Knitting Daily : Weddings

Free pattern: Child's Fair Isle Hat

KD Sandi — Fri, 15 May 2009 08:13:00 GMT

Note from Sandi: Knitting for a child seems to bring out in us the longing to make something worthy of being passed down through the generations. Here is Lisa Shroyer's contributrion to the staff design challenge for Interweave Knits Summer 2009: "Design an Heirloom."

Sweet Hex Child’s Hood
by Lisa Shroyer

Thinking about heirloom knitting brings up visions of intricate tapestry fabrics, long-loved silk baby items with deteriorating edges, natural colors, bits of lace as seen through a glass display case in a museum. I thought about fine gauges, rich patterning, and traditional techniques for this staff project. But what function for my heirloom knit? Heirlooms tend to collect around the milestones of life—births and weddings and religious ceremonies. None of those celebrations are personal to me at this time, so I was free to think about what I just really wanted to knit. And for me, that’s always stranded colorwork.

This child’s special-occasion hood is worked in two neutral colors in the round with one steek. You can see from the blocking photo how I cut open the steek with the stitches still live, blocked it, then later Kitchener'd the live stitches at the top of the hood to make a pocket-like shape. The steek edges and decorative cords are tucked into facings and tacked down.

In a silk/wool blend, this hood has a luxurious feel and shimmer, but does require machine reinforcement for the steek. It’s not that scary! (The Winter 2006 issue of Interweave Knits has a great tutorial on steeking.)

The hood is intended for a child about 8 years, but the fit is versatile and could work on kids from 5 to 10. You can see we also tried it on an adult model, and it’s really cute! The hood fits her more like a bonnet, but you get the idea. On a smaller head, the back edge will fall closer to the nape of the neck. If you want the hood for yourself, try working in a worsted weight yarn for a larger version.

PS. The title for this project comes from the decorative hex designs of the Pennsylvania Dutch. It’s a loose interpretation, but the motif here is an isolated, self-contained square with elements radiating from the center.

For more great ideas on how to "Design an Heirloom", get your copy of Interweave Knits Summer 2009, or for year round inspiration, subscribe to Interweave Knits today.

Download the free pattern for the Sweet Hex Child's Hood

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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Daring To Mention Crochet

KD Sandi — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 06:00:00 GMT

It's here! Fall 2007 Interweave Crochet

There, I said it: Crochet. We're an online community called Knitting Daily, and I've gone and said the word "crochet," right up front for all the world to see. From the beginning, crochet has been part of Knitting Daily's mission, but I haven't yet devoted a post to it. We've covered other yarnly delights, such as knitting socks, knitting lace, and tossing your knitting into the washing machine to felt it. Why shouldn't we also discuss that other lovely way to play with yarn—crochet?

Frankly, knitting and crochet sometimes seem like two grown sisters who've been having an ongoing feud since one sister stole the other sister's Barbie doll back in grade school. There's an odd schism between the two, and I've seen some pretty heated conversations online about which one is "the best." Sometimes it takes on the flavor of the Sharks versus the Jets: Crafters snapping their fingers to a backbeat, brandishing hooks and needles, and getting ready to rumble.

So it's worth asking: Why can't we all just get along? Why such strong feelings for and against? The sister-crafts of knitting and crochet are each beautiful in their own way; each of them has a rich history full of artistry and gorgeous things made with yarn and a carved stick (or two). After all: Handweavers and knitters don't spat like this. Embroiderers and cross-stitchers don't hiss at the mention of the other. Why does Needle scorn Hook, and vice versa?

As many of you know, I am a passionate crocheter in addition to being a passionate knitter. I have published designs that are all-crochet as well as those that are all-knitting. I speak the language of the hook about as well as I speak the language of the dpns. We have some great free crochet patterns here on Knitting Daily, including Lily Chin's Lace Dress (that's what Annie is wearing in the photo above), you can now subscribe to Interweave Crochet (four times a year! whoo!), and there are some great new crochet books coming out—and I'd love to share them all with you.

Some folks hate knitting socks. Some folks dislike knitting lace. And some folks don't like to crochet. But I think there's room for everyone here on Knitting Daily—what do you think?

Cable needle ingenuity: I'm still working my way through all your wonderful tips about cable knitting—thank you! I was struck by how resourceful and inventive you all are...Mary W. uses golf tees (I laughed out loud at that one!) and Marin U. has resorted to coffee stirrers as cable needle substitutes. This is definitely a discussion that deserves to continue again in the near future...so stay tuned.

Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.

Sandi is not ashamed to admit that she almost fainted dead away when she found out one of her crochet designs had been selected for the cover of Interweave Crochet Spring 2006.

