Blissed out

Understanding Knitting Gauge

I was telling one of the girls I work with about my knitting (after receiving some rather lovely comments about my Louisa Harding sweater I was wearing!)
See here for picture
      

      She was saying that, like many of us, she'd been taught to knit by her Mum as a child but hadn't done it for years.  I was doing my usual evangelical bit and encouraging her to take it up again when she said that the main thing that scared her was gauge.  So I thought I'd post this article all about it.

This Impotance of Knitting Gauge

This is one of the most important things to get your       head around.  Knitting is all about math - OK, deep breath, stay with me  Not the boring, brain scrambling math that you remember from       school (well, not unless you get into complex colored knitting styles like       fair isle - which, who knows, you might find you actually like once you       get started.) 

      

      Knitting requires some really basic math - but if the       idea of math really gives you the heebie-jeebies, try to think of it as       insurance - you don't want to spend all those hours lovingly beavering       away only to find the gorgeous creation you've been working on has       misshapen a body and sleeves that are too long- NOT the sophisticated,       stylish look we're going for!

      

      How to make sure your knitting       fits

      

      To get a garment to fit right, you must knit it so       that the number of stitches in the pattern measure the same when you knit       it, as when the designer did - otherwise you'll end up with with the       aforementioned mess. So you need to make sure the stitches you knit are of       the right tightness (or tension).

      

      How To Knit A Tension Square

      

      A tension square is recommended at the beginning of       every new pattern -DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO SKIP THIS PART (believe me, I've       all done it and lived to regret it later)

      

      All knitting patterns will have a tension of gauge       listed at the beginning of the pattern.  It will usually look       something like this:

      

      20 sts and 28 rows = 10cm (4 in) measured over       stockinet stitch using size 6 (4mm) needles.

      

      Now, you could cast on 20 sts and keep on knitting       for 28 rows to see if yours matches - but there is a slightly better way       to do it.  Cast on 5-10 more stitches than recommended in the tension       square, and keep knitting for 5-10 more rows.  Then lay your square       flat and get a tape measure or ruler and count vertically and       horizontally.  Count how many stitches equal the required distance       (e.g. 10cm), then count how many rows are needed for the same.  If       you've too many stitches, try the tension square again using larger       needles.  If you've too few stitches use a smaller sized needle.      

      

      Important note: check your tension regularly.        It's very common (especially as you become a more proficient knitter) for       your tension to change as you relax and become more confident.

      

      

knitting for babies - pt 2

Here are some more tips for knitting for babies

11.  Be careful to choose designs that will be easy to get on and off.  Babies hate having anything pulled over their heads so make sure neck openings are large enough so that this can be done quickly and easily.  Many designs have buttons on the neck edges to make this easier.

12.  The days of having to knit in white or pastel green or yellow when awaiting the sex of the baby are long gone.  Go wild and experiment with bright colours – reds, yellows, greens or multi colored yarns are very fashionable – go wild and experiment!

13.  When knitting booties go for one’s with ribbing or ties – babies have very wriggly feet and anything too loose will just keep coming off!

14.  There are some fantastic natural yarns available but beware of using delicate yarns when knitting for babies.  Babies are messy!  They need changing a lot!  There’s nothing a new mom has LESS time for than hand washing!  So do them a favour, use yarn that is easy to wash – preferably machine washable at a normal temperature.  Many yarn manufacturers produce baby yarns that can be machine washed – but it’s worth checking the label before you buy.

15.  There are some fabulous buttons around for babies and children and they can add a great finishing touch to a garment.  Try flowers, ducks, racing cars – anything that takes your fancy!  Just be careful to make sure that they fit through the button holes easily – they’re nothing worse than trying to get a wriggly baby into a garment that has fiddly buttons.

16.  Babies skin is sensitive.  Always buy yarn that is soft and irritant free – avoid mohair and scratchy wool blends. Most yarns designed for babies are blended to be especially soft and non irritant.

17.  When knitting for babies still to be born, think about when they are due and knit to suit the season.  This gets slightly more complicated when you’re knitting for a size upwards.  So for a baby born in spring, knitting a 3-6 month size will mean it’s being worn in summer.

