Knitting Daily : Fearless

You asked for it: Entrelac!

KD Sandi — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:10:00 GMT

Note from Sandi: When I asked you how you were a Fearless Knitter in 2008, hundreds of you described not only what you had accomplished last year, but what you hoped to accomplish in 2009. And surprisingly, one of the top four knitting challenges you wanted to tackle was entrelac, that marvelous and seemingly mysterious technique where knitted square builds upon knitted square to form a lovely on-the-bias patchwork effect.

So I was delighted to find out that Lisa Shroyer, editor of Knitscene magazine, has included a lovely beginner-level entrelac pattern in the new Winter 2008/Spring 2009 issue of Knitscene--the Orchid Wrap, by Cecily Glowik Macdonald.

Here's Lisa to tell us more about this beautiful knitting technique:

Entrelac: An Overview

When Sandi asked me to choose one project from the new issue of Knitscene to feature this week, I went back and looked at the comments on past Knitting Daily posts. What one technique did so many of you say you wanted to conquer in 2009?

ENTRELAC.

And it just so happens that we have a fabulous entrelac project in the Winter 2008/Spring 2009 issue of Knitscene. The Orchid Wrap by Cecily Glowik MacDonald is a great project for entrelac newbies, as it’s a long rectangle without the complexities of shaping, stitch patterns, or working in the round. Working entrelac in the round is, conceptually, a little daunting, so I don’t recommend it for first-timers.

But what is entrelac? Eunny Jang, editor of Interweave Knits, writes:
"Entrelac is a knitting technique that produces a fabric with a woven appearance—tiers of tilting blocks appear to run over and under each other. But the fabric is actually worked all in one piece as a series of interconnecting rectangles."

These interconnecting rectangles are worked one at a time, with lots of turning back and forth to work short right- and wrong-side rows. The rectangles, or blocks, are worked in tiers, building a vertical fabric. All the blocks of a single tier slant in one direction (i.e., to the right), then all the blocks of the following tier slant in the opposite direction (or to the left). You can pick out separate tiers in the Orchid Wrap because this project alternates a tier of teal blocks with a tier of pink blocks. Changing colors in entrelac is easy and creates really fun effects.

To work entrelac, you need to know how to:
1) Pick up and PURL stitches;
2) Pick up and KNIT stitches:
3) Work basic increases; and
4) Work basic decreases.
And that’s the extent of the know-how you need to make the Orchid Wrap.

The Orchid Wrap is, like I said, a simple rectangle in shape. But wrap it around your shoulders, folding back the top selvedge like a collar, button it asymmetrically, and you have a capelet. The size can be adjusted with the placement of the buttons, so it’s really a one-size-fits-most project.

For an in-depth tutorial on entrelac, including instructions for working entrelac in the round, see Eunny Jang’s "Beyond the Basics: Entrelac Knitting Block by Block" from the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. (Click here to subscribe to Knits.)

For those already in love with entrelac, you can purchase Eunny’s Entrelac Socks and Sandy Beadle’s Annetrelac Socks from the Knitting Daily Pattern Store.

On Friday, we’ll have a surprise for you…

-- Lisa Shroyer
editor of Knitscene magazine

Ask for Knitscene at your local yarn shop, or buy it online from us.

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? Suddenly, I have become addicted to warm hats and I am obsessed with the idea of warm mittens...

Fearlessly Inspiring Stories--From YOU!

KD Sandi — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:10:00 GMT

I just finished reading the 406 comments that you left on the last post of 2008, in which you answered the question "How were you a fearless knitter in 2008?"

I love you people. I love you because your comments were so amazing that even though I thought I was going to just skim them (there were over 400 of them, after all), I did no such thing. I read every single word of every single one.

And you are all my heroes.

I know not everyone has the time to read 406 comments, and I wanted you all to have the chance to be inspired by your fellow Knitting Daily folks, so here are just a few, a very few, of the wonderful ways in which you were ALL fearless knitters last year.

ChelseaN: "I'm really proud of myself, because this year I went up and beyond what I've ever done, by making a huge coat out of a whole sheep fleece I washed, carded, spun, and crocheted. Now, it had it's problems, but it's the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on, and it's a treasure in my wardrobe."

LauraK: "I've set out to try learn at least one new thing about knitting (or crocheting) a month. It is rewarding."

Astrid: "I finally had the courage to enter something in a fair. I entered five items in the Blue Hill, Maine Fair. AND, with the most amazing beginner's luck, I won five blue ribbons!!!"

NiferR: "I started knitting this year!! My first project was a pair of socks. Then I ventured to an entralec sweater. It took 1st at the county fair."

LauraM: "I became a fearless CROCHETER!"

AnneN: "Fearless Frogging. When I have a sneaking suspicion things are not going right, but I don't want to frog all that work (all those hours!), I'm learning to Fear Not the Frogging and just do it. I'm always happier afterwards."

And finally, a few very special people whose stories remind us that knitting is sometimes far more than just a craft...it is a way to find hope and strength in the darkness:

Marilyn1423: "2007 was a year of adjustment for me. In January 2007 I lost my left eye to cancer. By January of 2008 I was feeling very, very blue. I felt that my life had become more and more limited because of the vision problems. I had not knit anything in years, but in January 2008 I finally worked up the courage to pick up some needles and see if I could actually knit again. Here it is a year later, and I have actually started and finished 22 knitted projects. Am I a fearless knitter? Yes! Yes! Yes! My mental and emotional outlook is so much better today than it was a year ago. I have lots of projects planned for 2009."

SusanP: "Hi, my friend Jon and I took fearless knitting to the next level when we walked 26 miles of The Playtex Moonwalk, in aid of breast cancer, whilst wearing embellished bras and knitting socks!"

KarenR: "I started the year tackling fingerless gloves. I thought I would move on to mittens and then socks. Never got there. I developed cancer and worked on a wedding afghan for my son during chemo. I finished it just after finishing the chemo and gave it to them only a short time after surgery at their wedding. For me I conquered the fear of not surviving long enough to finish it and I'm still alive."

So, what's ahead for 2009? Let's hear what you had to say:

Kathi: "I'm excited, because now, I CAN DO ANYTHING!!!"

KHS: "Biggest surprise? The great community of knitters on the internet. Truly a joy."

Hobobird: "Knitting Daily had created a fiber monster in me. A good one indeed."

Joy: "So the goal for 2009? Finish my projects and continue to learn new things!! Happy New Year to all!! And happy knitting!"

Happy Knitting to all, indeed.

Thank you all for inspiring ME, and I'm honored to be able to share in your crafty lives on Knitting Daily every day.

-- Sandi

P.S. Do you want a Knitting Daily Fearless Knitter/Crocheter button for your blog? Sure you do!

New Free Pattern: Baby's First Socks

After the huge response that the Old World Booties got this week, I kind of got the idea that you folks like to knit baby booties. And while I don't have another pattern for knitted baby booties handy, I do have a pattern for a very special pair of baby socks: Baby's First Socks by Ann Budd. Aren't they cute? Plus, the pattern's free. (You're welcome.)

Cool Knitting Daily Stuff! Now with new designs and crunchier flavor!

Did you know you can buy Fearless Knitter/Fearless Crocheter tote bags, tee shirts, mugs and other nifty things in our Knitting Daily Cafe Press store? Yup. We have graphics with all kinds of variations on the Fearless theme, ready for you to display with pride!

Go take a look. (You know you want to.) And the Fearless Yarn Collector goodies are now here, too!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? I finished it! I finished my mom's Leaf and Nupp Shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush--but alas, not in time for it to go under her Christmas tree. By the time it was all blocked and dried, it was New Year's Eve...so now I have to take a few zillion photos and then I will mail it off to her. I'll only keep it for a little while longer, Mom...

