Embrace the mistakes
I love the skinny stripes in this top down baby sweater. But since the sweater is knit in the round, the stripes spiral, rather than line up. We’ve all been there. You start a project, finally get some momentum and then look down and go “oops!”. You could stop, rip back and look up the jogless stripe technique or you could knit on with reckless abandon. Some days you just want to knit.
Anything that you do consistently is considered a design element, even the “mistakes”. So here is the tip: instead of hiding the jog, we’ve embraced it with a little chain embroidery. Susan Anderson demonstrates this simple technique here. She shows you how to chain in a circle; it is even easier going in a straight line. I originally considered sewing a row of tiny buttons between the two chains, but decided to use my favorite monster button instead.
I love the result. Anyone would think that we had planned it this way….
Pattern: Knitting Pure and Simple Top Down Pullover
Yarn: Spud & Chloe Sweater in Firefly and Beluga
Ripping Back
I know many of you believe that at some point your days of ripping out rows and rows of knitting will be over. You dream of some distant point in the future when you will be experienced enough to only go forward and never go back. Sorry, but I don’t think that is going to happen.
Some of Stephanie Pearl-McPhee’s best blog posts are about ripping out. There is the shawl that she cast on 10 times or this post, just last week. As much as she knits, if she is still ripping things out, there is really no hope for the rest of us.
For example, I’m making a sweater out of Fibre Co.’s fabulous Acadia, a slubby blend of merino, alpaca, and silk. I love this yarn! It has a silky hand and the color is iridescent. I’ve already used several skeins with no problem and then I looked down and saw this:
See where I started my last skein? These skeins all came from the same dye lot. I know, because I scooped up the whole bag before it ever even hit the shelf. I’m guessing this happened because the fibers in this skein didn’t twist the same way that the fibers in the other skeins did. You can see it is a little less slubby than the previous skein, so maybe more of the bronze colored merino ended up on the outside of the strand. Who knows!
To fix it, I slipped my stitches off the needle and I ripped back all the rows I had knit with the new skein and a few rows of the old skein. Then I started knitting again, alternating two rows of one skein and two rows of the other. It blurs the line, so that your eye isn’t drawn to the spot where I changed colors. (We often recommend this technique when working with hand dyed yarns that rarely match from skein to skein.)
If you look closely, you’ll still see a little variation, but it isn’t a long straight line anymore. And honestly, a little variation is what I love about artisan yarn.
Need help (or moral support) ripping something back without losing your stitches? Stop in or take a look at this video.
Baby Poonam: the Back
The back view of Baby Poonam pullover:
Where’s Dahlia? Chapter 5
In the previous chapter, you saw the finished right back, right front, right sleeve. Guess what’s next? If by free association you came up with a phrase including the word “left,” yep, that’s it. All those non-periwinkle colors of yarn in the photo = live stitches to pick up and away we go.
Where’s Dahlia? Chapter 4
Oh, look — a sleeve grew from the dotted line. It even has a sleeve cap (in the String Theory version, anyway!).
Where’s Dahlia? Chapter 3
Cut on the dotted line. Take several deep breaths. Perhaps have a glass of wine.
There are still some openings in the Dahlia class. Call the store or stop in to sign up.
Where’s Dahlia? Chapter 2
This is the right back and side. Where does this fit in? Why is part in stockinette, part in reverse stockinette, part in seed stitch? How does this connect to that perfect square of perfect lace knitting? To quote Monty Python, “wait for it…”
Where’s Dahlia? Chapter 1
Lisa has been making Dahlia in preparation for her class which starts Wednesday evening January 11. This beautiful cardigan has a very interesting construction so I thought we would track her progress for a while.
Dahlia is a knitting story, in chapters. Here’s the back, a bit of lace knitting 13″ x 13″ or so (mine is more 14″ x 14″, but Dahlia is an easygoing kind of girl). The back would also make the front of a perfect pillow cover. Yarn: Frog Tree Pediboo in — surprise! — Periwinkle.
Glen Ellyn Jazz Fest
Glen Ellyn Jazz Fest is tomorrow. Seven glorious hours of sitting and knitting and listening to great music. The weather is supposed to be perfect. Bring a chair and your yarn and join us.
String Theory will be open until 9pm, so if you forget your knitting, get bored with your current project or just need to stretch your legs, come on in. We would love to see you. (We just got a box of Mountain Colors 1/2 crepe and wintersilk.)
Since Jazz Fest takes place right in front of the store, you won’t be able to park in your usual spot. So I’m going to let you in on Glen Ellyn’s best kept secret. Did you know that all the “leased” parking by the train tracks is open to the public for free all day on Saturday (and after 11am on weekdays)? This parking is just south of the train tracks between Main St. and Park Boulevard and north of the train tracks to the east of the train station. Just a block or two from String Theory. Here is a map if I’ve confused you.
There is also a new customer parking lot on Pennsylvania west of Main Street next to where Schmid’s used to be.
See you tomorrow.
Podcasts
Etch-a-Sketch iPad Cover
My new favorite use for my iPad is listening to podcasts. If you aren’t familiar, knitting podcasts are kind of like hanging out at the yarn store. People talk about knitting, their latest projects, new yarns and patterns that they are excited about – very similar to the conversations we have everyday at String Theory. It is real knitting, so you hear about the mistakes, the inability to count and the ripping out as well as new techniques, book reviews, etc.
After listening to hours and hours of podcasts, here is what I’ve learned:
- I generally like listening to two people talk to each other, rather than the podcasts with only one voice.
- Each podcast has show notes with links to patterns or events or anything else that is referenced during the podcast. I often look at these first. Otherwise, I find myself putting down my knitting and looking things up while the person is talking.
- Show notes are also a good source for finding other podcasts. Ravelry is also a good source for learning about podcasts. I found an iTunes search for knitting podcasts to be remarkably unhelpful.
- It is a good idea to listen to several episodes of a podcast before you decide if you like it or not. After a couple of episodes you get to know the podcast style and the people involved – like a soap opera, you’re hooked.
- Video podcasts are good for what you would consider “tv knitting”. Regular podcasts are better if you need to keep your eyes on your stitches.
- I’m not afraid to fast forward. Several podcasts that I like contain regular information on spinning, which I admire but don’t always want to hear about. So I feel free to skip ahead.
Here are some of my favorites (you can download them all on iTunes; I’ve linked to the show notes. They also have groups on Ravelry.):
The Knitgirllls - This is a video podcast done by two friends about age 30 who live in Mississippi. They knit and spin and design.
The Knit Wits – This is an audio podcast with a husband and wife team. He is a professional radio personality with a good sense of humor (the Wit) and she knits. Often very funny and they always review a new wine. It seems they are currently on hiatus while they move from Tennessee, but you can download old episodes.
The Savvy Girls – Sisters from Canada. Melanie is a professional singer who lives in New York, but travels a lot. Deborah lives in Bogota, Colombia – I haven’t figured out why. A little crazy, but often very good.
Knitmore Girls - A mother and daughter duo talk at the kitchen table. It is funny and informative. I love their rapport.
Which podcasts are your favorites?
