Knit for Brains dot Net

Posts Tagged ‘knit’

In my previous post about recycling yarn I stated that I didn’t like the process of hunting for the source sweater at a thrift shop, and I’m sticking with that opinion. You will not find me giving but a cursory glance at the sweaters there when I’m there for something else. It’s just too much effort for too little result. I have better things to do with that time.

I did however realize that recycling a new sweater from some inexpensive shop such as Ross or Marshalls is a great option. I was there shopping for the holidays last month and was lured to the men’s sweater rack. One thing I was confident of was that I would not be disappointed by finding a great sweater that had been ruined by washing and felting/fulling. While there were not a lot of colors and fibers that I wanted I did find one that is perfect.

A lot of nice yarn for just $20. Maybe I'll make a scarf and socks.

It’s a gray sweater in what I believe is sport weight, 45% lambswool. 40% modal, 10% nylon and 5% cashmere. I hunted up an extra large one to get the most yarn. It weighs 495 grams. The yarn is a mix of light and dark gray called Iron Heather, so it has a tweedy look. It has all the right kinds of seams – not serged.

And of course, Max my cat has to become involved in every knitting project.

The only odd thing is that it has a design on the front in intarsia, but that shouldn’t be a problem to unravel around.

The intarsia desing reminds me of a turtle for some reason.

Outside the sweater you can see Max approving of the cashmere content. Inside the sweater you can see the intarsia work. It didn't say it was this hand knitted. Do they have machines that can do intarsia?

I will give you an update when I get around to taking this sweater apart and unraveling it.

(To learn more about Portuguese knitting follow the link to the youtube videos in Information box on the right, further down the page, or visit andreawongknits.com to order her DVDs.)

Hi,

As I practice more with Portuguese knitting, becoming more aware of the rhythm and movements and reading my stitches, I’m finding ways to refine my knitting technique. I also found I was getting into a bad habit of “nursing” the yarn as I work a stitch, meaning using my index fingers to secure, hold and manipulate the yarn and loops rather than trusting the right needle tip to move the yarn. I realized part of this was due to a flaw in my technique where I was pulling the yarn to the right for purls and left for knits, trying to keep the right needle in front of the left, and this left the yarn at an insecure position, so I felt I needed to hold it with my fingers.

Fortunately that was easy to remedy. In Portuguese knitting you do insert the right needle through the front loops and bring it up between you and the left needle to pick up the yarn. My error was thinking I had to push the right needle to the left or right and then up on top of the left needle – my side of it – to finish the stitch. Again, this is the wrong trajectory and doesn’t hold the yarn securely. So I forced myself not to use my index fingers to stabilize the yarn and loops and this forced me to discover how to do it right.

For purling, you insert the right needle from the left and up in front of the left, then flick the yarn around the needle with your left thumb, then PUSH the right needle under and back and slightly to the right – diagonally away to the right as if toward where your right knee would normally be. Moving in this direction keeps the yarn on the needle tip and there’s no need to use your fingers to secure it. For knit stitches it’s the reverse direction you want to go. Pull the new loop you are making toward your left bicep, more or less.

(Remember that the essential difference between knit and purl stitches is that in a knit stitch you pull a new loop toward you and in purling you push a new loop away from you. Knowing this also makes it easier to read your stitches and know what you need to do next or how to fix what you just did!)

By refining my technique in this way I find it’s not only easier but my knitting fluidity and speed have increased significantly.

Thanks for stopping in to the blog today!

- Eric

I would be remiss if Knit for Brains dot Net didn’t at least link to this article about how psychiatrist Dr Karen Norberg, of National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge, Massachusetts, spent a year knitting an anatomically correct replica of the human brain.

Talk about not being able to get knitting out of your head...

What to buy? Everything? No. As fun as it is to buy new toys it’s best to learn some things first. I’ve found from my first explorations that there are ideal collections of needles for knitting. You will read that some yarn is more slippery so it is better to use bamboo with that kind, and other yarns are better on metal or other slick needles. Here’s my discoveries as I learned to knit.

At first I started with a set of aluminum needles from Walmart and the written instructions. I found it very frustrating trying to control the yarn on the slippery metal needles but that may have been, and most likely was, due to my choice of knitting method and lack of proper application. I almost quit a few times because of how slippery it was, and as I mentioned before, I came to feel like I needed to be an octopus to knit.

