Nancy made this lovely sweater.
A lot of material was covered in class tonight, and we spent quite a long time discussing ideas for the money raised and the new challenge for the Art Walk.
Steeks & Yarn
Linda demonstrated steeking by cutting between two rows with sharp scissors. The wool did not fray, and we learned where to pick up stitches. Also if you are picking up stitches on a bound off edge, it is 1 stitch for 1row (is this supposed to be row or stitch?). For neck and arm hole shaping, pick up 1 stitch for every diagonal row. It is 3 stitches for every 4 rows on placket rows (k3, skip 1), then it will not pucker.
The Cardigan Patterns
We went over a new handout, “Get to Know your Body,” and reviewed all of the cardigan patterns. Linda explained where to place markers and to use closed make 1s (left slanting) instead of open make 1s (right slanting) which is on one of the first handouts. Also, our order came in, and it was distributed in class. Judith shared that one knit shop she visited donates knitted baby garments to a women’s shelter; that’s an idea for the baby cardigans.
Gauge
It is important to make a swatch to check the gauge before starting any garment for good fit. A half a stitch makes a big difference around a whole sweater. “There is nothing sadder than doing all the work getting a garment done, and it does not fit.” Here are some guidelines we learned in class:
Make the swatch with the same yarn and needle to be used for the garment.
Make the swatch using the same stitch as for the main part of the garment. For example, if the pattern calls for seed stitch, the swatch should be seed stitch. The baby cardigan swatch should be made in garter stitch since the pattern is all garter stitch. Not all swatches must be done in stockinette only.
Measure your swatch in three places, and then take the average of the 3 measurements since we tend to loosen up as we knit.
Make sure your yarn is color fast by washing and blocking it when the swatch is finished.
Be careful mixing needles of different brands. For example KnitPicks Harmony size 8 dpns are larger than Denise Needles size 8.
Different colors within one type of yarn vary in thickness too. I think Linda said do not mix blue yarn with red yarn for this reason.
New Rule for Help
Not everyone had a chance to be helped in class last week. In order for Linda to help everyone, no more than two questions will be allowed at one time.
Stitch n’ Ride
A number of emails were sent out this week. See Irene for carpool arrangements and information.
Phone and Email List
The class email list was sent to our email address right before class.
Ballot
Louise is going to make a ballot for us to vote on what to do with the $400. We’ll make sure Liz in the morning class gets one. Linda informed us that her sister donated money raised from the bra display to breast cancer research. Diana suggested having men model the bras to auction off. Louise suggested having a poster made to give to mammogram centers.
Art Walk
Linda has a new idea and asked the class if we would be interested in knitting a doll resembling a famous person. The idea comes from a book entitled “25 Knitted Icons.” The main body of the doll is knitted and then embellished with anything to resemble someone that is known worldwide such as Abraham Lincoln or Elvis Presley. A sign up sheet will be passed around; Dolly Parton and Adam & Eve are already taken. No animals or fictional characters can be made, and it must be of high quality to be entered in the Art Walk. We were told the examples in the book were not well made.
Have a good week. Remember, have fun knitting.
How cute! A little hen made by Louise
A very creative modular purse design by Jesse
Nice, warm hats by Pat
No comments:
Post a Comment