18.  Don’t be put off knitting garments for babies born in spring or summer, thinking that they won’t need warm items.  Babies cannot keep themselves warm and haven’t developed the ability to shiver to regulate their own body temperatures.  For this reason, it’s important to keep babies warm, even in summer months.  A few cosy cardigans or blankets will always come in handy.

19.  If you want to knit a gift for a baby consider making a blanket.  Years ago, people would pass baby blankets down through generations – why not continue or even re-establish the tradition by knitting something that you or a new Mum will want to keep for years to come?  There are some lovely patterns on my website: http://www.blissedoutknitting.com/free_baby_knitting_patterns_3.htm

20.  If you’ve knitted a baby jumper and found that the neck opening is too tight, unpick one of the seams along one shoulder (or raglan, depending on the pattern) and put buttons, ribbons or eye cords on as fastenings.

knitting for babies - Part 1

I love knitting for babies and tiny tots.  There's an almost instant gratification factor - you can see progress really quickly and for someone with the short attention span I have, that's a good thing!

Here are some tips I've picked up about knitting for babies:

1.   Baby yarns tend to be very soft and stretchy - be aware of this when you're working as it can stretch out of shape pretty quickly if you're not careful! 

2.  And because of this, you may also find that you have to knit at a tighter tension than you normally would.  A tip one of my knitting friends gave me was to knit into the back of the stitch on collars and cuffs - that way you'll get a nice tight finish.

3.  If you're knitting as a gift put the ball band in with the garment when you give it to the new Mum - that way they'll know the washing instructions.

4.  I find stockinette (stocking) stitch the best stitch to use when knitting baby garments as it washes brilliantly forms a nice, tight fabric with no holes or loops for tiny fingers to get caught.

5.  Although I’m a big fan of using bamboo needles for much of my knitting, I find that metal needles are best for baby knits.  They are smooth and help the yarn slip off easily, creating an even tension.

6.  Got some yarn left over?  Knit some mittens or booties – they don’t take up much yarn and look as cute as anything!

7.  It’s absolutely vital that buttons and beads on garments for babies and children are sewn on securely – they can be choking hazards if they come off.

8.  I always knit garments a size bigger than the baby needs now – they grow so fast that you want to make sure they can get the most wear out of it.  For newborns I always knit a 3-6 months size.  It’s just personal preference I suppose, but I find that most of my friends who have babies are given so many clothes in the newborn size that it’s nice to have some things for when the baby is a few weeks old.  Plus, so many babies are born around the 9 pounds plus size – I’d say the majority of my friends have had larger babies.  So sometimes the newborn clothes don’t even fit to begin with!

9.  My son was born 4 weeks early so it’s a personal passion of mine to knit preemie garments for my local neo natal unit.  I’ve got some lovely patterns on my website: http://www.blissedoutknitting.com/free_knitting_patterns_free_preemie_knitting_patterns.htm

10.  Babies tend to grow upwards (or lengthways!) at a much faster rate than they do outwards.  This is great news because it means you can always add a couple of inches as the baby grows.  Simply unravel it at the waist and cuffs and pick up the stitches to add a few inches.

Storage Tips pt 2

Here are some more tips on storing your knitting yarn adnd equipment:

6. Yarn taking over the house? Try storing hanks of yarn over coat hangers - it stops them from getting tangled up and keeps them out of the way of cats and small children. Simply loop the yarn over the hanger.

7. Old jars make great places for storing stitch markers, row counters and other small knitting accessories. Decorate them to your hearts content!

8. Most knitters have built up a fair stash of loose patterns. File your loose knitting patterns togther by placing them in clear plastic document files and putting them in a ring bound folder.

9.

Got a large amount of knitting magazines (who me??) get some cheap magazine files to store them in. They can be a fantastic reference library.

10. Another yarn storage tip for large stashes of yarn is putting them in canvass shoe or garment holders. They're easy to hand behind a door out of the way and let you see what yarn you have at a glance.