How Were You A Fearless Knitter in 2008?

KD Sandi — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:55:00 GMT

Did everyone have a joyous holiday, however you celebrated? Did you hug your family, eat lots of food, have a few hours of wonder and gratitude? Did you get cool knitting or crocheting or spinning stuff? Did you at least get a gift certificate so you can go to the yarn shop and buy yourself some nice yarn or needles or a knitting bag or even some nice books from Interweave? (hee hee)

And now, in three days, it will be 2009. Unbelieveable! 2008 will soon be behind us, so I thought it high time to ask you all a very important question:

How were you Fearless in 2008?

Remember that I started off the year challenging everyone to try something new in their crafting, to boldly go where no yarn-lover has gone before. So now I'd like to know what you did! Did you try cables for the first time? Did you learn to spin? Did you block something for the first time? Did you finally make a sweater that FITS?

Leave a comment. Heck send us a photo and when the holiday craze dies down a bit, maybe I can make a Fearless Gallery of what all you fab folks did this past year.

But Sandi--how were YOU fearless in 2008?

Oh, yeah. I guess it isn't fair to ask you to share your fearless feats and not tell you what mine were!

The big fear I conquered this year was my fear of Color. I have always thought of myself as Color Stupid, and avoided any Fair Isle pattern where I had to choose my own combinations as though it could give me a disease. Someone at work challenged me to face that fear, and in the process, I discovered Deb Menz and her stunning book Color Works. I was convinced that I was hopeless with color; Deb helped me become color-confident. The end result? I designed two separate Fair Isle swatches in two different colorways. And they don't suck. Hooray!

The other fear I faced was one so many of us carry around with us. I faced my fear of What I Look Like In Photos. Like so many women, I've grown up hating how I look in photographs, and not really wanting to have my picture out there. But in the process of posing for the Galleries, and in working with the fearless and gorgeous Gallery Gals, I learned so much about what looks good on me and what doesn't that now I am no longer squirrelly about getting my photo taken.

Heck, I'm even OK with being on TV. So when the Knitting Daily TV folks asked me if I would do some on-camera interviews with people for the You Asked It segments of Series 200 (coming to a public TV station near you January 18th!), I said yes--and then immediately went shopping for a cool on-camera outfit. My husband and I spent hours finding just the right clothing; I then went home and made myself a lovely necklace and earrings to match. I even bought new lipstick and new eye makeup.

I flew to Ohio, where the show was being taped...and the airline proceeded to lose my luggage, complete with Fancy TV Outfit and Makeup inside. For two entire days, they lost my luggage.

I had nothing to wear for two entire days--let alone on camera--but the rather frumpy outfit I had worn on the plane. Robyn Chachula saved the day for the TV taping by lending me a sweater from the Blueprint Crochet trunk show, and then--get this--Kim Werker DID MY MAKEUP FOR ME using her own cosmetic kit. (Now, THERE are some REAL friends for you.)

A year ago, I would have cringed with embarrassment over not having the perfect clothes and makeup for my big TV debut. This time, I just couldn't stop laughing about how funny the fates were being to make me Walk My Talk about wearing your clothes and not letting them wear you!

OK, now it's your turn. Tell us how you were a Fearless Knitter, a Fearless Crocheter, or a Fearless Spinner in 2008.

And by the way...thank you all for a wonderful, amazing year of knitting, yarn, and learning. Each and every day, I am grateful for each and every one of you. It is a privilege to share in your crafty lives each day.

-- Sandi

P.S. Do you want a Knitting Daily Fearless Knitter/Crocheter button for your blog? Sure you do!

Cool Knitting Daily Stuff!

Go take a look. (You know you want to.)

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? Did I finish my mom's Leaf and Nupp Shawl from Knitted Lace of Estonia by Nancy Bush? I don't know. I'm writing this ahead of time so I can have Christmas off. All will be revealed next year, I promise...

Knitting My Way to Canada: The Camisa

KD Sandi — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 18:16:00 GMT

Hi everyone! I'm baaaack...

I'm slowly finding my way around this little corner of Canada--the people here in Canada are lovely, by the way. Thanks to all of you for welcoming me so warmly! But it's time for this gal to get back to our Knitting Daily adventures, so here we go...

You've heard me prattling on and on about the Camisa from Knitscene, so now that I am finally in a house with a functioning internet connection, let's take a peek at how my Camisa is coming along.

Knitting Across North America
I needed something simple to knit during the move--at the end of a long day in the car, I just couldn't follow anything too complex. The Camisa, with its easy (yet ingenious) construction and its no-fuss design, was perfect. I carried the Camisa-in-progress with me in the car all the way from Colorado to Canada. I was driving, so no car knitting, but I worked on it in bits and pieces at rest stops and in hotel rooms through Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and across the border into lower Ontario. It was the last knitting I did in the U.S., and is now the first knitting I have done in my new home in Canada.

Why the Camisa?
I know there are tons of pretty patterns out there. I hear them calling to me...c'mon. Don't you hear them calling to you, too? Sure you do. But how can anyone possibly choose which one to knit NOW?

I think the truth is that some patterns choose US. More often than not, a pattern we've seen will stick in our minds, haunting us. We'll go off and knit other things, but the patterns that choose us are rather insistent. They knock on our brains and constantly invite themselves in for tea. Then they say, "Hey! Remember me? I'm pretty and you really should knit me!"

That's how it was for me with Kat Coyle's Camisa. I first saw the sample garment for this little knitted top way back when our (now sold-out, I am sorry to say) Fall 2006 issue of Knitscene was being put together; I remember kind of cooing at it. I was hooked. Every time I looked at that issue, I'd stop at the Camisa page and say hello; I'd imagine it in different yarns, different colors. I'd picture myself wearing it with jeans, with a skirt; to work, out with friends. (You're really in trouble if you start thinking about matching shoes. That's when you know you're a goner.)

So I finally broke down and started knitting it. There were other things I ought to be knitting; but if I didn't knit the Camisa soon, I'd probably burst. (In fact, I loved that little top so much that the Camisa was the very first pattern from that issue of Knitscene that I put into the Knitting Daily pattern store.) It is a perfect travel knit and it would give me a nice little top to wear to "knit nights" in my new hometown--all good!

Which yarn?
After much thought, I realized that I wanted the exact yarn, in the exact color, in the magazine photo. This is unusual for me, free spirit that I am--I almost never knit something so that it looks just like the photo. But this time, well. I wanted THAT Camisa. The yarn, String of Pearls by Muench, is a rich teal blue cotton/rayon mix with a streak of shimmer through it so that the whole garment glitters slightly--just enough to be fun, not so much that you feel as though you're auditioning for American (or Canadian!) Idol. The yarn is a bit stretchy, but the fabric holds its shape; it isn't scratchy like some glittery yarns can be. It's a gorgeous, fun yarn. Nice!

What size? And am I making any adjustments?
I have a 39" bust, 36" waist, and 42" hip. I wanted some negative ease, so I chose the 38" size. As far as adjustments go, the problem is that the 38" size has a 34" hip dimension. Despite my new shape, I am still a rather hippy gal, with a bit of tummy in the front. The side vents will definitely help--I don't want the bottom clinging to my tummy! But I decided that I also needed some extra room in front for my little curvy belly, so I added four belly darts in front--two on each side of center.

