Long Tail Cast On

The yarn has started arriving for the Cast On garments and one of my New Year's Resolutions is to start projects right away.  I am also making videos about the projects.  Cast On is scheduled to go digital for the Summer issue and we plan to have links to educational information.  All of my projects will have videos attached so you can see how to do various things.  I am quite excited about this.

STUDENT NEWS
My other project this week was to start revisions on the Basics Course.  The last time I revised it was before I started this blog.  I am putting in links to entries on specific topics in the reference materials which will make it easier for my students.  I am shooting for April 1st as the day it is ready.  If you have ever taken the course, I will be happy to email you the new materials.  Just send me your name so I can check my records and I will ship it off.  The contents will remain the same.

TIP OF THE WEEK
As I revised the course, I realized that I have never done a video on the long tail cast on which I require for the swatches.  (This cast on is also required for the Masters Program.)  There are many types of cast ons but this is probably the most commonly used one.  I want to make sure that my students know how to do this cast on even if they never use it again.  It is the default cast on for more patterns.  The key advantage is that is provides an firm but elastic base for the knitting.  Here is the video:  Long tail cast on



An important thing to know about this cast on is that it provides the first row of stitches as you work it.  When you are following a pattern, it can be important to know that.  Depending on the pattern, you may have already worked Row 1 when you cast on.  The other important thing to know about this cast on is that one side is smooth and the other side is bumpy.

If you like the smooth side on the RS of the work, the first row you work should be worked as a WS row.  The next two photographs show this approach.





The other approach is to work the first row after the cast on as a RS row.  This will place the bumpy side of the cast on on the RS.  The next two photographs show this approach.





Is there a right way or wrong way to this decision.  No.  It is a matter of personal preference.  I must say that the majority of my Basics students prefer the smooth side for the RS.  The important things is that the knitter is consistent.  If you use the smooth side for one sleeve or for the front, make sure you do the same for the other sleeve or back.

There are may different cast on techniques and next week I will show a variant of the long tail that produces purl bumps on the RS as you cast on.  This is useful for ribbing where you may want the smooth side for the knit stitches and the bumpy stitches for the purls.


KNITTING SALON
Salon will be on Sunday from 2-4pm.  Saturday the Met is doing Werther.


CURRENT PROJECTS
I finished my socks before the Blue Sky yarn arrived.  They look green in this photo but the yarn is quite turquoise.

I

I took apart the pink socks I had started for Cynthia and used the Bow pattern for me.  I had to put them aside due to my resolution.  It is very unlike me to have partially completed projects around.



I selected Blue Sky Alpaca (sports weight) for a hat and mitten set.  The stitch pattern for the fall issue is slip stitch patterns.  When I was researching slip stitch patterns for Level 3 of the Masters Program I fell in love with a pattern I found in an old Mon Tricot stitch dictionary.  I didn't use it for Level 3 as it is a MINDLESS EASY pattern and I probably wanted to show off a bit. This is the first time I've used it in a design.  The hat will have a wide band with buttons.  The cuffs on the mittens will be longer and both will have buttons.  As I wrote up the proposal, I thought showing two colorways would be fun....one subtle and the other not so subtle.  Since the pattern is Fleur de Lis, I selected a variant of Mardi Gras colors.  I've finished the bands and cuffs for the subtle colors and am starting on the other now.

I should have them finished by next week.

Jogless Join...Continued...

We had a "winter" event here on Sunday night which pretty much shut everything down.  Since I couldn't get out of my driveway immediately we had the Cast On selection meeting a day later.  They didn't get as much snow in Ohio as we did here in Kentucky.  The good news is that my new hip seems to be working fine.  I was able to shovel snow with no bad results (except for sore muscles...I haven't been able to exercise since September!)  The 9 hour drive was much more painful.

STUDENT NEWS
Mail was delivered despite the weather so I did get several lessons to review.  I continue to be amazed at how fast mail comes from Europe.  I received a lesson from a student who just ordered the a few weeks ago.  I've noticed the slowest mail service is from Canada.  It is astounding how long it takes.

TIP OF THE WEEK
Last week the tip discussed the jogless join.  This is something tested in Level 1 of the Masters Program where a mitten with several stripes is submitted.  Many knitters have trouble with this.  It isn't the jogless join that causes the problem but rather how the yarn tails are woven in.  If it isn't done properly, the join isn't jogless or there are overlarge or twisted stitches.

