Monday, December 13, 2010

The dreaded purl curl, fixed :-D

As you may have guessed from my header, my grey wrap, after much blocking and steaming, still had the dreaded purl curl at the hem. Then Holly suggested making an hem to stabilize it. Thanks again Holly, you are pure genius.



I picked up the stitches from the inside edge of the hem and knit them with a very fine glittery mohair. Three rows later on huge needles, the fine yarn produced a net like lacy bit, about an inch deep, at the hem. I cast it off using the stitched castoff incorporating a row of the grey stitches from the inside of garment that had the curl issue.




The end result was a flirty, very slight, red edge along the bottom that only shows with movement.




The best part of this neat 'Holly's Hem Trick' is that there is no curl left at all, it hangs nicely.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Many thanks Holly, you rock.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Snug n warm a cowl that doubles as a snood


This is a cowl/snood that I just finished blocking. It was done with some lovely Wenseydale yarn that I acquired access to up at the Rhinebeck Sheep n Wool Fiber Fest. The sheep that produce this particular yarn are raised in West Virginia, they have the most amazing long staples. I just love working with their wool and, due to those lovely long staples, it is very strong.


I used a smart sewn cast off that came out very nice n stretchy as promised. It was the first time I tried this castoff and you can see in this pict, it stretches nicely. This is a link to the cast off instructions that I used;
http://www.woolywonder.com/classpages/sewncastoff/sewncastoff.htm
It's an easy one, just do not tug too hard on your sewing yarn or you will loose the stretch. You need to leave enough of a loop on the edge of the casted off piece that, the yarn you pull through with the sewing needle, is left looking like a, "purl stitch bump."

This piece was done with a 100% Wenseydale wool three ply yarn, it yielded about 4 stitches per inch in stockinette.

With long tail method; casting on 72 stitches, work in the round k2, p2 ribbing for 1 1/2 inches.

Then work 1 1/2 inches of stockinette stitch.

Do a basket weave with k2 p2 creating 1 inch for each of 3 woven basket straps (that's two switches going from purl to kint n from knit to purl in a row).

Work 1 1/2 inches of seed stitch then finish with 1 1/2 inches of the same k2 p2 ribbing.

Cast off with the sewn cast off shown in the link above.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Well, I love the shoulder wrap but the bottom edge is still curling rather intensly inspite of my occasional knit amoung the purls and aggressive blocking. I am going to pick up stitches from the bottom edge and work on a hem to hold the edge down. (Thank you Holly for the diea, I never thought of a hem on a knitted piece.) I'll prob. do the hem in red alpaca or blue. I need to see how much yarn I have of each n how much it will take.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Blocking the grey tweed shoulder wrap

Well, it's not a pretty system but it does block the piece;



You can see I've held down the bottom edges with cloths pins to fix the yarn so it does not curl. I ribbed around the top edge to create a cowl neck and the cable twists are visible on the front. All in all it is a nice warm wrap to wear with a dressy outfit. I will also probably need to steam it along the bottom edge.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

It's a wrap, in gray mohair tweed.

We all know how dressy dresses, both formal and informal can be a bit, well, lets say less then warm. We want to wear that dress, it's so pretty. The winter weather, on the other hand is just not cooperating. Keeping your coat on is not going to look good and no one will be able to see the pretty dress that you wore. Well this piece is my solution to that dilemma.
Enter the knit shoulder wrap, problem solved.

The first cable twist is in place.

A close up of one of the cables.


This will be a wrap done in a silvery grey mohair knit. It is a simple but elegant tube that goes on over the head and is worn around the shoulders. I have just knitted the first row past the first cable link. I've never done anything with big cables before so this is new to me. I am doing a wide five stitch cable. I will be posting the finished project if it turns out as planned. It should.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Knobble Kuffs, Kno More Knausia, LOL


This picture shows the cuff inside out, the knobble/bump should be facing the wearer's wrist.

Kno more knausia knobble kuffs.


The idea for this cuff is based on Chinese Medicine. It uses an acupressure point located inside the wrist. My thanks to my good friend and massage therapist, Jan K., for teaching me this point and for making me awair of just how versatile this point is.

There is a similar cuff available commercially that is made of a synthetic material and a hard plastic pointy button. This commercial cuff can, after extended use, distress the skin. I made this cuff from 100% cotton yarn to avoid skin problems.

Work with #6 to 8 (USA sizing) DPNs depending on the yarn you've chosen. These are made for an adult woman with a small-medium wrist. Adjust your stitches as needed to accommodate the user's wrist. A small bead can be placed into the knobble if more pressure is needed to achieve the desired effect.

