Swatching

We always recommend making a swatch before starting every project. Most of the time our customers say they hate swatching, they don't swatch, they've never swatched, they can't imagine swatching... etc, etc. So we know there's a lot of anti-swatching out there! But we're going to keep recommending it, and here's just one reason why...

We just rearranged the entire worsted room last week. (Locals... come on in and check it out. It looks great!) And while we were rearranging the yarns, we had to opportunity to touch EACH AND EVERY ball. Sure, we each have our favorites, but by being forced to fondle each ball, we got reacquainted with some long lost loves!

One yarn that I've always loved is Berroco Remix. Remix is a super soft worsted weight yarn that's made of 100% recycled fibers. It's machine washable (another plus for me!) and has a nice tweedy effect. While moving the Remix to it's new location in the shop, I really started itching to knit with it. 

I started looking through the sweater patterns in the shop, and settled on the Chic Knits Ariann sweater. I really wanted a cardigan and I like the look of this pattern stitch. I'm going to make the long sleeves (instead of 3/4), but I'll pass on the belt! The collar doesn't thrill me... I really wanted a v-neck, but I'm going to see what I can do with it. By the time I knit up to the neck, maybe I'll have come up with a way to modify it to suit my tastes.

This sweater pattern calls for a stitch gauge (in stockinette) of 4.75 stitches to the inch. Remix is 4.25 stitches to the inch on an 8 US needle. I started my swatching on a 6 US Addi Lace needle. 

[I went down 1 size from what the ball band said, because I needed to cram an extra 1/2 stitch into every inch, and then another size since I knit a little loose, and normally go down 1 size needle.]

I ended up getting almost 5 stitches to the inch which is pretty close to 4.75. But I felt like I was really trying to knit tight... and it was making my hands cramp up. That wasn't going to be enjoyable for me, and I like to ENJOY my knitting time.

So I threw a purl row into my swatch and tried a size 7 US Addi Lace. And I relaxed to my normal knitting tension. And the swatch... was too loose. It measured in at 4.25 stitches to the inch.

After another purl row, I went back to the 6 US Addi Lace and knit with a normal relaxed tension. The result? 4.5 stitches to the inch.

My final attempt was on a Denise size 6 US with a normal relaxed tension. And it was perfect. I ended up getting exactly 4.75 stitches to the inch.

Why did I keep trying different needle sizes and types, you ask? Isn't 4.5 close enough to 4.25? And isn't 5 close enough? 

Well, yes. However, in an adult sweater, that 1/4 stitch per inch difference can really throw off the sizing of your final product! I am making a sweater with a finished chest measurement of 38". If I used the Addi Lace size 6 (with a gauge of 4.5 stitches to the inch) the finished chest measurement of this sweater would have been 40.2" That's more than 2" TOO BIG. 

And if I had used the same Addi Lace needles (size 6) and concentrated on just knitting a little tighter (with a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch) the finished chest measurement would have been 36.2"... almost 2" TOO SMALL.

Moral of the story? We're always going to recommend you swatch. And if you can't get the gauge on a certain type of needle, you may need to try another type!

Over $150,000 donated

contributed by Shawn

Did you know? 

• On June 1, 2011 the amount of money donated to the S.D.Ireland Breast Cancer Research Fund by the Denise company reached $150,000!

• FIVE dollars from each purchase of a pink Denise Kit, TWO dollars from each purchase of a pink Companion Set, and ONE dollars from each purchase of a pink Long Cord Set goes directly and entirely to breast cancer research through the S.D. Ireland fund. 

When we called to order from Denise recently, they thanked us for our support, and we just have to share this thank you... with YOU!
 

We love Denise kits - it is so handy to have every size needle available!  And since our shop is in Vermont we know a lot about the Fund and the story behind this effort.

Check out the Denise connection here and the Vermont S.D. Ireland connection here for more information.

THANK YOU KNITTERS!

Della Q Items: Back in Stock

We carried Della Q bags and needle cases a number of years ago and now we've got 4 our favorite new Della Q products back in the shop.

