Well, I Did Warn You...

Once again, I apologize for the delay in blogging- Real Life Issues getting hot and heavy recently, and I have been using all my social capabilities to keep up with Hat Attack responsibilities. I can't swear it's over, but at least it finally struck me that it had been a lot more than a week since I promised an update. I haven't had the mental wherewithal to work on the increases and decreases, but I can at least finish off my examples on designing from measurements.

Hats are the easiest. Key concepts to keep in mind are the style of hat that you want and how stretchy your stitch pattern is in each direction. Converting the measurements directly into a hat pattern gets you a slightly loose short beanie. If you want it to fit snugly, pull the number of stitches down a little bit. If you want a watch cap, make it longer. If you want a snood-like hat or a beret, you will need increases and decreases, so that the hat can fit tightly at the band, but loosely above it. You can also design the hat to be knitted from the brim up or from the top down. For a watch cap, this is how I do it:

1. Decide if it will be made top-down or brim up. This determines whether I will be using increases or decreases for the crown shaping. I usually do brim-up, because my cast-ons look a lot better than my binding off.
2. Convert measurements into stitches and rows, rounding down to a multiple of 5 (or other number if you prefer, 4-8 all work, with some tweaking). If the stitch pattern is particularly stretchy, I might reduce the stitches considerably so I don't end up with a super-loose hat. The concept to keep in mind is "how big will this be when stretched to normal wearing tension?"
   
3. Work out the crown shaping. Remembering that the row measurement is ear-to-ear, divide it by 2. You have about this many rows, total, to do your crown shaping. You usually won't need that many. You will always want to do decreases on the last (or increases on the first) 3 rows or so to avoid a "nipple" shape at the top of the hat. In a hat that uses multiples of 5, that means the last 3 rows will have 15 stitches, 10 stitches, and 5 stitches, respectively.
   What remains is to get rid of all the other stitches, down to 15. Subtract 15 from the total number of stitches in the hat, then divide by 5 (adjust accordingly if you used something other than 5 as your base). This is the number of decrease rows you will need. If you want to make the hat easiest to make, just alternate decrease rows and plain rows until you have worked this many, ending with a plain row with 15 stitches in it. If you want your hat to have a more graceful transition from vertical to top, divide your decrease rows in half, and work every third row as a decrease for the first half, then every row, then your 3 final rows.
4. Work out the length. The measurements taken give you a beanie. Simply decide how much extra length you want, convert it to rows, and tack it on. This is the time to round your length off to a pattern repeat if you are using one- it is most common to work the entire portion before the decreases in pattern, then go to something simpler or just straight stockinette for the crown so that the decreases are easier to work.
5. Knit! If you weren't sure about your circumference, you can check it about two inches into the knitting. By then, it should stretch out to about the same degree it will when worn. Before that, it will be extra-stretchy, and might not bounce back, so stretching it out to test can leave you with a floppy edge on an otherwise perfect hat.

Socks are basically hats with a bendy bit in them. The biggest difference is that there are many, many ways to do the toe of a sock, all with their own ardent admirers, and even more ways to turn a heel. Fortunately, most people designing their own socks have their own preferences about which toe or heel they prefer, or can at least get suggestions from friends, books, or other sources. The basic design works the same way for most methods:

1. Decide if you are working toe-up or cuff-down. Most knitters are fiercely for one or the other. Personally, I'm a toe-up girl. Makes me happy to be able to try it on and know how it feels from the toes up, and I like the idea of being able to cut it close on yarn without making toeless socks.
2. Decide which toe and heel you are using. Simplest to design is short-row toe and heel, both identical, but many people prefer other methods, especially a heel flap. Most methods will have you either work a gusset to add stitches for the heel or have you work some kind of cup over more than half the stitches. Toes are usually a bit simpler.
3. Convert your measurements into stitches and rows. Socks are usually slightly smaller in circumference and length than the actual foot, and significantly smaller in circumference than the leg. The amount of negative ease you will want will depend on the structure of the fabric you plan to make (ribbed, flat, lace, etc.), its thickness, and how tight you like your socks.
4. Determine how long your toe shaping is. It will take a certain number of rows to go from full circumference to something bind-off-able (or the equivalent). The most common rule of thumb I have seen is 1/4 the length of the foot. My personal rule of thumb is to try to arrange it so that it is done before widest part of the ball of the foot, and I design down from the full circumference rather than up from the number I want at the tip of the toes.
5. Determine how long your heel shaping is. Again, I have seen 1/4 the foot length offered as a rule of thumb. Depending on your particular heel shaping style, measurement 5 could come in very handy here. If you are making a gusset, you might need to start it earlier than the "elbow", however.
   
6. Determine how much foot length that leaves. This is the bit of the foot you will get to knit plain (or in pattern with no shaping).
7. Determine how long the leg part of the sock should be, and how much of it should be ribbing (if any). Pretty simple, really. You can either measure from the floor and subtract the vertical length of the heel shaping you already added, or just measure from the top of the heel shaping.
8. Determine circumference of sock leg. If you are making a crew sock or shorter, this can be a constant as long as the pattern is stretchy. If you are making a sock that covers the calf or knee, you will need to add some increases and decreases or risk making the leg look like a sausage.
9. Add shaping if necessary or desired. Determine the difference between two measurements- for example, the circumference of the sock at the ankle and the circumference at the widest part of the calf. Divide the difference in stitch counts by the number of rows. You will need to increase every this many rows (or so). It rarely comes out even, so you will probably need to adjust somehow.
   Example: I want to go from 50 stitches at the ankle to 70 stitches at the calf. The two measurements are 50 rows apart. 70-50=20 stitches difference, and 50/20=2.5 rows between increase. It's impossible for me to work an increase on a half row, so I can either achieve this by working 2 increases every 5th row, or work my increases at uneven intervals- 2 rows, then 3 rows, 2, 3, and so on.
   Decreases work the same way, just in the other direction. The only place you are likely to need decreases is above the calf, so that the sock doesn't bag at the knee.

