Motherly Devotion, That Is Moi...and Kollage Needle Review

I must be the world's most devoted mother. Why? Because even though I vowed to start NO new projects so that I can finish OpArt and then move on to my works in progress and lovely queue, I ended up starting something new last night. Because I am a very good, devoted mother.

You see, my beloved Beccano, shown here wearing his family tartan tie at the wedding, actually asked me to make him something, as we were driving home from his guitar lesson, he with a brand new-to-him instrument in his hands that he bought with mostly his own money.

You may recall that, last time, he asked for a black hat. Prior to that, he wanted a lucha libre mask, in black. What did he ask for this time? Black gloves. And he asked that 5 days before he leaves for Wisconsin to spend the holidays "living like a rich person" (that is what he calls spending time with his step-mother's very nice family). Did he want nice thick mittens? No, gloves in sock yarn. I guess the best thing about this was that I did happen to already own two skeins of workhorse black Bernat Sox sock yarn, given to me by someone a couple of years ago, so I didn't have to go search it out. I tried to get him to accept brown, but, nope. He wanted black. Nothing's funner than knitting black stuff on tiny needles, ya know. Which proves that I am a very devoted mother to agree to do this for him.

I did think of something that would make the project more look-forward-to-able, and that was that I could try out my new square knitting needles on the project, and that I could go up a size, so maybe I wouldn't need as many stitches. Sure enough, I only needed 48 stitches in this yarn and size 1 square needles to go around his wrist. I plugged all his numbers into the wonderful Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns, by Ann Budd and got to going on it. By the time I was ready to stop knitting and get some reading done (hands are still a bit sore from the hat-a-thon), I had the cuff and partway up the thumb gusset done. I am guessing I will have at least one glove done by the time he leaves, so maybe he can keep one hand in his pocket, like the time it snowed when I was in college (in Florida), and my roommate and I had only one pair of mittens between us, so we each wore one and kept the other hand in our pockets. At least we got to touch the snowflakes and try to scape together enough snow to throw snowballs, even one-handed! We were 18 years old and it was our first snow (I am laughing right now, because Canadian friends took their kids to central Florida this week and took photos of their first palm tree and first trip to the Atlantic--all things I'd experienced before I coule walk--isn't the earth amazing?).

Kollage Square Needle Review

I’d wanted to do a little review of the Kollage needles as soon as I got a chance to use them, so here are my initial impressions. If you are considering getting some, you may want to read on.

• The needles feel great in the hand. I love the way they are balanced and enjoy knitting with them. The ends are not too round and not too sharp, and the squareness does not interfere with the actual knitting.
• The transition between needle and cord is very good. It doesn’t catch on anything, and that’s important to me, since every time one of my KnitPicks cables gets out of whack, it creates a little “catch” in the transition area.
• The cable is incredibly light and thin, which has good and bad points. It’s really easy to divide for magic loop knitting, for example, but it is really hard to push all the stitches forward to go to the next section in magic loop. The needle pushes through, but the cable doesn’t want to move with it, so it gets all doubled up. And I can’t slide the stitches down the cable like I usually do. There’s nothing to hold on to. And of course, I got pretty long needles, because I find those more flexible, so there is a lot of cable pushing between halves of rows.
• Still, I have figured out ways to deal with the cable lightness (I wouldn’t say “flimsy” because that has bad connotations—it’s just very thin, light and flexible), so it doesn’t really detract much from the knitting. And the good parts sort of balance this challenge out.

I did have a friend at the yarn shop say she is much happier with the larger needles, which have a thicker cable, so if you have concerns about the cable on the teeny sizes, you might consider ordering size 4 or higher, and see how those work for you. I’ll see if I can come up with a project that would use the larger size I bought, to see how I like those. Or, I might get more in the size of whatever project I get to do next…if I finish OpArt, the orange sweater and the Itchy Shalom, all of whom are patiently waiting for me to return my attention to them. I like how these feel well enough to want more. But then, I always want more needles.

