Edey's Vintage and Current Needlework

November 2009 - Posts

• Knitting Cables - A Tip on Turning the Stitches

  If you have had a difficult time working a cable on your knitted project, this tip may help.  Use a aluminum crochet hook as the stitch holder, that use that hook to make the new stitches, instead of trying to knit them off of the stitch holder.  I've always had a hard time knitting the stitches that are being held aside for the cable twist. My knitting is usually too tight to make the crossover easily, and try as I might I couldn't easily knit the stitches off of the cable needle. So I got the idea of using an aluminum crochet hook similar in size to my stitches as a stitch holder, then hooking the yarn to make the new stitches, instead of knitting the new stitches off of a stitch holder needle, or cable needle.  The aluminum hook  I'm using is a size B (2.25 mm) by Boye, it has a matte or powder finish to it that helps hold the yarn on the hook. I place the stitches on the hook body that I want to hold for the twist of the cable, then knit the other half of the cable stitches. I place the held back stitches back on the left needle from the hook, then with the first held back stitch, start hooking the yarn and placing the new stitches on the right needle, adjusting the tension as the stitch is placed on the knitting needle.  Doing the cable twist this way has made for a easier and neater result in the cable twist. It eliminates the strain on the stitches that need to be knitted at the crossover, from trying to reach them with the right side knitting needle. I've used this trick for other knitting projects, when working with twisted stitches.  One of the decreases that I like to use twists the stitches in the opposite direction from how they normally sit on the needle, and it is easier to pull the yarn thru those twisted stitches with a hook then grabbing them with the right knitting needle. I knit thru the back loop instead of from the front/left; when I twist my stitches they are then facing front/left, and therefore somewhat tight compared to the other stitches in the same row. The hook makes it easy to grab the yarn and pull it thru the tight stitches without splitting the stitches or the yarn.  Enjoy!  Edey Posted Nov 10 2009, 07:58 AM by Edey with no comments Filed under: cable knitting, aluminum crochet hook, crochet hook, cable twist, Boye, stitches, stitch holder

• Toe-up Socks - A Joy to Knit

  Knitting this first pair of toe-up socks was a joy to do, and so easy to complete compared to making socks knitted from the top down.  One part about top-down socks that I don't like doing is creating the gusset by picking up numerous stitches along the side of the heel stitches, then working them off with decreases to return to the width of the foot. Working with those extra stitches on extra needles is cumbersome, and I was always glad when I got finished with the gusset section.  Picking up the extra stitches along the heel flap isn't necessary in this version of toe-up socks. The gusset stitches are added at the side of the sole stitches as the foot is worked,  until the gusset is wide enough to fit over the thickest part of the ankle/heel area,  then the heel is shaped on those extra stitches. Once I worked it out and understood the procedure, I thought "Wow", this is easy, and fast.  Another part of top-down that I don't care for is casting on the stitches, then arranging them on the double-point needles. It is always awkward and clumsy.  With the toe-up sock, the toe is started by crocheting a chain using length of waste yarn, then the knit stitches are picked-up on the back side of the chain and placed on the knitting needle. From there the toe is worked as a short row toe (short-row toe tutorial). Starting the sock this way was so much easier than fumbling with getting the cast-on stitches aligned and connected to start knitting in the round on double-point needles for the top-down sock. The only difficulty I did have with the toe-up sock was judging where to start the gusset increases. In hindsight I know now I should have started them sooner along the length of the foot, as I needed more width for my thicker ankles. But this will be an easy change for the next pair of toe-up socks.   I highly recommend knitting socks this way.  They were a great joy to knit.   Edey Posted Nov 08 2009, 07:58 AM by Edey with no comments Filed under: knitting, toe-up sock, caste-on, waste yarn, short-row tutorial, top-down sock

• Toe-up Socks, Finished

  Here is the finished pair. They were completed with a sewn binding which is what gives it the ruffled look to the top. The little balls of yarn are all that was left when they were done.   I'll write more in my next post. Edey Posted Nov 01 2009, 01:53 PM by Edey with 2 comment(s) Filed under: ruffled top, toe-up sock, sewn binding