Sorry, that's all I have stamina for at the moment- more updates ASAP, with Mittens, Sweaters, and maybe even the long-promised Increases and Decreases, oh my!

The Phantom Blogger Returns!

Sorry for the break in blogging, some real-world issues came up that derailed the rather time-intensive compilation of stitch instructions, and I just realized that I missed an update entirely. I was thinking about subjecting you to some of my ideas about how a libertarian society would distribute responsibilities between the government and society itself, but I think that might be a bit far off-topic for my current audience and a bit too touchy for an election year. So, instead, you get something knitting-related:

The Universal Knitting Pattern Procedure

Yes, you read that correctly, and I didn't leave anything out. I am going to show you how to make a pattern for pretty much anything, from socks to sweaters. This is the procedure I follow for making the base pattern for pretty much anything I make, and it is simple enough that for things like socks and fingerless mitts, I can do most of it in my head.

What you will need:

• Measuring tape
• A gauge swatch for the stitch pattern you plan to use for the majority of the piece, or one per stitch pattern if you plan to use more than one.
• Paper and SCWI (Self Contained Writing Instrument, pronounced "Squee"; i.e., pen, pencil, crayon, whatever)* or a computer and a printer
  
• The body you wish to make the item for, or a reasonable facsimile thereof
  

* I do not recommend using a PRWI (Pigment Requiring Writing Instrument, pronounced "Pree", i.e., dipped pen, paintbrush) for design work- you are too likely to get the pigment on your yarn. ;-) Yes, I like geeky, uneccessarily precise terms, why do you ask?

Before You Start:

There are some concepts you will need to understand to design knitwear.

Seam Allowances- Thankfully, not a huge part of knitting design. If you are planning to have a seam in your knitwear, you need to decide ahead of time how you are going to work the seam. Some varieties of seam require you to work a few extra stitches or rows to allow the seam to be worked a bit in from the edge of the fabric. Others work right at the edge. You will need to adjust your garment design to allow the relevant amount of seam allowance for the type of seam you plan to use.

Ease and Negative Ease- These affect how tightly the garment will fit to the relevant portion of the body. If you sew garments from woven fabric, you have already run into the concept of ease, although it might not have been explained. A non-stretchy garment needs to be larger than the body that will wear it so that it does not bind the wearer. This extra size is called Ease. Knit garments tend to be stretchy, so less ease is required. For particularly stretchy garments or garments meant to be worn very close to the body, like socks, the garment might even need to be smaller than the relevant body part. This is called Negative Ease.

Wearing Ease- This is the standard (usually minimum) amount of ease needed for a given garment to be comfortable. Socks will usually have an inch or two of Negative Ease in the calf so they don't fall down, sweaters will usually have an inch or two of Ease in the circumference of sleeves so that they don't climb up, that sort of thing. This is not as standardized with knits as it is with clothing sewn from woven fabric, but you can find various opinions about the basic amount of ease needed for a given type of garment simply by asking other knitters or looking in a good book about that garment type.

Design Ease- This is the amount of ease allowed to give the garment the shape the designer wanted. Slouch socks have positive Ease, because they are supposed to fall down. Some sweaters have Negative ease, because they are supposed to cling to the body, that sort of thing. This is what you will adjust from the Wearing ease to turn a default sweater pattern into a huge boxy tunic or a svelte clinging number designed to get you out of speeding tickets.

Garment Ease- Wearing Ease + Design Ease = Garment Ease, the amount the actual garment will be larger or smaller than the body for which it was designed. When you see a pattern that says size Medium is meant for a 36" bust, and the finished garment bust measurement is 40", the Garment Ease in the bust is 4". I highly recommend buying patterns that actually come out and tell you the desired Garment Ease (or at least finished measurements, so you can do the math yourself), because it is impossible for the garment to fit everyone the same way, and it is much easier to adjust it for your measurements if you know how closely it is meant to fit.

Instructions:

1. Measure the circumference and length of all relevant body parts (foot and lower legs for socks, hand and lower arm for mitts, torso and arms for sweaters, etc.). You will discover over time which measurements are important for each kind of item, but I will give you the ones I use below.
2. Decide how you want to construct the piece- toe-up, toe-down, in the round, flat with a seam, one-piece sweater, pieced sweater, cardigan, etc.
3. Draw a simple sketch (art skills are irrelevant) of the pieces you plan to make. Later on, you can skip this for simple items like crew socks, but it remains a good idea for complex items like sweaters. You might want to take the time to do a fairly clean sketch and make a few copies- it's much easier to use several than to keep marking up the same one, and if you draw a new one halfway through the process, the temptation is to rush it.
   
4. Match up the measurements you took with the relevant portions of the sketch. For example, note the foot length along the bottom of a sock, the calf circumference near the top of it, and so on. For sweaters, note the waist circumference at the bottom of the sweater (or at the waist of it, if it is going to be much longer than waist-length), arm length by the arms, etc. These are not the final dimensions of the garment, they are for reference.
5. Determine how much Wearing Ease you want to allow on each relevant measurement. Generally, only circumference measurements need ease. If you are going to be making many of this item for this person, you might want to set this sketch and measurement set aside for future reference, as this is your Basic Pattern for this type of item.
   
