Picot Cast on

23 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Ana in Casting On, Knitting, Tutorials

The picot cast on is a decorative way to start a piece of knitting. The word picot is French for little peaks, which is exactly what you make as you cast on, and it is pronounced peak-oh, which is more or less what I said when I learned to say it correctly.

The picot cast on gives a nice feminine touch to the cuffs of sleeves, socks, and gloves; the brims of hats; the ends of scarves; and the edges of collars and shawls.

There are two ways to do it. One produces soft peaks while the other makes bold points. Both build on other cast on methods, and both allow you to space the peaks as close together or as far apart as you want. Most of the tutorials I’ve read put them pretty close together. In this post, I space them as I usually do in my own work.

Decreasing to Make Subtle Picots

The simplest way to make a picot cast on is to cast on extra stitches, then to work decreases in the first row of knitting. This makes soft peaks. You can use any cast on method you like; I usually use the simple cast on. You can also use any decrease; I usually knit 3 together.

Here’s the basic technique:

Using any method, cast on a multiple of 6 + 3.
Row 1: K3tog, * k3, k3tog *.

For the stitch count to work out, you need to cast on more stitches than the pattern calls for. For projects worked in the round, cast on one and a half times the number of stitches. If your socks are 48 stitches around, cast on 72 (48 + half of 48). For projects worked back and forth, do the same only add 3 more stitches when you’re done with the math. If your scarf is 24 stitches across, cast on 39 (24 + half of 24 + 3). That actually leaves you with 25 stitches after the decreases. You can always decrease an extra stitch over one of the peaks as you work the following row.

Binding off to Make Bold Peaks

The more common way to work a picot cast on is to * cast on (co) a few stitches, then bind off (bo) a couple * until the right number of stitches has been cast on. This makes bold points. You can use any cast on method you like; the knit-on cast on and the cable cast on work best. You can also use any bind off; the standard bind off works nicely.

Here’s the basic technique:

Using any method, co 4 sts, bo 2 sts, * co 6 sts, bo 2 sts *.

This cast on is a little discouraging when it’s just hanging on the needle. The points are fine, but above each is a gap in the row of stitches, which suggests an unattractive hole in the scarf your skein longs to be. Don’t worry. If you give the working yarn an extra tug after you work the stitches before and after each gap, the work pulls together nicely, and there are no holes.

The picot cast on is that simple. Whether you make your picots by casting on extra stitches and working decreases on the following row or by alternately casting on and binding off, this cast on spices up an ordinary piece of knitting with soft peaks or bold peaks along the starting edge. Nonknitters are impressed by it, and knitters use it to accent a variety of projects.

The Simple or Half Hitch Cast On

17 Mar 2011 1 Comment

by Ana in Basics, Casting On, Knitting, Tutorials

Probably the easiest cast on is the method called the simple or half hitch cast on. It produces a row of loose stitches and works up so quickly that it’s my preferred method for swatches and other obscenities. If you know the long-tail cast on, the half hitch is the first part of that, and no long tail is needed.

Here’s how it’s done:

Note: these instructions assume you’re right-handed.

1. Tie a slip knot around the needle, and hold the needle in your right hand. For this cast on, there is only one needle, and it is always in your right hand.
2. Position your left hand as if you were holding a glass of water. The thumb and index finger form an open circle, and the side of your hand (your pinky) is what would rest on the table if one were in front of you.
3. Lay the yarn over your thumb and index finger. The ball end goes over your index finger. The tail goes over your thumb. The needle is pointing left and resting on the side of your hand, roughly where the thumb and index finger meet.
4. Curl the middle, ring, and pinky fingers of your left hand into the palm, tucking the two hanging strands of yarn into them. When you do, the yarn in your left hand forms a down-pointing triangle. There’s a horizontal line between your thumb and index finger, a diagonal line from index to middle finger, and another diagonal line from thumb to middle finger. The needle is on top of the horizontal line, resting both on the yarn and on the side of your left hand. Use the curled fingers to put a little tension on the yarn as you work the remaining steps.
5. Rotate the needle so that it is pointing at you. It passes over the horizontal line, so the triangle is still fairly in tact.
6. Bring the tip of the needle down, stopping when it touches the fleshy part of your palm at the base of your thumb. The needle is between you and the yarn.
7. Slide the tip of the needle up your thumb, stopping when the tip of the needle is on the tip of your thumb. The needle tip has slid behind the leg of the triangle that goes from thumb to middle finger. By the time the tip of the needle reaches the tip of the thumb, it is inside a loop that surrounds the thumb.
8. Pull your thumb out of the loop, and in the same movement, use your thumb to catch and tug on the yarn that is between the needle and your middle finger. The gesture is like opening a pair of scissors to cut. This tug tightens the loop on the needle.
9. Move the needle back to the starting position, on top of the horizontal line of the inverted triangle, and repeat Steps 5 to 8.
10. Knit across the cast-on stitches.

