Yes, there is more than one book by this name. In addition to the more recent Horst Schulz work on modular knitting, there's also Patchwork Knitting by Gail Selfridge (New York: Watson-Guptill, 1977).



Like the later book, this is an exploration in making garments and home decor items predicated on smaller, geometric units. Unlike recent domino/modular knitting books, these motifs are all knit indvidually and later seamed together, there's no directional knitting mentioned nor are the modules knit onto each other, saving seams. ? Instead this book explores the use of basic squares, ranging from four to eight inches across. Simple striping and Intarsia is used to emulate pieced patchwork style nine patch, twelve-patch, pinwheel, and log cabin modules, plus some simple figural motifs like hearts and stars. These modules are then assembled into mittens, scarves, sweaters, blankets, and other items.

While the styles shown betray its 1970s-origin, and there are now less labor-intensive explorations into the modular concept, this book isn't entirely passe. It is one of the first that introduced the aesthetics and geometry of pieced quilting into knitting. While we're used to seeing some of its concepts more or less regularly (like the log cabin quilt block reinterpreted in knitting) - there is still depth here to explore.
It also does a good job of explaining how to trick out an array of basic squares into a (more or less) shaped garment. Selfridge adds gussets and ribbings to bring some fit into what would otherwise be drop-shouldered, cubical pullovers and cardigans. The adapt-a-square instructions even cover adding thumbs and rounded ends to squares to make mittens, and adding limbs to squares to make toys. It's this latter group of small projects, including scarves and hats plus the blanket layouts, that might be the most useful.

For example, I've got two Little Kid Knitters here in the house. Their attention span doesn't extend to blankets or even whole pullovers, but they are both taken with the thought of making small squares that can be turned into teddy bears, hats, scarves, and mittens. Even if I have to do the thumb shaping or bear ears for them, the ideas shown in this book are a welcome addition to my store of "What can I make next?"responses.

I note that this book sells on the used market for a wide range of prices. While I certainly don't think there's enough here to merit the premium end of that spectrum, if you stumble across it at a reasonable cost it might be worthwhile, especially if you're teaching kids.

I also note that this book is very widely held in regional library networks. You can probably find a copy near you. I'd like to shamelessly plug local libraries here. They may not always be able to afford The Latest Thing anymore, but they are treasure troves - especially if they participate in a regional reciprocal loan program. Get out there and explore their holdings. Borrow something. Books - including knitting books - are more likely to be remaindered or discarded if they languish on the shelves. Help keep the stock of these older, still useful books available by letting your library know they are still desired and appreciated. And while you're at it, let the staff know that THEY'RE still appreciated, too.

I'm still noodling on the hoodie project. Target child is waffling about her requirements. I'd rather wait until she settles into firm conviction before casting on. Some questions came in after Friday's post:

Why start with Rogue instead of designing your own from scratch?

First, I really admire this particular pattern, its proportions and the way the cables are so cleverly used. Since it fits so closely with the original set of requirements and/or mods to it would not be difficult, why not start out with it? Cardigan-ization isn't tough, nor would be knitting a smaller size to compensate for gauge differences. As for the rest - the texture pattern and saddle shoulders with a cable down the center of the arms, as Target Child looks over the photos of other people's finished Rogues, she's becoming less attached to those concepts.

You know you can use knitting design software to help.

Yup. I know that. I've got Sweater Wizard and the older Cochenille product. Hated the latter. I didn't mind the non-standard format of the directions, better suited for knitting machines than for hand knitters, but I was totally turned off by the lack of technical insight provided by customer support. The thing wasn't cheap, and I could never get it to run properly. Only one or two of the supplied templates produced any sort of output, and even they were unable to produce more than one or two of the available sizes. "Support" claimed that it was a problem unique to my set-up and there was nothing they or I could do about it aside from waiting for the next upgrade and seeing if that worked any better. Since we've got an average of six or seven working computers in this house at any one time (all with different processor/opsys/video card combos), and I tried the software on all of them and turned up exactly the same bugs, I rather doubted that one unique set-up was the problem.

Rather than throwing good money after bad, I decided not to spend close to $100 to upgrade Cochenille (with no guarantee that the new version would work any better. I switched over to Sweater Wizard. It's got far fewer design templates and isn't a full-size sloper drafting program, but what it has actually works, and is quite easy to use both during the design and knit-from phases. Which is refreshing compared to my previous experience. My only criticisms of the product have to do with personal preference and fit. I find the standard fit a bit tight for my taste, so I always add extra ease (which is verysimple to do).

