Can You Take a Little Ribbing?

I was recently asked by someone, "Why is my ribbing weird?".  When I looked at her knitting . . . well, sure enough, she had 'gutter issues'.  

See how only the first knit stitch to the right
of the purl stitches is distorted? 

Uneven ribbing can be a problem for some knitters since many people purl looser than they knit. The extra yarn that is used in the purl stitch relaxes, or slides back into the stitch before it. When it is a knit stitch . . . well, it appears bigger, looser, wonkier . . . any of these adjectives can be applied!

The knit stitches on the left hand side of purl stitches won't loose their shape since any extra yarn will relax into the stitch before it, not the stitch after it.






It's also common for this to happen with cables. In order for the cables to really stand out, most patterns have purl stitches on either side of them . . . the same thing happens . . . the purl stitch relaxes into the left-hand side of the cable.


There are many opinions on how to fix this . . . here's two of what I think are the easiest. (You did want MY opinion . . . didn't you??)

If you pull the yarn tighter there will not be
any 'extra' to slide back into the knit stitch
before it.

The easiest way is to try and work the purl stitch tighter. Bring the working yarn as far forward as you can. (Pull it until the 'purl bump' from the back is visible in the front), then keeping the tension tight, go ahead and purl the stitch. Then purl the rest of your stitches as you would normally.

Try a few rows. Sometimes that is enough to solve the problem.

Since the yarn is going under the needle, it will
use a 'smidge' less . . . that means less to go
back into the knit stitch before it.

If that doesn't solve the problem, try working the first purl stitch backwards. 

Instead of wrapping the yarn around the needle counter-clockwise, wrap it around clock-wise. (The yarn will go under the right needle.)

The stitch will be twisted. . . but don't worry . . .we'll fix it on the next row.

The stitch is twisted since the
'mount' is in the back.

When you come to that stitch on the next row, it will be twisted.

Just knit it through the back loop.

See??!! 

Look how much better those knit stitches look! 

If you have trouble with your ribbing, or with your cables . . . give either trick a try.

Hopefully it will help your tension.

Well, your knitting tension. 

If you have other kinds of tension, I would recommend a glass of Pinot Noir.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

A Rookie's Hand Painted Yarn

Well I did as I said . . . and now my yarn stash is all neat and organized. It is all arranged by color and tucked away in plastic bins with a cedar block inside. (My mother told me I HAD to use cedar blocks . . . and as I tell my kids, "Always listen to your mother." So I used the cedar blocks!).

While I was doing my little organizational project, I found a little surprise. My mother had given me a kit to dye two skeins of yarn. . . please don't ask me when she gave it to me!! So I suddenly had a project for the afternoon! I quickly put the plastic bins away (good thing I had finished organizing!) and set off to the kitchen.


Here is the result. I will confess it looked much nicer when it was wet. I hung it outside to dry and when I went to bring it in, I looked at it and chuckled. All I could think of were the many yarn labels and pattern directions that state "work from two skeins when using hand painted yarn." 

It's kind of obvious why, isn't it? Just a few extra seconds in the dye, or a little extra swishing around and one skein is darker in some areas than the other.

That's okay. I think I will make a scarf with it. I'll work the two skeins together and hopefully it will blend beautifully and no one will ever know what a beginner dyer I am. 
I'll show it to you as I go.

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

I Think I've Reached 'Shut-Off'.

Much as I love working in the library, much as I am fortunate enough to work with REALLY great co-workers, much as I enjoy banter with the patrons, much as I love talking about books . . . well, actually just talking . . . I must admit that I also love it when it is time for a few vacation days!

So here I am with 5 days off. A couple of the days will be me completely alone in the house. So what do I have planned? Well, what else? Yarn organization! I plan to pull everything out from my eaves . . . plastic bins, bags, boxes . . . every skein, hank and scrap. 

Then what? Do I arrange it by color? By weight? By project? It's a dilemma. I'm not even sure how I ended up with this much yarn. I feel like the guy in the movies that goes up to the bar and is told, "sorry bud, you're done". 

