And I have pictures…

First off, the size is for a 22 inch head and starts with a cast-on of 112 stitches. My head is a seven and seven eights which is almost 24 inches, so I checked my gauge in the test piece and added another 16 stitches to bring it up to 128. This turned out to be just right.

Second issue was that the band edge was all stockinette so it curled like all get out, so in the second test, in denim colored wool by Patons (looks nice – I may do a sweater in it) I did just three rows of 2 by 2 ribbing to control that.

I also wanted to make a couple of mods. From what I could see in pics on the web of Glengarrys the prow at the front is higher than that at the back, but in the book’s pattern they are both three inches, so I modified the pattern with more short rows on the sides so the front is three inches and the back is just two. This turned out juts right and the hat looks better than the first test (which I didn’t totally finish as the curling was just too much. No, don’t tell me to steam it.)

So I worked on the hat between calls at work all last two weeks and finished at home this morning. The last task was to graft the top center seam with the Kitchener stitch, which I had never done. Reading the how to in my knitting reference I compliantly said to myself, “Hell no.” and proceeded to invent another way. I don’t know yet if this is new, but it made sense and worked great. If you know it from elsewhere, let me know.

So when you finish this hat, before grafting the top, you end up with half your stitches on each side of a circular needle. I remembered binding off and thought I would try binding off the two sides together. Here’s how:

1.    Divide your stitches evenly between your two halves of the circular needle. This means the extra cable length comes out at one end of the hat and the needles at the other. When you finish all the stitching you should be situated with the needle points at the back of the hat. The hat should be right sides together, so you will probably turn it inside out.
2.    Align the needles side by side in your left hand if you knit right handed, points to the right.
3.    Take a third needle and insert it as if to knit through the last loop on each needle and knit them together, pulling the knitted loops off the two needles.

Insert the third needle as if to knit through both of the last loops on the right needles.

4.    Put the new loop back on the needle nearest you. It doesn’t matter if it is slipped knit-wise or purl-wise.

Slip the new loop back on one of the left needles. Alternate!

5.    Insert the working third needle (which is now empty) knit wise through the last two loops (which include the new loop you just made) on the near needle and then through the last loop on the far needle and knit all three together, sliding the three off the two needles, leaving you the new loop on the right needle.

Knit through 1 plus 2 loops together until done.

6.    IMPORTANT: On the next stitch slip the new loop onto the far needle instead of the near needle and knit the three together – the new loop and the two old loops, one from each needle. Keep alternating this way, putting the new loop on the alternate needle each time so that the seam is symmetrical.
7.    Repeat from #3 until done.
8.    When done, weave in the ends.

The finished seam bind-off when done stockinette side facing stockinette side.

I was pleased with how this turned out on the hat seam. It produced a cord-like ridge in a groove on the top/right side of the fabric, which is fine for the hat as it’s supposed to have a groove there. On the inside of the hat, which is all purl, the seam is not particularly visible.

The seam bind-off from inside the hat when done as described here. It's nearly invisbile, but test it yourself.

I don’t know what the stockinette side would look like if I had done the seam wrong sides facing. Maybe I will try that on the next version of the hat, or a swatch. I want the groove, and if it’s smooth like the purl side on this one that won’t work for this project.

I’ll have another post with pics the denim wool Glengarry mentioned in this article. I will make the pattern available someday soon.

Related articles:

• Sylvie’s Summer Cotton Poncho… (bohemianknitter.blogspot.com)
• The Importance of Knitting Gauge (knitting-patterns-techniques.suite101.com)
• Circular needles, cat help and gloves and questions, oh my. (crazyauntpurl.com)
• Dads and Grads Who Knit (timesunion.com)

This is a fancy, commercially made Glengarry hat.

Short rows are stopping short in a row and turning the work to knit back in the other direction. To do this you have to anchor the working yarn or you will get a hole where you stopped. Most books teach the wrap-and-turn method, which I tried and find seriously lacking. What you do is slip the next stitch, wrap the yarn around it and slip it back, then turn and knit. Problem is that it usually pulls the loop it’s wrapped around and makes a hole anyway. And even if you work the wrapped yarn with the loop it’s wrapped around (on your way back across) it is visible as a diagonal strand of yarn. I don’t know why this method is in books.

So I got to thinking and reasoned that if I just knit or purl into the loop below the next loop after my stopping point, then slip that loop up onto the left needle so they are nested like spoons then you have a nice secure anchor. The doubled loop is not so visible, especially on a knit side, and you don’t get a hole. Once you turn the work pause to make sure the loop you just made isn’t loose. Snug it up normally, then start knitting in the other direction.