In the middle of a 28 stitch purl faced cuff, place a knobble;

Keep the tension of the knobble stitches snug to give it firmness.
Knit three stitches into one, turn your work and purl those same stitches back, turn and knit them back again.
Next row; purl one, knit three into one and turn the work to purl those three back into one. (The change in the texture of the face to 'knit' makes the face of the knobble stand prouder.) finish the row by purling the next stitch.
Knit n purl those same orig. three stitches of the knobble turning for each row. Make sure you Knobble is protruding from the purl face, not the knit face of the cuff, push it through if it is on the wrong side. Continue knitting in the round to complete the cuff.

These cuffs can be used for chemo nausea, pregnancy nausea, sea/motion sickness, hiccoughs or indigestion. The point, known as P6 in Chinese medicine, can be easily land marked by bending the wrist in so that the palm faces the wrist. Place three fingers from the other hand into the crevasse formed at the wrist so that they are tucked side by side facing the wrist. The point is right where your thumb tip sits with your fingers so arranged. it is right over the tendon cords that you can see (or feel) inside your wrist. Just make sure that the knobble is pressing on this point.
This is a link to a alternative medicine site that describes the point well;
http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Acupressure-for-Nausea
Scroll down about mid page you will find the point locator description for P6.

This blog entry is not intended to be a substitute for the care of a competent physician. As in all things; contact your doctor if you can not get relief for your symptoms or if your symptoms can not be explained.

Friday, August 20, 2010

That Off White Scarf Vest with the Bronze Stripe

Just a quick update;

It's been warm n humid here in NJ so there has not been a whole lot of knitting going on in the heat.

I did get one side of that white scarf vest finished. I tapered it almost to a point and then left three short (about an inch n a half in length) strips one of each. They are off white, bronze, off white, and each strip is five stitches wide. I'm not sure how I am going to fringe the three strips.

The other side is longer then the first side, that is intentional as I want one side longer to toss over the shoulder, scarf style (You want rules, consistancy, symmetry, forget it this is my creation, I doubt I'll ever follow anyone elses rules). I am not sure how I am going to finish the longer side yet. Perhaps one side with something intricate and the other with a plain straight knotted fringe? I'll see.

I like the way the irregular rib over the back turned out. It has a definite spinal look to it. The spinal effect would look very interesting in a snug blue sweater, perhaps with a single braid at the hem, tail style.
It would be very, "Avatar," looking!

I'll add a picture as soon as it's closer to being finished.

The cuff to cuff cardi is on the back burner again. It is too bulky to work on in this heat. I may get it finished to wear it by next summer.

Friday, June 25, 2010

This is the beginning of a new project, one that will travel easily. It is an off white scarf/vest, the same idea as the first piece I blogged about. It has a metallic coppery trim knit into it. (The piece is in desperate need of blocking, the knitting not really that uneven.) I worked in an irregular rib up the middle of the back shown here. I was looking to make it reminiscent of the spine.



This is a close up of the coppery trim yarn. It is like knitting with a strand of DNA as the space between the color spots is open between the black edges. It makes it very interesting as getting both black strands together for the stitch can be a bit blinding. I feel that the result tho, is worth the effort.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Still working the cuff to cuff

Well, have returned to that cardigan. I am determined to finish it, I'll prob. incorporate the 'front line problem' into a design feature. We'll see. I may do a tube tank to go with it when it's done.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

I put that cuff to cuff cotton piece aside to ponder a solution to my 'frontline dilema'. I am now working a pair of fingerless mitts that I set aside a while ago. They are the same pattern as the green ones that I did a while ago but they are a royal blue. Very pretty if I do say so myself. I will snap them when they are finished to share them with you all.

Monday, May 17, 2010

I've hit a snag
and I need to decide how to go forward with this piece. Having finished the back of the neckline I can not figure out how to knit both to the center of the piece as well as towards the armhole from the same line in front of the piece. I may just make the closure in front off center and leave it at that but that is not how I envisioned this piece going forward. The other option is to graft the middle front onto the sweater which will, according to past experience, leave a trace line down the front of the cardi.
It is sitting on hold for now, decisions, decisions to make.

