More from the inbox.

Stitch marker in the middle of decreases

Stinkyknitter is also working on the Paisley Shawl. She noted that some of the repeats in the second chart begin or end with a decrease, and asks how I manage stitch markers that end up in the middle of two stitches that are supposed to be worked together.

I move 'em.

Being a Continental style knitter, I'm loathe to remove my hands from my needles while I'm working. I usually use my "third hand," grabbing the offending stitch marker in my teeth and holding it for the one or two stitches required. One of the reasons I started using broken earring fobs and making fancy stitch markers a gazillion years ago was that the hanging ornaments made them easy to grab this way.

On my Paisley, the only markers that need to be moved are the plain split rings. They're pretty small - small enough in fact to be slid through stitches if need be, but they're also wide enough to stay put unless otherwise "encouraged." When I get to a SSK that's bisected by a stitch marker I use my needle tip to pop it through the leading stitch, then transfer it to the right hand needle, and work the SSK on the appropriate (far) side of the marker. On K2togs, it's the third hand method.

Yes it can be a pain to stop and shuffle them around. When I graph up repeats for my own use, I often finagle the beginning and end points so that my markers don't end up splitting the difference in the decreases.

Re-knitting tension

A couple of people wrote to ask about gauge tension in the re-knitted repairs. They asked if the new replacement work looked different from the rest of the piece, or if the stitches at the edges of the new work where it bordered the old were distorted in any way.

To be truthful, a bit of care is needed when you're re-knitting the ladders after ripping down. There is great temptation to start out each row working rather loosely, then wrestle to eke out the remaining stitches from the remaining length of the ladder strand.  I make a conscious effort to avoid this, and try to form all my stitches with the same tension as the original knitting. 

A couple of times I've had to re-knit a cable, and that cable was centered in the section being re-knit.  I tried working the crossing several times, but always ended up not having enough of the ladder strand available to finish the couple stitches that came after it.  So I worked that particular row from both ends, picking up the stitches to the left and right of the cable and then sliding them onto the needles that held the "good" knitting on either side of the section undergoing repair.  After they were rescued, the only stitches that remained on my fix-it DPN were those of the cable crossing itself.  I did those last, absorbing the tightness into the natural tightness of the crossing.

As far as appearance, after my usual post-knitting wash and dry prior to assembly, any unevenness is smoothed out.  I've never needed to do anything else to a re-knit repair, nor have any of them been recognizable as such after garment completion.  (If I had time instead of rushing out the door to work right now, I'd dig up some pieces that were fixed mid-stream and take some pix to prove it.)

Pattern source

A couple of people missed my first post on the Paisley Shawl earlier this week, and wanted to know where they could find the pattern. It's in the Spring 2005 edition of Interweave Knits - page 96. Not the Summer edition that (most) subscribers received last week, but the one before that.



Writing

Thank you to everyone who sent in kind words about the tech articles at String. To be truthful, this blog is a busman's holiday for me. In Real Life I'm a proposal writer, mostly working in/with engineering or high-tech firms. Compared to communicating concepts in nuclear engineering or high-end routing, writing about knitting is easier and lots more fun.  Plus winging my way through this has reinforced my appreciation for editors.  I'm embarrassed to admit the number of spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes I fly past without noticing while I'm writing, but find later.  To quote a former boss, "Only fools proof their own work."

I'm past the center part now on the Paisley Shawl, and have finished the dividing section of K2, YOs. I'm pleased with it so far, although it's tough to see well wadded up as it is on the circular needle. Still, you can make out some details if you squint at this:



See all those little stitch markers?

I'm a big believer in stitch markers in lace. I don't use a lifeline, but I do mark my repeats - usually every repeat in a large piece. I find that doing so becomes a built-in proofing system. If the stitch count is off beginning the next repeat, I know something went wacky in either the previous one, or in the repeat one row below. I then have the option of ripping back or ripping down just that one repeat. There are complications of course if a decrease spans the juncture point between repeats, but in general this system has served me well. In this case I'm using three different types of markers. Large silver dinglebobs mark the beginning and midpoint of my rounds (the beginning one is especially elaborate). Small red rings mark the quarter points (my pattern is a square, knit center out, so the beginning, mid and quarter points each define a full side repeat set). Tiny silver color split rings mark each motif repeat. The split rings are crafts store specials, bought in a bag of 200 for less than $1.50.