11. If you're a fan of storing your yarn in plastic bags, put dryer sheet in with it. It will keep the yarn fresh smelling and free of static

Storage Tips

Storing yarn can be a hassle - especially when you've got more than one project on the go. Follow these tips to ensure that you're yarn is always in tip top condition:

1. If you're cat is a big fan of chasing your yarn ball as you're working (ours is obsessed with chasing my balls of yarn!) try putting it in a container with a small hole in the top to thread your yarn through. It also stops your yarn rolling away from you.

2. Knitted garments neems to be stored as flat and as loosely as possible. If you're storing them for a long period of time (such as over the summer months when the weather's too warm to wear them), wrap them in tissue paper and cover them in a clear plasic bag (try to avoid clingfilm - you don't want to flattent he fibres). Putting them in a cardboard or plastic box out of the way - many companies provide specialist storage boxes ideal for this purpose.

3. For smaller items like beads, needles and row counters try using a (clean and preferably unused!) fishing tackle or tool box. The little compartments make idea storage for bits, bobs and gadgets.

4. Struggle keeping circular needles from popping out all over your knitting bag? Try storing them curled inside an empty CD case. CD travel cases are perfect - the ones with the soft inner leaves are ideal.

5. Want to keep all of your needles together neatly? Try a pringles tube - OK, or similar generic brand chips - it's the container that's the important bit! Don't like the decoration? cover it in wallpaper, magazine pages, stickers or paint it - unleash your creative side. Why not do a collage of knitting and yarn images?

More Yarn Tips

Here are some more yarn tips that I've picked up along the way:

1. Be warey of putting your knitted garments in the washing machine. Most natural fibres won't respond well to the heat and agitation of a washer - in fact, wool garmets will more than likely shrink and 'felt' - the fibres mesh together forming a thick, dense fabric. Believe me - this is NOT what you want to happen with your slaved over new jumper! Handwashing is the way to go and there are lots of gentle handwash detergents on the market that will help care for your knitting.

2. When handwashing be carefult not to use water that is too hot. It's perfectly possible to felt woolen garments by hand and you'd be surprised at how low the temperature needs to be for that to happen. Remember to keep it hand hot - that is water that is comfortable for you to have your hands in without needing gloves. As an extra precaution be careful not to rub the pieces of your garment together as this can damage the fibres.

3. Another tip for handwashing your woolen or silk garments is to add a few drops of white vinegar to the final ringe. It will remove any remaining soap residue and brighten the yarn's colors.

4. Most yarns are spun to be worked with one way - to ensure that the fibres all fall the same way and the threads will lie flat. To ensure that you work the yarn in the right direction pull it from the centre of the ball - this way you'll avoid having a rough finish that will be more prone to snagging and knotting.

5. Mohair yarn can be tricky to work. To ensure a good finish - brush the yarn with a soft brush to make it extra fluffy.

Yarn - top tips

1. Fluffy yarn has a habit of getting flattened during storage and can be a bit of a nightmare to work with beacause of they're tendency to shed.  Try putting the yarn in plastic bag and then into the freezer for a few hours before working with it - it will help it to keep it fibres and stop them from getting up your nose!
2. Always make sure you choose balls of yarn with the same dye lot or dye batch number when working on a garmet.  When yarn companies produce yarn they dye them in batches and there can be slight variations in color between batches.  So if you don't want to end up with your sleeves a different shade to your body, make sure all of the batch numbers are the same.  In fact, I always buy an extra ball than is recommended in the pattern just in case  there's nothing worse than running out of yarn and finding that the yarn store has run out of your batch.
3. If you substitute a yarn from that which is recomended in the pattern (and I'd encourage you to be brave and have a go at doing it from time to time - it's a great way of unleashing your creative side!) make sure that the yarn you choose knits to the same tension as that mentioned in on the yarn band.  It's always best to choose yarns from the same family - worsted, finger weight, chunky etc.  Even so, you may still need to play around with the tension - adding or reducing the number of stitches until the tension square matches that in the pattern.  This way, you know it's going to fit - believe me, theres NOTHING worse than spending weeks on a garment only to find that it's too big, or small or short or long!
4. If you substitute yarn in a pattern check the length on the yarn (sometimes called yardage on the yarn band).  I've fallen foul of this myself and discovered that the yarn I'd bought was considerably shorter than the one mentioned in the pattern.  I'd thought I was saving myself around £10 overall, but with the extra yarn I'd had to buy it ended up costing me more!
5. There may be times when you have a bit of a break from your knitting.  Leaving stitches on the needle for more than a week or so can stretch them out of shape a bit.  If you've left it for more than a week, unravel the last row and rework it. Otherwise you may end up with a nasty ridge in your work.

