~Jae~
Friday, July 24, 2020
Double Stretchy Cast On
This stretchy cast on in my ultimate where I need a little extra stretch for beginning knit fabric. It is just a step above our Easy Stretchy Cast on, and adds another layer to your repertoire of beginning knit stitches.
Easy Stretchy Cast On
This is a very nice cast on for those places where you need a stretchy cast on. It can be used for cuff-down socks where you need a stretchy opening to get the foot through, (or see our video on the Extra Stretchy Cast on if you need more give for your opening), the sleeves of a sweater or the hem of same. I also use this particular C/O for various shawls.
Enjoy this series of videos. Feel free to leave comments.
Enjoy this series of videos. Feel free to leave comments.
~Jae~
Basic Easy Casting On in Knitting
We are going to begin our modules for casting on in knitting. The very first cast on that I teach new students is a very stretchy cast on that is basically the beginning of a knit stitch. I do this in order to make learning the new skill of knitting easier on the newbie. Once you can do this basic cast on, you are halfway to knitting your first stitch, and learning one thing at a time in knitting (or any other skill) can make the process much more enjoyable.
Stay with us throughout this series of videos to learn several ways to cast on stitches for your projects. You will learn which C/Os are the easiest, which ones work with different projects, and which ones you like the most.
I hope this is a fun and informative series. Thanks for joining us.
Stay with us throughout this series of videos to learn several ways to cast on stitches for your projects. You will learn which C/Os are the easiest, which ones work with different projects, and which ones you like the most.
I hope this is a fun and informative series. Thanks for joining us.
~Jae~
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Trial for Dyeing Tiger Sock Blanks
This morning was such a fun dye day. The past three days were spent collaborating with my artist daughter about color, how to make certain colors, how to place on fabric. Thank you dearest!
I started this project about two weeks ago when the Loops and Thread Knitting Machine came from Michaels. The Dyer's Supply yarn came soon after. I chose the Nice and Round Fingering yarn. Once those were all delivered, the sock blank was made. We will do a video on making sock blanks by hand in another video in this session. Let me add that making your own bare sock blanks saves you about $14 over buying them. They can be purchase already knit into blanks from several sources, but my favorite is KnitPicks Yarn.
The recipe for the colors:
Brown - 1/4 cup water; 1 tsp Wilton's Brown food dye
Yellow - 1/2 cup water; 1 tsp Wilton's Golden Yellow food dye
Rust/Orange - 1 3/4 cups water; 20 drops RED Kroger liquid food coloring; 26 drops YELLOW Kroger food color; Mixed separately is 1/4 cup water and 1 drop of BLUE. To the Yellow and Red, you will add 40 drops of the mixed Blue
I started this project about two weeks ago when the Loops and Thread Knitting Machine came from Michaels. The Dyer's Supply yarn came soon after. I chose the Nice and Round Fingering yarn. Once those were all delivered, the sock blank was made. We will do a video on making sock blanks by hand in another video in this session. Let me add that making your own bare sock blanks saves you about $14 over buying them. They can be purchase already knit into blanks from several sources, but my favorite is KnitPicks Yarn.
The recipe for the colors:
Brown - 1/4 cup water; 1 tsp Wilton's Brown food dye
Yellow - 1/2 cup water; 1 tsp Wilton's Golden Yellow food dye
Rust/Orange - 1 3/4 cups water; 20 drops RED Kroger liquid food coloring; 26 drops YELLOW Kroger food color; Mixed separately is 1/4 cup water and 1 drop of BLUE. To the Yellow and Red, you will add 40 drops of the mixed Blue
Friday, July 17, 2020
05 Finishing the Heel
I have created a List for those of you who wish to go directly to the main page for doing this series of heel videos. As we put up more sessions of lessons, I will add page links. Hopefully this will keep the blog pages easier for you to find just what you are looking for.
This is the last video in the series of this type of heel. It will finish up your last section and get you ready to knit the cuff (on toe-up socks.)
I think we all deserve a nice steak and a huge piece of pie for completing this series. Hope to see you for further series of knitting, dyeing, and whatever else we may find ourselves involved in.