6. Determine how much Design Ease you want to allow on each relevant measurement. If you want the garment to be loose, add extra ease above the Wearing Ease. If you want it to be tight, you might even subtract from the Wearing Ease, but be careful- Wearing Ease usually provides a garment as close to skin-tight as is comfortable, and you can make a pygmy garment very easily with what seem like small deductions.
7. Add any design details that aren't about fit, such as three-quarter sleeves, bell sleeves, a hood, etc. by adjusting measurements or adding components. Don't worry about stitch patterns yet, only things that affect the shape of the garment.
8. Clean up your sketch, and transfer your final garment measurements to a new sheet, if relevant. Make sure not to erase these measurements when you do the next step.
   
9. Convert your measurements from inches or centimeters to rows and stitches. Usually, length measurements will get converted into rows, and circumference measurements will get converted into stitches. If you are using more than one stitch pattern, divide the measurement into portions, then convert. For example, if I am working a sock in stockinette, but want a lace panel up the side, I will figure out the width of the lace panel, subtract that from the circumference, and convert the remaining amount into stitches at my stockinette gauge. Don't forget to add them all together again when determining the number of total stitches, though!
10. If you are making an item with complex shaping, like set-in sleeves, you will need to write or chart out those portions separately, but you can still determine the measurements for the simpler parts now. Sorry, complex shaping is out of the scope of this particular tutorial.
11. If you are making an item with simple shaping, such as the toes and heels on a sock or waist shaping in a sweater, you can work out the shaping straight from measurements. Specific examples to come, but the basic idea is that you treat each section almost as if it were its own piece, making sure to measure for each "edge" separately.
    
12. Translate the information in the sketches into your preferred form of instructions. Trust me, if you have made it this far, this is much easier than it sounds. The hard part would be making it make sense to other people. :-J

Measurement Sets:

These are the measurements I take for these items. You may not need them all, or you may need others because you want to add details I generally don't.

Hats:

1. Circumference of head just above ears- should be even with eyebrows.
   
2. Length from circumference measurement on left side to circumference measurement on right side over the top of the head.

Socks:

1. Length of foot from toe to back of heel, along the bottom
2. Circumference of foot at ball of foot
3. Length from toe to ball measurement
   
4. Circumference of foot at "elbow" of foot and leg- basically the same spot you measure ankle, but down around the foot instead
5. Length from back of heel to measurement 4 along bottom of foot
   
6. Circumference of ankle
7. Length from bottom of heel to ankle along the back of the heel
8. Circumference of widest part of calf
9. Length from ankle to widest part of calf
   If making Knee Socks:
10. Circumference just below knee
11. Length from widest part of calf to just below knee
    If making Thigh-Highs:
12. Circumference of knee at center (bend knee, mark fold, straighten knee, measure at where the fold was)
    
13. Length from widest part of calf to knee measurement
14. Circumference of thigh
15. Length from knee measurement to thigh measurement

Mittens:

1. Length from wrist to tip of middle finger
2. Length from wrist to tip of shortest finger (usually pinky)
3. Length from wrist to fold of thumb
4. Length of thumb from base (near wrist) to first joint (near fold)
5. Length of thumb from first joint (near fold) to tip
   
6. Length of desired cuff
7. Circumference of hand at base of fingers
8. Circumference of hand at fold of thumb, not including thumb- as far down as possible
   
9. Circumference of hand at first joint of thumb, including thumb- as close to #8 as possible
10. Circumference of thumb at second joint (last bend before fingertip)
11. Circumference of wrist
12. If relevant, circumference of arm at end of cuff. Usually only relevant if making a very long cuff, a very loose cuff, or the person has very thick forearms.
    

Gloves would be similar, but you measure the length and circumference of each finger. Usually, only the pinky is significantly different in circumference, and the ring and index fingers are roughly the same length.

If you are making very long cuffs, see the measurements for sleeves in the next section.

Sweaters:

This can vary, depending on what kind of sweater you are making, and whether it has certain features. Therefore, I am dividing it up into parts:

Torso- Male or Child:

1. Chest circumference
2. Waist circumference
3. Hip circumference
4. Neck circumference at base
5. Length from neck measurement to chest measurement
6. Length from neck measurement to waist measurement
7. Length from neck measurement to hip measurement
8. Length from neck measurement to shoulder seam, along top. Press along top of shoulder and lift arm. Shoulder seam should be placed just before the portion that bulges up when arm is lifted. You will be able to feel the joint move when you are pressing in the right place.
9. Width from shoulder seam to shoulder seam, across back
10. Armscye measurement- measure from shoulder seam point under arm, back around to start
11. Width between armscye measurements across front, even with collarbone
12. Length from armscye bottom to waist measurement
    

Torso- Female:

1. Bust circumference
2. Chest circumference (just below breasts)
3. High Bust circumference (chest measurement above breasts)
   
4. Waist circumference
5. Hip circumference
6. Neck circumference at base
7. Length from neck measurement to high bust measurement
8. Length from neck measurement to bust measurement, over a tight shirt (trying to measure as fabric would lie, not the valley of cleavage)
9. Length from neck measurement to chest measurement, over a tight shirt (trying to measure as fabric would lie, not the valley of cleavage)
10. Length from chest measurement to waist measurement
11. Length from chest measurement to hip measurement
12. Length from neck measurement to shoulder seam, along top. Press along top of shoulder and lift arm. Shoulder seam should be placed just before the portion that bulges up when arm is lifted. You will be able to feel the joint move when you are pressing in the right place.
13. Width from shoulder seam to shoulder seam, across back
14. Armscye measurement- measure from shoulder seam point under arm, back around to start
15. Width between armscye measurements across front, even with collarbone
16. Length from armscye bottom to waist measurement
    Even if you do not plan to have side seams, pretend you do for the following measurements- on women, it really does matter if you add width to the front or the back. The side seams should run from the lowest part of the armscye straight down along the body.
    