Pre-Wedding Means Little Knitting

Yvonne asked when the big day is, and it's next Saturday. November 29! Most of the weekend was spent doing pre-wedding stuff, like getting my dress, getting my hair done and such. Lee drove me to New Braunfels, where the dress store is, so I could knit. Only I discovered that, darn it. I needed more beads on the section of Wrap Me Up where I was diligently plodding away. He kindly took me to the Hobby Lobby there (which is really a lot cleaner, nicer, and well stocked than the one near me). I didn't find the same beads, but I found some round ones that were blue with dark pink swirlies on them. They look fine. And I got to knit a bit on the way home. Still, all my dithering about wedding plans means I am having a hard time reading and following instructions, so I am doing a lot of tinking. Good practice, I guess.

So, there isn't much to report other than a bit more on some socks and some interesting segments on Wrap Me Up.

However, yay for me, I ordered stuff. First is some yarn from Knitivity, and it arrived this weekend. That's it in the photo. The left and right ones are "mistakes" so they were discounted. I particularly LOVE the green and black one. Ray did, too, but I took it. The middle one is his surprise yarn of the month from October. Not all that autumnal, but I like green!

The most exciting thing I got, though, are three sizes of those new Kollage square needles. Someone had some at Chicks with Sticks last week and I could not believe how wonderful they felt. I just had to have some, to experience that marvelous cable in my own knitting. Darn the luck, I can't switch to them in the middle of my socks, so I will have to wait. But wowee, they feel wonderful.

Knitting through Frustration

Shalom Cardigan
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I had a lot of frustrations over the weekend, so was glad to have my knitting. Had some difficulties on the band bus (I think my bus kids didn't do anything awful, but had to deal with a pissy bus driver), the power went off for hours on Saturday, the cable went off later so I ended up missing BOTH the Gators and the Longhorns play football, and on Sunday I scheduled a rehearsal for the wrong time, so I missed most of the Cowboy game! Gee. Not my weekend for football. I mainly love football because I get a lot of knitting done when it is on, you see!

And, as you can see, a lot of knitting was done on Shalom. It is somewhat more attractive than it appears to be in the photo. The super bulky yarn makes for a thick fabric, so I think it will be like one of those vests you can wear for warmth, not just decoration. Looking at how the arms are done (which is an interesting way, I think--creates cap sleeves), I am not sure if I will be able to add sleeves to it or not. My other alternative is to lengthen it. I see by the thousands of Lucky Magazines that have come to my house in the last few weeks (I got a free subscription when I bought some shoes online, and they sent the first three months one per week) , long sweater vests are in fashion. We'll see what I think when I finish knitting skein #3, which I am about to start on as soon as I am not working.

I had to go to the Big Fancy LYS south of the river to buy a new, longer size 8 needle for when I was working on the last part of the yoke. Actually, the main body section barely fits on those needles, and with such sturdy yarn, stitches do try to pop off. They don't squish up like a wool would. And, heh heh, since I was at a yarn shop with different stuff from the usual yarn shop, I had to get some sock yarn. I completed my "Panda" collection by getting two balls each of Panda Soy and Panda Wool. I mainly got the Panda Wool because Beccano loved the colors. He wants a hacky sack ball made from it. I don't know if I can part with it (and yes, the photo is blurry, oops).

I did a bit of work on the Maelstrom on Saturday, but when I was wandering around town doing fun stuff, I mostly worked on the Stripey Chevrons socks. It seems like I didn't spend all that much time on them, but I did make some progress. It's a simple pattern but I keep YO-in in the wrong places. Grr, I hate it when I do that!

Other than the usual fun with the usual folks at the usual yarn shop Saturday morning, there's not much other knitting news to report. I'll check in with you later in the week, I am sure.

Excessories! and Before You Teach...

More Sock Yarn
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I made myself laugh just now by commiserating with someone in an email message about having "too much" sock yarn. I said that now my yarn consists decorative accessories in lovely baskets, some of which may be socks some day. Only when I first typed it, I said "excessories" instead of "accessories." What an EXCELLENT mental slip, if I do say so myself!!

So, here we have a photo of some of my excessories in a lovely basket.