Step 10 is important. The cast-on stitches themselves are so loose that they don’t really keep their shape when you divide them over several needles or even drop them in a bag to return to later, so working the first row, preferably with knit stitches firms them up.

I often use this cast on when I need to add stitches to the middle or end of a row because the point where the cast on meets the rest of the work is tidier than with other methods.

Another plus is that this cast on can easily become a provisional cast on (a topic to be covered in detail later). In a nutshell, after Step 9, you would run a second needle between the stitches that have been cast on and leave it there until it’s time to knit from that needle.

With this cast on in your bag of tricks, you have a simple and serviceable method for starting ordinary work and a secret weapon for doing more complex knitting.

All About The Kitchener Stitch

15 Mar 2011 1 Comment

by crystal in Knitting, Tutorials

the Kitchener stitch was supposedly made popular during WWII by Lord Kitchener of England. He was looking for a better way to graft the toes of socks for his soldiers (they kept getting holes in them) so he promoted the Red Cross knitting program which included a pattern for socks with grafted toes. All though this is a very nice story, you should know there isn’t really any proof that this is where the name comes from. Regardless of the history of the Kitchener stitch, it has become a standard way to seam two knitted pieces of fabric.

For myself, I’ve found the Kitchener stitch to be a great way to seam. I’ve mostly used it for the toes of socks but it can also be used to close the bottom of a bag or the top of a hat. You do not want to use this seam anywhere you want extra stability in the fabric such as shoulders. Yu should still use something like a three needle bind off for these. This seaming technique uses two rows of live stitches and creates a seamless join also known as grafting.

A lot of people get really nervous when it comes to the Kitchener stitch. You shouldn’t be. It has simple steps and can be easily mastered with a little practice. Before you know it, you’ll be able to Kitchener without looking at the directions. Have a little faith and try it the next time you want a seamless join.

Grafting Stockinette Fabric with Kitchener Stitch

 

You can practice by knitting two stockinette swatches and stopping before you bind off. Leave the swatches on the needles and hold the two swatches together with the purl sides facing each other. You will be adding another row of knit stitches with the tapestry needle to join the fabric seamlessly.

Anytime you want to Kitchener, you will need to start with two rows of live stitches. For simplicities sake, each row must have the same number of stitches. The purl sides of the work should be facing the inside. Your yarn should be coming from the last stitch on the right of the back needle and be at least 3 times longer than the seam you are about to graft. You will work all the stitches from right to left. Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle and you’re ready to begin.

Now, the set up involves two steps. You will only do each of these once.

  1. Run your tapestry needle through the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl and pull the yarn through.
  2. Run your tapestry needle through the first stitch on the back needle as if to knit and pull the yarn through.

 

Now, you can get down to business. You will repeat these four steps until all the stitches are grafted.

  1. Put your tapestry needle through the first stitch on the front as if to knit and slide the stitch from the knitting needle to the tapestry needle. Do not pull the yarn through.
  2. Run your tapestry needle into the next stitch on the front as if to purl and pull the yarn through. Do not slide the stitch off the needle.
  3. Put your tapestry needle into the first stitch on the back needle as if to purl and slip the stitch from the knitting needle to the tapestry needle. Do not pull the yarn through.
  4. Run your tapestry needle through the next stitch on the back needle as if to knit and pull the yarn through. Do not slip the stitch off the knitting needle.

 

It helps to chant knit purl, purl knit as you go to help keep track of where you are. ‘With a little practice, Kitchener stitch becomes second nature. Try not to make your stitches too tight or too loose. You want your finished tension to match the tension of your work. Just like everything else, this gets easier with time and practice.