17. Bust width from side seam to side seam across the front.
18. Bust width from side seam to side seam across the back (I know, the bust is in front, but still)
19. Waist width from side seam to side seam across the front
20. Waist width from side seam to side seam across the back
21. Hip width from side seam to side seam across the front
22. Hip width from side seam to side seam across the front

Those last measurements are especially important for designs meant to be worn by very curvy women, and preventing the sweater from accentuating bumps you wish didn't exist. I think the fact that most designs just add all around is a major reason many knitters are disappointed in the results they get from many sweater patterns.

Sleeves:

Always determine the armscye and shoulder point while measuring for the torso, and use the same positions when measuring for the sleeves. Incorrectly fitting armhole and shoulder seams are the most common reason for uncomfortable fit in top-half garments in general, and when you are putting in the work to knit something, it really is worth the trouble to measure and construct the sleeve attachment correctly.

Same as with a cast, measure to the next joint out past where you want your sleeve to stop- measure to the elbow for short sleeves, the wrist for three-quarter sleeves, and the base of the fingers for full sleeves.

Take all measurements with arms hanging comfortably at the sides unless they specifiy "flexed".

1. Length from shoulder seam to elbow along outside of arm
2. Circumference of bicep at thickest point, relaxed
3. Circumference of bicep at thickest point, flexed
4. Circumference of elbow
5. Length from elbow to wrist along outside of arm
6. Circumference of forearm at thickest point, relaxed
7. Circumference of forearm at thickest point, flexed
8. Length from wrist to fold of thumb
9. Circumference of hand at fold of thumb, including thumb
   If you are making extended sleeves that go over the hand, you might want to replace those last two with:
10. Length from wrist to base of fingers
11. Circumference of hand at base of fingers, including thumb
12. Length from base of fingers to tip of middle finger

You can also make sweaters that have fingerless mitts at the end of extended sleeves, in which case you would switch from sleeve measurements to mitten measurements at the wrist.

High Collar:

1. Neck from collarbone to fold of chin in front
2. Neck from bump at top of spine/base of neck to base of skull in back
3. Head Circumference as for Hats (so you can be sure it will fit over the head!)

Hood:

Measure fairly tight to the head; adjust for big hair in the Wearing Ease stage of design.

1. Head Circumference as for Hats
2. From neck measurement on right to neck measurement on left over the head
3. From neck measurement in back to front center hairline over the head

Conclusion:

So, that's the basic procedure I follow when designing everything from easy fingerless mitts for my friends at the LYS to the doubled-laceweight blouse I plan to spend half my life making and the other half wearing every chance I get. Examples of how you can design basic shaping straight from the measurements will come within the next day or so to make up for the missed update.

Have fun!

Disambiguation Part 1: What's Your Style?

As I embarked on the quest to create a nice, style-neutral listing of increases and decreases, it came to my attention that I can’t quite manage it. I can make one that is considerably more style-neutral than the majority I have seen, which assume a great deal about how stitches are laying on the needles, for example, but there are a few differences in styles that don’t go away just because I want to be able to make a universal guide. So, your first entry is not a listing, but an expository piece.

First, let’s get some terms defined, as I see some of them thrown around in ways that make no sense at all once you get a grasp of how many styles there really are.

Glossary:

Front: the side of the stitch that will face the knitter after being worked without twisting.
Back: the side of the stitch that will face away from the knitter after being worked without twisting.
Working Needle: the needle that is inserted into a stitch and has yarn wrapped around it to form a new stitch.
Holding Needle: the needle that holds stitches not yet worked in this row.
Pick: wrap the yarn to form a stitch by holding the yarn taut and catching it with the Working Needle
Throw: wrap the yarn to form a stitch by holding the yarn in hand and moving that hand around the tip of the Working Needle
Working Yarn: the yarn running from the yarn supply (e.g., ball) to the work.
Tail: extra yarn left hanging from the work when yarn is cast on, bound off, added, or ended; not connected to a yarn supply.

Clockwise and Counterclockwise are judged as if the needle is pointing directly at the knitter, with a watch face balanced on the point, facing the knitter.

What’s Your Style?

There are several different components that go into the definition of a knitting style, including how you hold your needles, how you get the yarn around your Working Needle to form a stitch, whether said yarn goes around the needle clockwise or counterclockwise, and whether you work through your stitches from right to left or left to right. However, only two are actually important when it comes to stitch instructions:

1. Do you knit from left to right or right to left?
2. Do you wrap Clockwise or Counterclockwise when forming a new stitch?

While the main debate in the US is Pick vs. Throw, the distinction is largely irrelevant to the actual instructions. Yes, if you pick your yarn and the person showing you how to do something prefers to throw, you will need to change your actual procedure somewhat from what they are doing, but what the yarn does will be the same as long as you knit and wrap the same direction, and most people will introduce variants into how they get the yarn to do that even when compared to other knitters in the same style.

Most knitters work from Right to Left. If you work from Left to Right, you are a Backwards knitter. (No judgment on you, and many knitters will be very impressed that you can. :-) All of the styles can be worked in either direction, and many knitters learn or want to learn to work both directions so they can avoid turning their work under certain circumstances.

If you wrap Counterclockwise, the stitches on the Holding Needle will face away from the Working Needle. This is Western knitting.

If you wrap Clockwise, the stitches on the Holding Needle will face the Working Needle. This is Eastern knitting.

If you work Knit stitches Western and Purl stitches Eastern, you are using Combination Knitting.

If you work Knit stitches Eastern and Purl stitches Western, you are using Inverse Combination Knitting.

