Wiggle Their World, Free Pattern Today!

Good Afternoon,

Yesterday's post was about mittens, today hats.  One in particular, the Wiggle Hat.  This is one of my very favorite hats to knit for kids of all ages, newborn to adult.  It is nearly a close your eyes, sit back and relax kind of hat.

There are no increases or decreases, just the ribbing if you want and then straight up the hat to the closure.  Use a 3 needle bind off or my favorite, Kitchener Stitch.  Add some pom poms, maybe some embellishments and you are done.  Add a pair of mittens to go with it, and you have a great gift for the Holidays for your favorite munchkin.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

 

This one is used on my website http://youandmeknit.com

 

I knit this hat to demonstrate the Kitchener Stitch on my You Tube Channel.

It may be accessed from my website if you would like to review the tutorial.

 

 

This hat began the Wiggle Collection.  I knit this for JT for his Birthday in December.

It was he who named it the "Wiggle Hat" and it stuck.

 

This one belongs to Mason, JT's younger brother, both the boys look so cute in their wiggle hats!

 

 

Get out your needles and here we go:

 

Using your favorite yarn, cast on the number of stitches that you would use for that weight yarn using a 16" CN in a size for your chosen yarn.  Or, use a favorite hat pattern for the cast on amount.

 

Begin by knitting your favorite edging, ribbed, twisted ribs, or rolled edge.  The idea today is to make it yours.

 

Once you finish the border or edging, work in whatever stitch or color pattern that suits your fancy.

Continue to knit usually between 6"or 8" depending on the size of the hat for the child.

 

Finish off with Kitchener Stitch or a 3 needle bind off. 

 

Add pom poms to the corners, add embellishments if desired and fasten off and weave in all ends.

 

Make a hat for the entire family.  Depending on size, an easy knit for the evening while watching TV or reading.

 

Enjoy the rest of the afternoon and the hat.  Happy Knitting!





Mittens for the Masses

Good Afternoon,

What exactly is a basic mitten?  Well, in my mind it is a ribbed cuff, followed by a gusseted thumb, or other type of thumb, and then on up to the tip of the mitten.

Then you have the fingerless varieties, and the thumb less for babies and young children, and the mitten with the removable mitten top....and on and on.  You are only limited by your imagination.

Then, there are the double knit mittens, thrummed mittens, colorful, beaded, embroidered, and slightly different shaped tops.  Those shaped tops have to do with how the top is decreased and then finished....decreased to six or eight stitches and then draw the yarn tail through or Kitchener stitched together.

So many choices.  The good news about this is that once you never get bored knitting such a wonderful variety of mittens.  There is something for everyone.  Even with the most basic pattern,  you can introduce a really lovely yarn.  Since most mittens don't take a huge amount of yardage, you can entertain the thought of using something more exotic for that special someone. 

Choices once again, in the fiber arena this time are:  Buffalo, Possum, and Yak, just to name a few.  Don't forget Camel either.  It is another wonderful fiber to knit with.

Get out your paper and a pencil or pen.  Start by tracing hands, labeling the paper with names and maybe some notes on color preferences and fiber considerations. Don't forget to measure the circumference of the hand as well.   Doodle on down the page with some stitch variations, cables, seed stitch, twisted ribs, etc. You now have gifts for your family and friends and never make the same pair twice!

How awesome is that!  Have a great rest of the afternoon and Happy Planning!

The Cable Connection

Good Afternoon,

I just received my Vogue Knitting Magazine in the mail today.  One of the hot items for fall and winter is Arans. I personally love adding cables of all sizes and varieties into my knitting.  It breaks up a long monotonous knit, sweater or coat, and gives it character.  The garment now has a voice that invites ohhhs and ahhhs.

Cables can be very small as in a two stitch twisted rib or as big as a ten or twenty stitch cable.  There is often a collection of cables within one garment.  Usually, a center focal point and then smaller cables on either side to "frame" the center motif.

While helping my students and other customers in the yarn shop, I have heard so many remarks and fears about cables.  The remarks are about how beautiful they are when paired with just the right yarn to show them off at a distinct advantage.  Add to that the correct lighting, and you have a winner of a piece to show off.  But on the other hand, the fear that you can see in the eyes that agrees with the beauty of the piece, but also, the phrase, "I could never do that!". 

