Meet Chris Bylsma
If you've attended a major knitting event in the past few years, you may have seen the booth housing Chris Bylsma Designs. Like the lady herself, it's hard to miss. The bright fuchsia-draped background, comfy divan and some of the most beautiful and inviting garments, bags and home decor all hint that this isn't your ordinary little collection. Chris specializes in artful knit patterns and hands-on workshops. She's in high demand at trade shows, yarn-shop galas and large teaching events, and her workshops sell out rapidly.

Several years ago, my local guild in Indianapolis hosted one of Chris' workshops, which included four classes over a weekend. Her teaching style is fun, supportive and chock-full of tips and tricks to make knitting an adventure, not merely a pastime. The magic of mattress stitch finally became clear to me in one session, which was well worth the price of the entire weekend's classes. Her use of stash and novelty yarns is guaranteed to have you pawing through your "collection" to find just the right yarns to make her Crayon Box Jacket, either for a child or yourself. Few knitters can stop at just one!

Chris sells her innovative and well-written patterns in fine yarn stores, because that's where knitters will find the yarns worthy of her designs. You can purchase many of her patterns at AnniesAttic.com. She appears to really enjoy the rigorous schedule of workshop tours, and has many scheduled during the rest of 2009. For a complete listing, visit her Web site, ChrisBylsmaDesigns.com, or check with your local yarn shop. If you can possibly attend a session or two, regardless of the topic, my advice is to find one close by and prepare to be delighted!

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How Crow Tastes: Top With Flair
After my last newsletter was already beyond recall, I discovered a horrible problem with the sweater I was making that was the main topic of my On My Needles Now article: The sweater was huge! It was not merely a little off-gauge, but 8 inches too large! Another friend and I could actually squeeze into the thing together, which you surely would have laughed at to see, if we had thought to snap a photo! Yes, it became stretched even more widely at that point, but was definitely enormous ... huge ... gigantic ... way more than fashionably flared. My heart sank.

This happened in front of witnesses ... in a yarn shop. There was nothing for me to do but rip it out. I could not hedge or dally; it had to be done there and then. We hooked it up to an electric winder (which thus became an "un-winder") and used the wooden swift to hold the work, slightly folded, to allow the swift to become the saddest sight in a knitter's life: the mechanical undoing of hours of work. Actually, a far sadder sight is to complete a project, and then find an error you just cannot live with! Yes, I've been there too, but that's a tale for another time.

The electric winder rapidly undoing my progress on Top With Flair.

I was seeking heavenly intervention ... but none came. This was my problem.

You may as well smile when you've decided to correct a knitting problem which requires frogging (rip it ... rip it)!

When all was said and done, four entire balls of yarn were ripped and ready to start over, which I did that same evening. You have to climb back on the horse that just threw you ... right?

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Self-flagellation or self-confession?
There is a reason I am relating this sad tale of woe to you. Yes, confession is good for the soul, but that's not my point. I could have done this unwinding-then-restarting without so much as a whisper, and you'd have been none the wiser. However, it is more important that you understand someone else has occasional troubles with her knitting. It's not just you! It's not just me! We all find ourselves in the position of retreat once in a while, gathering what's left of our dignity, even if we're the only ones who will ever know. You need to know that I am not immune to redoing hours of (mistaken) work; this way, the end result will make me happy.

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What happened?

As you may have guessed, I worked a large gauge swatch, and then the sleeves, which were exactly on target for size and gauge. Those were worked flat, in Stockinette stitch, on a size 7 circular needle. When I changed to the body, which was going to be knit in the round, I used the same needle.

However, because I was now working in the round, and thus knitting every row, my gauge was altered enough that there was just one stitch too many in four inches. Over the combined width of the back and front, including the extra stitches for the gussets, that one extra stitch became far too much width. I was sunk by my own hands! How embarrassing! My head hung in shame, but not for long. I knew what had happened and how to remedy the situation.