Happy Knittering ~Jae~
This is the last video in the series of this type of heel. It will finish up your last section and get you ready to knit the cuff (on toe-up socks.)
I think we all deserve a nice steak and a huge piece of pie for completing this series. Hope to see you for further series of knitting, dyeing, and whatever else we may find ourselves involved in.
Happy Knittering ~Jae~
Sock Heels Module
These are the links for creating a heel for your sock. It will be updated as new videos are added.
Practice 02 for Sock Heel - Purl
03 Twin Knits and Purls Together
04 Middle of Heel (Boomerang)
05 Finishing the Heel and Begin up the Cuff
Sock Heel ~ Twin Stitch Heel
Practice 01 for Sock Heel - KnitPractice 02 for Sock Heel - Purl
03 Twin Knits and Purls Together
04 Middle of Heel (Boomerang)
05 Finishing the Heel and Begin up the Cuff
Sock Heel ~ Short Row Heel
04 Middle of Heel (Boomerang)
Congratulations on getting to the halfway point of you heel. By now, you have practiced the Twin Knit and Twin Purl stitches and might be able to do them in your sleep. LOL. These two videos of practice were probably the most difficult, because you were learning two new stitches. Those two new stitches will be used in our final video to finish your heel, but for now, let's do the very middle of your heel.
You will need to add two stitch markers to the work as you go, so before you start the video, make sure you have those handy.
There are three videos before this one, so if you want to watch them in sequence again, here are the addresses of those:
Please feel free to leave comments to help me know how better to help you, and if you go to my YouTube channel, I would love for you to subscribe there. There will be more videos upcoming to help with your knitting needs. ~Jae~
You will need to add two stitch markers to the work as you go, so before you start the video, make sure you have those handy.
There are three videos before this one, so if you want to watch them in sequence again, here are the addresses of those:
Practice 01 For Sock Heel Knitting - Knit
Practice 02 For Sock Heel Knitting - Purl
03 Twin Knits and Purls Together
Please feel free to leave comments to help me know how better to help you, and if you go to my YouTube channel, I would love for you to subscribe there. There will be more videos upcoming to help with your knitting needs. ~Jae~
Thursday, July 16, 2020
03 Twin Knits and Purls Together
So far you have worked both the Twin Knit and Twin Purl stitches that eventually we will be using in creating our heel. Today, we are going to put the two skills together and knit and purl a sample for you to practice. If you have missed the other two videos, they can be found at either my blog or on YouTube here:
Practice 01 For Sock Heel Knitting - Knit
03TwinKnit/Purl Together
Practice 02 For Sock Heel Knitting - Purl
Yesterday, we put up the practice module to help you learn the TwinStitch-Knit for our sock heel. Today, we are going to practice the other side of the heel stitches called the TwinStitch-Purl.
The purl side is a little more work but with practice, you will find that it gets easier as you do more of the stitch. If you need to learn the knit side, please go to our page Practice 01 for Sock Heel Knitting - Knit.
As with other new skills you learn, practice will get the muscles to remember how to do it. We call this muscle memory. You will hear me talk about this quite a bit with any new skill that you learn. Here is the video, and again, you are welcome to make comments. The video is also on my YouTube Channel and will be linked to that page, also.
In the next couple of days, I will be posting a larger video showing how we do these two stitches together in a pseudo sock. There will be two or three more videos before you will have the complete skill of turning a heel in sock creation, so put on your flying cap and let's go for a ride!
Happy Knittering!
~Carla~
The purl side is a little more work but with practice, you will find that it gets easier as you do more of the stitch. If you need to learn the knit side, please go to our page Practice 01 for Sock Heel Knitting - Knit.
As with other new skills you learn, practice will get the muscles to remember how to do it. We call this muscle memory. You will hear me talk about this quite a bit with any new skill that you learn. Here is the video, and again, you are welcome to make comments. The video is also on my YouTube Channel and will be linked to that page, also.