So here is where I like to break something like this down into components and explain that all the seeming complexities of cables is merely taking the stitches out of their existing order and rearranging them.  That concept seems to be understood, but then when shown traveling cables, I can see them start to twitch, and again say "Oh, I could never do that either!". 

It is so enjoyable to sit with students who are learning about cables and I love it when they finally see that they really aren't difficult, but just look intimidating.  One of the most important things that I also teach along with the mechanics is getting the right cable needle.  I do not encourage anyone to use the aluminum ones as they are so very slippery.  But, that is what I learned on and because of the needle always falling out, I learned to do many cables without the benefit of using a cable needle.  It just plain slowed me down, constantly picking up the cable needle from the floor.  I always recommend wooden ones to beginning cable students.  I personally like the birch ones that come three sizes to a package.  When I was at the yarn shop last week, one of my colleagues had a wooden cable needle with a bend in it similar to its aluminum cousin.  Quite unique.

For those who aren't familiar with cables, I will include a couple of my favorites here:

 

Simple Braided Cable, courtesy of Dummies.com

 

Basket Cables courtesy of thewalkertreasury.wordpress.com

 

Celtic Cable courtesy of knittinghelp.com

 

 

All three of the samples above can be found either in print or in charts in a knitting pattern.  Sometimes you will find both, the written out instructions as well as charts.  The one most valuable piece of advice that I can give, is that when knitting on the left side of the design going from cable to back ground stitch, purl the first stitch after working the cable.  It will be hidden by the edge of the cable and the purl stitch will tighten up that loosey goosey stitch following the cable.

 

Now that you are armed with some insight into cables, do not be afraid of trying one in your next project.

 

Have a wonderful rest of the afternoon and Happy Knitting!

 

P.S.  Just wanted to say that I'm glad to be back.  It was totally crazy getting everything ready for California.  I am so happy that I was able to ship well before the fair begins later in the week, and what a relief it was!

 

Short Rows Rock

Good Afternoon,

Sorry I missed you all yesterday.  It has been a bit hectic getting ready for Los Angeles County Fair.  Also, Mom had a complete knee replacement on Monday.  She is doing great and is expected to be released on Thursday.

I have a few things on the back burner for winter, one is working with short row shaping.  If you haven't given it a try except for sock heels, please have fun and play with the technique.  It can be used for so many things.

• Sock heel shaping...you already know that
• Raising the back neck of a sweater
• Lowering the back edge of a sweater
• Creating curved and slightly rounded angles
• Creating wedges that will form a half circle

These are just a few ideas for short rows.  A unique idea is shaping for bathing suits.  The short rows are used to create the cups of the bra top. 

For those that love to swatch and play with design, what a great technique to add to your list.
Short rows use two basic methods.

1. Wrap and turn: knit X number of stitches, yarn forward, slip next stitch, yarn back, slip the slipped stitch back, turn work and continue.
2. Instead of W & T's, my favorite method is a yarn over.  Knit X number of stitches, turn work, and yarn over the right hand needle.  If this is a purl row, make sure you bring the YO all the way around to the front. 

Picking up the wraps or YOs varies slightly.  The wrap is worked with the stitch it is wrapped around.  The YO is worked with its neighbor that is the farthest away from it.  I know this sounds silly, but it works.

Enjoy and don't be afraid to give these methods a try.  Once mastered, think of all the great shaping you will be able to accomplish to make otherwise plain knitting come to life.

One of my biggest short row projects was Oat Couture's Curlicue Coverlet.  I knit it about 8 years ago for a friends new baby.  Since I do not have a picture of it, I will include an image from Short Rows.   This photo is courtesy of Long Lake Yarns.  This was knit using Noro Silk Garden.

Enjoy the rest of your day, and Happy Knitting!

Color Your World

Good Afternoon,

Whether new knitter or veteran knitter, adding color to your project has been a difficult concept to master.  Working in one color all the time is OK, but adding that just right splash or two of color can make your knitting come alive!  There are many places to find a color wheel to help choose color if you don't have that built in sense that many people have.