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The cure

I have known, intellectually, for years that changing from knit-one-row, purl-one-row Stockinette stitch to all-knit Stockinette stitch can yield radically different gauges, but this is the first time I've been bitten this badly by the results. After the "un-winding," when I cast on again, I used a size 6 circular, and am now knitting so precisely on-gauge that the re-knit project in progress, which measures 11 inches in length, is exactly the correct size! I am so relieved, because needing to start over a third time would just about tax my patience, without even considering my level of embarrassment in having to ‘fess up to you all again!

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Free Pattern
The Silk Cabled Shell, our free pattern with this issue, is a lovely ribbed top with a single wide cable on the front and back. This wide Staghorn cable is relatively flat and involves both front and back crosses during its execution. Wear it alone in summer; then pair with a jacket for cooler temps. I hope you'll enjoy making this timeless design by Kennita Tully.

Silk Cabled Shell Design by Kennita Tully A dramatic cable and wide ribs highlight a classic shell. Wear it everywhere, from casual to elegant affairs. Sizes Woman’s small (medium, large, extra-large) Instructions are given for smallest size, with larger sizes in parentheses. When only 1 number is given, it applies to all sizes. Finished Measurements Chest: 36 (40, 44, 48) inches Length: 20 (21, 22, 23) inches Materials Brown Sheep Prairie Silks 72 percent wool/18 percent mohair/10 percent silk worsted weight yarn (88 yds/50g per skein): 7 (8, 9, 10) skeins dough #PS100 Size 8 (5mm) needles or size needed to obtain gauge Cable needle Stitch markers Size G/6 (4mm) crochet hook Gauge 18 sts and 20 rows = 4 inches/10cm in rib pat To save time, take time to check gauge. Special Abbreviations BC (Back Cross): Sl 1 st to cn and hold in back, k2, k2 from cn. FC (Front Cross): Sl 2 sts to cn and hold in front, k2, k2 from cn. Pattern Stitch Staghorn Cable (panel of 16 sts) Rows 1, 3 and 5 (WS): Purl. Row 2: K4, BC, FC, k4. Row 4: K2, BC, k4, FC, k2. Row 6: BC, k8, FC. Rep Rows 1–6 for pat. Pattern Notes All dec for underarm and neck shaping are worked 1 st in from each edge. First and last 2 sts at armhole and neck edge are kept in St st to ease later working of crochet trim. Back Cast on 82 (90, 98, 106) sts. Set up pat (WS): P4, [k2, p2] 1 (2, 3, 4) times, k2, p3, k2, [p4, k2] 3 times, pm, work Staghorn Cable pat over next 16 sts, pm, [k2, p4] 3 times, k2, p3, k2, [p2, k2] 1 (2, 3, 4) times, p4. Keeping sts between markers in Staghorn Cable pat, and rem in established rib pat, at the same time work side shaping by dec 1 st each end [every 4th row] 4 times. (74, 82, 94, 98 sts) Inc 1 st each end [every 8th row] 4 times. (82, 90, 98, 106 sts) Work even until back measures 11 1/2 (12, 12 1/2, 13) inches, ending with a WS row. Shape armhole Bind off 5 (6, 7, 8) sts at beg of next 2 rows. (72, 78, 84, 90 sts) Dec 1 st each end [every RS row] 6 times. (60, 66, 72, 78 sts) Work even until armhole measures 71/2 (8, 81/2, 9) inches, ending with a WS row. Shoulder shaping Bind off 5 (5, 6, 7) sts at beg of next 4 rows, then 4 (6, 6, 6) sts at beg of following 2 rows. Bind off rem 32 (34, 36, 38) sts. Front Work as for back until armhole measures 5 1/2 (5 3/4, 6, 6 1/2) inches, ending with a WS row. Shape neck Work across 22 (25, 28, 31) sts, join 2nd ball of yarn and bind off center 16 sts, work to end of row. Working on both sides of neck with separate balls of yarn, bind off at each neck edge [2 sts] 2 (2, 3, 3) times. Dec 1 st at each neck edge [every other row] 4 (5, 4, 5) times. (14, 16, 18, 20 sts) At the same time, when armhole measures same as for back, work shoulder shaping as for back. Assembly Sew shoulder seams. Sew side seams Neck Trim Beg at center back neck and working from left to right, with crochet hook work 1 row sc around entire neckline. Fasten off. Rep for armholes, beg at underarm. Copyright © February 2005 Quick Knits to Wear. All rights reserved. Click here for printable pattern page.

