Capitalism - Feudalism without the Kings
Knitting Friday
I’ve been pretty disgraceful with Knitting Friday entries lately. I would like to cite my current problem as an excuse: I can receive e-mails but it takes over 8 hours for people to receive one I send; but that really just a feeble excuse. Much more plausible than the dog ate my homework, but feeble.
I do have some knitting bits for today however. First, a picture of my 1 skein (431 yards) unblocked and unfinished lace shawl in deep purple. This shawl is part of my “Boy, wouldn’t it be a good idea for my birthday to by 1 skein of all the lace weight yarn that Knit Picks has?” project. One skein makes the airiest, lightest shawl/scarf and, if based on the time this bugger has taken me, the longest knitting project in the history of the world.
The pattern is so simple:
Row 1 & 2: St St
Row 3: K1 *YO, K2tog* K1
Row 4: P1, *YO, P2tog* P1. I
It’s a pattern I can do in my sleep and apparently that’s when I must be knitting it because the “Rip it” factor has been huge: Work 3 rows, Rip out 2. I am coming to the end however and I love, love, love it! It’s warm and soft. If you’re interested in trying this project: I’m using US 10 needles with a CO of 60 stitches. After blocking, I think I’m looking at least at 25" x 60+”, which will work very well.
(A crazy hint: Don’t’ slip the first stitch with this shawl. I worked up about 1/3 of the length with a 1st stitch of Slip1Purl and a last stitch of Knit and the edges were very tight. The middle of the shawl stretched nicely but the edges were taut. Back to the frog pond and this version has no slipped edged stitches. What a difference!)
My second shawl is just a prototype started because I was becoming so bored with my purple beauty and I wanted to use my brain. A little background: I am still addicted to my top-down shells/pullovers/cardigans (more on that below) and I was looking for a stitch for the body of a winter tank top.
I came across the Lasso stitch (I think this one has many names) which is simply: Left needle into stitch on right needle as to knit but wrap the yarn around both needles and then through the middle V the needles form and to the back. K the stitch as usual and you get a twisted, elongated, 2-thread (but it's only 1 stitch) K stitch.
This will take you to directions and a picture:
http://www.knittingfool.com/pages/stCatalog2.guest.cfm?StitchID=1034&name=Lasso&numofst=2&stplus=0&rows=1&rplus=0&sym=0 (BTW, Knitting Fool is a great knitting site.)
Knitting Fool says you need a multiply of 2 stitches for the Lasso but I don’t see that. Even or odd stitches would work.
As I worked this stitch, my mind asked: Can I make a more stretchy stitch? Can I make a square shawl knit on the diagonal with this stitch? I’m also interested in working this stitch as a open-stitched top-down tank, hoping it takes very little yarn.
What you see in the picture of the light green lasso stitch is the beginning of a square prototype shawl. Here’s the pattern:
CO 3 stitches (I’m using US 4 and fingering yarn)
Row 1: Kfb *Lasso st (LS)* Kfb
Row 2: “Lasso stitch” in every stitch
Once you get to your width, end on row 2 then:
Row 1: K2tog *LS* K2tog
Row 2: *LS* across
Work to 3 sts. BO
The decrease part is still in the planning stage. I may need two rows of straight Lasso before I start decreasing.
Of course as usual, I’m playing around on inferior yarn just to try the technique. And as usual, the finished product is coming along so nicely, I’m thinking: Why waste my time on junk yarn? More on this dilemma later.
And finally: in my search for the perfect top-down sweater pattern, I came across this free pattern at Yarn Market:
http://www.yarnmarket.com/yarn/Artyarns_Free-Regal_Silk_Lacy_Tank_Top_Free-1981.html
It’s a very attractive tank worked bottom up and it has a pattern for a circular knit lace neckband. So, I thought: How about I work out the amount of CO stitches I need to work the circular lace band from the top? Then, after I increase for the body I could work the Lasso stitch, until boredom or carpal tunnel syndrome occurs. More on this next week.
