Knitted Yarns

Remember  making a mistake while playing a game when you were a kid and you got a do-over? Well that’s what I gave myself with my purple mobius cowl. (Note: A mobius strip is an endless circle with a twist in it.)

My first purple mobius cowl came out very long and skinny since I cast on many, many more stitches to adjust for my smaller needles. I used 40 inch size 4 needles. Unfortunately, using a mobius cast on is impossible to measure effectively as you would a flat piece of knitting.

The original cowl wrapped around my neck about 3 times when finished and quickly grew to over 4 times.  As it kept growing, I wondered whether my neck was going to grow to allow more room for my ever-expanding cowl. The loop went below my knees when unwound.

At that point, I re-read the instructions and realized the error of my ways. The cowl used larger needles since it was knitted using double strands. Since I loved the rich purple silk-merino Malabrigo that I bought in Alexandria, unwound the cowl. Having worn it made it difficult to unravel since the yarn had pilled slightly and my bindoffs where difficult to find and undo.

I must admit the redone piece is a major improvement! I love it so much more than the original. (Actually, it’s so good that my mom asked for it. She figured that I already had the infinity scarf!)

Here’s what I learned from my experience:

1. Read the entire pattern through carefully, at least once before starting to knit. (Please note that I read the pattern as I always do but somehow didn’t process that using smaller needles and more stitches would not get me the desired effect.)
2. Check out other knitters’ experiences on Ravelry before starting to knit.
3. Consider the potential for how the finished product will stretch. (Please note that I rarely wash and block my scarf and shawl swatches.)
4. Be willing to take apart an item, regardless of how much work it involved to have a better finished result.
5. Sew in ends in such a way that they will keep the garment together but can be taken out relatively easily to make adjustments (including do overs!)

Based on my experience, I am glad that I had the willingness to rip it out. It helped that I loved the purple Malabrigo!

What do you do in such a situation? Do you keep your piece intact and just move on or do you rip it?

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: FO, Frogging, Malabrigo, Mobius Cowl, Scarf

One of my two stash-enhancing purchases made at Stitches East 2009 in Hartford, CT was a 160 gram ball of Kauni yarn in browns and golds. Hidden from view are the orange and maroon variations that come out of the ball like a magician pulling one scarf after another from his assistant. The endless balls of Kauni displayed in a wide range of color options at Stitches were truly eye candy for every knitter.

While I chose the brown-gold variation since it looked good with my skin tone, my friend Delia who I owe a special gift immediately fell in love with it when I showed it to her. It coordinated perfectly with her brown suede winter coat which was in need of a wonderful neckwarming wrap.

Now to be honest, Delia wanted an Infinity Scarf like my pink one. In good faith, I started knitting a lovely lace variation of the Infinity Scarf but after 3-4 repeats (of over 200 stitches), I worried that there wouldn’t be sufficient yarn due to the way the yarn was knitting and that it would be difficult to block. (Of course, in retrospect, I should have knitted the piece as a long rectangle, blocked it and sewed it together.) So off to the ball winder went my first effort.

At this point, I decided to use the Revontuli Shawl pattern that I got with the yarn because I was sure that I had sufficient yarn to make the shawl. My friend Delia will have to wrap the finished object to look like an Infinity Scarf.  Plus, she will have the option to use it as a shawl when it’s warmer out!

With over 1,300 projects on Ravelry, the Revontuli Shawl pattern has lots of followers. In general, I’m not a big fan of being following major knitting trends on the web. Therefore, here are my 3 reasons as to why you should consider making the Revontuli Shawl:

1. The revontuli shawl is a relatively easy lace pattern. This makes it a good way to ease into lace knitting.  The most difficult stitches are the left and right pointing increases at the beginning and ending of each pattern repeat. Alternatively, it can be your relatively-mindless knitting.
2. The revontuli shawl has a wonderful fan shape with points to it which varies from the run-of-the-mill triangles.
3. The revontuli shawl lends itself to the use of striping yarns since it forms semi-rings with points. (Note: You can use multiple colors to achieve this effect as well!)

As a result, I started my Revonluti with gusto since I needed a project that I could throw into my pocketbook and take with me.

I would like to give a tip of my hat to my UWS Knitty buddy at Snit ‘n Knit for her initial inspiration on this pattern.