Saturday, May 8, 2010




As you can see my needles arrived n I love em (Harmony Zephers from Knitpicks). They are soooo smooth n pretty.
Anyhoo, this is my cuff to cuff knit cardi. The first cuff is nearest to the camera. I am now on the first half of the body. The sleeve, cast on first, was 70 stitches, then cast on further for the body on either side of the sleeve. So far so good, I finally feel that I can work on this without frustration. I hated working from three needles n packing the stitches down so that they would fit.
The yarn, another e-bay find. It's a 3# + cone of cotton. I'll be doing a lot of projects with this stuff before I run out.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Just an update

I am struggeling with a cuff to cuff cardi that is currently sitting on three needles that are not quite long enough. I finally broke down and ordered a set of interchangable circu-cable needles this morning. I will switch it over and put up a pict when the new needles arrive. I am using a varied candy colored, cotton yarn, another e-bay find. It's knitting up nicely but it sure would be easier if the needles were just a tad longer and I did not have to keep stuffing the stitches n switching needles.

Saturday, April 24, 2010




These are two snaps of the triangle wrap that I spoke of in my last post. I started by casting on three stitches and just kept adding at the start and end of each row. I worked it until my size 10 1/2 needle would not hold any more stitches. The yarn is a chunky all cotton, another e-bay find, the stitch is p1, k1. The last row I worked to curl with knit one row, purl a row, knit a row (three rows) as I wanted to change the look on the top edge. The fringe is of self yarn with a small knot at the bottom end of the tails to add weight so it will hang and swing nicely, and to keep it from fraying.

Like I said, it's easy-peasy but a nice fun to do piece and wear.

Friday, April 23, 2010

I've a new piece on my fat needles, it's almost finished. It's a triangle, simple K1, P1 rib stitch. It's nothing exciting nor very difficult. It is a light shoulder wrap or a scant bathing suit cover up / accessory. I'll get a picture of the finished piece up soon as it is ready, hopefully before long. I'm planning to add great lengths of fringe.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

My little bit for Earth Day 2010;

While I was propping up my potted plants anew with chopsticks (re purposed as plant supports), I realized another use for the simple wooden sticks. I took two new ones, graded and sharpened a matched pair and I now have a pair of 8 1/2 inch, #9 knitting needles . I penciled the # 9 on the side of them so I'll not forget their size, I may double point them, or just do another four or five pieces double pointed, we'll see how these do first. If I leave them alone they'll need finials.

Most of my left over chopsticks, from the local Chinese take out restaurant, grade to a 9 or a 10 sized needle. BTW, for those of us with longer tresses, they make great hair sticks to, gotta love 'em.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Time out

I am taking a short time off from this blog to do some charity knitting. I will be kintting for Warm Up America. Here's a link if you want to work on a bit of the same;

http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/howWUAworks.html

I'll be back soon.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

I'm back

Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted but I'm back n I've finished that set of place mats.


There are four, the first (on top) was a basket weave; ten stitches per square.

Then the next one is lateral ribs, K two rows, P one row, then K the next two. Purl one row, K two rows repeat the; P 1 row, K 2 rows to fill 7 inches.

Under that one there is the offset rib, K 5, P 5 off setting every other row and knitting the return (back) row to keep it flat.

Then lastly on the bottom, there was the framed moss stitch. It is framed in stockinette on the outside and K one row and Purl the next row, for the frame's, "matting." The center is a variation of the moss stitch.

They are finished with a variety of tassles, tufts and fringes.

I like the look of different stitches on each but the same yarn, the variety of textures adds interest. If I had enough of the yellow white cotton yarn I'd do two more of them, but alas, e-bay only had the one cone listed.

btw, sorry, that table is trashed, it is the one we use on the back porch for everything from woodworking/glueing and crafts to BBQ work station. It gets wiped down often but never really quite looks nice unless I put a table cloth on it. The advantage that it offers is that the natural light there is great.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010


This is where I am on this placemat. This pattern is deceiving, it is not as easy as it appears to be. The habit of, or instinct to just stack the ribs streight, makes it very difficult to off set them this way. I lost count of how many times I worked back to fix an errant stacked rib. Most annoying, it is.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

This is the first placemat, there will be others. This one is not blocked yet in this pict. It is fringed long on one side and a shorter fringe on the other. I continued the basket weave stitching for five sections or five straps of the basket. I then cast off and fringed the matt putting 1 1/4 inch fringe on one side and 3/4 inch fringe on the other side. I just wanted to do something different instead of plain old streight matching fringes.
I will do the next placemat with the same yarn but I will do different stitches (otherwise I get bored). Keep watching if you want to see what, I rarely know what I'll do until I cast on.

This project is a placemat done in 100% cotton yarn. Yup, it's another e-bay find. Gotta love those prices on yarn :-D.