This is what jogless joins look like before the yarn tails are woven in.  Notice the overlarge stitches.



The first step is to turn the piece inside out and use a tapestry needle to work the excess yarn out of the large stitches.  The second step is to look at the RS again and make sure the stitches look even.  (This is the step I think many knitters skip.  They just start weaving in the tails.)  Unless you look at the RS, you do not know if the stitches look correct and blend in with the surrounding stitches.

Next the tails are woven in using the duplicate stitch method.  As you weave in the tails, make sure to check the RS often to ensure that the stitches do not get twisted or distorted.  This photograph shows the WS of a swatch with a jogless join.




I have discussed how to do this MANY times in this blog.  Check the index for posts on this topic.  This video shows how to weave in the tails of a jogless join specifically.  Weaving in Yarn Tails for a Jogless Join. 


KNITTING SALON
Salon will be on Sunday (March 9) from 1:30-3:20).


CURRENT PROJECTS
I offered to make a baby hat for a friend to give as a gift.  I almost forgot that I had made this promise.  It only took a few hours even though the rosebuds gave me fits.  The first set were too big and looked silly.  These are much smaller.

I love this design for a baby hat.  The baby can wear it for a long time as the brim can roll down and the stockinette is so stretchy.

I finished Cynthia's socks.  They go in the mail today.  The yarn is a wool/cotton blend.

Jogless Joins

Still recovering... I will be happy when this is all over.  I went back to work this week which was easier than I thought.  Everything just takes twice as long.  AND it got COLD again.  I am glad today is the last day of February.  I spent quite a bit of time doing my proposals for the next issue of Cast On.  The selection meeting is next week.

STUDENT NEWS
Several lessons arrived this week and several students signed up for the Basics Course...not a bad thing to do in the winter.

Just a reminder...when you send in lessons, be sure you have the correct postage.  Sometimes when you use Click-and-Ship you can select the wrong category.  If postage is due and I am not home they leave a notice and I have to drive to a specific post office which is in a very busy shopping center (no parking and since I am using a cane this is a big deal to me) and there is a very long line.  Round trip, I am looking at about an hour which puts me in a bad humor.  Sorry for whining but this unnecessary trip makes it hard for me to review the lessons the day I get them.

TIP OF THE WEEK
Finally, something that applies to the Masters Program...In Level 1, you have to knit a mitten which has a stripe.  This tests the knitter's ability to use the technique of a jogless join and to weave in the yarn tails appropriately.  

The photograph shows the jogs which occur when the end of the round meets the beginning of the round.   This is a problem for any colorwork project in the round but it is particularly noticeable in stripes.

The technique of the jogless join solves this problem for stripes.  It can only be used where there are at least two rows in the same color.  (For single row stripes, see last week's tip.)  The basic procedure is to work a round in the new color.  When you get to the beginning of the round, slip the first stitch in the new color purlwise then work the stitches in the rest of the round.  (This technique is from Techknitter.)

Generally when you are working stripes, you want a specific number of rows in each color and when you slipped the first stitch of the round in the new color, this reduced the number of stitches in that column.  If you do want the same number of stitches in the stripes this means that when you change colors, you will need to move the beginning of the round over one stitch to the left so that each column of stitches have the same number of rows.  The procedure for each new stripe is the same.  Work the first round in the new color and when you get to the first stitch, slip it.  Each stripe will move the beginning of the round one stitch to the left.

This photograph shows the jogless joins.  Here is the video:  Jogless Joins.



Meg Swanson also has a jogless join technique where you insert your needle into the stitch below in the first stitch in the new color but I have found the slipped stitch method easier.

Whichever technique you use, the important thing is to clean up the joins when you weave in the yarntails.  This is where most mistakes are made.  I'll show how to do this in the next tip.

KNITTING SALON
Saturday is a Met HD broadcast...Prince Igor by Borodin.  I know absolutely nothing about this opera except that the running time is 4 hours and 30 minutes.  It will be interesting if nothing else.  So that means that Salon will be on Sunday from 1:30 to 4:00.  I have to drive to the airport.  

