If you're a knitter or wannabe knitter then it helps to know how the body , and in particular how the hands work.
Watch the videos to find out more...
0 Comments
It's only a matter of time before you come across the knitting abbreviation w&t, also known as 'wrap and turn', but what is it and how do you do it?
I'm not sure if these are fashionable facts about knitting, more 10 interesting facts . Watch the video to decide for yourself.
![]() This is the machine I'm currently infatuated with. The Toyota KS901 is one of the last knitting machines Toyota made and reputedly one of the best. She's a 24 stitch punchcard machine which means you can insert a special punchcard with a pattern up to 24 stitches wide and she'll do all the patterning for you. She can also do knit Fair Isle designs (2 colour patterns per line of knitting), Motifs, Lace with an attachment, Slip Stitch patterns and Tuck Stitch patterns and create a fabric with stockinette stitch on both sides! - she's very clever like that. The only downside I've found to the Toyota KS901 is that it's not as easy to find parts and resources for her as the other Japanese Knitting machines. The easiet and cheapest option is usually to buy a second machine to use for spares. They're still relatively cheap to pick up on various second hand sites and come up for sale on a regular basis. Watch the video below to see the Toyota KS901 in action... There's not much more I can do to my Happy little Critter this evening as I need to buy stuffing. I may end up using beads instead as my stuffing skills are non existent - lumpy and bumpy all the way! It will give her a more Beanine Baby feel but Beanie Baby feel is good.
Another potential knitting project for our beginner knitters. I may even use the pattern to make a Youtube video if my nephew will be kind enough to do a bit of filming for me.
The pattern is available free at FreeKnitting.com. You have to register to download the pattern but it's well worth the (minimal) effort. I stumbled across this rope tying video and it got me thinking, could this be used as a sewn cast on? I haven't tried it yet and doubt if it would become my everyday method of casting on but it will be fun to give it a try - once! sitting there sewing on a cast on instead of using the long tail method which is my cast on of choice (unless a knitting pattern instructs me otherwise) really isn't going to happen any time soon! But you can never have too much knowledge - knowledge is good!
![]() I want to make up a sample of these gloves as I think this will be the perfect pattern to teach my beginner hand knitting students how to: Rib Knit In The Round Work Straight on Circular Knitting Needles The original pattern calls for the use of Double Pointed Needles; personally I'm not a fan of them so I'm going to rewrite the original pattern so that the group can practice the magic loop method. One of my favourite knitting YouTubers. I first came across Cheryl Brunette when I had my Bond Knitting machine and wanted to know how to use it! I think I've watched most of her machine knitting videos but need to catch up on her hand knitting tutorials.
I'm constantly on the lookout for patterns for things I can make as small fundraising or craft fair items.
So what in my mind makes a good fundraising item? To my mind the item has to be safe, quick and cheap to make, durable and easily cleaned. A bit of a lucky haul today. I went in to Kilburn to snap up some last minute food bargains. For some reason I ventured in to my local Traid Clothing Charity shop. It's very rare for me to go in there, unless there is a sale on, but I was in the mood for a bit of a wonder. Good job I did! I managed to find two 50g balls of Stylecrafts Senses yarn - 80% acrylic, 20% mohair in Eucalyptus for £1.99 for the two. They retail at just over £3 each so not a bad find. I also found 4 x100g balls of Contessa Aran yarn - 80% acrylic, 20% wool in cream. I'm guessing this is a 'retro' yarn as I've never seen it in the shops or online before. At £1.99 for two, again not a bad find.
There are times when I want to get things done .....fast!, usually when the knitting pattern calls for long stretches of stockinette (or garter) stitch, which is where speed knitting comes in.
If you're going to learn how to speed knit then why not learn from the fastest knitter(s) in the world? I had to laugh when I discover this video. There are certain things you will NEVER! hear a knitter say and I well and truly fall in to the category of 'not a hope in hell of me saying that'. I'm not sure if it's something to be proud of looking at my stash, but it's nice to know I'm not alone.
Having watched numerous videos and practiced the two colour brioche stitch over and over, I have to say I'm beginning to feel a bit more comfortable with the technique. Granted I don't know much yet, I still have to learn how to increase and decrease and how to correct my mistakes, but I feels as If I'm well on the way to becoming a fully fledged brioche knitter...........yippee....it's the hardest thing I've had to learn in a long time!
I learnt how to knit the Kitchener stitch using knitting needles before I learnt the more common method of sewing off your stitches using a tapestry or wool needle. Kitchener Stitch is once method you can use to 'graft' two pieces of knitting together. It makes an invisible join if you get the sequence and tension right.
Doreen kindly demonstrated to the group how she made the very quick and easy knitted flowers she has been attaching to her Twiddle Muffs. The pattern is VERY versatile. Doreen cast on 40 stitches and cast off 6 stitches at a time. The video below demonstrates the flowers being made by casting on 46 stitches and casting off 8 stitches at a time. The more stitches you add and the bigger the needles you use the bigger the flower will be.
The Long Tail Cast On is a great cast on to know if you need to cast on quickly and you have a lot of stitches to cast on.
Having both a yarn winder and swift is a God send if you work with hanks of yarn which are 'plaited' and need to be wound in to balls or cakes of yarn before they can be used. I have a couple of yarn winders, acquired with the purchase of various knitting machines, but I'm yet to own a yarn swift. I rarely buy hanks of yarn so it's never been a necessity but It is on my knitting wish list.
I was so pleased to discover this very stretchy cast off (bind off). There are quite a few stretchy bind offs out there, but the thing I like about this one is that it doesn't flare and it's easy to learn; simply bind off as you would normally but give the stitch on the right hand needle a quick twist! Who knew the cure for tight ankles when knitting socks would just be a quick twist of the needle.
A lady in my Twiddle Muff knitting class mentioned that she and her son had made the Knit a Bunny From A Square Pattern. It's something that I looked at a few years back and found ingenious - who comes up with these things? I'm guessing origami had some kind of influence in it. Anyway, I came across this video which wasn't around when I first came across the pattern and I have to say I think her bunny looks better than the other patterns I've come across.
|
Craft - 'An activity involving skill in making things by hand.
Categories
All
|