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A Knitted Celebration of Spring

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on March 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

As I put the finishing touches on my latest pillow design, and then took a good look at the finished product, I decided that only one word could be used to describe the design – Spring.  The blues are as clear as our Idaho skies, the yellow daisies adds the warmth of the sun, and the butterfly- a touch of real life

butterfly pillow - the finished product

I have already share the pattern and instructions for the butterfly, so I won’t repeat that here.  Instead I thought I would walk you through the finishing process as I learned a few things worth passing on.

First, I cut the shape of the pillow form using 4 layers of heavy lofted quilt batting, then sewed the 7 sides together, leaving the top open.

butterfly pillow oct -form

Next, I  slipped it inside the pillow which has been knitted together on 7 sides, and has had the I-cord applied as well.

buttterfly pillow - ready to fill

 Now it is time to filled the center with fiber fill.

Having done that, I  folded the quilt batting into itself and hand stitched the edge together.  Next step- close the top.

butterfly pillow - closing the top

The first trick here is to make sure that you slip your stitches on to the smallest circle needles you have.  I used my 47 inch zero’s.  They are my “go to ” needles for this use and also for setting my pillow sections up to be blocked.

*Note -When I knitted the last of the 7 sections together, I had left a long strand of yarn just for the purpose of this closure, so it was waiting there for me to pick up and start the last leg of my journey across the top. 

And…just in case you are wondering, yes, I did add 1 stitch to each side of  corners so that the i -cord would flow nicely around the turns.  Once the top row was completed, I secured my yarn ,weaving in the end.

butterfly pillow- finishing the I-cord

The next step is completing the I-cord.  Here again, I first picked up the top row with my zero needle, so as to have more flexible  space to work with.   Using my working needle (#2), which has the 5 stitches of my cord already it, I proceeded across the top.  To make it easier,  instead of trying to knit through the back loops of the 5th stitch and the one to its right, I slipped the 5th stitch, knitted the next stitch through the back loop, then pass the 5th stitch over the new stitch.  Once across,  using the live stitches of my I-cord, I attached it to the beginning of the I-cord with a modified duplicate stitch.

For instructions on the I-cord, type in “I-cord” in the search box to find the post.  the only difference is that I cast on 4 stitches, instead of 2, knitting the base stitch( #5) and the one to its left together.

It has definitely been an interesting design.  Oh, about the spider web I originally thought I would put in the corner- I nixed it.  The butterfly just took on a life of it’s own, and I didn’t want anything to spoil it.  One can change one’s mind you know!  🙂

I have uploaded the charts and basic instructions on my “design pillow” page.

Happy Knitting – KT

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Knitted Intarsia 3-D Butterfly

Posted in knitting embellishments, Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on March 19, 2013| 4 Comments »

Having just finished my Daisy and Butterfly pillow top, I thought it would be the proper time to upload the tutorial for the 3D butterfly.  I can just see it being used on a knitted purse or hat, maybe both, knitted as a set.  Humm….?  Anyway, here it is for you to upload and use for whatever your imagination can come up with.

butterfly 1

butterfly 2

Butterfly tutorial 2

The tutorial includes chart and instructions.   For any Intarsia questions feel free to upload my e-books on the subject.

Oop’s!  I almost forgot, this butterfly chart is gauged for 8 stitches and 11 rows per inch.  I used fingering yarn.  The approximate size is about 4 inches square.  Of course, you can use any yarn you have to try it, then resize it to fit your project.

Got to get back to knitting the back of the pillow, so for now-Happy knitting!

KT

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Intarsiamania II

Posted in knitting embellishments, Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 9, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I just had to share my latest pillow top with you.  Although it is still a work in progress, I have taken my “Intarsiamania” to a new level and have used it to create a relief sculptured design.    The pattern below consists of 3 levels; the base knit of daisies and background; the butterfly, then finally the spiderweb.

hexagon pillow -butterfly and daisies

I chose to knit up the butterfly wings at mid point in the design, so that I would not have the bulk of the entire pillow top to deal with.   Below is a close up of the completed butterfly.  All I have to add is the antenae.

Completed Butterfly

I have also rounded the main body out and stuffed it with yarn strands before closing the back.