First up is "The Que". This is a great circular needle case that's available in two fun fabrics. We chose the cotton prints, because we think they're gorgeous and durable. 

The pockets that hold each needle are actually large enough to hold more than one set - which we all know is important, since who just has one of each size? Also, there's a great little flap on each pocket. This flap is actually sized perfectly to tuck into each pocket, holding the needles securely inside. If you've ever picked up your needle case and it was upside down, and all of your circulars spilled out all over the floor, you'll appreciate this tiny - yet super smart - detail.

We also carry two interchangeable kits (by Denise) in gorgeous Della Q silk cases. There's a knitting needle set and a crochet hook set, and these were both really popular gift items this winter. It's so smart that these two companies teamed up together with their incredible products!

Denise Crochet Hook Interchangeable Set in a Della Q case

And just last week we received some really fun Della Q project bags. These are perfect for small knitting or crochet projects, and make great gifts - they're under $10!

These bags come in assorted colors and you can choose from three funny sayings. SO much better than a plastic baggie for your project!

New Crochet Sweater

contributed by Barb

A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I drove to CT to visit family. She's been driving for a few years now so I let her drive so I could start a new project.

I  had just purchased the Crochet Circle Vest Shrug Pattern from LazyTcrochet and was eager to get started. I didn't have time in CT, but worked on it a bit on the drive and it's coming along nicely!

I'm using Berroco Remix and my Denise Crochet Hook set.  The Remix is wonderful to work with - I've been waiting to use this yarn for a sweater and I think this is the perfect one!

One spring sweater completed!

I just finished my Monhegan Tee last night and I love it! I have not had a hand knit sweater fit me this well in ages.

The pattern was fun and easy, and the K1C2 Pediwick yarn is amazing! There is so much "spring" and "stretch" in this yarn. I had a hard time figuring out what size to make... I am a 36" bust and the closest options were a 35" or a 40". I knew the 40" would be huge but I was concerned about the 35" being too snug.

The pattern called for size 7 US needles, but I had to go down to a size 5 US to get gauge. I swatched with my Addi Turbo in sizes 7, 6, and 5 and still couldn't get the right gauge, so I went with my Denise size 5 and was right on. 

Sorry, this is the only way I could get a full length shot. My self-timer is on the fritz!

Remember, different needle types - metal, plastic, wood -  in the same size often produce different results. So when you buy a whole new interchangeable needle set, don't get rid of your other needles!

The yoke/neck detailing is really pretty. Needs to be blocked just a smidge!

This sweater was a dream to finish. The set-in sleeves fit in like a dream, and the yarn seamed up the side beautifully - it looks like it was worked in the round. The chest measures exactly 35" and with that 1" of negative ease for me, it fits beautifully. Thanks, in part, to that awesome stretchiness of the yarn!

Now we just need some spring weather in Finland!

Extending your living space

The weather here in Finland is getting nicer! We've had a week now of gorgeously sunny days, and we're up to 11h11m of daylight as of today. In just one month we have gained almost 3 hours of daylight (Vermont - you've only gained about 1h15m!) After experiencing a very dark winter here, you can bet that I'm excited to enjoy every moment of daylight and sunshine that I can get.

Which is why I'm doing a couple of crochet projects for our outdoor living space. Utilizing your outdoor space here is important, especially when your indoor space is on the small side. We Americans call it a patio, but Finns call it a parveke (par-vay-kay). Whatever you want to call it, we've got two of them, and they give us a lot of extra living space once it warms up outside. Last year was our first year here, and I wasn't really sure how to utilize our outdoor space. We didn't have the "right" patio furniture to make it feel like a room, so it kind of felt like a sun deck/eating outside area/grill area/laundry drying area. The large parveke faces due west so it gets quite hot with the sun shining on it from about 1pm-11pm. It was so hot that using it was unbearable at times.

This year, I'm determined to make it liveable - since we would like to enjoy the space. We're going to put up some sun shades to keep the temperatures down a bit during the hotter parts of the day, and we just got some porch furniture to make it feel more like a room. I'm happy to say that I'm already using it, despite temperatures being in the 20s!