Before You Teach

Now for the second part in my series on teaching beginners to knit. Today I'll focus on things to talk a bit about before casting on the first stitch. (This information is also useful to fill time waiting for a latecomer, or for someone to pick out their yarn.)

Now, this IS important stuff, so if someone misses it, it's good to slip some more of this info in during the class or series of classes.

I like to talk in general about the ingredients of knitting, because I have found that if I don't talk about this stuff, I'll get asked about it anyway! You can do the topics in just about any order.

Needles

Types: show them single pointed, double pointed and circular needles, plus a cable needle if one is handy. Let them know that circulars are probably the most versatile, but that most people end up using all of these for different projects. Explain why they are using the shorter single pointed needles (if that's what they have). Mention that some "throwers" like longer needles, because they can rest one in their lap or under their arm. Promise to demo that later.

Materials: reassure them that all materials are appropriate in different circumstances, and that individuals will have different preferences. Talk about wood (bamboo, ebony, birch), plastic (Bryspun, clear, old solid ones, light-up), metal (steel, coated, brass) and the importance of smooth joins and flexible cables in circular needles.

How to Choose: Point out that slippery yarn often benefits from needles with a bit of texture, while smooth yarn knits really quickly on slicker metal needles.

Yarn

I could talk about this for a long time so I try to be brief!

Content: point to the wool, bamboo, cashmere, mohair, cotton, hemp, corn, soy....and say that it didn't use to be like this! I act like an old lady and reminisce about long ago only being able to get acrylic in mod 70s colors.

Textures: Emphasize that they are knitting with smooth yarn, but that there are all kinds of weights and textures and constructions to choose from. Point to the eyelash, the thick-and-thin, the sock yarn, the laceweight and so on.

Quality: go into detail about how good yarn may cost more, but in most cases is worth it. Tell them when a cheap yarn may be fine. Remind them that they will be touching the yarn for many hours, so be sure you like how it feels.

The Label: show them all the brilliant information there is on a yarn ball. Have each person look at the label from their yarn. Have them see if they are using an appropriate needle for their yarn. If not...switch. Tell them you are guessing, since they don't yet know if they are tight, loose or average knitters. This will lead you to...

Gauge

Give them their very first little chat about gauge and why it matters. No doubt it won't be their last. Let them know that every knitter is different, and that's why you can't say that Yarn X should always be knit with Needle Y. (If I personally did that, I'd have many overly large items.)

Where to Buy Yarn

The Local Yarn Shop: If you are in a yarn shop, extol the virtues of the yarn shop up and down. Well, it is TRUE. The LYS is a wonderful thing. Remind them of the friendly helpful staff, the wonderful classes, the ability to see, touch and smell yarn before buying (hey, Schaeffer yarn smells like vinegar, ya know). Mention that you can see many patterns knitted up, and browse patterns easily at the LYS. Remind them that the shop is there to hang around in, if that is true. Point out the wonderful friends you can make there (hug one, if available). If there are other yarn shops in town, let students know it is not a sin to shop there. Usually there are things in one place that aren't in another. And you may be more comfortable with the staff in one place than in another--there are a lot of factors that go into choosing your favorite!

The Internet: Do not deny the lure of the Internet. When the LYS doesn't have enough of the yarn you want, or you can't find something locally, the Internet is your friend! And there are many indie yarn dyers and other vendors whose merchandise is not available in a shop. Mention your personal friends by name, hee hee. Reveal that there are FREE patterns on the Internet! And caution that you sometimes get what you pay for, too! You might want to let them know there is good refresher information out there if they forget something you teach them, and that there are many cool books they can order via the Internet, to expand their knowledge.

Big Box/Discount/Hobby Stores: Be nice, and remember some of your students may simply not have the funds to buy $37.50 dishcloth yarn like YOU did. Just caution that some of the yarn in discount stores and the like may not be of great quality, which may lead to a disappointing product, but that some of the places have much improved selections, and you can't go wrong if you are looking for crochet cotton or dishcloth cotton. Even yarn shop employees get some of their stuff there! If you are careful, you will help the students with limited funds feel better, yet give them the idea that it might be worth their while to get less yarn of better quality than tons of inexpensive stuff.

