Inside Knitscene : Sock Knitting

Ready for Winter Knitting?

AmyPalmer — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 15:26:00 GMT

Maybe it's just me, but as a knitter, I crave the colder months of the year. Not to say that knitting can't be done during the warmer days, but let's be honest—there's nothing quite like slipping on a pair of hand-knit socks or curling up in a cozy sweater fresh off the needles on a chilly winter day.

Just in time for the cooler weather comes Knitscene Winter 2012. Twenty-two brand new, cozy projects to knit from some of today's most wonderful designers. We've got three patterns from our featured designer, Leah B. Thibault, including the lovely Toulouse Pullover, with it's cushy wool-alpaca blend and sweet bow-tie neckline.

We get technical this issue with an exploration of short-rows and the different ways they can shape your knitting. Five stylish accessories patterns to knit include Carina Spencer's Lucy Hat and two crescent shawl patterns from Kyoko Nakayoshi. Kyoko also contributed an article on how to knit short-rows, including step-by-step photography that will have you wrapping and turning in no time.

Single ply yarns get their day in the sun in our Single Life story. Three cardigans to knit and three accessories worked in lofty, lightly spun yarns. Gretchen Ronnevik's Camille Cardigan, Laura Coccarelli's Chandra Shawl, and Amy Christoffer's Maryse Cowl show off beautiful lace patterns.

Maryse Cowl

Our final collection in Knitscene Winter 2012 takes a look at knitted counterpanes—lacy pieces that form the centerpiece or detailed sections of sweaters, cardigans, and shawls to knit. Cassie Castillo's Erte Cardigan utilizes this technique in a more classic construction, with the large back panel being knit first. Josie Mercier's Imbolc Pullover features a modern twist on the counterpane idea, inserting lace panels into the sides of a comfy, oversized sweater.

There's something for everyone to knit in this issue, and it's officially on sale next week, just in time for the grey days of winter in the Northern Hemisphere (or for you to get a jump start on next winter, if you're in the Southern Hemisphere!). Grab your favorite needles, choose your favorite yarns, get a pot of tea or coffee going, and download the newest issue of Knitscene today. Or pre-order the physical edition if you love the sound of pages turning as much as the sound of wood crackling in a fire place.

Happy knitting,
Amy

Celebrate National Craft Month with Sock Knitting!

AmyPalmer — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 20:45:00 GMT

Today marks the first day of National Craft Month! Lisa and I are working our way to getting Knitscene Summer 2012 off to the printers (look for that preview around the end of the month!), but there's always time to talk about crafting, right?

According to the Craft and Hobby Association, over 56% of households in the US participate in some sort of crafting every year. That's all kinds of crafts—knitting and crocheting to be sure, but also sewing, woodworking, collaging, scrapbooking, quilting... That's more than half of the households in the United States making and doing for themselves in some way; so many people who savor the joy of creating by hand what could much more easily be made by a machine and purchased. Easy, yes, but certainly not nearly as gratifying.

Crafting has brought a lot into my life. When I moved to Colorado for my job at Knitscene, I knew a couple of wonderful people in town, but neither of them were crafters. Through the love of craft and the wonders of Ravelry, I became part of a tight-knit (pun intended) community of crafters. We knit and crochet, certainly, but we also sew and quilt and have plans to venture into the world of papier-mâché in the near future.

At home, I've got a couple of sweaters on the needles that I've decided must be finished by the end of the month. Don't ask me why. I just did. But I've also got a pair of socks on the needles as part of the Simply Sockupied Sock Knitalong. I'm knitting the Speed Bump Socks by Deb Barnhill.

How better to celebrate a month of crafting than by knitting yourself your own pair of socks? Whether you're new to sock knitting or an experienced sock knitter (I figured out the other day that I've technically knit almost 40 pairs of socks, though I "only" own about 25), the Simply Sockupied knitalong is an easy, productive, and FUN way to be a part of an online community of knitters.

What are you crafting this month? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter!

Happy crafting,
Amy

P.S. - It's also National Crochet Month, and I can't wait to see what the gals at Crochet Me have cooking!

We Love Duplicate Stitch!