Before We Start:

You may be a bit startled to see that you aren’t using the style you thought you were. In the Exotic Knitting Styles group on Ravelry, we have many members who taught themselves to knit from books, and thought they were knitting English or Continental, only to discover that when they tried to work in the round or try lace that things weren’t turning out quite right. It’s okay. You’re not “doing it wrong”, you just inadvertently reinvented the wheel. There are places where English and Continental are the exotic styles, and you would fit right in. The key is understanding what style you use, and adapting any instruction that was meant for another style.

Another common effect of learning from a book and changing the style somewhat is knitting Eastern Crossed. You get this if you wrap your yarn Clockwise, then insert your Working Needle into the stitch from left to right to form the stitch. This twists the stitch from the commonly-known V to a more complex cross shape (thus the name). It is very attractive, and I sometimes do it on purpose, but it can be very frustrating when directions assume you are not twisting your stitches. This is a result of a common bad habit I see in instruction for Western knitting styles, in which they tell you that the left side of the stitch is the “front”, and the right side is the “back”, rather than explaining the terms properly. If you want to try Eastern Uncrossed, simply insert your needle into the real front of the stitch, which will be facing your Working Needle, and continue as you usually do.

The Instructions:

For Backwards Knitters: If you work from Left to Right, my instructions should work exactly the same as they do for people working from Right to Left, but the stitches will lean the opposite direction. You may need to do some substitution if the direction of the lean matters for your pattern.

Note 1:

I default to using the versions of increases and decreases that involve the least modification from a standard knit or purl stitch. Thus, if there is a variant that requires you to Knit into the Back of a stitch, it will be listed after the variant that can be knitted normally. This might or might not reflect the preference of a particular designer, so check to see if they specify a variant.

Note 2:

Many instructions will list the lean of a purled increase or decrease as it will appear from the “right” side, as if no one would ever want a purl bump on the side anyone would see. As this assumption is what annoyed me into making this list, I do not do this. The lean mentioned is the lean you will see on the side the stitch was worked on.

The Basics:

For practice, here are some stitches you probably already know, written in the style I plan to use for the more complicated stitches. When I use these terms in the later instructions, I will be assuming that you are working them as described here.

With a few rare style exceptions, you will need to hold the yarn behind your work before a Knit stitch and in front of the work before a Purl stitch in order to avoid an inadvertent Yarn Over. Trust me, if you’re one of the exceptions, you will already know you can ignore this instruction.

See the Styles section if you are not sure which way the Front of the stitch lays for your style.

Knit Stitch- K:

1. Insert the Working Needle into the Front of a stitch on the Holding Needle
2. Wrap the Working Yarn around the Working Needle
3. Pull loop of Working Yarn through stitch on Holding Needle
4. Slip stitch off the Holding Needle

Purl Stitch- P:

1. Insert the Working Needle into the Back of a stitch on the Holding Needle
2. Wrap the Working Yarn around the Working Needle
3. Pull loop of Working Yarn through stitch on Holding Needle
4. Slip stitch off the Holding Needle

Knit Into Back/Twisted Knit Stitch:

1. Insert the Working Needle into the Back of a stitch on the Holding Needle
2. Make sure point of Working Needle is still behind the Holding Needle.
3. Wrap the Working Yarn around the Working Needle
4. Pull loop of Working Yarn through stitch on Holding Needle
5. Slip stitch off the Holding Needle

Purl Into Front/Twisted Purl Stitch:

1. Insert the Working Needle into the Front of a stitch on the Holding Needle
2. Make sure point of Working Needle is still in front of the Holding Needle
3. Wrap the Working Yarn around the Working Needle
4. Pull loop of Working Yarn through stitch on Holding Needle
5. Slip stitch off the Holding Needle

Competitive vs. Normal Knitting

We have a lot of first-time competitive knitters in HAT ATTACK! 2, and the difference between competitive and normal knitting is hitting many of them much harder than I thought. Thus, I felt it merited a blog entry.

For those of you not familiar with such things, there are a slew of competitions that are one part swap, one part race, and one part knit-a-long. I believe Sock Wars was the first, and it is definitely the best-known in my circle, but there are many spinoffs and inspired-bys, and some of those have their own spinoffs. There are also quite a few for crocheters, and most of this would apply to them as well, I just don't feel like being PC and writing "or crochet" all through this entry. Sorry, hookers- much love, though! {waves}

Please note that this entry does not really address the many reasons why people do enjoy competitive knitting, just some of the potential downsides that seem to hide until someone is already hip-deep in a competition. Competitive knitting can be fun, diverting, and generally pleasant, and I feel that as long as people are aware that it is not quite the same as knitting on one's own terms, those aspects will keep knitters coming back time and time again.

*****

In my opinion, competitive knitting of any type is to normal knitting what a Fun Run is to your morning jog. Some people are in it for the fun, and don't care how they place, others are in it to win, and both are valid ways to approach the endeavor. There are some aspects that apply to everyone, however:

1. You might actually have to follow the pattern.

   Many knitters have a somewhat relaxed attitude towards following patterns. If we do not like some aspect of the pattern, we change it. If we inadvertently do something differently than is indicated in the instructions, it's not a mistake, it's a "design modification". If the gauge we get with the yarn is different than that intended by the designer, but we like the effect, we adjust for it by changing the number of rows or stitches.

   As most competitive knitting events require that the FO be made to a certain set of specifications so that it can be checked for compliance, none of this really works in most competitive knitting, and many knitters find this to be the most frustrating aspect of the experience. (This frustration has inspired the creation of several competitions that do not require participants to use a particular pattern.) If you make a mistake or your gauge is off, you need to fix the problem, and you will need to discipline yourself to follow the pattern as written, not as you wish it was written. Think of it as boot camp for knitters- if you can manage competitive knitting, your "civilian" knitting will be the better for it!
   

