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The project: Knitting all the stitches in KnittingOnTheNet.com's Stitch Directory.
The yarn: Anything you want. I'm using a Phentex "Monster Ball of Yarn" (32 oz. 100% acrylic), which won't block, but will give good stitch definition.
The needles: Again, whatever you want that goes with your yarn. I'm using my beloved Lantern Moon size 7s, because they're pretty.
Why this is happening: Because lots of people want to learn new stitches this year!
This week's stitches: Close Checks (#7), Diagonal Rib (#8), Diagonals (#9), Diamond Pattern (#10), Double Basketweave (#11) and Double Seed Stitch/Double Moss Stitch (#12)
First, Close Checks. This is worked over a multiple of six stitches, so that will give me eighteen pattern stitches with six border stitches on each side. Since the pattern repeats over eight rows, three repeats will get us to 24 rows. The principle is the same as Box Stitch, just over more stitches (three) and rows (four). Looks like a big, well-defined box stitch, too.
Things I noticed about this pattern: Reversible, as advertised. As in I was going to show you a shot of the front, but it looks EXACTLY like the back, so what's the point? Does try to pull in a bit width-wise (it's basically a 3x3 rib every four rows), but wouldn't have to be blocked.
Second, Diagonal Rib. Finally, another pattern worked over four stitches! Something actually divisible evenly into 20! This means five border stitches, 20 pattern stitches, five border stitches. It's another pattern that repeats over eight rows, so three repeats will get us to 24 rows here, too.
Things I noticed about this pattern: Reversible, as advertised. The trick seems to be "pay attention to the pattern on the RS; then, whatever stitch is there on the WS, do that again." So, if, on the WS, it looks like there's a purl stitch next (meaning you did a knit stitch on the RS), do a purl stitch.
This pattern tries to bunch in on itself a bit, but can't. And it's a mite strange-looking. I'm not sure what I'd use it for - dishcloths, maybe? It makes an interesting texture. Making Diagonal Ribs in the round could be cool (now trying to imagine the "fun" of matching sleeve and body ribs so everything swirls together up to the neckline - *shudder*).
Third, Diagonals. KnittingOnTheNet.com says this about this pattern:"A stockinette background with reverse stockinette diagonal ridges make this pattern stitch pop out. The wrong side looks equally nice but the ridges move in the other direction and are larger. The ridges and background can be worked over any number of stitches and each can be wider or more narrow once the principle is understood."
It's an odd one, worked over a "multiple of 8 +6". This means I can have one repeat (for a whopping 14 stitch wide pattern) or two repeats (for an extra-wide 22 stitches). I'm going to go with the 22 stitches, so I can get a feel for what multiple repeats look like. This means four border stitches, 22 pattern stitches, four border stitches.
Things I noticed about this pattern: Well, the notes from KnittingOnTheNet.com are right. This could be done with as many k's and/or p's as you wanted. It acts like a rib, though, and does scrunch in on itself. If you were just looking for texture, you'd want to do it in a fiber that would block flat.
Trying to get a better shot,
so you can see how it pulls in on itself
Fourth, Diamond Pattern. This is a multiple of thirteen. Two multiples (26 stitches) won't work for my blanket strip, so I'm just going to do the pattern over 20 stitches. This means I'll be doing the following (the part beyond the pattern as stated is in bold):
Row 1: k6, p1, k6; k6, p1
Row 2: p1, k1, p5; p5, k1, p1, k1, p5
Row 3: k4, (p1,k1) 2 times, p1, k4; k4, p1, k1, p1
Row 4: (p1, k1) 2 times, p3; p3, (k1, p1) 3 times, k1, p3;
Row 5: k2, (p1, k1) 4 times, p1, k2; k2 (p1, k1) 2 times, p1
Row 6: (p1, k1) 3 times, p1; (p1, k1) 6 times, p1; (and then the "Repeat Row x" continues as before.)
It's at least a pattern over twelve rows, so two repeats is all I'll need.
Things I noticed about this pattern: Lies somewhat flat, due to all the k1p1-ing, but the stockinette areas really need blocking. It has texture, and design, yet it's easy to figure out by halfway through the first repeat. I ended up not actually looking at the pattern for the last 18 rows, which is always nice, so this would be a great pattern for decoration over a large area - interesting enough, but not tricky; it would also make a nice up-the-center motif on sleeves or the front/back of a sweater.
