Knitting Daily : Men

Knitting for Men: Modifying the Brick Pullover

KD Sandi — Tue, 06 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Kathy Zimmerman's Brick Pullover on T.J.

You folks are such a hoot. All day yesterday, folks around the office were quoting your comments on Monday's Men of Interweave Gallery to each other. I am pleased to announce that the comments included our very first Knitting Daily proposal of marriage (an arranged marriage, but still); and many, many exclamations of admiration for our four male models.

I must say, there was quite a lot of giggling here.

Modifications for the Brick Pullover

Now, down to serious business. You asked some great questions about modifying the Brick Pullover from the Summer 2008 issue of Knits, so let me try to give you some hopefully great answers!

Can you show us a photo of this sweater on a woman? Sure. I've added a photo of me-wearing-The-Brick, plus the usual commentary, to the Brick Pullover Gallery.

The neck looks as though it is being pulled down too low in the back. Adrienne B. and Terrie R. both asked if it would be possible to add some short-row shaping (a la Elizabeth Zimmermann) in the back to remedy this.

On this particular sweater, you cannot add short-rows horizontally across the back "yoke," as each shoulder/yoke section is worked from side to center, as an extension of the sleeves, not from the bottom up or top down. (Read through the construction notes at the top of the Gallery page; you will see that there is a vertical seam connecting both shoulder pieces at center back.)

You could, however, work fewer bind-off rows when shaping the back neck. So for example, in the pattern, at Shape Back Neck, work to the point where it tells you to "bind-off 2 sts at back neck edge three times." If you "bind off 2 sts at neck edge" only twice, then you have two additional columns of stitches that run the full length across the back neck, raising the back neck by the width of two stitches.

The back neck section

And Now: The Question of Beer Bellies

Sharon H. asks: "My husband has a rather large belly. I know what to do for women's shaping, but I can never find anything about different men's shapes. Any hints?"

Well, men are just human beings, after all. Bodies are just bodies, right? And a beer belly is just one sort of curve, yes? All right then. Although shaping for men is non-traditional, perhaps this is one tradition it is time to let go of, in the interests of better-fitting clothing for all you wonderful men out there, knitters or no.

If you were knitting for a woman with a large belly, you'd add short rows, or increase/decrease to give some waist shaping, for example. However, for a sweater like this one with a distinct pattern over the belly, you can't really add short-rows (regardless of whether you were knitting it for a man or for a woman). The pattern stitch is "in the way," so to speak; the short-rows would show. You cannot add "belly darts" here for the same reason.

Since the Brick Pullover is worked hem upwards, what about casting on the number of stitches corresponding to beer-belly-plus-ease, then working decreases on the way up (at the sides, where they won't show), so that when you get to the chest area, the stitch count is closer to manly-chest-plus-ease?

Bertha says rust is not her color...

Yes, this is the same sort of math one does for waist shaping, so you could even use the Waist Shaping Calculator, I suppose. Differences: You aren't working an hourglass; you'd want the shaping to be gradual and subtle; the narrowest part isn't necessarily the waist; and you (probably...) won't be increasing back up to accommodate a "bust." Other than that: It's Just Math. We've talked about fearlessly using our shaping skills for women's sweaters; why shouldn't we use our knitterly math skills to make men's sweaters more comfortable and flattering, too?

And finally, my favorite comment:

What, no Bert? Bertha must be lonely! (Laura S.)

Welll..Bertha really wants to focus on her career right now, so I'm not sure she's ready for a boyfriend. However, I have been thinking about getting Bertha a "big sister" once the budget allows...

Do you have any questions or suggestions about adjusting this sweater to fit yourself or someone you love? Leave a comment!

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

You've been asking for Fearless Knitter tee shirts—now we have them! Visit the Knitting Daily Cafe Press Store for Knitting Daily and Fearless Knitter tee shirts, hats, messenger bags, tote bags, bumperstickers, mugs, and and all sorts of goodies. We even have baby bibs that say "I'm gonna be Knitting Daily!" and tee shirts for your dog. Have a suggestion for a Knitting Daily saying or image we could add to the store? Let us know!

