#knitting reference

[laptitesacrament]

Twinning with this drawing from the book The Tap-dancing Lizard.

Grid pattern is from the book The Tap-Dancing Lizard, knitting pattern is Earth pullover by Ozetta

[craftingcreature]

Do you want the secret of the very best cast-on for cuff down socks?

http://dyedreams.blogspot.com/2009/03/tubular-cast-on-in-round-for-socks.html?m=1 Follow this tutorial, BUT purl three rounds with the project yarn instead of two, and start out with needles two sizes larger. When you get to the round that alternates knit and purl, switch to your smaller needles to start that round. For me that’s size US 3 at the beginning and then switch to US 1 for the rest of the sock.

A little more detail: this is what’s called a folded tubular cast on, and I find it to be the very easiest method of tubular cast on. Everything is simple and normal knitting until the one row where you alternate purling normally and picking up a loop to knit into. That’s the only bit you have to learn. Trust me, I had written off tubular cast on as something I didn’t feel like dealing with until I learned this method.

Tubular Cast On in the Round for Socks

Mona Wrote: I enjoy acquiring new skills and have tried many different cast on techniques in my quest to find one I love for socks. I think

[cuminknits]

Kitchener Stitch on 2x2 Rib

So I recently had to do some kitchener stitch on 2 x 2 rib. There are loads of resources out there, but for me personally, they often don't work as a quick reference. Like I read the article, I watch the video and then when I sit down I have to scroll about to find the step I am on. Here is what I noted down for me as a quick glance reference:

1st stich (K) front needle purlwise 1st stitch (K) back needle knitwise

1st stitch (K) front needle knitwise & drop, next stitch (K) on needle purlwise 1st stitch (K) back needle purlwise & drop, next stitch (K) on needle knitwise

1st stitch (K) front needle knitwise & drop, next stitch (P) on needle knitwise 1st stitch (K) back needle purlwise & drop, next sticht (P) on needle purlwise

1st sticht (P) front needle purlwise &drop, next sticht (P) on needle knitwise 1st stitch (P) back needle knitwise & drop, next stitch (P) on needle purlwise

1st stitch (P) front needle purlwise & drop, next stitch (K) on needle purlwise 1st stitch (P) back needle knitwise & drop, next stitch (K) on needle knitwise

The (K) and (P) are referencing, what stitch is sitting on that needle facing out.

[lightlyknitted]

Yarn Substituting 101

So you found an amazing pattern and want to get started right away, but the yarn suggested is too far out of your budget or discontinued. What are you to do? 

Try substituting it! Here's a short guide to making a one to one replacement.

There are a few things to keep in mind when substituting yarn which is generally: weight, gauge and fiber.  

For a one to one replacement:

So take the information about yarn and either write it down in front of you or keep the label nearby. Then you’re going to want to go to google or go to the shop. 

Depending on the project, the fiber in the yarn won’t matter a whole bunch in your replacement. I have substituted acrylic for wool and it works alright BUT if you choose to make a garment, take it from me and be cautious.

Replacing a wool blend with cotton in a sweater could spell disaster without taking stretch into account. Once you have a few options selected in the fiber check if that yarn lists a weight and eliminate any options that don’t fit. But replacing a silk and wool blend with a cheaper wool yarn might not affect much.

Then you’ll want to match gauge up when making a substitution to be a stitch or two off if not exact. Matching the gauges closely will allow for a more one to one replacement of the yarn. 

Once you’ve found one you like you just need to find how much yarn you would need for the project. Just do a little math to match either the yards, meters or grams needed and you’re off.

[ladytemeraire]

Posting this video so I can bloody find it again when people ask me how I cast on for sock cuffs and other ribbed things. I was put onto it by a friend ages ago and could never remember if it had a specific name, so I finally just sat down and watched a bunch of stretchy cast on videos until I found the one I wanted.

As an aside, I’m inordinately delighted to note that she appears to use lever knitting/Irish cottage knitting like I do.

[nevernotknitting]

Online Knitting and Crochet Groups Masterpost

Welcome to my collection of knowledge on the online knitting and crochet community! If you’ve recently learned how to knit or crochet, or even if you’ve been knitting for years, you might be wondering how to meet other yarn enthusiasts or find patterns online. Look no further for all the information (mostly links to Ravelry groups) you need to get started in the online world of fiber art!

The Star of the Show:

Ravelry.com ~ Really the one essential online tool for knitting/crochet. It’s basically Facebook for knitters and crocheters, only way, way better. This’ll be your one-stop shop for patterns, keeping track of your own projects, and connecting with other crafters across the globe. A lot of the other links in this post will be on this website, so you’ll need an account.

 KALs:

KALs (Knit-A-Longs) and their crochet counterparts, CALs, are when a group of people decide to make the same project at the same time and track their progress together. They’re great for meeting new people, getting motivation to learn a new technique, or asking questions to people who are already familiar with the pattern you’re working on.

Sock Knitters ~ What it sounds like: they knit socks. They also always have some sort of KAL going on.

KAL Fanatics ~ A giant forum listing currently happening KALs, CALs, MKALs (Mystery Knit-A-Longs), and MCALs

Beginner’s Knit-Along ~ Knit-A-Longs especially for beginners. The KALs never close, so there’s no deadline pressure!

12 Months of Christmas 2017 ~ Planning on knitting or crocheting gifts for friends and family for the holidays? Join over 700 people trying to do the same thing

 Competitive Groups:

Maybe you’re more competitive than cooperative. Lucky for you, there are a few great options for you to show off your skills and maybe even earn prizes while you’re at it.