It has become a very enjoyable knitting project.  The daisies also have raised centers, which I accomplished with the two tone Pine Cone stitch I developed while designing my, “The Quail in the Snow” motif.

I have charted the butterfly and will upload as soon as possible so that you might be able to use it for a project of your own.

In the meantime, I have been able to finish the second book on Intarsia and invite you to peruse its pages at your leisure.   This second book is focused on planning the project, marking up the chart, and choosing the best method of color knitting for the design.  Check it out.  A peek is just a click away!  Who knows, it might spark your adventure into color knitting.

Intarsiamania Book II

That’s it for now!!

Happy Knitting -KT

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Intarsiamania-My first E-book

Posted in Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on February 27, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Today I just finished the first of a series of e-books focused on my adventures in color knitting.  It has been a real challenge as well as a great joy to put together.  My hope is that someone will get something out of it.  If not, then perhaps some member of my family will be able to “pick” grandma’s brain when I’m gone.

The 26 page book I am uploading for you is mostly focused on Intarsia, although I do have a section on knitting and purling with both hands.  The information and illustrations in it are from my experience in developing my designer pillow patterns, which are intense color knitting; thus the title“Intarsiamania.”  The book has two sections.  The first deals with Intarsia basics; the second, focuses on yarn management.

Capture

Painting with Yarn – Intarsiamania

I hope you enjoy the book.   I hope that some of the techniques will be helpful on your next color knitting project.

Happy knitting-  KT

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How to Read Seamless Intarsia Chart

Posted in Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , on February 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I have been working on a tutorial that shares the method I used to knit this Intarsia design in the infants socks I recently completed for my new grand-daughter. One of the most important concepts I tried to illustrate in this method is learning to read the chart properly.   I hope that I succeeded in explaining it clearly.  If not, please feel free to contact me if you are interested.  Below is a photo of the completed sample.

elephant head sample

The second photo is of the back of the design before I wove in the ends.

elephant head design back

You can use this method to insert an Intarsia design in any project knitted in the round.  There are no seams, with only a few exceptions all yarn connections are made at the color exchanges.

Give it a try.

Elephant Head Swatch Tutorial

Happy Knitting – KT

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The Perfect Model

Posted in Knitting Projects, Uncategorized, tagged , , on February 12, 2013| 1 Comment »

Well, the socks for Rebecca actually fit-not for long though.  This tiny little 6+pound, 4 day old munchkin modeled grandma’s socks for the first time today.rebecca's socks 3

Good thing I didn’t make them any smaller.

rebecca's socks 1

Just had to share!

Happy Knitting!

KT

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Seamless Intarsia

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 29, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I just finished knitting a pair of infant socks for our expected arrival in about 2 weeks.  Since my daughter’s theme is “Jungle Pets,”  I decided to do an elephant head on the leg portion of the sock.  Below is the right foot.  I flipped the head chart for the left foot, so that they face each other.  If you noticed the color variation in the photo, it  is due to the fact that the sock is not quite dry yet. 🙂

elephant sock

I used the same method as I described in the “Seamless Cables Tutorial”   to join the outside edge of the design, so as to not have a seam in my sock.  The inner ears of pink are one area that I chose to use the Fair Isle approach, as it eliminated the need to add additional yarn strands to the design, thus cutting down the number of yarn ends having to be woven in at the completion of the project.   On this particular sock, I chose to interlock the rows at the color change on the right edge of the design.

cropped elephant sock

I have also discovered that it is advantageous to leave a longer tail when adding an additional yarn, as these shorter strands(double or single ply) can be used to add duplicate stitches for detail(such as the eye or added grey stitch at the bottom that opens his mouth a bit).

POINT!!  I don’t like to have any more yarn strands to weave in than is absolutely necessary.

When I find the time, I will try to write up a row by row tutorial for the charted design so you can become better acquainted with the technique, but for now, I just wanted to give you a sneak peek at what I did with it.