Go Shopping At The Knitting Daily Cafe Press Store!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? With a couple of projects marinating in the Naughty Corner, I went back to knitting socks. When all else fails, knit socks.

Finally: A Gallery With Men In It!

KD Sandi — Sun, 04 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Today, I am pleased to present to you: The Men of Interweave, wearing Kathy Zimmerman's Brick Pullover.

Aaron in his red carpet moment

It was much easier to get the guys to pose for gallery photos than I thought it would be. I had imagined having to promise free pizza; but Mark, T.J., Aaron, and Eric were actually a bit excited about being included. (Aaron kept talking about his moment of stardom and how it might lead to "bigger things." I felt badly about that—I mean, this is a knitting site. It's not like there are casting directors scanning our galleries for the next Harrison Ford. Sorry, Aaron. But if anyone knows Ryan Seacrest or Simon Cowell, could you please give them a ring on Aaron's behalf? Thanks.)

More men are knitting than ever before, and it's been pointed out to me that I tend to address only the women knitters, leaving the guy knitters feeling a bit slighted. So, men, this time, it's all you. Women, I know you want to knit for the guys in your life, so please change the pronouns as appropriate.

You men knitters have it easier in terms of getting your knits to fit. For one thing, you do not have to ever worry about inserting bust darts. (Big plus right there, as far as this busty gal is concerned.) You generally do not wear your clothing with negative ease, so again, you don't have to do things like waist shaping and tummy darts and all that.

However, for men-who-knit and those who knit-for-men, there are four things to watch for in terms of fit: overall ease, hem length, sleeve length, and shoulder width.

Ease: The more clothing you like to wear underneath, the more ease you will need, so ease preferences can vary from summer to winter. Guys, go into your closet and measure several of your favorite sweaters to get an idea of how much ease you prefer.

Hem and sleeve length: These are rather individual choices. My husband, who has extremely long arms, likes his sweater cuffs extra-long—to the base of his thumb, actually. So again, measure yourself, measure what's in your closet, and knit accordingly.

Shoulder width: If the sweater's shoulder width (across the back of the shoulders) is not wide enough, you will have trouble moving your arms comfortably. Again, get out that measuring tape and go explore your closet.

Everyone had a lot of fun with this Gallery; I hope you enjoy it, too!

—Sandi

View the Brick Pullover Gallery

List of all past Gallery pages

Stay tuned: We'll be announcing the winners of the Knitting Daily Poetry Contest later this week! Hundreds of entries left our judges fighting for their favorites; we finally have the results!

We love to hear what you think! Really. Would I lie to you?

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? With a couple of projects marinating in the Naughty Corner, I went back to knitting socks. When all else fails, knit socks.

It's Summer Preview Time!

KD Sandi — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:00:00 GMT

The daffodils are blooming, the lilacs are blossoming, and that means it's time for the Knits 2008 Summer Preview! (We want you to have your summer knitting well in hand before the REAL heat starts, you see.)

Who better to introduce the next issue of Interweave Knits than the editor herself: Eunny Jang!

from left: Elinor Tunic, Roped Shell, Drawstring Raglan

Eunny Jang Presents: The Knits 2008 Summer Preview

If there's a downside to editing Interweave Knits, it's that new issues no longer come as a pleasant surprise. By the time I actually get my hands on a finished magazine—as desk copies, now, not as a sudden treat in the mailbox—I'm already intimately familiar with it, having shed sweat and tears (and occasionally blood—paper cuts!) over every word and photo in it. By the time an issue becomes a paper-and-ink, tangible thing, the Knits staff has already been thinking about and working on it for the better part of a year.

We do get excited when the previews go up, though. This is our first chance to see what people think of our hard work—to live the new issue thrill vicariously, through our readers.