My real desire though is to be able to produce the full-featured graphs of actual garment pieces, showing color or texture pattern placement like the ones in Rowan magazines. So far no knitting pattern design tools come close to that degree of integrated pattern shaping/motif placement. Yes, there are export features that allow customization of garment shapes for colorwork placement, but no total pattern maker that lets you tinker with all parameters in one interactive console. (If you gotta dream, dream big. [grin])

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Although progress is slowly burbling along on the hoodie, there wasn't enough to keep my fingers happy over the weekend. So I started a pair of quickie socks. Standard Figure-8 toe toe-ups with short-row heels. I'm using Lana Grossa Melienweit Fantasy, on US #00s, at the (for me) relatively large gauge of 9spi (68 stitches around). Ankle pattern is an impromptu feather and fan variant:



Here's the graph for the ultra-simple six-row feather and fan variant used on the ankle. It's 17 stitches wide and six rows long. I'm working my socks on five needles (four in the sock, one to knit with). Because each needle has 17 stitches on it, this graph is worked once per needle:



More info on knitting socks of this type, including basic how-tos for both the Figure-8 toe and short-rowed heel can be found in any of the sock patterns on wiseNeedle.

Monitor Dearth Watch = 47 days and counting. Samsung's latest excuse is that they mailed out the thing twice, but each time to a different wrong address, in spite of the fact that my address is correct in their records. Unpleasantness ensued until they conceded that error on their part doesn't amount to $300. worth of liability for each monitor on my part. Since someone at those other addresses signed for the monitors, I can expect that they will now have the joy of paying for them. Which leaves me still without a monitor.

Now, those of you considering purchasing a Samsung product right now are probably taking this sample of exemplary service efficiency into account as a data point in that decision. And you'd be correct to do so...

Hoodie. Possibly Rogue-derived.

Can't put it off any longer. I promised the older daughter that I'd knit her a sweater of her own design. I've gotten back this set of thoughts to play with:

1. Yarn choice: Almedahls Texas, a 100% cotton loosely twisted multiply worsted weight yarn in faded jeans/chambray blues. Slightly marled. It's a yarn sale acquisition from last winter that has been stash-aging a while. Very soft, splits like crazy. Knits up nicely on US #6 needles at spot on classic worsted gauge of 5spi/7rpi.
2. Required shape: Oversize zip-front hoodie, saddle shoulders and slightly belled sleeves.
3. Desired decorative elements: Cables! Especially up the center front and around the hood's edge. Also if possible - the Dragon Skin texture pattern from Walker #2 (p. 136).

Now I've thought about starting with Rogue (a truly excellent bit of design work that I envy). There are some problems though:

1. The gauge of my yarn is wrong for it, but I can cope with that.
   
2. Also it's not a cardigan. I can also cope with that, too. Others have split the front and made it into a zip-up, so I wouldn't be the first.
   
3. The cotton I'm doomed to use is also rather inelastic for this sort of thing, but I've done complex cabled pieces out of the most intransigent of yarns, so I don't think that this one will be too difficult.
4. The thing really isn't set up for saddle shoulders. (I think this point isn't a life or death requirement, and Target Kid will be happy without cables up the arm to the shoulder so long as she's got the cabled cuff detail).
5. Much of the beauty of the piece comes not only from its excellent shaping, and clever incorporation of cable increases into accents, but also from the contrast of the very plain body with the deeply embossed cabled trim. Using an all-over texture pattern like dragon skin would cut into that contrast.

Problem:? How do I either talk Target Child out of the dragon skin texture pattern, modify dragon skin's stitch count/repeat to make it easier to use in a project of this scale; or talk myself into adapting Rogue to use it?? More explorations and/or negotiations are necessary. I'll probably order the pattern early next week, after I've finished swatching out the Texas and playing with Walker's repeat widths.

Here's my initial swatching play of the texture pattern as she wrote it. (Dragon Skin is on the bottom of the thing. )

I managed to land in both a snow and knitting rich area. Many of my neighbors knit. One even holds an informal knitting circle that meets once a week. I've been going when I can, and have watched the creation of a really nifty project that happened as a late-course correction on what might have been a tragedy.

Susan The Architect?has been knitting a magnificent impressionist blues/purples mohair stole to wear to a Very Important Event. She cast on plenty of stitches on?a long circ because she was going to knit it the long way (rows running end to end) rather than across the narrow dimension. It was tough to get a fix on her gauge because so many stitches were on the circ, and she had forgotten that she had done her swatch on a smaller sized needle than the one she ended up using.

She knit happily away in K5, P5 rib?until her stole was about 18 inches wide. Then she bound off and discovered that she'd made a strip 18 inches wide by 12 feet long!? Although she's on the tall side, she's not tall enough to carry off a 12-foot strip without constantly stopping to re-drape it or creating a tripping hazard for herself or those around her. Serious thought was needed, as ripping back mohair isn't a pleasant experience.

