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Archive for the ‘Knitting Projects’ Category

Hooked on Double Knitting

Posted in Knitting Projects, tagged , on March 3, 2010| 1 Comment »

My adventure into the world of Double/Reversible knitting began last year when I happened upon a website called the Knitters Book Shelf.  While perusing around the site, I spied a book called “Double Knitting, Reversible  Design, by M’Lou Baber.  I had to have it.  The rest is history.  The creative juices were indeed flowing.  She had convinced me that I could turn any picture into a double-knit design.  So, as Christmas was approaching I knew I had to make my granddaughter a ski hat to match the sweater I had already knitted her.  Using the leftovers from her sweater, I play around with the gauge a bit, trying different needles.  Once I had decided on that, I made my graph paper to match the gauge, then drew the pictures I wanted to go around the main portion of the hat.

You can’t see all the figures, but there is a Christmas tree, two reindeer, and a Mr. and Mrs. Snowman.

I learned a lot from this little experiment, and will cover some of the techniques in a future post.  I even came up with one of my own.

Here are my two grandsons sporting their new Christmas Head Bands.

To take this one step further, I decided the other day to incorporate the idea of a double knit design in a sock that I was making for a friend.  She loves dogs, so I was going to make sure that she had one.

This toe-up sock pattern is for right/ left foot.  I find that this approach to sock design addresses the issue of allowing more room for the big toe,(less holes) and accommodates people with unique foot shapes and deformities.

My friend was thrilled with her sock.

Life can’t get better than when you make someone happy.

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My Jacquard Vest

Posted in Knitting Projects on February 27, 2010| 1 Comment »

One of the most pleasurable projects that I took on this past year was knitting my Jacquard Vest.  I got the yarn and the pattern from Knit Picks.  The fingering yarn is called Palette.  I love it!!!  I used it for this pattern,  then for socks, and finally for the double knit ski bands that I knitted for Christmas presents.

This pattern is completed charted, and can be easily follow by using a colored marker to line out the row you have just finished.

Again, as with the Nordic ski Sweater, I always use the index finger of my right hand to stretch back the stitches on the right hand needle.

By using this method, I was able to keep my gauge right on target.

It is a beautiful design, and well worth the effort.  Try it!

Here is what I did with the leftovers or stash-and we always have them.

Here is a picture of one of the Ski bands I knitted for my grandsons.  I used Palette, (Eggplant).  The weight was perfect.  I did this little project in reversible, or double knitting.  I also figured out how to add in a third color.

It was great fun.

Here’s the other side.

These head bands were my own design. Once I had the gauge, I made the graph paper for that gauge on my computer, printed it off, then filled in the squares to make the design.  Let me know if you want to learn how.

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Nordic Knitting-Take Me Away!!

Posted in Knitting Projects, tagged , , on February 25, 2010| 1 Comment »

This past year has been very busy for me, with taking care of elderly parent in another state.  However, with that said, my knitting has kept me sane.  I really became fascinated with with the idea of working with colors when I saw a picture of a beautiful Ski sweater on the cover of an old knitting magazine.  So what did I pick for my first project?  You guessed it, the Norwegian Olympic Team sweater. Here are some pictures of the results- and did I learn a lot about “floats.”  This sweater was made of Heilo Norwegian wool, sports weight.

You will note that this sleeve is on my “Magic loop.”  I don’t think I have used a straight needle since I discovered this method.

On the bottom of the sleeve I used the weaving method of changing colors. To keep the gauge uniform I switched to a size larger needle than the pattern called for, but even with that change I still had to drag the stitches back toward the right with my index finger to keep the gauge even.  I discovered it just take a willingness to practice.

On the right is a picture of the main part of the sweater. I took it out three times before I was satisfied with it. After coming across an article that encouraged you to not worry about the floats, as they could be tacked down later,  I tired it.  With a little practice, I found that the design was much cleaner.  When I finished I simply divided my yarn into single ply threads and tacked down the long floats, then wove in the ends. It worked beautifully, and the gauge was even.  I used regular steeks for the sleeve openings, and wrapped steeks for the neckline.  What a neat way to put a sweater together.  The only thing I would add to the process is about four regular steek stitches each side of the neck opening before a I made the wrapped steek for the span. It would secure the neck edge stitches a bit more, making it easier to handle.  When I do the next one I will take some pictures of the process.

Here is a picture of my son wearing his new ski sweater. He loves it   It’s a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.

If I did it again, I would go to figuring weight yarn,(Palette, from Knit Picks) and use #2 needles, which would make it a bit lighter.


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