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Reader Letters

From Jane Herbert in Louisiana:

I have thoroughly enjoyed all your "secrets" thus far and have saved them to print later, since my printer has been on the blink. I finally have my printer working, but I find that I don't have Nos. 3 and 4 of the eight secrets. Can you e-mail them to me again? I certainly would appreciate it.

I learned to knit when I was in high school during the World War II. The Red Cross offered lessons and provided the yarn and needles to make things for the boys overseas. I always knew how to knit, but stopped for a time when I had young children, and then resumed knitting in 1964 when I moved to my current town. I took lessons again because I thought it was a good opportunity to meet other people. I knitted off and on, and then when my husband got sick with cancer, knitting was my mental therapy as I sat in doctors' offices and hospital rooms with him. I was working as a school secretary at a private high school, and I would bring my project to school and knit at lunchtime instead of eating.

After my husband died, I knitted some, but not much, and stopped completely when my adult son died in 1988. I know the exact date because when I started digging in my stash, I found a receipt for the last yarn I bought! Now I am back -- and with a vengeance. I now work as a travel agent from home, but I make time to knit each day. I will be 40 years old for the 40th time in July (LOL).

It's great that you have had knitting as a part of your life, through ups and downs. We're not keeping secrets from you. Jane's reference to "secrets" is about a series called "501 Knitting Secrets." It's wonderful that she's still willing to learn a new thing or two after many years of knitting. You too can enjoy this series by going to Newsletters.DRGNetwork.com ,and signing up for the eight-part series. It's free! While there, you may also sign up for many other informative and valuable newsletters in a wide range of interests for both adults and teens.

Via the Internet, Carol Woolcock writes:

Hi, I'm writing this from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. We are in the midst of the worst bushfires in our history. I've spent the past two weeks providing counseling to the children, adolescents and parents in the worst-affected areas (I'm a child and adolescent psychotherapist with a mental health-service). It might seem strange, but I envy you in the cold, thinking of warm socks and hot soup as we experience the week ahead with temperatures of 30-40 degrees Celsius (around 86-104 F). Nevertheless, I'm still knitting and have just completed a jacket for a friend's new baby boy. Thanks for the girl's jacket pattern (Strawberry Parfait Set from the last newsletter), which I plan to knit for my 7-year-old granddaughter who will be 8 in April (our autumn). Kind regards.

Our hearts and prayers are with you and your neighbors who have suffered so severely through the bushfires recently. Your counseling of those affected by the widespread damage will no doubt aid their recovery. You are able to keep your peace of mind with the healing qualities of knitting, especially for others as you indicated. Thanks for sharing!

Jackie Mattern offers a suggestion:

I just read about the student who did not appreciate the gift of the knit turtleneck sweater until she learned the craft. I love to knit, so all year long, I make whatever makes me happy. On Christmas day, I take all my knitted items with me to my sons' homes. My daughters-in-law and granddaughters love going through the knitted items, trying them on and choosing whatever they like. I purchase other gifts for them, but they have a ball trying on the gloves, sweaters and scarves, etc. I get to start over again the next year. I just love to give my knitted items away to anyone who will take them. It's fun making them, and fun giving them away!

This is a brilliant solution to a problem so many of us have witnessed. I may just adopt this plan myself! Thanks for writing with your great idea!

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Until next time,

Barb Bettegnies
editor, Creative Knitting magazine

Send feedback!
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