One of the unexpected gems from FiberCamp last weekend was Anne’s method to create a knitted tubular cast on. There’s oodles of options, but I’d never seen her version, which uses Judy’s Magic Cast On. Surveying my knitting circles this week, I realized that many have yet to try this versatile cast on technique.
I also hadn’t explored Judy Becker’s book about other ways to use this cast on. So I ordered Becker’s book from 2011, . Beyond Toes: Knitting Adventures With Judy’s Magic Cast-On (aka JMCO).
Now, of course, I’ve got several projects I would love to try. Stay focused, Alanna, those Master Knitter corrections need to be in the mail before sailing season begins on May 1.
I’d love to see ways any of you use JMCO in your projects. Links in comments, please?
Harry Callahan knew the minute he drank the sugar spiked coffee that things aren’t like usual. As I plan out a toddler Aran sweater, I seem unable to keep things predictable. So I’m incorporating cables and mock cables in my work… just to spice things up. What’s the difference?
Direct cables rearrange the order in which you work stitches to create twisted and traveling patterns across a knitted fabric.
Mock cables use increases, decreases and slip stitches to embellish the fabric. Take this swatch, “Stacked Buds” from Erika Knight’s Cables and Arans. The mock cable is created by slipping one stitch, knit one, yarn over, knit one, then passing the slip stitch over. Mock cables tend to create columns of cables. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them used in a way that they would travel across the fabric. However, if you’ve got a pattern, I’d love to see it.
In addition to Knight’s stitch dictionary, Barbara Walker’s Treasury of KnittingPatterns has a great selection of mock cable patterns. Walker has these patterns set aside in one section, whereas Knight scatters them throughout the book.
When designing my sweater for the Master Knitter requirements, I incorporated traveling and column cables, which you see at right.
Having lost many cable needles, improvising with tooth picks and twist ties has happened. With mock cables, there’s no worry about losing needles. I’ve fallen into the habit of physically rearranging the stitches when working direct cables. I do cherish a lovely pewter cable needle ring given to me by a knitting friend, made by Leslie Wind, I believe. It’s the perfect choice for projects with slippery yarns… but I digress.
Anna Sui’s Fall Winter collection has a lot of fun pieces. Guess I like her Viking inspiration. Let’s see what Milan brings us for next winter. Calling Etro, Missioni….
Normally, my knitting focuses on project not process. While thoroughly enjoy meditative moments knitting, my goal is to create wearable and home decor goods. (The word “goods” reminds me of high school, that ridiculous class whose name I forget that had the test question “_____ buys goods and services.” I answered “Money.” WRONG! The correct answer was “Credit.” I apparently missed the focus of the chapter ).
Anyway, December was quite a productive month for small knitted objects. I knit the second cuddly kitten in memory of our beloved “Gatto di lusso.”
Using Norah Gaughan’s free Berocco pattern Celestine, I created what I thought would be a new star for our holiday tree. This turned out to be a fun knit, but much better suited to topping the fern. Oh, well, try again next year? It makes a fun decoration to bat around the house… great kids’ toy?
I also finished another Lenveloppe, this time with garter stitch on size 8 needles with Berocco Boboli.
And, of course, there was time to take a soft and squishy ball of Cascade Epiphany into the annual Christmas hat.
In between, I imagined other possible projects to begin. “Why am I such a skittish project starter these days,” I asked hypothetically at one of the knit classes shortly before Christmas.
“Because you’re avoiding that Master Knitter work,” one of the knitters stated emphatically.
She’s right 🙂
A couple days after Christmas, I did finally open up the box of corrections that arrived in mid August. It’s not fun, but I’m plugging through them. Then again, now that the holiday knit projects are done, isn’t it a good time of year to nest and make home improvements?
Once upon a time, there was a mother who would knit anything for her daughter. The toddler loved hats and all kinds of animals. When the mother discovered The Knitted Farmyard by Hannelore Wernhard, she resolutely created its landscape rug and a variety of tiny animals that required hardly any knitting but plenty of fiddly finishing. The toddler loved playing with each of the knitted animals. She and her friends would take the animals all over the house, in the stroller and around town. Before the mother knew it, hours of laboriously fashioned little animals had completely disappeared, thereby extinguishing all desire to ever create anything three dimensional again.