Susan decided to keep what she had made, but engineer a new use for it. I apologize for not having a model photo of the final piece, but I didn't have a camera with me. Here's a schematic, though:

?

She folded roughly one foot up on each end of the piece, then stitched the resulting flaps down at the cast on and cast off edges. She also seamed about three quarters of the way along the top of the flaps. This made nice pocket ends. Then she folded the piece in half, and seamed down the cast-on edge approximately 18 inches from the center fold. This joined the back into a hood-like shape.

She wears the piece with the hood either draped down her back, or over her hair. The two ends hang down in front - each with a handy pocket end at her fingertips, or are worn with one end flipped up over the opposite shoulder. From the center back of the neck (the base of the hood) to the bottom edge is now about 3.5 feet (12 foot total length/2 = 6; 6-1 foot for pocket = 5. 5-1.5 feet for hood = 3.5 feet), a far cry from the dangling 6 foot from the collar length of the piece when worn as a plain stole. Very wearable, and if I might say so, very flattering, too. Here are directions if you want to make Susan's Stole for yourself.

Susan's Stole

4 skeins King Cole Luxury Mohair (110 meters each, approx 440 meters or 480 yards, total)
Size US #13 (9mm) circular needle, 36 inches long.
Tapestry Needle for sewing up.

Gauge = Approximately 8 stitches = 4 inches or 10cm

Cast on 285 stitches.
Row 1:? (K5, P5), repeat, end K5.
Row 2:? (P5, K5), repeat, end P5.
Repeat rows 1 and 2 until your piece measures approximately 18 inches across, or you run out of yarn. Cast off and darn in ends.

Fold left and right edges in towards center, making end flaps approximately one foot deep. Seam up cast on and cast off row edges. Seam approximately 2/3 of the top edge of the flap to form a pocket.

Fold piece in half so that pocket ends are opposite each other. Seam about 18 inches from fold towards free ends?along cast-on edge (the opposite side from hand opening), to create a hood-like opening.

Final word:? Why 'Lemonade?'? From the old adage that begins "If life gives you lemons..."

More goodies from the mailbag. Laura wrote:

I recently came across the Mary Francis Knitting and Crocheting Book. It is darling!? Even though the credits don't specify, I assume it's a reprint of a book originally written around 1920. Woven within the story are quite extensive photo demos of knitting and crochet, along with many patterns for doll clothes, and even Red Cross knitting patterns. The text of the book describes yarns as 2-fold, 3-fold or 4-fold, and appear to be referring to what we would call 'ply' today--though perhaps more in the UK style. The book then goes on to say that yarns are named Germantown Zephyr or Germantown Wool (4-fold or 8-fold), Knitting Worsted, Saxony Wool, Woolen Knitting Floss, Teazle Yarn, or Angora Wool. Would you have any info on what the modern equivalents of these might be?? Any references to point me toward?? I did a google search, but mostly came up with "Bear Brand Germantown Yarns," a few skeins of which have retired in my stash....It would seem that Germantown could refer to worsted weight or heavier (about a 3 or 4 in the modern number scheme trying to standardize the industry), Saxony might be more of a baby or sport weight (2ish, I suppose?) and Knitting Floss might be more like Shetland yarns--lace or baby/fingering weight (1 or 2ish, I'm thinking).

I know there are lots of people now interested in older knitting patterns - everything from ponchos published in the 1970s through the truly vintage stuff going back to the late 1800s. The older the book, the harder it can be to figure out how to make the garment using today's materials. Laura's problem is a very common one for anyone looking at these older patterns.

I can't claim to be?an expert on this?on this, but I have had a little bit of experience with legacy/historical patterns. From my limited exposure,?Laura's guesses are spot on.

For the yarns described in her book, Germantown's closest equivalent is true worsted (not just something within the group system 3 or 4 designation;?the group system being a lousy method yarn classification). The closest modern yarn is Cascade 220 - a 100% wool that knits at 5 stitches per inch. Many patterns call for that size yarn to be doubled. I've had good results?using either a true worsted, or even a lofty DK when the pattern calls for knitting with two strands.

Saxony was often used for baby items, knit on 15s or 16s. The modern needle size equivalent would be 00s or an size in between 00 and 000. I've had success substituting modern three-ply fingering or baby yarn. (4-ply fingering is standard sock weight, knitting at 28 stitches = 4 inches, 3-ply is lighter, usually knitting at 32 stitches = 4 inches.)? Perhaps Jamieson Shetland Spindrift might work, being lofty and able to be knit down to that gauge. Brown Sheep WildFoote is one of the lightest sock yarns around now that Kroy 3 Ply is discontinued. Froelich Wolle Special Blauband is also on the thin end of the fingering spectrum. Much thicker and denser but machine washable is Dale Baby Ull. Knit tightly it might work, but I think that the?Spindrift or Wildfoote?would have a more historically accurate look.