Fearless Dart-Making
I was in a hotel room with no computer and no calculator when I planned those darts, so I eyeballed things and Just Did It. Whoo! (I am showing the front pinned to Bertha. She has absolutely no tummy and this is why the garment looks ill-fitting on her.) Each of the inner darts started 6 stitches away from the center (teal marker at the belly button); they are just over an inch away from center. Each side dart is 10 stitches away from the neighboring inner dart. Since that portion is top-down, the four darts are increases, beginning with the first knit row after picking up stitches at the waistband. I worked two more increase rows every sixth row, for a total of 3 increase rows. The shaping is very subtle; I didn't want it to look like a maternity top, but I did want to get rid of the cling possibility.

What type of increases did I use?
Knitters always want to know what kind of increases and decreases I use for my shaping, so: I used left-slanting and right-slanting M1s so that you can barely see the actual increase stitches on the right side.

And now I am working my way up to the bust and neck! How about bust darts? Not this time--I like the style of this top the way it is.

So that's where I am. Photos to come once it's finished!

--Glad to be back!
Sandi

Note: The Camisa was originally published in our Fall 2006 issue of Knitscene magazine, which is out of print. Look for the issue at your local yarn shop (maybe they still have a copy or two). Or, you can purchase the Camisa pattern in our online store.

P. S. Don't forget to check out this week's free pattern, the Summer Shawlette. And due to popular demand, the corrected version of the free pattern for the Domino Potholder will be available until September 17.

Sandi's Picks

When one of our magazine issues goes out of print, I start choosing my favorites to include for sale in our online pattern store, hoping that you'll love them too! Here are a few more of my favorite patterns for sale from our sold-out Knitscene Fall 2006 issue:

Poinsettia by Michele Rose Orne. A pretty red ballet-style wrap cardigan with belled cuffs and easy color accents.

Dog Walker by Teri Barr. Matching stuff for you and the dog in your life. C'mon, you know you want to...

Oscar Baby by Lisa Shroyer and Katie Himmelberg. A hat and baby booties worthy of Sesame Street.

Central Park Hoodie by Heather Lodinsky (with new sizes and styling tips for plus-sizes!). Our most popular pattern ever! A cabled hoodie for every figure.

Do you have a favorite pattern from a sold-out issue that isn't in our store? Let us know what it is, because we want to make sure that YOUR favorites are available, too!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily. I'm sitting in my new light-filled studio, surrounded by boxes of yarn and fiber and books, oh my. This is the first Real Studio I've ever had! How will I arrange it? I have no idea, so I am poring over CPS Studios magazine for inspiration and advice. (Ahem. OK, that was an utterly shameless plug--but really, it's a great magazine, full of wonderful eye candy, and maybe I'll find some really good tips in there to help keep me organized. Who knows?)

My Very Own Fair Isle Swatches

KD Sandi — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:50:00 GMT

I found it fascinating that when I talked about my adventures in the world of knitting color, dozens and dozens of you wrote to say that you learned color in the context of quilting. Guess what? Years ago, I was a dedicated quilter, with a huge fabric stash and the whole shebang. Granted, my quilts were not the color showpieces you might see in Quilting Arts magzine. Most of my quilts were (loosely...) based on Amish quilts, with their "plain," rich colors. Those Amish colors are also echoed in all of my crafts. So, when I sat down to finish my self-imposed assignment: "Design a Fair Isle swatch using only the random balls of yarn found whilst packing," I sat down with our Color Works book and started with what I knew. Many of the Amish quilts I've seen are blue-based; thus, I began with the Blue Hue section of the color wheel.

I would have been completely lost at this point (yes, at the beginning...) until I remembered a conversation I'd had with Eunny Jang about her Venezia sweater (featured in the Knits Winter 2006 issue and available for download!) I had asked her (begged her, really) to help me understand how to select colors and here's what she said: "Pick two color families (hues). Then pick three variations of each--dark, medium, light. Now you have six colors that go together beautifully!" I was dubious. Maybe they would go together beautifully if chosen by Eunny; I wasn't so sure about anything chosen by me. Nevertheless: We are Fearless, and we must be bold.

I do have three shades of blue, and I do have dark, medium, and light blues; so that works. But what to choose for the second hue family?

At this stage in my learning, I have two options: I could choose analogous colors (colors next to blue on the wheel), or I could choose complimentary colors (colors across from blue on the wheel).

Analogous Variant: Blues and Purples
Analogous colors to blue would be either greens or purples. I have dark/medium/light greens as well as dark/medium/light purples. The greens are not true saturations of each other--the lightest (and brightest!) has a lot more yellow (if it were a saturation, it would have more white); the darkest has more blue (rather than black). The combination of the three to me seems a bit off. The purple combination is much more pleasing. (No, really it is. Really!) I used the dark purple as the background, since it is darker in value than the dark blue I have.

Complimentary Variant: Blues and Golds
For the second variation, I used a hue family complimentary to (across the wheel from) blue--in this case, orange/gold. (I don't have any yellows, which would be the true compliments. Bear with me.) I'll use the same blues; and I'll use a dark/medium/light set of orange/golds. This time, blue will be the background, since it is darker in value than the darkest orange/gold.

Adding More Color Interest
Both of these variations are rather dark; I think part of this is due to the colors all having a similar value--a similar amount of grey. I also think that the color schemes are a bit limited by only working with two hue families--if I were brave and branched out a bit, then maybe I could add the flashes of color that make Fair Isle designs so very wonderful.

For example, what if I started with the purple/blue combination and basing my choices off the foreground color, blue, added an analogous color--bright green? I could also add a narrow line of a complimentary color to the blue--perhaps gold. The first swatch and its chart are the result.

Using the same logic, I could add interest to the orange/blue combination. Again basing my choices off the foreground color (orange/gold), I would choose an analogous color (red, since I don't have any yellow) and a complimentary color (a blue/green). The result is the second swatch and chart.

Those additions make the colors start to glow, as they would in a true Fair Isle. I don't think my humble swatches are the right color mixes to make the residents of Fair Isles proud, but you know what? They're a start. I learned more in this one exercise, playing with my little color butterflies and the color information in Color Works, than I've learned in years of knitting and beadwork before this. I'm still not ready to do an entire Venezia of my own, but hey...these swatches would make respectable pockets on a plain cardigan, perhaps!

Download the color charts for both swatches!

Want even more knitting and knitting information? Interweave Knits's sister publication, Piecework, features knitting patterns, knitting history, and eclectic knitting techniques from all over the world. Subscribe today

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily. As you read this, Bertha-the-mannequin, Nicholas-the-husband, Buddy-the-dog, Dusty-and-Zoe-the-cats and myself are caravaning our way north to Canada. (Yes, of COURSE Bertha is coming with us!) The Camisa, worked in String of Pearls yarn from Muench (prettypretty not to mention sparklysparkly!) may or may not be done by the time I get there. (Canada countdown? 7 days till we get there!)

Sandi's Adventure in Color

KD Sandi — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:41:00 GMT

Color. Color is my enemy. I think of myself as someone who could NEVER design a Fair Isle anything, simply because of the colors. And from the comments, apparently I am not alone...color is a daunting prospect for many knitters. But that's not very Fearless Knitter of us, is it? Should we be afraid of a little thing like color? Nope. But the truth is...I am afraid of color. Petrified, in fact.

I mentioned this to a friend at work, and she laughed and said, "You just need the right tools, that's all." (Like a new brain? What?) She handed me a book and commanded me to Read It. The book is our book, Color Works, by Deb Menz, and at first I was scared, because it has words like Hue and Saturation and Hexad Harmonies in it. But then I realized...there are SWATCHES all throughout the book. (Well, OK--photos of swatches. But still.) Lovely, lovely swatches, each one illustrating what Deb is talking about. I counted. There are nearly 300 swatches--and I am an extremely visual learner. Whoo! So I went through the book, and studied the swatches...and guess what. I started to Get It. I totally get the whole Hue thing now. I understand Value. Saturation seems a bit clearer to me. Hexad Harmonies, well...not so much. (I mean, Rome wasn't built in a day, you know.)