Ripping Down

I know a lot of people are terrified at the prospect of ripping one repeat down. It's not as scary as it sounds and can usually be done with success on almost anything. Yes, some stitches are harder to rip back, parse out, and reconstruct than others but it's always worth a try. The alternative is ripping back entire rows. If deconstructing and re-knitting a section works, that saves the effort of redoing an entire row; and if selective ripping doesn't work the worst that happens is that you'll need to rip back that entire row anyway. So you can either luck out and save time, or if luck and skill fail you, you end up no worse than you would have been had the effort not been made.

To rip out a bunch of stitches vertically then re-knit them, it's good to understand the nature of knit stitches and the way they are seated on the needles. I've mentioned stitch mounting and twisted stitches before. Recognizing the difference and seating stitches correctly is very important to this process. For starters, when you pick your stitches up after ripping past the broken part, you want to make sure that the survivors are mounted with the leading leg in front:



I start by identifying a good span surrounding the mistake. I don't want to split a decrease, so I try to begin and end the segment in an area of plain stockinette or garter stitch. I find the corresponding section on my charted pattern, or if there isn't one - I chart up the repeat and then identify the suspect bit. Note that if you are doing lace, colorwork or textures, this process is vastly aided by being able to work from charts. You can do it if you have prose directions and are thoroughly familiar with your repeat, but it is much harder to identify the stitches in the section that needs to be redone without a stitch by stitch representation of the work.

Once I have identified my bit to be redone both on the needles and on my chart, I isolate it. I'll knit to just before it, then slide it onto a DPN of the same size as my working needles. This is one of the few times I use needle tips (or rubber bands). I plug the live needle ends before and after my broken section to prevent the balance of the work's good stitches from leaking off and complicating the problem. Once I've got the section isolated, I ladder it back down past my error.  I try to end on a row that's easy to pick up.  For example, rows with lots of increases and decreases or cable crossings can play havoc with stitch mounting, so I try to avoid them. The squeamish might like to thread a mini-lifeline through a row of good stitches below the error to make sure they don't go down further than necessary, but I just take a deep breath and wing it.

When my suspect rows are unraveled, I end up with a bunch of strands suspended ladder-like between the areas of good knitting. I put the last row of good stitches below this mega-ladder back onto the DPN, taking care to mount them correctly. Then I take a second DPN and following the directions on my chart, and using the bottom-most string of my ladder, I re-knit the first suspect row. It's usually a bit awkward there on the last couple stitches, but care and patience always defeats the problem. I repeat the process with the second row of the suspect area, using the now bottom-most string of my ladder. Sometimes I start each of these make-up rows at the right, working them all as right side rows. Sometimes I do flip the piece over and work every other row as if it were a wrong side row. It mostly depends on whether or not I'm working the whole project in the round or in the flat.

Once all the suspect rows have been re-knit and no ladder strands remain, I uncap the right hand needle and continue with my normal working strand across my "mainstream" row, working across the now rescued stitches. Once those are done, I uncap my left hand needle and continue merrily along my way as if no mistake had dared to intrude itself.

Give this a try the next time you look back several rows and spot a cable crossed katywumpus, or some purls that should have been knit. And if you're timid, try doing it to a swatch on which you've made a deliberate mistake.

Thank you to everyone who posted or sent notes about yesterday's blanket. I haven't kept up with Aran style crochet, but I do have two pattern leaflets about it published in the early 1980s. The first is the one I already mentioned:



It's written for worsted weight yarn yarn and sizes H, J and K hooks. It includes patterns for a stole (which turns out to be the thing I enlarged), a poncho, a pieced lap robe, a vest, a pullover and a cardigan. Styles are rather unisex (button placement on the cardigan and vest would vary, of course). Sizes range from a kid-size extra small (24-26" to a large 38"-40". The best of the lot are the stole (as lap blanket, as it's too heavy in my opinion to be worn as a wrap), and the poncho. The pullover is less lumpen looking than the other designs, but it's a strange combo of extremely heavy work and loose hole-y areas, making it too hot to wear indoors, but too ventilated for many to wear as an outdoor outer layer.

The other booklet I have is this one:



It's an American School of Needlework leaflet, listing Mary Thomas as the author. It's also written for worsted weight yarn and size G, J and K hooks. It offers up two basic designs - the bathrobe style wrap sweater and a pullover, written separately for both men and women. Of the two leaflets the designs in the book by Ough are better - worked tighter with less of that stitch out of size crochet at home look, with more stitch variety, and better fit.