CURRENT PROJECTS
I was working on my cardigan I started months ago when I remembered that Cynthia's birthday is next week.  I started a pair of socks in pink when I remembered that I made her pink socks last year so I switched to the ragg wool.  She lives in Texas and the yarn is a wool cotton blend which is more practical than wool.  I have a half finished sock for me I put aside as well.  This is very unlike me.  I rarely have multiple projects going.  I want to finish them all up by the end of next week as it will be time to start on the Cast On garments.
  

Spiral Stripes

My surgery went OK and I am walking with a cane and driving but it will be another 4 weeks until I am done.  I certainly am capable of doing my blog.

I was able to go to the photo shoot on February 4th.  It was a bit of a thrash dodging snow and ice storms but it went quite well.

Here is a photo of the skirt and jacket (thanks Sadie for the photo).  This is not the photo that will be in the magazine.  The pattern for the skirt is in the current issue.  The jacket will be in the summer issue.





STUDENT NEWS
I did get a few lessons to review.  I didn't look at anything the first two weeks after surgery as it took just about that long for the anaesthesia to work its way out of my system.  I was quite loopy.  Since I didn't take any pain medicine it had to be the anaesthesia.  Those that completed lessons during that time are listed to the right.  If I missed anyone, please let me know.  



TIP OF THE WEEK
Continuing on with stripes, the tip this week is about spiral or helix stripes.  I first discovered this in Montse Stanley's Knitter's Handbook quite a few years ago.  I thought it was just about the neatest trick I had seen.  If you knit in the round, you know that you work in a spiral.  By that I mean you don't complete a row and then jump to the top of the next row as you do in flat knitting.  This is why there is a jog when the end of the round joins the beginning of the round.  For spiral stripes you use this to your advantage.  

How it works is that you first determine the number of stitches in the piece...let's say you are making a hat with 100 stitches.  You then count the number of colors for the stripes.  In the example I knit, there are 4 colors.  It may look like three but it is cream, red, cream and gray.  I then divide the number of colors into the total number of stitches which gives me 25.  To work the spiral stripes I work 25 stitches in the first color, cream.  I then drop that yarn and work the next 25 stitches in the next color, red.  I drop that color and then work the next 25 stitches in the next color, cream.  I drop that color and work the final 25 stitches in the last color, gray.  I am at the end of the round.  The stitches on the needle to be worked next are cream.  In spiral knitting you work the stitches at the end of the round and then stitches at the beginning of the next round in the same color so I work those next 25 stitches in gray.  Now I drop the gray and pick up the working yarn (the cream from the first 25 stitches) and work the next 25 stitches.  I just keep doing this.  Clear as mud?  Check the video:  Working Spiral Stripes 

This is one of those things you really have to try to see how it works.  It is very easy.  A few caveats...This is more difficult to work on double points as you have several strands of working yarn and it is very easy to start in the wrong spot.  I prefer doing this technique on circulars.  The other problem is that when you pick up a new color you have to be VERY careful not to pull it too tightly or the tension is just terrible.

There is no limit, other than your patience, on the number of colors you can use.  As with any colorwork, yarn management is a pain.  

If you look at the bottom of this photograph, notice that the red stitches just start in the middle of nowhere.  You can see how the stripes spiral.

This photograph shows why you might want to use this technique.  There are a total of 8 yarn tails to weave in.  With stripes, you would expect a lot more.

Again, I love stripes.  This technique is a great way to use up stash yarn for hats, mittens and socks.

KNITTING SALON
Salon will be on Sunday this week from 1:30 to 3:20.  I will be going back to work.  We shall see how that goes!  

CURRENT PROJECTS
The night before surgery I started on this chevron shawl with Zauberball yarn.  Chevron shawls are my go to project for mindless knitting.  I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything too complicated.  It isn't blocked yet and I haven't woven in the ends yet.

I also knit a pair of socks for Stephanie's birthday which I neglected to photograph.  Maybe she will take a photo for me.

The next selection meeting is March 4th and I am putting together my proposals.  The stitch anatomy lesson is slip stitches.  The Fashion Framework is designing Arans.  I plan to do a hat and mitten set with slipped stitch cuffs.  I'm going to size the argyle vest I did for men for children's sizes (special request) and I'm going to do a tunic.  Details to follow later.

One-Row Stripes

This photo cheers me up.  It was the view from my hotel room at TNNA in San Diego.  A week ago I was looking at that.  Now I'm looking at snow!