I also suspect that Knitting Floss is lace weight. Skacel Merino Lace might mage a good substitute.

Teazle, and Angora Wool are tougher. My suggestion would be to look at the needle size and gauge. Since most historical patterns don't give gauge, are sized fairly small and fit FAR tighter than modern ones, the best way to figure out gauge is to look at the stitch count around the wrist or cuff rather than around the chest. Fit on wrists don't change much, nor is ease generally a big factor there. Compare whatever you get to the wrist measurement of a modern piece - women's small, men's small, or children's about size 6 for post-baby garments. Using that measurement roughly estimate how many stitches per inch the piece had just above the ribbing.

I've been working on this chart for a while, collecting historical yarn names and modern gauge/needle size equivalents. Also some suggestions on possible modern yarns. I started with some needle size data abstracted from Lois Baker's highly useful comparative needle chart. Most of the historical yarn types I cite are from patterns before the 1930s. Note that these are not hard and fast categorizations, many yarns/needle sizes can slip up or down a peg. Also note that texture is difficult to match. I have no way of knowing if one yarn type was say,?closer in feel to Spindrift than it is to Regia. ?Feel free to attach corrections/additions in the comments. I'll update the chart body and put a link to it under 'Reference' at right.

Historical Needle Size	Modern Needle Size	Expected Gauge and Modern Yarn Type	Typical Historical Yarn Names	Possible Modern Substitutes (no guarantees)
	0.25mm	1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread
	0.5mm	1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread		Size 80 cotton
	0.75mm	1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread	Wool Floss Spool Cotton Knitting cotton
UK 19 US 18 Steel	1.0mm US #00000	1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread		Size 50-80 cotton Jamieson 1-Ply Cobweb Wool
US 17 Steel	1.125mm	1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread
UK 18 US 16 Steel	1.25mm US #0000	2 ply Lace weight Cotton thread	Berlin Wool Briggs Knitting Silk	Size 50 cotton Skacel Merino Lace
UK 17 US 15 Steel	1.5mm US #000	2 ply Lace weight Cotton thread	Berlin Wool, Andalusian Wool	Size 30 cotton Skacel Merino Lace Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace
UK 15 US 14 Steel	1.75mm US #00	3 ply Fingering Light Fingering 30-32 st = 4 in	Saxony, Shetland, Pompador, German Fingering, Alliance	Jamieson Shetland Spindrift, Brown Sheep Wildfoote, Dale Baby Ull (knit very tightly) Kroy 3-PlyMost of the lighter weight sock yarns
UK 14 US 13 Steel US 0 Standard	2mm US #0	3 ply Fingering Light Fingering 30-32 st = 4 in 4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4 in	Saxony, Zephyr,	Jamieson Shetland Spindrift; Kroy 3-Ply; Most of the lighter weight sock yarns
US 12 Steel	2.25mm US #1	3 ply Fingering Light Fingering 30-32 st = 4 in 4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4 in	Saxony, Zephyr, Cocoon	Jamieson Shetland Spindrift Kroy 3-Ply Dale Baby Ull (knit very tightly) Most of the lighter weight sock yarns Most standard sock yarns; Rowan 4 ply yarns
UK 13 US 1 Standard	2.5mm	4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4 in	Saxony, Beehive, Penelope	Most standard sock yarns; Rowan 4 ply yarns
UK 12 US 11 Steel US 2 Standard	2.75 mm US #2	4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4 in	Beehive, Peacock, Penelope	Most standard sock yarns; Rowan 4 ply yarns
UK 11 US 10 Steel US 3 Standard	3mm	4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4 in Lighter sport weights25-28 st = 4 in		Koigu; GGH Marathon; Zitron Libero
UK 10	3.25mm US #3	Sport weight 24 st = 4 inches		Louet Gems Opal Merino: Jaeger Matchmaker
US 9 Steel US 4 Standard		Sport weight 24 st = 4 inches		Louet Gems Opal Merino: Jaeger Matchmaker
UK 9 US 8 Steel US 5 Standard	3.75mm US #5	Gansey weight, 5-ply 23 st = 4 in	Jumper wool	Wendy Guernsey 5 Ply
UK 8	4mm US #6	DK weight 22 st = 4 inches	Germantown, Zephyr, Saxony doubled	Jaeger Matchmaker DK; Jo Sharp DK Wool; Most standard DK weight yarns; Most 4 ply fingering weights, doubled
US 6 Standard	4.25mm
UK 7	4.5mm US #7	Worsted 20 st = 4 inches	Germantown	Cascade 220
US 7 Standard	4.75mm
UK 6 US 8 Standard	5mm US #8	Heavy worsted 19 st = 4 inches Aran 18 st = 4 inches		Most standard Aran weight yarns; Most standard sport weight yarn, doubled
US 9 Standard	5.25mm
UK 5	5.5mm US #9	Aran 18 st = 4 inches
US 10 Standard	5.75mm
UK 4	6mm US #10	Light bulky 17-16 st = 4 in
UK 3 10.5 Standard	6.5mm US #10.5	Bulky 15-13 st = 4 in	Germantown doubled	Two strands of Cascade 220; Most standard worsteds, doubled
UK 2	7mm
UK 1	7.5mm
UK 0	8mm US #11	Bulky 15-13 st = 4 in Super bulky 12 or fewer st = 4 in
UK 00	9mm US #13	Superbulky 12 or fewer st = 4 in
UK 000	10mm US #15	Superbulky 12 or fewer st = 4 in
	12.5mm US #17
	15.5mm US #19
	19mm US #35

