Yarnomat

TECHknitting on designing knitwear

TECHknitting is going to write a series of posts about designing knitwear. Yay! I love TECHknitting, and have learned so much from that blog over the past couple of years.

Until reading this post, I had not really thought about how many skills come together in knitwear design. These are all skills I have slowly been building myself over many years.

Although I still have SO much to learn, I tend to take my existing skills for granted. So it’s comforting to be reminded that it takes skill to design a good knitting pattern. I can be proud of my efforts when I get it right, and not be devastated by failure when I get it wrong. All part of the learning process.

Testers wanted: Behind Bars cuff

The pattern for the Behind Bars wrist cuff is all written up and ready for testing.

I’m looking for a handful of testers who would like to try out the pattern right now, and tell me if they find any errors or unclear instructions.

There is a testing sign-up thread on Ravelry. If you would like to test and you are a Ravelry member, please indicate your interest over there–that way, I can keep all the testing comments together and manage it more easily.

However, if you would like to test but prefer not to sign up at Ravelry, please do leave a message here and let me know how I can contact you privately.

Preview: Behind Bars cuff

This is the first pattern I’ll be publishing as part of the Pattern-a-Week challenge.

The Behind Bars cuff, named by my daughter Eris.

I did the first version (pink and red) in Bendigo Classic 5 ply, then did another (yellow and grey) in Bendigo Classic 8 ply. The final pattern will be the 8 ply version, but it’s easy to adapt for other yarns and weights.

Now I’m going to work on updating my pattern template, and writing up my notes into a user-friendly pattern. It should be ready for testing this Sunday, if everything continues to go smoothly.

Pattern-a-Week: First hurdle

Oh dear … my ambitious, excited plan to publish the first pattern in my Pattern-a-Week Challenge has a flaw. I can design, knit and write up a pattern before Sunday, but there’s no time in that schedule for test-knitting and editing.

D’oh.

While it might be fun to release the occasional simple pattern without testing, it really would make more sense to build in some time for test-knitting and editing, right?

So, revised plan: My first pattern will be ready for testing this Sunday. I’ll post a photo and a brief description, and invite potential testers to contact me by email.

Then two weeks for testing, and two weeks for editing, and the first pattern will be published free to all comers for one week starting on Sunday, 7 June.

I’ll aim to keep designing and writing up one new pattern each week and calling for testers for each one, then editing and publishing 4 weeks after the testing call.

Not so much immediate gratification, but much more sustainable and useful, I think.

Pattern-a-Week Challenge

I have a plan. It may be a rubbish plan, and it’s not a truly original plan, but it’s mine and I’m going to share it with you.

I am going to publish a new, original knitting pattern every Sunday for one year. That’s 52 patterns between now and, um, mid-May 2011.

This is inspired by Jonathan Coulton and his Thing-a-Week Challenge, where he published 52 songs in a year.

I’ve been spending too much time reading, doodling, dawdling, dreaming and thinking. All of these things are useful, but on their own they do not result in published patterns.

I like designing and knitting socks, hats, gloves, scarves, toys, clothes for small people (babies and kids) and anything silly or pointless. So you can expect most of the patterns to fall into one of these categories.

I’m planning to offer each pattern free, as-is, for one week only. When the next week’s pattern comes out, I’ll put a price on the previous pattern ($1 to $5, depending on pattern complexity and options), and make it available for sale.

(Or if I’m not entirely happy with that week’s pattern and don’t want to polish it, I may just leave it as a free pattern and move on to the next one.)

Why am I doing this?

To learn more about how to design and write up knitting patterns.

To share patterns with the knitting community and (I hope) receive thanks, feedback, constructive criticism, and income.

To have something to show for all the reading, doodling, etc.

To see whether I can make a living out of creating designs for handknitting.

To have fun.

To stretch and challenge myself.

At the end of the year, to have a body of work that I can refine, polish and publish as a book (electronic or print, don’t know which yet).

Blocking knitted squares for blankets

When you are knitting squares for a blanket, they don’t always come off the needles exactly the same size and shape. The squares can be coaxed into a better shape as you’re sewing up the blanket, but sewing is a bit easier and the result looks more professional when you lightly block the squares first.

Mum and I have been knitting 8-inch squares for the knit-a-square project. Our squares are colourful, varied and fun, but I thought they looked a bit haphazard. So I’ve been tidying them up with a quick spray blocking. Here are some photos showing how I do it.

I use a ruler, pins, a spray bottle full of water, and large foam jigsaw pieces with letter cut-outs that I bought at a discount store. (One day I’d like to buy proper blocking boards with grids marked on them, or simple interlocking floor mats that I can mark up myself, but these letter cut-out tiles will do for now.)

Start by pinning the 4 corners of the square, using the ruler to make sure each edge is the same length: in this case, 8 inches (20 cm). Don’t worry about making the corners perfect right-angles, just eyeball them.

Pinning the 4 corners of the square.

Lay the ruler against one edge, and place extra pins to line the edge of the square straight against the ruler. I pin the middle, then 1/4 and 3/4, as shown in the next photo.

Adding extra pins to each side.

When you have pinned all 4 sides, give the square a generous squirting with a spray bottle of water, so that it is quite damp but not entirely saturated.

Spraying the square with water.

Leave the square pinned out until it is entirely dry, then remove the pins. Your blocked square should hold the shape it was pinned into.

The square in this example is made from leftover scraps of sock yarn. I held 2 strands together and followed the reverse mitered square with stripes pattern, swapping in different sock yarns at random intervals.

