Author Archives: lauren

Shipped!

Today was the day I finally shipped the TKGA Master Hand Knitting Level 1 box off to Zanesville, Ohio. I opted for the 10 business day postal dlivery at $21 rather than the 1 day at $90+, given that it will take 6-8 weeks for me to get the results anyway. So that means I can tell myself the day of reckoning won't be until late August or even early September. I wonder what the customs handlers will think of a declaration of "knitting swatches"?

I took photos of each swatch and the hat, and will post those later. Fortunately Ravelry now allows for slurping from my blog so I don't have to clutter up my Flickr feed with project photos. There were a lot of swatches, but those were fun (even if I did have to do a lot of practice swatches). Except for the seed stitch swatch, which was not fun.

The report on blocking was fine. I found the questions difficult to answer, since so much of what I do is because it feels right (using the intuitive side of my brain) and having to come up with the right words for explanations was a little tricky. I felt like I was trying to explain what I see, and wasn't sure whether I found the right vocabulary. Time will tell, I guess.

Anyway, so Level 1 is more or less done. I have no idea whether I'll pass or need to resubmit any of the swatches. If so, I hope the feedback is something I can understand and incorporate in the reknitting process, something to learn from.

At some stage I'll probably do the next level, but for now I have a few other projects in the queue.

Cast-Ons

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One of the things I've noticed while doing the research for the TKGA Level 1 is that cast-ons are often given different names in the various reference books. I figured it would be useful for me, and maybe for others, to list the cast-ons I used, what names they're known under in the books I've looked at, and any notes. Of course, this is really only useful if you have at least one of the books, for which I make no apologies.

Knitter's	Stanley	Vogue	Notes
knit, p40	knitted, p73, fig 2.27	knitting-on, p27	a bit lacy and loose, but quick and you don't waste any yarn
cable, p40	cable, p75, fig 2.35	cable, p26	firmer than knit cast-on; my default.
—	thumb, p67, fig 2.9	double cast-on - thumb, p 25	similar results to long tail
long tail, knit, p38	German, p68, fig 2.12	double cast-on, p25	looks best when followed by a purl row
long tail, purl, p39	—	—	combine with knit version for in-pattern cast-ons
tubular, p42	two-strand tubular, p78, fig 2.41	—	good for k1, p1 rib or seed stitch
—	stockinette-stitch tubular cast-on, p79, fig 2.44	tubular: version B, p 27	use for k1, p1 rib

I think it's an interesting comparison. No wonder it's sometimes hard to figure out what knitters actually mean by any given term.

Bibliography:

Knitter's: The Knitter's Handbook: Essential Skills & Helpful Hints from Knitter's Magazine, 2005, XRX Books.
Stanley: Knitter's Handbook : A Comprehensive Guide to the Principles and Techniques of Handknitting, Montse Stanley, 1993, Reader's Digest.
Vogue: Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book, 2002, Sixth & Spring Books

Roses Cardigan

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My current non-TKGA knitting project is a cardigan for my toddler daughter. It's my first "real" stranded knitting project (I don't count the frogged tiger hat), and the roses have that embossed look to them. I assume some of that will block out eventually. Unlike the tiger hat, where I was holding both yarns in my right hand, I'm using the background colour in my right hand, and the "pattern" colour in my left hand. I usually knit holding the yarn in my right hand and throwing it, but picking with my left hand is quite comfortable. I watched Lucy Neatby's Gems 2 DVD where she shows how she holds the yarn in each hand, and I find that her method works for me.

I've been trying out different methods of getting the stranding to work (with some success, despite the embossed look). I tried the "weave every second stitch" method, but that shows through too much. And then I tried weaving every 3 stitches. Since the yarn is so fine (32 stitches per 10 cm/4 in) in the end I decided to weave only on a gap or 6 stitches or more on the body, and more often on the sleeves, as that's where the little fingers might catch.

Baby Ull cardigan

Dale Baby Ull cardigan

The photos were taken on the sundial in our front garden, while the tulips were blooming.

If you want to see what the finished article should look like, pictures are available on Ravelry at Dale 135 pattern book; unfortunately the Dalegarn web site no longer has the book listed, nor the pictures. Ravelry also shows the pattern page and my project page.

Level 1 Progress

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For some reason I can't sleep right now, and after browsing a few Ravelry pages I figured I may as well update my Level 1 progress. I was hoping to get the whole thing finished by the end of this month, which will be a little tight, but if I tell the world, that will help me stick to the timetable, right? Maybe?

I have the blocking report almost done, just proof-reading to go. I'm not worrying about the details too much on this one, it's probably not my finest writing but I figure if all the useful information is there, that's the important thing.

I have knitted and blocked the hat, just need to sew on the i-cord loops. I've knitted all the swatches, and blocked all but two. Except for, someone on Ravelry asked about doing traditional versus modified SSK decreases, and the answer was to do the traditional method (the one where you slip both as if to knit, whereas I usually slip the second stitch as if to purl), so I'll have to reknit that swatch.

The major remaining items are to write up the cable pattern, answer all the questions, and fill in the tags for each swatch with the pattern information. In theory it's doable by the end of the month, let's see if I actually manage it. Getting over my insomnia would help.

Malabrigo Koolhaas

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My Ravelry notes show I finished this on April 20th, so I guess it's about time I blogged it and put up a picture. I have a few other projects to blog about as well; maybe this will break the logjam.

Koolhaas hat in Malabrigo

The pattern as written works up to 16" unstretched, which I decided wouldn't look good when stretched to fit my 23" head. It took a bit of swatching until I ended up with 5.5 mm needles, which result in a nice feel to the fabric in that crossed cable pattern. It ended up 18” in circumference, and stretches to 26”, which fits comfortably. If I make another one for me, I'll do the extra repeat for the men’s size, as this one only just covers my ears.

I like the colour, and the pattern, but I don't think they go together all that well; the colour changes override the pattern. If I knit it again I'll knit it in a solid colour, and save the kettle-dyed yarns for a plainer pattern, like a brioche stitch or fishermen's rib. You can see the difference on the designer's site (or Ravelry).

It's rated an intermediate project, which is probably fair. I found it a fairly straightforward knit; you do have to pay attention in the decrease instructions and it helps if you can cable without a cable needle, but nothing in the pattern is particularly difficult or hard to understand.