Grafting Garter Fabric with Kitchener Stitch

 

You can also graft garter fabric seamlessly with the Kitchener stitch. If you have been working garter in the round, you need to end with a knit row. Your last row of purl bumps need to be facing each other. If you hold the needles as if you are about to Kitchener, the last row of bumps will be behind the front needle and in front of the back needle so they will touch when held together.

The basic preparation is the same as for grafting stockinette. You need the same number of stitches on each needle and a tail of yarn three times longer than the seam coming from the back needle on the right. When working the Kitchener stitch for garter fabric you will be creating a row of purl stitches that will become the last garter ridge needed to join the fabric seamlessly.

Your set up steps will be a little different. Do each of these only once.

  1. Run your tapestry needle through the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl and pull the yarn through.
  2. Run your tapestry needle through the first stitch on the back needle as if to purl and pull the yarn through.

 

There will only be two actual steps to repeat to Kitchener garter fabric but here are all 4 steps written out. You are repeating the same two steps on each needle.

  1. Put your tapestry needle through the first stitch on the front as if to knit and slide the stitch from the knitting needle to the tapestry needle.
  2. Run your tapestry needle into the next stitch on the front as if to purl and pull the yarn through. Do not slide the stitch off the needle.
  3. Put your tapestry needle through the first stitch on the back as if to knit and slide the stitch from the knitting needle to the tapestry needle.
  4. Run your tapestry needle into the next stitch on the back as if to purl and pull the yarn through. Do not slide the stitch off the needle.

 

For this the chant would be knit purl, knit purl.

Good luck using the Kitchener stitch. If you’re nervous, be sure to practice before trying it on your finished work. You’ll be making seamless joins in no time.

Cable Cast on

13 Mar 2011 1 Comment

by Ana in Basics, Casting On, Knitting, Tutorials

The cable cast on is another one of my favorite ways to begin a piece of knitting. It produces an attractive rope-like edge, so it’s nice for hats, socks, mittens, collars, and other projects that put the cast-on edge in a potentially prominent position.

This cast on involves both needles. The steps are almost identical to the knit-on cast on. The only difference is that, instead of inserting the right needle into the first stitch, you insert it between the first and second stitches.

Here’s how it’s done:

Notes:
• the first stitch is the one closest to the tip of the needle.
• These instructions assume you’re right handed.

Casting on Knit Stitches

1. Cast on 2 stitches using any cast on you like.
2. Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand if it isn’t there already. The left needle points to the right or possibly up.
3. Insert the tip of the right needle between the first and second stitches on the left hand. The right needle goes in from front to back. It slides under the left, and the needles are roughly perpendicular to each other, forming a cross or an X.
4. Wrap the working yarn around the right needle. For English knitters, the yarn is wrapped counterclockwise. For continental knitters, the right needle tip starts behind the working yarn and scoops it as the needle moves toward you in the next step. In both cases, the yarn is in the back of the work.
5. Slide the right needle toward you and out of the loop. to keep the working yarn from falling off the needle, place the tip of the right needle on the shaft of the left, and smoothly slide the right needle tip down the length toward the thick base or cable. (Is anyone else getting warm?)
6. Once the new stitch is on the right needle and once the right needle is in front of the left, hold the needles perpendicular to each other, forming a cross or an X. Both needles are pointing up, and they intersect at the stitch.
7. Move your right hand to the right, stopping when the tips of the two needles are touching each other. To be clear, the needles form a bridge or inverted V. The left one is on the left, and the right one is on the right. The new stitch is still on the right needle, stretching from between the first two stitches on the left.
8. Slip the new stitch from the right needle to the left, and tug on the working yarn to tighten.
9. Repeat Steps 3-8 for each additional stitch.

This version of the cast on makes a knit row because everything except Step 3 is what you normally do for a knit stitch.

If you want to cast on purl stitches,, like for ribbing, the process is the same except that you insert the right needle from behind the work and wrap as for a purl stitch.