This will be my last post for awhile.  I will be having surgery next week and I am not making any promises about how soon I will be able to sit at my computer.  I have been very busy this week trying to get all of the stuff for Cast On ready for the next photo shoot.  I have yet to sort through all of the things I picked up for product review at TNNA.  Remember that each month there will be a drawing for these products.  You do have to be a member of TKGA to enter.  Just go to TKGA.com and sign in.  You can then register.

STUDENT NEWS

Quite a few lessons arrived while I was gone.  I am going to try my best to review things which arrive post surgery but if I don't get to things immediately, please be patient.  Include your email in the lesson and I will let you know it arrived.

TIP OF THE WEEK

The tip this week doesn't really apply to any of the classes I teach or the Masters Program.  It is just something I find interested.  I've used this in quite a few projects.  I love stripes, especially for children's clothing and this is a way to knit single row stripes without cutting the yarn.  There are some limitations on this technique.  It works best for just two colors and you need a circular needle.  How it works is that you knit a row in Color A.  Instead of turning the work and starting Color B on the purlside, you slide your work down to the right.  You knit the next row with Color B.  Now working yarn of both colors is at the left side of the work.  Turn and using Color A, purl the row.  You then slide the stitches on the needle back to the left.  Purl the next row using Color B.  That is all there is to it.  Very simple.  The advantage of this is that you don't have all of those yarn tails.  The selvedges don't look half  bad as well.  I knit quite a few baby sweaters using this technique.   One-Row Stripes Video

The next time I post, I will show how to do this in the round.  It is a different technique--helix stripes--but it provides the same look.

KNITTING SALON

Salon will be on Sunday from 1-4pm.  I won't pack up the stuff I got at TNNA if you want to look through it.  Most vendors prefer to ship after the show but I did carry home some stuff.

CURRENT PROJECTS

I finished all of the knitting and the pattern for the Coco Jacket before I left for California.  I'm finding it easier to write the patterns before doing the finishing.  I did the finishing when I got home.

I think the cables show up pretty well.  I did do some waist line shaping but it is optional.  Since I know who the model will be, I knit it to her specifications.  The sleeves in the sample are a bit long as she has really long arms. 

I worked on the man's argyle vest (which I am calling Shades of Gray) on the plane and in my hotel room.  I finished it up but I still haven't done the finishing as I plan to write the pattern this afternoon.  I generally take everything with me to the photo shoot but in case I'm not up for the 4 hour drive by the 4th, I am sending everything early next week.  

The final thing I am doing for the magazines is a pair of socks using Miss Babs Shiruku.  I've knit these socks lots of times for gifts and I've had some requests to do the pattern.  The pattern is done and I am almost done with the second sock.  I generally don't work this way.  I almost always completely finish a garment (including the pattern) before starting another. 

Avoiding Bi-colored Purl Stitches in Ribbing

I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday.  I spent my baking 22 different type of cookies and knitting presents.  I did get everything finished, not necessarily before Christmas.

I will not be posting blog entries regularly during January and February.  I will be at TNNA in San Diego from January 8-12 looking at new products to review for upcoming issues of Cast On.  Then I will be having surgery on January 22nd.  I am making no promises.  I expect to be out and about fairly soon but you never know.

STUDENT NEWS
I got several course orders during December and reviewed quite a few lessons.  I've listed them to the right.  If you send lessons in January, I will try to get to them as soon as I get back from San Diego.  I hope to be able to review lessons by the end of January after my surgery.


TIP OF THE WEEK
The next few tips will be about stripes.  I love stripes.  I will discuss single row stripes on circular needles, helix stripes and jogless joins in the upcoming weeks.  Today's tip is about bi-colored purl stitches in striped ribbing.  This is something that is included in Level 1 of the Masters Program.

If you have ever knit stripes in ribbing, you probably have noticed that the row with the color change looks a little different (and not in a good way).

If you look at the row where the white changes to red, you will see that red and white interlock in the purl stitches.  The "frowns" (or the stitch itself) are white while the "smiles" (or the space between the stitches) are red.  While knit stitches stack on top of each other in a column, purl stitches interlock the new stitch with the old stitch.  In the photograph, I have stretched the swatch so that you can clearly see the purl stitches.  This may be an effect that you want in your project but most knitters prefer the clean look of the next color change where the red changes to white.  Notice that there are no bi-colored purls.