All right, so the book is really pretty...but what about when you are faced with Actual Yarn? That's the question I ended up asking, because all those swatches were lovely, but I am clearly not Deb Menz. So I devised a little color exercise for myself...

Sandi's Yarn Color Wheel

I am, of course, packing up the entire house for our move to Canada. Just when I am positive that I have packed up my entire stash, I unearth yet one more random odd ball of yarn from some dark corner (or the linen closet). I thought, what if I used these random yarn balls, and the swatches in Deb's book, to try and figure out some of this color stuff for myself? I wasn't ready to do a whole Fair Isle thing, but I figured even I could lay those balls out in a semblance of a color wheel.

So check it out! My first color wheel. So now you ask: "And what did you learn, Dorothy?" First: I have no yellows of any sort. There is an entire pie slice of the color wheel (an entire hue family, if you will) missing from my yarns. This limits the color combinations I can create. Second: Most of the yarn colors have the same "value"--when I turn the photo into a black and white version, as in the second photo, there's a lot of dark greys in there. This means that it will be difficult to do a proper Fair Isle design, as Fair Isles depend a lot on differing values to provide contrast and visual interest. Third: While I do have differing levels of saturation (brightness/dullness), the yarns here tend to be more shaded (have more black in them) than tinted (more white). Fourth: There are a lot of complex colors here--colors which are a mix, a combination of three or more primary/secondary colors. Fifth and finally: I have a lot of analogous colors (colors next to each other on the wheel) in the red-to-blue section of the wheel, but not much else.

Look at that. Right there, I've learned five times as much as I knew before I made my little partial color wheel. I understand hue, value, saturation, complex colors and analogous colors. Whoo! Go me. (And go Deb!)

All right, so it's not exactly a Fair Isle sweater, but it's a start. Could I do a Fair Isle design with these colors, and only these colors? Well...sure. It would be a very dark design, with little or no visual contrast, so you wouldn't be able to see it from very far away. But a subtle, rather modern interpretation of a Fair Isle design? Yes. (Would I be laughed out of the Fair Isles for it? Also: Yes.)

Stay tuned, because in a future post, I will show you a Fair Isle swatch I'll make out of the colors in my yarn color wheel, using Deb's swatches as a guide.

Editor's Picks

Color Works, by Deb Menz is a superb guide to color basics and beyond. Along with the 300 swatches I mentioned above, Deb provides numerous examples using yarns, fabrics, beads, and anything else she can lay her hands on! The back of the book even has pull-out color tools you can use to plan your own projects. Purchase the book online.

Color Style, by Pam Allen and Ann Budd, is coming out in October--but you can pre-order it now! I haven't seen the book yet, but I have every other book in the Style series and love every one of them--so I'm looking forward to this one very much. The Designer Notebook at the back, with its promised tips and tricks for colorwork, is going to be worth its weight in gold, methinks. And then there's the amazing Peace and Love Gloves by Veronik Avery...wow. Check out the preview and pre-order online.

Of course you can buy our books online, but don't forget to give your local yarn shop some love--and your business!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily. I'm almost done with the front panel of the Camisa, worked in String of Pearls yarn from Muench (prettypretty not to mention sparklysparkly!). I really hope I can wear this for you before I leave for Canada, but packing is stealing my knitting time. (25 days and counting now till we move into our house in Canada!)

A Slick Way to Weave In Slippery Ends

KD Sandi — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 21:17:00 GMT

I'm literally zooming up the shoulders of the Drawstring Raglan (from Summer Knits 2008) and I only have about thirty more rows to go. It's a fun section, because each row is shorter than the last due to the raglan decreases. Whoo!

I was getting really excited about that, until I realized I had a gadzillion ends to weave in. OK, I just counted, and so far, I have 31 ends to wrangle. Eek. Weaving in ends. Not so much fun.

I've noticed a fair number of requests asking for helping with weaving in ends, particularly with yarns like this one, slick and shiny and just a bit slippery. So, let's have a little adventure in end-wrangling, shall we?

Let me preface this by saying: There are many ways to handle yarn ends. You, as Fearless Knitter, have to evaluate your particular knitting situation and choose the method that suits both your fabric and your yarn best. A method that works with a fuzzy stockinette fabric may not work as well in a slick silky lace shawl. So it's best to arm yourself with several methods, and, as the gentleman in Indiana Jones would say: "Choose wisely."

In any yarn-tail weaving situation, you have several basic objectives. You want to weave in the ends so that: (a) they are hidden from the front side of the garment, (b) they do not distort the fabric in any noticeable way, (c) they do not make a stretchy fabric less stretchy, and (d) they stay woven in.

A Method For Weaving In Silky, Slick Ends in an Open Fabric

I knit my Drawstring Raglan (Knits Summer 2008, did I say that already?) in the yarn called for in the pattern: Berroco Seduce, a shiny, half-slippery, half-rough blend of linen, silk, rayon, and nylon. The yarn is slightly thick-and-thin; for you yarn nerds, its construction is a three-ply base held together with a shiny binding thread.

The lace skirt of the jacket is made up of 5 colors distributed amongst 13 stripes; the stripes are too far apart (methinks) to carry the colors up along the edges as one might normally do in a striped fabric. Therefore, I'm going to have to weave in a bunch of ends.

Considerations: I don't want the woven-ends ends to show; I certainly do not want them to come undone. The additional consideration here is that most of the ends will be woven into a lacy, rather stretchy fabric; I do not want to destroy this property of the lace.

Here's how I manage all those silky, multicolored ends:

1. I try really, really hard to change yarns at the end of a row.
2. I tie both ends, old and new, together using a loose overhand knot, leaving about six to eight inches of both ends. (This knot is just to hold the yarns in tension while I knit; it will be undone later.)
3. I knit until several inches past the yarn change, creating enough fabric to give the area around the yarn change a bit of stability.
4. When I am ready to weave in the ends, I untie the overhand knot, and thread one of the ends through the eye of a yarn needle.

5. Working on the wrong side of the fabric, I weave the needle through the first couple of "purl bumps," up and down through each purl bump.
6. This is a lace pattern, so I do not want to run the yarn tail across any of the holes in the pattern. Instead, I make sure the thread follows the stitches already there, weaving in and out of various stitches as I go. Sometimes I go up, sometimes I go down; but I never cross over a lace "hole" and I never cross over into another color.
7. Important: I do NOT pull the yarn tail tight as I am weaving. I try to match the tension of the yarn-forming-stitches that I am weaving into.
8. Every couple of stitches, I use the needle to "split" the yarn in the next stitch I am weaving into, so that the yarn does not just go "next to" other stitches, it literally goes through them. (This will help keep the yarn from slipping out of place.)
9. After weaving in and out and through for a couple of inches, I carefully snip the yarn tail close to the wrong side of the fabric.
10. I repeat the above for the other ends in this area--however, I try to weave in other directions, in other rows, so that not all the ends are packed into a single small area.
11. Final step: I give the fabric a gentle tug in all directions in the area where the yarn was woven in, to ensure that there is still plenty of elasticity and drape in that section

This all might seem like a lot of work, but I've seen a lot of badly woven-in ends that were visible flaws in otherwise gorgeous garments. So listen to an audiobook, turn on the TV, and take some time to weave in those ends properly, and you'll save yourself from feeling like you have to make excuses later: "Oh, don't look at that part, that part didn't work out so well." Be proud of every last stitch!

