Technique Tuesday–Binding Off

 

You’ve worked so hard at casting on, knitting, and purling in your knitting project, and now it’s time to bind off (or cast off) to get the stitches off the needle!

The most common form of binding off is called the chain bind-off and is worked by knitting two stitches then pulling the first stitch over the second stitch.  When you are down to just one stitch, you break the yarn and pull it through the loop, weave in ends, and you’re done!

This is a very serviceable bind off and it’s what I use most of the time.  Here are some great pictures and video.  You can also bind off in purl stitch or in a combination of knit and purl if that’s what the pattern calls for.  But, there are some improvements:

1. How to avoid the “nub” at the end of the bound off row.  I love how elegant this is.

2. Tricks for beginning and ending a bind off in the middle of a row.

3. How to make your circular bind off nice and neat.

There are other ways to bind off.  For a more flexible bind off, I knit two stitches, slip them back to the left needle, and then knit them together through the back loop.  It can make an edge look a little “ruffly”, so I only use it when I want the extra flexibility.

You can also use “Jenny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off”.  I haven’t used this before, but will be starting a project where I will use it very soon, so I’ll let you know how it goes.  In the meantime, people are raving about it!

And, as always, you can stop in at The Knitting Nest in Weyauwega to ask questions!

A Few Of My Favorite Things–Cascade Ultra Pima

It’s almost Fall, the time when a knitter’s thoughts turn toward wool. But not quite yet! It may be almost September, but I want to tell you all about a wonderful 100% cotton yarn – Cascade Ultra Pima.

The first thing I noticed when I saw the Ultra Pima is how shiny it is! It’s perfect for making garments that you want to have some luster, but still have the characteristics of cotton. The Ultra Pima works up in a very nice fabric that isn’t stiff and has a very pretty drape to it.

I made a shrug using a HiyaHiya pattern and I’m thrilled with the results. It’s light enough that I can wear it in the shop when I get a little chilly, but not as warm as wool.

The left-sided picture is the shrug laid out on the floor and the right-sided picture is detail of the lace pattern.

When you want a shiny, worsted weight yarn for a garment, Ultra Pima is a great choice. The Knitting Nest carries 11 colors of this lovely yarn. Stop in and check it out!!

The Window

One of my absolute favorite things about our shop location is that we are on Main Street and we have a huge display window. Not only does the window take up most of the front of the shop, but it’s got a very large windowsill, making it ideal to decorate. For people walking or driving by, it will catch the eye if it’s decorated well.

I’m not the most visually artistic person, so I was a little concerned about how we were going to make this huge window look good. Patrick and I were also hesitant to put real yarn in the window because it’s not UV protected.

Not to worry, though! Cathy Speigelberg from Premier Petals and Kasi Pagel from Focusing Life Photography, both Main Street businesses in Weyauwega, came to our rescue! I asked Cathy for help in doing the window and she was more than happy to oblige. Later that day, she came by with Kasi with lots of ideas. One of them was that Kasi would take some yarn to her studio and photograph it so that we would have pictures of yarn instead of actual yarn in the display.

The night before we opened, Cathy came over and made our window look just gorgeous. She used a Fall leaf garland, some wooden apple buckets, three pots of mums, the framed photos, and some magic to come up with this:

Is this amazing, or what?!! I am so excited that other Main Street businesses are supportive of our little shop. I am so grateful to Cathy and Kasi for putting together this beautiful display!

How We Got Here

How in the world did an electrical engineer from Louisiana and a family doctor from Florida end up opening a yarn shop in Central Wisconsin? That’s a very good question and has a long and involved answer. But, I’ll try to give you a short version.

Patrick and I met in Laville cafeteria at LSU. After he graduated, he went to Colorado Springs to work for a defense contractor. After I graduated, I started medical school at Tulane University in New Orleans. While I was in my 2nd year of med school, Patrick quit his job and moved to New Orleans because we were in love and wanted to get married. So, on June 6, 1992, we got married. Two years later, I graduated from Tulane med school and we moved to Kentucky for my family practice residency. After residency, we moved to Waupaca for me to join ThedaCare Physicians as a family doctor. Whew! That’s the first 28 years of our lives in one paragraph!

