Knitting Daily : Knitting Daily TV, Scarf Knitting Patterns, Knitting Techniques

Ruffles: The perfect birthday treat

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 13:00:00 GMT


	Angora from my stash: Fleece Artist Peter Rabbit

It's my birthday today and I feel like a little something girly. Ruffled angora scarf? Yes, please!

I have a skein of Fleece Artist Peter Rabbit in my stash and I've been looking for the perfect pattern to show it off. It's the most beautiful pinkish-red; I got it on a yarn crawl in Portland, Oregon a couple of years ago and every time I visit it my stash I'm sad to see it still in the skein and not knit up into a beautiful, fluffy knitted accessory.

Laura Bryant and Barry Klein from Trendsetter Yarns filmed a segment on Knitting Daily TV about how to knit ruffles, and Laura's Ruffled Scarf is a beautiful, feminine scarf that seems custom-made for my yarn.

The pattern is deceptively simple, too. You start by increasing in every stitch in the first row, in most of the stitches in the second row, and then you knit several rows straight.

Then you pick up stitches in the cast-on row and repeat the process. The resulting poof of ruffles is so lovely, especially in angora.


Ruffled Scarves by Laura Bryant of Trendsetter Yarn

My Peter Rabbit is slightly finer than the Trendsetter Angora that the pattern calls for, so I'll either run it with a sport weight yarn, decide to have a smaller scarf, or cast on more stitches to make it longer and knit more straight rows on each side to make it wider.

Angora is one of those polarizing fibers; people seem to love it or hate it. There are some drawbacks to angora, for sure, like how it can shed and make you sneeze (and cover your clothes with fibers!) but it's also so soft you can barely feel it! It whispers along the skin, providing softness, warmth, and coziness. I, for one, love it.

As my birthday gift to you, here's the Ruffled Scarf Pattern, for free! This scarf would look beautiful in just about any yarn, too, so don't hesitate to try it if you don't have angora on hand. Just check your stash for a yarn that knits up on size ten needles; a variegated yarn would be beautiful.

And in cast you haven't heard, there's a new season of Knitting Daily TV coming up! Here's a preview of the first episode, Needle Art Trends.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

It's going to be a fun season! Check your local PBS listings to see when Knitting Daily TV airs in your area, or if you're chomping at the bit, buy the entire season on DVD now! As you can see from the preview, the new season is full of wonderful stuff! Learn how to knit all kinds new patterns and use new techniques. I can't wait!

Cheers,

An All New Season of Fiber Television: Do the Math

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 12:00:00 GMT


Eunny demonstrates wrapped stitches, which can be used in handknits for a cinched waistline like in the tank pictured here.

Host Eunny Jang joins Mathew Gnagy, author of the upcoming Sideways Knitting book to talk about structural knitting.

What a novel idea! Kt Baldassaro shows Shay a fun scarf project that allows you to play with different yarns for a fun final project.

Knitting Daily TV Series 700 is hosted by Eunny Jang and experts Kristin Omdahl and Shay Pendray.

A note from Kathleen: One of my knitting buddies broke her wrist earlier this summer, and she can't knit until September! The horror. She was going through knitting withdrawal so I lent her season 6 of Knitting Daily TV. She was so happy being able to take part in her craft even with her wrist in a cast. She took a bunch of notes about projects she wanted to knit and tips she wanted to practice once her wrist was back to normal. She also ordered her own copies of Knitting Daily TV on CD so she could watch them whenever she wanted.

There's a new season coming up, and I invited Annie Bakken, associate producer, to give you the rundown.

Knitting Daily TV Is Back for Season 7!

As associate producer of Knitting Daily TV, I'm excited to bring you what I think is the best tips and techniques series we've produced so far. To prove the educational value of this season, I thought I'd break it down into numbers.

13 in-depth technique segments: Host of Knitting Daily TV (and editor of Interweave Knits magazine) Eunny Jang begins each episode with a knitting tutorial. This season showcases knitting socks with the magic loop method, an overview of knitted felt, how to fix handknits that fit poorly, unique wrapped stitch techniques, bind-off methods, and lots more.

7 star designers: Invite novelty yarn specialist KT Baldassaro into your fiber studio to add beads to a summer tank. Guest appearances by fan-favorites Laura Bryant and Barry Klein touch on proper ways to measure for knitting and how to add knitted ruffles to your work. Other guests include the Helping Hands Foundation's Penny Sitler, celebrity knitter Deborah Norville, new author Mathew Gnagy, and more.