Again, what you do is, if the next stitch after your stopping point is a purl, insert your right needle from the back through the loop below that next stitch, wrap your yarn and push the loop through to the other side. Lift that new loop and put it on the tip of the left needle, turn your work, snug it and start working in the other direction.

If your next stitch shows as a knit on your side, insert your right needle through the loop below it from the front – your side – and wrap the yarn, pull a loop through. Now it’s a bit different: insert your right needle knit-wise into the last loop on the left needle (the one above the one you just pulled a loop through) and slip it off the left needle. Then back up and slide both of these loops back onto the left needle in the same orientation – don’t turn them – but with the new loop behind (to the left) of the loop you just slipped off the left needle. You’re just sneaking the new loop in between the last and second to last loops on the left needle. Both loops are now on the left needle, with your last loop nearest the tip of the needle and the new loop behind it. Turn the work, snug the new loop and start knitting in the other direction.

This is very easy and quick. I did a search after I thought of this and found that there are several methods of turning short rows. I found a slight variation on my method on http://techknitting.blogspot.com/search?q=Short+rows%3A+method.
There is a good method called yarnover shortrows explained nicely at http://www.cocoknits.com/info/tutorials/shortrows.html but you have to recognize your yarnover on the way back and work it together with the stitch beyond it to close the gap. With my method the two loops are spooning each other and you can’t miss it. Japanese short rows are supposed to be good but I haven’t tried them.

Here are a bunch of links. Enjoy!

http://sameknit.blogspot.com/2007/04/yarn-over-short-rows.html

http://www.cocoknits.com/info/tutorials/shortrows.html

http://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2005/04/japanese_short_.html

http://www.woolywonder.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6828&page=2&highlight=unwrapped+technique

http://www.cosmicpluto.com/blog/as-promised-a-short-row-heel-tutorial/

This will also help you understand what it means in any instructions when you are told to “knit into the back of the loop,” which is a rather hazy instruction if you ask me.

While knitting backwards is certainly a challenge to one’s skills I think Portuguese style may not be the best choice for it. Actually, I don’t think knitting backwards and forwards is a good idea anyway, as I will explain later, unless you feel it is the best solution for fair isle knitting that can’t be done circularly. Your knitting will be slower and again, and some stitches may not work. If you are just doing a flat fair isle piece that will be attached to other pieces, then it may work out. I haven’t tried knitting backward with any other style and I’m pretty comfortable turning the work. Why do you want to knit backward? If your concern is the difference in purl and knit tension in Portuguese kitting then consider using the pendant I invented or in focusing on making your knits looser. One thing I’m discovering is that when I knit a stitch, if I make sure to release most of the tension on the yarn except when pulling the loop then my knit stitches are looser. I can keep the “twang” in the yarn for purl stitches and they are fine, but if my knits “twang” much they are tight. Use just a minimum of tension on a knit to keep the yarn on the needle tip, then loosen up between each flick-and-pull. I’ve also gotten the knack of Continental style and sometimes use that as its tension is less varied. If I want an expanse of tight knit stitches I use Portuguese with normal twangy tension.

So, because I’m very analytical and a compulsive teacher/helper, and because this is a good lesson in understanding the dynamics of knitting, here goes…

To preface what follows I will pre-summarize the key elements.
1.    The orientation of the loop you are about to work will determine which leg of the loop you will work around – front or back – and that will determine whether you twist that stitch or not. Always work around the leg nearest the needle tip to avoid twisting.
2.    The direction you wrap the yarn around the working needle will determine the orientation of the loop you produce – angled left or right. Counterclockwise is “normal”, making a loop angled to the left. Always be consistent or you will get a mix of orientations. The goal of this article is to minimize compensations and prevent twists, so we aim to always make left-angled loops.
3.    What’s critical is not to twist the loop being worked. If you wrap the “wrong” way, whether by accident or preference, you can always manually turn the new loop or compensate for it being oriented “abnormally” – angled to the right – with working around the back leg

LOOP ANATOMY
Firstly, there’s a difference between the front of the loop and the front of the stitch. The front of the stitch is what will face front when the loop is no longer on the needle. In a loop that is angled to the right /// the right side of the loop is the front of the stitch and the left side is the back of the stitch. This is because when worked that loop will hang free in the row below the new stitch you just made into it and the side angled toward you most when it was on the needle will turn parallel to the surface of the fabric and become truly front facing. In a loop that is angled to the left \\\ the same applies. Knit loops come out the front of the stitch and purl loops go out the back of the stitch.