I worked for ThedaCare for 10 years as a family doctor and loved it. Our kids were born in 1995 and 1998, and Patrick was a stay at home Dad. In 2006, I quit working because of chronic migraines (despite many, many attempts at traditional and alternative treatments). Patrick got his teaching certificate to teach high school math and started MathTools, a math tutoring business. We’ve homeschooled our kids this entire time. When I was working full-time, Patrick was the “homeschooling parent”. After I quit working, I supervised their education. OK, there’s another 10 years of our lives in a paragraph!

In about 2001 or 2002, I started knitting, partly because I wanted to find a relaxing hobby that would help me keep the migraines at bay but also because the nurse-practitioner with whom I shared an office wore some amazing sweaters that she knit herself. (True story: One morning, I got into the office and said, “Tina, help!! I started with 15 stitches, but now I have 29!!” Tina looked at my work and showed me that I was making yarn-overs instead of bringing the yarn between the needles when I was going from knit to purl. Thanks, Tina!!) When I quit work, I kept knitting. I found that I could do easy knitting even with bad headaches, and when I was feeling well, I would try more adventurous techniques. Eventually, I was doing socks, cables, entrelac, and lace. And I was (and still am) completely addicted to knitting and yarn!

I would often joke to Patrick that we should open a yarn shop so we could keep up with my yarn needs. About six or eight months ago, I made this joke, but Patrick said, “Why don’t we?” Well, because a yarn shop needs to have regular hours, which I can’t keep because of the frequent migraines. Patrick pointed out, though, that he could be the one to keep the regular hours and make sure things happened when I don’t feel well while I could work only on my good days.

Hmmmmmm. Could this work? Well, after several months of lots of research, hard work, and prayer, The Knitting Nest is open. Patrick is there the vast majority of the time, and I’m there whenever I can be. So far, it seems to be working. (OK, it’s only been a week, but I’m being optimistic!) Patrick has been learning to knit so that he can help customers when I’m not available and so that he can teach classes.

So far, the whole family has been involved in getting this venture off the ground. And we’ve enjoyed it! I can work when I can, and don’t have to feel guilty about staying home on my bad days. Patrick and I are working together, which is good because we really like each other! And the kids are learning a lot about business.

Not exactly a fairy tale and I don’t see any fairy godmothers around (although Patrick makes a great Prince Charming), but that’s how we got here. And it looks like this is going to be a great next stage in life.

Classes!!

Lots of people have asked if we are going to teach knitting or crochet classes at The Knitting Nest.  The answer is an enthusiastic YES!!  Patrick and I are looking forward to sharing our passion for fiber arts with others through classes.

Our first Beginning Knitting class will meet September 12, 19, and 26 from 7-9pm.  You don’t need any knitting experience to take this class.  By the end of the class, you will have learned to cast on, knit, purl, bind off, and block, and you will have made a scarf.  The class costs $30 and you will need to purchase the TNNA How To Knit book and a skein of worsted weight yarn (wool, wool/acrylic, acrylic, or acrylic/nylon), and size 7, 8, or 9 needles (if you don’t already own them).  Patrick Martin and Linda Neuroth will teach this class and I will be there to assist.  Call or stop by The Knitting Nest (at (920) 862-0111) or email info@wegaknittingnest.com to register for the class.  We do need for you to pay for the class at the time you register.

Will we have other classes?  YES!!  Patrick and I are planning out our next few classes right now.  Most classes will be project-based, but we will offer a one session Knitting Refresher course and a one session How To Fix Knitting Mistakes.  All of the classes will be advertised on the website – www.wegaknittingnest.com.

Is there a particular skill you’d like to learn or a particular project you’d like help with?  Leave a comment here or on Facebook.  We value your input as we develop a schedule of classes that meets your needs!

Yes, “The Guy” Knits!

“The Guy”, of course, refers to Patrick.

Since knitting and crochet are done most often by women in our society, it’s a bit unusual to find a man who can knit and crochet.  But, I am married to such a wonder!  Actually, though, men have been knitting for centuries.  It is believed that knitting started as an offshoot of tying rope for nets.  The earliest examples we have of knitting are from Egypt, but there were definitely knitting guilds in Medieval Europe.  And only men were allowed in the guilds.

Hand-knitting became the realm of women, apparently, when knitting machines in factories became common.  However, men have been known to pick up the needles and yarn when needed since then.  Soldiers in World Wars 1 and 2 would knit their own socks.  Even today, there are a number of hunters who knit their own hunting socks – a nice, tightly knit pair of wool socks can be a godsend when you’re sitting in a tree stand all day.

