KnittingPirate

Intrepid Knitting on the High Seas, or, Pointy Things and Tangly Stuff

[the-knitting-pirate]

Finally finished, nearly 40 years after I started it. (I still need to sew on the binding though.)

[the-knitting-pirate]

Still have to knit the collar and both sleeves, but this is going to be such a cool sweater.

[the-knitting-pirate]

not knitting, still art

Sometimes I make art instead of knitting (most often it's watercolour or pen and ink). There's a lot of it here so I took pictures of a few and started a ko-fi shop. Some of the pieces aren't framed, but these landscapes are already in frames with double mats.

Do you want some art? It's here: https://ko-fi.com/inkthusiasm/shop

[the-knitting-pirate]

I'm glad to have friends who tell me about semi-sekrit yarn downsizing/destashing sales. What am I going to make with such fine silk? I don't know. But I couldn't just leave it there, not at $5 a cone.

Details/image description: Seven cones of yarn plus two hanks on a wooden coffee table. The three cones to the left (light gray, navy-black, and pansy purple) and the two hanks (variegated pinky-blue seashell colours) are all 2/60 silk from varied sources. The three smaller cones to the right are Jaggerspun 2/18 wool/silk (deep purple) and Valley Yarns 2/14 alpaca/silk (french blue, peach blossom pink) blends. And the larger deep purple cone behind them is over a pound of Jaggerspun 2/18 superfine merino.

[the-knitting-pirate]

The replacement circuitboard for my knitting machine was delivered to the repair guy today!

Fingers crossed that it's functional, and then I will have too many a backup electronic knitting machine ;)

[the-knitting-pirate]

Hmmm, where on a sweater is the best place to put a band of colourwork?

(This is a future machine-knit project. Please imagine 2" of solid ribbing at the hems/cuffs and also a neckline; the design software doesn't include that for some reason, but it will be on the actual sweater.)

[the-knitting-pirate]

Sometimes I just sort of stare at what I've made for a while. Like... I did this? with my hands and some sticks and string? How freaking cool is that.

[the-knitting-pirate]

In Which the Pirate Finishes and Begins.

Exciting news: I finished knitting my Extra Lite Bright sweater! My version has 3/4 length sleeves, which was a necessity due to running sho

Finishing one project (yayyy!), swatching for the next.

[the-knitting-pirate]

If you don't push the tuck buttons, you don't get tuck stitch no matter what needles you select.

[the-knitting-pirate]

I remembered to push the buttons this time! ...but I'm not sure I like how the fabric poufs out after the switch from plain ribbing. I'm going to try again with the mistake-y plain rib from the first attempt as the brim ribbing, and then the tuck rib for the body of the hat.

[the-knitting-pirate]

Behold, the glorious teal of the vintage knitting machine in the background :) Here is yet another attempt at making a tuck rib hat, figuring out how I want the decreases to go... and running out of yarn before I get there.

[the-knitting-pirate]

Finally, A HAT.

It might only fit a child but still, it's done!

[the-knitting-pirate]

If you don't push the tuck buttons, you don't get tuck stitch no matter what needles you select.

[the-knitting-pirate]

I remembered to push the buttons this time! ...but I'm not sure I like how the fabric poufs out after the switch from plain ribbing. I'm going to try again with the mistake-y plain rib from the first attempt as the brim ribbing, and then the tuck rib for the body of the hat.

[the-knitting-pirate]

Behold, the glorious teal of the vintage knitting machine in the background :) Here is yet another attempt at making a tuck rib hat, figuring out how I want the decreases to go... and running out of yarn before I get there.

[the-knitting-pirate]

If you don't push the tuck buttons, you don't get tuck stitch no matter what needles you select.

[the-knitting-pirate]

I remembered to push the buttons this time! ...but I'm not sure I like how the fabric poufs out after the switch from plain ribbing. I'm going to try again with the mistake-y plain rib from the first attempt as the brim ribbing, and then the tuck rib for the body of the hat.

[the-knitting-pirate]

If you don't push the tuck buttons, you don't get tuck stitch no matter what needles you select.

[the-knitting-pirate]

I'm working on recreating a hat that I saw in a picture. I was able to find hand-knitting instructions for the cables, but the technique for shifting stitches around on the machine isn't quite the same as doing it by hand. It's easier than I thought it would be, actually :)

This sample is knit at a tension that is too loose for the yarn, but I'm pleased to have figured out how to do the transfers.

Next up, figuring out how to do the decreases for the crown…

[the-knitting-pirate]

Some hand-knitting techniques translate easily to the machine, but others... not so much. I've been trying different methods for hat decreases to see which is easiest and still looks good. More details, side views of the hats, etc. etc., at the blog: https://www.knittingpirate.com/2026/04/12/in-which-the-pirate-learns-new-hat-decreases/

[the-knitting-pirate]

Five Cee Ex

Okay so... I picked up another electronic knitting machine, because the one I already had *won't stop beeping*, and there's no way to make it shut up short of de-soldering the beeper from the circuit board (tempting, but I'm not sure it's fully functioning if something's making it beep like that). Anyway, I thought I'd test out the new one by making a hat. Hats are always nice, and if they're a little big or small - well, they'll fit somebody.

Check out this historic artifact that I found in the section of its memory for user uploads!

Blogpost about the new-old machine, if you're interested: https://www.knittingpirate.com/2026/04/10/in-which-the-pirate-acquires-another-knitting-machine-2/

[the-knitting-pirate]

Continuing with my punchcard experiments... this wolf pattern was published in a knitting magazine over 20 years ago. But howling wolves never go out of style, right? Details on the blog: https://www.knittingpirate.com/2026/03/23/in-which-the-pirate-howls/

[the-knitting-pirate]

200 clean(ish) standard gauge knitting machine needles after being soaked in 91% isopropyl alcohol and a few drops of oil. I think the pattern of schmutz they made on the cloth is kind of neat.