Technique Tuesday - A Lifeline

No knitter likes to have to “frog” (rip out) or “tink” (unknit) their work. Especially when it’s lace. Unknitting lace is quite difficult because you are often working with rather small yarn and have lots of yarn-overs to deal with. So, what’s a knitter to do?

This is when you need a lifeline. Every few rows, you use a needle and some smooth yarn or thread (some have suggested dental floss) and slide it into that row of stitches.  If you make a mistake from that point forward, it’s easy enough to “frog” down to the row with the waste yarn in place.  All the stitches are neatly held on that waste yarn and you can just slip them on to your needle and start back up again.

I’m working on a shawl with a 14 row repeat.  At row 14, I put in my lifeline.  If I get to row 14 on the next round, I just pull the lifeline and thread it in at this new spot.  Have I needed to use it?  Yes, indeed!  And I was thrilled to have it because tinking Cascade’s Baby Alpaca Lace yarn, while possible, is not easy.

Unfortunately for the picture, my lifeline is about the same color as the working yarn.  I labeled them, though, so I hope you can see that the lifeline is about 14 rows from the working yarn and the needle.  I’m about to pull out the lifeline and rethread it onto the current row.

The lifeline can be used in any type of knitting, but it’s particularly helpful with lace when going backward is so tricky.  If you have any questions about this technique or any other knitting, crochet, or fiber issue, don’t hesitate to call, ask on Facebook, or stop by The Knitting Nest!!  We’re here to help!

Technique Tuesday–Blocking

We are rapidly approaching the holidays, which means lots of gift-giving.  Which, for knitters, means lots of knitting projects to finish!!  One of the things that will make your projects look a little more professional and well-made is proper blocking.

Blocking allows the yarn and the stitches to “set” in the way that you want.  This is particularly crucial for natural fibers and lace patterns.  Many knitters will tell you that they don’t worry about blocking – I was one of those for entirely too long.  After blocking a few items and seeing how they went from ordinary to beautiful, I am now a die-hard enthusiast for blocking your knitted items!

How you block things depends largely on the fiber type.  Your goal is to lay out the pieces to the correct size before sewing them together (if needed).  For man-made fibers, little blocking is needed.  You can pin the pieces out and spritz them with water.

I like to wet-block wool because it allows the stitches to relax into place.  Wool knitting can be soaked with wool wash in tepid water for about 15 minutes, then very gently rinsed.  Avoid agitation or your wool will felt!!  After rinsing, gently roll the item in a towel to remove as much water as possible.  Then pin out onto a towel or blocking board and allow to dry.  Wool can also be steam blocked.

Cotton is inelastic when wet, so handle with care.  I tend to wet-block my cottons, but steam blocking is also possible.  Silk becomes weaker when it is wet, so be careful when blocking it.  Generally, pinning and spritzing is best, although I will wet block silk blends when I make lace items.

This is not remotely an exhaustive treatment of the topic of blocking!  Here are a couple of links that will give you some good information.  You can also check out a good knitting encyclopedia.

Questions?  Stop by The Knitting Nest and we’ll be happy to try to help!

Socks–Toe Up or Cuff Down?

I love knitting socks!  You would think that I would have lots of socks in that case, but actually, I tend to give away most of the good socks.  I’ve got a couple of pair that I don’t wear because of all the mistakes I made.  And I’ve got a couple of pair that have become separated in the wash – I thought that only happened with store-bought socks, but apparently not.

When knitting socks, you can either start from the top and work down to the toe or start at the toe and work up to the leg.  I’ve done both and they have their advantages and disadvantages.

Cuff down socks

Advantages

• I think these are great for a new sock knitter.  You start by knitting a tube and then make that tube turn 90 degrees when making the heel.  I think they are good to help you learn sock construction.
• You can do these one at a time on double points or using Magic Loop or you can do two at a time using Magic Loop.
• There are lots of cuff-down patterns available.

Disadvantages

• Most of the time, you do a grafted toe at the end.  This isn’t a problem if you already know Kitchener stitch, but if you are new to sock knitting, you’ll find there’s a pretty steep learning curve.  (That being said, I love doing grafting now that I’ve done a bunch of pair of socks this way.)
• You can’t try the socks on as you go (or, at least it’s more of a challenge).