Patrick took up crochet about ten years ago, about the time I took up knitting (but that’s a story for another day).  At first, he made Zelda (from the video game) hats for the kids.  Then, he made me and Lydia some very fun hats with brims.  For a few years, he spent more time carving and doing wood-working than he did crocheting.

It was about 8 months ago that Patrick and I decided that we were going to pursue the dream of a yarn shop.  And Patrick started knitting almost immediately.  Since Patrick has seen me work to learn to knit Continental style after initially learning to knit English style, he decided that he wanted to learn to knit Continental right from the start.  And he did.  He started by making a dishcloth.  Then he moved on to knitting in the round and making a hat.  And then a sock.  Right now, he’s working on a hat with cables for Christopher.  In less than a year, he’s learned techniques that took me ten years to learn.  (Although, he will be the first to admit that his knitting isn’t as neat as mine and he isn’t as proficient with the techniques since I’ve had more years of practice.)

One of the really interesting things about Patrick knitting is that he’s a walking advertisement for our shop.  It’s pretty normal to see a woman knitting or crocheting in public, but not to see a man working with yarn.  Whenever Patrick sits down and pulls out knitting (like at Christopher’s orthodontist appointments, etc.), he knows he’s likely to get some attention and questions.  Which is just fine with us!  He’s happy to talk about knitting and give people our cards to get the word out about The Knitting Nest!

What does this mean for our customers?  It means that Patrick or I (Catherine) can help you with your knitting questions in the shop (and Lydia’s not too bad at it, either).  We are pretty equally well-versed in all of the fiber-types and yarns that we carry.  Patrick will be able to teach all of our classes.  So, don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Even when “The Guy” is running the shop!

 

Our First Day!!

We made it through our first day of business!!  Not only that, it was a great first day!  I didn’t take any pictures, but here are some of the highlights.

• Cathy from Premier Petals came over last night and decorated our display window.  (I’m sorry I don’t have pictures – I’ll get some tomorrow.)  Kasi from Focusing Life Photography had taken some photos of a few skeins of our yarn and had them blown up.  Cathy used the three large photos, some autumn leaf garland, some mums, and some baskets to make the window very fall-like.  It’s beautiful!
• Patrick and I went to the City Council meeting last night and briefly told the members about our shop and handed out cards.
• We got a call today from a newspaper reporter about doing a story in the local paper (which they do for all new businesses).
• We had times today of being completely empty and quiet and other times with as many as eight people in the shop.
• Christopher was the primary operator of the cash register today.
• We are using Square Up for credit card transactions and are very happy with how it is working.
• We knew many of the people who came in today, but definitely not all of them.  We met some tourists from Chicago as well as people who learned about our shop from Facebook.

We had lots of fun meeting people and talking about yarn all day!  Here’s hoping for many more good days selling yarn!

And We Open Tomorrow!!

 

Tomorrow is the Big Day!!  At 10 am, The Knitting Nest opens it’s doors to the public!  So, what are we up to today?  You guessed it – we’re finalizing all the little details.

- Signs to remind people that we have baby yarn, buttons, and sock yarn in the back room.

- Cleaning the window and the front door.

- Last minutes organizing and straightening of yarn and notions.

- Knitting models

- Display window – Cathy (from Premier Petals – down the street) is coming over this evening to set up the window with some help from Lydia.  I’m so glad there are artistic people who can help make our wonderful display window beautiful!

- Social networking (that’s my job!)

We can’t wait to get started on this new adventure of entrepreneurship!!

Progress–August 19, 2011

WE OPEN IN FOUR DAYS!!!!!!!

It’s really hard to believe that we are less than a week away from opening.  Wow.  Here are the most recent events:

1. We have a sign!
2. All of our needles, hooks, and notions are hung up.
3. I am still working on a shrug and a blanket as shop models, but we have several others that I washed and set out for blocking today.
4. We have a Ravelry group!  If you are a Ravelry member, go to groups and look for “The Knitting Nest Weyauwega”.
5. We hosted the Chamber’s Business After Five on Wednesday and had a chance to meet several new people and show off our little shop!
6. We will be putting up the window display on Monday evening.  More on that later!

Four more days.  Oh. My. Goodness.  We hope to see you then!!

Yummy Yarns!

 

I LOVE “yummy yarns”.  You know them – the yarns that feel so good to work with and make amazing hand-crafted items.  Alpaca, silk, llama, Seacell, Merino wool, cashmere – if it’s a “yummy yarn”, I want to work with it!  And I have the stash to prove it!