But again, the back of the stitch is not the same as the back of the loop. The back of the loop is the strand of yarn on the far side of the needle. I would prefer to call it the back leg of the loop. You read “knit through the back of the loop.” This doesn’t always explain what to do in every case, so I’ll say right now it’s important to be aware of the angle of the loop, as this will determine how you make the stitch, the angle of the resulting loop, and the twist or non-twist of the loop you worked it into.

An illustration of my loop and stitch anatomy terms

First be sure to distinguish between knitting into the back loop and purling into the back loop. Remember that a knit is where the loop is pulled forward and in a purl the loop is pulled away from you.

When knitting forwards, if your loops all angle to the left —\\\\\— knitting or purling into the back of the loop will twist the stitch you are working into. To prevent twisting when working Portuguese style backwards you must purl by inserting the needle into the back side of the stitch – which is the side away from the needle tip toward the front, and is in effect on the right side of the back leg of the loop. The needle is ready to be wrapped and to then pull the loop away from you. Conversely, you do a knit stitch by inserting the needle through the back of the loop from the side toward the needle tip and out the back, wrap it there and pull the loop toward you. in both cases you are working around the back leg of the loop rather than around the front leg. This is explained below.

WHICH WAY DO YOUR LOOPS TURN? YARN WRAP DIRECTION IS IMPORTANT
I’m using the marks —\\\\\— and —/////— to illustrate the loops on your needles when viewed from above. To make it easy to remember how they are produced think of the slashes as a hand on a clock. In the slashes leaning with the top to the left think of the clock hand moving in that direction – counterclockwise, and where the slash leans to the right think of the clock hand moving in that direction – clockwise around the needle tip. Clockwise and counterclockwise are important in that it is the direction you wrap the yarn that produces this orientation of the loop on the needle. If you observe your normal forward work in Portuguese knitting you see that when you flick the yarn over the right needle it is in effect wrapping counterclockwise.

This is the same direction you wrap with other styles of knitting except Eastern European knitting where all your loops are turned to the right —/////— and in EEK you always wrap clockwise. With counterclockwise wrapping you get left facing loops —\\\\\—. If you wrap clockwise, as in most truly mirror image knitting, you get right facing loops —/////— and are prone to get complications if you knit backwards and forwards together. Be aware that if you mix your wrapping directions when knitting backwards you will get a mix of angles for your loops — ///\\///\\///\\– and a lot more effort sorting it out later. If that happens a simple solution is to just manually turn the faulty loop from right —/////— to the left —\\\\\— before working into it. This would substitute for any of the corrections such as working in the back of the loop to avoid twisting stitches when working forwards.

TWISTING AND NOT TWISTING
Twisted stitches occur when you knit around the loop leg that is away from the needle tip, thus twisting the loop you are working into. Again, in most knitting the loops have their far side legs to the left and the near side legs to the right —\\\\\—. When you turn the work they stay oriented the same way. If you are knitting “backward” from left to right without turning the work you are heading into the “wrong” side of the loops and you have to work around back leg instead, which should be closest to the needle tip, rather than the leg on your side of the right needle, as you would expect to with Portuguese style knitting where you typically have your working needle always in front of the releasing needle, but that would twist them. You can’t just knit in reverse, as if a mirror image. You have to pay attention to the turn of the loops you are working into and the direction you are pulling or pushing new loops.

KNITTING BACKWARDS
In Portuguese style this means you have to knit backwards a bit differently. Before we begin the how to, remember that old stitches are twisted by working around the wrong leg of the loop (the one away from the needle tip), and new loops are oriented the wrong way by wrapping the yarn the wrong way for how you want them to be oriented. Again, wrap counterclockwise to angle them to the left, clockwise will angle them to the right and you don’t want that.

If you knit exclusively left-handed and turn your work then all your loops will be turned to the right (–/////–) anyway, and you don’t need any corrections and none of your stitches will be twisted unless you make them that way deliberately. It’s novel to knit backwards and forwards, but probably not a fantastic idea as it might make certain stitches or patterns harder to do. You may have to rethink decreases, increases, yarnovers and a lot of other things you encounter in various knitting projects.

LOOPS: TURNED LEFT OR RIGHT WHILE KNITTING BACKWARDS
Left-angled loops: These are the “good loops”. When working backwards (or forwards), if you wrap the yarn counterclockwise around the left tip your resulting loops will all be oriented normally like with forward stitches – near side right, far side left —\\\\\—  and you won’t have to knit into the back of the loops when going forward. But don’t get too excited: this is slightly clumsy to do and it seems the advantages of Portuguese style knitting are diminished in backward knitting.