Want to learn more about finishing your sweaters? The Knitter's Companion has an entire chapter on seaming, including some of the best diagrams I have ever seen. Those diagrams have saved many a seam in my sweaters (thank you, Vicki!)

Have any other tips for how to weave in ends with slippery yarns? Leave a comment!
-- Sandi

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? Shoulders of the Drawstring Raglan. What's on Sandi's spinning wheel? Awesome handpainted alpaca fiber that badly wants to become a shawl when it grows up. What's in Sandi's sink? A brand new Corriedale fleece, being scoured and rinsed!

Sweaters Don't Lose Weight With You

KD Sandi — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:02:00 GMT

The photo at left was taken about a year ago. I don't look like that any more, mostly due to a very active dog (even with three legs, he can run circles around me and my pitiful two legs) and a husband who cooks mostly vegetarian fare. I must admit, it's lovely to lose weight. What's more, it's lovely to lose enough weight that folks at work start making jokes such as, "Oh my gosh, where's the rest of you?" The compliments are unexpected and make me blush (as much as a gal with native american skin can blush!).

However, as a knitter, I now have a dilemma. Several of them actually: All the sweaters I knit for myself in past years now no longer fit me. My favorite green hemp sweater, which I wore for those first editorial portraits: too big. My purple tank, knit out of ribbon yarn for my interviews here at Interweave Press: too big. The blue crocheted jacket, the knitted blue tank top--both Too Big. And, last but not least: The Hot Tomato Salsa, which despite all its lovely bust darts and belly darts, is now Too Big.

Thank goodness I realized what was going on before I got too far on my Gathered Pullover, or I would have another Too Big sweater to add to the pile.

I've lost enough weight this time that I think it's going to stay off (mostly--can we all knock on wood here for a minute? thanks), so it's not a matter of boxing up the sweaters and waiting for the next Fat Season to come around. And, although I am a really good seamstress, I somehow cannot bear to simply run a line of stitching up each side to take things in. Besides, I've lost about four inches off of Certain Areas, so taking in a handknit sweater two inches on each side would end up destroying some of the drape, the beauty, and the lines of the original designs.

I don't think bust darts are going to help me here, Obi Wan Kenobi.

I realize that I might not be getting a lot of sympathy--most folks struggle with the opposite problem: what to do with our beloved handknit sweaters when we gain weight. However, either situation points to the same dilemma: You've put hours and hours into a beloved sweater for yourself, and now it no longer fits.

What's a knitter to do?

I can let the blue tank, the purple tank, and the blue crocheted jacket go. The Gathered Pullover and I can have yet another little do-over session (sigh). But the hemp top and the Hot Tomato...Those two sweaters are part of my knitting history. They've worked their way into my soul, becoming part of who I am as a knitter. How do you part with touchstones like those?

Maybe I ought to frame them, to hang on the wall of my new studio in Canada. Yes, it's true: Later this summer, I am moving to Canada to be with my beloved Nicholas. Oh, I'll still be your Knitting Daily Gal, no worries there, I'll just be working remotely from our new home just outside of Toronto. So stay tuned for more rolicking adventures, on both sides of the border.

Meanwhile, I'm working on the Drawstring Raglan, which thankfully, will be more forgiving of my changing figure.

So: What do you do when your beloved handknit sweaters no longer fit you? Leave a comment and let us know how you handle this common, but still painful, situation.

-- Sandi

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? Shoulders of the Drawstring Raglan. What's on Sandi's spinning wheel? Awesome handpainted alpaca fiber that badly wants to become a shawl when it grows up.

We Do The Math For You: Free Bust Dart Worksheet

KD Sandi — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:38:00 GMT

Dear AnnR of the Comments:
		Regarding Bust Dart Math: You can do this. It doesn't take a genius. It's not really hard, I promise. Maybe the way I explained it made it seem hard, so today, I came up with a worksheet (and an Excel file!) that ought to make it super-easy for anyone. (I wanted to do an online calculator, but our programmers are a bit busy right now. Maybe later?)

AH, but wait. I have to give a special shout-out to Faye, the maths teacher, whose logical tweak to the formulas made things even easier than before. All the following are done using Faye's Fab Fix. Thank you, Faye!

So, here's that little worksheet for you:

There are only FIVE SIMPLE NUMBERS YOU NEED to bring to this math party; you and your calculator then sit down and figure out FIVE SIMPLE CALCULATIONS, and you're done.

Yes, it really is as easy as that.

And because I'm just that good, I have included an Excel worksheet that does all the calculations for you. It's not as spiffy as Jason's online waist shaping calculator, but we shall get there.

THE FIVE NUMBERS YOU NEED:

Full Bust Measurement (inches) ---- A

Under Bust Measurment (inches) ---- B

Gauge, stitches per ONE inche (sts) ---- C

Total number of desired darts ---- D
(Example: If you want two darts per side, the total is four; if you want one dart per side, the total is two.)

Distance from "side seam" to nipple (inches) ---- E

THE FIVE SIMPLE CALCULATIONS:

A minus B = F [Total Decrease Amount]

F times C = G [Faye's tweak of Total Stitches To Decrease]

G divided by D = H [Total Decrease Rounds]

E minus .25" = J [Location of Center Dart; see below]

J divided by 3 = K [Location of Side Dart; see below]

NOTES:

J is the measurement in inches from side seam to Center Dart.

K is the measurement in inches from the Center Dart to the Side Dart.

H is the total number of repeats for the dartly decrease rounds.

There you go! Dartage Alert! Don't forget to download the handy Excel worksheet that does the above for you--you can even choose inches or centimeters!

-- Sandi

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? I'm zooming up the shoulders of the Drawstring Raglan. However, I took a break this week to knit a leetle gift for a friend who is getting married on Saturday. (You better not be reading this, Barb...).

Bust Dart Math!

KD Sandi — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:37:00 GMT

I guarantee that explaining this will take far longer than it will take you to actually DO the math. Plus, if I were sitting right next to you, I could show you in a nanosecond. But, we have our friend the written word to help us, so here we go: Bust Dart Math!

For a top-down in-the-round sweater, vertical bust darts are lines of decreases that take the full-bust measurement of fabric at your bust and decrease it in size until it matches the measurement under your bust. Thus, we start off with:

1. How much do you need to vertically decrease?

You'll need two measurements of your own beautiful self:
Full Bust (FB): Around your bust at its fullest part.
Under Bust (UB): Around your ribcage, just under your bust.

Now, subtract:
FB minus UB equals Total Decrease Amount (TDA).

However, we need to convert that TDA measurement to rows/rounds and stitches so we know what to knit, right?

2. How much are we decreasing in each individual dart/decrease round? And then, how many decrease rounds do we work overall?

Figure out the stitches-per-inch gauge.
Divide that gauge into four (4 divided by gauge) because we are working four decreases for each round (two bust darts each side; each dart is a line of vertical decrease stitches). The result is the Decrease Amount Per Round (DAR).
To find the number of decrease rounds: TDA divided by DAR = Total Decrease Rounds (TDR). (Hold onto that TDR number for a bit.)