Casting on Purl Stitches

1. Cast on 2 stitches using any cast on you like.
2. Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand if it isn’t there already. The left needle points to the right or possibly up.
3. Insert the tip of the right needle between the first and second stitches on the left hand. The right needle goes in from back to front. It slides under the left, and the needles are roughly perpendicular to each other, forming a cross or an X.
4. Wrap the working yarn around the right needle. For English knitters, the yarn is wrapped counterclockwise. For continental knitters, the working yarn is in front of the right needle and goes over the top and down behind the needle. In both cases, the yarn is in the back of the work.
5. Slide the right needle away from you and out of the loop. to keep the working yarn from falling off the needle, place the tip of the right needle on the shaft of the left, and smoothly slide the right needle tip up the length toward the tip of the left. (Is anyone else getting warm?)
6. Once the new stitch is on the right needle and once the right needle is behind the left, hold the needles perpendicular to each other, forming a cross or an X. Both needles are pointing up, and they intersect at the stitch.
7. Move your right hand to the right, stopping when the tips of the two needles are touching each other. To be clear, the needles form a bridge or inverted V. The left one is on the left, and the right one is on the right. The new stitch is still on the right needle, stretching from between the first two stitches on the left.
8. Slip the new stitch from the right needle to the left, and tug on the working yarn to tighten.
9. Repeat Steps 3-8 for each additional stitch.

There you have it: a decorative cast on that is easy to learn. Try it on your next project, especially if the cast-on edge is something other people might notice.

Ravelry Tutorial: Joining A Group

06 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by crystal in Crochet, Knitting, Technocrafting, Tutorials

Ravelry has a very large network of online groups and forums. There are groups for everything you can imagine. I’m in a group for people who like the Wheel Of Time fantasy series and another for people who hate charts. There is also a group for blind and low vision knitters. I don’t post to the groups very often but they can be very helpful.

Finding And Joining A Group

 

  1. Go to Ravelry and log in if you aren’t already.
  2. Go to the top of the page and arrow down to find the “Groups” link.
  3. This page will list the groups you are in. You can search for a group as well as browse. Searching will probably be faster. The search field can be found under the “Search Groups” heading. It’s also the only form field on the page so you can easily find it with your screen reader’s find next form field command.
  4. Let’s search for the group for blind and low vision knitters. Type “Blind” in the search box and press enter.
  5. Use your screen reader’s find next text command to find the words Search Results for blind”. Then arrow down to view your search results. I got 13 results in my search including one very funny one at the end of the list. The biggest group for blind knitters is called “Blind Webs”, and it is the first result.
  6. Press enter on the group you want to join or learn more about.

 

This will take you to the group’s main page and you can explore to find out more about the group. There is a search edit box after the fresh discussion threads if you want to search the groups or forums.

The quickest way to find the “Join This Group” link is to use your screen reader’s links list. You can also find it a few links down from the search edit box.

Posting To A Group

 

On the individual group pages there will be a heading called “Fresh Discussion Threads”. Below this heading you will find a link to post a new topic as well as a link to subscribe to the group. This subscribe link takes you to the RSS feed and, if you want, you can get a message when there is a new topic in the group.

Below these links there is a table with the latest discussion threads. Press enter on any of the titles and it will take you to the thread. You can also subscribe to the individual threads from their specific pages.

To post to the thread just press enter on the reply link after any post to answer that comment specifically or use the “Reply To Thread” link at the bottom of the page for a more general response.

To quickly get to a list of your groups just press enter on the “Groups” link at the top of the page. The first heading will tell how many groups you are in; just arrow down to read the list. Have fun checking out all the different groups in Ravelry. There’s one for just about everything and if you can’t find the group you want, you can start one.

Long-Tail Cast On

06 Mar 2011 Leave a comment

by Ana in Basics, Casting On, Knitting, Tutorials

My favorite way to start a piece of knitting is the long-tail cast on. It produces a row of stitches on a nice sturdy base, which is both attractive and firm enough to keep its shape while I divide the work onto other needles. It’s one of those techniques that is easy and fluid once you get the hang of it, but hard to learn from books and online sources because the explanation is tough going. So … here’s one more attempt at putting the long tail cast on into words:

Some clarification:
A. These instructions assume you’re right handed.
B. This is called the “long tail cast on” because you need to start with a tail of yarn that is long enough to work all of your stitches, but not so long that yarn is being wasted or getting in the way when you’re ready to start knitting. Calculating the length of the tail is an art. The short, get-the-job-done version is to make the tail about 3.25 times the length of the first row, so if the first row is supposed to be 10 inches long, the tail should be about 32.5 inches. This is a little on the generous side, but it’s easier to weave and snip than to have to start over when the yarn runs out. For this example, use a tail that is 1 ft or 30 cm long. This means the slip knot in Step 1 is a foot or 30 cm from the end.
C. Once you feel comfortable with this cast on, you can get started simply by twisting the yarn around the needle instead of making a slip knot.

