What's On The Needles

I recently took part in an e-book trial at work. I work in the Science industry so you can just imagine my surprise (and delight) when I thought I'd try my luck and search for books on knitting and one came up . It was "The Knitter's Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters: Basic Designs in Multiple Sizes and Gauges" by Anne Budd.
I had heard of this book before but it wasn't one that I owned. I "borrowed" the e-book and had a look. This convinced me that I had to have my own copy in my library. It is just like the title says: top down sweaters, multiple sizes, multiple gauges.

In another unrelated incident I also stumbled across the Garter Yoke Cardigan  and decided that it would be perfect for using up some Noro Kureyon and Cascade 220 that's been lingering in my stash. I'm pretty sure that I once even had a copy of the issue of Knit 1 that the pattern was in but have since given it away. I put the call out on Ravelry and Facebook but so far no one has come forward with a copy to sell. I know I can buy a digital copy but I'd prefer the hard copy (call me old-fashioned when it comes to magazines).

Just at the right time, Anne Budd's book arrived! Perfect. I decided to try my hand at a top down yoked cardigan following directions in the book.

Here's where I'm at:

So far, so good. I'm happy with how it's looking. Although in hindsight, I might have preferred a looser gauge.

Interchangeable Knitting Needles - another review

The next needle set in the Interchangeable Knitting Needles review series is the Hiya Hiya 5" Sharp Steel Interchangeables which I purchased from a destash on Ravelry. This is the "small" set (US#2-8, 2.75-5mm). There is a "large" set which has sizes US#9-15, 5.5-10mm. Bamboo tips are also available.

This set comes in a lovely brocade fabric case, closed by a traditional looking knot & loop.

 

The top flap unbuttons to reveal another fabric flap (that covers the 7 needle tips) & a zippered pocket (that houses the rubber grips used for tightening the tips onto the cables).

 

 

 

There is another zippered pocket on the back of the case which contains the 4 nylon cables. The cables make needle sizes of 18", 26", 34" and 42".

 

 

This set contains needles in the following sizes: 2.75mm,  3.25mm,  3.50mm,  3.75mm,  4.00mm,  4.50mm  &  5.00mm.  So, probably not fine enough for some but perfect for general knitting.

And there are extra spaces sewn in to allow for extra tips to be stored (these can be purchased separately, along with spare cables).

 

 

Both the needles tips and the cables have the sizes printed on them, although I found it difficult to read the size on the needle tips.

 

The tips, which are pointy, are very lightweight which I found I didn't like at first, but soon got used to the weight difference, although I do prefer a heavier feeling needle.

 

The cables are flexible, the screw in join is smooth and it is a swivel join. This means the cable doesn't work loose from the tips as you are knitting.

 

A quick google search reveals these sets are readily available (at least to order online) in Australia, for around $88. Recommended.

 

Dealing With Criticism

As a creative person who posts photos on the blog, on Facebook and sells on etsy I'm open to criticism. I understand that not everything I do will appeal to everyone. Rather, I think that I have a fairly select customer.

It's not everyone who has the confidence to wear something full of colour & texture. A lot of the time I myself don't, although I do love the look of colour & texture. And I think it's like art ..... not everyone likes a particular artwork, or you might appreciate the talent/skill that went in to creating it but wouldn't have it hanging on your wall at home.

So, how to deal with criticism? I had to do this recently.
I post photos on Facebook, either sharing what I've been up to or sharing the work of others that I find inspiring in some way.

This was a recent photo I shared:

Comments were left, mostly positive (love it!, fabulous! etc) but one wasn't. The comment was only the lines of ... that's the UGLIEST thing I have EVER seen. My initial reaction was .... ouch! that hurts. You see, I took it personally (big mistake).

Luckily I took a step away from the computer before I typed a response & thought about how I could handle it. Yes I could say to this person that you hurt my feelings, how dare you etc. But I decided that the best thing I could do was to learn from this, after all everyone is entitled to their opinion.

I realised that this comment was not directed AT me, that the comment was made to a thing. I may have created this 'thing' but it wasn't me. I responded asking what it was that people either liked or disliked about this design. I got some very useful feedback (although not from the original commenter who deleted her remark).

So, yes please leave an honest comment on my facebook/blog posts but do remember there is a real person behind the scenes. Make your criticisms helpful, add some feedback on what you do like about something as well as the negatives and if you're one of the people that LOVE this jacket- well, it's for sale in the etsy shop

How To Substitute For A Discontinued Yarn

You've chosen a fabulous pattern and head off to your local yarn store, only to discover that the recommended yarn has been discontinued. What to do?

Let me say that this is actually a good thing as it gives you so many more options, as you will see.

Ask your yarn store staff what they would recommend (& why).

Find out what you can about the discontinued yarn as this will help you in choosing a substitute.

Let's look at an example:

My (imaginary) pattern requires 12 balls of Cleckheaton Kaleidoscope, which I find is discontinued.

I look at the details in the pattern (and also using online resources, like Ravelry or Yarndex) to get as much information as I can on the discontinued yarn. Here's what I find:

• Kaleidoscope comes in 50gm balls of 71 yards/65 metres per ball
• it is 100% wool
• an Australian 10 ply yarn
• suggested gauge of 17sts/10cm using 5.5mm needles

How to use this information to choose a substitute yarn:

 I need 12 balls for the jumper in the pattern. Each ball is 65 metres, so 12 balls means I need
 65 x 12 = 780m yarn.
Hint: work out the actual metres you need not the number of balls or skeins.