2. Someone will be checking your work.

   Again, most knitters work under the assumption that no one will be scrutinizing the finished object, and that any fellow knitters they encounter will tend to be generous about any design modifications they do notice. In competitive knitting, I have found that while the competitors are sympathetic to one another, they will still call foul if your FO is not within the specifications of the particular competition.

   Think about the Fun Run comparison- the same person who would not give you grief for taking a shortcut if you decide your usual morning jog route is a bit too long for you today is likely call foul if you do the same thing during a competitive event. It's not a judgment on you for wanting to take a shortcut, it's just that everyone needs to be following the same rules for it to be a race.

   This seems to be the aspect that stresses people out the most in HA, and one of the most misunderstood, especially combined with point number 1. No, your target isn't likely to be scrutinizing every millimeter of your work, looking for yarn slubs and minutely larger stitches- he or she is a knitter, too, and generally inclined to take into account how much effort went into your weapon. As long as your hat is worked to pattern and wearable, your target will in all likelihood cheer you on in the remainder of the game! However, he or she is also playing a game, and to some extent, probably wants to do well in said game. If someone overcharged you in Monopoly in a way that would cause you to lose the game, wouldn't you say something?

3. Competitive knitting is not relaxing.

   One of the main attractions to competitive knitting is that it is exciting. You have a moving deadline, in most cases your overall longevity in the game depends on factors over which you have little control, and at least one person is keeping an eye on your progress. For many knitters, this urgency and uncertainty is the entire point of the experience, but those who knit primarily for relaxation might not find it so much to their taste. If you don't want knitting that can get your blood pumping, that's fine; competitive knitting just might not be your thing.

   One corollary to this is that competitive knitting can cause what Hat Assassins have dubbed "Package Paranoia". People tend to have a sense of anticipation about swap packages, and this does carry over somewhat to competitive knitting. However, receiving your competitive knitting item means you are no longer in the game, which can make mail time a bit more stressful as well, especially if you are trying for a particular goal you have not reached yet.

4. Competitive knitting is not swapping.

   While the underlying structure of most competitive knitting events is much like a daisy-chain swap, there are several aspects that are very different, largely related to how personalized the packages received are likely to be.

   While most competitors will do their best to make something their recipient will like, it's not guaranteed. You might not like the FO that you eventually receive, as many of the parameters are set by the rules of the game, rather than by careful selection on the part of the person making it. You're not required to keep it; as long as it was made to competition specifications, it should still be a well-made piece of knitwear suitable for re-gifting. Many people keep items they can't even wear, simply because they like being reminded of the experience, much like the shirt you get for completing a Fun Run race.

   You might not get much of a personal touch. Many swappers customarily send extras with their swap items. In competitive knitting, a note is customary, but extra items are completely optional, and if they are included, are usually less than the same person might send in a swap.
   

   On the bright side, the fact that it is a competition means that there is usually a much smaller proportion of "flakes" than there would be in a similarly-sized swap.

5. Competitive knitting patterns are meant to be challenging.

   As a designer, this is the one that bothers me the most when people don't understand it, probably because it translates into comments about the pattern being bad when it achieved exactly what it was meant to. The design specifications for competitive knitting patterns are very different than those for patterns in general. For HA, my design specs are:

• Easy enough that Advanced Beginner knitters can use the pattern
• Unusual enough that even advanced knitters can't make it on "auto pilot"
• Time-consuming enough that few if any knitters can make it in a single sitting
• Able to fit reasonably well on most heads with no modifications to the pattern
• Nice enough of a FO that I don't get several hundred knitters angry at me for wasting their time
  

I try to balance the need to keep construction simple for the beginners and the need to keep the advanced knitters on their toes by doing things that turn common design conventions on their head. In the first HA, I did a rib pattern that was close to a standard one, but not quite. In the second, I used a standard rib pattern, but offset it so that you can't just repeat the same row over and over. New knitters will likely be following the pattern closely, and are unlikely to be bothered, as they are still thinking in terms of each stitch, while advanced knitters will have to stifle the urge to go on automatic. That's not bad design, it's intentionally leveling the playing field, but a lot of more experienced knitters don't seem to be expecting it.

Each game has its own parameters, but as long as the goal is to provide a challenge to everyone who participates, expect there to be some twists to the pattern- part of the designer's job is to keep competitors on their toes, just as part of a race route designer's job is to make sure the entire route isn't downhill. :-J

*****

For those of you anxiously awaiting the list of increases and decreases, please be patient- I am currently bumming internet from a friend, and will need resources on my own computer to do that job properly. I didn't forget, it just got pushed back a little.

Making an Ass Of You And Me (in Knitting)

Okay, short rant courtesy of recent Hat Attack experiences.

I am getting really, really sick of knitting help sites that assume things, especially when they don't state the assumptions. The entire point of these sites is to help people who don't know how to do a particular technique, and they are largely frequented by knitters who are new enough to the craft that they are unlikely to catch the assumptions. Gah!

The particular example that currently has me pulling at my hair is the SSP decrease and knittinghelp.com, which is usually my go-to site for help when someone needs help with a technique, as the videos and descriptions are incredibly clear and concise. I still like them, but I suppose I should have vetted this particular technique before people started going there, as they have one major assumption that does not apply in my particular design.

According to knittinghelp.com, you can only do a SSP decrease on the wrong side of the work. Assuming you are working stockinette or otherwise want the purl bump on the wrong side of the work, that's sort of true. However, in this case, I wanted the purl bump on the right side of the work. It is helping to keep the ribbing pattern underway during the decreases.