For yarns from the 1950s through 1970s, VintageKnits maintains a very useful guide to fiber content and actual gauges of specific yarn brand names. It's divided roughly by weight into several pages.

On this 43rd day of the Great Monitor Dearth, and second day of post-blizzard digging out, I share these mitts:

Fingerless Whatevers

Approximately 200 yards?of sock weight yarn - roughly one 50 gram skein. This pair looks to be using half a?skein each of Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock and Dale Baby Ull. (I can't guarantee that this is a spot on perfect quantity estimate as I am not yet done with the second mitt.)? This would be a good project to use up odds and ends of several self-stripers, pairing them with one solid color common to them all. Five US #1?double pointed needles?(2.5mm). May be knit using the two circ method by considering each two-needle unit = 1 circ

Gauge in stockinette:? 9 st = 1 inch

Twisted cable ribbing:

Round 1: (K2, p2), repeat
Round 2: (K2, p2), repeat
Round 3: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat
Round 4 and 5: Repeat Rounds 1 and 2

Wristlet/Pulse Warmer or wrist part of Whatevers:

Cast on 64 stitches and knit one round, using the method described in yesterday's post. You should have 4 dpns, each with 16 stitches (or two circs with 32 if using that method.)? Work twisted stitch ribbing for?9 repeats (45 rounds). I alternated my two color yarns, switching colors after Row 5 and stranding up rather than breaking the yarn at every stripe. Note that you can end off right here and have a perfectly nifty pair of pulse warmers, instead of continuing on to make the thumb hole and palm part of these mitts.

Left Thumb Gusset and Palm (Mitt #1 only):

Knit?9 rounds in stockinette.
10th Round: Knit all the stitches from Needle #1. Knit 12 stitches from Needle #2. Place a marker. M1, K2, M1, place another marker. Knit remaining 2 stitches on Needle #2. Knit all stitches on Needles #3 and 4.
11th Round:? Knit all stitches
12th Round:? Knit to marker. Transfer marker to right hand needle. M1, Knit to marker, M1. Transfer marker to right hand needle. K2. ?Knit all remaining stitches on Needles #3 and 4.
13th Round: Knit all stitches.

Repeat rounds 12 and 13 until there are 24 stitches between the two markers.

Knit 2 tog at the beginning of Needle #1.Knit remaining stitches on Needle #1. You should have 15 stitches on Needle #1. Knit to marker. Slip the 24 thumb stitches onto a stitch holder or piece of string. Stranding very tightly to avoid gapping, knit the remaining two stitches of Needle #2 together. You should have 14 stitches on Needle #2. K2tog, knit remaining stitches on Needle #3. You should have 15 stitches on Needle #3. Knit all stitches on Needle #4. There will now be 60 stitches total.

Knit 10 rows. On 11th row begin working rounds 1-5 of Twisted Cable Ribbing (I chose to switch back to my solid color for this). You will find this easier to work if you slip the first stitch of Needle #2 to Needle #1 and the last stitch of Needle #2 to Needle #3 just prior to commencing this round. Bind off in pattern.

Right Thumb Gusset and Palm?(Mitt #2 only):

In theory you could just make two lefts, since there are no fingers in this piece to skew the fit one way or the other. But I think it's more satisfying (and marginally better fitting) to do a mirror image. Plus it's good practice for anyone planning on graduating from fingerless whatevers to real gloves.

Knit?9 rounds in stockinette.

