Amazing and useful exercises

I’m not sure, but I feel that it is possible that Irish and other knitters not knitting the “continental” way may find the movement of yarn when slipping stitches in two different ways, together with changing between knit and purl stitches, more confusing, because their working yarn is already on the move in “wrapping”.

In any case:

Here are two exercises that may help all knitters to get used to the two ways of slipping stitches, and to the letters representing the four main elements of this technique. Please refer to the explanation of symbols on top right of blog, or in the instructions.

I promise that many of you will be surprised of the result, and may find it useful for certain purposes, as I did for example in creating the Leitrimers. I don't tell more of what you'll get. Not wanting to take away from the experience you can make if you do the exercises.

Now here you go:

First exercise

Cast on 8 stitches. Work in one colour according to this chart:

KX (read left to right, repeat for the 8 stitches in second row)
XK (read right to left,repeat for the 8 stitches in first row)

Repeat the two rows.

Second exercise

As above, cast on 8 stitches, work in one colour only.

P0
0P

Knit at least 30 rows for each chart. Then examine what you got.

Another suggestion:

Printed charts may look and indeed are more difficult to follow than charts written in your own handwriting with which you are familiar.

So copy a chart onto a piece of cardboard, write letters in a size convenient for you to see. I recommend cardboard because it can be put upright, supported by whatever is suitable on your table.

How to slip stitches

I’ve told readers to slip stitches purl-wise, or in a manner as if you intend to purl them. I took over these expressions from instructions for other slip-stitch knitting, e.g. mosaic knitting.

I’ve come to think about this. It would probably be better if I just say: Slip stitches as if you would move them from one needle to another. I think every knitter will have done this at some stage?

And if you do this, you automatically slip stitches purl-wise, because to do it knit-wise would twist the stitches.

So just remember: Always slip stitches in the way that you would do if you moved them to another needle. Then only the question of where the yarn goes remains important.

Seams

I thought I should also show the way I make seams.

With edge stitches as indicated in the charts it makes a flat seam that can be used in other types of knitting as well. (I always use this type of edge stitches and seaming in flat knitting indeed.)

For projects where I use my colour patterns I find seaming this way especially useful, because - together with the extra stitches for weaving in which I described recently – one can use both sides of a project as the “right” side.

The seam is noticeable, but in a way I find decorative.

Here is a sleeve that was knitted in garter stitch. The edge looks somewhat like a single column of large knit stitches:

Seen side by side, when the two edges come together for seeming, there are two columns of “large knit stitches”, as seen left in the picture here:

Starting on one end of the work piece I just go with needle and thread through the outer parts of these two columns, changing direction each time, as seen above and below:

Don’t pull to heavily at the thread. This would make the seam inelastic.

When one side of the seam is done I turn the piece. The other side now looks like this:

If you have a long enough thread you would use it for this side as well. I just go along with needle and thread here as before:

The seem finally looks like this on both sides:

It would be less visible with stocking stitch.

There are in fact two layers of seams, and the space created between the two threads used on each side can hide loose ends and secure them safely, like here:

This is the patterned piece I used for the post where I explained weaving-in. The edges look a bit different here, more like a knitted cord I feel. Again I join the outer two parts of the edges on one side of the work as above:

Then I turn the piece, and it looks like this now on the other side:

You have several options here of which parts of the edges you use for joining. I chose the parts in the centre, nearest to each other:

You can see above how it is possible to hide loose ends as you go.

Or again do it afterwards when the seam is finished:

The seams look different to the corresponding parts within the pattern elsewhere, But I think they make a decorative feature on their own. This is shown here for both sides of the piece:

left= seam, right= pattern elsewhere:

top= seam, bottom= pattern elsewhere:

When I had taken these pictures and was thinking about what I could do with this demonstration piece one of my cats actively made it clear that it was him who wanted attention now.

Best way to treat unused threads at the edge

It can be annoying – or even impossible – with these patterns to cross two or three threads in a satisfactory way at the edge, especially where unused threads have to be carried up for several rows.

I’ve now found that the best way to maintain a nice flow of knitting and to get a neat edge at the same time is adding after the edge stitch, and before the pattern stitches, an extra stitch for “weaving in” the unused threads in every odd row. (See below)

This makes moving yarn balls, or turning the project in special ways, unnecessary. When a new colour is to be used in a new row, just pick it up, and weave in the other threads. For a symmetrical piece like this one add a stitch at the end of the same row before the edge stitch, and knit it.