In terms of technical details, the two do vary a bit. The designs in the Ough leaflet are worked vertically, with the crocheted rows running the north-south length of the pieces. The Thomas designs are worked in the more conventional east-west direction, across the pieces. I think this helps improve the drape and texture of the Ough designs. Still both share the same weaknesses - heavy, heavy, heavy final products, unstretchy imitation ribbing at cuffs and hem, and a general boxy/slightly odd fit due to the different elasticity factors of the various stitches employed.

Now I note that my familiarity with the style pretty much stalled out in the early '80s. I haven't touched it since, and have given more recent books and leaflets only a passing glance. I've seen a couple of books on "Fisherman Design Crochet" by Ann Pomeroy, but I haven't looked at them closely or worked anything from them. Other crochet books also delve into this specialty, mostly as single projects. I hope that the style has evolved somewhat. That stitches and textures are better expressed, that the "ground fabric" is more wearable, that lighter weight yarns are used, and that fit/finish has evolved, too.

It was this:



I crocheted this from the American School of Needlework pattern leaflet Original Fisherman Crochet for the Family by Anne Rabun Ough (LA #151):



Well, sort of. Actually I took the poncho pattern in this booklet, expanded it a bit in both length and width, adding extra panels of texture stitches, and edged it with a two-knot macrame fringe. (I tinkered with patterns even before I started knitting).   It ate yarn.  Crochet uses more yardage than knitting to make an equivalent sized piece.  The finished blanket weighs a ton.  Even though crochet is usually faster than knitting, it took a long time to make.  See those fake cables?  Those were done as little semi-detached bits, anchored at the tip several stitches away.  The solid parts were panels of slip stitch or single crochet.   The narrow, wandering cable was applied slip stitch worked after the piece was finished.  The bobble section took forever and a half to finish.  I can safely say that I haven't crocheted a bobble since.

I made this piece as a thank-you gift for my mother, for all that she did in handling our wedding preparations. That was roughly 27 years ago but the thing has aged well, surviving washings and daily sofa or bed-throw use for all these years without pilling, discoloring, shrinking, or snagging.  I'm not quite sure which 100% wool yarn I used, but I do remember it had an Irish-inspired name (possibly Plymouth Galway). In any case, here's yet another example of the lasting power of quality materials.

Why did it inspire me to finally learn to knit? Lots of reasons. For one, bobble exhaustion.  Plus at the time there were (and still are) comparatively few attractive, interesting, wearable crochet patterns compared to the wealth of knitting patterns out there. The crocheted faux Aran imitators were certainly interesting to make, but like the ones on the cover of the leaflet, cursed by that "loving hands at home" look. I wanted to make more than just fine lace, fancy tablecloths, and heavy blankets. I envied the style and wearability of knitting. Yes, I know that crochet can be used for far more, and that it can be wildly attractive, but especially at the time it was pretty much limited to tablecloths, blankets, baby things, odd lumpen pullovers done in yarns far to thick for comfortable wear, and granny square ponchos.

So I was primed for learning how to knit. From a book even. But that's another story.

As promised, here's a picture. I'm working it on one too-small in diameter US #5 circular needle. The fine yarn and airiness of the relatively large stitches make it easy to cram all the stitches onto the needles - hence the odd looking snood-like object below:



Not having my needle cache at my disposal, I started this piece with two #5 circs borrowed from my mother. I used them in the same manner as working socks on two circs until the piece got large enough, then transferred it to one circ. I'll probably go back and use two (or possibly four) circs later in production as it grows even bigger.

In the mean time, you can see the center of the piece, the four radiating lines of YO, K1, YO, plus some of the flower-shaped eyelet sets. You can also see the play of color in my berry-hued hand-dyed better than in the jumble produced by the same yarn used for the Birds Eye pattern:



This piece is going much quicker than Birds Eye. For starters, as a true lace texture design there's something happening on every row of that pattern. The Paisley is lacy knitting rather than lace knitting, in that every other row is worked without increases or decreases. In this case, they are done in purl to yield the garter stitch texture.

So far the Paisley has been quite easy to follow. The flower eyelet area is a repeat with only four simple rows to memorize (the other four being purls). The large size #5 needles make the work grow especially quickly. So far I've found no problems with the pattern, although I admit I started it slightly differently than described. Instead of the crochet cast-on in the directions, I used an I-cord beginning (one row of four-stitch I-cord, one row of K1, YO, one row of all knits, then plunge into the pattern from the point where it begins with 8 stitches total). I did this because my mom didn't have any crochet hooks of suitable size.  I am finding that Paisley is also more economical in terms of yarn consumption than was Birds Eye.  At the progress points shown in the photos, both shawls have consumed roughly the same amount of yarn.  The Paisley is a square approximatley 26 inches across (without stretching or blocking); the Birds Eye was a triangle measuring about 12 inches from the bottom point to the needles.  I didn't measure how wide it was though.