I'm taking a break from knitting wearable things and have begun some crochet projects for my "living space". I'm crocheting 2 large scale rugs - a circular one for Helen & Sophie's parveke and a rectangular one for ours. 

 

The circular one is going to be beautiful. I am totally flying by the seat of my pants on this one. I'm proud of the work I've done so far, but circular crochet is harder (for me) than just back and forth! Luckily I haven't had to rip out too much. I haven't written a pattern up for this, but I think that once I am finished Barb (our most seasoned crocheter) should be able to look at it come up with a great pattern. We'll probably make one up in Brown Sheep Burly Spun. (Did you know we are carrying that again? YAY!)

My circular rug taking shape.

My rectangular rug is going really well and is much easier because it's just single crochet. I bought some remnant Ikea fabric and after washing it, ripped it into 1.25" strips. 

The easy part is the crocheting. The tough part is the preparation of the strips! When I rip each strip there are a million threads I have to remove. It's a bit time consuming. 

This ripping was a total arm workout.

But, it's my very first crocheted rag rug and I am super excited about it.

Maisy is already enjoying the rug

For both rugs I'm using the largest hook in my Denise Crochet Kit (a US size 19/15mm) and I won't lie, it's tough on the hands! But the rugs are both so thick and comfy underfoot. I know they'll be awesome this summer.

The past few afternoons at 3pm I've ventured out with a cup of tea, my rug project, and my fabric strips and have joined the girls while they do their homework. 

Soaking up some sun

We open just one section of the patio windows to get that direct vitamin D, and now we're really itching for nice weather!

Not a bad view!

Great news for Denise Needle Kit Owners!

I have a Denise Knitting Needle Kit, and I love it. It's not the only kit I have - but it's my favorite one for travel and for knitting projects on slippery yarns. The case is perfect and everything fits so nicely and stays so organized. That is, if you put everything back. Which I don't.

My biggest problem is that I finish projects and leave the needles in different knitting bags. Why I can't take 2 minutes at the end of any project to actually put the needles back where they belong is beyond me. (Isn't this what I am telling my kids every day? If you took 2 minutes to put your tennis racket where it belongs, you wouldn't waste 20 minutes looking for it the next day? Same goes with school books, water bottles, wallets, bus passes, etc.)

My argument is that I put so many of the girls' things away that when it comes time to put my own things in their place, I've had enough.

And so when I am looking for a Denise cable to use in a different project, at any given time I can open my knitting closet and see several pink Denise needles in clear project bags (I've got the Breast Cancer set). If I'm looking for a certain length cable, I have to open each bag, pull out the needle and measure it to see if it's the right one. (Wouldn't that be a GREAT time to put each set of tips and cable back in it's proper place?)

Denise has just come out with a Companion Kit that is going to make my life a little easier. (Since I don't have any plans to change my bad habits any time soon!) This Companion Kit has 6 cables and each one is a different color.  The cords are 5" (red), 9" (yellow), 12" (teal), 14" (white), 16" (green) and 19" (purple).

All I have to do now is memorize which color is which length, and at first glance I'll know where the one I'm looking for is. Need a 24" needle? Look for the white cable (14" plus the needle tips makes your 24" needle.)

Putting them back will still be optional for me.

Winging It

I was messing around on Pinterest the other day and found several beautiful crochet rugs. It was such a coincidence because the day before I was walking in town and saw a similar one hanging in the window of one of my favorite shops here - the Taito Shop. (This is the shop where I bought the paper yarn and saw the Yule Goats in December, which I brought back and made with my staff after Christmas.)

Rug hanging in window, like ones I'd just seen online

I knew that seeing one in in town and then seeing several online meant that I had to make one myself. So I grabbed my coat and headed out for the Taito Shop. Inside the shop I immediately spotted another example of one of these rugs - this one was only about 14" across and was a bit different than the one in the window. I studied it to try to determine whether or not I could reproduce it successfully with my limited crochet ability. 