Submitted by Knitted-Yarns Editor in Chief

Tags: Free Knitting Pattern, Kauni, Lace, revontuli, Shawl

Since eliminating UFOs is on my 2010 Knitting Resolutions, I took a deep breath and spread out all of my WIPs on my bed. My goal was to face up to the fact that there were just too many knitting projects that for one reason or another were still in process.

Here are 7 reasons in my knitting life that UFOs happen

1. The weather changes so that it’s either too hot or too cold to be knitting with the material involved.
2. There’s a special gift that has to be knit for an event that’s happening in less time than you have to make said piece
3. The knitting you’re working on requires endless amounts of stockingknit or other repetitive activity so that you’re unable to knit another stitch due to boredom.
4. The pattern requires concentration away from other more enticing projects.
5. For reasons beyond your comprehension, you need to rip back more rows than you can face in the present moment which somehow stretches on into years.
6. The event that you were knitting the piece for happened sometime in the past and you’re not sure what to do with the finished article if you were to get the motivation back to finish it.
7. You have nicer, newer patterns and yarn to conquer.

To put as many of these once exciting projects off of my to knit list, I assessed each one for the following to determine if there was even the remotest possibility that I might pick them up again.

1. Is the project in  a color that I like?
2. Is the project a style that I would currently find fun to wear?
3. Is the project something that is close to being finished?
4. Would the yarn be more appealing as another item (for me or someone else)?
5. Are there sentimental reasons for keeping the unfinished project?

If I answered yes to any of the above, I kept the project on the needles. Otherwise, it went to the yarn winder to live another life as something wonderful.

While I openly admit, this was a difficult process. There were projects that I had started with good intentions like the first of my wedding shawls, but I was never going to finish them. So, I rewound the yarn and hope to make something wonderful out of the recaptured yarn.

I must admit that once I finished doing this I felt a sense of freedom. It’s like the unfinished pieces were literally tying me down.

How long do you let your unfinished projects languish before you unravel them?

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: Knitting, UFOs, Unfinished Objects, WIPs

My friend Kathy joined me for a NJ bound yarn adventure to Silk City Fibers in Paterson for their monthly warehouse sale which is open to the public. We used the instructions on their website to drive there and found it very straightforward compared to Mapquest.

To entice winter shoppers (like die-hard knitters need to be proded to enhance their stash), there was coffee served in beautiful hand made mugs and donuts.

Since my last visit, they had rearranged the warehouse area, there were wonderful goodies to be had. This month, there was a special on merino which came in royal blue, camel and a tomato red. Each cone was roughly 2-3 pounds of a sock weight yarn. My friend Kathy and I snagged the last two cones of a light grey. I am planning to use it to make a circular shawl, perhaps one of the Marion Kinzel patterns.

There was an array of cashmere in different finer weights and an 85% silk/15% cashmere blend in a beautiful mauve, light blue and beige. I bought a pound of a fine twist of cashmere in a wine color that I plan to knit either three strands or four strand together.

As always, there are boxes of mill ends where I find interesting things. This time I got two small mill ends of a pink and a mint green cashmere. I am hoping that they match the ones in my stash that I bought on an earlier trip.

There was also wonderful wool chenille in a lavender, steel blue and beige which my friend Kathy bought. I seriously considered it but I have stayed away from chenille since it tends to worm (unravel).

There is a postage scale in one of the rooms where you can weight the cones of yarn to get an idea of quantity. We kept weighing our various selections to determine how much each contained. It’s not that I am an expert.  The manager can give you an estimate of yarns per pound and from there you need to take a swag. I have seen women test knit a bit of the yarns to see if they like the look.

I must have the air of someone who understands the fibers since  a woman kept following me to ask my advice on what to make with various materials and how much to buy.

As readers know, I am big fan of Silk City Fibers. It is not a place to go wanting to buy yarn for a specific project unless you have seen the sale announcement and know their wares. Nor should you venture to Silk City Fibers if you only like nicely pre-packaged yarns in even skeins. It is a place where you can get some fantastic buys but you have to be willing to test the materials and let it tell you what it wants to be.  It’s always an adventure and what I get is always wonderful for the price. I like to leave wanting more since I can always return the next month when there will be a different variety of yarns.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: Cashmere, Merino, NJ Yarn Store, NYC Yarn Stores, Silk City Fibers

Knitted cake in Knitty City's window-NYC Yarn Store

Happy Birthday Knitty City! To celebrate its fourth year, Knitty City had a sale and a party complete with cake, both the edible version and the knitted version. The store was crowded for the occasion since there was a 10% sale on everything on the sale. While this may not sound like a large discount, it covers everything including needles, bags and books. Additionally, every purchase received a free Knitty City mug.