AmyPalmer — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:17:00 GMT

We all love playing with string, right? That's why we knit—the magic that makes a ball of yarn become a sweater, the joyous spirit that fills us when someone compliments a hand-knit scarf. That right there is love, my friends, love of the craft and of ourselves, to invest the amount of time it takes to have something truly unique and handmade (just remember that the next time someone asks why you're knitting socks instead of buying a 12-pack from Wal-Mart). And this craft lends itself to a variety of ways to make things with string, be it finished garments or adding personalized details.

I know I've talked about the duplicate stitch projects in the new Knitscene Spring 2012, but really, I can't get over it. Duplicate stitch on knitting is the perfect marriage of two of my favorite pastimes, knitting and embroidery. I've got cross-stitch projects half-finished from more than a decade ago; I've got some of my mom's crewel projects stashed around the craft room (she blames the whole "having children" thing for the fact that she never got around to finishing them; I prefer to think that she just traded one work in progress for another). In this issue, there are three projects that use duplicate stitch, Allyson Dykhuizen's Tulip Slouch, Maura Kirk's Secret Song Mittens, and Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark's Fleurette Camisole.

But we're no stranger to afterthought embellishments and the style and sass they can easily add to any finished garment. Two of my favorite projects from recent issues of Knitscene include stitching details: Amy Christoffer's Neitherleigh Cardigan from Knitscene Winter 2011 features simple stitched birds on the front, while Katie Himmelberg's Heartdigan Cardigan from Winter/Spring 2010 uses duplicate stitch and knitted heart patches for a sweet twist on a classic collegiate jacket.

Have you fallen in love with duplicate stitch, but maybe don't know how to make it look neat and seamless? Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark's article in the Spring 2012 issue of Knitscene is a great resource, but if you need a more visual tutorial, you can purchase episode 804 from last season's Knitting Daily TV and see Eunny demonstrate duplicate stitch as a way to reinforce knitted fabric (same technique, different usage!).

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Show yourself and another string-craft some love and add your own personal style (even to that rare store bought sweater in your closet) with some duplicate stitch and other embroidery techniques!

Until next time, happy knitting.
Amy

A New Knitter's Adventure in Top-Down Knitting

AmyPalmer — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 19:18:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, I introduced you to our Managing Editor, Allison, and her plan to knit her first cardigan. A quick recap: Girl sees Vera Cardigan sample in the office, girl falls in love with cardigan, girl asks Amy to knit cardigan for her, Amy says "No. You will knit this yourself."

And lo, a sweater-knitting addict is born.

Almost every day since she finished her second gauge swatch (that's right, I am a tyrant who made her knit a second gauge swatch when the first came out too big), Allison's come into the office to tell me about her sweater knitting progress.

"I started the colorwork part last night! It's a lot easier than I thought it would be."

"These rows are so long, I can't wait to separate for the sleeves."

"Wait, how do I separate for the sleeves?"

My friends, Allison is a master colorwork knitter in disguise. Look at how even the stitches are! And nary a blip in the pattern. I'm pretty sure I can't say the same for most of my colorwork projects.

While she's not yet in the home stretch of the knitting, having separated for the sleeves means that she'll be knitting over fewer stitches than she had been. And of course, one of the beautiful things about knitting a top-down sweater is that you can try it on as you go.

Yep. Not only is her colorwork perfect, but the sweater is fitting quite nicely so far (obviously, when it's washed and blocked, the beautiful Berroco Ultra Alpaca will loosen up a bit and even out for a fantastic fit). If you are a little jealous and maybe shaking your fist at the screen, that's totally understandable.

Have you bought your copy of Knitscene Winter yet? Started knitting your own Vera Cardigan? Knitscene Winter will only be on the shelves for about a month longer; pick yours up today at your LYS (and get $5 back from us with this coupon!) or order your digital edition from the Interweave Store.

Until next time, happy knitting!
Amy

Planning yarn amounts for top-down knitting

LisaShroyer — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:25:00 GMT

Before the winter issue of Knitscene had even gone to press, I started knitting Melissa LaBarre’s Tereza Pullover. This simple top down pullover had a lot of appeal to me—chunky gauge, interesting lace pattern, the ability to add custom body shaping, chunky gauge. I was feeling antsy and wanted a fast-moving project, one that I might be able to wear for my upcoming trip to Colorado. So, I cast on with some old stash yarn, Classic Elite Duchess.