Small example of rug, about 14" across

I found the women there who always helps me (her English is good and she's very helpful) and asked her about the rug in the window. Luckily she had made it. I asked if she had a pattern for it and she said no, it was in her head. Then I asked her about the increases - I know how to increase properly in single crochet, but this rug has doubles and half doubles and I figured a pattern would certainly be helpful.

Unfortunately, she told me I just had to "wing it". She said if the edges started to turn up, rip back and increase more, and if the edges started to ripple, rip back and increase less. Even in my limited knowledge of crochet, I DID know that much. But okay! I was in love with this rug, and determined to WING IT.

I had my Denise Crochet Kit with me, and when I pulled it out to ask her if the largest size hooks were big enough for this project you should have seen her eyes! She had never seen anything like this crochet hook kit before - her eyes just about popped out of her head. We settled on a 12mm (US 17) hook.

I bought two huge hanks of a very thick cotton jersey type yarn - in total about 2.8 kilos. I wound the first one into a ball and it was massive!

First ball, wound

And then I got to work. I haven't crocheted in a while so I pulled out my TNNA How to Crochet guide. This is my go-to book for crocheting. It covers all the basics and is really helpful when you need a few reminders. I'm experimenting with half doubles and doubles and so far "winging it" has been going pretty well. I've only had to rip it back a few times.

The beginnings of my rug

I'm making this rug for the girls' patio. Of course it's still way too cold to use the patio, but we've had a few days of above freezing weather here with lots of sun, so we're already thinking about spring. They love the color I picked and are excited to have this thick, comfy rug for their own space. 

Each round is now taking so much longer to do, and it's very hard work on my hand and arm. And talk about HOT flashes... this thing is so heavy and warm I have to sit by an open window to work on it. It's almost 2' across now, and I am aiming for 3' or a little larger. As you can see, the first ball is now almost gone.

Getting larger. It's HOT on the lap!

I'm having so much fun with this large scale crochet that I am considering making a few crocheted rag rugs for our other patio. I may use this jersey yarn, or I may hit the "As Is" department at Ikea and pick up some fun fabric remnants to make the rugs a little more colorful. And I'm definitely going to go for rectangular shapes on those... this "winging it" stuff is a little stressful on my Type A personality.

What to make next?

Yesterday I was talking with Barb and Shawn on Skype and I told them how I'd just finished my Dickens Vest out of Berroco Blackstone Tweed Chunky. It was such an easy knit and I really like the way it turned out. I can't remember the last time I knit something for myself that I actually love as much as this!

This vest is warm and flattering with a little bit of shaping in the body. The collar is nice and cozy. It's been downright frigid here in Europe, so it's the perfect addition to my wardrobe.

The only thing I'd change is the armholes. They are pretty much unfinished and roll inward, and I'm not loving that. I haven't blocked the whole vest yet, just the armholes, and it didn't really do much to help. I may try it again this weekend, and who knows, I may work a couple rounds of single crochet around each armhole to see if I can make it more to my liking.

I was telling Barb and Shawn how even though I have a bunch of yarn here and patterns all ready to knit up (and some to finish) I was having a hard time finding motivation to jump into any ONE of them. What to make next...

Then they told me that a number of customers in the shop keep asking how my Pagewood Farm Plumes scarf was going... I ordered this yarn for the shop when I was in Vermont after Christmas, and it was shipped so quickly that I was able to bring a skein back to Finland with me.

It's SO different than anything we've ever carried. Plumes is a thick and thin wool that has gorgeous feathers hand felted onto it. Obviously this yarn screamed "feather boa" to me, and so last night I balled it up and got knitting.

From a distance, it looked like a gigantic tarantula. And my cats were MORE than a little interested - just one glance at any feather starts them hyperventilating.

I had planned to grab some HUGE double pointed needles and work some sort of an I-cord but in this tiny 1000 sq foot apartment, my dpns are MIA. So I pulled out the Denise size 15's, cast on 7 stitches, and started knitting.