Four years for a local merchant, especially in New York City blocks from another long time yarn store, is a major accomplishment before you consider the difficult economic market. At the heart of Knitty City’s success is Pearl, the owner. She is friendly and helpful with a great memory for faces. Since the store first opened, she’s been willing to help knitters and help build a community. She will even order needles and other items If Knitty City doesn’t have them. She keeps a broad array of yarns to fit every pocketbook.

An incredibly helpful and knowledgeable staff patiently help knitters through complex and not-so-complex knitting challenges. Knitty City has a great library of pattern books and magazines including some in German and Japanese. Further, Knitty City has a regular schedule of speakers, activities and a book club.

BTW, Many notable knitterati have been sighted there, some of whom live in the neighborhood.

Knitty City's Edible Birthday Cake

Knitty City celebrates its 4th birthday with a sale

Of course, I had to support my favorite LYS by buying yarn. I had my eye on some Cascade Quarto in magenta and purples to make Stephanie Japal’s Frosted Diamond Shawl in the Winter 2009 edition of Knitty. Despite my regular visits to Knitty City, I still went through the entire stock. I added a ball of Zauberball from Schoppel Wolle in reds, oranges and yellows. I have been intrigued by this yarn since I saw it at Stitches in October.

This visit was a real treat since I persuaded my mother to join me. While she still knits, unlike me, she hasn’t been bitten by the ever-present need to enhance her stash. She spent the time on one of the few available chairs perusing the magazines.

BTW, Knitty City has changed their shopping bags to help knitters. They are clear plastic which zips closed to protect your precious yarns from bugs and dirt!

If you live in New York City or are planning to visit, Knitty City is a must on any knitter’s list of stores to visit.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: 10024, Cascade Quarto, Knitty City, NYC Yarn Store, Zauberball

To the 2010 Knitting Life - Needles of the Trade

Happy New Year. May your  year be filled with love, health and lots of wonderful knitting!

Last year, I made some very ambitious knitting resolutions among were joining Ravelry’s National-Knit-a-Sweater-a-Month. I thought that these knitting goals would help me to up my knitting game. Instead, I felt pressured to knit which hindered the joy that my hobby brought me. That said, I am proud of some of my pieces, in particular, the Hemlock Ring Blankie which was my first major circular lace piece, the Fuschia Nightsong Shawl which was my first beaded piece, and the Klimt Wedding Sweater, which is a wonderful piece of one color patterned knitting.

For 2010, I have promised myself to keep my goals more reasonable and accomplishable.

• One circular lace shawl for me. I am thinking of using the Spirit Trail Fiberworks yellow and brown alpaca laceweight or the brick red cashmere and merino blend.
• Four sweaters for me – Two long sleeve winter sweaters and two summer sweaters. Since I like the way that my sweaters fit, I have stopped buying machine made sweaters and knit tops. It’s important to keep replacing the ones that I have since they wear out.
• One pair of socks – Mr. Husband has been patiently waiting for another pair of socks. He loves the way that they feel. For me, socks are in a category with long rectangular scarves, I find them boring. I think that I need to get over this block this year. My friend Amanda has pushed me to add this hurdle to the list.
• One dressy sweater for my mother. My mother can be very difficult to buy for. Fortunately, she dropped a not-so-subtle hint that she would like another sweater this year.
• Reduce stash. While for some of you, this may mean no yarn purchasing. For me, this means being careful in what I add to my stash and to work to reduce the overall stash through the creation of wonderful objects.
• Attend Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival and New York State Sheep and Wool Festival. These events have become fun annual events that I participate in.
• Make one project that has cables. I still need to get over this block (may be if I don’t call it a fear, I can conquer it!)
• Reduce UFOs. Unfortunately, as one project nears its completion, I am poised to cast on three in its place. The goal is to eliminate UFOs since they take up brain space.
• Enjoy the knitting process and continue to share knowledge and friendship both online and in person.

What are your resolutions? Are you pushing yourself to complete more projects or learn new skills?

