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Another celebrity will soon begin sharing her love of knitting publicly. Deborah Norville, whose career in television from The Today Show to Inside Edition has been chronicled in the daily news, has a line of yarn from Premier Yarns coming out soon. The Serenity Collection has many yarns in delightful colors and textures, and will be launched in January 2009! The yarns are as yummy as any I've seen, with delicious fibers that will make your fingers swoon! You'll be seeing Deborah's photo on the yarn band very soon, and I think you'll be delighted with the prices too. The slogan for her line is "A smile in every stitch!" Isn't that what we all love about knitting? Finishing Begins Before You're Finished! The placement of increases and decreases in construction can simplify seaming more than any other consideration. With few exceptions, placing increases or decreases inside a knitted piece rather than on the edge will enable more satisfying seaming. Although pattern directions often omit this insider's tip, increase and decrease placement give the knitter power. When the shaping is done on the edges, the knitter may be challenged to know where to place the needle for sewing up seams or picking up stitches for necklines, button bands, etc. By having at least one stitch on the edges before the shaping stitches, the knitter creates a clear space for sewing to be done. This also places the increases/decreases where they are able to make the most impact, rather than at the edge of the seam allowance. "Full-Fashioned" Isn't Full-Figured When peeking inside the garment, you can tell whether the edges of the pieces are smooth, or cut and sewn. If the pieces have been cut and sewn, the seams will usually be over-locked to prevent raveling at the edges of the cut fabric. The shaping is accomplished by cutting the fabric and sewing it together, with the sizing and shaping details all determined by the cutting knife. If the edges are not over-locked, the garment's shaping was achieved with the use of increases or decreases, which occur inside (toward the garment) the seams. The pieces of better sweaters are shaped as they are knitted, whether by hand or machine. This is what "full-fashioned" means, and what we are doing by putting the shaping inside the seams. Sometimes the full-fashioning is done with exaggerated decreases/increases, where the designer wanted to have the elements be even more visible -- making them part of the architecture of the garment. On a very fine knit, the sweater may only have five or six stitches between the increase/decrease and the seam line. You might also find that where you would have worked an ssk, the designer has used a k2tog! In that case, the little bump made by the k2tog is now a decorative element. There are more complicated full-fashioning concepts as well, but we'll save them for another time. There are just so many options you have as a knitter; you get to decide! New Tricks in Your Repertoire Even if the pattern only says "dec 1 st at each end of every other row," you get to decide which decrease to use. If you like the familiar ssk and k2tog, use them in the appropriate places. Please remember, you are not being monitored by the knitting police, so you can do whatever you want! If you are consistent throughout the project, you'll probably be happy with the outcome. Funny Phrasing Free Pattern
Margo writes: I just had a good idea while reading about the gauge-knitting woes. I've always seen it as a waste of good knitting to just unravel the swatch I've just taken time to knit. But what else would you do with it? And then it hit me! Why not make an afghan out of the swatches that I make. It would take a while to have enough to make a full-sized afghan, but a doll or baby blanket could be done up in no time. Thanks for the newsletter! Before you sew it into a blanket, your swatch could also be used to practice edgings or buttonholes, or you could practice the finishing details for your garment on the sides of the swatch. Additionally, take the swatch with you to shop for buttons instead of taking the entire garment. When the details have been worked out, you may rip out the extraneous yarn, and have your swatch ready to join with others for the afghan!
I know that there are a million or more people out there who knit or crochet. Perhaps you can make a suggestion to your readers that there is something they can do to help the elderly and less fortunate. For two years, I donated single-bed size afghans to one of the VA hospitals here in New Hampshire. This year, I am making them for the elderly and those on limited income because of the anticipated rise in heating that we will all be facing this year. I don't know if it is appropriate for you to do this, but I thought I would make the suggestion. Thanks for listening. Thanks, Pat, for your suggestion. Actually, the last count of knitters I heard was about 8 million, more than the number of golfers in the United States! Just imagine what would happen if each of us were as generous as you. New England will be a warmer place this winter because of your thoughtfulness. Sylvia offers: I put my patterns into plastic covers, so I can "flesh" out the instructions onto a sticky note and not mark up the pattern. This way, I keep my pattern perfectly neat for use in another size and do not have to erase my notes. I also keep the sticky notes with the pattern for future use. I do this too, Sylvia, and it keeps my patterns nice and neat. Did you know you may legally make a copy of your pattern for your own use and keep the original free of the notations? It's true, but please do not share your copy with others to avoid copyright infringement! Faye Schneider replies to a previous query: To the person who wants to make a nonslip sock: I use "Dip-It" from the hardware store. It is for dipping the handles of tools to make them non-slippery. I just use a paint stick to paint it on the bottom of the finished socks or slippers. This makes it safe for anyone who wants a little more safety when walking. From Nancy Trumball: I would like to know if you could show how to change colors of yarn in projects without leaving a hole. I am trying to do a railroad afghan, which has several colors, but each change leaves a hole like a missing stitch. Can you show me how to do this correctly? Nancy, if you diligently pick up the new color strand under the yarn of the previous color, you will eliminate the little holes. This will cause small links between the yarns where the two colors meet, and will prevent holes from forming. Sharon asks: I understand there are differences between American and European styles of knitting. When I was having trouble with pain in my hands, I was advised to learn the European style as it is easier and helps with the pain. Where would I find out about the differences? The two types are more commonly known as Continental and British styles of knitting, and there are reasons to learn each method, Sharon. In America, many of us learned to knit by holding the yarn in our right hands and releasing the needle each time we make a stitch. In the Continental method, the yarn is held in the left hand, and the yarn is hooked by the tip of the needle rather than wrapped. It is a more efficient way of working, and most of the knitters who use it consider it the best! When I teach a new knitter, I demonstrate both ways, and let the knitter choose. Many left-handers find it easier to begin this way, as well as those who have crochet experience, since the yarn is held in the same way. However, whatever method you prefer is the best for you! Check with your local yarn shop to have a demonstration, or type "continental knitting" into a search engine. I just did, and there were 132,000 results shown! It's especially helpful to know both methods to prevent repetitive injuries as well as to do intricate techniques, like stranded knitting where one color may be held in each hand! Just to be an individual, I prefer the French pencil method, holding the right needle as if it were a pencil, and using my right forefinger like a shuttle to wrap the yarn into each stitch. This is how I've knit since the age of 12, when Mother finally taught me to get it right! |
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That's all for this newsletter. Please take a moment and let me know how the knitting is going, and any tips you may have to share with other readers.
Barb Bettegnies Send feedback! I may even feature your idea in an upcoming issue of Creative Knitting magazine. By sending your feedback, you grant Creative Knitting the permission to use the contents of your e-mail in future publications. If you enjoyed this newsletter, be sure to forward it to your knitting friends. And if you'd like to see Creative Knitting magazine, please click here and receive a free issue just for giving the magazine a try. |
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PS. Please click on the following links for items that may be of interest to you: premieryarns.com |
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