1. Tie a slip knot around the needle, and hold the needle in your right hand. For this cast on, there is only one needle, and it is always in your right hand.
2. Position your left hand as if you were holding a glass of water. The thumb and index finger form an open circle, and the side of your hand (your pinky) is what would rest on a table if one were in front of you.
3. Lay the yarn over your thumb and index finger. The ball end goes over your index finger. The tail goes over your thumb. The needle is pointing left and resting on the side of your hand, roughly where the thumb and index finger meet.
4. Curl the middle, ring, and pinky fingers of your left hand into the palm, tucking the two hanging strands of yarn into them. When you do, the yarn in your left hand forms a down-pointing triangle. There’s a horizontal line between your thumb and index finger, a diagonal line from index to middle finger, and another diagonal line from thumb to middle finger. The needle is on top of the horizontal line, resting both on the yarn and on the side of your left hand. Use the curled fingers to put a little tension on the yarn as you work the remaining steps.
5. Rotate the needle so that it is pointing at you. It passes over the horizontal line, so the triangle is still fairly in tact.
6. Bring the tip of the needle down, stopping when it touches the fleshy part of your palm at the base of your thumb. The needle is between you and the yarn
7. Slide the tip of the needle up your thumb, stopping when the tip of the needle is on the tip of your thumb. The needle tip has slid behind the leg of the triangle that goes from thumb to middle finger. By the time the tip of the needle reaches the tip of the thumb, it is inside a loop that surrounds the thumb.
8. Describe a circle with the tip of the needle, moving it away from you and over the strand that is between the needle and your index finger, then down behind that strand, then toward you and under that strand, then back to the tip of your thumb.
9. Slide the tip of the needle down your thumb and back into the big loop of yarn surrounding it, stopping when the needle tip reaches the first bend in your thumb.
10. Pull your thumb out of the big loop, and in the same movement, use your thumb to catch and tug on the yarn that is between the needle and your middle finger. The gesture is like opening a pair of scissors to cut. This tug tightens the loop on the needle.
11. Move the needle back to the starting position, on top of the horizontal line of the inverted triangle, and repeat Steps 5 to 11.

As the cast-on becomes familiar, it softens into a series of curves, the needle tip arcing down and up, the thumb bending forward and stretching back, until the movements stop being separate and merge into one graceful sweep.

Ravelry Tutorial: Searching For A Pattern

23 Feb 2011 1 Comment

by crystal in Crochet, Knitting, Technocrafting, Tutorials

Ravelry is a great place to search for patterns. The most helpful part is selecting different search parameters. In this tutorial we’ll go through a sample search. We’ll search for a sweater pattern that uses worsted weight yarn, uses between 900 and 1200 yards, is for a child aged 4 to 12 and is available for free.

  1. Go to Ravelry and log in if you aren’t already.
  2. Go to the top of the page and arrow down to find the “Patterns” link. Press enter.
  3. This will take you to the pattern search page. You can also browse for patterns but today we’re going to search. Type “sweater” in the search field and press enter.
  4. This will bring up your preliminary results. Navigate to the first heading. It will read “Search.” Now use your screen reader’s find next text command once. It should land on the number of search results. I got 22,884 so we definitely need to narrow it down a little.
  5. Arrow down until you find the drop box with the words “Jump to filter.” Below this box is a list of all the different search options. They are all the same as what is listed in the drop box. When you select a filter from the drop box it will move that set of options to the top of the list. You will have to go back to the drop box each time you need to select another filter because when you press enter or tab out of the box your cursor moves to the bottom of the filter you chose. The drop box will be the first form field from the top of the page so it’s not hard to find.
  6.  Select “Weight” from the drop box and press tab to exit the box. You can arrow up through the choices or go back to the drop box and arrow down to get them in the right order. Either way, press enter on “Worsted 10-Ply”. The numbers after the choices tell how many matching patterns Ravelry has for this filter.
  7. Now select “Yardage” from the drop down box. If you have any trouble finding where you are after you tab out of the box, just remember that the drop box is the first form field from the top of the page, and the filter you just chose is immediately after it. Now press enter on “900-1200 yards”.
  8. Go back to the drop box and Select “Gender/Age/Size/Fit”. This filter requires you to select a sub-filter before you can make your choice. Press enter on “Age or Size”. Then press enter on “Child (4–12)”. You can press escape to close the sub-filter options if you are going to be arrowing around a lot but it’s not necessary.
  9. Now find the drop box for the last time and select “Availability”. Either arrow up to find “Free” or go back to the drop box and arrow down. Press enter on “Free”.
  10. Now that your search has been narrowed down you can get your results. After selecting the last filter, your cursor should be at the top of the search results. If you arrow down, you will find a list of the filters you chose followed by your search results. If you get lost on the page go to the top and use your screen reader’s find next text command to find the words “Search Results for Sweater” and arrow down from there.