Back
Fifth, Double Basketweave. Yes, if it's a three-day weekend, there are likely to be extra patterns snuck in. (Don't worry, this won't happen often.) This one is a "multiple of 4 +3", so I'll choose (4x4) +3 = 19 stitches' worth of pattern. I'll set it up as five border stitches, 19 pattern stitches, six border stitches, to keep consistent with keeping the larger number of border stitches at the end of the first RS row of the pattern. Since it's worked over 8 rows, I'll do 3 repeats. Also, since like regular Basketweave, it depends on the k-across rows, I'll do a twenty-fifth row (the k-across), which will leave me with five rows of seed stitch between this and the next pattern.
I really wish it photographed better, it's REALLY pretty.
Things I noticed about this pattern: Like the Diagonal Rib, the trick seems to be "pay attention to the pattern on the RS; then, whatever stitch is there on the WS, do that again." It's not reversible, as you can see from the photo below - in fact, I wouldn't reverse it, ever, since it looks like a garter stitch as done by my three-year-old self. But the front looks very nice!
Finally, Double Moss Stitch aka Double Seed Stitch- except it's the same as Box Stitch, which we've already done in the first week. No need to repeat, but it's nice to have it as a reference both places in the alphabetical list and to know it's one of those patterns with more than one name!A note on the whole project: Since there are 139 stitch patterns (some are listed under multiple headings), plus 7 different edgings in KnittingOnTheNet.com's Stitch Directory, I'll be trying to do two to three stitches a week, minimum. This should get everyone a goodly number of new stitches by the end of the year, and hopefully get me a blanket. No worries if you "fall behind" or "start late" - this is for fun & education, there isn't *really* a time limit of any sort on it. If you're just discovering this project, this link will take you to the beginning, and this link will pull up all the related entries. Just knit on, and have fun!
Diane, who is neither previously known to me nor related to me, knitted mitts for her SiL, Cathie. Now, this isn't unusual; people I don't know make mitts for other people all the time. What makes *this* particularly special to me is that she made them using My First Published Pattern, Simple Top-Down Mitts. And she got mitts out of them! (Yes, I realize that's the whole point of a pattern, but still. It seems like Magic right now.) Wheeeee!!!
Diane's project page is here [Ravelry link]. And she very sweetly allowed me to share her photo of her completed mitts:
Diane's Mitt, modeled by Cathie
Thanks for letting me know, Diane!! I'm all-to-pieces excited about this!!
ALSO: Okay, hitting everywhere with this one: Threadworks, purveyor of really lovely (!!!) threads for needlework, has started an online magazine.
IT IS REALLY, REALLY PRETTY!!!! 50 pages of full-color pretty. Patterns. Book reviews. Threads. Stitch instructions. Pretty.
All one has to do to get it is to sign up through the blog, http://threadworx.typepad.com/. Yep, you give your name and e-mail - something I tend not to do, but a Trusted Thread Friend raved about it, so I did (yesterday) and had the e-mail with the links to this lovely magazine - and my Joined-Before-March special gift - waiting for me.
May I just say? WOW.
And you don't have to print it out even, thus saving Trees and Postage and all that. But I totally printed mine, anyway, and will be getting a pretty little binder for it. Magazine ♥ Love!!
What I read last week:
"Crime de Cocoa" anthology, JoAnna Carl (aka Eve K. Sandstrom) - includes "The Chocolate Cat Caper", "The Chocolate Bear Burglary", "The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up" and a bonus short shorty, "The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue." New to the Lee McKinney mysteries, I read the book in order, starting with the short story, Lee's first appearance (and first mystery solved). In each of the tales, the reader is given the clues along with the heroine (although one or two pieces of the puzzle are revealed before Lee notices them), and everything is tied up tidily at the end of each story. (I have to admit that about halfway through "The Chocolate Bear Burglary", I was letting my mind drift while I knitted, and figured it out early. Miss Marple knew what she was doing with all that innocent-looking knitting!) There's a breath of romance from time to time, and Lee's "malapropisms" - which seem to upset her more than anyone else - are an interesting character quirk. The characters are broadly drawn, with more detail going into (a) regular characters (Aunt Nettie; the local police) and (b) the ones who turn out to be crucial to solving (and possibly who have committed) the murder. Filled with fascinating minutae about the chocolatiers' business (which is different from making candy!) and set in a lovely just-off-the-Lakes Michigan town, this is a light, bubbly read with an engaging heroine.
