For any of you who have clicked on the sidebar link to Ask a Knitter archives and have been frustrated by the fact that you couldn't actually get to the archives, then today you are going to be thrilled by this news:
The archive link works now.
That is all.
Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts
Friday, February 19, 2010
Monday, August 24, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Go ahead, Ask a Knitter
If you're a Raveler and you read This Week in Ravelry, perhaps you've seen this week's issue.
(In case you can't read that, it says, "Rox's TWiR debut with the very first "Ask a Knitter" columns)
The first column includes:
There have already been requests for an easy archive reference or index, so I'm working on the best way to do that for both the column and the blog.
You can also see the backwards knitting video here:
(In case you can't read that, it says, "Rox's TWiR debut with the very first "Ask a Knitter" columns)
The first column includes:
- Closing the hole and weaving in ends for a closed item, such as a toy
- Gaping edge stitches
- A video tutorial on "backwards" knitting
There have already been requests for an easy archive reference or index, so I'm working on the best way to do that for both the column and the blog.
You can also see the backwards knitting video here:
Monday, April 27, 2009
Long Tail Cast On Tutorial
This is just a little video reminder for my Knitting 101 students who may forget how to cast on after they leave the class.
Keep practicing!
Keep practicing!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday night video
Here it is folks, the long-awaited Friday the 13th video. Hey! Maybe it was cursed because it was Friday the 13th!
I have no idea why every transition ends with a "Boom!"
Still not completely happy with the video quality as it appears on YouTube. We're still working on getting the best resolution possible for the uploads.
I have no idea why every transition ends with a "Boom!"
Still not completely happy with the video quality as it appears on YouTube. We're still working on getting the best resolution possible for the uploads.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Friday video - leaning decreases
This week I have some tips for
Have a great weekend!
- Selecting which decrease to use (k2tog or ssk)
- Placement of decreases
- How to remember which one leans left and which one leans right
- How do do these decreases from the purl side
Have a great weekend!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Friday video - long tail cast on part 2
In which I demonstrate how to recover from a dropped cast on stitch without ripping back and then I show four (count 'em - FOUR) ways to cast on in pattern. And then the video ends abruptly.
I really do intend to get better at this.
Also, apparently I forgot about Wednesday Master Knitting Update. I actually have made some progress (not a lot, but some), which I will try very hard to update you on next Wednesday. We'll see how that goes.
Meanwhile -- enjoy the video!
If anyone has further questions about the long tail cast on, or would like to see specific video tips they haven't seen anywhere else, leave your questions/requests in the comments or in the Rox Rocks group on Ravelry.
I really do intend to get better at this.
Also, apparently I forgot about Wednesday Master Knitting Update. I actually have made some progress (not a lot, but some), which I will try very hard to update you on next Wednesday. We'll see how that goes.
Meanwhile -- enjoy the video!
If anyone has further questions about the long tail cast on, or would like to see specific video tips they haven't seen anywhere else, leave your questions/requests in the comments or in the Rox Rocks group on Ravelry.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Friday Video - I did it!
I am still fighting with Windows Movie Maker, although we have come to an agreement in which I copy the AVI files from my digital camera to my laptop, import them into individual WMM projects save them each as a WMV file, then re-import them into WMM in order to use several of these video files together with the wmv files my web cam creats into one Movie Maker Project that I can edit and save without my laptop blowing up. Which I then save as one big wmv.
It's not very elegant.
I realize there are issues with different sound levels depending on which camera I was using, and I realize I'm not the smoothest talker and I have an annoying habit of tsking at the beginning of every sentence. Also, I could use some hand cream. Nothing like filming your hands with the macro setting to make that abundantly clear.
I'll work on it.
I'm just so delighted that I *did* this. It's not easy to knit yourself a movie!
It's not very elegant.