 

Keep in mind that you can select as many or as few search parameters as you like. Also, pressing enter on the pattern name will take you to the Ravelry pattern page. This page has a lot of information about the pattern that can include yardage, available sizes. Gauge and suggested yarn. You will also find a link to the pattern source.

After the pattern details you will find the following links: Cast On, Add to Faves, To Queue. Selecting “Cast On” Will add this pattern as a new project in your notebook. Select this if you want to start the project right away. “Add to Faves” adds this pattern to a list of things you like. “To Queue” adds the pattern to a list of patterns you want to do in the future.

Have fun looking through the patterns. I’ll be back soon with another Ravelry tutorial.

Ravelry Tutorial: Adding A Project

16 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by crystal in Crochet, Knitting, Technocrafting, Tutorials

One of my favorite Ravelry features is the project page. You can add a project and include details that might be needed later. What size needles did I use on that pair of socks that fit so well? Which pair of needle tips was I using on that sweater before I took them for something else? Which yarn did I use to make that cuddly baby blanket? If you keep track of your projects with Ravelry, all these questions and more can be answered easily.

You can also view other people’s projects on Ravelry. If someone else has made the same sweater you are working on, you can see what they did and read their notes about the project. This can be helpful if you run across a tricky spot or something doesn’t seem quite right. I usually glance through the completed projects before I start something new to see if there are any common problems to watch for.

In this post, I’ll explain how to add a project and share a few tips for adding the details for your project.

Adding A Project

 

1-      Go to Ravelry and log in if you’re not already.

2-      Go to the top of the page and arrow down until you find the link that says, “My Notebook” and press enter.

3-      Use your screen reader to find the link that says ”Add Project” and press enter. You can use the links list or spend some time exploring to find the link. It will be in the list of things under the first heading.

4-      The first page that comes up allows you to name your project and link to Ravelry’s pattern database. First, type the project name into the form field. This can be whatever you want it to be. You will also be able to change it later if you want.

5-      Now select the specific craft for this project.

6-      Check the box before the source for your pattern.

7-      In the next form field, type the name of the pattern you used. Try to make it as close to the actual pattern name as possible. Ravelry is going to do a search so you can link to the pattern in their database.

8-      Type the name of the pattern source in the last form field. You can leave this blank if you want but it will help to find the pattern if it has a generic name.

9-      Press the continue button.

10-   Now you will be on the pattern search page. The name of the pattern you typed on the last page will be automatically filled in the search box. Arrow down past the search button and you will find the list of patterns that have already been pulled up. Click on the link after the correct pattern that says “Choose This Pattern.” If it doesn’t show up right away you can change the text in the search box to try again.

Adding Project Details

 

Once you’ve linked to the pattern in Ravelry’s database you will be on your project page. On this page you can add as many or as few details as you would like. The form fields are self-explanatory. The only part I’ve found inaccessible lately is where you enter the needle size. When I click on “Add Needle” nothing happens. The same thing happens when I click on the “Add Yarn” link but if I save changes and come back to edit details, the form fields for the yarn details show up so don’t click on these more than once unless you want to add more than one yarn. The “Add Needle” link used to work the same way but something has changed. I’ll contact Ravelry to try to get something done about it and I’ll update this post if anything changes. In the meantime, I just make a note of the needle size in the notes section.