3. Where do you put the dart (decrease) stitches in each round?

Remember that we are assuming a top-down sweater worked in the round. Here's how we figure out precisely where to put the dart stitches in each round:

Make sure you have marked the midpoint of each armhole on your partial sweater. This marker is at the "side seam," so to speak. We'll do all the counting/measuring in relationship to that marker, so it's pretty important.
Find this "side seam" location on yourself, too. (Go ahead, cheat: Put on a thin shirt that actually has side seams.) Measure forward from the side seam to your nipple. This measurement, side seam to nipple, we'll call N.
Try on your partially-knitted sweater, and place a safety pin (carefully...) next to the stitch closest to your nipple (by "next to," I mean on the "armhole" side of that stitch). Count the stitches from this marker to the side seam marker and you have what we'll call Total Side Stitches (TSS). (If all the math works out perfectly, then your stitches per inch gauge times your TSS should equal N, but don't stress too much about this one, because your bust may be stretching the gauge out a bit!) NOTE: Use a safety pin or a marker that looks very different from your other markers to mark the nipple stitch, because you will want to remove this one before knitting and you won't want to get confused which marker is which.

Location of the Center Dart: (On Bertha in the photo above, this dart is represented by the BLACK clip.) This dart is easy. You want it to be about .25" away from your nipple, towards the side seam. Figure out how many stitches that is (use your stitch gauge or just measure), and place another marker at that spot. Whoo! Center Dart Alert! (Now do the same thing on your other side for the other Center Dart.)

Location of the Side Dart: (On Bertha, this dart is represented by the PINK clip.) This one is a leetle more tricky, but we can handle it. There are two ways to figure out this dart: using measurements, or using actual stitch counts.

Measurement Way: N minus .25" was where we put the Center Dart, right? Well, the Side Dart is placed at the point one-third of the remaining distance from Center Dart to side seam: [N-.25] divided by three equals the distance from Center Dart to Side Dart, measuring from nipple towards the side seam. Place a marker there for the Side Dart; do this step again for your other side. (See how on Bertha the pink clip is about a third of the way between her non-existent nipple and her "side-seam"? That's what I'm talking about here.)

Stitch Count Way: For this, you have to figure out how many stitches are in the .25" you used for the Center Dart above. Got that? OK, then: [TSS minus that number] divided by three equals the number of stitches between the Center Dart and the Side Dart. Place marker and repeat on other side.

(Note: On Bertha, her pink clip is a little bit further forward than the "one-third" rule. That's because Bertha's curves are about a B or C cup; my "one-third" rule/suggestion/guideline/loosely-discussed-between-friends-number is what I used for my D/DD cups. If you did the exercise with the hair clips and the loose tee shirt, you may have your own customized measurements for the placement of the Center Darts and Side Darts. Use those. They're all about you, baby!)

4. Now, the knitting instructions:

Remove the safety pin that marked the location of your nipple. (If you leave it in, you might get confused which marker is a dart and which is your nipple. Amusing, but not very helpful.)
Starting at the first "side seam" marker, work to three stitches before the first Side Dart marker, ssk, k1, slip m.
Work to three stitches before the first Center Dart marker, ssk, k1, slip m.
Work across the center front of your sweater until you get to the other Center Dart marker, slip m, k1, k2tog.
Work to the other Side Dart marker, slip m, k1, k2tog.
Finish this round, and then work one round even.
Repeat those two rounds (one dartly decrease round and one work even round) a total of TDR times (the number you held onto in Step 1).

There.

Wow. Know what? YOU HAVE DARTAGE!! Notice that the decreases will form vertical, diagonal lines that are actually quite attractive.

An example is always better, but we've run out of space to do that today. We can do that on Friday, plus I can start answering questions then, too.

--Sandi

P.S. Have something to add to the discussion? Need to ask a question? Leave a comment! I'm not quite actually and fully back yet due to Unforseen Circumstances, but remote access is a beautiful thing.

Previous Bust Dart Posts:

The Return of The Bust Darts

Introduction to Darts: Vertical and Short-Row

Bust Dart Placement

Getting Started With Your Bust Darts: Shoulders To Bust

Getting Started With Your Darts: Shoulders to Bust

KD Sandi — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:00:00 GMT

The First Step: Choosing The Right Pattern Size

For busty gals who want to use darts to help things fit better, here's a little trick: If you want a snug(gish)-fitting sweater, you can use your high-bust measurement, instead of your full bust measurement, to choose which pattern size to make. The fabric stretches over your bustline, then you use the darts to get things back down to proper size at your underbust and waist.

How To Find Your High Bust Measurement: Wrap the tape measure around your bust, just as though you were going to take your full bust measurement. In back, keep the tape measure where it is--level with the floor. In front, move the tape measure up so that it sits right at the place where you can feel your chest wall beginning and your breast tissue ending. This is your high bust measurement.

Why this works: You know how sometimes in the department store, you end up choosing a top that will fit over your bustline, but it's too big for the rest of you? Exactly. That's because, in essence, you just chose the top to match your full bust measurement, and not your torso measurements. Your high-bust measurement is (more or less) a measurement of your upper torso circumference. If you use that to pick a pattern size, then your sweaters will fit better in the shoulder area. Note to very full-busted women: You may need to choose a number that is between your high-bust measurement and your full-bust measurement. A (very) general rule of thumb: Add one additional inch to your high bust measurement for every cup size over a D/DD, and choose a size according to that number.

Don't Forget Your Ease! Remember our ongoing discussions about positive and negative ease? When choosing a size, keep in mind how much ease you prefer. My Hot Tomato fit VERY closely; I chose a size matching my high bust measurement minus about an inch (negative ease). So be sure to consider the stretchiness of your fabric (you did a gauge swatch, right?). In the Tomato, the large gauge of the cotton yarn stretched very nicely to accommodate my full bust. (Hint: After blocking your swatch, pin it down in its unstretched state and measure. Then unpin and stretch it to just before the stitches start to look overly distorted. Pin and measure. The difference between those two numbers gives you an idea of how much the fabric will stretch without distortion.)

Will The Fabric Really Fit Over The Ladies? If you have pickeed the right size according to the above guidelines, the fabric should stretch to accommodate the bust. Of course, the magic of a top-down sweater is that you can try it on as you knit. If you find that things are getting a little tight, work some increases to give yourself and The Ladies more room to breathe.

The Second Step: Knit Shoulders to Bust

For a top-down sweater, the process should look something like this:

Cast on the required number of stitches for the size you chose in order to fit the upper chest and shoulders area properly, keeping in mind your preferred amount of ease.
Knit according to the pattern, down to the fullest part of the bust. (Try on and adjust as needed.)
Work even for about one inch past the fullest part of your bust. (Less than a C cup? Work only a half-inch past the fullest part of the bust.)
Stop. You are ready to start the darts!

Third Step: Dart Game Plan

Here's a general overview of how the darts will work:

The darts begin just under the fullest part of the bust. You don't start right at the fullest part unless you want a very pointy shape. Starting about an inch (or half-inch) down from the fullest part allows a graceful curve to develop. (We like graceful curves.)

In a top-down garment, the darts form decreases from the widest part of the bust to the underbust. In other words, you want to start with the number of stitches which fit around your full bust and then decrease down to the number that fits around your underbust. NOTE: These dartly decreases are in addition to any waist shaping you might also be working.

I worked two vertical lines of decreases on each side in order to reduce the amount of fabric--and thus the bagginess--gradually and gracefully from bust to underbust. Two lines of decreases each side means two decrease stitches each side, or four decreases total per round.

And then...

Wednesday is Formula Day.

--Sandi

Sandi Wiseheart is the founding editor of Knitting Daily. She is now the author of the popular Knitting Daily blog: What's on Sandi's Needles.

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Bust Dart Placement

KD Sandi — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Third in Our Series on Bust Darts...