13 Chain Reaction Afghan Project crochet-alongs: For crocheters out there, each episode brings crochet expert Kristin Omdahl and editor of Interweave Crochet magazine Marcy Smith together to discuss and make the Chain Reaction Afghan Project. A collaborative afghan of 20 squares from well-known and up-and-coming designers, this afghan has a vast amount of crochet techniques from simple to quite complicated.

13 quick-tips from Eunny Jang: Each episode of Knitting Daily TV ends with a quick-tip from Eunny, all which are simple to master and ingenious for making your knitting nightmares disappear. Learn how to finish your projects with whipstitch, baseball, or mattress stitch; knit-on edgings; custom toggles; and learn how to weave in your ends in intarsia knitting; keep track of your knitting using stitch markers; and much more.

10 patterns: As always, with each series of Knitting Daily TV free pattern downloads are available on the website KnittingDailyTV.com so you can knit and crochet along with the cast and crew. For the beginning knitters, there's a fun cabled scarf that incorporates novelty yarns (the pattern will be available for download July 21, 2011). For the more advanced knitter, there's Mathew Gnagy's Bethany Cardigan, which you can download in September, that derives its shape from sideways knitting techniques. And for the crocheters, there's a beautiful crocheted shawl and a complete 20-square afghan; both patterns are available this month.

23+ tips: Knitting Daily TV Series 700 also includes free tips and technique downloads on the website. Print out a schematic chart for proper measurements as well as 22 other tips from designers.

2 bonus segments: The 4-DVD set of Knitting Daily TV 700 includes two bonus tutorials with host Eunny Jang. This season she discusses Fair Isle and short-row knitting. The DVD is available online, so get your copy now!

All in all, I hope these numbers prove that this season of Knitting Daily TV is sure to increase your yarn knowledge. We hope you'll tune into the show on your local Public Television station this month, and visit us online at KnittingDailyTV.com.

Cheers,

Discover a New Technique: Entrelac!

Kathleen Cubley — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:00:00 GMT


	The Basic Entrelac Scarf by Lisa Shroyer

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.

Also called patchwork knitting, basketweave knitting, or birch-bark patterning, entrelac can stand on its own in garter or stockinette stitch, or it can provide an interesting framework for other texture or color-work techniques.

I've had this technique on my knitting bucket list for several years now, but I haven't tackled it.

I recently got my Knitting Daily TV Series 500 DVDs, though, and host Eunny Jang did a "Getting Started" segment on entrelac. So I've put together a sort of technique knit-along because I'm following these exact instructions to knit The Basic Entrelac Scarf by Lisa Shroyer.

To begin the journey, take a look at Eunny's entrelac video tutorial at left. It's a great visual how-to, which always helps me immensely. (There's also a bonus in-depth tutorial on entrelac in addition to this getting started segment, only available on the KDTV DVDs!)

Anyway, Lisa wrote her pattern based on an entrelac Back to Basics article from Interweave Knits, also by Eunny. I'm excerpting the article here, with a link at the end of the excerpt to the entire article.

As Lisa says in her directions, the scarf project is a great way to practice your entrelac skills—and end up with a beautiful scarf!

Entrelac: Basic Principles
Entrelac fabric's series of tilted blocks are worked one at a time in tiers. Within a tier, blocks are worked in the same direction, either right to left or left to right. Each tier of blocks builds upon the one below it. Individual blocks are worked by picking up stitches along the selvage of a block from the tier below and working stitches of the growing block together with live stitches from the top edge of the next block below. To produce a piece with straight rather than pointed edges across the bottom and top, the first and last tiers must consist of rows of triangular half-blocks. For straight vertical edges, every other tier of a flatworked entrelac piece begins and ends with a triangle. Individual blocks may be worked over any number of stitches, and a piece may have any number of individual blocks. In all cases, each block contains twice as many rows as it does stitches.

Though the basic entrelac technique has several variations, the following method produces tidy results. When you practice entrelac for the first time, try working every other tier of blocks in a different color to emphasize the basketweave effect and to make it easier to identify the blocks and live stitches of each tier.

Note: When you work the first stitch of every row, you can slip it for a tidy pick-up edge, but be aware that you will lose some elasticity in the knitted piece.