You can also link to Ravelry’s yarn database the same way you linked to the pattern database. Enter the name of the yarn in the yarn form field and tab to the next link and press enter. Then click on the name of the yarn you want to link to. This will automatically fill in the details for the yarn. You can add additional information like the color way, how many skeins you used and purchasing details.

One last note is about finding the drop boxes to fill in the start and finish dates for your project. These drop boxes are found after the “Save Changes” button so arrow down to add these details. Also remember that you can leave anything you don’t want to fill out blank.

Ravelry is a very large website so please don’t get discouraged if you have trouble finding what you want at first. Spend some time looking around to learn what there is on each page. I could explain exactly what is on every page but we would be here all day and it would take all the adventure out of it. Have fun exploring and I’ll be back soon with more posts to help.

Introduction to Ravelry

07 Feb 2011 Leave a comment

by crystal in Crochet, Knitting, Technocrafting, Tutorials

Ravelry is a very popular website for yarn crafters. You could call it social networking for people who love yarn. Besides the social networking aspect of Ravelry, it’s a nice way to keep track of your projects and find patterns.

I’ve been using Ravelry almost since I started knitting. Navigating the Website with a screen reader can be frustrating at times but most features are accessible. I still find Ravelry well worth the effort to learn even if there are a few unusable areas.

Ravelry has a lot of interesting features. In your notebook, you can add a project and keep track of the needle size and yarn you used. You can also make notes about the project to share with other people. You can search for patterns on Ravelry and narrow your search by different categories: yarn weight, yardage, gauge, free or paid pattern, etc. You can join groups to find people who are doing the same project as you, people who live near you and people who just share the same interests. You can set up a store to share patterns for free or to sell using PayPal. I’ll describe almost all of the features with more detail in later posts.

Today I want to tell you how to sign up for Ravelry and get started with your profile. To sign up for Ravelry you have to request an invitation. Ravelry is still in beta so you can’t just sign up. The best thing about using the sign-up link in the invitation e-mail is you don’t have to deal with a captia.

Directions for Signing Up

1-      Go to www.ravelry.com

2-      Use your screen reader to find the Username form field. Arrow down until you find the words, “Join Now” and press enter.

3-      Find the form field and type your e-mail address. Then tab to the “Send Sign-up Link” button and press enter.

An e-mail with a sign-up link should arrive within minutes. When I signed up years ago it took a few days to get the invitation. Ravelry is much faster with this now.

When you get the e-mail just click on the link inside. This will take you to a page where you can choose your screen name and password. This screen name will be your public persona on Ravelry so don’t pick anything you don’t want everyone to see. Once You’re signed up the next page will list some of the features on Ravelry with tips for getting started. If you want to view or edit your profile just click on your screen name. It’s usually the only heading on the page so it’s easy to find. On your profile page click on the link that says “Edit Your Profile.”

I’ll post more detailed tutorials about individual features of Ravelry soon. Once you’re signed up you can find me on Ravelry as Crystal6207.

Knitting Small Circumferences with Two Circular Needles

06 Feb 2011 2 Comments

by Ana in Guest Posts, Knitting, Tutorials, working in the Round

Contributed by Paulette Vickery

I love knitting small circumferences, like the crowns of hats or the thumbs of mittens, with 2 circular needles rather than a set of double-pointed needles. Once you get the hang of it, the technique is much easier, less complicated, and not at all prone to having stitches fall off the needles. Plus you never have a little needle slip into the innards of a couch or roll merrily across the floor, managing to stay just out of reach. I’ll explain how to use two circular needles to knit small circumferences with a simple set of step-by-step instructions that will remove all of the confusion from the learning process.

But first, take time to settle into your favorite knitting chair with a glass of your favorite libation at hand. Being comfortable while learning is just as important as the learning process itself. I know that I learn best when I am relaxed and comfortable. Now, let’s do it!

Learning the Process

So that we are all working on the same project, let’s use a 16-inch (41 cm) circular needle to make a simple hat. It doesn’t matter which one. Cast on the number of stitches your pattern calls for, Join to work in the round, make the brim and the body, then start the decreases for the top. When you get to the part of the hat where you have to use double-pointed needles because the opening is too small to continue on 1 circ, you are ready to start working with the second circular needle. Here is what you need to do in order to use 2 circulars instead of double-pointed needles:

First, divide your stitches onto 2 needles. I like to have 1 needle longer than the other so I can tell where the beginning of the round is. Let’s say that your original needle is the shorter needle and the second one is the longer needle. When you finish putting half of your stitches on the longer needle, the short needle, the one with the working yarn coming out of the first stitch, will be on the right, and the long needle, the one with the other half of the stitches will be on the left.