The Summer 2008 issue, which hits newsstands May 13, has a little bit of everything. We know it can be tough to find great things to knit in the hot months, so we've assembled a collection of projects that hit all the sweet spots of summertime knitting: simple, quick knits; lacy things; cool fibers; easy silhouettes. It's not your same-old same-old, though: This year, we're revisiting summer knits with a special focus on color. That can (and does) mean a lot of things: stranded colorwork accents, allover slip-stitch knitting, intarsia motifs, even single solid colors we found inspiring. All the projects are light and airy, with a little something special.

from left: Wallis Cardigan, Brick Pullover, Gossamer Stars Scarf

Some projects highlight how minimalist color lets pattern and line take center stage: Take a look at how Wendy Bernard's ELINOR TUNIC makes a mosiac pattern pop by using complementary shades, or Margery Winter's DRAWSTRING RAGLAN uses one unexpected stripe to liven up a classic shape.

Angela Hahn uses color and stitch structure together to create an intriguing fabric and a drapey silhouette in the ROPED SHELL. Melissa Werhrle's WALLIS CARDIGAN punches up beautiful details and clean, classic lines with a surprising, look-at-me solid. Kat Coyle's GOSSAMER STARS SCARF highlights simple lace stitches with a glossy, ever-so-slightly variegated silk. And Kathy Zimmermann's BRICK PULLOVER makes an unusual construction shine by working it in a subtle chilly-night-at-the-beach rust color.

Color can make a big impact, or act as a flattering backdrop. It can change the look and feel of a knitted project more completely than any other alteration; it truly can make a garment yours. As you enjoy the new issue, think about your ideal colors—have fun!

— Eunny Jang
Editor, Interweave Knits magazine

View the Interweave Knits Summer 2008 Preview!

Free Pattern: Confectionary Tank by Deborah Newton

Eunny and I thought you needed a little treat while you waited for the Summer issue...so here is the Confectionary Tank, a fun and richly colored tank top by Deborah Newton. The stitching is easier than it looks—the mosaic texture is created with an eight-row slip-stitch pattern that helps mix and coordinate the seven bright colors of silk. Minimal finishing means you'll be of to that beach party in no time. Enjoy!

This pattern will be available only until July 31st, so be sure to download your copy now!

So, what do you think of the Summer garments? Let us know!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? We had a long meeting here yesterday, so I now have 3" done on the New Skinnier Gathered Pullover. Hooray for meetings where you can knit!

Survey Results: The Sweater Men Want

KD Sandi — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Could this be the ultimate guy sweater?

I just never know what I am going to get when I post a survey here on Knitting Daily. It's always a little scary—will anyone answer? Will people think the questions are dumb? Will I end up having to make up the results because I only got six responses, and five of those were from folks wanting to sell me things I can't talk about on a family website?

Fortunately, you folks are extremely generous with both your time and your thoughtful replies. In particular, I'm tickled to death that a whopping 52% of the folks who filled out the survey (What do men want in a handknit sweater?) were non-knitting men.

Non-Knitting Gentlemen: I thank you. What stars you are to take time away from whatever else you were doing to follow your spouse, your daughter, your sister, the total stranger in the next cubicle, over to the computer to answer my little survey. Your contribution to the greater good of knitting is deeply appreciated.

OK, heeerrre we go!

What Men Want In A Sweater

The Perfect Men's Sweater is a long-sleeved pullover (80%), without a hood (64%). It is dark in color (90%), preferably solid blue (82%). It has minimal texture (68%), although something subtle, such as a bit of ribbing, is acceptable (58%).

Cables were a popular second option (46%). Second choice color was black (76%), followed by brown (72%). Charcoal grey was a big write-in winner (how I managed to leave that one off my color list is beyond me). Heathers and tweeds had very respectable followings, as did forest green. Camoflauge and sports team colors were also mentioned a number of times, as were (curiously) puce, lime green, and pastel pink.

Perfect on all counts: The Cobblestone

(Puce? C'mon, guys. What's up with the puce thing?)

One gentleman badly wanted a flourescent green or yellow sweater, but was concerned about the possibility of divorce if he pushed too hard in his request. Several other men also mentioned that their wives were very, um... influential... in their color choices. (Perhaps marriage license applications need to include color preferences as part of the questionnaire?)

Other interesting bits:

• Yellow, orange, and bright colors each got a 10% vote share.
• Pastels were favored by less than 6%.
• 39% said they would like "a little bit of bright color".
• 45% liked beige/cream/white; 34% liked red; 15% purple.
• Cardigans were favored by 30%; pullover vests, 14%; zippered or button-up vests, 8%.
• 8% did not like to wear any kind of sweater or vest at all.