Base Triangles (RS facing to begin)
Cast on 24 sts (or use any multiple of 8, the number of sts in each block in this sampler), using a loose cast-on such as the knitted cast-on (see box).
Row 1: (RS) K2, turn.
Row 2: (WS) P2, turn.
Row 3: K3, turn.
Row 4: P3, turn.
Row 5: K4, turn.
Row 6: P4, turn.
Row 7: K5, turn.
Row 8: P5, turn.
Row 9: K6, turn.
Row 10: P6, turn.
Row 11: K7, turn.
Row 12: P7, turn.
Row 13: K8, do not turn. The first base triangle has been completed.

With the RS still facing, the right selvage edge of the just-worked triangle forms the right side of the triangle, the 8 live sts on the needle form the left side, and the cast-on row forms the base. Repeat Rows 1-13 until all cast-on stitches have been worked. If you began with 24 sts, there will be three 8-st triangles on the needle ( Figure1).

Figure 1

Note: All figures show knitting with needle removed.

First Tier of Blocks (WS facing to begin)
Cast on 24 sts (or use any multiple of 8, the number of sts in each block in this sampler), using a loose cast-on such as the knitted cast-on (see box). Read more...

What do you think? Are you up to entering the world of entrelac with me?

Cheers,

P.S. Don't forget to check out the new season of KDTV! And if it's not on your PBS station, be sure and order the complete series on DVD.

Knitting Tech: Reversible Cables and the Rivulet Scarf

Kathleen Cubley — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 15:23:00 GMT

When I see an Aran sweater my heart skips a beat. Oh, how I want to knit one of those beautiful, heavily cabled and patterned beauties. I've seen so many variations of the Aran sweater, but one of my favorites is this lovely cardigan jobbie--the Pewter Coat. I'm thinking of making this in the fall, but the Central Park Hoodie is next on the list, so the Pewter Coat will be second (or maybe third after a scarf that I just bought yarn for. . .). I guess the Central Park Hoodie is sort of an Aran project, though, with all of those cable sections.

And Another Thing About Cables . . .

I've been bombarding you with info on how to knit cables, and this post is no exception! In the new issue of Knits, there's a fab scarf by Rebecca Daniels, the Rivulet Scarf (click here for the free pattern) which is a wonderful cabled piece that looks great on both sides--something you don't see often in a cabled scarf. In fact, I once knit a cabled scarf project and did one end frontwards and one end backwards so that when I wrapped the scarf around my neck both of the cable fronts showed. I knit half of the scarf and then reversed the pattern so I was knitting the right side rows on the wrong side. I'm nothing if not determined!

I think you'll agree with me that most knitters love a well-placed cable, and with the reversible Rivulet Scarf, you don't have to go to drastic lengths like I did to get a cabled scarf to look good on both sides. (If you're new to cabling, see this Knitting Daily post for a basic cable video tutorial).

In most cabled projects, the cables are placed next to sections of stockinette stitch, reverse stockinette stitch, seed stitch, or some other background. This is necessary to make the cables stand out; if your cables are in stockinette and the background of the project is also stockinette, the cables blend a bit. (Some patterns call for this, but it's usually not the norm in cabled projects.) Because of this patterning, cabled projects are NOT reversible. In fact, the wrong side looks just plain weird--the cable crossings look like lumps in the fabric and it's obvious that you're looking at the back of the patterned panels (unless they're seed stitch or some other reversible pattern).

Making cables reversible uses one of those techniques that when you see what it is, you say, "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" All you do is knit the cable in 1 X 1rib--there's no right or wrong side, just like in any 1 X 1 rib project: a waistband, cuffs, a collar, or even a whole ribbed sweater. You can't really see the rib on a reversible cable--you have to stretch it out to see the purls--but it makes a really dense, warm fabric. The 1 X 1 rib naturally pulls in on itself, hiding the purls, (which are actually the knitted stitches that show on the back of the scarf) and that's the magic of the reversible cable.

This scarf is a great knit for many reasons, but one of them is that the gauge--worsted weight on size 9 needles--makes it a really fast and rewarding project. Use the called-for yarn or try something with a little sheen--maybe a silk if you want a "cooler" scarf, or even a sock yarn for a finer guage. You can use any gauge for this pattern, you'll just have to cast on more stitches if you use a finer yarn.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

We feature the Rivulet Scarf on Knitting Daily TV this season, as an example of how to knit reversible cables. Here's that segment, with Eunny Jang, editor of Interweave Knits, showing you how to knit a reversible cable.