Because it's been such easy sailing so far (even with my variant cast-on), I'd recommend this pattern to people who are looking for a center-out lace shawl pattern - even for a first lacy project, provided they feel comfortable knitting from charts. Also because it's going so quickly, I'll probably finish this piece off before returning to Rogue.

Here I am!

The life that intruded last week was a spring break visit to Florida, featuring an official Dual Grandparent Visitation.  We left last Friday morning, spent several days in the Aventura area with my family, then zipped up to West Palm Beach to visit my in-laws; then returned south for a splendiferous Passover seder.  We flew home this morning.

Aside from making the standard "arms tired" jokes, I can say it was an enjoyable whirlwind of a week.  The kids are suitably viewed, the grandparents accordingly pleased and proud, the weather was wonderful, and we had lots of fun doing tourist-type things.  More on them later this week.

On the knitting end, I can report zero progress on Rogue.  I didn't take it.  It was too big, with too many adjunct parts (magnet board, multi-page pattern, extra yarn, pouch of vital knitting doodads).  Instead I took the Birds Eye Shawl to finish.  But it is Birds Eye no longer.  I like the gauge and needle size for the pattern.  I adore the pattern itself.  I love the yarn I used.  But not all together.  The more I got into the piece, the more I realized that the hand-dyed multicolor was fighting for attention with the graceful eyelet pattern.  So I ripped back the entire thing - roughly two feet measured from the triangle's tip.  Instead I'm working the Paisley Lace Shawl from the Spring issue of Interweave Knits.  Scroll down almost to the bottom of this page for IK's photo of the thing.

I had worked on the Birds Eye shawl on the flight down, but grew increasingly unhappy with it as I knit.  By the time I got to our destination, I was looking for an excuse to do something else.  In a classic example of good deeds coming home to roost, I'd given my mother a gift subscription to IK this past holiday season.  She pulled it out to show me a project she was contemplating, and I riffled past the Paisley.  It would work.  The pattern is mostly solid garter stitch on large (for lace) needles.  The garter stitch is worked in a square from the center out, and is pierced by little flower-like quads of eyelets.  The solid area shows off the colors of the hand-dyed quite nicely, and the eyelets provide just a hint of interest instead of major league competition.  The flower eyelet center is ringed by a band of motifs that give the piece its name.  The effect is sort of reminiscent of the pattern placement in a bandanna, but done in lace.

So far 'm almost to the end of Paisley's center section.  I've got one more repeat of the flower eyelet chart to do.  Then it's on to the namesake pattern around the edge of the piece.  I may have enough yarn in my Lorna's Laces Helen's Lace to work an additional bit of trim around the outside of the paisley section.  Lord knows, I can't just do a pattern as written - dire things might happen.

Pictures as soon as I find the digital camera.  I packed it and took it with us. 

More progress to report on Rogue. I'm well into the fronts now, about 26 rows or so into Chart B. As you can see, the hood yoke pattern is working out nicely:



My next worry will be whether or not the shoulder areas meet up properly, but I'm assuming that if not, I can wing it. I'm also assuming that I'll be able to tinker with the hood depth a bit if I need to compensate for my different gauge. I've already started the hood motif a bit later than called for in the pattern to balance out my smaller row gauge.

What's happening to String or Nothing?

My guess is that you'll be popping back a couple of times over the next week or so to see what I'm up to. But you'll find this page still current. Life is going to intrude in my life big time over the next two weeks. I will try to provide updates, but I can't guarantee them. In the mean time, feel free to browse the archives. To be immodest, here are some of the more interesting bits here:

Reference shelf - articles that contain knitting advice that I hope is useful. Of particular note under this category:

• Yarn Labels 101 - a basic round-up of what's on yarn label and how to read them.
• Yarn Labels 102 - a continuation of yarn label info deciphering
• Skeins 101- What are the common ways yarn is sold. How to prepare them for actual knitting.
• Skeins 102 - a continuation of the previous, with more on how to get started
• Gauge 101 - Basic hints on making and measuring gauge
• Why Toe-Ups? - The case for toe-up socks
• One Circ/Two Circ Sock Knitting - Using the one giant circ (aka Magic Loop) and two-circ methods for knitting in the round
• Self striping sock yarn repeats - Lengths of pattern cycle repeats for some common self-stripers
• Twisted stitches - What is stitch mounting and why does it make a difference?
• Attaching I-Cord - A couple of ways to knit the stuff onto the edge of your piece