Image courtesy of blog.timesunion.com



There are so many ways to add color to whatever you are knitting...Stripes, Color Blocking or Intarsia, Slip Stitch, Fair Isle, and even variegated yarns add pizazz.  When I began knitting many knitting books and magazines introduced color by duplicate stitch.  That was OK, but if you are like me, when the knitting is done, it is done.  I really wasn't interested in going back to duplicate stitch a design in that could have been knit in. 

So, do that.  Take the design and put it on a chart or graph paper and knit it in.  Anyone who has knit a few projects has a stash.  You don't even have to buy a full skein or ball of yarn for the colors because you probably have something left over from another project.

Stripes are easy too.  It is a matter of planned or random.  Have you seen the socks that are purposely mismatched?  This is a perfect example.  If you are a sock knitter, you need to look no farther than the closet, under the bed, or wherever you keep your stash.

Slip Stitch is also easy.  Barbara G. Walker's Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns has chapters devoted to color knitting patterns that use only one color at a time.  Easy, easy, easy.  It is the method of slipping stitches that makes the color work so simple.  You will be able to find her books in the Library if you want to investigate this technique further. 

Color Blocking, or Intarsia is where you work with multiple colors at a time.  Using a yard or two of each color and tie them butterfly fashion or use yarn bobbins, they will hang off the back side of your work ready to be picked up and then exchanged for the next color.  The important thing to remember with this technique, moving from one color to the next, you will have to twist the two colors together to eliminate the holes.  Not difficult, just fiddly.

Finally, is Fair Isle.  Very intimidating for many knitters.  There may be anywhere from 2 to 20 colors in your project, but remember, you are only using two at a time.  There is a method to stranding your knitting, or carrying your yarns.  Decide which color will be oriented on top and the other on the bottom.  These strands lie parallel to each other.  They may be carried together in right or left hand depending on your personal knitting style, or one color in each hand.  It is your choice.  Trying the different methods on a swatch size piece will give you an idea which is easier.  Remember, it is your comfort zone.  You will want to practice this technique to learn the correct tension for the "carries" or strands.  Too tight with pucker your knitting and too loose and the strands will hang on the back side making it easy to snag while putting on and taking off.

Fair isle is always worked more easily in the round with "steeks".  A steek is a minimum of 5 to 10 stitches.  Don't cringe, or cry here, when your sweater is complete, it will be cut open with scissors.  Steeks can be used in the center front to create a cardigan as well is the armhole.  This will create a drop shoulder sweater as there is no shaping to deal with.

Since we are getting on to Fall and Holiday Season, sort through your stash. Small bits of yarn work great for mittens and hats with larger balls of color for sweaters and vests.  Start planning and remember the more stash you use, it is the perfect way to justify another yarn purchase!

Have a great weekend, and Happy Knitting!

EZ's EPS System

Good Afternoon,

While I was doing some re - reading of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac, I am just amazed at how simple it is to follow her designs without a lot of hoo - ha directions.  If you haven't read or even thumbed through the pages of any of her books, please take a moment the next time you are at the library.

If you become familiar with EZ's "EPS" system, take a moment or two to think about it, now, apply the formula to a simple knit sweater from any knitting book, magazine, or pattern.  It doesn't have to be an adult size, it will work for anyone.  Once you have K, or Key Number, the rest of the body is given a percentage of that. 

The kicker is, the whole business is based on gauge.  Yup, gauge.  My students are getting better at this technique, I have only been reminding them to do this for longer than I can remember.  I  know it is an unwelcome subject for so many knitters, but I like to explain the necessity this way. 

Most of us purchase the best quality of yarn that we can afford.  Now, combine that with the number of labor hours invested in this garment and give it price as well.  Not to do so is short changing yourself.  Do you like $5.00, $10.00 or perhaps more an hour for your knitting.  It is so important to think of it in those terms.  This may be a gift for a loved one, but if it doesn't fit, look at what has been lost.  To just give it away to someone else who can wear it is OK, but now you are out your gift, yarn cost and your labor cost. 