As mentioned above, 52% of those who answered were non-knitting males. 11% were male knitters; 38% were women answering on behalf of someone male. 28% were age 30 to 39; more than 130 were under the age of 20, and there were two lovely people who checked the 90+ box.

Once again: Thank you to all the folks who responded to the survey, particularly those who are not fiberfolk and thus weren't really sure what the heck was going on. Personally, I would MUCH rather give someone exactly what they REALLY want, rather than spend hours knitting someone a purple cardigan only to later find out that their heart's desire was in fact a flourescent green pullover.

Manly Pullover Patterns

Now that we've heard from the men about their sweater preferences, I thought I'd go through the patterns on Knitting Daily and find the ones that met their masculine criteria:

For sale in the KD Pattern Store

Tan textured pullover shown above: Cobblestone Pullover, by Jared Flood
Subtle texture: Anniversary Pullover by Kathy Zimmerman
Fisherman-style pullover: Old Way Gansey by Ann Budd
A bit of color and texture: Tree Bark Pullover by Fiona Ellis

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? I cannot tell a lie. I made a big boo-boo in the Gathered Pullover, and shall be calling Cap'n Frog in for help. And I'm working on a new Secret Project for Knitting Daily!

Knitting For Men: A Survey

KD Sandi — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Ah, Knitting Fearlessly. It sounds so adventurous. It gives one that delicious thrill, that tingle, that little buzz that says: Go Knit Anything You Want To Knit. (Yay!)

Cobblestone Pullover

However, if you're knitting something to be worn, then part of Knitting Fearlessly is also Knitting Intelligently: Know For Whom You Are Knitting Before You Casteth On. If you're knitting for yourself, as I've said before, this in part means knowing your REAL measurements, not the measurements you fear you have!

If you are knitting for someone else, however, Knowing For Whom You Are Knitting Before You Casteth On takes on a whole new meaning: Will the Other Person want to wear what you want to knit for them?

This can be an especially tricky question if that Other Person you want to knit for is male.

Knitting for men is always a bit of an adventure. From yarn choice (Is it a "manly" yarn? What the heck is a "manly" yarn, anyway?) to pattern choice (Is this something a guy would actually wear? Why or why not?) and right on into choice of buttons for a cardigan (plastic? metal? wood?), we agonize and dither and wonder what we should knit for the dudes in our life.

So I decided to cut right to the chase:

Men, please, give us a break and help us out:
Take this survey and tell us what kind of sweaters you like.

This survey is meant to be filled out by men, so if you are a woman who knits for men, go grab your guy and see if he will answer the questions himself. Read them to him over the phone, if you have to. Read them to him whilst he is watching the game. Send him the link and promise him a beer when he gets home. Whatever it takes. (If you know lots of guys, like, you have five strapping sons, then maybe try to get them each to fill out a separate survey.)

One Sweater We Know Men DO Like!

We do know, of course, that a lot of you are knitting, or planning on knitting, Jared Flood's Cobblestone Pullover for your guys (or even for yourself!). And no wonder! I've seen dozens of photos of the finished sweaters, on men of all shapes and sizes, and it simply looks terrific on everyone.

Many of you have written in or called to ask if we can recommend a yarn to substitute for the now-discontinued Classic Elite Skye Tweed listed in the original Cobblestone pattern. The kind folks at Classic Elite have let us know that Renaissance, a 100% wool yarn that comes in 34 colors, works up at the same gauge as Skye Tweed, and will give a similar fabric to the original yarn.

The Cobblestone pattern is now available in the Knitting Daily Store.

I loved some of the comments that said you felt fearless enough to try this or that type of knitting, as long as you knew you had support.

Well, that's what Knitting Daily is for, isn't it? To help provide the tools, the tricks, the patterns, and the community so that you can be as fearless as you want to be.

So: Kat made a couple new Fearless buttons, including one for crocheters, and one that is a generic yarn ball in case you are multi-craftual (like me!). Get blog buttons! (Instructions and other sizes and designs are included.) Enjoy!