Giraffe from Sarah Keen’s Knitted Wild Animals
With very little exception, 3D knitted toys did not pop into this mother’s knitting radar (or onto her needles) for a very long time. Last summer, as I watched a knitter create an ornament in the form of a box of Hobb’s popcorn, the kernel of knitting curiosity cracked that moldy resolution to avoid knitted toys. The flame sparked brightly when my sister requested not one but THREE knitted wild animals from Sarah Keen’s Knitted Wild Animals. Another toddler who may just love animals in my future? Can I refuse? No way! I don’t want to miss this chance.
So soon I shall knit another giraffe, an elephant and a panda. I’m warming up with other 3D knit projects this winter.
Parlour Cat a free Rav pattern by Sarah Kellener
I finished one of two Parlour cat by Sarah Elizabeth Kellner, in memory of our dear gatto di lusso. No face yet, but it looks quite convincing when placed on the chair. Can’t wait to make the next one.
Celestine is a 12 pointed star designed by Norah Gaughan. Easy to knit in sport weight yarn, this pattern could be a traveling project… except for the double pointed needles. However, TV knitting is completely appropriate.
If If keep this up, a knit cornucopia with accompanying knit vegetables may be in my future. But will the 3D knit mojo last that long?
As I’ve eaten my words about wearing scarves, I thought it might be interesting to organize a list of knit scarves I would love to wear! My Ravelry queue accumulates plenty of scarf eye candy. I may plop the pattern into my queue because there’s appropriate yarn in my stash. Other times, the scarf offers an opportunity to practice a technique. On other occasions, the scarf patterns calls out names of people I know!
For winter 2014, here are 7 scarves that may fly off my needles.
Sally Melville’s Lenveloppe
Sally Melville’s Lenveloppe charmed the Greater Boston Knitting Guild when she visited last spring. I missed Sally’s presentation, but caught the Lenveloppe bug. I’ve knit one this fall for a gift and hope to cast on another this week. In all of Sally’s wonderful design goodness, you can knit this lovely accessory (OK, so maybe it’s not a scarf) in 5 sizes with 2 stitch patterns and 4 gauges. What a perfect cure to the great yarn in your stash that isn’t quite enough for a sweater, but too much for a simple scarf.
Cerus, a linen stitch scarf by Hillary Smith Callis
Almost every man needs a scarf in New England (of course, my hub claims not to need one). There must be a knit worthy man who would enjoy Cerus by Hillary Smith Callis. Linen stitch gives a lovely texture and looks great in variegated or natural color yarns. Something REALLY soft would probably work for the knit worthy guys on my holiday list (oh, my, that may only be 2 this year). Something cashmere or alpaca perhaps? This promises to be excellent knitting for those distracted mindless hours or as a traveling project.
Lauren McClain’s Huntress Cowl
When Lauren McClain released the Huntress Cowl last year, I immediately downloaded this dramatic piece, knowing it would entice the Twilight obsessed set. I’ll definitely make some modifications in the construction…. Lauren suggests using duct tape to give the cowl innards body. I’m using wide upholstery piping and not rope, cause I’m that kind of textilphiliac… it’s in my stash!
Courant by Barbara Benson
An opportunity to play with color and stitch pattern in one piece? Oh, yeah, bring it on! Barbara Benson brings it with Courant, from the fall 2014 Twist Collective. I do not own a great color combo of fingering yarn in my stash, but it gives me the opportunity to shop the latest color ways in Paula from Dirty Water Dyeworks. Then again, I still have a cushion in Paula that’s been on the needles for months (oh, yeah, I forgot about that…)
Kieran Foley’s Camino Bubbles
I love how this scarf looks and it looks simple to knit. Camino Bubbles by Kieran Foley would look lovely in a solid color, I’m sure. But who can resist this marvelous eye candy of electric color fun? Alas, there is no variegated yarn that will produce such dramatic effects in my stash. Rainbow doesn’t call my name in a skein or ball? Do I need to buy more yarn? This scarf may stick in the queue a while longer. Remember? Yarn/fabric are like Fritos… there will always be more.
Lokken by Megi Burci
One of my lovely ones gave me a ball of sock weight yarns in blue and white. She thought I diamond motif scarf replicating the Munich flag would be great. I started playing with mitered squares, then I cast on Miss Winkle, frogging that, too. Then I discovered Lokken by Megi Burci. This looks like easy knitting, but the pattern needs to be nearby!
Hydrocarbon by Agness Kaku
For bulky yarn velocity, Hydrocarbon looks fabulous in photos and real life. I’d love to knit one of these, but there’s currently no bulky yarn in the stash! Eek.
What am I doing writing about knitting when I need to get knitting?