10th Round: Knit 2. Place a marker. M1, K2, M1, place another marker. Knit remaining 12 stitches on Needle #1. Knit all stitches on Needles #2, 3 and 4.
12th Round:? Knit all stitches
13th Round:? Knit to marker. Transfer marker to right hand needle. M1, Knit to marker, M1. Transfer marker to right hand needle. K2. ?Knit all remaining stitches on Needles #2, 3 and 4.
14th Round: Knit all stitches.

Repeat rounds 13 and 14 until there are 24 stitches between the two markers.

Knit 2 tog at the beginning of Needle #1. Slip the 24 thumb stitches onto a stitch holder or piece of string. Stranding very tightly to avoid gapping, knit the remaining 12 stitches of Needle #1. You should have 14 stitches on Needle #1. Knit 14 stitches on Needle #2, K2tog, knit You should have 15 stitches on Needle #2. Knit all stitches on Needle #3, and 4. There will now be 60 stitches total.

Knit 12 rows. On 13th row begin working rounds 1-5 of Twisted Cable Ribbing (I chose to switch back to my solid color for this). You will find this easier to work if you slip the?last stitch of Needle #1 to Needle #2 just prior to commencing this round. Bind off in pattern.

Thumb:

Evenly divide the 24 stitches of the thumb onto three DPNs. With a fourth work the following rounds of Twisted Cable Ribbing:

Round 1
Round 3
Round 5

I chose to work these in my solid color. Bind off in pattern. Darn in all ends, taking care to snick up the hole that has formed at the base of the thumb where the ribbing began.

Please note that this pattern is copyright 2005, by Kim Salazar, and may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without her permission. It is intended for?private end-consumer use only. ?Please contact the author for permission if you intend to make up this item in quantity for sale?charitable donation.

Mailbag Questions

Michelene asks how I keep half hitch cast on stitches from loosening and turning into big loops. The answer is knitting them very slowly, firmly, and carefully. They will distend somewhat, but if your second row is neat and even, the cast-on row will snick itself back into reasonable shape. The long string gap between needles will also resolve itself; and the beginning/end round gap is addressed by the trading stitches trick also described.

Important note on this - If you try to work a normal?purl on a half hitch cast on stitch, the cast on stitch will disintegrate because the motion of the purl undoes the twist that formed the stitch. That's why the first round of the sock method described two days ago is all knits. If you MUST purl, do?a twisted?purl through the back of the loop. Awkward, yes - but it shouldn't disintegrate.

On finding teeny size needles, I get most of?mine at my LYS - Wild?& Woolly, in Lexington, MA. They get them every now and again as?part of their DPN order. When I see a?set in a size I haven't got yet, I buy it. I've also found some?in yard sales and other yarn shops. ?If your local shop stocks Inox accessories they should be able to special order them for you. There are also lots of on-line sources for specialty needles. I've never dealt with either, but both Lacis and JKL Needles! both have quite extensive offerings.

Interesting Question

Yesterday Marcia asked about the K2P2 rib I posted about. She wants to use it on a hat where the brim is worn folded up. She'd like to have the pattern visible on the flipped up part, and wants to have the twists on the hat body and brim oriented with the same leg on top.

I haven't tried this, but I think that if this stitch were worked two-sided - with crossings on both sides, Marcia's effect would be achieved. To do this you need to make it a six-row rather than a five row pattern. Marcia was also concerned with the leg direction, but if the thing is worked two-sided this way, when flipped up the reverse will display the cable twist crossings going in the same direction as the front. (Try it by making slash marks on both sides of?a piece of paper, then folding it.)

To do it flat, I'd work:

Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches

Round 1: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 2: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 3: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat
Round 4: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 5: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 6: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat

In the round I'd work:

Round 1: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 2: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 3: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat
Round 4: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 5: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 6: K2, (Right purl twist using this method: [Skip the first stitch but retain it on the left needle and?purl the second one, also retaining it on the left hand needle. Then purl?together both the skipped stitch and the second stitch and move the resulting two-stitch unit?to the right hand needle], repeat

Of course another way to deal with the problem is to knit the cuff area using the pattern as described yesterday. When it was deep enough, you'd add three rows of purls to make a welt (the fold line); then reverse direction and knit the cap part, using the opposite twist stitch wherever the original called to use one. That would put the right side of the cuff showing when folded up against the hat body.

Another Interesting Question

FeliciaSix says "Wow. Eyes. Monitor. Bright. Hurt. Why did you pick that most unsubtle of color combos for the Fingerless Whatevers?"

Because it's cold, dark and dreary in the winter and I wanted to wear the opposite.