I cast on seventy stitches (long tail) and started working K 10, P 10 from row one. When I acheived a length equaling the width of the K or the P, I turned to P 10, K 10to create a basket weave effect. Here you can see two sections finished, one starting with the Knit and the next section starting with the Purl.

Saturday, March 20, 2010


The hat is finished, the cable does not really pop on this hat, next time I will outline it with knitting instead of the purl that I stayed with this time. It was a first attempt, now I know what it will take it get it to stand out more. Still the hat, with the twists on the front is kind of cute. I added a long pompom to the top and smaller pompom, "earings," at the sides. It is shown here with the two fingerfree mitts.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010


Casting on 26 stitches to two DPNs and 28 to the other two DPNs I got started. I extrapolated the stitch count from the measurments of the finished mitts and a measurment of my own head. Same yarn, same needles, same knitter working in the round, this hat should be sized right. I hope. I am using K1, P1 ribbing for a nice, snug fitting hat.
I plan on trying out a cable or two on this project, cable knitting is something that I am new to so it may take a while to get it right . . .

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

A short break while I make it a pair

I'll work the second mitt now. I'll not bore you following that but my next project should be here in about a week.

One finished mitt, and the instructions


OK, so this is the right side out view of the one mitt, you can see the taper but not the ribbing.



And this inside out pict shows the detail of the ribbing.

These instructions are for 5.25 stitch per inch yarn worked on # 4 (USA) DPNs;

~ Cast on 16 stitches to each of three needles. (Any multiple of four stitches will work so any combination of 16 -12 or 8 stitches per needle will do depending on the writs size of the wearer.)
~ Work in round knitting straight through for 3.5 inches.
~ Start wide spaced ribbing with P1, K7, work this ribbing for 3/4 inch.
~ The next section is P1, K3 rib, work this for 2 inches lining the P1 of the last round with this P1 row.
~ The wrist is next, using a P1, K1 ribbing for 4 inches. Again, align your P1 rows.
~ Then widen again to accommodate the hand with the P1, K3 rib, work for 3 inches and then cast off ten stitches for the thumb.
~ Continue knitting the cast off row in the P1, K3 ribbing and the next time around cast on the matching 10 stitches.Continue K1, P3 ribbing for another 1 3/4 inches and cast off. Weave in any tails and you are good to go.

This mitt fits a fore arm for someone mid to small boned with a space of 8 1/2 inches between the outer bump on the elbow and the outer wrists bone bump (under the small finger).

Monday, March 8, 2010

Moving right along


As you can see from this shot, I am almost finished. I am ready to start widening the piece too allow for the hand, then I just need to work in the thumb and finish it.


This picture shows a detail of the ribbing. There are three levels of ribbing that I used, all based on a stitch count with a multiple of four.

I'll post the instructions here when the one mitt is finished. Then I'll start working on the second mitt so that I'll have a pair.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

I'm caught up, with a small change.


This is a close up of what I have redone to date.


With the cuff inside out you can see how the contour/taper starts. I began with wide spaced ribs, then came closer. There is one more step of closer ribbing and then I'll widen it up a bit to shape to the hand.

Friday, March 5, 2010

Small post, an update

I've done something just a little different with the contouring, a more gradual taper. I wound up frogging the whole thing again so it is not going as fast as I would like. I am working slower to avoid any further frogging. That's getting old. I am happy with this version so far tho.

I'll try to put up a picture this evening with a description of what I have done so far (again).

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Spent some time in the frog pond this evening . . .

I over ran the first streight knit section, just finished pulling it apart. It will be a day or two before I have anything else for this blog, I have to catch up with my blog here. I need to recreate up to where the blog is now.
Sorry about the dalay. It's all part of creating a pattern. Trial and error, this was the error part.
Thanks for your patience. Be back soon.
Knancy

Ready to start the contour now


The wide bit of the forarm is finished, I am ready to start to taper smaller. I will try a knit three, purl one section first. (This is the inverse of what I am working as it is worked inside out and then turned to wear or for demo. show.) Then I can take it down further for the narrow bit at the wrist. I really like working with this yarn, I wish it had a label . . .
Oh well, k3, p1 here we go.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010



It does not look like much yet but the cast on is complete + a few rows. 16 stitches on each of three needles joined in the round and worked streight knitting, in effect it is purl on the other side. This will be the top of the cuff, near the elbow. The taper will begin about half way to the wrist.