Blocking works best on natural fibres such as wool, and is not as effective on synthetics such as acrylic. However, it doesn’t hurt to give acrylic squares a quick blocking as well, and I find that it does make a difference.

Square in the Round

Front of Square in the Round.

Here is another pattern for an 8 inch (20 cm) square, suitable for the knit-a-square project.

Your gauge, yarn and needle size aren’t important. Start with 4 stitches, join to work in the round, then keep increasing every second row until the square measures 8 inches.

Materials:

small amounts of DK (8-ply) yarn, preferably wool, in 2 or more colours (Sample uses Bendigo Woollen Mills Classic 8ply)
4 mm knitting needles, suitable for knitting in the round (I use 1 long circular and magic loop, but you could use DPNs or 2 circulars if you prefer)
larger needles (if needed) for loose bind-off
4 stitch markers
blunt needle for sewing in ends

You can use any combination of yarn and needles that results in a fabric you like. If your squares are for knit-a-square, wool yarns are best for warmth and fire retardant properties, but other yarns are okay too.

Abbreviations

Back of Square in the Round

Instructions:

Cast on 4 st. Join to work in the round.

R1: * Kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (Result: 8 st.)

R2: Purl.

R3: * Kfb, repeat from * to end of round. (Result: 16 st.)

R4: Purl.

Arrange stitches in 4 groups of 4, placing markers between each group.

R5: *Kfb, K to 1 st before marker, Kfb, slip marker, repeat from * to end of round. (Result: Increased 8 st.)

R6: Purl.

Repeat rounds 5 and 6 until the square measures 8 inches (20 cm) across.

If you like, switch colours occasionally on odd rounds to create stripes.

Bind off loosely using a larger needle if necessary to keep the edge stretchy.

Sew in ends and block if desired.

KAS knit-a-long and gallery

Zina and Dawne at Another Long Yarn are running a KnitALong to challenge knitters worldwide to contribute squares for Knit-a-Square.

For every square that you knit or crochet, photograph and add to their KAS gallery before 15 March 2010, you’ll receive an entry into their prize draw. They’ve collected some lovely goodies including a handmade knitting satchel, some Knit Picks interchangeable needles, and a sampler set of a dozen skeins of yarn.

To enter, you need to comment on Dawne’s Can You Spare a Square? post (so she has your email address), and then upload a photo of each square you’ve knitted or crocheted to the gallery.

Seeing my own squares in such fabulous company makes me want to go back and block them all — mine look a bit wonky. I had vague hopes that they’d look neater when sewn up into blankets, but they’ll look neater still if they’re blocked, right? I sense a big blocking session in my near future.

Reverse mitered square with stripes

When knitting squares for the knit-a-square project, I discovered the delights of the reverse mitered square.

A mitered garter stitch square with stripes, shown from the right side.

Gauge, yarn and needle size aren’t important. You start with just 3 stitches, increase every second row until the square is the size you want, and then cast off loosely.

Play around with variations, switching colours when the mood strikes.

Here is my basic recipe for a simple reverse mitered square knitted with stripes of colour in garter stitch.

Materials:

small amounts of DK (8-ply) yarn, preferably wool, in 2 or more colours
4 mm knitting needles
larger needles (if needed) for loose bind-off
1 stitch marker
blunt needle for sewing in ends

Abbreviations

Instructions:

Cast on 3 st.

Row 1 (right side): K1, YO, place marker, K1, YO, K1.

Row 2 (wrong side): K1, K1 tbl, K1, slip marker, K1 tbl, K1.

Row 3: K to marker, YO, slip marker, K1, YO, K to end.

Row 4: K to 2 st before marker, K1 tbl, K1, slip marker, K1 tbl, K to end.

(These two rows make up 1 ridge in garter stitch.)

Repeat rows 3 and 4 about 15 times, or until you feel like it’s time to change colours.

Bring in a new colour on a right-side (odd-numbered) row.

(To change colours, I normally just drop the previous yarn and start working with the new yarn, leaving the ends long enough to for easy sewing in later. The changeover stitches are floppy as you work them, but you can neaten them up when you weave in the ends. Alternatively you can loosely knot the new yarn to the old, at the end of a row, then undo the knot before you weave in the ends.)

Mitered square in garter stitch shown from the back

The reverse side of the mitered square shown above.

If you make the garter-stitch stripes no more than 4 rows (2 ridges) wide, save yourself some weaving-in time by carrying the colour not being used up the side of the work — no need to cut the yarn and re-join.

When the square measures 8 inches (20.5 cm) on a side, cast off.

(I use a larger needle size so that the cast-off edge stays stretchy and the square doesn’t distort. For a square knitted with 4 mm needles, I cast off with 5 mm needles.)

Sew in ends and block if desired. My sample square is not yet blocked.

Knit-a-square project

My Mum and I have been knitting lots of 8-inch squares lately for the knit-a-square project. These squares will soon head over to South Africa, to be sewn into blankets for orphaned children.

Source: knit-a-square

I love to experiment with different combinations of yarn, pattern and construction, so my 23 squares are a hodgepodge of styles, with mitered squares being my favourites.

Mum has stormed through a big pile of leftover yarn, making 36 mostly ‘plain jane’ squares knitted straight or on the diagonal.

Mum also gave me a Christmas present of postage stamps to send the finished squares off to South Africa, so that’s the next job on my list.

Knitting these squares has been so enjoyable. For me it’s all about texture and colour and the special quality of something that’s hand-made. As I’m knitting each square, I think about how it might look and feel like something special to a child that doesn’t have much.

Even though machine-made blankets bought from a factory would be just as warm, I want to believe that these hand-knitted squares will make blankets that give more than simple warmth.

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