Toe Up Socks

Advantages

• Judy’s Magic Cast-On.  This is one of the major advantages  of knitting from the toe.  The other cast-ons that I’ve tried for toe-up socks were so fiddly that they weren’t worth the trouble.  I always use Judy’s Magic Cast-On now.
• You can knit these with double points or using Magic Loop.  I prefer two at a time with Magic Loop.
• You can try on the socks as you go.  If it is a little too  snug across the foot, you can add some increases.  You will have the correct foot length since you can put your foot into the sock  (OK, so this isn’t a great argument if you’re making socks for someone else!)
• If you think you are short on yarn, knitting two socks at the same time from the toe up allows you to knit the leg to whatever length you want.  You may have enough yarn only for ankle socks, but maybe it will turn out that you can make the sock leg longer than expected.  Since the leg is the one part of the sock that can vary, it makes sense to do it last.

Disadvantages

• I didn’t start by doing toe-up socks, but I think that doing cuff-down socks is a better way to understand the basics of sock construction.  But, maybe that’s just me.

Whether you choose to make socks Cuff Down or Toe Up is completely your choice.  As you get more comfortable with different techniques you can start to mix and match to make the socks uniquely yours!

What is your favorite way to make socks?  Any other ideas?  Bring your socks into the shop and we’ll put the on the “Wall of Fame”.  Sometime soon, I’ll spend some time writing about the different kinds of toes and heels – so stay tuned!

Technique Tuesday - What Kind of Needles Should I Use?

 

When I started knitting, I just picked up some regular aluminum knitting needles and acrylic yarn and started working.  It must not have been a bad combination!  But, with all the different needles around, what should you use?  Can you (and should you) use the same type of needle for all your knitting projects?  Those are the questions I’m going to tackle today.

Straight or Circular or Double Point?

The first thing to decide is if you need straight, circular, or double point needles.  The quick and easy answer is to say that you use straight needles for back and forth (flat) knitting, circulars for large-circumference knitting in the round, and double points for small-circumference knitting in the round.  But, let’s take a closer look.

Straight needles – These can pretty much only be used for flat knitting.

Double Point needles – These are generally used for small-circumference knitting projects, like socks and hats.  However, in a pinch, you can use a pair of double point needles with a cap on one end as straight needles.  Most double points are relatively short, though, so this little trick won’t work for trying to make an afghan.

Circular needles – Circular needles are the most versatile of the needle types.  You can use a circular needle to do flat knitting by just knitting a row and then sliding the work to the other end of the needle.  It also works well for knitting relatively large-circumference projects, but you are limited by the length of the cable.  For small-circumference projects, a circular needle can be used for doing the Magic Loop technique.  I’ve also been known to do knitting in the round with two circular needles when I didn’t have a cable needle with a cable the right length.

What material should I choose?

Knitting needles come in all kinds of different materials and, like fibers, most have their place.

Straight

Plastic – OK, I don’t want to be a “needle snob” here, but plastic needles just don’t feel good in my hands.  The real problem is that the plastic tends to make the yarn “stick” to the needle, an issue that is worse when using acrylic yarn.  I have trouble with finding a good use for these.

Acrylic – These are somewhat better than the plastic.  They don’t hold on to the yarn the way the plastic does, but they’re still not as smooth as I’d like.  They are inexpensive.  We had success with using these with kids in the elementary school and library programs.

Aluminum – These are the oldies but goodies.  They are inexpensive, come in several lengths, and are good with most yarns.  If you are on a limited budget, this is where I’d spend my money.

Bamboo – This is the most common wood used to make knitting needles.  It has a great texture that provides just enough “stickiness” to hold very smooth yarns, but not so sticky that it’s hard to work with.  They are generally affordable.  The only real problem I’ve had with bamboo is that my kitties have occasionally decided to chew on them.  I’m now pretty well trained to keep my needles put away.

Other wood – I have a couple of pairs of Rosewood needles that I like.  KnitPicks has some beautiful Harmony needles.  There are plenty of other wood needles available.  Overall, they are often heavier than bamboo and a little pricier, but they can be a nice luxury at times!  Hopefully, Patrick will be making some homemade wood knitting needles for us sell at The Knitting Nest – but the first pair are for me!