The Back of the Jacket:
The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue - The first appearance ever of Lee McKinney! With her parents going through a messy divorce, a mopey teenage Lee is spending the summer working in her aunt and uncle's chocolate shop. When a wealthy customer is kidnapped, she quickly discovers an unsuspected talent for seluthing.
The Chocolate Cat Caper - When a high-profile defense lawyer dies after eating a cat-shaped candy laced with cyanide, it's up to Lee to find out who tampered with the recipe - before she ends up behind not-so-chocolate bars.
The Chocolate Bear Burglary - After a burglary at the shop, antique dealer Gail Hess turns up dead - and the main suspect in the murder is Lee's troubled teenage stepson. Lee sets out to clear his name, but awakening long-hibernating family secrets might be more than this daring crime solver can bear.
The Chocolate Frog Frame-Up - The first customer to buy one of the store's new chocolate croakers is the town crank, Hershel Perkins - just after getting into an altercation with Lee's boyfriend, Joe. When Hershel goes missing, the police suspect foul play. Joe seems the most likely suspect, and Lee must find the chocolate clue that will lead to the real killer.
Genre(s): Mystery
Audience: teens, adults
Online Extras: Fun bits of Chocolate Lore at JoAnnaCarl.com!
Reading Time: Four days (hey, it's three books, that's not bad)
Recommend: Oh, go ahead and buy it. It's three books for the price of one!
I read a lot. Given how much I knit, I really shouldn't have time for eating - but I tend to eat at least two meals a day at work (by myself), and I don't want food on my knitting, so - I read. I'm not reading as much as I usually do, since the Monster Yarn Pattern Project thing is taking over chunks of my evenings (it's going to be a while before there's little enough yarn left for it to be a "portable project"), so I'll share what I've been reading. It's pretty eclectic, and I'm not a critic. Pretty much anything I pick up, I read; I don't tend to pick up things I don't think I'll finish. Don't expect anything in-depth, but you may find something you hadn't heard of that you might want to track down to read yourself.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."
MLK
portrait quilt by Diana Bracy, Las Vegas, NV
from
President Obama: a Celebration of Art Quilts,
curated by Dr. Susan Walen.
So, I made my husband a Danica scarf last year, and while he wore it all last winter, he's only worn it once this year, and reluctantly at that. Why? He's worried it's going to fall off and be lost. So, off I go on a Noble Quest to find a Scarf That Won't Fall Off. There's the moebius method: Tonya's got some great photos of hers. There's Mutant Penguin's approach, which is a stick-one-end-through-the-other via the magic of construction.
Neither of these time-tested methods for scarf stop-loss will do, though, so I'm left with the following (spouse-cited) criteria:1. It can't fall off.
2. It should have long ends, so if it's extra-cold, the ends can be wrapped about the head/neck for additional warmth.
3. One of the ends should have a secure pocket for a Metro SmarTrip card (works on the whole DC-Metro subway/bus system).
4. It should be long enough to look "normal" on someone in the 6'4"-6'6" range.
5. It should be machine-washable.
6. It can't fall off.
I decided the following would probably work: 1. moebius-style cowl
2. with two long floppy ends grafted (or knit) on in such a way that it'll fool the eye into thinking it's a normal scarf with
3. A built in pocket.
That's all great... but how?
To make a thick fabric from the get-go, I'll be doing a k1p1 rib in worsted-weight yarn on small (size 4) needles. I've done a Noro moebius cowl before (see here) over 40 stitches. No way that's going to be wide enough. Hm. My striped scarf was done over 50 stitches, in somewhat thicker yarn than the Noro (Lorna's Laces Worsted, I believe). Close... but probably not wide enough.
So, this Adventure in Spouse-Requested Knitting will begin with 60 stitches in a k1p1 rib, with a color-change every four rows between a "bright color that will show up" and "something that looks cool with it". (It looks like an '80s era computer monitor.) It will start with a close-fitting moebius cowl (I'll be grafting the moebius effect, which is cheating, but hey, it worked just fine for mine), which will take a while, since it's 60 stitches on size four needles, and my husband has a large skull, over which the cowl must fit snugly (but not TOO snugly).
Here's what I've got so far.
Looks like quite a bit, until you realize that it's going to be OVER EIGHT FEET LONG by the end. (I'm thinking this'll be a nice scarf for NEXT winter, but I'm going to try to finish it this year. It'll be my carry-around project once Clapotis is done.)