I try to fit all this information into ten minutes. Good luck with that. The part on where to buy yarn can also be interspersed with your other instruction, and makes good "chatting" fodder while they are knitting away and you are hoping they mess up so you can help them learn how to not make that mistake again.

Have fun!

Teaching Knitting: Getting Started

(First let me say how hard it was to find a picture of something simple that I had knitted! This is the hat pattern I hope to teach ladies next Saturday, if they show up and still want to knit a hat. Of course, they won't be making it in kettle dyed Malabrigo wonderfulness!)

So, as I was saying yesterday, I really enjoy teaching knitting. People keep saying they are impressed at how much I know about beginning knitters, and my reply is that it's just a matter of observing them--I am sure there are many, many instructors out there with similar hard-won knowledge, and I am glad they exist. It's a lot easier to embark on a lifetime passion for knitting if you have a teacher who helps you avoid certain pitfalls and learn to correct mistakes easily and simply, right from the start. I am sure I am not the best beginning knitting teacher in the world, but I seem to be pretty good at getting folks started!

So, I thought I'd add a series of occasional posts here in the blog with some tips as to what works for me, in case you ever get the chance to start a newbie on the road to knitting addiction and want to ensure they are successful. It's important to note that the way I do it is NOT the only way to do it, nor necessarily the "best," but it works for me. All teaching ideas posts will come with the label "teaching ideas" so you can search for them easily.

Equipment

Before getting your student started, be sure that he or she has good starter knitting equipment. Here are options that work for me:

1. Needle material: either bamboo or high-quality plastic (I like the Bryspun needles with the extra pointy tips that make the first pokes through the stitches easier. I like bamboo because it feels good for tactile learners and is not slippery.)
2. Needle length: usually shorter ones. They are less awkward to hold, which is especially good for younger knitters.
3. Needle size: appropriate for the yarn chosen. I know a lot of people use large needles, but it's hard to see stitch definition if the fabric is really loose and lacy, and I've seen students very disappointed in how their output looks if the yarn is too thin for the needles.
4. Yarn type: wool or cotton that is smooth and does not easily come apart. You need smooth so that the new student can learn to identify what a good stitch looks like, and you need something tightly spun or solid, to reduce the frustration from splitting the yarn. Sometimes you will need to compromise on this, of course. Wool is my favorite, because it has bounce and is a bit more forgiving of uneven stitches. However, many people like to start making dishcloths, which aren't really "wool" items. A nice quality cotton is fine for dishcloths. I find Sugar and Cream splits a bit, but hey, that works, and is a bargain.
5. Yarn size: generally worsted to bulky weight. Super bulky is too hard to manipulate (though I demo on it, so folks can see what I am doing). And thinner yarn works, but doesn't show much progress--new knitters need to be able to see that they've accomplished something fairly quickly, to maintain interest.
6. Yarn color: this is up to the student, but I have found that self-striping, pooling or otherwise variegated yarn is useful for a couple of reasons. For one, having the yarn you are knitting with a different color from the yarn you are knitting into lets you see what you are doing more easily. Also it can be easier to count rows if the color changes. And for those who are discouraged easily, striped yarns provide encouragement. You can see you've done two or three colors. Or you can knit hard, hoping for the pink section to show up. Knitting five feet of a tan garter stitch scarf could bore anyone, even an eager knitter who really wants a tan scarf. I've had a lot of success with young people on yarns that slowly change color. They are fun.
7. Pattern: it's nice to have whatever you are teaching written in a very simple pattern. It will get folks scared of patterns a chance to break one down into its components and learn that it is their friend.