You may wonder, though, why The Knitting Nest only carries a few of these delicious wonders when I am so much in love with them.  Well, as Patrick (the business guy and math tutor) likes to say, “It’s a simple matter of doing the math.”

We were on a budget when starting The Knitting Nest, and we knew that the “workhorse” yarns are REQUIRED!!  When a knitter or crocheter comes into the shop to buy yarn for a project, they need to know that we have the basic fiber types (wool, cotton, acrylic, and blends) in a selection of colors.  So that’s where we spent our budget for initial inventory.

But, now, comes the real fun!!  And the role you can play!  As we get established, we will start carrying more of the “yummy yarns”.  But, there are zillions of kinds of yarns out there!  How do we decide which ones to carry?  That’s where you can help us!  What kinds of yarns (fibers or lines) do you want to see on the shelves?  Which amazing yarns do you have on your wish list?  Leave a comment here or stop by the shop August 23rd or later and let us know.  As we expand our inventory, we will use your input to prioritize our yarn purchases!

Progress–August 11, 2011

The Knitting Nest is starting to look like a real yarn shop!!  Here is our current status.

1. All of the yarn has arrived, is priced, and it put away (except for the few backordered items and the local wool).

2. Patrick put up the wire rack for needles, and most of the needles are priced and put up.

3. We have some amazing glass buttons from Blessings Glasswork.

4. Our sitting area is complete and ready for customers.

5. The sign company has our logo and the plastic from the old sign – we should have the new sign with our logo in a few days!

6. I’m working on lots of shop models – more on that later.

7. Patrick has learned to use the cash register and Square and is teaching the rest of us.

8. We are hosting the Weyauwega Chamber’s Business After 5 next week!

We open on August 23rd and can’t wait to see you!!

A Few Of My Favorite Things–HiyaHiya Needles

 

I love using circular needles for just about any project.  I use them instead of straight single-point needles, to knit in the round in place of double point needles, and to knit in the round using Magic Loop technique.  Unfortunately, really good circular needles are pricey.

I’ve found a solution – HiyaHiya circular needles.  Why HiyaHiya?

1. The needles are stainless steel with a finish that lets the yarn slide smoothly, but not so slick that the yarn slides off all the time.

2. The cable is very supple.  When using the Magic Loop technique, the cable needs to be able to bend easily, and the HiyaHiya cables do just that.

3. The join between cable and needle is very smooth.  The yarn moves smoothly from the cable to the needle without catching.

4. The price!!  HiyaHiya needles are about 30% less than Addi Turbos.

The Knitting Nest will carry HiyaHiya circular needles with 20 inch and 40 inch cables from size 000 to 13.  We are happy to let you try some out (after we open on August 23rd) in the shop.  I’m convinced that you’ll find them perfect for your next project!

Technique Tuesday– Continental Knitting

Today’s technique isn’t a new stitch or a way to make something that looks different.  Instead, I want to discuss English versus Continental knitting (and purling)

Most of us learn to knit English style, or “throwing”; that is, we hold the yarn in our right hand and pull it around the needle to make the stitch.  This is an excellent way to learn because it’s easy to see how the stitch is made.  Continental style knitting, or “picking”, involves holding and tensioning the yarn in your left hand and using the right needle to pick up a loop of yarn for the stitch.

If you already knit English style, why should you consider learning Continental style? 

1. Many knitters (like me) find that we knit more quickly using Continental technique, mostly because there’s less hand and arm movement needed. 

2. The smaller amount of movement also puts less stress on the elbow and forearm. 

3. If you are going to do Fair Isle or stranded color knitting, it is very helpful to be able to knit with each hand so that you don’t have to drop the yarn every time you change colors. 

4. It’s also helpful to be able to do both Continental and English style knitting so that you can use change if you start to get a repetitive strain injury.

Are there downsides to knitting Continental style?  Yes.  Nothing is perfect in this life.  The biggest thing that people find to be a barrier to using Continental style is learning to purl and it was what gave me so much trouble when I first tried to switch.  All I can recommend is that you keep at it until it finally becomes comfortable for you.   Also, most knitters have different gauges when knitting English and Continental.  This isn’t so much a problem as a reminder to always make a gauge swatch!

I definitely recommend taking the time and effort to learn both English and Continental style knitting. Here is a good link with excellent pictures.  And here is another link with videos.  And, as always, if you need in-person help, stop by The Knitting Nest (after August 23rd!).

