Kay's Korner - A Knitters Notes

I am so blessed being surrounded by a family full of men. Bill, my husband of over 28 years, my grown son, Luke whom many of you know as my boss, and Will our first born, now living in San Diego. Naturally, I try to knit for them, wanting them wrapped in soft, yarny love, but where it is easy to find projects that the women in my life will appreciate, my men are a more challenging task. For all of you looking for man pleasing projects, perhaps you can benefit from my years of experience making gifts for the men in my life.

My first experience in knitting for the male of the species was a resounding failure. I was about 13 years old and crocheted a cardigan as a gift for my older brother. Lots of allowance and hours of work produced a sweater only a mother could love, but certainly not my brother. Even with natural wood buttons and masculine colors, the fit was terrible and the overall effect quite "home made" rather than "hand made." Although as a Southern gentleman he made the appropriate comments, the sweater was never worn and probably donated if not discarded. Strike one.

As I matured, both as a person and as a needle artist, my second gift to a man was during my senior year of high school. I purchased a lovely kit for a crocheted afghan and made it for a home economics credit. The finished project was quite detailed and lovely, but my pride at Christmas turned into regret in February when my bull headed beau sought greener (and older) pastures. Strike two.

Not one to give up easily, my third gift to a man in my life was a knitted raglan pullover detailed with rows of cables up the yoke. I chose a soft, medium brown 100% wool worsted and a pattern above my skill set. My then boyfriend had enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was shipping out February 13th. I worked diligently to finish this sweater before his departure, learning about cables, stitch holders, and proper blocking along the way. To my delight, the finished project was PERFECT! Bill was very impressed at both my craftsmanship and my diligence, that I had spent many clandestine hours creating a sweater , a beautiful sweater, for him. Yes, I know what "they" say about boyfriend sweaters, but to this day, my husband relates how this knitted gift had a significant part in winning his heart. Home run! A hand made gift is not only beautiful, it is also a tangible symbol of commitment, all tied up in yarn. Each stitch expresses your love.

Since that occasion, knitting with a man in mind no longer stresses me and all of my gifts have been well received. A Noro hat and scarf set for my father lay in his drawer for several years, but upon his retirement, it became his chosen warmth for every winter walk. Both sons have oversized, cozy afghans in their choice of colors, snuggly warmth for now and keepsakes for years to come. Some of our friends have enjoyed knitted gifts as well. Doug's Big Wave was knit for a friend and then became a popular, easy pattern, its popularity outlasting the production of the title named yarn. Other ideas for man pleasing projects are cowls, ski hats, gloves, socks and ties. All require only modest amounts of yarn, which gives you the option of splurging on the good stuff! A cashmere scarf is a truly luxurious accessory, even when knit in a simple stitch pattern. Ties knit in sock yarn can be quite dashing and, in my book, nothing says love quite like a gift of hand knit socks.

On Kay's Needles

It seems that my needles have been so busy that my pen needs to play catch up! Nothing gets my needles clicking like a gusty Autumn day! When working on a design for a moebius lace scarf, an inspiration from Cat Bordhi's moebius scarf seen on the DIY network show, Knitty Gritty, I discovered when I was binding off the double coil of stitches, that I had knit a beautiful lace collar. The project, with its many rows of fagoting, would not fit a neck snuggly enough to be worn as a scarf, but the lovely layers of lace will look marvelous as a collar to a pullover sweater. Hopefully, I can come up with a fitting pullover design this month, to complete the concept.

My sock knitting has taken several turns. I began my On Line Supersocke project on #3 US double point needles, only to find the knit fabric was too loose for a durable sock. Not only did I change to a smaller needle, but I also changed to two circular needles, following instructions for an alternate sock knitting technique. I am currently working on the heel, where I have again changed the needle gauge, using a #1 US needle in order to knit a denser fabric for a longer wearing sole. I have been consulting Cat Bordhi's book, Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles, for my basic sock pattern and her clear instructions on this increasingly popular sock knitting technique.

