It's All About the Technique

I've always been very interested in the how and the why things work in knitting the way they do.  Why stitch mount matters, how a change in the fiber content of your yarn can drastically change the look of your finished piece.

Last year I became really curious about how directional decreases really do warp the fabric you are creating, pulling it one way or the other and in the case of a series of single decreases (knit 2 together) for example could result in a diagonal line or series of "dashes" in the shoulder shaping of a garment.

How could you avoid that line if it interrupted the design?

After much experimentation and running around asking knitters of different styles to test my directions I came up with a "nearly, almost, completely vertical, single decrease".  I won't say I invented it though.  Knitting has been around far too long for someone else not to have come up with it, but in all my searching through books and the internet  I didn't find anyone doing anything like this.

So of course I used it in a pattern. Sent the pattern off to my tech editor and waited.  What would she make of it?  Unfortunately she had some health problems and kept putting off editing the pattern and I then moved on to other things while I waited for her to recover.  In the end she decided that she wasn't going to get back into tech editing so I had to look for a new place for this pattern to get the editing it deserved and other projects took priority.

Finally, well over a year in the making, the editing and test knitting is wrapping up and I am releasing that pattern!


Including detailed written instructions for how to do that special "vertical single decrease" for both Eastern and Western Mount knitters. (And how to tell which you are!)


The pattern will soon be available on LoveCrafts and Patternvine.

In other news, so much going on in my neck of the woods, but...that will wait for another day!

Until then,

Happy Knitting!

~M

We're Still Standing...

I blinked and another couple of weeks vanished into thin air!

Summer is starting to wind down at Chez Yarn Diet...after a long search and working some jobs the either didn't pay or weren't in industry, TDQ got a new job that boths pays and is in her industry!  She was very excited to start and exhausted by the end of the week!

We have started looking around for a few things she can use to personalize her office/desk area.

She talked me into letting her have one of the Gnomes I knit during the GAL this past year.

So new routines to be learned with her change in schedule...we'll get those down just in time for the Fall Semester to start for the others in college!  My friends laugh when they see I really do have a whiteboard on the fridge that details who needs to be where/when and when they are done.

In other news I am slowly uploading patterns to a new platform...PatternVine .  This is a brand new venture and will eventually incorporate more than just knitting and crochet patterns...TDQ is excited to see which sewing designers will use it, too!

Of course, while I have been pretty silent here there has been a ton of knitting, writing, gardening and diy projects going on..hopefully I will catch my breath enough in the next few days to show you some of them!

In the meantime...what do you think...should I frog this and go with higher contrast beads?

I have dinner to cook, sheets to fold and a cat sitting on my foot mewling for his own dinner...so until next time...

Knit Happy!

~M

Blurry

No Silent Sunday this week...apart from the horrors of the latest news stories...that came a little too close to home today...the past week is a bit blurry!

Why?

I played a part (albeit small) in GISH this year!  (I linked to the list of challenges and I'll share one of the ones I did with you, because it is actually knitting relevant!)

Task 200...knit or crochet a doily of the solar system.

Obviously not to scale...and Jupiter is a hot mess but I included all 8 planets that we currently know of, 5 dwarf planets, as knitted in items (so no cheating and knitting them separately and sewing them on later) and  the asteroid belt and kuiper belt in lace.

I used a mix of various Knit Picks lace weight yarns, some pearle cotton and some sock weight scraps that were hanging around my desk.

I even gave Pluto a little heart!

 In addition to silly things like this...which took way more time than it probably should have (I think there are about 30,000 stitches in that piece!) there were fundraising efforts, random donations to shelters...learning new skills...it was certainly a busy week!

Now I am off to eat the last of the cake that looked like an antique steam train!

~M

Two Years in the Making

It's hard to believe, but it really did take me two years to get one design from an initial chart to a finished pattern!

But let's start at the beginning!

About three years ago the family and I went to see a movie and when everyone else was gushing about the songs and the animation on the way home, all I was thinking was "that would make a great shawl design!"

The idea got left on the back burner for a while as I had other commitments to make, but kept coming to the front of my mind when I would finish another project up.

I always knew I wanted to be able to offer it in "Mommy and Me" sizing so it could be used as a "dress up" piece for a special girl and a statement piece for the adult as well.

Last year I finished the pattern writing and reached out to Melody of Arrowhead Fibers about collaborating on shawl kits...and real life struck! Floods and illnesses, time needed for family emergencies and trying to coordinate timing meant, well...the project went back to being a "someday" pattern.

Some day...is today!

About the pattern:

Inspired by the magical ray that appeared in an animated movie, this shawl starts at the very tip of the tail and grows through the fins with inserts and short row shaping to create fins that hug your shoulders, allowing for this piece to stay on, with or without a shawl pin!

The Manta Ray, in real life, which can reach sizes in excess of 20 feet wide, is the largest ray and one of the largest fish in the world. The smaller Sting Ray can be as small as 10 inches [25cm] in width.

Manta Ray:

Size: 26 inch drop/ 60 inch wingspan (66 cm by 153 cm)
MC: Knit Picks Stroll Glimmer 70% Merino Wool, 25% Nylon, 5% Metallic, 231 yards {211 meters}/50 gms {1.76 ounces} 3 balls, shown in Blush
CC: Knit Picks Stroll 75% Merino Wool, 25% Nylon, 231 yards {211 meters} 50 gms {1.76 ounces} 3 balls, shown in Ash

Sting Ray:

Size: 24 inch drop/ 44 inch wingspan (60 by 112 cm)
MC: Arrow Head Fibers Basic Sock 75 Merino Wool, 25% Nylon 463 yd {423 meters}/100 gms {3.53 ounces} Shown in Silver Fox, 1 skein
CC: Arrow Head Fibers Sparkle Sock 75% SuperwashMerino, 20% Nylon, 5% Silver Toned Stellina 438 yds {400 meters} 100 gms {3.53 ounces}











US Size 6 {4mm} circular needle at least 40 inches {100 cm} long
Cable needle.
Large eyed tapestry needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge: 22 sts and 32 rows to 4 inches {10 cm} in lace/cable pattern

Pattern includes both charts and fully written line by line instructions.