This is the easiest thing in the world to do.  Simply work all of the stitches in first row of the new color as knit stitches.  This has to be on the RS of the work.  On the next row switch back to working in the ribbing pattern.  Here is the video:  Avoiding Bi-Colored Purls in Ribbing


KNITTING SALON
Salon will be on Sunday from 2-5pm.  I hope you can make it.  


CURRENT PROJECTS
As usual, I forgot to take photos of some of the things I knit for gifts.  I realized I didn't get a photo of the socks I made for my oldest daughter or the scarf I made for the younger one.  I was in such a hurry to send them off!

I had a period of panic when my sister let me know that she hadn't received the box I sent with their gifts.  I really didn't want to reknit the presents.  I didn't get a photo of the scarf I made for my nephew but here are the hats and mittens for my sister and niece.  (The package did get there 12 days after I mailed it!)

I made Jordan a pair of fingerless mitts using the same yarn I used for my daughter's socks.  It is Alisha Goes  Around, Tracks of Bison.  I love this yarn.  The colors are wonderful and it is a joy to work with.  The photo doesn't do the color justice.  It is a deep green in real life.  Look at her website.  The color is Downhill.

Alisha Goes Around

Here is the scarf I made for Cynthia.  It is a Classic Elite linen blend.  She lives in Dallas so she doesn't need wool or alpaca!

I have started working on my Cast On projects.  I am doing the jacket to match the pencil skirt I did for the last issue.  I haven't photographed it yet.  By the time I do another posting I should have it done.

K2P2 Ribbing to K1P1 Ribbing

I'm sitting around waiting for the storm they've been predicting all week...combination of sleet, ice and snow. I'm hoping it misses us.

I am going to try and make posts during December but I'm not promising anything.  I have so much to do....all self-imposed so I won't complain.  I like to make about 20 different cookies for my friends and family.  I enjoy it but it does take a bit of time.  I've found a few new recipes I want to try as well.

STUDENT NEWS
Several students wanted to clear their desks before the holidays so I had more lessons to review than I thought.  I never mind reviewing lessons.  Keep me busy!  I've had a few inquiries about whether students can continue if they've let time slip.  Of course you can!  As long as I am the instructor of the course, I will review the work.


TIP OF THE WEEK
This week's tip is very simplistic.  In the last Tip I discussed tubular binds offs.  Although you can work a tubular bind off on K2P2 ribbing, I've found them less than desirable.  What I do is convert the K2P2 ribbing to K1P1 ribbing on the last row before the slipped stitches.  The video shows this technique which is very simple.  K2P2 ribbing to K1P1 ribbing

The photograph below shows a tubular bind off where I did this.  This is the top of a fingerless mitt I made last year.  If you look closely, you can see where the stitches have been cabled but it really isn't all that noticeable.  I find it better looking than the K2P2 methods I've tried.  

KNITTING SALON
The weather is supposed to be just awful on both Saturday and Sunday.  If anyone feels brave enough or if the storm isn't as bad as predicted, Salon will be on Saturday from 1:30-4pm.  Hope you can make it.

CURRENT PROJECTS
As always I am knitting close friends and family members small gifts.  I have been knitting up a storm.  Before I started the holiday gifts I finished up a baby and big sister gift for two special girls.  I thought the holly leaves made it seasonal.  The girls have a very talented grandmother who can take off the leaves and replace them with something else after Christmas.

Since I know none of the gift recipients read this blog I can identify them.  (This will help me next year to remember what I knit!)  These are for Kim.  I haven't made her socks for quite some time.  I used the same bow tie pattern.  I really like this one.

These mitts are for Cara.  She is fond of Tiffany Blue.  This is yarn left over from socks I made her several years ago.  (Breakfast at...socks,  http://www.ravelry.com/projects/arendje/breakfast-at).  I'm making a hat as well.  I was hoping I had enough yarn but to be on the safe side, I've ordered another skein from Miss Babs.

My niece and sister want mittens so I came up with this classic design.  Since they only take a few hours to do, I got enough yarn for matching hats.  (Berroco Ultra Alpaca)

These are for Martha.  The photo doesn't do the yarn justice.  First of all, it is purple and Second, it has sparkles.  Martha is about the least likely sparkly person I know so I thought she'd get a kick out of them.

I still have quite a few presents to go.  Good thing I am a fast knitter.  If I could stitch to one pattern, it would go MUCH faster.  I must have ripped out that mitten five times!