The original is 100% wool.
Different fibres behave differently. This means a 100% cotton yarn will give me a different result to a 100% wool yarn, which will be different to 100% alpaca etc. Blended yarns, like 50% wool/50% acrylic, 70% silk/30% alpaca etc will combine the features of each fibre in the blend.
There is a lot of information available (in books & online) about the properties of different fibres in yarns. Here are a few points to keep in mind when choosing to substitute yarns:

• natural fibres (those from animals & plants, such as wool, cotton, cashmere, alpaca, linen) are usually more expensive than man made fibres (acrylic, viscose, nylon)
• man made fibres normally don't shrink and are pest resistant but can be uncomfortable to wear in humid conditions
• natural fibres "breathe"
• wool breathes, is water repellant, flame retardant, may be machine washable (labelled superwash) or handwash only
• alpaca is heavier than wool so it can drape nicely but will also grow longer with wear. The fibre is hollow - this makes it very warm to wear (warmer than wool)
• cotton is better suited to warmer climates. It is a heavy fibre that will stretch & droop (it can be restored to shape by washing & drying)
• acrylic is water resistant, absorbs odours & stains, is not fire safe (can melt onto the skin & burn when exposed to a flame)
• silk is very strong, smooth & shiny. It doesn't shrink or stretch

Consider the composition of the yarn. Look at the pattern picture and think about how the yarn is behaving - look at the texture, the drape & the stitches used (if the stitch pattern is to be seen don't use a mohair yarn for example). Think about the end use of what you are making. If you don't need the warmth of 100% wool, then an acrylic may be just fine.

My 'fictional' pattern is for a 100% wool jumper that I want to wear in our mild winter so I would not want to substitute a 100% cotton or 100% alpaca yarn. Both would grow in length (which I could account for by making a shorter garment). The cotton may not provide enough warmth and the alpaca would be too warm. So I'm probably looking for another 100% wool yarn, or even a wool blend, such as 50%wool/50% acrylic or 80% wool/20% cotton.

The yarn is listed as an Australian 10 ply.

Just a point here about the use of "ply" in Australia when describing the weight/thickness of yarns. I grew up knitting with 4ply, 8ply and 10ply yarns .... which technically speaking are not necessarily made up of 4, 8 or 10 plys. A ply is a single thread of yarn. You spin a number of these together to get the required thickness .... 4 threads together is 4ply, 8 threads together is 8 ply & so on. This is why I much prefer the US system of naming yarn weights: sportweight, DK, worsted etc.

In this case I need an Aran weight yarn.

The pattern gives the gauge as 17sts/10cm using 5.5mm needles.

So for my substitute yarn I am looking for:
a 100% wool or wool blend yarn in Aran weight that knits to 17sts/10cm using 5.5mm needles.

This gives me a wide range of choices rather than being limited to just the suggested yarn in the pattern. Doing a search on the Ravelry yarn database for Aran weight yarns, typically knit on 5.5mm needles, that is not a discontinued yarn and is 100% wool gives me 370 choices! If I look at wool blends I have even more options!

DIY Hat Display

In preparation for an upcoming craft fair I decided I would make a range of hats. This means I need something to display them on. I googled around and came up with options for purchasing diffferent hat stands/displays but none were cheap. I decided I could make my own.

First, the stand: these I sourced from the local cheap shop. Look for paper towel or toilet roll holders.

 

 

 

A trip to the local craft store for styrofoam balls & I was all set.

 

 



I used a sharp knife to cut a slit an inch or 2 deep (depends how much of the stand you want to embed) and about an inch long. I cut along the seam line and made them differing depths so the hat stands would be different heights.

Then it's just a matter of pushing the paper towel/loo roll holder into the slit. I didn't bother with any glue and I didn't paint/cover the styrofoam balls.

All it needed was a hat!

I've made a few more stands, now to make more hats...............

If you like the look of the hat, it's a free download on Ravelry : http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jamesina

Interchangeable Knitting Needles - the first review

It's been too long but here is the first of my interchangeable needle reviews.

The first set of interchangeable knitting needles I purchased were the Denise interchangeables. This was years ago (pre 2007 anyway) and I thought they were amazing! Wow, interchangeable needles......what a concept!

The Denise set I have comes in a blue plastic case that includes:
* 10 pair of needle tips in US sizes: 5,6,7,8,9,10,10 1/2,11, 13 and 15 (3.75, 4, 4.5, 5, 5.5, 6, 6.5, 8, 9 and 10mm)
* 6 cords (5", 9", 12", 14", 16" and 19")
* 2 extenders (these enable the cords to be joined - so you could join the 3 largest cords & get a cord 49" long)
* 4 end buttons (these can replace the tips to act as a stitch holder or a straight needle)

 

What I like:

*can join the cords together to make a really long circular needle

* large size needle tips are included (up to US 15/10mm)

* no special tool is required to attach the cord to the neeedle tips (simply push the cord into the end of the needle tips & turn to click into place)

*hard storage case that protects the contents, plus it's easy to store on the bookshelf

What I don't like:

*plastic tips - I'm not a fan of plastic needles at all as I don't find the tips "sharp" enough, they tend to be more rounded/blunt than metal needles

* the cords are thicker & less flexible than other interchangeables I have since purchased (see how the cord is maintaining the box shape in the above photo).

 

These needle sets are available at www.knitdenise.com for $54.95 USD.

They now also have a pink set for a few dollars more with $5 going to breast cancer research, interchangeable crochet sets & interchangeable knitting needle sets with some extras in a fabric case.

Painting With Wyanne

I've done a few online classes with Wyanne before and love her style.

So,  I'm looking forward to getting the watercolours out in a few weeks and taking part in her new class, Watercolor Wyanne's Way .