Color knitting - what's the difference between Intarsia and fair isle?

This is a question that used to fox me - what IS the difference between Intarsia and Fair Isle knitting?  Both are color knitting techniques, so is the difference just in the names?

Well, in a  word - No!  Fair Isle is the name given to the technique of stranded color work.

      It tends to be used for intricate patters using a number of colors and there are lots of 'traditional' fair isle patterns.  In fact, traditional fair isle patterns rarely had more than 3 consecutive stitches in the same color. These pictures give some good examples.  The technique and patterns originate from scandinavia and the north of scotland (In fact, it takes it's name from an island between shetland and the Orkney Islands.)

There is a specific technique for working fair isle that invovles 'stranding' the yarn at the back of your knitting and traditionally uses no more than two colors in a row.  This means that you are carrying 2 colors across the row - knitting with one and carrying the other loosely across the back of the knitted stiches.

Intarsia on the other hand uses larger blocks of color and to strand the yarn at the back of the knitting would leave an uneven effect. Instead, small balls of yarn are used and picked up and twisted in from underneath when needed.

combining knitting yarn weights

I'm feeling a bit more 'back in the saddle' today so I thought I'd share a tip that my Mum gave me this week.  She said that she often combines yarns to get the desired weight if she doesn't have what the pattern recommends, or prefers to substitute another yarn to that given in the pattern.  For knitting up, simply use double i.e. two strands the yarns listed below:

If you need sport weight yarn (baby or 4 ply), combine 2 strands of fingering (2 ply) yarn

For worsted weight (Aran) combine 2 strands of sport weight yarn

For Bulky yarn (chunky) combine 2 stands of worsted weight yarn.

Playing around with different yarns in different combinations can also achieve really interesting textures.  if you're unsure of the compatiability of a yarn with your pattern, do a tension square and see how many stitches you need to achieve the same size as recommended in the patttern.  You can also achieve the correct tension by using different needle sizes to those recommended in the patter - again, use your tension square as a guide.

Jo x

whimsical knitting - adding a picot edge

It's a lovely thing to be able to take a basic pattern shape and make it your own -adding different buttons, ribbons or embroidery can really release your creative juices and allows you to customise your knitting to suit your own individual style. 

Adding a fancy edging can be a simple but very effective way of transforming a simple pattern into something really special.  One of the simplest edgings is a picot.  The cardigan I'm currently knitting is based around a Rowan pattern from their new magazine, but I've decided to add a picot edge instead on the crocheted one recommended in the pattern - I know, how rock & roll!  But seriously, many people do get really worried about going 'off pattern' when really it's nothing to worry about - especially things like adding embellishments and edgings.

Picots are a combination of casting on and off stitches - play around with different numbers to create your own effects.

This stitch is deceptively simple to do, yet gives a delicate, pretty and, dare we say, 'whimsical' flourish to your knitting!

As I say, it is made from a combination of casting on and off - the more stitches you cast off, the wider the gap between the bobbles.  This particular picot pictured has been done by casting off 2 stitches.  It's done as follows:

*Cast on 5 stitches.  Cast off 2 stitches.  Slip stitch on Right Hand needle back onto Left Hand needle*(3 stitches should now be on the Left Hand needle.) Repeat from * to * until you have the desired number of stitches on needle to begin the rest of your pattern. e.g. if your pattern requires 47 stitches to be cast on, follow from * to * until you have 47 stitches on the left hand needle.

Continue in the rest of your pattern as normal.