(Please visit the site to view this media)

This clip is from Knitting Daily TV episode 301, which airs on your public television station. Click here to order the DVDs, or here to get a programming schedule. And click here to see more than 30 new free patterns from series 300 of KDTV!

Happy cabling!

--Kathleen

P.S. Check out the new Inside Knits and Inside Knitscene blogs!

Knit Cardigan Patterns From Knitting Daily: 7 FREE Knitting Patterns

Every knitter has dreamed of the perfect cardigan pattern that he or she might knit some day. From a cozy cable knit to luminous lace, this free ebook will be your dream come true. This is a wonderful and varied collection of cardigans-which is one of the most important pieces in your wardrobe. You'll want to make every one of these knit cardigan patterns, so download your free eBook now and get started (and don’t forget to tell a friend so they can enjoy their own copy!).

Download Your Free eBook Today

Two Freebies! Entrelac Tutorial and Easy Entrelac Scarf Pattern

KD Sandi — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:36:00 GMT

One of the best entrelac tutorials I've ever seen is the Beyond the Basics article written by Eunny Jang in the Spring 2007 issue of Interweave Knits. Since entrelac can be a bit tough to explain, here's an excerpt from that article:

Entrelac fabric's series of tilted blocks are worked one at a time in tiers. Individual blocks may be worked over any number of stitches, and a piece may have any number of individual blocks.

In all cases, each block contains twice as many rows as it does stitches. Though the basic entrelac technique has several variations, the method described in this article produces tidy results.

When you practice entrelac for the first time, try working every other tier of blocks in a different color to emphasize the basketweave effect and make it easier to identify the block and live stitches of each tier.

Note: When you work the first stitch of every row, you can slip it for a tidy pickup edge, but be aware that you will lose some elasticity in the knitted piece.

In fact, that whole article is so good that here it is as a free Friday treat for all you nice Knitting Daily members:

Free download! Eunny Jang's Beyond the Basics: Entrelac Knitting Block by Block

Free pattern: Entrelac Scarf for Beginners
from Lisa Shroyer, editor of Knitscene

If you’re new to entrelac and need a basic pattern to get started, you’re in luck! I just started an easy scarf and thought it would make a great beginner entrelac project. I made up the instructions based on Eunny Jang’s Beyond the Basics article on entrelac, so if you have that article, following the pattern will be a good exercise.

You’ll see I haven’t finished the scarf, but it’s such a quick knit I should be able to complete it before the weather changes here in the Northeast. Enjoy!

Download Lisa's Easy Entrelac Scarf Pattern
.

And a final entrelac tip from Lisa:

When picking up stitches along the selvedge of a block, try to pick up the first and last stitches as close to the ends of the block as possible—i.e., pick up stitches in the “corners” as much as possible, to avoid holes in those corners between blocks.

Look for another lovely beginner-level entrelac pattern in the new Winter 2008/Spring 2009 issue of Knitscene--the Orchid Wrap, by Cecily Glowik Macdonald.

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

-- Lisa Shroyer
editor of Knitscene magazine

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

Have a knitting or crochet question? Ask the experts!

One of our favorite features on the Knitting Daily TV show is the segment called "You Asked It" where hosts Eunny Jang, Kim Werker, Liz Gipson, and Shay Pendray answer questions from our viewers. (That's YOU!)

So get your questions ready, because we're getting ready to tape the all-new third season of Knitting Daily TV!

Do you wonder how to work the Kitchener stitch in a cabled pattern? Do you want to know how to weave in ends properly? Want to know which yarn is best for the longest-wearing mittens? Ask Knitting Daily TV!

Send us your questions, and our producers might just choose yours to answer on the air!

Questions can be emailed to YouAskedIt@knittingdailytv.com.

Sandi Wiseheart is the founding editor of Knitting Daily. You can find her blogging here on Knitting Daily every Thursday. Want more? Visit Sandi's personal blog, wiseheart knits. Or, if you're on Twitter, follow her tweets: alpacasandi.