I have designed a cozy rustic cardigan to ward off those chilling winds, perfect to wear with jeans, a khaki skirt, or my favorite corduroy jumper. The yarn I am using for my sweater is Himalayas by Queensland Collection , a lofty single ply 100% wool that has variegated color and texture. The thin-thick nature of the yarn brings interest to a simple stockinette stitch pattern, making this a good choice for a first sweater by a novice knitter. I have chosen to add polished wood buttons, to add a country feel to my colorway of autumn colors, but for those seeking a more urban look, try fun and funky Lucite buttons in coordinating colors. Himalayas is a bulky weight yarn, so this is truly a quick knit and as always, Queensland Collection yarns are a good value, while not forsaking quality. Himalayas Cardigan will be available at rerepurls.net November 1, 2008, with the Rare Purls Original Pattern free with purchase of the kit;

Also on my needles, an infant haat for my newest nephew, Blake Alan. I have knit a hat in Andes by Ester Bitran yarns to match one I made for Blake's dad last year. The colorway is David's favorite, the colors of mossy oak camouflage in a 100% wool, hand dyed yarn.

Stitches South

What better way to spend a long weekend than among literally tons of yarn, innovative knitting instructors, and the season's hottest designers?! April 23-26, 2009, Stitches South will make its debut at the fashionable Galleria in North Atlanta. Stitches expos have been a mecca for knitters for many years now and finally Stitches is coming to the South. Classes, fashion shows, yarn distributors, and a gaggle of retail vendors will be gathered at the Galleria to present a long weekend of fiber excitement. For those of you traveling here to join in on the fun, the adjacent hotel and other nearby lodging have many rooms available, placing you in the lap of luxury while you rest your feet between shopping, classes, and other knitterly diversions. Shop till you drop, take a class from a nationally recognized instructor, learn a new and innovative technique, then retire to your room to cast on and rest up for the next day.

Rare Purls will be there in the thick of the fun, offering our original kits plus some of our own favorite designer lines. This will certainly be the yarn event of the year south of the Mason Dixon line and I urge you to make plans early. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact me at kmather@rarepurls.net. I hope to see you there!

Copyright Kay Mather 2008

For those familiar with the popular show "What Not to Wear", you know that an unsuspecting woman is surprised by the shows hosts, joined with many of her family and friends, and she is told what a poor sense of style she has. Ouch! Well, I am not going to hand out $5,000 for a new wardrobe, but I do hope to help you make a better choice when deciding on a knitwear pattern.

When knitting for yourself, it is a good idea to pull out your best fitting sweater and take some measurements. Check the bust, waist and hip dimensions, as well as the length from the neckline to the waist. Use these measurements as a guide when choosing what size to make, comparing them to the finished measurements in the pattern. If the pattern doesn't give finished measurements or have a schematic, check the sizing chart on the yarn standards website to see what size best matches your sweater's dimensions.

Now I know at least a few of you are going to skip measuring and use the size marked on the sweater's label. Although there are industry standards for sizing women's and men's clothes, all size 12's are not the same. Where some designers like a tailored fit, others go for something more loose fitting and forgiving. Generally, more expensive lines tend to be more generously cut. Sizing also varies by world geography. When I was flipping through an On Line pattern book not long ago, I noticed that the sizing was not the same as in most American patterns. This prompted me to contact On Line's representative and sure enough, their standard bust sizes were smaller than U.S. Standards for comparable sizes, in most cases.

As you may have noticed, both commercial garment producers and pattern designers have, for the most part, dropped sizing sweaters by the numeric system (i.e. size10, size 36) and have opted to use size ranges (small, medium, large, extra large.) Although these ranges are adequate to obtain a reasonable fit in a bulky pullover, if you choose a pattern with a snug silhouette, it is worth your time to take measurements and check the sizing chart for the closest matching size. You see, where one designer may choose a finished bust measurement of 41 inches for a size large, another may use a 44 inch finished bust. Also, be sure to accommodate your largest measurement. For example, if your bust is in the size small range, but your waist measures comparable to a size medium, you will need to knit the medium. Of course, you may then tweak the pattern for a better fit, if desired.