Now I have people getting very confused and probably assuming that I am out of my furry little mind because I am asking for an "impossible" decrease, and doing all sorts of odd modifications because a site has an unspoken assumption that you want purl bumps on the back, not the front of the work. :sigh:

Another example, which is nearly universal, is the use of the terms "front" and "back" to refer to sides of the stitches on the needles, without actually explaining these terms. The front of the stitch is the side that once you work it will end up facing you. The back is the side that will end up facing away from you once the stitch is worked. Alert readers will notice that it is possible to have the front of the stitch facing left or right.

Unfortunately, this is not usually mentioned to new knitters, and they are simply told that the left side of a stitch is the "front" and the right side is the "back", and this inaccurate description is used when explaining increases, decreases, and so on. It's not usually a problem in normal knitting, but as they get into lace, patterned decreases, and other even slightly complicated knitting, it makes explaining things much more difficult.

To make it even more fun, almost all sites assume that you are knitting Western style, even though there are huge populations of knitters that work Combination, Eastern, or other "exotic" styles. Many of these people have never even heard of Western knitting. If you use one of these styles, you have a good chance of the stitches facing the other direction on the needle, which makes correct usage of "front" and "back" even more important.

*****

Okay, I have been successfully stirred into action by aggravation. My next entry will be a nice, long list of how to perform various increases and decreases, using terminology that actually takes into account how your stitches lay on the needle beforehand and doesn't use terms that can mean more than one thing depending on how they are used.

Rant over, I feel better now.

Swatching 101 AND 201

Most knitters have been through "Swatching 101", but many still don't see the point of swatching on most projects, as their swatches are rarely accurate enough to be useful. "Swatching 201" aims to remedy that by explaining some of the whys and wherefores of various aspects of swatching. But first, the refresher course and intro for new knitters:

Swatching 101- The Basics

Swatch: A small piece of knitting created for the express purpose of measuring to determine the gauge obtained with a specific combination of needles and yarn

Gauge: The number of stitches or rows in a specified portion of a knitted (or crocheted) piece. Commonly called "tension" outside the US.

You create a swatch before you start on your full-sized piece so that you can check your stitch and row gauges, and avoid ending up with, for example, a doll sweater that can stand up on its own, or a whale-sized poncho that looks like lace despite being made with bulky yarn. Well, technically, you do. Many knitters avoid swatching because this shorthand description leaves out a lot of what I consider to be key concepts. So, we move on to:

Swatching 201- Comprehensive

First, let's start by dispelling some common misconceptions:

• "I need to use the same size needles as the designer/ball band/my knitting friend."
  
  This is the most common misconception I see, and it drives me nuts. Um, no, no you don't. The important thing with knitting is to get the fabric you want, and knitters work at an amazing range of different gauges. There are tight knitters and loose knitters and everything in between. I am a tight knitter. What I get with a particular yarn on size 7 needles can and has required size 0 needles for others. This does not mean either of us is "doing it wrong", it just means we're at opposite ends of the tightness spectrum.
  
  Until you determine where you tend to be on the tightness spectrum, and where you are relative to your favorite designers, consider the recommended needles a suggestion, a starting place. If your first swatch does not result in the desired gauge, it's not a big deal, you just need to move up or down until you get there


• "Only stitch gauge is important, don't worry about row gauge."
  
  I know where this one comes from; if your piece is the correct width, you can always adjust the number of rows to make it the right length. If you are fairly close, this works, but if you are severely off row gauge, it can lead to a piece that looks perfect when you make it, and terrible over time, and I suspect this has resulted in more knitting disasters than any other swatching misconception.
  
  Because the width and length of each stitch come from the same bit of yarn, and each stitch pattern has an "ideal" proportion that it will tend towards, if you are significantly off on your row gauge, as the piece ages, it will gradually change shape to match that proportion, distorting your overall piece. More on how to deal with this below.


• "As long as you can get gauge, the yarn will work."
  
  I'm not sure where this one comes from, but it usually goes away after a disaster or two. It seems self-evident, but in the heat of the moment, many knitters will choose yarn far heavier or lighter than that called for in a particular pattern. When this leads to the inevitable bulletproof sock or lacey winter sweater, the mournful cry of "But... I got gauge!" rises to the heavens.
  
  This is where the weight, needles, and gauge listed on the ball band of your yarn becomes relevant. If the pattern calls for a yarn that is expected to knit up to 5 stitches per inch on size 7 needles, and you substitute a yarn that is expected to knit up to 2 stitches per inch on size 11 needles, you are in for a rather solid piece of knitted fabric, and this is no fault of the design, the yarn, or the needles- it was just a bad combination. Likewise, if you try to knit a pattern intended for worsted weight yarn with sock yarn, it is going to come out lacey and floppy, even if your gauge was perfect.

Now, on to some useful truths:

When you knit, you are basically tying one huge knot with the yarn. Unless you felt the project, that yarn will be free to scoot around after you knit the piece, and the idea is for your swatch to help you make something that will be the right size and shape to start with and that will stay that way for the life of the garment. Yes, many knitters are middle-of-the road and will usually get the ball band gauge on the recommended needles, but what if the designer of a piece you want to make is not one of them? What if the design intentionally calls for a tighter or looser gauge than is generally recommended for the yarn? What if you're making a substitution? Then, even these "perfect" knitters should swatch, and it is a good habit to get into for everyone.

Tip 1: If you cannot obtain both stitch and row gauge, try to split the difference between the two. If you have too many rows per inch, try to get slightly too few stitches per inch. You can block the piece later to pull the extra yarn from contributing to width to contributing to height.

Tip 2: If you are working in a pattern with a known height/width ratio (for example, stockinette is about 3:4), and the gauge requested on a pattern is significantly off from that ratio, try to find out if the designer took it into account that the fabric will likely shift with time. Some patterns and yarns will deviate from the default values (for example, silk and cotton will tend towards longer, thinner stitches), and if the pattern was designed to accommodate that, you need to take it into account in any substitutions.