What Not to Choose

There are some choices that make teaching more difficult:

1. Shiny aluminum needles: these are slippery, are often a bit too long, and make irritating noises. People often proudly bring them in to learn on. Often they buy bamboo before they leave, when they see that the other students are having more success that way. Of course, if a student feels they can't afford new needles, they CAN learn on shiny aluminum!
2. Poorly made acrylic yarn: I am not 100% anti acrylic--I liked that Sirdar Toddler Aran I knit with last week, for example. But, the worsted weight stuff that comes in giant balls in Big Box stores is not a great choice for a new knitter. Why? Well, it feels awful. You spend many hours with your first knitted project--it helps if you spend many hours feeling lovely wool or high quality cotton. Your finished product will last longer and look better if made from nice materials, as well. Poor quality acrylics are very uncomfortable in a scarf or a hat, for example.
3. Novelty Yarn: you can't see what you are doing in novelty yarn, so you can't tell when you have made a mistake. Promise the student that a shiny or fluffy scarf can be their third project. Thankfully, that trend is passing, anyway.

Next: What to teach before casting on a stitch!

Remember, the above is just what works for me, and not "rules." These are guidelines, which means you can change them if you find something else works better for you!

Grab Your Credit Cards!

OMG! Even a headache and arthritic hands couldn't stop me from buying a lot o' merchandise before my first cup of coffee was finished this morning.

KNITPICKS HAS NEW WOODEN NEEDLES!

Run! Quick! You know they'll sell out!

THEY ARE ALL COLORFUL AND RAINBOW-Y!

And they are birch, with fairly sharp points. Oooh, that sounds nice. I think my knitting life may now be complete. I will have circulars in 0-3 including all the wonderful "in between" sizes we sock knitters love, plus 4-11 interchangeables in this beautiful new needles. Heck, who cares if I like to use them or not. They are PRETTY.

I think my morning email from Knitpicks was the most exciting thing that's happened in many a week.

Oh happy day! Since I have been missing out on things by dawdling (like Ravelry and the Cat B. sock book), I figured for ONCE I'd get my stuff in time. It's only been a few hours since the email came in, and many people sleep in on Saturdays...maybe I will actually get the needles!

In My Own Less Hyperventilation-Inspiring Knitting News

I did get down to the gusset on the second brown sock between the bus and lulls in the high school football game, which, by some miracle, our high school won. We were WAY the underdogs. Off to the yarn store to shriek about the new raibow needles and finish that one and get moving on the Disco #2.

New Stuff!

I am waiting on help with turning the corner on the Cherry Leaf shawl due to unclear instructions (the lace knitting girl wasn't at Chicks with Sticks last night, and I haven't seen Jody in ages, so I emailed Jody--help's on its way). I just don't want to mess up due to misinterpreting! I did get through a couple more pattern repeats on the Rosebud shawl. MMM, it's dreamy. Must take a photo!

Much of yesterday was spent playing with new toys, though. I got this stuff in the mail:

Knitpicks needle set: It finally came in, so I put it all together. I put my lace knitting needles and a couple of Addi bamboo circulars, plus my really special fancy stitch markers and my purple scissors in the binder, too. I will rearrange my big knitting bag and feel all professional, probably over the weekend. Not sure why I put off getting these things, which everyone else I know has...I guess my irritation that the small sizes aren't convertible had something to do with it. But, I ordered 32" circulars in 0-3, so I have all the sizes I will ever need (I don't really knit often with anything bigger than 10.5US, so I didn't order any large needle tips). I'll add my 000 needles and put a space for the 00s that are making a sock, and I will have all I need, portable. Still will have the honking big hanging circular holder, though.

Top Down Sweaters Book: (by Doreen Marquart) I also ordered this one, but I am not as thrilled with it as I could have been. All the sweaters seem a bit bulky to me, and most look like things I could have thought up for myself. But, there are a couple of fun ones in Noro Silk Garden that I might knit up, and perhaps the words are interesting (didn't get a chance to read any of it yet). So, I have not given up on the book.

No Sheep for You: (by Amy Singer the Knitty person) One of the women I knit with was going on and on about the content of this one, and since I like interesting fibers, I went ahead and got it. Well, she was right--I actually LEARNED some stuff in the few pages I managed to read last night! Like Tussah silk refers to a type of moth (I guess I thought it was a place). I know a lot about fibers and how they are made, but this book has some new info for me, so I am happy, happy, happy. I think I'd have enjoyed writing this book.

Needle Gauge: I am so happy to get the Knitpicks needle gauge and magnifier doo-dad. I like the magnifier thing. That will make figuring out gauge a little easier for almost-50 me.