For long-time Knitting Daily readers, this post might feel like a slice of deja-vu. There's some information that is just so critical to understanding how to do your own bust darts that I am borrowing some information from a post I wrote a year ago: Where The Darts Go. What the heck. It was fun the first time around, because that post was when we all first met Bertha...

Time for the Virtual Bust Dart Demo. Ready? Here we go. Yes, "we." This is an audience-participation exercise. Bertha will demonstrate, and if you want to find out more about where bust darts might work for you, grab a loose-fitting T-shirt of your own, stand in front of a mirror, and follow along. (Bertha promises it won't hurt a bit, especially if you stop now and then and wave at yourself and say "Hi, Gorgeous!" Flattery will get you anywhere, remember.)

In Photo 1, Bertha is wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt over her most comfortable, best-fitting underthings (or she would be, if she were a real woman like you and me). Note how the loose-fitting T-shirt fits her. The widest part of the shirt is at her widest parts, but the shirt falls vertically down from there, creating bagginess under her bustline. Although Bertha is a nicely curvy gal, she looks about twenty pounds heavier than she really is, because of the baggy factor. (An odd-but-true corollary: Bagginess right over a round little Buddha Belly can also make you look twenty pounds heavier. Just hold onto this thought for now.)

Bertha wants to be a member of Hot Tomato Nation, so I got some of those "jaw-style" hairclips and added them to the front of the T-shirt, pinching in the fabric so that the shirt is more fitted to Bertha's womanly curves. (See Photo 2.) The black clips are slightly off to one side of each of Bertha's "bustiest points," and the pink clips are about one-third of the distance between the black clip and the the midpoint of the armhole. (Photo 3 is a closer view from the side.)

Photo 4 is the infamous Bust Dart photo of my own Tomato-in-progress, so you can see that Bertha's black clips correspond to my innermost darts, and her pink clips correspond to my outermost darts.

The steeper your curves, the closer together the two darts should be—because the majority of the baggy fabric will be under the curviest part of you. The flatter your curves, the further apart the darts should be.

One-third of the distance between the first dart and the midpoint of the armhole is a good place for us larger-cup gals (C, D, and DD) to put the second dart of each pair. Truly gifted gals may want to consider adding an extra (third) dart (towards the armhole), whereas those with more subtle charms may want to consider having only one dart on each side.

Of course, you are your own Hot Tomato Gal, and if you do the above exercise for yourself, in front of a mirror (or even with a trusted friend and a digital camera), you’ll find out a lot about yourself and your curves, and you'll have that much more confidence when you sit down to customize your own handknits.

As for those Buddha Belly Darts: Yes, folks, I have a Buddha Belly, and I did in fact knit darts into the lower half of my Tomato in order to skim those curves oh-so-gracefully.

I bet you're wondering all kinds of knitterly stuff, like how many stitches in and how many rows and all that. Stay tuned for Dart Math.

-- Sandi

P.S. Yep, I am still out of the office, but still reading your comments from my Secret Location. Got something to say? Leave a comment!

Past Adventures of the Hot Tomato

You Asked For A Top, We Gave You A Tomato

On The Third Day, I Ripped

My Surreal Knitting Life and That Stripe

In Which The Commenters Chant: Bust Darts, Bust Darts, Bust Darts!

A Hot Tomato

Questions, Questions: The Darts and More

Increases and Decreases for Sweater Knitting

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily. What's on Sandi's mind? Knit for your heart. It will do you good.

Introduction to Darts: Vertical and Short-Row

KD Sandi — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:00:00 GMT

The now-infamous Bust DartsToday we continue our adventures into the Land of Bust Darts...

What exactly are Darts?
Darts are ways of adding (or subtracting) fabric in a small area in order to create more (or less) room in a very small, very specific area. The darts are placed so that they give more room for your curves--belly, bust, and booty all can be helped with the judicious addition of dartage.

In knitting, as in sewing, if you work a decreasing dart, you are taking away fabric: decreasing the number of stitches takes away fabric. To illustrate this with ordinary fabric: take a fold of your shirt between your fingers and pinch it closed. This makes the area around the dart smaller.

In knitting, again as in sewing, if you work an increasing dart, you are adding fabric: increasing the number of stitches adds more fabric. To illustrate this with ordinary fabric: Imagine if you were to cut up along the seam line of your pants legs, and then sew in fabric triangles between the seams of each leg. You'd end up with roomier pants legs (bell-bottoms, actually).

How do you work a dart?
There are as many different ways to work darts in knitting as there are clever knitters to invent them. But basically, more or less, you can break them up into Short-Row Darts and Vertical Darts. (Now that I have said that, you folks will come up with sixteen other kinds of darts that I don't know about.)

Differences Between Short-Row Darts and Vertical Darts

Short-row darts are formed by working partial rows to "build up" one small portion of your fabric. Thus: You can work an insert using short-row darts on the armhole side of your bust, and this will give your sweater some room for The Girls. (You may also be familiar with using short-rows to build up the back neck of a sweater, or to make sock heels. In fact...sock heels. Think about the shape of those for a minute. Little miniature bust cups, right? Exactly.) Worked horizontally, these darts add height to a small section of your sweater's bust area.

Vertical darts are worked, well, vertically. They are very similar to tailor's darts that run up and down the front of some blouses--they nip in where you need less room, and increase to give you more room where you need it. Worked vertically, these darts add/subtract width across the front (back) of the garment. In fact, they are the same idea as waist shaping, only used more dramatically. The increases and decreases in waist shaping are worked once every several rows, to make gentle curves; the increases and decreases in darts can be worked every other row (or every row) to quickly add or subtract fabric. Generally, most of us do not have very much vertical distance between bustline and underbust, so the decreases/increases have to be worked very close together--every other row/round, if not every row/round. A line of decreases/increases worked so closely together in a vertical line forms a dart.

Me and my hot Tomato in progress

Where Can You Use Darts?

Anyplace that needs extra room or extra shaping. My home-economics teacher in middle school used to say, "Girls, you are not refrigerators. Mark those darts and use them!"

Bellies: If you have a round little belly, you can work vertical increases in a top-down garment from the narrowest part of your waist down to the widest part of your belly in order to create more belly room. (For bottom up: Work decreases from the widest part of your belly up to your waist area. Note that you would want to adjust the hem cast-on stitches accordingly.)

Bottoms: If you have a voluptuous backside, work your darts as vertical increases in a top-down garment from the waist down to the widest part of your booty on the back of the sweater to create more booty room. (For bottom up: Work decreases from the widest part of your booty up to your waist. And you would want to adjust the hem cast-on stitches accordingly.)

Anywhere: If you have unusual body curves of any type, a strategically-placed dart might be just the thing to help your sweaters fit better. A rather odd example: My dog, Buddy, had to have his left foreleg amputated due to injuries sustained in Hurricane Katrina. (We're not from there, we got him as a rescue dog months after the storm.) He has a pronounced "bump" where his leg used to be. If I wanted to make him a sweater, the bump isn't big enough to be a stump (thus warranting a sleeve), but it is big enough to make a regular sweater rather ill-fitting. I could use darts to shape the Bump region, thus giving him the best custom-fitted tripod dog sweater from here to Baton Rouge. (Told you it was going to be an odd example!)

Coming up: How to figure out Where The Darts Go; Dart Math.

-- Sandi

P.S. I'm still out of the office, but I am reading comments from my Secret Location. So leave a comment and let me know if you have any questions or nifty things to say!

Past Adventures of the Hot Tomato

You Asked For A Top, We Gave You A Tomato

On The Third Day, I Ripped

My Surreal Knitting Life and That Stripe

In Which The Commenters Chant: Bust Darts, Bust Darts, Bust Darts!