Annoying Questions

None of them are worth repeating. Some days?I wish every computer came equipped to display this error message:

You can build your own error messages, too.

Day 41 of the monitor hostage crisis. Will the unholy alliance of Samsung and UPS actually deliver?? Odds are not in my favor...

Seriously, thank you to eveyone who has offered up a monitor or pointed me at low-cost sources. This is a highly computer-enabled household, my not wanting to use one of the kids' machines, The Resident Male's deck or even the house server is more a matter of territoriality. This is MY set-up, and I want it to work. Right now I'm using MY laptop - older, slower, but enough for when I need to tote a machine with me on a consulting assignment. I can access my stuff on my base machine via VPN, and drive it remotely. It's slow, a pain, but it works. So my whining is mostly about lousy service, not deathless need.

If you do have a spare monitor, please consider donating it to a local school, library, literacy program, shelter, or other worthy cause. They need it far more than I do.

Fingerless Gloves/Mittens/Wristlets (Whatever)

I still don't quite know what this project is. I'm torn bamong doing?the fiddling to make gloves with abbreviated fingers, settling for truncated mittens, or something shorter like a pulse-warmer or cuff. In any case progress is being made. I have settled on an eye-popping combo of the Lorna's Laces Socknitters Rainbow, and bleeding scarlet Dale Baby Ull. Interestingly enough, the red Baby Ull is perceptibly thicker than the charcoal black. I've used the black in combo with the Lorna's on a sock, and found them much closer in weight. This isn't unsual, many yarns sport thicknesses affected by the specifics of dyeing one color or another. Blacks, whites and natural undyed hues are sometimes different from other colors.

Here we see the proto-wristlet. After much experimentation, I've arrived at something that's working:

In a counter-intuitive leap, I ended up having to use LARGER needles to make something that stretches enough. I moved up to US #1s, and used the stretchiest ribbing I know. It's a K2, P2 variant with the two Ks twisted every 6 rows, making them into 1x1 mini-cables. To avoid looseness, I work the crossing as a twist stitch rather than as a true cable by knitting two together, but NOT slipping the result from the left hand needle, then re-inserting the needle tip into the end-most of the two just knit together. That stitch is knit, then the entire two-stitch unit is slipped onto the right needle. I picked up this trick from the stitch glossary in Walker III.

The pattern so far:? Cast on 64 stitches, work in the cabled rib described above, alternating colors every 6 rows. Exact length of how far to go or what to do next has not yet been decided. (It must be pretty evident by know that I leap long before I look, knitting-wise.

Big Box Stores and Yarn Stocking Patterns

Yesterday's comments and letters brought several speculations on why big box stores stock a different mix of yarns than do specialty yarn shops, and observations of a convergence.

I think the posters were right. It's got to be an "economics of scale" phenomenon. Big box crafts and discount department stores buy in huge lots. They use the size of their purchase to negotiate price concessions from the manufacturers. Lion, Caron, and a couple of others can supply yarn in ISO shipping container sized lots (the huge boxes that stack the decks of freighters, that are lifted off to become truck bodies). That's the quantity larger stores typically purchase.

Even medium-sized big box stores can buy in larger quantities than LYSs. Here in Eastern Massachusetts we've got? small sewing specialty chain called "Fabric Place."? They've always stocked yarn, but over the past five years have greatly expanded their department. They've also cornered the local market for Reynolds Lopi because they were able to offer it at a far lower price than smaller shops. Although Lopi had been a good seller at most local yarn shops, sales fell to zero in the face of competition - especially from FP's special sales, in which it was marked down to $1.50 per ball. All the smaller shops dropped the line, and the only source of Lopi around here is now FP (which hasn't offered the ultra-low price in a long time.)

Right now in this area the big box crafts store/distributor combo?that is evoking the most ire is A.C. Moore. They appear to have cut a deal with the distributor Knitting Fever. Now that doesn't mean you're going to find Noro yarns at Moore. It does mean that many of the other lines that Knitting Fever handles - Sirdar, Schachenmayer, their catch-all Euro category, and even On Line products are showing up there, at prices below what LYS can meet. I predict that as a result, LYS will be decreasing their stocks of Knitting Fever yarns - they just can't afford to fight a store with Moore's retail clout.

Is this good for knitters?? Yes and no. Yes in the short term. It means yarns for less. No in the long term. It kneecaps a major source of support for knitting and knitters. Big box stores are notoriously fickle, and known for limited at best customer service. I dread what will happen if they suck up too many yarn lines. LYS, already under attack from?web-based competition?will have additional pressures in their fight to stay open. Some will die. ?And when the knitting trend crests and the big box stores move on to scrapbooking or whatever fad is next, we'll have even fewer sources for both yarn and advice.