A Hot Tomato, An Icelandic Shawl, And A Charming Tip

KD Sandi — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Hot Tomato Salsa!

It is Friday the 13th, a traditional "bad luck day" in the U.S.--but I am throwing caution to the winds and wearing my fresh-off-the-needles Hot Tomato. I realize that in doing so, I am making myself a target for coffee accidents, spaghetti spills, and other natural disasters which might be attracted to my new bright-orange sweater. I scoff, nay: I laugh in the face of stains and dribbles, because folks, even if I do say so myself, this top is HOT. (I am no fool, however. I drank my coffee before I got dressed, and I am on a strict water-and-colorless-food diet until I get home from work tonight.) It's not blocked yet, because I finished it literally fifteen minutes before leaving the house. So the photo here is just a sneak preview. Next week, I'll give you a rundown on the modifications I made to the original Tomato, and give you a Hot Tomato Bust Dart PDF status check.

Out of the archives!

Last week, Jeane Hutchins,
Coming Next Week: Icelandic Lace Shawl the editor of PieceWork magazine, received word that the Yahoo Lacey Shawl knitalong was desperately seeking copies of the pattern for a gorgeous Icelandic Shawl published in the July/August 1996 issue of PieceWork. This issue is out of print, and thus a lot of lace knitters are very sad. Sad lace knitters...not good, people. We want happy lace knitters! So Jeane and I came up with a Plan: Guess what pattern is coming to Knitting Daily next week? Yep. The Icelandic Shawl, fresh from the Interweave archives. At first, we worried that we wouldn't be able to dig it up, as not everything from that time period was saved in a digital format. But Jeane valiantly kept searching, until at last she found the original text and transparencies for the pattern! Our star production department is working on getting this into top digital form for next week.

"I didn't know PieceWork had knitting patterns in it!" Yup. Each issue, PieceWork magazine features one or more knitting projects
PieceWork July/August 2007 with a rich cultural and/or historical perspective--as well as articles and patterns for everything from tatting to embroidery, quilting to crochet. Well-known knitting designer and author Nancy Bush is PieceWork's knitting contributor. The July/August 2007 issue has a wonderful story about a woman who traveled through Russia by train, and found herself buying several Russian knitted lace heirlooms along the way. Instructions for knitting a Russian lace scarf are also included.

Charm Wrap Chatter

Several of you noted that the oh-so-luscious Classic Elite Charmed yarn recommended for the Charm Wrap is more of a luxury yarn than an everyday sort of yarn...what to do if you have a everyday budget but you still want to knit that darling cardigan? Substituting yarns is a great way to "personalize" a pattern and really make it yours! There are two factors that go into successful yarn substitutions: gauge, and the character of the yarn itself. The original yarn used for the Charm Wrap is a worsted weight yarn, with a gauge of 4.5 sts per inch on size 8 needles--so start your search for a substitute with worsted (CYCA #4) yarns with a similar recommended gauge.

Next: The original cashmere/mohair blend has a lovely drape; the mohair and cashmere each have a bit of "grab" to them so that the stitches hold onto each other and the fabric keeps its shape. You'll want to find a yarn with similar characteristics for a similar look and feel. There are plenty of wools and wool blends out there that would fit that description. But what if you wanted something slightly exotic that was still not too pricey? There are some wonderful worsted weight bamboo yarns out there this season. In fact, I'm working on a sweater using Classic Elite Bam Boo right now, and I adore the drape, the sheen, and the slight touch of "memory" this yarn has. Whichever yarn you choose, don't be stingy with the swatching, as that will be the best "gauge" of how the finished product will turn out.

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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Lace Knitting: You Have Questions, Everyone Has Answers!

KD Sandi — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:00:00 GMT

What The Front Looks Like

So, my lace-loving friends: I made a list of the more than 30 questions you asked in the comments from Monday's post. About a quarter of those were promptly addressed by your fellow commenters...which is a Very Good Thing, seeing as it would take me several weeks of posts to answer all those questions myself! And whilst some of you might be in Lace Knitting Heaven during those weeks, I know that some of you want me to get back to the bust darts, and others of you want to chat about cables, or sock toes, or intarsia. So: I'll answer as many of the questions as I can this week, and then we'll have another Lace Week every now and then to talk about the rest!

Don't forget to take our survey: What Kind of Lace Knitter Are You?

Now: On to the questions!

What does the front of the Summer Shawlette look like? It looks the same as the front of the Comfort Shawl! Same front, different backs, plus the Comfort Shawl is a bit longer, and done in merino instead of cashmere.