Hockey Fun!

Tune in on Wednesday, when I'll have photos and stories to share from last Saturday's Sticks N' Stitches hockey game! I met some wonderful knitters and cheered myself hoarse.

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? I'm almost done with the cable on the front of the Gathered Pullover. I did not finish my husband's pullover in time for Christmas (oh well), but I did finish the hood and am halfway done with the sleeves.

Poll Results II: Why Our UFOs Become UFOs

KD Sandi — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Better Than Booties, but still a bit lonely

Now that we know that there are over 69,000 UnFinished Knitting Objects amongst our collective knitting baskets (it used to be 65,000, but I updated that result with the numbers that came in this weekend!), let's look at the results of the second survey to see why all those UFOs became UFOs in the first place:

27% of you consider yourself multi-taskers: therefore, you don't have UFOs, you have parallel works-in-progress. This is not surprising: Knitters are generous of heart, and I imagine that many of these simultaneous works-in-progress are gifts for family, charity, and friends. There's a knitter named Debbie in our office who is constantly knitting gifts and charity items, and she finishes more projects in a month than I finish in six months.

I admire that kind of organization and dedication. I have half a baby sweater for a young man who is no longer a baby (sorry, Shane); one baby sock for his sister who is also no longer a baby (sorry, Jackie); and the yarn, still in skeins, for matching hoodies for my two sisters (sorry, Liz and Carol!). Judging from these projects, plus a few more: it's not generosity I lack; it's the ability to wade through acres of stockinette stitch, as that seems to stop me every single time.

I am not alone in this: 10% of you said your projects often attain UFO status when you hit Stockinette Wasteland.

Conversely, 11% of you said that you were stuck on complex projects that required more concentration than you can muster in the midst of your busy lives.

Isn't that interesting? Too much stockinette, and we get stuck; too much intricate stitchery, and we get stuck. We knitters like to be challenged, but we can't always find the time to work on the intricate patterns we crave. So it seems like projects which fall somewhere in the sweet spot between endless stockinette and intricate stitch charts are the ones least likely to end up as UFOs. (As a designer, I'm going to keep that firmly in mind!)

There was another major reason for UFOs, one that wasn't terribly surprising: 11% of your UFOs are stuck at the finishing/sewing-up stage.

Stockinette Wasteland

Over and over, I hear how much knitters hate to seam up their knitting. And the series on blocking (Part One and Part Two) that I ran a couple months ago showed me how little we know about finishing a garment in general. (Do I see a future topic for Knitting Daily here? Yes, I do.)

As for the remainder of the reasons:

7% of the UFOs are stuck on some tricky technical bit.

3% are the victim of Second Sock (or Second Sleeve!) Syndrome.

7% are ones you no longer really like.

6% are projects where you just don't have any motivation to finish!

19% of you had other answers, but there were hundreds and hundreds of those, and I haven't finished reading through those yet. I'll share some of the interesting ones as we go along.

The Return Of The Bonsai!

Since I brought up the Blocking Tutorial, I am going to have to 'fess up to What Happened To The Bonsai Tunic. (Later: I will also be addressing the Bust Dart Tutorial, which turned out to be a much gnarlier project than I ever imagined. Le Bust Darts are off to be reviewed by a tech editor who will try to smooth out the rough edges. But There Will Be A Bust Dart Tutorial, really there will. It just turned out to be an entire chapter instead of a paragraph or two, so it needs a bit more time in the editing department.)

As for the Bonsai Tunic: I love the yarn, I love the pattern. I knit it, and blocked it, and seamed it partway...and put it on, only to discover that something had gone Horribly Wrong. It looked huge on me, even though I had done the math and everything. I took it off and upon closer examination, realized that I had not ever switched to the smaller needles for the waist and front sections. I had knit the whole dratted thing on the larger needles.

No wonder it was too big.

I decided that the Bonsai needed to marinate in my UFO bin for a bit. I needed some distance; we needed a time out from one another to discover our own individual needs and desires. Would I rip it out to the waist and have a little do-over? Would I find a larger friend to give it to? Would I just hide it away and pretend the whole thing had never happened? I admit to attempting this last option for a while, but it's a bit difficult to hide a knitting project when you have blogged about it to thousands of Knitting Daily readers, readers who pay attention and notice if such things suddenly go AWOL.

