As The Yarn Turns

Finishing Techniques

My knitting finishing techniques aren't the best in the world, so I decided to buy The Knitters Book of Finishing Techniques by Nancie Wiseman. So far I like it. It's a small hard cover, ring bound book and covers cast ons, increases, decreases, selvages, bind offs, seams, picking up stitches, borders, buttonholes, and other techniques. The book doesn't have the number of options that books like Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book.have, but the techniques it covers is thorough. Each technique comes with a list of benefits and drawbacks and good illustrations. Now I still like Vogue Knitting and similar books when I want more options and more detail. To me Nancie Wiseman's book seems like a good book to toss in your knitting bag for a trip and a good book to look for those frequently used options.

Hats

I love to wear hats, so I was excited when I found Knitwhits today. They have a LOT of cute colorful hats to knit (and purses and bikinis), available as a pattern or as a kit. I've added it to my list of things to order. The home page says it's advertised in Knitter's and Newsweek. Newsweek has knitting advertisements these days! I haven't seen Newsweek in ages so I guess I need to get out more.

I've actually managed to get a little, okay very little, knitting in every night. I haven't managed to do any spinning so far this week though. The important thing is that I was able to carve out more time for me this week in spite of the chaos. Where does that time go any way. So I'm off for tonight to get a little knitting in before bed, if I don't fall asleep first. Katie cat decided she needed to race across my body in the middle of the night last night so I'm a little short on sleep today. I leave you with a huge bunch of lavender in my front garden where the bees have been busy gathering pollen.

by Sydney  |

Planning is Half the Battle

I almost never use the yarn recommended in the pattern. That's not a bad thing. The problem is that the scientist in me want to calculate and plot the comparative gauge, look, and feel of every possible yarn. Lucky for me, I eventually give up and just choose something that's kind of close. Then of course I want to change a pattern knit flat to one that's knit in the round or change the sleeves or the neck. You would think I would be tired of it by the time I got everything together, but it just the opposite. I really enjoy the planning process, a little too much though. My current nebulous plan for a summer top led me to my sources of yarn conversions. FiberLink has the conversion chart put together by Ester Bozak that I use most often. If gives a typical gauge, wraps per inch (wpi), yards per pound, and typical needle size. Usually I'll compare gauge and yards per pound and wpi if I have it. I don't often run across this but occasionally a pattern will call for a 2-, 3-, 6-, or whatever-ply yarn. WiseNeedle has a good discussion of how those compare to the US classifications such as fingering, sport, worsted, etc. Where I really get messed up is the yarn size and count designations such as 5/2 cotton. For cotton, the first number is the size with a standard size of 840 yards per pound and the second number is the number of plies. So 5/2 cotton would have 2 plies and 5 x 840 = 4200 yards. Divide 4200 by 2 plies gives you 2100 yards per pound. Clear as mud so far? Now for wool it's the complete opposite. The first number is the number of plies and the second number is the size with a standard size of 500. So 3/9 wool has 3 plies and a size of 9 or 9 x 500 = 4500. Divide 4500 by 3 plies to get 1500 yards per pound. Lucky for all of us yarns-and.com has done a lot of the work for us. They have a nice chart that converts yarn count to yards per pound. Now to get past the planning stage. I've actually had time to work along on my socks and my sweater this week, so I've been knitting in addition to planning my next projects. As I get closer to finishing my current projects, I start planning the next one. It's actually does work out. Planning the next project inspires me to finish the current one.

It's a Tube, Right?

Rick got a speaker horn for his old radio he's refurbishing. Zoe and Balthasar ferret, tunneling creatures that they are, decided it was their job to check it out.

 

by Sydney  |

Spinning Fat Yarn

It all started when people in the Spindlers list started mentioning the new submission for the winter issue of Spin-Off. If you've never seen Spin-Off, it's a magazine for spinners by Interweave Press. In every issue they have a few pages dedicated to showing readers handmade skeins, usually with a specific focus. For example, the summer issue focused on yarn made from synthetics. The Fall issue will focus on hand-painted roving, locks, or yarn. This is one of my favorite sections of the magazine. The variety of colors and styles always inspires me to try something new. The winter 2004 issue of Spin-Off will feature bulky weight yarn (8 wpi or thicker). The due date is September 8, so if I can get some decent looking yarn by then, I try to submit it. The nice thing about being a new spinner is that I still haven't mastered spinning thin yarn yet. It's been a while since I've spun the really thick stuff but not long that I've forgotten how to spin fat. So far I've stayed in the range of sport to worsted weight yarn. Spinning even is a different story though. So here's a picture of my first stubby little skein. The fiber is merino/mohair blend sample that I bought to try out a while back. The yarn comes out to about 8 wpi, so I'm getting there.

If you haven't seen Spin-Off and are interested in spinning at all, take a look at it sometime. In addition to spinning tips and fiber information, it also has some nice knitting, crochet, weaving, and felting patterns.

Other than spinning, it's been busy but I've been making some progress on my socks and my sweater. I try to knit or spin a little bit every day. For me, that's an hour or two usually towards the end of the night on weekdays, more on the weekends. Lately though, we've had things to attend on weeknights so it's cut into my knitting time. Hopefully I can get back on schedule this week.

 

by Sydney  |

Red Cross Knit Kit

Well I received my American Red Cross Knit Kit in record time. I ordered it on May 30 and received it yesterday, June 4. It contains a 1940s knitting pattern for Serviceman's Socks, a 4 oz. skein of olive drab wool, 4 red plastic double point needles, and a plastic finishing needle in nice tin. It's not bad for the price and it goes to a good cause. Some people seemed surprised that their kit didn't match one of the pictures on the Internet. The picture I saw, though, was just a prototype for the idea, not the final version. In any case, I'm pleased with mine. Now I just have to decide whether to knit them up or save them. I know a good candidate for the socks if I decide to knit them up. Here's a picture if anyone is interested.

WiseNeedle Yarn Reviews

If you haven't visited Kim Salazar's WiseNeedle yarn reviews yet, now is a good time. It's a wonderful resource when you are planning a project with a new yarn. It relies on voluntary reviews by knitters. If you are having trouble searching for yarns, start by clicking on the "Yarn Search" link. You can search using any of the search items on the page. If you just know the manufacturer and it's not listed in the drop down list, click on the "Lookup/Add" button under "Manufacturer Name", type the name of the manufacturer in the box, and click "Search". For example, type Brown Sheep in the box and click Search. The search engine will give you "Brown Sheep Company" and the code for that company. Click on the Code link and you'll be taken back to the search page with the company name in the Manufacturer box. Click the Search button again and you'll get a list of the Brown Sheep yarns in the database. The resource is only as good as the reviews that are submitted. If you haven't submitted a review yet, go ahead and give it a shot, even if there are already some reviews. It's easier than you think and you won't be graded on the quality of your review. Just click the "Review this yarn" link when you are looking at the reviews for any particular yarn. If it's a new yarn, click the "New Yarn & Review" tab in the menu at the top of the page.

by Sydney  |