I’ve had this yarn in my stash for years. I often pull it out and consider it for different projects, but in the end always decide that there’s just not quite enough of it. But as I scanned the stash for materials for the Tereza, I paused to do the math—the size 46.25” required 780 yards of the original yarn. I had just under 800 yards of the Duchess. I decided to go for it.

What I did not consider back then, at the dreamy cast on stage, was that I would need to add width to the lower body. The silhouette of the Tereza is an hourglass, with the hem measuring the same circ as the bust. I did work waist shaping in my version, but increased to make the hem several inches larger than the bust, since I am VERY-PEAR-SHAPED. I also made the body longer. Oops.

So with 3 measly balls left, I have to knit the sleeves. I don’t think there will be enough for two full-length sleeves. My strategy is this: knit one sleeve til a ball runs out, then do the same for the other, and see where I am, with one ball to spare. Of course, the yarn is DISCONTINUED.

Two lessons here: don’t leave yarn to languish in your stash for years and years, letting it surpass its “expiration.” And two, think about how mods will affect yarn requirements before you start knitting!

And oh BTW, I used Amy Herzog’s coordinates to plan my waist shaping, spacing the shaping lines around the body instead of all at the side seams. I think it creates a really lovely, subtle shape. For her tips on placing shaping, see the Fall 2011 issue of Knitscene.

Knitting on the go: 6 tips and tricks for travel knitting

AmyPalmer — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:19:00 GMT

I'm about to hit the road for a little late spring/early summer traveling and that means packing. I'll figure out the clothing situation the day before I leave (I always do), but meanwhile I'm a little stressed out over what knitting projects to bring. Raise your hand if you feel me! Yeah, I knew it.

Last summer, my family and I went to London, England, for six days. Six busy, jam-packed days, as my mom wanted to see as much as she could (a theory that I do endorse from time to time, though my preferred travel style is to live like the natives and take it easy). I took three projects—a pair of socks, a hat, a crochet scarf. For six days. And you know what? I finished all of them. (Now that I think about it, I had started the socks before leaving.)

So clearly, taking a lot of projects on vacation is nothing new to me. Figuring out which knitting projects are best for traveling, and how to most easily transport them, is always a bit of a challenge though. Here are some tricks for travel knitting that I've picked up along the way.

Pick easy projects. "Easy" here is a relative term. I'm not suggesting that everyone knit only flat garter stitch or stockinette stitch in the round, but be honest with yourself about your skill level and choose projects that you can knit without having to give a lot of attention. I know I can knit plain stockinette socks with my eyes closed, so they're a good project for me. Projects like Izumi Ouchi's Clipper Mitts or Amy Christoffers' Shelburne Scarf from Knitscene Summer 2011 would be great on-the-go knitting.
Pick small-ish projects. As any one who's ever traveled anywhere and had to cram a bunch of clothes into a carry-on suitcase (paying for luggage is not high on my list of fun vacation things) understands the importance of maximizing space. The smaller the project, the more easy it will be to knit while you're traveling. Bonus points if you finish the project, because then you clearly have to buy a new skein of souvenir yarn, right? For me, this usually means socks or hats, but it doesn't have to. Mittens or scarves are great travel knitting projects, but if we look outside the suitcase, think sleeves. Sleeves can be knit in the round or flat. Amy Christoffers' Vergennes Pullover or Sarah Fama's Mayville Cardigan both have easy sleeve patterns.
Choose your tools wisely. As you may have noticed, I like to knit socks. I knit socks a lot. Socks are my number one project for knitting on the go. I tend to switch back and forth between using double-points and using the Magic-Loop method when I'm staying in town (say, going to knitting group), but for longer travel, I usually opt for Magic-Loop—nothing like making friends with everyone on an airplane as you attempt to chase down a dropped dpn. (Knitting Help has a great video on learning Magic-Loop, if you're not familiar with it.) Occasionally, I'll bring along the double-points, but in those instances I have to have a dpn work-in-progress holder with me. It keep my knitting needles tidy, save me from stabbing myself as I reach into my project bag, and possibly make me appear a little less threatening to the TSA folks (this last point requires more research). Note: yes, you can generally take your knitting needles on the plane if your departure point is within the United States, but be sure to check the website of the arrival destination airport, or the governing body of travel within your country (such as the TSA in the United States). Knitting needles are typically not allowed when flying out of an airport in the United Kingdom, but I had no problem with my crochet project.
Organize everything. Take this opportunity to break out all those work-in-progress bags you have, or just grab some gallon-sized Ziploc baggies—whatever you use, make sure it has some sort of closure at the opening. If you, like me, take multiple knitting projects with you when you travel, the last thing you want is a mess of tangled yarns and needles all jumbled together in one bag. Placing your knitting projects in bags also protects them from getting roughed up in transit.
Keep a notebook handy. When traveling amongst other people (on a plane, on a train, on a bus, packed in the family minivan), you will inevitably be interrupted in your knitting. Having your notebook and pen or pencil nearby ensures that you can make a quick note of your stopping point, or jot down any modifications you make on the go. I actually have two notebooks that I use (I have a notebook addiction): Franklin Habit's Work in Progress Journal and a journal from Make My Notebook (you can see one of my journals in Check It from knitscene Summer 2011, page 7). The Franklin Habit journal is half blank and half graph paper, and the Make My Notebook journal is half ruled and half graph paper.
Most importantly, have fun! Vacations are usually a time to relax and maybe do something you've never done before, but that doesn't mean you have to leave all of your creature comforts at home. Travel knitting has all the benefits of knitting at home with the added bonus of having something familiar and relaxing during what can occasionally be a stressful experience. Take a picture of your sock toe covering the pyramid outside the Louvre as a "pyramid cosy" (I'm not going to Paris this year, but I will probably do this one day.) Wrap an in-progress scarf around the statue of Phil Lynott off Grafton Street in Dublin (note to self: go back to Dublin).