A not-too-scary lace chart

We want more charts! Many of you asked for charts of the lace patterns we offer on Knitting Daily. Charts are definitely on my own wishlist, so let me see what we can do. It may take a while to pull together the resources on our end, but be assured that charts are on The List.

Can you please go over reading charts? They confuse me! Charts are the maps of the lace world. To start getting used to charts, find a lace pattern in your favorite knitting magazine (Interweave Knits, right? Right!), and compare the photos of the finished lace to the charts. Notice how the shapes formed by the chart symbols look like the shapes of the stitches in the photo? Bingo! There are standard stitch symbols used by most knitting patterns, so spend some time looking at the symbol keys included with the charts and you'll soon be able to recognize yarnovers, decreases, knits, and purls. Practice reading the symbols aloud, in order, and then trying knitting along as you chant, "K2, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, ssk, k2..."

Reading Charts for Lace Worked in Rows: The first stitch of a lace chart is at the bottom of the chart, at the far right side. Each box is one stitch. Right-side rows on the chart are worked from right to left. (Try saying to yourself: "Right Side Starts Right Side".) Wrong-side rows on the chart are worked from left to right. This is because when you are working back and forth in rows, you are turning the fabric around--so think of yourself "turning around and going back the other way" to work the next row of the chart. Get to the end of that row of your knitting, turn your knitting around, and on the chart, turn around and go back the OTHER way again!

Reading Charts for Lace Worked in the Round: In this case, each chart row represents a round. For knitting in the round, you read ALL of the chart rows from right-to-left (starting with the bottom row of the chart), because you are always knitting in the same direction, around and around.

How do you keep track of where you are? Over time, most knitters come up with a creative way to keep their places in their lace knitting. I use stitch markers obsessively between repeats on the needles; I use a sticky note aligned with the row I am currently working to keep my place on the chart. Some people write each row of the lace pattern on a separate index card, flipping to the next card as they complete each row. Some people use little chants to help keep the work flowing between markers, as the rhythm of the chanting helps avoid a missed step in the pattern. For example: For the first row of the lace chart shown, try: "Two, toga, YO!, one, YO!, essssKay, two!" (Get it? "toga" for "k2tog"?) Don't be afraid to make the chanting a little silly--besides increasing the fun factor, it actually helps you to remember the chant better!

What does "no stitch" mean? (I always giggle to myself at this one, because this was one of the questions the senior editors asked me in my first job interview here. Yes, of course I passed--I'm here, aren't I?) A "no-stitch" box is just a placeholder, as follows: If you decrease a stitch in Row 1, you have one less stitch in Row 2. Charts are boxy and linear, so in order to make the little boxes line up properly (and to keep the roadmap clear so you can visualize the pattern), that "lost stitch" is greyed out in Row 2. (The reverse is also true: If you increase, you will have a new stitch in Row 2 that was not there in Row 1--so Row 1 may need a grey "not-there-yet-but-will-be-soon" placeholder box.) Just skip that greyed-out little no-stitch rascal. Ignore it. "It's just there to make the chart square."

How do I fix mistakes? There is a Truly Great pictorial explanation of how to fix forgotten and dropped lace stitches (yes, including yarnovers!) in the book Lace Style--and I'm not saying that just because I work for Interweave, I really, really mean that. I couldn't do a better job of explaining how to fix lace mistakes if I tried, so I won't. Go get the book! In fact, the entire last chapter covers practical tips on lace knitting, so it's really invaluable. (Plus, the book has pretty lace thingies to knit! I cannot restrain myself from pointing out that one of the 21 projects in there has BUST DARTS: the Lace-Edged Corset by Michele Rose Orne.)

If you really want to become a mistake-fixing guru, then take a look at Lisa Kartus's Knit Fix. Pictures, graphs, photos, step-by-step...everything you need to feel like a knitting genius!

On Friday: Hot Tomato Progress, Batman! Plus Lace Survey results, and more lace knitting fun. Plus, a preview of an exquisite lace shawl pattern we thought was lost in the Piecework archives...but it's BACK (soon), exclusively for Knitting Daily members!

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.

Knitting Lace: Knitting Daily Presents 7 Free Knitted Lace Patterns

Download Your Free Lace Patterns Today

Holey Lace Knitting, Batman!

KD Sandi — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:00:00 GMT

my lacy little Summer Shawlette

OK, so I couldn't resist the goofy title. It's Monday, my laptop decided to die halfway through this post...but who cares, because we get to talk about lace knitting this week. Whoo!