A Few of My Favorite Things–Cascade 220

I love Cascade 220 – one of the “workhorse” wool yarns that is very popular with knitters.  How do I love, thee, Cascade 220, let me count the ways!

1. I love that you are 100% wool, but still not scratchy.
2. I love that you come in a zillion colors (even though The Knitting Nest is only starting with about 20 colors).
3. I love that you felt beautifully.
4. I love that you feel so nice to work with.
5. I love how warm you are when you are made up into a scarf or hat.
6. I love how consistent you are.

The 220 in the name Cascade 220 refers to the fact that the original worsted yarn has 220 yards/100 grams.  Nowadays, though, you can get Cascade 220 in other weights, etc.  The only possible downside to this yarn is that it comes in hanks instead of skeins.  However, we will have our swift and yarn winder at the shop and will be happy to wind your hanks of any brand of yarn into center-pull balls.

Here’s a picture of a scarf I made using brioche stitch so that it’s red on one side and black on the other.  I love how deep and strong these Cascade 220 colors are!

 

How do you love Cascade 220?  Leave a comment and let us know!

Technique Tuesday–Casting On

On Tuesdays, I’m going to share with you some of my favorite knitting techniques and I might occasionally get Patrick to write about crochet!  These might be things to make your project go faster, tips to make something look a little neater, or a fancy technique to make your fiber projects amazing!  There are lots of great resources out there to help us learn lots of new things to do with yarn, so I won’t be trying to teach you a technique on this blog, but I’ll tell you why I like it and give links to where you can learn more about it.  And, don’t forget, that you can always stop by The Knitting Nest (after August 23rd) to ask questions and get help.

Today, we’ll start with the foundation of knitting – casting on.  Casting on is the process of putting stitches on the needle so that you can then knit and/or purl in rows to make a fabric.  There are a number of ways to cast on, each with it’s advantages and disadvantages.

1. The long-tail cast-on.  I use this cast-on when I need a stretchy edge, like when making socks or hats.  It also has the advantage of casting on and knitting the first row at the same time, so it’s a more substantial cast-on.  The disadvantages are that it’s easy at first to over or under-estimate the amount of yarn that you need for it.  It’s quite often the first cast-on taught, so most knitters have been exposed to it.  Here’s a link with pictures and here’s a link that includes video.

2. The knitted cast-on (or knitting on).  I prefer this cast-on for most projects, mostly because I don’t have to worry about estimating the right length for the tail (as in the long-tail cast-on).  However, it’s not very stretchy.  Here is the link with video.

3. The cable cast-on.  The difference between this and the knitted cast-on is that you put the needle tip between the last two stitches on the needle to get the loop of yarn instead of through the front of the last stitch.  It is a little stretchier than a knitted cast-on, but a bit more cumbersome, so I don’t often use it.  Here is a link with pictures – and you’ll note that she talks about knitted cast-on and cable cast-on together.  And here is a link with video.

4. The backward loop (or thumb) cast-on.  I almost never use this cast-on to begin a project.  It is easy to learn and to do, but it is difficult to knit the stitches evenly and you are often left with some leftover yarn at the end of the first row.  But, some people do like it and it is useful for lace knitting, so here is the link with video and here is the link with pictures (and some commentary).

The world of the cast-on is vast and I’ll return to this topic later with discussion of casting on extra stitches at the end of a row or in the middle of a row, provisional cast-on, and more.  So, stay tuned!

If you need help with any of these techniques, don’t hesitate to stop by The Knitting Nest!

Progress–August 1, 2011

Only 22 more days till we open!!  We’ve got tons to do despite all that’s already done.  Here are our most recent accomplishments:

1. We have a logo!!  If you are reading this in a reader, come to the site so you can see the header with the logo.  We are thrilled with the results.

2. The Universal Yarn and Mango Moon Yarn is all priced and placed into wire display cubes.

3. The Cascade Yarn is about halfway priced and put into cubes.

4. The needles and notions are ordered!!

5. Patrick and I discussed the story layout last night, but it is subject to change.

6. I’ve finished one of my shop model projects – a hat with Mango Moon Recycled Silk and Bumble Bee.

7. I’m working on a shawl, a cardigan, and a baby blanket.  I’m glad the kids can help Patrick with the pricing and inventory!!

22 more days!!  Hope to see you then!