Harry Potter Knitting and Crochet House Cup ~ An ongoing competition, and it’s Harry Potter themed! ‘Nuff said.

Tour de Sock ~ This competition happens every summer. It’s a knitting frenzy of socks being made while raising money for charity. It also has a Ravelry group so you can track your progress and discuss with other sock knitters.

NaKniSweMo ~ You’ve heard of NaNoWriMo, the novel-writing challenge that comes around every November, now get ready for that, but with knitting! This group aims to knit a 50,000 stitch sweater every November while their writer friends are writing novels.

 Groups by Garment Type:

Are you crazy for hats? Maybe you love knitting socks or crocheting cowls. There’s a group for you. Here’s some to get you started.

Hats, Hats, Hats

Sock Knitters Anonymous

Lace Knitters

Sweater Knitters

I Make Mittens

[lightlyknitted]

"A Treasury of Knitting Patterns" review

A good stitch dictionary can get you far in projects and while I love the ease and accessibility of the internet, a book can ease the search a bit. They are a great resource for technical knowledge as well as keeping a variety of stitches in one place.

There are a lot of options for stitch dictionaries for both knitting and crochet but here is just one book so far. Many of these books might be available at your local library. Happy knitting!

“A Treasury of Knitting Patterns” By Barbara Walker

Overall score: 4 out of 5

First let’s start with a big name in knitting, Barbara Walker. She has written about 13 books about knitting, four of which fall into the “Treasury of Knitting Patterns'' line. My library had the first one, which was first published in 1968. On Schoolhouse Press, who publishes it, the book costs $30 USD. Secondhand copies are available for less.

The stitches are broken down into multiple categories (like all good dictionaries should be). The sections include: knit-purl stitches, ribbing, color changing, slip stitches, twisted stitches, fancy stitches, yarn over, eyelet, lace, cables and cable stitch. There are 500 different stitch patterns in it.

This book comes with a small glossary of terms but it is aimed at people who already know how to knit. It is best suited for beginners who have a firm grasp on knitting, purling, increasing/ decreasing and yarn overs. It is a good way to test skills and can be helpful in trying new things but can not teach you to knit.

The photos are all black and white and the swatches were worked in white yarn, the colorwork swatches do include a good contrast between light and dark. There are no charts for any of the stitches.

I personally don’t mind no charts for most of them except the colorwork. If you want charts you will have to rechart them yourself. The patterns are easy to follow but the colorwork could be confusing if you’re more familiar with charts. I would suggest charting them before starting.

The patterns are easy to read and can range from half a page to a thirds. The chapters appear to be arranged so the easiest patterns are in the beginning of the chapter while more advanced patterns towards the end. Even the "advanced" patterns are easy to follow.

Overall, I like the selection of stitches and the breath it covers. If you want a good introduction to a variety of stitches and gives you a good jumping off point for new stitches. A warning I will offer with this book, in the lace section there is a type of lace you can knit call fggtting. While in knitting it’s not referencing a slur, it is included so if that could be triggering please be warned.

I have heard from other knitters on youtube that the second treasury is a great book – so it might be worth looking into finding that one.

[lightlyknitted]

Vintage knitting 102: yarn boogaloo

A while ago, I wrote a post about finding vintage patterns online for free. I thought I would do a follow up to that post and explain how to find a substitution for a discontinued or unavailable yarn. It does take a bit of legwork and some math but it does get easier the more you do it.  

In order to make this less complicated to explain, I’m going to use an example pattern to walk you through my method. I am going to use the pattern “Round or Turtle Neck Pullover Pattern #s-108” originally published in Spool Cotton #198, Knit for Victory. You can see the pattern here (x) 

First, what information does the pattern tell you? Well quite a lot actually. For this pattern we’ll need a gauge of 5.5 sts per inch and 7 rows per inch, requiring 1 pair of No. 3 (about a 3.25mm, US 10) and No. 5 (about a 3.75mm, US 9) needles. It is graded for up to a 46 inch chest. It also suggested Chadwick’s Red Heart knitting worsted in 1 oz balls. 

Since this is a vintage pattern, we’ll need to get some basic information about Chadwick’s real quick. With a quick google we find a Ravelry listing for this yarn which tells us it is 100% wool, four ply and is discontinued. Ravelry lists the suggested needle size as US 8. 

According to the Ravelry wraps per inch (wpi) information, this yarn has about 9 which puts it squarely in a DK weight (8-11 wpi) yarn. I know, I know the label says it is worsted but is shaping up to be a DK, vintage wool is notorious for being smaller than modern yarns. So we know we could be working for a DK weight yarn to make this easy. 

So I personally like the Berroco vintage line and they have a DK weight yarn available. It is 100 g/290 yds/265 m and has 5.5 sts per inch. It is an acrylic, wool and nylon blend so if you don’t like that feel free to find another yarn, this will be the one I use for my example. 

As we gathered from the ravelry site the vintage yarn we are subbing comes in one ounce (roughly 29 grams).  So if we are making a size 46 which will cover a 46 inch bust for men. The pattern says we need 25 balls – 25 ounces. Since we’ve got to guess based on the ravelry page that would be about 725 grams (29 grams x 25 balls). 

So for the vintage we would need 8 hanks of the Berroco vintage DK (100 grams / 725 grams rounded up). If possible make a gauge swatch before buying all the yarn (the stores near me with this yarn retail it for 9.50 USD). If needed, size the needles up or down to reach it. 

Good luck and I hope this helps! Happy knitting!