Fingerless gauntlets, long fingerless mitts

I think I'll make another pair of fingerless mitts next. I have been thinking of how to contour them to the forarm, wrist and hand. I've some nice dark sage yarn, another e-bay find again sans label, that I want to get into. This yarn is alot more durable than the exotic yarns I have used recently. The alpacas and angoras are very pretty, and they are great for gifts and things that do not see a lot of wear like hats n scarfs. Mitts and gloves on the other hand, at least mine, get beaten up and ratty looking pretty fast if I use the more fragile exotic yarns.
Heading off now to cast onto my DPNs.

Monday, March 1, 2010

The instructions/pattern for this scarf vest;

Scarf-Vest

~ For this scarf/vest cast on 60 stitches to create a 22 inch wide panel. My yarn was 3 1/2 stitches per inch. My yarn was an acrylic e-bay find with no label.
~ Work in knit stitch until you have a panel 16 inches long. This is the back of the garment, you may choose to make it longer.
~ Work the first 26 stitches of the row and then cast off 8 stitches to begin the neck. Knit the rest of the row. Using two balls of yarn continue to cast off one stitch on either side of the neck with each of the next four rows.
~ On the next row, cast on eight stitches on either side to replace those cast off. Cast eight onto the left row and eight onto the right row. You should now have 30 stitches on each half.
~ Continue to knit both halves at the same time (using two balls of yarn) until the narrower front panels are 22 inches from the back of the neck.
~ Cast off the two front panels.
~ Pick up your cast off neck stitches to graft on your collar. Pick them up; either directly onto the needle, or work a single crochet stitch onto your needle with a crochet hook if the cast off stitches are too tight to work.
~ Add a stitch on either end of the collar using the knit one stitch inside, knit one stitch outside, add on method. Add these extra stitches three stitches in from the end for every row except the last row. Knit the last row forming a 2 1/2 inch collar.
~ Cast off the collar and hand stitch it to the 8 stitch - lapel flap on the front panel. Hand sew; stitch up one inch from the base of the collar to form a notched collar. Weave in any knotted tails.
~ You are now ready to fringe your project. Fringe as you wish, straight or curved, long or short.
~ Wear your Scarf-Vest in good health.

Sunday, February 28, 2010


This is the view with one front panel draped over the shoulder.




And here is the back view with one half of the scarf front draped over a shoulder.





This pattern will follow in my next post.

The collar and fringes are finished.


This is a shot of the finished collar, I hand stitched the grafted on collar to the fold out front flap stitching about an inch from the front of the garment out towards the collar points to make the collar cohesive.




The fringe from the back is cut with a inverse "Batman's Cape" point. Since there is not a lot of detail in the garment's body I decided to put some into the fringe.

I decided to go with the original idea and leave the sides open, no button, no closure at the sides. I'll just let it hang loose from the shoulders, otherwise if it shifts a bit to one side or the other it will drape with a, none too pretty, baggy, lopsidded loop at the bottom.

Thursday, February 25, 2010


Well the body of the scarf-vest is finished and I am in the process of grafting on the collar. As you can see, I've resolved the image issues from my previous post where I was loosing details. If I leave the flash turned off, the collar shows up nicely.
I am still trying to decide about a fringe, braided, streight, knotted, that may take a while, we'll see. I have to see how the yarn does in each case n then decide.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

The back and neck of a scarf vest, a work in progress.




The pictures do not do justice to the half collar, the collar gets lost due to the texture of the yarn but you can tell it is turned out on one side in the second picture. The little yellow half circle clip on the collar is a stitchmarker. That side will be knit last as the front will not be even otherwise.
I started this project with an idea. I wanted the warmth of both a vest and a scarf.
After pondering and a bit of thought I decided, why not leave the sides and front of the vest open and allow the front panels to wrap the neck like a scarf or the front panels could fall down the front like an unbuttoned vest. It makes this a two-for-one piece.
After reading the comments on a chat room about this piece I had a realization. This would also be a good garment for a C.P. patient or someone with an injured shoulder or frozen shoulder. Thanks Holly.
This project has seen several froggings thus far with much muttering under my breath. Then I switched yarn and it started to look better, funny how something like a color switch can make a big difference.
The next time I try this I'll prob. add a few details, like a P1, K1 ribbed section to draw in the waist on the back panel and a bit of lateral detail for the shoulders to widen them visually. I will make the back a bit narrower and I'll graft on the back portion of the collar at the neck so that it can be turned up for further snuggle ability. A hood would be another option. When finally I get it right I'll post a pattern.