I managed to not buy anything other than an iced latte at the yarn store (since my air conditioning repair will be $2K, I think that was wise), though I did drool over a couple of Louisa Harding patterns...too bad I' like to make her winter sweaters out of her summer yarns...maybe I can. Looking forward to her workshop in a few weeks, though!

Oh, everyone at the shop really liked my Lace Style book. I think I sold a few items for Interweave Press last night by showing that one off. I am strongly encouraging Pilar the daring dresser to make the little lace dress in there. Unanimous opinion was that the abundance of photographs of the items at different angles was very helpful. Nothing's worse than a book of patterns with such artsy photos that you can tell what the knitted thing actually looks like.

More Progress on Shawl

Yay! I finished the main body of the Cherry Leaf shawl and am cruising down the border. It took me a while to get going in the right direction, but it's a nice border when stretched out. I just can't memorize it, darn it, and occasionally lose my spot. I will probably have it memorized the last couple of repeats. The colors look a bit more realistic in this picture and the one below, and it straightened out nicely when I stretched it on the cushion. It seems a bit on the wide side compared to length, but that may change in blocking.

Here's a close-up of the border, I am doing the connecting in a slightly different way than usual, which I think, when blocked will look nice--won't have that effect that looks like a crochet slip stitch chain on it. (Speaking of which, there's a typo in Victorian Lace today, on this pattern, where they spell "stitches" "stices."

You can see that I broke down and bought a set of those little short double pointed needles for making the border. They are NICE, way less awkward than the circular one and even less unweildy than longer dpns. And since I am doing my next shawl on the same size needles, I should be able to use them again. A good investment. They also make nice cable needles.

Yeah, I picked my next shawl. It is the Rosebud Shawl from Heirloom Knitting, and it is going to be extremely red wool/cashmere laceweight (like Lacey Lamb in texture). I look forward to that challenge!

I got the new edition of Wild Fibers. I sure like that magazine. It's like National Geographic, only for knitters. The articles on Bhutan are very interesting, and there sure are some beautiful yaks, goats and alpacas in the pictures! I got to see a couple of friends at the yarn shop, but no Jody. Shoot, who's going to explain to me how to do the corner on the border? I am having trouble understanding the instructions and she's the expert translator.

Well, Happy Mothers' Day. I got myself the Knitpicks needles for the event, if they ever arrive. I hear I also will get some cards.

Cherry Leaf Landmark

I'm totally focued on the Cherry Leaf shawl from Victorian Lace Today right now. And last night it hit a milestone--I finished all the cherry leaves. Ended up with 304 stitches across. Now I am doing 14 rows of garter stitch, after which I can bind off and do the lace edging. Sounds quick and easy. Well, until you multiply 304 X 14 = 4256. Perhaps I should not have done that calculation. Still, I have a concert to go to this evening, which is perfect for garter stitching! That will let me get going on the border at the yarn shop tomorrow. Woo.

Speaking of the yarn shop. They got in Addi lace needles. And they sold them out. Zoom. That's what happens when I miss a Saturday visit. I only ended up with size 3 and size 6 (47") because hardly anything was left. I look forward to using them on my next lace project, though.

And bad little Suna that I am, I also broke down and ordered the Knitpicks needle set, plus 0-3 in their longest circulars, plus two books. I got tired of waiting for the shop to get that top-down sweater book. I want to read it NOW (if I can put down I Am a Small Loop, which competes with my knitting).

Back to my LYS. They are going to host Louisa Harding on June 10! I am happy we are getting a visitor, since it is usually the other yarn store in town that gets all the fancy knitting guests (lovely place, good selection, just a bit far for me to drive to often and I don't get a discount there). It will be fun to go to the store on a Sunday, too!

Tomorrow will be a good knitting day, I hope. I hope to see Jody at the shop, and maybe meet my birthday shawl. I am then going to go on a hike with friends from my former job at Inks Lake State Park. If I am really lucky, I might sneak a visit to the rumored yarn shop in Burnet, which Jody and I have never managed to go check out on our own. Bonus: lots of car time for knitting.