I just wanted to let you know that we have not disappeared! We have
an episode recorded about our obsession with hand spun and an interview
with Jamie Chan of Urban Fauna Studio.
Jenny & Harold were taking a few days away, but I imagine the ep will be
up soon. I will try to get show notes up ASAP. As a reward for your
patience, we have a $25 gift certificate courtesy of Urban Fauna to give away. It is good towards any fiber, books, yarn and accessories in the shop. Comment here for a chance to win. I will draw a winner on December 4th.
Jenny is sick this week, but Nicole forges on alone! We are having a contest for Single Skein September. Nicole talks about some good single skein patterns, briefly talks about the new Twist Collective and Ysolda Teague's new book, then wraps up with a brief update on her knitting.
Out with the old, in with the practical We discuss the moral conundrum of getting rid of our unloved knits. What makes us want knit them and then get rid of them?
Crochet away When we were at Stitches earlier this year we talked to crochet maven, Edie Eckman, about her awesome crochet motifs book. We ramble a bit and talk some about Berroco's spring yarns.
This week we talk about making a pattern work for you in a number of ways, then we say a few words about what we're up to and why.
Working a pattern
You have a pattern that you love and a yarn that you love, but they don't match! How can you make it work?
Scrap the match. In this case, you can just start from scratch. Browse Ravelry for patterns that match the yarn or if you are in a spending mood find a yarn that matches the pattern.
If you really like the pattern there is probably another pattern similar but in your gauge. Ravelry is fantastic for that--use the advanced pattern search function and you will find something.
Do some math. For some patterns this is easier to do than for others. If you are making a scarf (see Nicole's Alhambra) then the gauge is not essential, but if you are making a sweater that's a different story.
For a scarf a simple algebraic equation should work. If the
original scarf was knit at 24st/4 inches with a cast on of 48st, but
your gauge is 20st/4 inches then you can use this formula: your
gauge/original gauge=your cast on/original cast on. In this case
20/24=x/48 or 24x=960, giving you x=40 st cast on
You can do this with a sweater and the equation is the same, you
just need to do it more often for the various cast-ons, increases, and
decreases.
Jenny Check Jenny learned to knit in 2005 and now knits to the exclusion of her personal hygiene. Her husband wonders how long this "knit from your stash" charade will continue.
Nicole Nicole (aka Big Sister) is a librarian who knits. Or maybe a knitter who is a librarian. When she's not knitting on the bus or in front of the TV or at lunch or when chatting with friends, she is, well, that's pretty much it. Knitting.
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