In the next couple of days, I will be posting a larger video showing how we do these two stitches together in a pseudo sock. There will be two or three more videos before you will have the complete skill of turning a heel in sock creation, so put on your flying cap and let's go for a ride!
Happy Knittering!
~Carla~
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
Practice 01 For Sock Heel Knitting - Knit
In about two months, we hope to have the sock classes ready (and are able to congregate for classes once again), so I am creating videos with the breakdown of sock construction.
Since turning the heel is one of the hardest parts of sock construction, I have broken this section into smaller bites so it will be easier for you when you are ready to do a heel on your treasured socks. It will really make things easier if you follow the videos as they are published one at a time until you are comfortable with each skill.
For example: this will be the first in a series. It is called Practice 01 For Sock Heel Knitting - Knit. Once you are able to knit this part of the heel (a.k.a. Short Rows), you can then go onto the Practice 02 For Sock heel Knitting - Purl.
If you have any questions, please feel free to make a comment at the bottom of the screen. I will do my best to respond. I will also be posting these videos on my YouTube Channel which for some might be easier to find. Have fun and Happy Knittering.
Let me know in the comments if you need further help with this stitch. Also, watch for the Purl side of this skill by Friday, 17 July 2020.
Since turning the heel is one of the hardest parts of sock construction, I have broken this section into smaller bites so it will be easier for you when you are ready to do a heel on your treasured socks. It will really make things easier if you follow the videos as they are published one at a time until you are comfortable with each skill.
For example: this will be the first in a series. It is called Practice 01 For Sock Heel Knitting - Knit. Once you are able to knit this part of the heel (a.k.a. Short Rows), you can then go onto the Practice 02 For Sock heel Knitting - Purl.
If you have any questions, please feel free to make a comment at the bottom of the screen. I will do my best to respond. I will also be posting these videos on my YouTube Channel which for some might be easier to find. Have fun and Happy Knittering.
Let me know in the comments if you need further help with this stitch. Also, watch for the Purl side of this skill by Friday, 17 July 2020.
Sunday, July 12, 2020
Sock Workshop
This summer, I have been planning a Sock Workshop at our community center for the knitting and crocheting ladies and gents who attend our regular knitting group. About a month ago, I purchased a singer knitting machine. It is made for children to 'play' with, but I had seen some videos of knitting ladies who use them to make sock blanks.
Sock blanks are merely yarn that is held double strand and knit either in a tube or a flat piece. We use them to dye into personalized yarn for our sock creations. If you go to KnitPicks and check out their sock blanks, you will see that they charge a little under $20 for 100 grams of yarn knit into a blank.
After I found Dyers Supply and the wonderful yarns they sell that are raw yarn without dye, I realized that there had to be a more economical way to get blanks to dye. (Think of all the extra yarn we can buy just for saving money!)
The first knitting machine was a Singer and costs about $25. It is very small and knits very small blanks. It is enough to make a blank, but not quite what I wanted, so further investigation was needed. I came upon the Loops and Thread at Michael's Craft store. It is larger and knits a much larger blank, plus is is easier to use than the smaller Singer. The Loops and Thread machine is just under $75, but with their famous 40% or 50% off coupons, it is not a lot more than the Singer, and in my estimation, worth the extra price to pay. I found the Loops and thread much easier to use, less dropped stitches, easier to crank, faster knitting with less futzing.
In the following photo, you can see the difference in size between the two machines.
One particular issue with both machines is the dropped stitches. The Loops and Thread machine comes with clips that you can add to the blank as it is knit to weigh down the newly formed fabric. This helps control the material so that the yarn doesn't slip off the needles. Second is the size of the knitting area. It is easier to see if there are potential drops in the knitting by watching the needle separators to see if any yarn gets stuck above rather than getting slipped below. This makes it easier to push these yarns down and under, otherwise you will get a slipped stitch the next pass. You may need to click on the picture to see the difference.
The sock blanks are nice and evenly stitched, wider so you get finished knitting them faster. I prefer the Loops and Thread machine over the Singer. The price difference with the coupon made it worth investing in the larger machine. There are much pricier models on the market, but for what I will be using them to do, it doesn't seem worth the price to pay over $100, $200 and up for a knitting machine.