Right-angled loops: These are the bad loops. When working backwards it’s a bit easier to wrap the yarn clockwise around the left needle tip but your resulting loops will all be oriented to the right —/////— the reverse of the normal forward knitting, BUT you will have to knit and purl into the back of the loops when going forward again to avoid twisting. Unfortunately, knitting into the back of the loops while knitting forwards can complicate stitch patterns, and Portuguese style is not at its best this way either. Or, again, you could just take the extra step of manually turning the loops to the left before you work them going forward. Or just don’t wrap clockwise. It causes too much trouble.

HOW TO DO IT WITH LEFT-ANGLED LOOPS —\\\\\—

BACKWARD KNIT: Stick the needle in the left side (the front) of the stitch on the right needle, out the back, maneuver the working yarn to be behind the right needle, wrap the yarn counterclockwise for a right facing loop (requires the use of another finger to hold the yarn down to the right while pulling), then pull through.

BACKWARD PURL: To purl backwards without twisting your worked stitch you need to insert your left needle from the back of the stitch and the right of the back (leg) of the loop, i.e. the leg nearest the needle tip – and wrap the yarn counterclockwise for a left-facing loop, then push the loop out the back.

Summary: The straightforward way to knit Portuguese style backwards and not get twisted stitches or right-turned loops or have to do complicated compensations when knitting forward.

1.    Always knit or purl around the loop leg nearest the tip of the needle holding the loops you are about to work in. Knitting backwards it will be the leg on the other side of the needle, knitting forward it will be the leg on your side – if your loops are angled to the left —\\\\\—.
2.    Always wrap your yarn counterclockwise to get left-angled loops as is normal for forward knitting.
3.    Do a backwards Portuguese knit stitch as follows, from left to right: a. have the yarn over the top of the left needle; b. lift the working yarn with the tip of the right needle; c. insert the left needle into the left side (front) of the stitch on the right needle, but toward and out the back, coming out on the far side of the right needle, not on your side of it; d. use your index finger on your right hand to pull the working yarn down to the right to in effect wrap it counterclockwise around the tip of the left needle; e. pull the loop through to the front.
4.    Do a backwards purl stitch as follows, from left to right: a. with the yarn under the left needle; b. insert your left needle from the back of the stitch and the right side of the loop leg (nearest the needle tip) and out the front toward you; c. flick the yarn counterclockwise around the left needle tip; d. push it out the back again.
5.    All your newly created loops accumulating on the left needle will have the leg nearest you also nearest the needle tip, —\\\\\—, which is normal for forward knitting. When you knit forward you won’t have to do anything special.

So there you have it. The science of loops and twists.

I need a drink. Unfortunately, I don’t drink.

Gravel is for Zen gardens and not a preferred texture inside socks.

Knitted socks are usually done purl side in, but the purls are clearly the bumpy side and that’s what is not so comfortable to walk on . So don’t. My idea for smarter worsted socks is the knit the foot with purl side out on the sole and to a point above the heel, and work knit stitches on the outside of the instep – or you could purl the whole outside of the foot below the ankle. Be sure to purl the outside of the under-toe area all the way to the tip of the toes, or you will get a ridge that will irritate you. If you do a lot of walking in your heavy socks your feet will appreciate it.

And yeah, I know that in some knitting styles purling is harder. You could work the foot inside out, or learn Portuguese knitting for the large purl areas. I knit Portuguese, Continental and Eastern European depending on my need and mood. When I have a long stretch of purling to do I always switch to Portuguese style knitting. It’s very easy to learn and purling so so easy and fast.

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So I have some yarn that I balled with my ball winder and now I’ve forgotten if it is all wool or not. I found on the web you can test a scrap by putting some of the yarn in a cup with some undiluted bleach overnight and if it is all wool there will be pretty much nothing solid left.

There is a faster burn test if you just need to knit now. Visit this link to read about it.

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A set of 4 Clover DPNs in the size 11 I was looking for would set me back about 12$ before the discount. That’s a lot to spend on an experiment, I thought, especially since I don’t use DPNs for anything, having nice sets of Options nickel and acrylic Zephyr circular needles. they have a nice taper at both ends…. Wait a second.

And there I realized I have all the DPNs I need. Without a cable these neat knitpicks.com circular needles sets can double for DPNs for my i-cord needs. they are a bit short for real DPN projects, but again, I don’t need them for that. So use your Options! Whether nickel plated tips, the  Zephyr acrylics or the Harmony wood needles, make use of your resources!

Saved my coupon, saved my money. End of story.

You can easily knit past the threaded holes when they are playing left needle.