I know... SUPER HARD pattern, right? Well, with this kind of yarn, you don't need anything difficult. I worked on it for about an hour last night and then finished it up with my coffee this morning. 

It's perfect! It measures 2.5" wide by 60" long. And because it's loosely knit and garter stitch, it will stretch lengthwise which is good. I like to to fold it in half and then wrap the ends through the fold. 

Helen modeling the boa

So for all of you who were waiting to see what magic I worked on the Plumes yarn, I hope you're not disappointed!

Now...what to make next?

Thank You Knitters!

contributed by Shawn

Just last week I called the Denise Interchangeable Knitting & Crochet Company since our stock of Denise needle and crochet kits was getting low.

When I explained that I wanted to place an order I received a great big THANK YOU!

On June 1, 2011 the amount of money donated to the S.D. Ireland Breast Cancer Research Fund by the Denise company had reached $150,000!

Why the thank you? Because five dollars from each purchase of a pink Denise kit goes directly and entirely to breast cancer research through the S.D. Ireland fund. The purchase of a pink Companion Set contributes $2, and pink long cords $1 to the Fund. Knitters help make this happen and we wanted to share the "THANK YOU" with all of our customers.

We love Denise kits - it is so handy to have every size needle available! And since our shop is in Vermont (and so is S.D. Ireland!) we know a lot about the Fund and the story behind this effort.

Check out the Denise connection here and the Vermont S.D. Ireland connection here for more information.

THANK YOU KNITTERS!

Tunisian Crochet, and Video How To's!

A couple of weeks ago, we had to close the shop on a Monday because of the big 3 foot snowstorm. Barb wasn't scheduled to work that day, and as she was completely snowed in, she decided to start a new project.

She'd been itching to test out the new Denise Interchangeable Crochet Hook Set, so she went to their website and found a free pattern for a little bag. She had a skein of Lamb's Pride Worsted at home in one of the variegated colors (Elderberry Wine) so she thought she'd play around with it.

The Denise website is FULL of instructional videos for Tunisian crochet. So in a matter of minutes, Barb was already a pro.

It was so much fun, that before she knew it, she'd completed this adorable bag! She's already thinking about ways to make a similar, yet slightly larger, one.

How great would this be done in spring colors and used as a little Easter basket? Or done in cotton or hemp and used as a market bag?

The importance of a good needle collection, and checking your gauge

And by "good" I guess I mean "extensive".

I took home a project the other night. Some Noro Silk Garden and the Jane Ellison Designer Mini Knits pattern book. I am making Design #26, which is a cute short sleeved raglan top, with a button closure at the neck. The gauge is 18 sts to 4" on a size 8 US needle, or 4.5 sts/inch. I typically go down one size for needles, so I pulled out my 7 US Addi Turbos and started swatching. After a nice 4 inch swatch my gauge measured 4.25 sts/inch. Only .25 stitches off, so no biggie, right? WRONG!

Had I gone ahead with that needle size, the back of the sweater would have been an inch too large. and the front would have been too large as well. See 82 stitches divided by 4.5 sts (the correct gauge) = 18.25 inches. But 82 stitches divided by 4.25 = 19.3 inches.

So I pulled out my size 6 Addi Turbo needles. And swatched. Typically (and this is not ALWAYS the case) your gauge should change 1/2 stitch for every needle size you go up or down. INCREASE your needle size, your number of stitches per inch should GO DOWN 1/2 st. And DECREASE your needle size, your number of stitches per inch should GO UP 1/2 st. And in this case, this happened to me. My gauge on size 6 Addis was 4.75. But do the math... 82 stitches divided by 4.75 sts (the correct gauge) = 17.3 inches, this time an inch too small.

Luckily, I own a Denise Interchangeable Knitting Needle Kit. I normally use it for emergencies - when I can't find my Addis, or when I am travelling and want all of my needles in one handy case. But yarn slides very differently over Addis than it does over the plastic Denise needles. So it stands to reason that my gauge should be different. I pulled out the Denise 7s and BINGO! 4.5 stitches to the inch.