Here is the first blank I created...
....now to find the dye and pattern for this beauty. Next time, we will talk about dyeing the sock blank. Friendly hugs to you all and happy knitting.
Sock blanks are merely yarn that is held double strand and knit either in a tube or a flat piece. We use them to dye into personalized yarn for our sock creations. If you go to KnitPicks and check out their sock blanks, you will see that they charge a little under $20 for 100 grams of yarn knit into a blank.
 |
| Sock Blank from KnitPicks Yarn |
After I found Dyers Supply and the wonderful yarns they sell that are raw yarn without dye, I realized that there had to be a more economical way to get blanks to dye. (Think of all the extra yarn we can buy just for saving money!)
The first knitting machine was a Singer and costs about $25. It is very small and knits very small blanks. It is enough to make a blank, but not quite what I wanted, so further investigation was needed. I came upon the Loops and Thread at Michael's Craft store. It is larger and knits a much larger blank, plus is is easier to use than the smaller Singer. The Loops and Thread machine is just under $75, but with their famous 40% or 50% off coupons, it is not a lot more than the Singer, and in my estimation, worth the extra price to pay. I found the Loops and thread much easier to use, less dropped stitches, easier to crank, faster knitting with less futzing.
In the following photo, you can see the difference in size between the two machines.
 |
| Pink Singer, Black/White Loops and Thread |
One particular issue with both machines is the dropped stitches. The Loops and Thread machine comes with clips that you can add to the blank as it is knit to weigh down the newly formed fabric. This helps control the material so that the yarn doesn't slip off the needles. Second is the size of the knitting area. It is easier to see if there are potential drops in the knitting by watching the needle separators to see if any yarn gets stuck above rather than getting slipped below. This makes it easier to push these yarns down and under, otherwise you will get a slipped stitch the next pass. You may need to click on the picture to see the difference.
 |
| Two left and two right are normal. The two middle will slip. |
 |
| Middle stitches are over the needle guards and will result in slipped stitches. |
The sock blanks are nice and evenly stitched, wider so you get finished knitting them faster. I prefer the Loops and Thread machine over the Singer. The price difference with the coupon made it worth investing in the larger machine. There are much pricier models on the market, but for what I will be using them to do, it doesn't seem worth the price to pay over $100, $200 and up for a knitting machine.
Here is the first blank I created...
....now to find the dye and pattern for this beauty. Next time, we will talk about dyeing the sock blank. Friendly hugs to you all and happy knitting.
Saturday, July 11, 2020
Odyssey Shawl - Unblocked
A few days ago, I tried my hand at hand-dyed yarn with much success. The proof is in the knitting, though, so yesterday was spent on the Odyssey Shawl that was introduced in our last post. It was a surprisingly easy piece to work up. There were three rows of yarn overs (yo), some slip-slip-knits (ssk) and most of the body was done in the garter stitch. It would be a very nice, first shawl to try your hand at lace.
When I first dyed the middle color, it was a disappointment and I had wished that I had done less purple, but with the construction, it evened itself out and the colors were fine. Here is the shawl before it is blocked. It will get blocked in the next day or so when time is less valuable to other issues. When it is blocked, you will be able to see the neat little 'holes' that are in the pattern. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this little beauty, and kudos to Joli, the designer.
When I first dyed the middle color, it was a disappointment and I had wished that I had done less purple, but with the construction, it evened itself out and the colors were fine. Here is the shawl before it is blocked. It will get blocked in the next day or so when time is less valuable to other issues. When it is blocked, you will be able to see the neat little 'holes' that are in the pattern. I thoroughly enjoyed knitting this little beauty, and kudos to Joli, the designer.
Dyeing to Knit
Oh how much fun I had today. A couple of weeks ago, I purchases some bare yarn to try my hand at dyeing my own. I am an avid knitter and go through lots and lots of yarn. It was an obvious next step for me to try my hand at dyeing (or as my grand daughter says, killing) some bare yarn.