It was recommended in various places that bamboo is better for the beginner, but in my opinion maybe not. Bamboo does give you more control but it can also get a bit frustrating. One thing is that the points are duller, sometimes too dull, depending on the brand, and that can make it a bit harder to catch the yarn and pull your loops through your loops. If you are handy you can sharpen the tips a bit – be sure you keep a good taper. I haven’t tried this yet, but will soon.

Point Sharpness Varies. Top to bottom and all size 8 US: Clover bamboo, cheap bamboo, aluminum, Options Nickel-plated.

Another thing is that you may not like the lack of slipperiness with the yarns you will tend to use. It’s best to reserve bamboo for slippery yarns. If you want to have some around, you may not want to have them be your only set. Try some first, then buy more if you like them. Go to a real yarn store and learn about the yarns that will be better on bamboo and decide if you will ever really want to use it. Alternately, you may want to buy the bamboo and then make the slicker with polishing or even clear coating. (If you intend to clear coat with something like urethane or whatever, be aware some bamboo has been waxed and that can interfere with extra coatings.)

On my current exercise, which is the sweater sampler from The Sweater Workshop book, I started with a set of 16 inch bamboo circulars and didn’t like the friction of the needle so I used the 0000 super fine steel wool to polish them and I like the new surface better. It has some bite but the yarn slides better. This may be a good middle ground for you, and I will give any bamboo units I buy the same treatment.

Super Fine steel wool, marked 0000, is for polishing. It will remove any clear coat on the bamboo.

One reason to get bamboo is that you can get a set of fifteen sizes for about $25 on amazon.com and elsewhere. This is a great buy, and handy if you feel like having everything you need available in case you need to change needle size to adjust your gauge result for a project. Then you don’t have to run out trying to find what you want. If you don’t like the points you can, again, sharpen them.

By the way, sharpening should not be attempted with a blade. You will want a powered sander disk or belt. Ideally, I would use a stationary belt sander to get an even and quick taper, then fix the point the way you like it. Finish with 00 (double zero) steel wool and then 0000 superfine steel wool for your final shine – or whatever process it takes to get it smooth. If you have a buffing wheel you could use that but don’t use any compound.

BUT, as you will read below, you may find it more economical to get something like the Options wood or nickel circulars as they can be dual purpose, instead of spending money on a set of bamboo you may have to labor over to sharpen or polish if you aren’t totally satisfied with them. There are  other brands of interchangeable circular needles. I chose the Options based on a very positive review and I’m very happy with them. Read on.

I liked bamboo at first but now that I have learned to control the yarn I don’t feel much need for its lack of slipperiness. When I got my new set of Options Nickel-plated interchangeable circulars – which you can use as “straight” needles by capping the cable with the “button” end that comes with it – I fell in love with the slickness. It’s like knitting on glass. Very sexy.

About controlling the yarn; at first I tried to learn regular continental and then English knitting but had trouble. I was very pleased with I found Portuguese knitting as yarn control is totally handled by the yarn around the neck or around a pin on your left shoulder. Then I discovered Eastern European knitting and I really like both the speed and yarn handing. I use both, depending on the project. I find Portuguese knitting is a bit better for bulky yarns – or maybe I just need more practice.

So on to the rest of the needle commentary. I mentioned my nice nickel Options set. I got them from knitpicks.com, the manufacturer and seemingly the only source. They were under $60 for the set, which comes with pairs of points for sized 4 through 11 and two pairs of cables to make two 20 and two 34 inch circulars. They come in a handy-sized bag to protect them from the cat and keep various parts and tools together.

Options Interchangeable come in a handy bag to keep everything together.

Like I said, you can cap the two cables and make each point into a one-ended knitting needle that is about 15 inches long. Or you can put both points on one cable and just turn your work like you normally would without joining to knit in the round. Voilá, you have a nice set of “straight” metal knitting needles as well as a set of metal circular needles. I’m going to use these for a flat scarf that is project #2 coming up, and also for a sweater that will be knit in the round. You can also get longer cables and also points up to size US 15, all purchased separately for a reasonable price. And of course if you prefer a bit more friction you can try the wooden version, which is rather colorful as well. I haven’t tried them so I can’t testify to what they are like but I’ve heard people like them plenty.

A single Options tip set up for use as a single pointed "straight" needle.

So, that handles all your circular and straight needle needs. What about smaller sizes? Usually this is for things like fine lace and socks. I don’t know a thing about lace, so you will want to read elsewhere for that. Socks are what got me into knitting – no, I haven’t started a set yet but I bought all I need – so I will address that part.