In all even rows slip these two extra stitches with yarn in front of them.

I’ve added these extra stitches in the chart for the pattern above here:

(Unfortunately the chart happened to be not very sharp. You should get a much better version by clicking on it.)

An explanation of what the R stands fore is here.

You can see that the black and pink yarn isn’t used for many rows, yet with weaving in I could carry them up easily. Here is a detail showing the result:

Weaving in

Weaving in loose ends whilst knitting can be used in stocking stitch anywhere in the project, where a new colour or new thread is introduced. It avoids having to darn in loose ends later, and is particularly helpful in a colourful piece. I learned it from a book by Kaffe Fasset.

It’s amazing how many words or pictures are needed to describe something fairly simple. My own attempt below is for continental knitting, but here is a detailed description for Irish/English knitters:

http://sockpr0n.blogspot.com/2006/10/how-to-weave-in-ends-while-knitting.html

Here is more detailed description of a somewhat different way than mine for continental knitters:

http://scrapdash.blogspot.com/2007/10/weave-in-ends-while-knitting.html

This is my own attempt to explain it for the purpose it has here:

My working thread in the picture above is black, and I’ve already knitted the edge stitch.

Now, whilst holding the unused threads under tension behind the piece with the left hand (not shown in all pictures), I introduce the needle into the extra stitch as if to knit it.




But before I knit it, I move the needle under the unused threads.

Then I pick up the black working yarn…

… and draw it towards the stitch to be knitted

The extra stitch is finally completed.
In this picture you can see how the yarn is hold under tension.


Please note that weaving-in is only secured by a following knit or purl stitch, or by a stitch slipped with yarn in front. Where the next stitch has to be slipped with yarn at back, it is secured only with the stitch following it being one of the three other types. The unused yarn has to be hold under tension until that.

In my example the other side of the work after these three stitches at the edge looks now like this:

For a neat edge these steps should be done tightly, and it may be useful to pull at the unused threads every so often after some rows.

When weaving in ends in stocking stitch, these steps are repeated for 8 or so stitches:

*“Weave in“-stitch, securing knit stitch* or *Kw, K*

This is however better explained in the links above.

Hints and tips

I have to remind myself that this is not a book that is complete when published, but that it is a blog that develops in time. I always have the feeling I miss something that I need/want to say. Anyway, here are the first hints and tips I can think of that might be helpful. I will add to this list whenever new issues come to mind.

* I call the O and X actions shortly “back” and “front”. That goes well with “knit” and “purl” in my head when knitting according to a chart.

* For knitters experienced in slip-stitch and mosaic knitting it is worth noting that here the slipped stitches are not always of a colour different to the working thread. It is also not always so that the even row can be knitted as it appears. It is also difficult because slipped stitches appear as knit or purl stitches where the thread from the previous row is out of view in the even row.

* Tension can build up after some rows so that the pattern appears wrong. In such case there are other rows that release this tension again. These are also the rows after which casting off is best done.

* Preventing mistakes:

When knitting a sample swatch one gets a feeling for the pattern, nevertheless mistakes can happen, e.g.

- Using the wrong coloured yarn: This is mostly noticed quickly. Knit back and take up right coloured thread.

- Knitting or slipping two stitches together so that the pattern becomes distorted: This is usually noticed at end of row when last stitch doesn’t fit with chart. Knit back until you find the culprit.

- Forgotten which row next to knit: by looking at the selvages it is possible to reconstruct at which point in the chart you are. Or look at the last stitches in the previous row. In many charts a certain combination of stitches appears only once (but not in all).

- Where a mistake is noticed only after several rows: Unravel. Unravel the mistake row bit by bit and carefully take up the stitches. They do stand quite well in most cases.


* Crossing threads at selvage: It is not always necessary to move the yarn bobbles to achieve the crossing. Turning the needle with the fabric anticlockwise, and with yarn hanging down, achieves this for me. For example in a 2rowsA/2rowsB sequence I do this before every second colour comes into use again, with 3 colours before the third one. It can be useful to do it in between, where colours are not used for many rows. Try it. You will find your own best way.

* Uneven selvages: At the selvage where the yarn is carried up, check that it doesn’t pull the fabric together vertically. On the other selvage, which often tends to be looser, knit the first 2 or 3 stitches tightly. One gets a feeling for it when sampling a structure.