Love The Yarn You're With

KD Sandi — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:10:00 GMT

Note from Sandi: In the U.S., it is National Spinning and Weaving Week (October 4-10). Since every one of the lovely yarns we use is made by a spinner (somewhere...), I asked spinner and weaver Liz Gipson (yes, she of the cashmere goats!) to come back and talk to us about how to substitute a yarn you love for the one specified in the pattern. Liz talks about spinning her own yarn, but the wraps per inch method she describes here can be used with any yarn in your stash, or on the shelves of your local yarn shop. Heeeerree's Liz!

To celebrate Spinning and Weaving Week, Sandi picked a present for you—a free scarf pattern—and then challenged me to spin yarn for a handspun version. Her selection is a knitted ribbed scarf with a crocheted edging adapted by Ann Budd from Weldon's Practical Needlework for Piecework magazine.

Unlike a shaped garment, a scarf is pretty forgiving. I suspect that most of you who are reading this post knit better then you spin. Rather than worry about creating (or finding) a yarn that fits the pattern, why not adapt the pattern to fit the yarn?

To put this concept to the test, I set myself a little challenge. I didn't look at the pattern specifics just snuck a peak of the photo to get a feel of the project. Then I proceeded to pluck a luscious medium brown Alpaca top (top=combed fiber) from my stash and got to work. I set about spinning with nothing in mind other than spending a sunny afternoon on my back porch—periodically "chatting" with the goats. They bleat and I say something in reply. Then the cat chimes in. . . The result was 5 ounces of yarn or 187 yards. Now the million dollar question: What size needles do I need?

Wraps per Inch

There is no way around it--you are going to have to knit a swatch. You could guess what needles size to use, but I'm pretty sure you won't be as happy with the results.

How to determine wraps per inch: To judge the approximate weight of your yarn, wrap it around the space of an inch using a ruler or an inch gauge. The strands should be touching, but not overlapping. Don’t pull the yarn too tightly when you wrap. You want the yarn to be relaxed so that it will be a good measure of how it will act in the knitted cloth.

Years ago Spin-Off magazine compiled this extraordinarily handy chart for plain yarns. These numbers are compiled from a number of sources and from the experience of the editors, none of which precisely agree! Use them as rough estimates only.

Yarn Style	Wraps per Inch	Gauge stitches/inch	Needle size US	Needle size Metric
Lace	18+	8+	00–2	2–3 mm
Fingering	16	6–8	2–4	2.75–3.5mm
Sport	14	5–6 1/2	4–6	3.5–4.5 mm
Worsted	12	4–5	7–9	4.5–6
Bulky	10	3–4	10–11	6–7.5
Very Bulky	8 or fewer	2–3	13–15	8–9mm

My yarn measures 13 wraps per inch, placing it in the worsted to sport range. By using the chart I surmised that a good starting place would be to use either a size 6 or 7 needle. I started with a 7 and knitted, washed, and blocked a 4-inch stockinette swatch. I concluded that the hand--the feel of the fabric--was a little stiff so I moved to a larger needle. The dark brown scarf-in-progress (top photo) is made using a size 8 needle. It was perfect. How ironic is it that the pattern calls for this needle size!

But wait, my yarn did not produce the same gauge—isn't yarn fickle! This is probably because my yarn is much denser than the yarn in the pattern. I could either decided to cast on few stitches or follow the pattern exactly or to create a wider scarf. I went with the latter.

In Summary: Spin; Measure w.p.i (wraps per inch); Swatch; Swatch again; Start knitting!

A Final Note: Every knitter who wants to spin has to get Ann Budd's The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns. You will simply never have to fret that your yarn won't work in any of these patterns. Ann's clever system is based on the same philosophy above—if you can't create the yarn you need, love the yarn you make.

--Liz Gipson
past managing editor of Spin-Off magazine
co-host of Knitting Daily TV

YARN SUBSTITUTION TIP FOR KNITTERS (those who aren't spinners!)

You can use the wraps per inch method with yarns you already have in your stash to help you determine needle size, gauge, and yarn "weight." In the back of each issue of Interweave Knits (as well as Interweave Crochet) is a page called Sources for Supplies that lists the wraps per inch information for the yarn specified in the pattern. You can compare this number to the wraps per inch of yarns you have on hand--or that beautiful yarn you couldn't resist buying at your local yarn shop--as an aid in yarn substitution.

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? Still seaming, seaming. I am stitching up the Camisa, and weaving in the ends. And yes, even I have to rip out a seam a time or two until I am satisfied with the way it looks. I had to rip the side seam three times....