I received this question as a comment on one of my youtube videos. I am guessing it’s from someone outside the U.S., but the commenter didn’t share her location.:
“…we have some local yarn here with no instrctions abt guage and other things.. wht shld we do in such case??? how can we find guage then?? ”
Here’s my reply:
There are a couple of ways to judge “mystery yarn.” One way is wraps per inch. There is a good explanation of it on a site called knitchat. That post will give you a symbol/number that corresponds to the wraps per inch.
Once you know the weight of the yarn, you can go to the Craft Yarn Council site to see recommendations on needle size and gauge.
It’s important to emphasize that these are guidelines, not commandments. The key is to achieve a knitted fabric that you like and that feels right for the project you have in mind. Some projects, like outerwear, may work best with a firmer knitted fabric, while others, like a scarf, may be more comfortable with a looser, airier fabric, even though they might be worked from the same yarn.
I have a couple other tips on working with mystery yarn that I’ll share in my next post.
I was sitting outside one of my favorite coffee places this morning thinking the trees outside needed some decorative knitting. My next stop was the library, where I found a lovely example of knitting graffiti.
I’ve had several requests for videos on knitting sweaters for children and men (have NONE of you heard of the Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater?) And yes, I’m planning to create those videos, but leave us face it (as my MIL used to say), I’m slow at cranking these things out. And I just answered a question on Ravelry about this very subject, so I thought I’d make it available to everyone. To keep things simpler, I freely reference my knitting videos on youtube. Here is a very abbreviated version of what I call Knitting for Everyone Else.
You may find it useful to have a chart of sizing standards that The Craft Yarn Council has published here.
I received an e-mail from Ann who asked about waist shaping when designing a sweater. My answer ran to several paragraphs, so I thought I’d share it, since I seem to recall interest in the subject… Read more »
Andrea wore the sweater I made her to a family get-together on Saturday:
Gray sweater in Cascade 220
In the meantime, I’ve determined that the shooting pains in my wrists and thumbs were not arthritis, but tendonitis, brought on by a pre-Christmas blitz to finish Annabelle’s jacket (picture coming soon). A little research online brought me to the horrifying news that I need to cease the offending activity for THREE WEEKS. Icing, stretching and no knitting. The good news is, of course, that it’s not the deterioration of actual bone and joint, but muscle soreness–all fixable. But still. Read more »
I always caution against what I call magical thinking. I’ve said it on my youtube videos, in my e-book, to new knitters–if there’s a problems, STOP. Continuing to knit, hoping the problem will solve itself, is magical thinking, and it doesn’t work. Is your gauge wrong? STOP–your sweater won’t fit. Have you reached the armholes of your sweater (the halfway point) but two-thirds of your yarn is used up? STOP–call your yarn store NOW and see if they have any more.
And yet, in spite of all my well-intentioned advice to others, I did it again. Read more »
I love the teaching power of videos in knitting, and here’s a source for some excellent ones: Liat Gat’s Video Knitting Dictionary. What, you may ask, is a Video Knitting Dictionary? I didn’t get it, either. It’s a PDF document you download for FREE with thumbnails that link to streaming videos demonstrating knitting techniques. Easy to navigate.
My favorite is the video on picking up dropped stitches:
After making a few videos myself, I really appreciate the quality of Liat’s videos–excellent lighting and sound, high resolution.
Sign up for a FREE download at her blog, or her site.
I haven’t tried mittens yet, but after attending the Nordic Knitting Conference in Seattle last month, I may tackle it. I have been assured they’re not that hard. After looking again at pictures of these mittens, brought by teacher Carol Rhoades, I am tempted.
Then again, I may start with a wrist warmer, like one of these, from the same class.
I like a three-needle bind off at the shoulder seams because I think it makes a neater looking seam. This means my shoulder stitches must be live, which is why I do all that horsing around with short rows for shoulder shaping that you saw in the previous post. Another way to work your shoulders is via binding off stitches, and then grafting the seams or sewing them with a backstitch, but try as I may, mine always look messy. That’s why I like the method I’ve shown.
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