I realize there are issues with different sound levels depending on which camera I was using, and I realize I'm not the smoothest talker and I have an annoying habit of tsking at the beginning of every sentence. Also, I could use some hand cream. Nothing like filming your hands with the macro setting to make that abundantly clear.
I'll work on it.
I'm just so delighted that I *did* this. It's not easy to knit yourself a movie!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Outline Stitch Bind off
I'm having a printer crisis, which is going to be a problem for one of the knitters in my Reversible Cabled Scarf class tonight, because I have 4 students, but only 3 handouts and my printer wants to print only on the left side of the page, in weird colors. This is a problem, given my photos are on the left and the text on the right.
So in an attempt to make it up to one of those students, I'm posting a slightly modified version of handout for the Outline Stitch Bind off, also known as the "Casting-On/Cast Off."
The edge of a long tail cast on is made up of a series of backwards loops that resemble cursive letter e's strung together.
The Outline Stitch bind off is a type of sewn bind off that matches the long tail cast on. If you're knitting a scarf, or other item that has both the cast on and bind off edges exposed, it's a nice technique to have. (Note: when I say this is a "type" of sewn bind off, I mean just that. It's not the bind off known as "the" sewn bind off, which produces a different edge. Incidentally, the tubular bind off is also a type of sewn bind off.)
The bottom set of blue loops represents the backwards loop portion of the long tail cast on (the part created from the long tail hanging over your thumb). The "heads" of those loops wrap around the base of the stitches above them. At the top of the drawing is the path of the Outline Stitch bind off, which (if you turn the picture upside down) wraps around the base of those stitches. In truth, the loops wrap around one leg of one stitch and one leg of the stitch next to it, so (as with grafting pieces together that were knit in opposite directions), the bind off is actually a 1/2 stitch off from the cast on.
Here's how to do it:
Work the last RS row of your fabric (assuming the smooth side of the cast on is the RS). Keep the side just worked facing you.
Cut a length of yarn 3 times the width of the area to be bound off.
Thread the yarn through a tapestry or darning needle.
Hold the yarn above the knitting needle. Insert the darning needle down through the center of the 2nd stitch ...
..and up through the center of the 1st stitch.
Let the 1st stitch come off the needle.
Make sure you hold the yarn up above the knitting needle and out of the way of the threaded needle that's being pulled through the loops. You don't want to pull that threaded needle through the big loop of yarn, the way it's shown in the photo below.
If you're just the teensiest brave and you can see your stitch orientation, you can pull the knitting needle right out and sew directly into the loops.
If it looks sloppy when you're finished...
...tighten up the loops, starting at the left edge and pulling gently on each loop.
>Does it really match the cast on edge?Depends on which side you look at
Garter and Seed Stitch
and seed stitch isn't bad, either
Stockinette looks great on both sides
And ribbing looks pretty good.
That's all for now -- I have to eat and then head over to the yarn shop!
So in an attempt to make it up to one of those students, I'm posting a slightly modified version of handout for the Outline Stitch Bind off, also known as the "Casting-On/Cast Off."
The edge of a long tail cast on is made up of a series of backwards loops that resemble cursive letter e's strung together.
The Outline Stitch bind off is a type of sewn bind off that matches the long tail cast on. If you're knitting a scarf, or other item that has both the cast on and bind off edges exposed, it's a nice technique to have. (Note: when I say this is a "type" of sewn bind off, I mean just that. It's not the bind off known as "the" sewn bind off, which produces a different edge. Incidentally, the tubular bind off is also a type of sewn bind off.)
The bottom set of blue loops represents the backwards loop portion of the long tail cast on (the part created from the long tail hanging over your thumb). The "heads" of those loops wrap around the base of the stitches above them. At the top of the drawing is the path of the Outline Stitch bind off, which (if you turn the picture upside down) wraps around the base of those stitches. In truth, the loops wrap around one leg of one stitch and one leg of the stitch next to it, so (as with grafting pieces together that were knit in opposite directions), the bind off is actually a 1/2 stitch off from the cast on.