Increases and decreases: That's really all lace knitting is--really! Yarnovers (increases) form the holes in knitting, decreases form the ridges and wavy lines that give shape to the holes. If you can do a yarnover and a k2tog, you can do lace...it really is that simple. But to a beginning knitter, or to someone who can't tell knitting from macrame, lace knitting is mysterious, exotic, the stuff of fairy tales. Well, OK...the truth is that lace knitting entrances even expert knitters, because, even when you know how it works, it's still just plain magical. Knit a bit of lace, and no matter how hard it really was, you still feel like you've created a bit of knitted sleight-of-hand.

By this point, you may have guessed that I adore knitting lace. Lace socks, lace shawls, lace on sweaters...give me holes in my knitting and I'm a happy gal. So imagine how thrilled I was when Pam Allen, then the editor-in-chief of Interweave Knits, called me one day to tell me that the Knits Staff project for the Summer 2006 issue was going to center around lace. I was SO excited
Blocking the shawlette that I almost missed the part where Pam said the words handspun Mongolian cashmere.

Cashmere. Plus lace. For a while there, I think I went a little bit lace-looney, thinking all sorts of Happy Lace Thoughts at odd moments. I read every lace book in the Interweave library. I swatched and sketched and mumbled excitedly to myself. I spent a couple of weeks charting and Doing Math and arguing left-slants versus right-slants with myself. At the end of all the mumbling, there was the Summer Shawlette: a miniature Faroese shawl, light and airy, lacy, but not so lacy that it looked like I was wearing my mother's Christmas tablecloth. I laid it out to block it, and could hardly believe that I had knit something that lovely. All the mumbling aside: the actual knitting of the shawl was the easiest part. Really. (The cashmere definitely helped, but still.)

A Little Lacy Survey For You...

So now you know that I love lace knitting--but what about you? What kind of lace knitter are you? That link will take you to a little survey where you can tell me about your level of lace-love so when I talk about lace the rest of this week (and in future posts up ahead), I'll have a better idea of the type of information you are looking for.

Questions about lace knitting?

On Wednesday and Friday, I will be sharing some answers to some of the most commonly-asked questions about both the Summer Shawlette and the Comfort Shawl. If you have a particular question about lace knitting that you'd like me to answer this week, go ahead and leave a comment. And if you've already knit the Summer Shawlette, and you'd like to share a photo with us: Send us a link!

About Michelle's Yarn Bouquet: Michelle was very flattered that so many of you liked her little floral tribute to the Knitting Daily community! Here's her recipe for the bouquet, which is much easier than you might think: Take 3 skeins of colorful, fuzzy yarn. Mush each skein into the shape of a ball. Take three green knitting needles. Poke the "knobby" end of each knitting needle deep into the center of a yarn ball. Insert the needles into a flower vase, pointy-end down. Tie a ribbon around the neck of the vase and voila! Dr. Seussian Yarn Flowers.

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.

Knitting Lace: Knitting Daily Presents 7 Free Knitted Lace Patterns

Download Your Free Lace Patterns Today

Welcome to Lynn, Our 10,000th Member!

KD Sandi — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 06:00:00 GMT

Knitting Daily is now 10,000 strong!

Meet Lynn G., of Wilmette, IL, our 10,000th member, who has this to say about herself:
I have been knitting since I was a teenager. I have a husband (we'll celebrate our 30th anniversary this summer) and two sons. Knitting has really become a major part of my life in recent years, and I love reading about it and taking classes nearly as much as the act of knitting itself. In the photo, I'm wearing the Swallowtail Lace Shawl (Interweave Knits, Fall 2006), which was my first full lace project. We are having an addition built onto our 110-year-old-house, and it will include a specially designed knitting room--so I can finally have all my yarn, books, magazines and gear in one place!

Welcome to Lynn and ALL of you who signed up! I hope you love what we have planned for you in the months ahead.

I put together a little "door prize" for Lynn: 600 yards of JJ's
Specialty Yarns Kaleidoscope from the Merry Maiden's Dress on page 114 of the Spring 2007 issue of Knits. If you haven't had a chance to rub this particular yarn against your cheek yet, let me just say that it is soft, soft, soft--not to mention hand-painted and 100% New Zealand wool.

Then Lynn told me she was a lace knitter, and I had a really great idea: what if I also sent Lynn a copy of Lace Style, signed by as many Interweave folks as possible, as a way of welcoming her to the Knitting Daily community? Take a look at the photo, and you'll see that even with only the Colorado office folks, we nearly filled up an entire page with signatures.

Putting together Lynn's door prize was so much fun that I am already scheming to put together more "surprise packages" for Knitting Daily. You just never know what I might be able to send off to some lucky knitter. (The mind boggles.)