In these times of budget stretching, where every penny is important, I'm thinking that the lowly gauge swatch makes more sense than not.  Thirty to sixty minutes of knitting to get it right is a small price to allow for. Here is what you get for your mini investment of time:

• First and most important, the correct number of stitches per four inches (not one inch)  for a fabric you absolutely love.  It won't be too loose, like, in seeing through it, or too tight, as in stiff and unwearable. Remember to measure over four  inches.  It makes a whole lot of difference.  Try this, measure the number of stitches over just one inch. and mark it down.  Now, measure over four inches, is it the same?  Most likely not.  For instance, if you measure over the four inches and get 20 stitches over 4 inches, that means per inch, you have 5 stitches.  Now, measure over only one inch.  It is rare in deed that you will come up with the same number, and remember, fractions of a stitch count as well, don't over look that.
• If you keep a record of your projects, attach it in your book along with a yarn label, needle size and also be specific as to whether you knit a flat gauge or circular gauge.  If you are knitting a circular garment, you should always do a circular gauge.  If you really love this yarn, and you should, the information you need for future projects is already documented.

From here it is a just matter of some simple math.  I am not a math whiz, I carry a calculator all the time and usually more than one.  First, measure the widest part of your body, hip, waist or bust, or measure a similar design sweater at the widest spot, using the circumference.  So if the measurement is 22.5" the circumference is 45".  Take this number and multiply it by your gauge.....stitches per inch, and that becomes your cast on number, or in EZ's terms "K".  K = key number and refers to the cast on total.

From this point it is a matter of casting on your stitches and get on with knitting your pattern or design.  Another advantage of EZ's books, you will learn to knit by very vague directions rather than line by line.  I'm not saying that she doesn't use line by line directions, but prefers to simplify by guided instructions instead.  It truly is amazing how well this method works.  For new knitters, the thought of "flying by the seat of your pants" so to speak can be scary, but you also learn the general construction of the sweater, and ultimately cuts you loose from the dependency on every printed line.

I am going to stop here, there is so much more information that I can share with you.  If anyone wants to read more, pick one of EZ's books and then let me know if I can be of some help to you.  We can do all kinds of things, KAL, a class, or what ever might be helpful to you.  Leave a comment or contact  me at dee@youandmeknit.com.  It is time to look toward the Holidays and the special gifts that you will be able to knit for everyone.

Enjoy the rest of your afternoon, and Happy Knitting!

Pattern Complete

Good Afternoon,

Today was the last pattern update to be completed.  The Petal Face Cloth has been emailed to Matt, matt@yerkesphoto.com.  He is my photographer, web designer, and printer. I would not be able to work without him, thanks Matt!

I had emailed the pattern yesterday, but forgot to add the link for the technique video.  Fortunately adding the video link and resending only took a few minutes and then email it on to Matt. 

The video is Emily Ocher's Circular Cast On.  When researching for my pattern details, that was the one element that I knew that I wanted.  I had taken a class on this technique years ago when knitting from Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitter's Almanac.  The directions in the Appendix on page 141 does have a couple of diagrams and a description.  This was included in the book to knit the Pi Shawl on page 71 for the month of July.  Ironic that I designed the face cloth in July as well.  The cast on is unique in that there are crocheted stitches into a ring that are then divided and placed on double point needles.  A little fiddly but well worth the effort to learn.

Sketching and drawing are not my strong suits, so the video was created to give a visual of the cast on.  My students seem to work much better when a visual is provided for them, so I thought it might be helpful for you as well. 

This is one of the patterns that will be going to the L.A. County Fair, sold in kit form as well as a finished product.  Not being there in person, the video is the next best thing to being able to teach the cast on.

Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnQi2DrdG0jIxOZp1SeKebQ?feature=guide

Give it a try.  It is a great way to begin anything circular; doily, wash cloth, table cloth, blanket, shawl, and the list is only as short as your imagination.  The best part of the cast on is that it can be tightened so there is to tell tale hole in the center.  All it takes is a tug of the yarn tail to close it up. 

I hope you enjoy it and find in helpful.  Have a great rest of the afternoon and.....

Happy Knitting!