Wherever you're going, whatever you're doing, have a fun and productive summer of knitting! Hopefully I'll make a good amount of progress in all of my travels.

Happy Knitting!

Amy

P.S.—Knitting on the go has been made even easier with the invention of laptops, tablets, and programs like Zinio that let you cart around multiple books without the weight, and knitscene Summer 2011 is now available on Zinio!

Keeping up with the scene: 5 New Patterns from Knitscene Designers

AmyPalmer — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 17:43:00 GMT

Lisa and I are hard at work, racing to our deadline on Knitscene Winter/Spring 2011, but I thought I'd take a quick break to see what some of our designers from Knitscene Fall 2010 are up to.

Our featured designer, Hannah Fettig, has been hard at work, designing two patterns for Interweave Knits Weekend 2010 (the Mariner Pullover and the Tree Line Cardigan), as well as self-publishing a few other designs, including the Mediumweight Pullover through her store. This sweet cowl neck sweater is stamped with Hannah's signature style!

Melissa Wehrle is an incredibly prolific designer, and her Aryn Tunic Cardigan is a favorite among Knitscene readers. Since Knitscene Fall 2010 was published, Melissa's also published the Elementary Vest in Interweave Knits Fall 2010, as well as the drop-dead gorgeous Origami Shrug from Brave New Knits.

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, Elinor Brown's Northumbria Cowl would make a great stash-busting project (or holiday gift!). Elinor is the Queen of great stashbusting colorwork projects. Her Slanted Peerie Mittens from Interweave Knits Holiday Gifts 2011 are on the top of my Must Knit List, and I just love her Forest Mushroom mittens from twist collective's winter issue and her self-published Ladybug Picnic Mittens.

Every once in a while, sock knitters like myself have to come up for air, and Debbie O'Neill is no exception. Her Brise-Soleil Cardigan from Knitscene Fall 2010 is such a fabulous study in lace and asymmetry. Since then, Debbie's been hard at work on a few more designs for us (in fact, she's our featured designer for Knitscene Winter/Spring 2011!), as well as churning out sock patterns left and right, such as this revision of her Cascading Leaves socks.

This is just a small sampling of what some Knitscene designers have been up to. We're so lucky to work with amazing designers day in and day out, and as much as we love seeing what designs they make for us, we get just as excited seeing what they're doing on their own. The Fall 2010 issue is on sale for a few more weeks; grab a copy and check out what our other designers have been knitting!

'Till next time, happy knitting.
amy

P.S. - Have you knit any patterns from Knitscene Fall 2010? How about any other patterns from our fabulous designers? Let me know, either in the comments or on Twitter! You can find me there as AmyPalmerKnits.