Happy Knitting.
I’ve been pretty disgraceful with Knitting Friday entries lately. I would like to cite my current problem as an excuse: I can receive e-mails but it takes over 8 hours for people to receive one I send; but that really just a feeble excuse. Much more plausible than the dog ate my homework, but feeble.
I do have some knitting bits for today however. First, a picture of my 1 skein (431 yards) unblocked and unfinished lace shawl in deep purple. This shawl is part of my “Boy, wouldn’t it be a good idea for my birthday to by 1 skein of all the lace weight yarn that Knit Picks has?” project. One skein makes the airiest, lightest shawl/scarf and, if based on the time this bugger has taken me, the longest knitting project in the history of the world.
The pattern is so simple:
Row 1 & 2: St St
Row 3: K1 *YO, K2tog* K1
Row 4: P1, *YO, P2tog* P1. I
It’s a pattern I can do in my sleep and apparently that’s when I must be knitting it because the “Rip it” factor has been huge: Work 3 rows, Rip out 2. I am coming to the end however and I love, love, love it! It’s warm and soft. If you’re interested in trying this project: I’m using US 10 needles with a CO of 60 stitches. After blocking, I think I’m looking at least at 25" x 60+”, which will work very well.
(A crazy hint: Don’t’ slip the first stitch with this shawl. I worked up about 1/3 of the length with a 1st stitch of Slip1Purl and a last stitch of Knit and the edges were very tight. The middle of the shawl stretched nicely but the edges were taut. Back to the frog pond and this version has no slipped edged stitches. What a difference!)
My second shawl is just a prototype started because I was becoming so bored with my purple beauty and I wanted to use my brain. A little background: I am still addicted to my top-down shells/pullovers/cardigans (more on that below) and I was looking for a stitch for the body of a winter tank top.
I came across the Lasso stitch (I think this one has many names) which is simply: Left needle into stitch on right needle as to knit but wrap the yarn around both needles and then through the middle V the needles form and to the back. K the stitch as usual and you get a twisted, elongated, 2-thread (but it's only 1 stitch) K stitch.
This will take you to directions and a picture:
http://www.knittingfool.com/pages/stCatalog2.guest.cfm?StitchID=1034&name=Lasso&numofst=2&stplus=0&rows=1&rplus=0&sym=0 (BTW, Knitting Fool is a great knitting site.)
Knitting Fool says you need a multiply of 2 stitches for the Lasso but I don’t see that. Even or odd stitches would work.
As I worked this stitch, my mind asked: Can I make a more stretchy stitch? Can I make a square shawl knit on the diagonal with this stitch? I’m also interested in working this stitch as a open-stitched top-down tank, hoping it takes very little yarn.
What you see in the picture of the light green lasso stitch is the beginning of a square prototype shawl. Here’s the pattern:
CO 3 stitches (I’m using US 4 and fingering yarn)
Row 1: Kfb *Lasso st (LS)* Kfb
Row 2: “Lasso stitch” in every stitch
Once you get to your width, end on row 2 then:
Row 1: K2tog *LS* K2tog
Row 2: *LS* across
Work to 3 sts. BO
The decrease part is still in the planning stage. I may need two rows of straight Lasso before I start decreasing.
Of course as usual, I’m playing around on inferior yarn just to try the technique. And as usual, the finished product is coming along so nicely, I’m thinking: Why waste my time on junk yarn? More on this dilemma later.
And finally: in my search for the perfect top-down sweater pattern, I came across this free pattern at Yarn Market:
http://www.yarnmarket.com/yarn/Artyarns_Free-Regal_Silk_Lacy_Tank_Top_Free-1981.html
It’s a very attractive tank worked bottom up and it has a pattern for a circular knit lace neckband. So, I thought: How about I work out the amount of CO stitches I need to work the circular lace band from the top? Then, after I increase for the body I could work the Lasso stitch, until boredom or carpal tunnel syndrome occurs. More on this next week.
Happy Knitting.
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