Here's how to do it:
Work the last RS row of your fabric (assuming the smooth side of the cast on is the RS). Keep the side just worked facing you.
Cut a length of yarn 3 times the width of the area to be bound off.
Thread the yarn through a tapestry or darning needle.
Hold the yarn above the knitting needle. Insert the darning needle down through the center of the 2nd stitch ...
..and up through the center of the 1st stitch.
Let the 1st stitch come off the needle.
Repeat across the row, inserting down through the center of the 2nd stitch and up through the center of the 1st stitch, then letting the 1st stitch come off the needle.
Make sure you hold the yarn up above the knitting needle and out of the way of the threaded needle that's being pulled through the loops. You don't want to pull that threaded needle through the big loop of yarn, the way it's shown in the photo below.
If you're just the teensiest brave and you can see your stitch orientation, you can pull the knitting needle right out and sew directly into the loops.
If it looks sloppy when you're finished...
...tighten up the loops, starting at the left edge and pulling gently on each loop.
>Does it really match the cast on edge?Depends on which side you look at
Garter and Seed Stitch
Not so great from the “smooth side” of the cast on/bind off, as the top row is knits, interrupting the continuity of the stitch pattern.
From the back side, garter looks good
and seed stitch isn't bad, either
Stockinette looks great on both sides
And ribbing looks pretty good.
That's all for now -- I have to eat and then head over to the yarn shop!
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Seaming
Someone on Ravelry asked what the best way to seam a sweater was. She'd done a nice job knitting, but wasn't happy with her seams. I suggested (as did others) that mattress stitch seams are the best looking. Most online sources, however, show only vertical seams. Some show horizontal seams, but I couldn't find a nice online tutorial that showed how to seam a horizontal edge to a vertical edge, as with a drop-shoulder sleeve.
So here you are. A tutorial for seaming sweater shoulders.
Before you seam, block your pieces. It'll be much easier to seam them if you have flat edges. Since I wanted to get this done an upload it before I got distracted, I did not block my fake sweater pieces. Sue me.
Sewing shoulder seams
I happen to like a nice 3-needle bind off for shoulder seams, but if that's not possible, I seam them like so:
line up the pieces right side up so the bound edges are facing each other. If you are seaming a cardigan, make sure you're sewing the front piece to its correct corresponding back shoulder.
Insert the tapestry needle between the first two stitches
Pull it through, leaving a three or four inch tail.
Next, insert the tapestry needle between the first and second stitches on the opposite shoulder piece. Note that when you look at a stitch upside down, what looks like the middle of a stitch is actually the space between two stitches.
Continue moving from bottom to top, capturing one stitch at a time. Leave plenty of slack.
When you've worked all the way across, pull firmly with both ends of the seaming yarn.
Voila!
Here's what the seam looks like from the inside:
Seaming the sleeve to the body
First, you need to do a teensy bit of math.
Measure your stitch gauge
Mine is 5 sts/inch
Measure your row gauge.
Mine is 6.5 rows/inch
This tells you how what the ratio of stitches to rows is when you are seaming. In this sample, I have to seam 5 stiches for every 6.5 rows. Because you have to seam whole stitches to whole rows, I can look at it this way: for every 10 stitches, I need to eat up 13 rows. I can alternate 5 sts and 6 rows for one inch with 5 sts and 7 rows for the next.
In my example below, the "sleeve" is 20 stitches wide, which is 4 inches. I marked the point between stitches 10 and 11, and pinned it to the shoulder seam. Then I counted 13 rows down on each side and clipped the 13th row of one body piece to the first stitch on one side of the sleeve, and the 13th rows down of the other body piece to the last stitch on the other side of the sleeve. Like so:
Starting with the sweater body, I slipped the threaded tapestry needle under the horizontal bar between the edge stitch and the next stitch in. The horizontal bar is the running thread that connects one stitch to the other.