Happy knitting – KT

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Seamless Cables

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , on January 21, 2013| 2 Comments »

I just finished knitting a sweater and hat for my new granddaughter who is scheduled to arrive in February.  In the process of working on this design, I was determined NOT to have seams, as it just adds bulk.  That said, I started with a simple raglan sleeve pattern and had fun from there on.  I wanted a contrasting cable design down the center of the sleeve, which was simple until I was ready to pick up the sleeve stitches to be knitted in the round.  Now, I had that old  “Intarsia” problem, the yarn was on the other side.

OK!  I have tried most the methods thus far out there- Ann Berk’s loops(which works great,but I don’t like fighting with the loops), and other various methods connected with YO’s (loops again), then those knitting or purling “loops” together with the stitch at the end of the round, but I didn’t want a seam.

Then it hit me, I was not looking for a seam at all, I was looking for a “stitch” connection that would mimic the interlocking of any typical color change- and….I found it.

001

The result is that my Valentine Babe will be ready for the Ski slopes in this seamless cable designed hat and sweater.

I have just completed a tutorial that shares my discovery and I hope you try it.  You can also use this method to knit an Intarsia pattern in anything that is seamless.

*The tutorial includes a cable panel, but just for practice you could replace it with a plain panel of any contrasting color.  The technique will be the same.

I will be writing up this pattern soon, and will share it when it comes up the presses, but for now, here is the Seamless Cables Tutorial to learn the technique.

Here is Rebecca’s Seamless Cable Sweater and Hat

Happy Knitting

KT

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Making an I-cord

Posted in Knitting Projects, Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , on January 5, 2013| Leave a Comment »

In my internet surfing the other night, I watched some videos on how to make an separate I-cord,  and also one on how to apply it to a cast off edge.  Using the method suggested for making the cord by itself seemed rather tedious. So…. I asked myself, why can’t  you “apply” an I-cord to a cast on row only?  Answer, you can.  It makes a rather nice roped cord and you can cast on the number of stitches you need for the length, then simply work across.  Here is a photo of the one I made to replace the drawstring in my Twine Knitted Slippers.

I-cord example

In my case I used a #3 needle, as I did for my slipper.  Cast on the amount of stitches I needed for 24 inches.  I then proceeded as follows:

Cast on 2 sts, [:Knit  2, knit  2 together  through back loop:].  Slip three stitches back onto left needle, and repeat the process in the brackets [   ].  I DID NOT pull the yarn hard across the back as some instructions suggest, I simply  used the same tension as in my normal knitting.  It worked just fine and ended up very close to the exact measurement I wanted.  The example in the photo was done with Sports weight yarn.

As you can see in the photo below, the slipper on the right has the new cord.  It does not curl up like the crocheted chain, making a much neater looking finish.

I-cord example 2

Give it a try!

Happy Knitting!

KT

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Preventing Ladders When Knitting Magic Loop

Posted in Knitting Tutorials, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , on January 2, 2013| 6 Comments »

The other day, as I was working on some baby socks for our new grand daughter due on Valentine’s Day, I caught myself pulling the cord of my circle needle around the corner as I started the transition to the back needle tip, of my Magic loop.  I do this to prevent ladders, where the cords of my 47 inch circle needle form loops on each side.  The trick is to pull your cord through long enough so that you can bring it to the left under the left needle tip, then swing it down and around and up over the top to start the first purl stitch of the last section of the round.  That is why I always opt for the 47 inch cord.

cricle needle tip 1-preventing ladders

Here you see cord being pulled to the left and under the needle.  This move takes the stress off the gap between the left needle tip and the cord.

circle needle tip 2 -preventing ladders

The right tip of the needle is then brought around and over the top, then inserted under the yarn in preparation to be purled.

circle needle tip 3 -preventing ladders

Once the stitch is purled, I make sure to release it, allowing the right hand needle to lie parallel to the stitches riding on the cord to the right.  If need be, I take up any slack.

magic loop tip 1

In the above photo, you can observe how I accomplish this on the knit side.  Here again, I swing my cord around to the left and secure it with my thumb before knitting the next stitch.

magic loop tip 2

Once the new stitch is complete I allow the right needle to lie parallel to the cord, then take up any slack that remains before proceeding to the next stitch.

In both cases I  continue holding the cord around the corner for a few more stitches before releasing it to finish my round.

Just passing it on!!

KT

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