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: Cables, Knitting Resolutions, Knitting UFOs, stash depletion

Wine colored Citron Shawl in Spirit Trail Fiberworks Merino

When I saw the Winter 2009 issue of Knitty, I couldn’t wait to get out my needles, get some new yarn, and start several new projects at once. I was surprised because I rarely feel that there are more than one or two items that I want to make from any magazine, online or print.

Here are the four patterns I wanted to make and have added to my knitting queue:

Citron which looks like an easy knit with a single skein of lace weight yarn. While I wanted to try the Malabrigo lace weight which specifies that it is baby merino making it softer, I will use a skein of wine colored Spirit Trail Fiberworks merino lace that I bought at the 2009 MDSW.

Bitteroot which is an interesting lace shawl pattern with a small and large version. I am going to make the smaller version with the blue-green fingering weight Swan Island yarn that I bought at Halycon this summer.

Frost Diamonds Shawl is Stephanie Japel’s a fitted shawl, an idea which intrigues me. It uses a worsted weight yarn and there’s a beautiful magenta, purple and lavender Cascade Quarto at Knitty City that I have my eye on.

Spoke which is a sweater that incorporates circular structures. While the sample is knitted a beautiful purple hand dyed yarn, this pattern is prime for a Noro or other color changing yarn. I have some Noro Silver Thaw in purples that is an aran weight which the pattern for the pattern calls. I am thrilled since I have been searching for a pattern to use.

Wine Citron Shawl elongates with blocking

Since I have been trying to reduce my stash and finish UFOs languishing my project pile, I have to restrain myself when it comes to starting new projects. Therefore, I decided to focus on the Citron shawl since I have the lace weight merino in my stash, it will make a great holiday present, and it looks easy. Further, the fabric has appeared in the Eileen Fisher window earlier this fall in a long rectangular scarf. Given that Citron is the top trending pattern on Ravelry at this point, others have had a similar perspective. I think that this pattern would be great for almost any color yarn although I am not sure that I would  like it for a very thick weight yarn.

I really enjoyed this pattern. It was great for mindless, limited thinking required knitting. It’s easy to carry around.

One important note regarding size: While the size of most shawls don’t matter, I couldn’t understand the dimensions given in the pattern. After blocking, the shawl gained width which changed the knitted piece from a half circle to a more elongated shape. I give this pattern a strong recommendation and will probably make one for myself.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: Citron, Knitty, Lace weight, Merino, Spirit Trail Fiberworks

Ever since my friend Enid sent me the news that snoods and cowls were the must have fashion accessory this fall, I have had a number of these projects on my to knit list. One of them is the Fifth Avenue Infinity Scarf by Margaux Pena. It uses two skeins (about 400 yards) of worsted wool.

Since the fuschia worsted Malabrigo yarn that I bought at Chix With Stix is perfect for this project and coordinates well with a number of pieces in my winter wardrobe, I couldn’t wait to start the project. Having had trouble with the size of my Purple Malabrigo Mobius, I decided to swatch the yarn.  (Note: I don’t always do this for scarves and shawls.)  Based on my swatch (which I knit flat and the scarf is knit in the round), I reduced the number of stitches to 199.

Two Fifth Avenue Infinity Scarf Modifications

While the Fifth Avenue Infinity Scarf pattern is relatively easy to follow and consists of a four row repeat, knitters should make two changes to the pattern.

• Add four rows of knit stitch to create a garter border that keeps the scarf from rolling. I added four rows of garter stitch which means that you knit one row and purl one row when knitting in the round to prevent my scarf from rolling.
• Use an even number of stitches. Interestingly, there is discussion about the decreases on Ravelry but no mention of the fact that the stitch pattern doesn’t take into account that it is knit in the round. When using this stitch pattern for flat knitting, it requires an extra stitch. When knit in the round, this extra stitch causes a seam where the row begins. This isn’t necessary when the scarf is knit in the round on circular needles. To avoid this problem, use an even number of stitches. The single knit stitch at the beginning or end of the row depending on the pattern row should be eliminated. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until I had knit two repeats of the pattern. With close to 200 stitches, I had no desire to rip back to the second row!

Overall, I am very happy with this scarf which was a quick knit due to the needle size and the happy color of the yarn. I do think that it will stretch longer but I can’t wait to wear it!