So, in honor of all the 69,000 UFOs we share, on Wednesday and Friday I will talk about Saving The Bonsai.

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? Never mind the needles: What's on Sandi's FEET? Her nice warm newly finished pair of sockies, inside her new boots. We had our first snow this weekend, so suddenly finishing my sockly UFOs seems quite a bit more urgent that it did a few weeks back.

Converting Stitch Patterns for Working in the Round

KD Sandi — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Papyrus Lace from Lace & Eyelets

Continuing our little "use your stitch dictionary like a cookbook" series...

Traditionally, stitches in a stitch dictionary are presented for knitting flat (back and forth in rows). If you want to use one of the stitches for something knitted in the round (a sock, say, or a hat), then you have to do a little bit of conversion magic. Here are the basic conversion steps:

1. Pick an appropriate stitch pattern.

Some patterns are easy to convert from rows to rounds; some can be mind-bendingly difficult. Before you get your heart set on a particular stitch pattern for use in a cute baby hat, check to see if it looks like it will convert easily to working in the round. There are two things you want to look for: First, a pattern where the wrong-side rows contain only purl stitches or knit stitches, and second, a pattern where the number of edge stitches is the same on all rows. (Remember that edge stitches are the ones outside the repeat section.)

2. When figuring out how many stitches to cast on: Drop the "balancing" stitches from your calculations.

In other words: Drop the Y number in the "multiple of X stitches plus Y" notation discussed above. Cast on only the "multiple of X" number for your in-the-round pattern.

3. When you are knitting: Work from asterisk to semi-colon only.

In other words, everything between those two punctuation marks is your stitch repeat, and you will knit just those stitches around and around your "tube."

4. Convert the wrong-side rows to right-side rounds.

You're always on the right side when you knit in the round, right? So there are no "wrong-side rows," technically. There are two steps to getting the wrong-side right in your circular knitting. First, all purl stitches become knit stitches and all knit stitches become purl stitches. Second, the "wrong-side" instructions are read backwards! An example will help here: Say that the wrong-side ROW instructions tell you to work "p3, k1" across. For circular knitting, you would work "p1, k3" around. So: Purls became knits, knits became purls, and you work the repeat in reverse. This can be a bit confusing, so WRITE OUT the wrong-side instructions in the new circular "language" in order to help yourself keep it all "straight"!

If in doubt, chart it out.

The steps given above for converting flat stitch patterns to in-the-round stitch patterns will work well for symmetrical patterns that are simple in design. If you have your heart set on a complex or asymmetrical pattern, then graph paper, pencils, swatching, and patience are your best friends. Or, for the more computer-savvy, try using a spreadsheet program, setting a narrow column width and using your own set of symbols for the stitches to see how things line up. I do this with all my own designs, and although the results are not publishable, my home-grown charts are a huge help in my knitting.

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? The yarn for Nicholas' cabled pullover has been delivered, and swatching is done. Now for the knitting!

Tips & Tricks For Twisted Stitches

KD Sandi — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Red Scarf Project Connections Scarf

(Try saying THAT title three times fast!)

It's true that the Connections Scarf I designed for the Red Scarf Project was my first cable-knitting project ever. I've managed to avoid cables until now, thinking that wrangling the cable needle was just too much fiddly knitting for this gal, thank you very much. Then my husband Nicholas asked for a cabled pullover for Christmas. When I started in about my distaste for cable-needle wrangling, he raised his eyebrows and pointed at the knitting I happened to have in my hands at that very moment: a sock being knitted with five very tiny, very fiddly, dpns.

I hate it when he's right.

So that's when I decided to design my red scarf pattern as a cabled scarf. I used the designing process as a way of getting to know the whole process of knitting cables: how they worked, how they fit together, how to incorporate them into a pattern. I learned a few tricks along the way, so I thought I would share those with you.