What I bought for socks is based on a middle of the road approach. Those pointy double pointed needles (dpns) look kind of scary, like massaging a hedgehog, so for starters I’m going to try the magic loop method, which recommends a 40 inch circular needle. I got Addi Turbo needles in nickel plate  #2 US, as well as a 47 inch one in case I decide to knit two socks at once on separate needles, and some people suggest having the circular needles of differing lengths so you can tell them apart in case that is ever a challenge. That would depend on your pattern and where you are in it.

Socks and sweater sleeves and sometimes sweater collars and parts of hats and other stuff are often done on dpns. You can use circulars on these parts but at some lengths the cable may become an obstacle to wrestle with. Usually the pattern will suggest a 16 inch circular, which is pretty tight but not really hard to work with. I don’t own any in metal yet. They are pretty expensive, like 15.00 and up. You can also get metal in 12 inches. I bought a set of bamboo at 16 inches for $25 off amazon but as I said, I have to polish them with the 0000 steel wool to be happy with the feel of the bamboo on the yarn I’m using.

So for such applications it may be a good idea to get some dpns just in case.  Recommendations I’ve found are to use bamboo or wood as they are less likely to slip out of your stitches, especially if you make a sudden move, like to free up your yarn supply. I don’t like the thought of trying to put stitches back on a needle so I’m going to get a set of bamboo. They come in various lengths so you will want to get a set that will suit your most likely projects. The set I found with five pieces is $20 now on amazon.com. I will probably get a set that are 8 inches long. Better too long than too short.

Another note on dpns: they come in sets of 4 and 5 and sometimes 6. You knit with all but one in loops and knit onto the empty one. You may prefer to own a set of 5 so you can have all your stitches split between front and back, especially for socks and if you are working with an even number of stitches, or if your stitches are divisible by three you can divide them on three needles and knit with the fourth.

So, here’s the summary:

I got my Options in nickel because I like the slickness and can use them as circulars or straights.

I found bamboo frustrating due to non-sharp tips and also higher friction before buffing with steel wool, and don’t think I will have much need for the friction for the yarn I’m likely to use. If you discover you want to use slippery yarns then get a set of bamboo straights for $25 off amazon.com or better yet, maybe a set of the wood Options Interchangeable Circulars which can be, again, be used as circulars or straights.

If you are nervous about knitting on slippery metal, get some expert help on yarn control and look into Eastern European or Portuguese knitting. And practice. You get better.

I bought 40 inch and a 47 inch #2 US Addi Turbos for socks for when I get around to that. Again, I like the metal.

I am ordering a set of 8 inch bamboo dpns for other uses in case I need them, again, so the needles will be less likely to slip out of my work.

I hope all this is of use to you. Nothing like the voice of a little experience, and that’s what I have – a voice and a little experience. If you have anything to add please leave a comment.

And here’s Max’s latest picture as official Knitty Kitty:

"Yarn makes a nice pillow. Wa-wa!"

Last Sunday I went to my nearest local yarn/knitting shop, Gails Knits, to take advantage of their summer sale and bought yarn for my first project, the cabled scarf with seed stitch border you see in the page header (That’s a pic from the book – I haven’t started the scarf yet, but I did pick red. ) and as I was checking out I told Gail about the Portuguese Knitting DVD and how much I liked the style. I showed her the basics, and she in turn showed me her style, which is eastern european knitting (EEK). Apparently, it’s pretty rare. She said there was an article some years ago in a knitting magazine that listed the top ten styles of knitting, and it was number 9.

It turns out it is a bit faster than Portuguese knitting, seemingly having one less step in that you don’t have to flick the yarn over the needle. That’s not a big chore, but when I was watching Gail demonstrate it she was amazingly fast. I’ll have links to videos and pages here soon. It’s a variant of continental knitting, a pick style, and is quite worthwhile.

I’m still practicing but I did find that it wasn’t so great for a bulky yarn. I am doing a cossack hat from the Folk Hats book by Vicki Square and even with my nice and pointy new Options Nickel Plated circulars didn’t work so well on the thick, bulky Wool-ease yarn by Lion Brand when using EEK. I couldn’t catch the yarn and pull it through. So I tried the Portuguese knitting and it was much easier.

That’s interesting and handy to know. Now we have more tools with which to knit. I’ve learned one should choose carefully from knitting style, yarn material, yarn thickness, needle material and pattern. When I started out I would never have thought it mattered.

Here’s what the hat will look like when done:

The cossack hat in the book.

This one uses a bouclet yarn which seems to emulate shearling. I may do one with black later. For now I’m just re-using the yarn from the crochet scarf I killed playing with my new ball winder.