KnitQuest

Quick Tip: Tracking Decreases

For a while now I’ve wanted to find a way to share some of the little tricks I’ve found that help me make my knitting more successful (and more fun). As I’m working on projects I will record some of the strategies I’m using and do my best to explain how and why I use them. Posts and ideas will be short and sweet for both our sakes. So here we go…

This week I finished a pair of Axis mitts for the Blue Moon Fiber Arts booth. The Axis pattern uses a series of paired increases and decreases (I’ll call them the action rows) to create the slant across the front. In the mitt pictured below you can see how the edge leans toward the pinkie.

  

You can also see how it would be important to make sure the action rows are evenly spaced. If they aren’t the line across the front will be uneven and frankly unsightly. Certainly not something you want to highlight. 

To keep myself on track, and to save myself from repeatedly checking my knitting to find my decreases, I used a piece of waste yarn to mark each time I decreased. It takes just a second to thread the yarn through the stitches and I can quickly see exactly where I’m at. Even without counting rows you can tell that sections of yarn in between the marks are the same.

If you want to give this a try be sure to select a waste yarn in a contrasting color and one that won’t felt. Left over sock yarn or anything superwash works great. You can also use embroidery floss or one of my personal favorites dental floss.

To mark the decrease I thread a tapestry needle with my waste yarn and after the action row and the row after it are completed (RS is facing you) I go back to the decrease and put my needle through both stiches and back up through the stitch holding them together. You want to do it after both rows are completed so you don’t distort your stitches. Once your project is complete pull out your yarn and no one will ever know it was there.

With this pattern marking your decreases also has one other benefit. You can use it to help you evenly space your buttons. 

I hope you find this suggestion (and others to come) useful. Let me know if you have any questions or have a tip of your own to share.

Book Bonanza

I’m enjoying my favorite phase of the design cycle right now. I’m finishing up two projects and planning the new ones. There are obvious reasons to love completing projects, but planning is my true love. I adore dreaming of all the possibilities, sketching my ideas, choosing yarn and yes, I even love the swatching. Most of all though I love the time spent with my books. I can hardly think of a nicer afternoon than one spent at the kitchen table, with a cup of tea and a stack of stitch dictionaries or color charts. In fact as soon as I finish this post it’s how I’m spending the rest of the afternoon and it’s what got me thinking about telling you all about some of the latest additions to my library.

Let’s start with the biggest, The Principles of Knitting by June Hemmons Hiatt. 

This book is not only massive in size, it holds an unbelievable amount of content. Covering everything from afterthought pockets to  z-twist yarns. I picked it up in Madrona and haven’t even begun to make a dent in reading it, but I know I’m going to be referencing it for years to come. The book would be worth the cost and shelf space just for the chapter on cleaning and blocking your knits (it even includes stain removal tips!).  All I can say is go get a copy if you don’t already have one.

I also picked up a copy of Knitting with Two Colors by Meg Swanson and Amy Detjen.

I’m not much of a stranded color knitter, but the book has some great content I can apply to any of my knitting. There are sections on shaping within color pattern, using short rows in the round and tons of great ideas for borders. Plus there are lots of gorgeous pictures of color knitting for those like me who enjoy looking at it, but don’t want to make their own.

Since we can’t knit, or even read about knitting, all the time I thought you might also like to hear about what else is taking up space on my nightstand right now. First up, I have to tell you about a book that combines two of my other lifelong passions: cooking and science. CookWise: The Secrets of Cooking Revealed by Shirley O. Corriher is an interesting combo of how to do it, why you should and what happens when you don’t.

 

I’m not much of a recipe follower (are you sensing a trend in my personality?) but I can’t get enough of books like this.I’m always happy to do the work if I understand why it’s necessary, but not so great about the whole do it because I said so thing (I’m sure my mom is laughing her ass off right about now). A perfectly entertaining way to improve my knowledge and skill in the kitchen.

We’ve covered three (crafts, cooking & science) out of five of my life long interests and it seems my nightstand is a good reflection of me since it contains a couple representations of another of my obsessions, science fiction/fantasy books (the one missing is dogs). I could go on pretty much forever on this topic since I’ve been reading 2-5 books a week since I was in grade school so I’ll contain myself to what I’m reading this week.

Book 10 from the Hollows series by Kim Harrison, A Perfect Blood .

 

One my favorite characters and series, and this book didn’t disappoint me. I love a kick ass female heroine, page turning action, snarky dialog, and a good dose of imagination. This had all that and foul mouthed pixie best friend to boot.

In a different vain there was Naughty In Nice (A Royal Spyness Mystery).

It’s the latest in the series by Rhys Bowen about Georgie, a British Lady way back in line for the throne in the 1930s. It’s not normally what I read but all the books have a good mystery, witty dialog, and impossibly funny situations.

And last in our book bonanza is Timeless (The Parasol Protectorate, No. 5).

 

I thought my friend Chandria was crazy when she recommend a steampunk werewolves and vampire book to me, but I trust her so I gave it a try. As you can see I’m now on book 5 and I very impatiently waited for it to come out. It has all my favorite things I mentioned before plus some very cool inventions, a unique look at a very overdone topic and it’s laugh out loud funny. If you’re at all interested give the first one, Soulless, a try.

Well, even if you don’t read any of the books, I certainly gave you a long enough post to keep you busy! Have a great weekend.

If you have a favorite book or series please share it. I’m always looking for something new.