Kits, including yarn and a  pdf of the pattern, can be purchased through Arrowhead Fibers.

Or...the pattern alone can be purchased in my Ravelry Store and soon on Love Crafts and Etsy.

Sunday Silenced.

In The Summer Time

It's no secret, even in the summer time when the weather is hot I still knit!  Sitting on the patio with a glass of water (or wine) with my feet up, watching the hummingbirds dart to the feeder or the chipmunks rushing around stealing bird seed...all the while with a project in my hands.

I even  wear my hand knits during the heat of summer...my Norma Jeanne tank top, or a light shawl over a commercially made one...and in that overly climate controlled office...a pair of lacy fingerless mitts to keep my hands from freezing!

Do you need something to keep the chill from your fingers while you work?

Presenting Scrolling Mitts, available now on Knotions!

Made from a light cotton blend yarn...I used Brown Sheep Cotton Fine...these mitts feature an all over, but very simple, lace pattern, thumb gussets and a twisted ribbed cuff.  Ideal for knitting on the patio, with that glass of water (or wine), no large mass of wool in your lap making you hot.

They also make great gifts, so if you didn't start your holiday knitting in February, you can start now and probably have a pair finished by the end of the weekend!

What colors would you make yours in?

In other news, if you missed your chance to pick up Aviarium as a single pattern download from Knotions you can still get it...

either in their Full Issue E-book or now from my Ravelry Store and soon on Love Crafts.

Until next time...Happy Knitting!

~M

Lace Star; a review

(Note: This post contains affiliate links.  If you use them, you won't pay a penny more, but we here at Chez Yarn Diet will receive a small commission which helps keep the lights on!  All opinions expressed are my own, though!  Thanks for understanding!))

When Jody, the editor of Knotions, asked me if I would like to preview, and review, the newest Knotions E-Book; Lace Star, I couldn't say yes fast enough!

Photo Credit Knotions.com Lace Star cover

As you know, I am a big fan of Shawl Star, where Elizabeth Felgate goes into detail of how to create over 40 different shapes for shawl knitting, in recipe form, so you can design your own. I was sure that her writing about lace would be just as educational and fun to read and knit along to!

I wasn't disappointed!

So, let's dive in!

The book is broken into 4 major sections :

Section 1: The theory and practice of lace knitting - how it works, how to make it easier and get better results


It's not a secret that I am a bit of a knitting "geek".  I love the tech talk of how/why/when/where things work and on the flip side, when they don't!  Liz walks the knitter through everything from picking yarn; which materials and colors work best; and needle size...but goes on to say the words that make my heart sing " Once you know what you like, I trust that you will ignore these guidelines with impunity."

Section 2: Lace knitting exercises - from first yarnovers to advanced skills





This is probably my favorite part of the book...The exercises include several dishcloth sized swatches, presented in both charted and fully written line by line instructions, with specific call outs for what to look for when reading not just the instructions but your own knitting!

Here I worked up Exercise 3: Right and wrong side patterning and have to say that the pattern stitch choice for this is the ideal place to start learning (or get additional practice)  working that wrong side patterning. (Really, it isn't as hard as you think...I know knitters get tied up in knots thinking about it, but if you have ever done any flat knitting that is more than garter stitch you have done wrong side patterning without any trouble!)

And Exercise 4: Breaking New Ground swatch...I stopped long before it became a shawl!

This exercise is a great tutorial for how to incorporate a stitch pattern into the increases needed to create a shawl that starts from just a very few stitches and grows into a much larger piece.

Finally I knit Exercise 9: A mini project for a lace bookmark.

This piece pulls together all the things that you will have learned working through the other exercises...worked in a finer yarn that the dishcloth sized swatches at the beginning of the section, it incorporates right and wrong side patterning, pattern repeats, and...a difference of opinion on how it should be blocked!  :)

This is how it looks in the book..

Photo Credit: Knotions.com Lace Star e-book

and this is mine.

As you can see, in Lace Star the pattern itself was worked one and a half times before binding off...mine was worked twice.  I also blocked it a little differently and then decided I liked the beginning better as the "top" of my bookmark.  Is either way wrong?  Nope!  That is the beauty of knitting and lace knitting in particular...you can make those choices!  (Remember, you can ignore the guidelines with impunity!)

Section 3: Finishing lace knits


I have said it before, I will say it again...blocking lace, like heel turns in socks, is knitters magic! This section goes over the common methods of blocking, from wet blocking wool to steam blocking synthetic fibers, with photo tutorials for each method.

Section 4: Fixing mistakes

Missed a yarn over?  Knit instead of purled?  Lace Star has you covered with photo tutorials for fixing the inevitable mistakes that manage to creep in. (Even expert knitters make mistakes, knowing that you made them and how to fix them is what makes an expert knitter!)

My Conclusion:

I had an awful lot of fun knitting the swatches I picked, and I by no means knit all of them, there are several more fun ones...but to see those you will have to get your own copy of the book!  And if you haven't already, get a copy of Shawl Star to go with it!  Paired these two e-books are probably the most comprehensive guide for designing and knitting your own lace shawls I have seen.

Until next time...

~M