What can we do about it?? Support your local yarn store. If you've got one nearby and?can afford it, buy there. Think of that extra 25 cents per ball as an investment in having hands-on help, and a source of other yarns?available. Please, no whining about lousy and or snooty?LYSs, how you live on a fixed or student income, or that the closest one is 100 miles away. We'll save those complaints for another day.

Manga

Japanese-import or derived comic books. More like?graphic?novels, actually. There's a big cross-over between manga and anime (Japanese animation) in stories, artists, and look/feel. ?If you know the TV cartoons Sailor Moon, Ruroni Kenshin,?and Yu Yu Hakusho you're familiar with the aesthetic. Subject matter is all over the map - everything from romance novels to mysteries, the supernatural, history, and hard science fiction. Many are quite adult in theme and depictions, but others are aimed at a more teenage audience. They're all the rage in the junior high and high school sets. The Older Daughter loves them.

Don't tell her but I like them too. Maybe someday I'll confess about the eight collectors' boxes of '80s vintage comics we've got squirreled away. I think she'd like Lone Wolf and Cub, and the not-Japanese?Stinz.

Sigh. Still no monitor. Perhaps today. At least today I've got Internet connectivity. Yesterday I experienced several hours of intermittent service interruptions (that's why there was no Monday edition of String).

In the mean time, I've managed to get one of the other machines in this house to accept input from my bargain-basement digital camera. It's blurry, but you get the idea:

I finished the Crazy Raglan. Now it's lurid and not my best effort, but it's to the exact specifications of the target Small One, and she loves it. Perhaps this explains why:

She's got one of these. It's been her favorite toy since she was only a couple of months old. Her Squeaky is now much less pristine than this catalog shot, and (mercifully) no longer plays a music box rendition of "Born Free."? She?picked out the self striping yarn because she wanted a "Squeaky Sweater," and now she's got one. But I?think you have to be six to truly appreciate such things.

In terms of technical?performance and lessons learned - there were several. First, going back to mid-summer, there were all sorts of things to be experienced?managing the repeat and?width of the area being knit so as to best manipulate the striping. Second, I used?Sweater Wizard software to devise the basic raglan shape. I really like having that shortcut available to me, but I have to say that for kids sizes at least,?the templates do?run a bit small.I added both copious width/ease and length to make a custom fit on my string-bean kidlet, and it still turned out to be snug.

I'm not entirely pleased with the raglan angle. I should have made the armholes deeper. That would have changed the angles and made the sweater a bit more proportional. I also bowed to kid-preference and made a very shallow V-neck instead of a crew or deeper V, trimming it with a very narrow band of ribbing. She likes it, but I don't - again the proportions are a bit off. Finally, I did a slip stitch selvedge edge on all pieces. I've done that before on raglans and had no problems, but they were solid color raglans, sewn with yarn of the same color. The mattress stitch seaming in the space dyed yarn - especially on the raglan seams - was VERY evident. I ended up taking it out and redoing it as pierced double running stitch to tighten up those shoulder seams and make them gap less. I also selectively cut bits of the darkest green to use for my redone seams. That helped a bit, too.

One thing I did do right was to use provisional cast-ons for the body and sleeves. I also knit both back and front at the same time, and both sleeves at the same time. After I sewed the seams, I went back and picked up the bottom edge stitches at body hem and cuffs, and knit the ribbing in the round. I did the body ribbing first, and liked the contrast between the narrow one-row stripes in it, and the wider stripes in the body. When I did the cuff and neckline ribbing I used two balls of yarn starting at two different points in the color cycle to ensure that they matched the waist ribbing.

So I post an equivocal success. The target audience was pleased, but I'm not enirely so.

Why "By and For?" in the title?? Because those little hand-mitt wristlets The Small One is wearing are a knitting product entirely of her own manufacture. They're lumpen, odd little superbulky yarn paw-warmers but she's very, very proud of them. Here's the pattern. Such as it is:

Morgan's Paw Warmers

Will fit a small child, age 6-10.

Small quantity of?leftover superbulky yarn. I can't say what we used. I bought it years ago for holiday present ties. My guess is that it's 100% acrylic.

US #10.5 straight single pointed needles. Tapestry needle for sewing up.

Gauge - roughly 2 stitches = 1 inch in garter stitch.

Cast on 16 stitches. Knit in garter stitch until piece measures about 6 inches long. Bind off four stitches, and knit across remainder of row. Knit next row, casting on four stitches at the end. On the next row, (K3, K2tog), repeat across the row, ending K1. Knit three more rows on the remaining 13 stitches. Bind off. Sew side seam, taking care to leave the thumb slit open.