Now let go of both of the points of the short (right-hand) needle. Just slide those stitches to the middle of the cable so they won’t go anywhere.

next grab both ends of the long needle (the one on your left). First, take hold of the closest tip. This will be your left-hand needle. Then take hold of the other tip, which is probably dangling toward the floor. Pull it toward you around the hat so it is in your right hand. This is now your right-hand needle.

Let’s pause for a moment to think about what we’ve got.
• You have the short needle in the back. The stitches you are not working right now are centered on the cable, and both points are pushed somewhere out of the way. The working yarn is hanging down from the cable on your right side. It’s not near the point of the needle because you pushed your stitches to the center of the cable to keep them safe.
• You also have your long needle. It’s now in front. It’s your current working needle and the needle at the beginning of the round. You have the point with the stitches on it in your left hand, and you have the empty point in your right hand.

It’s time to start knitting. Slip the point of your right hand needle into the first stitch on your left-hand needle like you usually do. To keep things simple, let’s say you’re working a knit stitch. Pretend the yarn coming from the cable of the shorter needle in the back is coming out of the needle that you are using, and just knit the stitch as usual, being sure to give the working yarn a little extra tug afterward to make the stitches nice and snug and to avoid an unwanted gap where the needles meet. Now the yarn really is coming out of the stitch on the needle that you are using, so continue knitting and work all of the stitches on the long needle.

Repeat the process. Only this time the current working needle will be the short one, and you will be working the second half of the round. So the steps are these:

• Drop both points of the long needle and center the stitches in the middle of the cable.
• Pick up both of the points of the new short needle, the one that was In the back, which is now on your left, because you have shifted things around a bit.
• Push the stitches up to the tip of the closest needle, which is now your left-hand needle.
• Pull the other end of the needle around so it is now your right-hand needle.
• Work all of the stitches on the short needle.

And you are ready to do it again. This time, you will have the long needle as the current working needle, and when you begin knitting the stitches on that needle, you will be starting a new round. Simple.

Starting a Project with Two Circs

If you decide to work the entire hat using 2 circular needles, or if you are knitting a miniature hat or some other small project, here is how to begin a project with 2 circular needles. Remember to use 2 different needle lengths to make it easier to recognize the beginning of the round:

Using the shorter needle, cast on the number of stitches you need plus 1 extra stitch. Then slide all of the stitches to the other end of the needle so that the first stitch cast on is nearest the tip.

Beginning with the first stitch you cast on, slip the first half of the stitches onto the longer needle. You will have one half of the stitches on the short needle and the other half of the stitches on the long needle, but they will still not be joined to form a circle.

To close the circle, slide both sets of stitches to the opposite end of the needles. Be sure the stitches are all facing the same direction. You can do this by placing your hands at opposite ends of the work and moving them toward each other to make sure there are no twists. The first stitch cast on and the extra last stitch cast on are beside each other near the needle tips. The tips are lying side-by-side close enough together for you to carefully lift the extra stitch from the short needle across the gap to the long needle.

So now, the first 2 stitches on the long needle are the first stitch you cast on and the extra stitch. Using only the tips of the long needle, knit these 2 stitches together to join the circle and get rid of the extra stitch. For a really smooth join, knit those 2 stitches together using both the working yarn and the tail held together as a single strand of yarn. Then still using both points of the long needle and only the working yarn, continue working across the stitches on that needle to finish the first half of the round.

Next, just like we did before, drop the points of the long needle, sliding the stitches to the middle of the cable to keep them safe. Then pick up both points of the short needle, and work across the other half of the stitches on that needle to finish the first round.

It really isn’t hard. After you do a few rounds, you will probably wonder why you ever used those pesky double-pointed needles in the first place, and you will use your favorite libation to celebrate your new skill!

This article was originally published in Seeing It Our Way, a Braille magazine published by Horizons for the Blind, and has been reprinted with minor editing by permission of the author, who is one of the magazine’s contributors.

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