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: Chix With Stix, Free Knitting Pattern, Infinity Scarf, Malabrigo worsted, Margaux Pena

Moss Green Colonnade Shawl - (c) Heidi Cohen

Stephen West’s Colonnade Shawl from Knitty was on my knitting wish list for a while. This fall, I looked for aran weight wool it required at a number of my yarn stops. The Fleece Artist aran weight blue face leicester I bought at Loopy Yarns was a perfect fit and a helpful member of Ravelry confirmed that the yardage was sufficient (375 meters which is a lot for a hank of that weight yarn).

Due to the size of the hank, my husband (who I must admit winds most of my yarn) had to play with the yarn to get the entire hank into two connected balls that I could knit. It is possible that I need to add a larger ball winder to my collection of knitting tools. Fortunately, my knitting friend, Amanda, had given me a special yarn holder where I placed the two balls.

Itching to start the shawl, I tested a number of different size needles before using 10.5. After knitting with much smaller gauge yarns, the aran weight blue face leicester was a speedy knit. I love this wool and wish that Loopy Yarns where I bought it on sale was nearby so that I could go back and buy more! It is soft and a dream to knit with.

Stephen West’s Colonade pattern is easy to follow and has an unusual four panel shape for a shawl. It would be helpful if Knitty included a schematic to help knitters conceptualize the finished piece. Stephen West has incorporated nice details.

As designed, the shawl uses two colors of yarn although I made mine from a single color. To-date, there are over 500 versions on Ravelry which classifies it as popular.

Moss Green Colonnade Seam Detail - (c)2009 Heidi Cohen

Curled corner of Moss Green Colonnade Shawl (c)2009 Heidi Cohen

My Moss Green Colonnade was a quick knit. It is made to be worn either wrapped around one’s neck or buttoned on the side. Unfortunately, my shawl wound up with curled hooks at the points. While I probably could have blocked them out, I didn’t like the way that the shawl worked wrapped around. That said, I think that this pattern is good for those readers who want shawl that functions like a poncho. Therefore, I decided to reuse the wool for another project since I like the wool too much to give it away.

Submitted by Knitted Yarns

Tags: Blue Face Leceister, Colonnade Shawl, Fleece Artist, Knitty, Loopy Yarns, Ravelry, Stephen West

Short Buttoned Waffle Stitch Scarf

Whatever the reason, I have never knit my husband a scarf. This could be because I am not a big fan of scarf knitting which I generally consider boring. It could be attributable to the fact that I disregarded the boyfriend curse and knit him three sweaters before we were married. Or it could be that he has an amazing collection of scarves for a guy including hand woven and antique silk ones. This is an unusual circumstance compared to many of my knitting friends who would rather knit a scarf than a sweater.

I decided to ameliorate this situation when I was in DC. I bought the rich royal blue artisanal aran wool from Solitude with the goal of making a small scarf that could button neatly inside of a man’s coat. At the Solitude stand at the Dupont Circle Market, there was a short buttoned scarf made with a broken rib that inspired my friend Jennifer and I to buy the aran weight wool.

After testing the broken rib, I decided that I didn’t like the way it looked. I switched to a waffle stitch thanks to my friend Josie who I know from our annual pilgrimages to the MDSW.  The result was a narrower, longer scarf which fits my husband’s neck perfectly. I added two silver buttons for a crisp look.

Short Buttoned Waffle Scarf Instructions

1 skien of Solitude Aran weight yarn (about 132 yards)

1 set of size 8 knitting needles (Note: I often go down a  size in knitting needles. I suggest swatching to determine what makes the type of finished material you want.)

Cast on 25 stitches.

Row 1:

Row 2: K1 *P2 K1*

Row 3: P1 *K2 P1*

Row 4: Knit all of the stitches

Repeat rows 1 -4 .

Knit until you reach the length that you want or until you have used all but about 2-3 yards. End on the wrong side. Bind off.

Sew the buttons on by crossing the ends of the scarf to fit the wearer. Remember that men’s clothes are crossed right over left. The buttons should be above the crossed material. Mark where the buttons should go and where the loops should go. To make the loops, sew a loop to fit the button. Then crochet around the loop to finish it off. Sew in the ends.

Note: I found that I tended to forget to knit the fourth row of the pattern.

BTTW, my husband loves it!

Submitted by Knitted Yarns Editor-in-Chief

Tags: Free Knitting Pattern, Knitted Waffle Stitch, One Skein, Solitude Yarn