Fast sock knitting with crochet hooks.

Hook Knitting Detail Video

Well, I made a trip to our local Savers Thrift Department store to look for decent wool sweaters from which to recycle the yarn. I thought this would be a great, economical way to obtain several skeins worth of yarn for just about $6. In general, I do believe recycling yarn can be a worthwhile endeavor, but I don’t think it’s for me. The reality of the hunt is not worth the result, which today resulted in more awareness than wool.

First thing I did was examine the 20 feet of men’s sweaters. Feeling along the edges of them for something that might be wool, as well as looking for sweaters that are mostly a solid color I discovered a few things about the sweater search that I don’t care for.

1. I don’t want to spend an hour pawing through hundreds of used sweaters. My time is worth more. On top of that I partially reinjured my mostly healed sprained finger sliding sweaters around on over-burdened racks.
2. Many of the sweaters are not solids, so you can’t get long runs of yarn out of them.
3. Some of them are sewn from cut steeks and can’t be unraveled in continuous strands.
4. Precious few haven’t been partially felted. I don’t know if Savers is washing these or the previous owners are the monster yarn murderers. Even one short wash will make the strands look very second hand, and I don’t want a new garment to look pre-owned from the get go. Also, a bit of felting will make it harder to pull out the stitches.
5. Some have stains. Do I want to spend $X on dry cleaning it before I cannibalize it? Not unless it’s a great looking yarn. Great looking yarn is very rare in situation.
6. Few of them are colors I want to work with. Do I really need that much DK weight, red yarn in 60% lambswool, 20% acrylic and 20% angora rabbit? It was almost the only one I found that wasn’t partially felted and had any potential. Do I know anyone who wants a bunch of socks made from this? I certainly don’t.

In the end I went up to the check out with a smallish, woman’s sweater in a bulky roving-type yarn that was dark gray and black mix. It was 20 percent alpaca, 70 percent wool and 10 percent acrylic, with cotton embroidery and the right kind of seams. I thought I could maybe get some yarn for a decent hat and scarf out of it. I waited a rather long time in line, observing the checker struggle four times trying to get the card swiper to work for a customer ahead of me, as well as other complications with the people in line. Having had this time to reflect on the whole, slummy experience, I turned around, put the sweater back where I found it and left empty-handed but with an armful of awareness.

Recycling yarn is more akin to hand-me-down-ism than you realize. You don’t have much of a choice. You have to decide if you want to make anything from what you do find that is decent. Do you like the color and the yarn? Will anyone else. It was kind of depressing to think I might get stuck with some yarn I don’t love and am not inspired by, and then drag myself through a project I know I’m going to want to give away, knowing it’s not just a gift, it’s getting rid of the stuff. I don’t want to give that kind of vibe to others, and I don’t want to keep it, a souvenir of the dismal fate of so many sweaters and a disappointing search.

You may have much better luck and spirit about yarn recycling that I do. To me though, after what I saw today, it’s more akin to picking at a trash heap than finding treasure. I want to feel better about the process of finding the yarn and its condition. I also prefer not to feel like I’m knitting in a compromise due to poverty. I can afford yarn, and even if I make the effort buy it cheaper online, at least it’s not what to me would feel like reclaimed junk.

Be sure to see part 2 of this topic at this link

You can get some great things at thrift stores. My favorite chair and a marble topped occasional table came from there, and a couple of vests I have. And I did have one super sweater find a couple of years ago, before I ever considered knitting: a fair isle sweater in 100% alpaca, NEW, in colors I love, for just $7. It is one of my cherished possessions. Here it is:

The suggested retail for this brand of 100% alpaca sweater was $150 for a solid color, and this one is multicolor fair isle. Maybe $250?

“A quick little tutorial on making “plarn” -- plastic yarn made from grocery bags. You can crochet or knit with it to make environmentally responsible upcycled trashion items. Woohoo! Visit http://www.aephemera.net to check out the blog that this video is to be featured in.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdTm2V4ssvY

I tried it with my Portuguese knitting pendant that I invented, but with two hooks, and it worked great. No slowdown, just as fast as if I were doing just the one strand Portuguese style, and I found it was as easy to do right side and wrong side. I had seen another video on fair isle for socks using two knitting pins, but I think it was also socks and was done wrong side only…? I was afraid the yarn would tangle or something because i was turning the work but it took care of itself and I had no problems.

Anyway, I was so excited I went and bought a web cam so I can do a video of it. I will do it this weekend and post it here via youtube, so make a note to come back!

Now I need a fair isle project. I think I’ll go for a vest of some sort.