Double Point Needles

Aluminum and stainless steel – My issue with aluminum (and stainless steel) double points is that my stitches tend to slip.  This is more of a problem with double points than straight needles because you knit from needle to needle, leaving the other stitches hanging on the two extra needles.

Bamboo – Bamboo is the most common wood double point needle because the stitches are less likely to slide off.  The downside is that the very tiny needles (size 1 and smaller) are more likely to bend or break.

Other wood – I have one set of Harmony size 10 double points that I just LOVE!!  Honestly, I can’t say that they are any better than regular bamboo, but they look so cool!

Carbon Fiber – These are pricey little things, but I do love my size 0 carbon fiber needles.  They don’t bend like bamboo and provide a nice texture to keep hold of the yarn.

Circular

When considering a circular needle, you need to think about not only the needle portion, but also the cable portion.  Ideally, you’d like for the cable portion to be supple with a very smooth join between the needle and cable.  Generally, I prefer Hiya Hiya Stainless Steel circulars, but Addi Turbo is also nice.  (The Knitting Nest carries the Hiya Hiya brand – they’re high quality and the price is lower than others.)  Some brands of circular are now also available in a “lace” version – this means that it has a sharper tip, making it easier to do some of the complicated lace stitches.

Circular needles are also available in sets of interchangeable needle points and cables.  The set I got about 5 or 6 years ago has nice aluminum needles, but the joins between needle and cable aren’t smooth and the cables aren’t very supple.  That being said, there appear to be some more high-quality sets out these days.  If you get a chance to check them out, look specifically at the cables and joins.

I have been purchasing almost exclusively circular needles with 40 inch cables these days.  Very rarely do I need something with a cable longer than 40 inches, and I can use Magic Loop technique if the size of the item is too small for the 40 inches.  It’s not always ideal, but it’s reasonably cost-effective.

Stainless Steel – This is my favorite material for the needle portion of a circular needle.  It is generally pretty smooth and the stitches move easily, but since it’s a circular needle, there’s not the worry about the stitches falling off the back.

Bamboo – This can be nice for working a lace pattern where you might want a little more texture to the needle.  The very small needle diameters (1 and smaller) can bend – not necessarily the end of the world, but it bothers me.

Harmony wood – Again, I LOVE how the harmony wood needles look.  The feel is much like bamboo.  However, I’m not fond of the cables.  The join to the needle is not completely smooth and the cable is not as supple as I’d like to use the Magic Loop technique.

 

Hopefully, the next time you need to choose a needle for your project, you’ll have a little more information with which to make your choice. 

So, what’s your favorite knitting needle to use?  Did I leave any out?  Enquiring minds want to know, so leave a comment!

Technique Tuesday–Magic Loop

 

Knitting in the round (i.e. in a circle) is usually done on circular needles for large-diameter projects and double point needles for smaller diameter projects.  This works quite well the majority of the time, but there are some disadvantages:

1. If knitting something that has a decreasing diameter, you need to have a circular needle (maybe more than one) and double points in the same size, which can get a little pricey.
2. Some people have trouble with “ladders” when knitting in the round on double points.  (Note: “Ladders” can often be avoided by adjusting tension or by moving stitches around every few rows.  But, they are still an issue for some people.”

Enter the Magic Loop technique.  Magic Loop is best used for smaller diameter projects like socks, but can also be used for hats and other projects in the round.  In this techniques, the stitches are split between two halves of the cable needle.  You knit one line of stitches, then push those back on the cable and push the rest of the stitches up to the needle tips and knit those.  Confused?  Here’s a link with pictures and one with video.

So, what are the disadvantages to Magic Loop.

1. If you are used to knitting on double points, Magic Loop can be a little slower with all the cable manipulating, etc.
2. The long cable that makes the technique possible can also get in the way as you’re knitting.  I prefer the HiyaHiya needles because the cables are flexible and the joins very nice and smooth.

The Magic Loop technique is really an easy thing to learn, so I encourage you to give it a try.  If you are still confused after the links and video, just stop by The Knitting Nest and we’ll help you sort it all out!