I think I need to stay out of the yarn stores and knit from stash. 

Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

That Which is Old is New Again

It must be old . . . when was the
 last time you paid $1.00 for
an entire pattern book?! 

One of my Monday Night 'knitting ladies' recently brought in some patterns she no longer wanted for me and the other knitters in the group to go through. (thanks Mary!). Tucked in the pile I found what I can only think of as gems. Two pattern books that have to be from the 1950's. At first I looked through them and smiled. I chuckled at the hair styles and the outfits. Then I thought of the items that were probably knit from these pages. . . cardigans for a husband, socks for a soldier, booties for an expected baby . . .













As my mind created all kinds of scenarios I started to look closer at the photos.

Hey wait a minute . . . I think I like that gray one . . . if I made it to be worn oversized and added to the length . . .

I mean really . . . it's cables.
Cables never go out of style. Right?












I think I may be too lazy to knit gloves . . . but I love mittens!! Look at these . . . cables again! Wouldn't they be great in alpaca?















Could it be true that the old comes back into style? 

Here's something that never goes out of style. Can you see it on the bottom of the left hand page? Squint and look close. "Be sure your stitch gauge is correct."
See, it is true! Some things just never go out of style!


Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

Monday Night Knitting Group

I came home from 'Knitting Night' last night and could not wait to sit down and break out my needles. The night seemed to just fly by . . . there were quick lessons on how to pick up stitches under the arm for a sleeve, how to seam, pattern reading and more! 

But the projects always inspire me.

Take a look .  .  .






Joy finished her cable scarf and has started another scarf for a friend that 'loves purple'.
(I think she'll love this!!)

Katherine is working on a cardigan in this beautiful shade of green.



















Linda is making this shawl out of Noro. (You can spot Noro yarn at a glance, can't you?)

I think this would look great over a winter coat on a dreary gray day.










Lizzie was nervous about running out of yarn so she is doing the sleeves in a different shade of purple. She'll tie in the original color at the cuffs. 

I love it!!















Andrea joined us and is making a cowl out of alpaca yarn that is so soft you want to grab it and rub it against your cheek. (I didn't . . . but I did keep touching it!)




















Nancy's grandson is going to love this!!











It was a night of Christmas stockings. Peggy finished her two . . .

















and Audrey finished hers!

Martha is making a scarf from yarn she spun herself!! So SOFT!


(It would look great with my coat, but she didn't seem to want to relinquish it.) 

Janet is wearing a sweater she finished and she is working on a baby blanket. 
















Aren't they inspiring?!



They are all shy though . . . they made me look like a bad photographer. Did you notice the heads are all chopped off?


Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

From the Library's Shelves

Just in case you are in between projects and you think you might like to 'read a magazine', check this one out. . . there are some cute neck warmers, scarves and hats. There is also a tank top . . . but since it is knit in lace weight yarn with a yardage of 1250 . . . I'm not sure if I would consider it a 'one skein' project.

You be the judge. Check it out.











click here to place a hold









Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.

One Skein projects = Magazines

Have you ever read either a really thick book or a book that grabbed you so much that when you finished reading it . . . well, you weren't really finished with it? The characters stayed with you, maybe haunted your thoughts a little? After spending so much time with the Outlander series, I have found I have been filling my reading time with magazines, a little non-fiction . . . and by a little I mean skimming about the Roosevelts. But I can't quite commit to the Bully Pulpit or No Ordinary Time . . . even after watching the Ken Burns series!)

 

Just in case you can't make it
 in to the library to see it.

I have found the same to be true with my knitting. I have finished Judy's sweater (make sure you come in the library to see her wearing it!), and I can't quite decide what to start next. I've dug all my pattern books out, I've been surfing through Ravelry . . . I don't know . . . nothing is grabbing me. Should I felt something? Pullover? A Nora Gaughan?

While I have been pondering, I have been working on quick things - a couple of cowls and a pair of fingerless gloves. 







Hmm . . . Those quick one skein projects . . . perhaps they are the knitting equivalent to magazines?


Until next time, keep your nose in a book or your fingers in fiber.