The bare yarn was purchased from Knit Picks, which is one of my favorite places to obtain my 'fix.' and the dye was. . . . . drum roll, please. . . . Kool-Aid! Yes. I was as surprised as anything when I did the research about home dyeing. It was easy, minimal mess, smelled lumptious and did a beautiful job of turning pale cream yarn into gorgeous colors.
Subsequently, I have purchased more yarn in a fingering size to dye at a future time. But let's look at today's gems.
I found a pattern that I thought would be lovely. It is the "Odyssey Shawl" by Joli Locatelli. Both the pattern and a yarn kit for making the project are available on WEBS site. It is absolutely lovely, and the kit is pretty that can be purchased, but I wanted to try my hand at doing my own thing. Here are the results:
The hanks turned our very nicely. The first to your left is dyed with Pink Lemonade Kool-Aid. I used three packets and worked the ChemKnits Formula for doing so. When it turned our so nicely, I knew I was hooked. Once the pink was dyed completely as a single color, I then did the speckled effect. This will be the middle of my shawl.
The middle hank is dyed with three packets of Dark Cherry Kool-Aid, and the third hank is their Grape in three packets. I will start knitting the shawl with the Dark Cherry. Picture will follow as I move along.
Here are the hanks after making into cakes. They are almost pretty enough to eat. (The purple is not finished drying.)
Hope you enjoy and look forward to more adventures with this Old Woman. Thanks for stopping by.
The bare yarn was purchased from Knit Picks, which is one of my favorite places to obtain my 'fix.' and the dye was. . . . . drum roll, please. . . . Kool-Aid! Yes. I was as surprised as anything when I did the research about home dyeing. It was easy, minimal mess, smelled lumptious and did a beautiful job of turning pale cream yarn into gorgeous colors.
Subsequently, I have purchased more yarn in a fingering size to dye at a future time. But let's look at today's gems.
I found a pattern that I thought would be lovely. It is the "Odyssey Shawl" by Joli Locatelli. Both the pattern and a yarn kit for making the project are available on WEBS site. It is absolutely lovely, and the kit is pretty that can be purchased, but I wanted to try my hand at doing my own thing. Here are the results:
The middle hank is dyed with three packets of Dark Cherry Kool-Aid, and the third hank is their Grape in three packets. I will start knitting the shawl with the Dark Cherry. Picture will follow as I move along.
Here are the hanks after making into cakes. They are almost pretty enough to eat. (The purple is not finished drying.)
Hope you enjoy and look forward to more adventures with this Old Woman. Thanks for stopping by.
Passing Time
Being an older, retired woman in our today's world can present unique challenges. I hope that this blog will open up new possibilities for you as well as give you fuel for your own personal dreams.
When I retired from Academia, it was a blow to my psyche and emotional well being. Like most of you who have had careers that they loved, I was at a loss of not only what to do with my time, but also at a loss as to who I was as a person. So many of us find ourselves relating who we are with what we do.
Our children are raised, our home life pretty well settled, we have learned to cook and keep a household while we apply ourselves to the outside world...but what about Who We Are?
Luckily, I have had the privilege of moving to a 55+ community after retirement. It afforded me not only the opportunity to downsize living arrangements, but also the flexibility to explore. By that I mean exploring the state, county, city and community in which I live as well as exploring new and exciting activities and hobbies that enthrall me.
I hope to share some of those things with you in the coming days ahead.
When I retired from Academia, it was a blow to my psyche and emotional well being. Like most of you who have had careers that they loved, I was at a loss of not only what to do with my time, but also at a loss as to who I was as a person. So many of us find ourselves relating who we are with what we do.
Our children are raised, our home life pretty well settled, we have learned to cook and keep a household while we apply ourselves to the outside world...but what about Who We Are?
Luckily, I have had the privilege of moving to a 55+ community after retirement. It afforded me not only the opportunity to downsize living arrangements, but also the flexibility to explore. By that I mean exploring the state, county, city and community in which I live as well as exploring new and exciting activities and hobbies that enthrall me.
I hope to share some of those things with you in the coming days ahead.
Friendly Hugs,
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)