Next, I insert the tapestry needle between the first and second stitches under the bound off edge of the sleeve (just like for the bottom shoulder piece. I work back and forth between the body and the sleeve, picking up one horizontal bar on the body for every stitch on the sleeve for several stitches. Remember, based on my row gauge, I need to pick up an extra horizontal bar in the first inch, and two extras in the second inch, so that I pick up 13 rows/horizontal bars for every 10 stitches. Here's how I pick up an extra horizontal bar:
Here I am at the midpoint:
I can tighten it up now, if I want, by pulling on both ends of the seaming yarn:
Here's what the inside seam looks like:
Then I can work the other half the same way: 5 sts and 6 rows, and then 5 sts for 7 rows. Note that when I pick up 5 sts for 7 rows, I work 2 sts with 3 rows, then I work 3 sts with 4 rows. I don't pick up more than 2 horizontal bars/rows at a time.
Here's the end product:
So here you are. A tutorial for seaming sweater shoulders.
Before you seam, block your pieces. It'll be much easier to seam them if you have flat edges. Since I wanted to get this done an upload it before I got distracted, I did not block my fake sweater pieces. Sue me.
Sewing shoulder seams
I happen to like a nice 3-needle bind off for shoulder seams, but if that's not possible, I seam them like so:
line up the pieces right side up so the bound edges are facing each other. If you are seaming a cardigan, make sure you're sewing the front piece to its correct corresponding back shoulder.
Insert the tapestry needle between the first two stitches
Pull it through, leaving a three or four inch tail.
Next, insert the tapestry needle between the first and second stitches on the opposite shoulder piece. Note that when you look at a stitch upside down, what looks like the middle of a stitch is actually the space between two stitches.
Continue moving from bottom to top, capturing one stitch at a time. Leave plenty of slack.
When you've worked all the way across, pull firmly with both ends of the seaming yarn.
Voila!
Here's what the seam looks like from the inside:
Seaming the sleeve to the body
First, you need to do a teensy bit of math.
Measure your stitch gauge
Mine is 5 sts/inch
Measure your row gauge.
Mine is 6.5 rows/inch
This tells you how what the ratio of stitches to rows is when you are seaming. In this sample, I have to seam 5 stiches for every 6.5 rows. Because you have to seam whole stitches to whole rows, I can look at it this way: for every 10 stitches, I need to eat up 13 rows. I can alternate 5 sts and 6 rows for one inch with 5 sts and 7 rows for the next.
In my example below, the "sleeve" is 20 stitches wide, which is 4 inches. I marked the point between stitches 10 and 11, and pinned it to the shoulder seam. Then I counted 13 rows down on each side and clipped the 13th row of one body piece to the first stitch on one side of the sleeve, and the 13th rows down of the other body piece to the last stitch on the other side of the sleeve. Like so:
Starting with the sweater body, I slipped the threaded tapestry needle under the horizontal bar between the edge stitch and the next stitch in. The horizontal bar is the running thread that connects one stitch to the other.
Next, I insert the tapestry needle between the first and second stitches under the bound off edge of the sleeve (just like for the bottom shoulder piece. I work back and forth between the body and the sleeve, picking up one horizontal bar on the body for every stitch on the sleeve for several stitches. Remember, based on my row gauge, I need to pick up an extra horizontal bar in the first inch, and two extras in the second inch, so that I pick up 13 rows/horizontal bars for every 10 stitches. Here's how I pick up an extra horizontal bar:
Here I am at the midpoint:
I can tighten it up now, if I want, by pulling on both ends of the seaming yarn:
Here's what the inside seam looks like:
Then I can work the other half the same way: 5 sts and 6 rows, and then 5 sts for 7 rows. Note that when I pick up 5 sts for 7 rows, I work 2 sts with 3 rows, then I work 3 sts with 4 rows. I don't pick up more than 2 horizontal bars/rows at a time.
Here's the end product:
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