Use the cable needle that is right for you. I found that I kept dropping the little short/straight needles made specifically for cabling, so I tried a regular sock-sized double-pointed needle. Worked like a charm, because my fingers already knew how to wrangle that one. But that's just me. There's many different choices out there when it comes to cable needles. Try a few until you find the one that works for you.

Corollary: Try cabling without a cable needle. It sounds impossible, but you can learn to manipulate the cable crossings without the extra needle. There are many cable knitters who swear by this technique! I did the first end of the scarf with a cable needle, and then I tackled the second end without one. The effort it took to learn which stitches went where was well worth it, because now I feel as though I am understanding cables instead of just knitting them by rote. We have a list of online tutorials in our Techniques section.

Don't pull on the "held" stitches too hard. When you are holding the cable stitches off to the front or back of your knitting, don't pull them too far away from the rest of your knitting! Too much pulling will distort the stitches in the area of the crossing. Keep them as close to the main knitting as possible in order to help keep the tension and texture of your cable stitches even.

What The Back Looks Like

Watch what you are doing. Until you are comfortable with cables, cable knitting is not the time to multitask! I made several whopping mistakes because I was trying to knit the cables in a restaurant whilst talking with friends. Bad idea. (Lots of ripping out ensued.)

Steam-block Cables wrong side up. This may seem obvious, but just in case: If you are using a steam-iron to block your cable knitting, do it with the WRONG side of the cables facing upwards, or you will flatten all your nice intentionally-bumpy cables. Don't press down--keep the iron just a little bit above the fabric! And try using a pressing cloth to further help minimize the flattening factor.

You asked for it...Lynn G. asked if I would be willing to post a photo of what the reverse side looks like. There you go, Lynn!

What are your cable-knitting tricks?

C'mon, don't be shy. If you have tips on how to work with cables, leave a comment! After all, if I'm going to be knitting Nicholas an entire cabled pullover for Christmas, I'm going to need all the help I can get!

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

What's on Sandi's needles? I am working out customizations for the Husband Sweater so I will be ready to cast on when the yarn arrives. What is the Husband Sweater? It's my nickname for the pullover my husband requested I make him for Christmas.

Knitting For Family: The Red Scarf Project

KD Sandi — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Connections: A Red Scarf

The Red Scarf Project, endorsed by Interweave, Lily Chin, and The National NeedleArts Association, was started in 2005 by the Orphan Foundation of America as a way of showing community support and encouragement to college-bound teens in foster care. This year, I was asked if I would design a Red Scarf pattern for Interweave to sponsor during the 2007 campaign, and of course, I said yes.

Designing a scarf, a scarf that hasn't been Done Before, especially a scarf for the Red Scarf Project, wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. It had to be narrow, long, look good on both sides, be wearable by both men and women, not too complicated to knit, and, oh yes: be red.

So, how does one go about designing something with such strict parameters?

As I always do when I am designing things, I started with a story idea. I know that sounds a bit odd, but I am a storyteller, and I tell stories with stitches as well as with words. Knitters have a rich tradition of telling stories through stitches--look at the wonderfully evocative names we give to cable and lace patterns: Hollow Oak, Wings of the Swan, Homes of Donegal, Dragon Skin. The language of textiles has become a metaphor for storytelling: a well-told tale is even called "a yarn."

I thought of those foster teens who will be wearing all the scarves we knit for them. I thought of how, someday, one of those teens might be my kids' teacher, or perhaps even marry into my family. Those teens are not really orphans: in a very real way, they are my future family.

Cabled version
Easier Twisted Rib version

Hence my cabled scarf, called Connections, where the stitches and patterns weave in and out, at times touching, and at times moving apart. Families are like that: we move in and out of each other's lives, but we stay connected, and our shared connections form a larger, stronger, whole.

Note that if you don't want to do cables, there's also a version that is cable-free--simply work the columns of twisted ribs the entire length of the scarf. However: The cables here are not hard, and if you have never tried cables, or think they are too difficult, then this scarf is a good place to start. How do I know that these cables aren't too hard? Because this is my first cable-knitting project. Ever. (Really.)

I figured that anything worth doing, is worth doing for family.

For more information about how to donate your scarf, and the foster kids who will receive the scarves, visit www.orphan.org.

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.