Tip 3: Always do your swatch on exactly the needles you plan to use for your project. Yes, this may mean doing a four-inch square on sixty-inch circulars, but it will be a more accurate swatch than if you use more "reasonable" needles.

Tip 4: If your piece will be worked in the round, work your swatch in the round (or work a "round" cheater's swatch, as described below), and vice versa. Most people knit and purl at slightly different tensions, and the effect adds up over time. If you work a flat swatch for a piece worked in the round, your row gauge, especially, is almost guaraneed to be different.

Tip 5: Check your gauge again once you are a little way into your project. Depending on the pattern, sometimes all you can really check is your row gauge, but it's better than nothing. Your gauge may change once you are working with more stitches on the needles, and it's better to notice this early on in the project.

And a tip I picked up somewhere: If you are making something that comes in pieces all constructed the same way, like a sweater, just start making the smallest piece, such as a sleeve. If the gauge is wrong, it was a swatch, and you learned something. If the gauge is right, you're already underway!

The Cheater's Swatch

This is the way I swatch, with all of my hatred for wasted time and effort. I believe it is a good balance between accuracy and effort. Keep the tips above in mind when working this type of swatch.

You need to know your desired gauge to set up this swatch- if you are just trying to see how the yarn works up, I recommend trying for the ball band gauge. If you are supposed to swatch with a pattern other than stockinette, just replace the stockinette portion with the pattern.

Flat Stockinette Version:

1. Cast on your desired number of Stitches Per Inch (SPI) x 4 + 10.
   
2. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch (all knit).
   
3. Work 4 inches in this pattern: Odd rows K4, Purl Many, K4, Even Rows Knit Across. This creates a Stockinette center portion with a Garter edge.
   
4. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch (all knit) and bind off.
   

You now have 4 inches of nice, measurable swatch, surrounded by a garter stitch edging to keep it from rolling as you measure, and a little bit of leeway to allow for the transition from garter to stockinette. Measure the center portion of the swatch, and do not twist, pull, or otherwise distort the stitches if you can help it, and you will have the most accurate gauge it is possible to get without just starting your full piece.

If you are feeling motivated, you can wash and block your swatch before you measure it, but unless you have reason to believe it will change significantly with blocking, you don't absolutely have to. If you do this, you won't be able to use the yarn again in your finished piece.

Also, as you can fudge slightly on row gauge, if you want, you can work only half the length (2 inches), and as long as you are on track for a nice proportionate row gauge, call it good and just check again on your actual piece. This is one reason this is a Cheater's swatch.

Round Stockinette Version:

The downside of swatching in the round is that you need to work twice as many stitches (or steek the work- yikes!) in order to get the same size measurable swatch you would get working flat. This method saves time and effort by only properly working half the "tube". This is the main reason this is a Cheater's swatch.

This ends up looking much like the flat version, but it is worked all as "right side" rows. You should work the swatch with whatever needles you plan to use on your actual piece, whether it be DPNs or a circular needle. You can work the all-garter rows at the beginning and end flat, if you like, but work the main body of the swatch "round".

How to work "round": If you have ever made I-Cord, you have already basically done this- just don't pull the yarn tight when you switch sides. When you reach the end of a row, instead of turning your work and knitting back, drape the yarn loosely across the back of the work (I wrap it a few times around my finger so I don't accidentally pull it tight), scoot the work to the other end of your needle, and begin again at the right end on the same side.

The first few stitches will get horribly wonky when worked this way, but those are your garter stitches, so you wouldn't be measuring them anyway. Just pull the floats snug to hold the stitches tighter once you get the first couple of stitches done on each row so that the looseness doesn't make it into the body of the swatch, and it's nothing to worry about. If it bothers you, add a bit more width to the garter stitch edge by casting on more than 10 extra stitches and working more than a 4-stitch border.

When you are done you should have a nice normal-looking piece of knitting on the front, and a bunch of loose floats across the back that look terrible. That is the other half of the "tube", which you don't need anyway, so why bother knitting it?

1. Cast on your desired number of Stitches Per Inch (SPI) x 4 + 10.
   
2. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch, flat (all knit)
   
3. Work 4 inches "round" in this pattern: Odd rows Purl 4, Knit Many, Purl 4, Even Rows Knit Across. This creates a Stockinette center portion with a Garter edge.
   
4. Work 4 rows in Garter Stitch, flat (all knit) and bind off.
   

Congratulations, you now have a nice, measurable four-inch swatch with a garter edge that will give you accurate gauge as if it were knitted in the round, and you didn't have to knit twice the size or cut your yarn to do it!

Final Words

It is my hope that now that you know more about swatching, you can see why swatches sometimes "lie", how to keep them truthful, and are more inclined to swatch voluntarily. Yes, it is kind of boring. Yes, it is less exciting than just casting on your newest project. Yes, it means doing knitting you are probably going to just salvage for the yarn five minutes after you finish. But let me tell you, there is very little as satisfying in knitting as having every piece you make come out the exact size you wanted it to on the first try, because you got all the gauge mistakes out of the way on a tiny little scrap of knitting you weren't emotionally invested in.

Inaugural Post

I am a member of the wonderful yarny site known as Ravelry, and I have discovered that certain concepts which I find very important to my chosen yarny craft of knitting seem to be missing from the reference blogosphere. Thus, I enter the realm of Knitting Bloggers {imposing music here}.

I will attempt to post at least once a week, but I am not certain that I will come up with knitting concepts that aren't already covered that often, so we'll just have to see. You might get the occasional post about Libertarian politics, annoying friends, or cakewaffles in there, too.

On to the first real post: Swatching 201!