round to avoid seams, but hey - we like the concept of shaping all in one. Here you can see my mattress stitch sampler - sewn in red yarn, but apart from the seam 'bump' really truly invisible on the right side (also shown). I've mattress stitched before - but it was nice to practice under an experts eye. And a matching 'top of shoulder' seam sample as well. Can you spot my little mistake, I'm so used to slipping the first stitch to make a neat chain edge I found it really hard to knit the first and last stitch - so some times I got a little confused about that. To answer my own question - will I knit in the round, yes probably, but will work set in sleeves or strap shoulders rather than raglans perhaps?




I did have one other problem, I knit my gauge and seam swatches for the workshop in my Alpaca, Eki Riva and it spirals, I'm not sure if you can spot it in my samples - but there is some definite left leaning going on there. Bother, I have a sweater lot of this stuff, and it was not cheap. According to a very good source - the spirality means I have to knit in a texture with equally balanced knits and purls, to correct for it. Double bother, I had been planning a little cardigan with a lace leaf lower boarder, and stst all over. Well that was before Barbaras workshop and now I realise that those kind of details need to be up around my face, not around my wider bits. Any way - you can see the lean much clearer here. I've clearly got some thinking to do on this one, before i cast on.




Now with the workshop being held at Touch yarns, the temptation was to much, two 9am-4pm day classes surrounded by soft beautifully naturally and hand dyed coloured yarns. I gave in, quite simply and straight forwardly, there was no reason or point in fighting any more. If I drove home - well I knew I'd be back within weeks to buy anyway. So what did I buy? Well, since you asked, from left to right:

• 3 skeins of worsted weight Possum merino, super soft - enough for a little cardigan for me, or more probably a little sweater for Toby. That boy has a real soft spot for super soft things, and why not indulge him?
• 800g of super fine pale green merino, for moi, sport weight
• 100g of sock weight super fine (21 micron!)merino, for socks, for moi, or poppy, who really knows with stash.

I confess my stash enhancement started even earlier, on the way to Clyde, on Friday, we passed thru Lawrence, where a weaver known to my travel buddies, has a shop studio. We stopped and talked, and in her oddments basket I found 2 balls of Patons Super Chenille, for a rock bottom price. I've been looking for some since seeing Chenille wash cloths in Tara Jon Mannings Mindful Knitting. One of which is already a wash cloth, garter stitch, 4mm needles, 40 sts, cast off earlier today, it was a good car knitting project. I'm still to knit up the green. This was to be a baby gift, a super soft chenille wash cloth amongst some luxury baby and mom items, but Poppy discovered how soft it was, and it has gone to bed with her as a snuggly! Toby will want the other one when it is knit.




And spinning, well - great news, I've organised a beginner spinner workshop for 5 friends and I in Feb 2008. The workshop is to be taught by Betty Kelly, and you can see the caliber of her work here by being included in an Interweave Press Project. Betty is held in high esteem throughout Otago and further afield, and is charging only a nominal fee. I almost can't wait.

And the visiting knitter, Emily was great, very easy to be with, we had two nights of knitting, I let her play on my new wheel (see I am a nice person!) and I took her to knit night to meet the others, but she has gone now to greater NZ. Good luck with the travels Em, safe trip home!

Finished !

So we can just let the photos speak for the first little bit, ta-da!

And Fannigan, yes I am happy, really happy, a great fit, perfectly warm, the sleeves just over-long enough, the fit just snug enough, the length just right, and very lightweight. I popped into Knitworld to show them today (where I bought the yarn) and they said it looked so even it could have been machine knit, I didn't know if I should be amused or offended. It was cause they don't see much knitting in the round, and mostly work flat, I told myself.

so today, I am showing of Fannigan, we have a visitor coming, a spin report and I'm off on a knitting weekend.


ta-da! again - now I am just showing off! Yes the lighter of the two clasps was nice, but the heavier ones just seemed a better match. I'm sold on the idea of clasps and will be using these as a closure again and again. A very clever solution for knitwear - why have we been knitting button holes, with all the associated to tight, to loose, to whatever, here in our English based nations, when those clever Europeans had little perfect solutions like pewter clasps hundreds of years ago?
I started with one clasp at the neck, and it looked good, like jewelery, but with a little wear the front pulled open, so I added the second, and then decided the third was needed just to snug it in under my bust. I'm aiming for traditional but not frumpy, let me know if I'm off please. And look the steeked neckline worked! A little kink where the raglan intersects, but looks fine to me. There is a flaw - which I might show you next time, and no I am not frogging!


And this is the wet-blocking, look at the colour of the water, gosh that red ran! I rinsed 4 times and the water was still ever so slightly pink. Note to self, wash on its own until that stops.


So not much else to show, Emily is coming to town (well she is in town as we speak but we won't meet up until tomorrow), and she is coming home for dinner (the evening meal), and out to meet the Thursday night knitters. Tania asked me to step in and take over hospitality duties, while she is away, lets see, meet visiting knitter, take knitter to knit night, eat good food with knitter, discuss knitty things, perhaps wine or something - whats not to say yes to?

I plied up two bobbins of the singles, and now have two seemingly balanced skeins of 172 and 105 meters each. To work that out I just counted the number of wraps on the 1.5m ninny noddy, and times'd by 1.5. I had three full bobbins of singles, but one bobbin ran out earlier than the other two - I guess the trick to spinning is consistency and that means I wasn't consistent. They sure looked like they had the same amount.

And this weekend, please excuse me I won't be posting again until mid next week. Three of the Spinners and Weavers knitter study group (never just flows of the tongue that one no matter how I write it), and I are off to a designing knit wear weekend, with Barbara Paley (stitch'n' pitch lady? can any one confirm that?). Some one asked why, when I teach pattern-making and construction on a fashion degree, well .... its a weekend away, its knitting, it isn't expensive, I like my traveling companions, I like knitting, and you always learn some thing. Always - even if it just something small. So I am off to do my home work - knit a gauge swatch to take with me. I'm thinking that baby alpaca I added to stash some time ago? We also have to take a sweater that fits and one that 'could fit better', what a nice way to put it. I'm taking Fannigan, just to show off! the one that could fit better, thats harder, I don't keep those, I frog them.

Can you tell I'm happy with it? Cause I am.