Gadgets - tools used by knitters. Most useful posts include:

• World's cheapest magnetic board
• Making your own stitch holders
  
• Strickfingerhuts - Those twisted wire and plastic molded yarn holding gizmos used by Continental style knitters for stranding.
• Stupid Stitch Marker Tricks - They're useful for lots more besides skittering behind the sofa.
• Strickmuhles - I-cord mills - waste of money or nifty gizmos?
• Needle gauges
• WPI tool
  

Knitting Patterns - Mostly quick and easy stuff I haven't gotten around to adding to wiseNeedle yet:

• Simple fingering weight wrist warmers/fingerless mittens
• Fingerless Whatevers - fingering weight wristlet/fingerless mitten with shaped thumb gusset
  
• Lacy scarf in Berroco Zen or other medium-weight ribbony yarn
• Center-out poncho
• Teeny sock for Red Sox fans
• Paw Warmers - Ultra-easy kids' bulky yarn wristlets/fingerless mittens
• Lemonade hooded shawl with pockets schematic

Stitch or color pattern graphs:

• Interlace repeat
• Bunny from TNCM
  
• Dragonflies from TNCM
• Texture patterns - 16 stitch wide mock cable, lace panel
  
• Texture pattern - Serpentine Rib
• Texture pattern - Broken Rib Check
• Texture pattern - ultrasimple six row feather and fan variant
• Texture pattern - points
• Texture patterns - Dragon Skin and variant
• Fleur de Lys

Embroidery - My other life. This stuff is mostly show and tell.

• Forever coif - blackwork coif in progress. Still.
• Underskirt - what the coif is supposed to go with
• Blackwork sampler - doodling with the patterns from TNCM
• Counted thread dress yoke
• Heretical modern multicolor sampler, plus reverse of the yoke, above
• How to drive your roomates nuts with stitching

Food - Man and woman do not live by needlework alone:

• Cassoulet
• Latkes
• Buffalo Rum Ball Cookies
• Oysters - a chocolate hazelnut cookie
• Cinnamon nut elephant ears for the cookie-challenged
• Nadia's Yassa Chicken

There are more categories over on the side.  Happy browsing!

As predicted, in those half-sentient moments between putting down the book, taking off the glasses, turning off the light and finally falling asleep all became crystal clear. I am not really sure what my problem was with the first few rows of the hood surround, but it's fixed now. I'm busily bumbling along, about two inches into the chart. Perhaps was brain dearth brought about by lingering flu. Perhaps it was too much stress-itis. Or perhaps it was a touch of seasonal stupidity. Whatever it was, all is humming now, although I might rip back one last time because I'm not too happy with the look of some of the earliest increases. But that's another story of another disorder.

While I await enough Rogue progress to make an interesting photograph, I present an odd little chance acquisition. I've written about Balich's before. It's an artifact from another time - an old fashioned general merchandise store several blocks from my house. They stock piles of inexpensive things you didn't know you could live without, all tumbled together with minimal regard for organization. They happen to have a stock of Boye knitting needles and crochet hooks, plus Red Heart yarn, some crochet thread and vintage 1960s pattern leaflets. (Want a truly authentic '60s era crocheted poncho? This is the place to find the original instructions.)

I went in to get some keys made, and while I was there I leafed through the pile of dusty patterns. There in the middle of the stack I found one and only one of these:



What is this?

It's a 78-page yarn yardage/gauge comparison chart in purse-size format, put out by Northern Needlecraft, copyright 1980. It's divided by yarn weight, and presents info for about 1,000+ or so yarns current in (and discontinued by) 1980. While some of the more widely distributed products by still extant or recently deceased/merged/otherwise gone yarn makers are also present in Valuable Yarn Guide, many of the yarns and makers in this little booklet aren't.  Even more interesting, for some yarns it offers up multiple gauges.  Already it has come in handy, helping me decipher a vintage pattern calling for Columbia Minerva Calibar.  Which turns out to be a 100% wool bulky, knitting at 16 st = 4 inches on US #10s, 2 oz., 75 yards. 

A fantastic find!  Especially for the princely sum of $1.25.