What am I knitting?

I have been knitting. Oh, yes I have. I just haven't been finishing.
I started knitting with this lovely yarn.

It's a blend of acrylic and linen.

It will eventually be this...

only with a few changes which I look forward to sharing with you.

I'm knitting this to wear to an island wedding this August.

When the weather grew colder I rethought my outfit and started knitting with this beautiful yarn...

I love this shade of red and it will become...

(Do you recognize this top?) However, I'm altering the pattern as I want a cardigan. I had to stop working on this project when I received a phone call.

I sent 8 baby sweater sets (sweater, hat and finger puppet) to ArtCraft (a seasonal gallery on a sister island). Last Friday they phoned with good news. "We've sold all but two of the sets. Do you have more?"

My response, "No, I don't but I will have."

I've been speed knitting ever since. This morning I finished this...

When this post is live, I'll cast on stitches for another sweater. I'm hoping to finish three sweater sets by the end of July. Please wish me clear sailing. : )

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While I'm busy...
Here's a link to tons of craft resource sites.

Knitting: design your own stitch pattern by Leanne Dyck

Have you ever tried to "uninvent" (I say "uninvented" because as Elizabeth Zimmerman pointed out, the craft is so old that it is very hard to invent something new in knitting.) your own stitch pattern? It's fun and easy. Start with a basic stitch pattern--for example, seed stitch.

seed stitch (over an even number of stitches)

Row 1: knit 1, purl 1--continue to end of row

Row 2: purl 1, knit 1--continue to end of row

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern

The seed stitch is a fun stitch pattern to alter. Here are some of the stitch patterns that I have "uninvented" while playing with the seed stitch.

Here are some ideas you can use to "uninvent" your own stitch pattern.

Combine two stitch patterns.

I combined purl and seed stitch.

Here's what I came up with...

Row 1: purl one, knit one--continue to end of row

Row 2: purl

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern

Or

Experiment with the number of stitches in the stitch pattern.

Here's what I came up with...

Row 1: knit two, purl two--continue to end of row

Row 2: purl two, knit two--continue to end of row

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern

Or

Experiment with the number of rows in the stitch pattern.

Here's what I came up with...

Rows 1 and 2: knit one, purl one--continue to end of rows

Rows 3 and 4: purl one, knit one--continue to end of rows

Repeat rows 1 to 4 for pattern

Or...

Happy uninventing

Working a sweater pattern on circular needles

Spring Garden

Finished sweater measurements

Bust: 32 (36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 64) inches

Length: 20 (20, 22, 24, 24, 26, 26) inches

Knitting needles: US 10/6.00 mm OR size to obtain tension

Circular needle, two pairs of straight needles

Yarn: worsted weight approximately 700 (800/900/1,000/1, 100/1, 200/1, 300/1, 400/1, 500) yards

Stitch holder: two

Tension: 4 stitches x 7 rows = one inch over seed stitch

seed stitch (over even number of stitches)

Row 1: knit 1, purl 1--continue to end of row

Row 2: purl 1, knit 1--continue to end of row

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for pattern

Note: Worked from bottom up. Bottom section worked on circular needles.

Cast on 128 (144, 160, 176, 192, 208, 224, 240, 256) stitches

Work in seed stitch for 12 (12, 11, 13, 15, 15, 17, 17) inches

Note: Upper section worked on straight needles. Front and Back are worked separately.

Slip 64 (72, 80, 88, 96, 104, 112, 120, 128) stitches onto stitch holder.

Back

Work 64 (72, 80, 88, 96, 104, 112, 120, 128) stitches in seed stitch for 8 (8, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9) inches

Cast off

Note: Slip stitches from stitch holder onto straight needle.

Front

Work 64 (72, 80, 88, 96, 104, 112, 120, 128) stitches in seed stitch for 5 (5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6) inches

Scoop neck

Work in seed stitch for 12 (16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44) stitches, cast off 40 stitches, work in seed stitch for 12 (16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44) stitches

Shoulders worked from two balls of yarn

Work 12 (16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 44) stitches from each yarn ball

Work for 3 inches.

Cast off

Sleeves (make 2)

Note: sleeves worked on straight needles

Cast on 64 (64, 72, 72, 72, 72, 72, 72) stitches

Work in seed stitch for 7 inches

Cast off

Finishing

Sew on sleeves. Weave in ends.

***
More fun to come with this pattern next Monday.
***
Next post: The Hook to in a Query Letter

Knitting: the long and short of altering the sweater

Spring Garden is worked from the bottom up so adjusting the length is very easy. For a longer sweater body, simply keep knitting. For a shorter sweater body, simply stop knitting sooner. The Standards & Guidelines for Crochet and Knitting (compiled by Craft Yarn Council of America) lists hip length as 6" (15 cm) down form waist. Tunic length 11" (28 cm) down from waist.
Sleeves too can be altered. Cap sleeves work for 2". Short sleeves work for 4". T-shirt sleeves 8". Long sleeves 18".
Would you like a deeper neck line? Currently the neck line is 3 inches deep. 5 inches makes a nice deep neck line. In order to deepen the neck line you need to start shaping the neck sooner. You need to calculate when to start the neck. For example, say I want to work a sweater that will be 20 inches long.
20 - 5 = 15 inches
Now I know that I will need to start shaping the neck after working the sweater for 15 inches.
"Deeper, deeper, deeper," You chant.
Sure, why not.
20 - 8 = 12 inches
Contrarily, if you want a more swallow neck line.
20 - 2 = 18 inches
To summarize, simply subtract the neck line from the sweater body length--this will give you the number of inches you will need to work before starting to shape the neck line.
This pattern is found here
What other fun can we have with this sweater? Find out next Monday.
***
Today I'm visiting Anne K. Albert's blog
Next post: In answer to a very interesting blog post: Encouraging during querying

Knitting Spring Garden

Late again today. I was busy working on my WIP.
Thanks to my meeting last weekend with a literary agent, I now know that Turning is a YA. One of the things I worked on this morning was a new blurb for this work.

Lyndi Wimpel is bored she wants a boyfriend, an adventure, a life.
Flipping through a magazine she spies an ad for a youth group. She wants to join.
What stands in her way?
Lyndi's mother, fearful for Lyndi's safety, wants her to stay close to home.
Lyndi has her own doubts. She feels that dyslexia has rendered her stupid and socially inept.
What will Lyndi do?

This week promises to be interesting.
Wednesday and Thursday I will be on Salt Spring Island delivering my inventory to ArtCraft.
Saturday I will be sitting a booth at Mayne Island's farmer's market.
This morning I reached a word count of 49, 958 words on Turning.

Today, let's talk a little more about knitting Spring Garden
Access knitting instructions here


One thing you need to determine is your size.
This top is designed to have a ease of about two inches. This simply means that if you have a breast size of 46" than you should use the instructions listed for size 48".
Once you have identified your size. Use a highlighter to mark all the information that pretains to your size.
Happy knitting,
Leanne
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Next post: come with me to Bloody Words