A Hot Tomato

Questions, Questions: The Darts and More

Increases and Decreases for Sweater Knitting

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? Remember: It's the Week of Knitting For Your Heart. Knit what you yearn to knit, instead of what you should knit, just for this one week. (I promise, the world won't end.)

The Return of The Bust Darts

KD Sandi — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:00:00 GMT

(I know you want to hear all about my adventures with the Yarn People at TNNA, but I am going to be out of the office this entire week. Thus, I have prepared several posts for you ahead of time which I think you will enjoy...)

Today, we begin a long-awaited journey into The Land of Bust Darts. Yes, I know it has been months and months since you first asked me to help you insert vertical bust darts into your sweaters, but what can I say. Knitting Daily has been a busy place this past year. Good things, like fine wine, take time...

Okay. Never mind the excuses. Let's get on with the Bust Darts.

For those of you who were not with us when we first peeked into Bust Dart Land, allow me to summarize our adventures-to-date:

Wendy Bernard made a Tomato. (See the photo at the bottom? Adorable!)
The Tomato was published in No Sheep For You.
Knitting Daily released the Tomato as a free pattern.
Sandi decided to make herself a Tomato.
Sandi did not, however, wish to have That Stripe go across her bustline, so Sandi moved That Stripe down, so it crossed just under her bust.
In the process of moving That Stripe, Sandi inserted vertical bust darts to make pockets for her, uh, assets, thereby giving her Tomato a little added fiery spice.
Sandi nicknamed her version the Hot Tomato Salsa.

And then all heck broke loose--in the comments, anyway. Everyone wanted to know how to put vertical bust darts into their own sweaters.

And here we are...

Why The Darts?

Let's stop for a moment to note that you don't NEED to work darts into any knitted garment. Not unless you want to. Wendy's original Tomato, for example, is a lovely, soft, drapey little knitted tee shirt that is quite lovely just exactly the way it came off of Wendy's needles. However, given my shape, I had doubts about That Stripe running across my bustline, so I decided to move it. (The stripe, not my bustline. I mean, there's only so much a knitter can do.)

This is where things got interesting.

If I moved the stripe down anywhere near my waist, I would run into the increases and decreases Wendy included as waist shaping. I really did not want to mess with increasing and decreasing in the colorwork pattern, as I figured I was fussing quite enough with the pattern, thankyouverymuch. I did not need to wrangle bright orange and teal herringbone houndstooth patterns into submission as well. So I charted out the waist shaping for my size on Excel, and realized that I could fit the colorwork band right into the "work even" section of the waist shaping. No muss, no colorwork fuss! Yay! (If you don't know what I am referring to when I say the "work even" section, there's info here.)

Once I had graphed that out, I realized I had a bit of a problem on my hands. If I just knitted the shoulders and neck as written, and then plopped in That Stripe near the waist shaping, I was going to have a whole lotta extra room for The Girls up top. There was going to be so much extra fabric, in fact, that the top would look silly: fitted shoulders, loose bust, fitted waist, fitted hips.

Not exactly a Hot Tomato.

That's when I realized I needed some darts to help shape things up a bit.

You won't want to miss the next few posts. I'm going to go over vertical darts, what they are, how to use them, and of course, The Math, so you can become a Master of Vertical Dartage. (And just a note to those who think that they can skip the next few posts since they don't need bust darts: Do you have a little round belly, or do you knit for someone who has one? Then I have two words for you: Belly Darts. Maybe you have junk in the trunk? Booty Darts. Yep. Trust me. Darts are a curvy person's best friend.)

Oh, and I may be out of the office, but I'm still reading comments from wherever I am. So leave a comment and let me know if you have any questions or feedback.

-- Sandi

P.S. Some of you might be wondering why I constantly use cute little euphemisms like "The Girls" or "Booty." Well, sure it's fun, but it also helps keep these Knitting Daily emails out of your spam box; and it helps keep the whole Knitting Daily website from getting blacklisted by parental control software. Yep, I'm a silly gal, but sometimes there is also a method to my silliness.

Past Adventures of the Hot Tomato

You Asked For A Top, We Gave You A Tomato

On The Third Day, I Ripped

My Surreal Knitting Life and That Stripe

In Which The Commenters Chant: Bust Darts, Bust Darts, Bust Darts!

A Hot Tomato

Questions, Questions: The Darts and More

Increases and Decreases for Sweater Knitting

Sandi Wiseheart is the founding editor of Knitting Daily. She is now the author of the popular Knitting Daily blog: What's on Sandi's Needles.

Knit Cardigan Patterns From Knitting Daily: 7 FREE Knitting Patterns

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Announcing The Poetry Winners!

KD Sandi — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Imagine hundreds of photos of magnetic poems. Poems of all shapes and sizes and lengths; poems arranged on refrigerators, poems arranged on table tops, poems arranged on knitted scarves, poems arranged on piles of yarn.

Imagine several Interweave judges, each with their own favorites. There were spirited discussions. There was spirited waving about of printed out poetry. There was spirited reading aloud of one's favorites in order to drown out the voices of the other judges.

Yeah, baby. Whoever said poetry was for the meek and mild has never judged a poetry contest.

We finally came up with our three top prize winners, and here they are!

First Prize: Angela Lane!

All of the poems would win fame and glory, but in the end, only one poem would be immortalized in a mitten pattern for all to see. And that mitten-worthy poem--our First Prize Winner--is by Angela Lane of Vidalia, Georgia! Her poem was a hauntingly rhythmic refrain, one that could easily be the Knitter's Mantra.

Angela's poem is being worked into a custom knitting chart for a new set of Poetry Mittens; we will have one of our knitters here knit up the mittens and send them to her as soon as they are done. The pattern will be available for sale in the Knitting Daily store as soon as all that is done.

Second Prize: Staci Perry

Second Prize goes to...Staci Perry of Austin, Texas. Staci's poem was a lovely, succinct, rhythmic poem that spoke to our hearts and our shared passion for the craft.

Third Prize: Denise Lotter

On to our Third Place Winner! This poem, by Denise Lotter of Anaheim Hills, California, is the best of the many haiku we received.

Fourth Prize: Debra Warstler (Best Presentation)

The judging was pretty heated, even when we had narrowed it down to just a few. In order to appease certain, uh, factions (namely, the person who kept ending every sentence with "But the SHEEP poem, that one is soo cute that it has to win something. C'mon, folks: the SHEEP poem!!") we added a fourth prize winner in a special category: Presentation.

And Fourth Prize, the prize for Best Presentation, went to the prettiest-to-look-at-poem, which is entitled "Sheep" and is by Debra Warstler of Canton, Ohio.

Congratulations to Angela, Staci, Debra and Denise! You should be very proud of yourself, considering how tough the competition was. And thank you to all the poets who participated, making this such a fun contest to judge!

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My Very Own Fair Isle Swatches

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A Slick Way to Weave In Slippery Ends

Sweaters Don't Lose Weight With You

We Do The Math For You: Free Bust Dart Worksheet

Bust Dart Math!

Getting Started With Your Darts: Shoulders to Bust

Knit Cardigan Patterns From Knitting Daily: 7 FREE Knitting Patterns

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Bust Dart Placement

Past Adventures of the Hot Tomato

Introduction to Darts: Vertical and Short-Row

The Return of The Bust Darts

Knit Cardigan Patterns From Knitting Daily: 7 FREE Knitting Patterns

Download Your Free eBook Today

Announcing The Poetry Winners!

Want a Fearless Knitter Tee Shirt? Announcing The Knitting Daily Cafe Press Store!

Go Shopping At The Knitting Daily Cafe Press Store!