But beware, the danger of the Denises...

I cruised throught the back of the sweater, and then finished one front. As I was getting ready to bind off the front, I happened to look at the needle in my right hand. It had a "5" stamped in it. Egads! After I had finished my ribbing on size 5 needle tips, I had only switched ONE needle tip to the size 7. So I just had knit the whole front with one 5 and one 7. Gauge? Yes, it was off. So frog, frog, frog.

It's a good thing I really like knitting with this yarn. :)

Even I need to keep a needle inventory

I have a wonderful needle size chart on the back of our business card. I recommend that all of our customers fill it out, so they know what needles they own. Do I have one of these cool cards in my wallet? No. And so every time I take yarn home to start a new project, I find I do not have the needle size needed. How can this be? I own a LOT of needles. I mean, I own a shop, how can I not?

Recently I've been doing a lot of swatching, and I've been using a size 5 needle. What I wanted to use was a 5/24", which I know I had at one point. Because I have a plastic package for a 5/24" in my needle bag. But it is now empty... I have a 5/16", but my left hand cramps when I knit for too long on a 16" needle. I have a 5/32", which is too long. With only 28-30 stitches, that's just too much cable. I don't own any straight needles - can't stand straights. I ended up suffering with the 16" for several swatches, and then I switched to the 32" for the rest. I guess I should go grab a 24" while it's on my mind...

This weekend I took home some Malabrigo Chunky to make a button band hat. Kalen had made hers out of Blue Sky Bulky, but I wanted to use the Glazed Carrot color of the Malabrigo Chunky (double stranded.) I had written up her pattern for some people who asked about it after she posted a picture of it on the blog. And since I wrote it up, well, I thought it would be nice to make a sample for the shop.

I got home Saturday after work and was excited to get started. Marc and the girls went to the big Father-Daughter Dance at school, so I had two hours to myself! I ran on the treadmill, showered, and then went down to wind the yarn. I was all set... I sat down in my comfy chair with the yarn & pattern, turned on my DVR and started watching last week's Lost. I grabbed my huge needle case, full of Addi Turbos, and opened the size 15 pouch... no 16". I had a 24", but that was it.

Okay, I can make do, I thought. I do own a Denise kit, for emergency situations like this. So I went to my desk, grabbed the Denise kit... and look what I found?

Those empty spaces? They should be filled with the size 15 tips. I started to panic. When was the last time I used size 15's? It was a LONG time ago, I know that. I spent about 15 minutes going through my desk, my 3'x3' coffee table (full of yarn), my Lexi Barnes Lady B bag, my BagSmith bag, and my front closet. No size 15/16" Addi Turbos, and no size 15 Denise tips.

My blood pressure was climbing at this point. Sure, I had other projects, but I was COUNTING on starting this hat, and I really didn't feel like knitting anything else. And the clock was tick-ticking, and my precious "alone" time was going to be over soon!

I made a last ditch attempt to find some sort of size 15 needles. I STRONGLY dislike double pointed needles (I prefer working on 2 circulars.) I own a selection of DP needles, but I really don't like using them. I will use them if, and ONLY if, I have absolutely NO OTHER OPTION. Well, I had no other option. So I opened up my double pointed needle case, and the largest size I had was

size 13.

I sat and stewed for a few more minutes, and realized that if I wanted to get any satisfaction from knitting this hat, I'd have to use size 13 Addis - which I did have, amazingly... and 2 sets, so I could work on 2 circulars!

and rewrite the whole darn pattern. So, I did.

That's a lot of chicken sratch, isn't it? I had to work the decreases about 3 times to get it to fit right, but it's done and I love it. And I think I like it better at this slightly snugger gauge!

Moral(s) of the story...

• Keep a list of what needles you own, to avoid major headaches and possible heartbreaks.
• If you find you need a certain needle size, buy it right away, before you forget.
• Put your needles back when you are finished with them.
• Don't be scared to re-work a pattern. You may just end up with a fantastic result!