We go to the effort and expense of knitting a garment not only because we enjoy the craft, but also to make clothing that will be enjoyable to wear. But no matter how great the model looks in that racer back halter, consider your own body before casting on. A few years ago, I knit a gorgeous cropped sweater with expensive French yarn and it has stayed in a cedar chest ever since. As I am self conscious about my tummy, the sweater is simply not flattering on me. In the photo, the sweater was on a dress form and did not appear cropped. Not realizing that the sleeves were only ¾ length, I misjudged the overall length of the garment. Had I taken a closer look at the finished measurements, I could have avoided the costly mistake of knitting a beautiful sweater that I never wear.

For more information on sizing patterns to fit, there are many references available. Most basic knitting books have advice on the subject, as well as many articles on the internet. Of course, your local yarn shop is always there to help you and is your most valuable resource.
Happy knitting!

On Kay's Needles - This week, I've continued to work on my Fan and Feather stole. By the way, this lace stitch pattern is also known as Old Shale. It's already a pretty piece and I know that once it is properly finished and blocked, it will be a lovely wrap.

The other project I've been working on is a crocheted tote bag for the market. As in the knitted version of this project, I am using Antuco, a bulky weight, hand dyed, 100% cotton yarn from Esther Bitran, allowing this project to be machine washable. After exploring several stitch patterns in different combinations, I decided on a single crochet base with a woven stitch body. I left a stripe of open work (treble crochet chain) to accommodate a wide ribbon trim that can be removed for laundering. I have crocheted the handles separately, to be joined during finishing. The center of the handles are made with single crochets joined into a tube, a technique I developed that is working out very well. Although I considered adding a stitch pattern with a bit of flair around the top of the bag, when I finished with a brick stitch pattern, it added more flare than flair! I went back to the drawing board and finished the bag in the woven stitch pattern, with a lovely result.

Copyright 2008 Karen Mather

Next time you flip through a pattern book and choose a fabulous project to hand knit, please give the pattern designer a moment of love. When I refer to someone as a designer, I do not mean the courageous knitter who either substitutes a different yarn or adds a few rows to make sleeves a bit longer. I am referring to the person who begins a design with a blank sheet of paper and an idea. Although I have both altered many sweater patterns and designed throws and accessories, sweater designs are a relatively new skill for me. So that you may appreciate the effort behind the stunning abundance of sweater patterns available to today's knitters, I thought I would take you through some of the ups and downs of designing Slip Into Spring, my latest pattern.

The inspiration for this comfy, cotton blend top was the yarn, Amerino by Laines du Nord. The two plies of differing textures blend color as well as interest, with the yarn available in seven lovely, warm weather colorways. As I handled the yarn, an image of a fairly loose fitting, casual top came to mind, something suitable for active spring/summer days. I knew the yarn could produce a fairly firm fabric with enough body for a gentle tenting from a softly empire waist and also for a structured squared neckline. As I began to swatch, I was inspired to add slipped stitches to stockinette to add a subtle striping. This became stitch pattern 2. The slipped stockinette was lovely, but the skirt portion of the top begged for a greater definition of the slipped stitches and also more texture, so another stitch pattern was developed and swatched, which became stitch pattern 1. I must tell you, swatching has to be a designer's best friend.

The nature of the second slipped stitch pattern was a firmer more narrow fabric, which I used to slightly nip in the empire waist, without decreasing the number of stitches. It also would encase the bustline, but I found it did not lay properly when I bound off for the neckline. I could have solved this with a crochet finishing, but wanted the pattern workable for a novice knitter with no crochet skills. So, I tried binding off on both right and wrong sides, both knitwise and purlwise, but was not pleased with the effect. Had I been knitting with a more elastic fiber, such as wool, blocking would have solved much of the problem with the neckline, but Amerino is a cotton/acrylic blend, not as forgiving as properly blocked animal fibers. Finally, I decided to use ribbing for the neckline and shoulder sections, maintaining my line of slipped stitches. It was necessary to go down from the #10 ½ US needles, to a #9 US in order for the modified 1 x 1 ribbing, stitch pattern 3, to maintain my working gauge. All I had left to do was to decide on the length I wanted my loose fitting, short sleeves and write the instructions so that the sleeve cap would correlate with my armhole shaping. Then the design was complete.

Now, my pattern and sample sweater were customized to fit me. My 41" bust puts me in the size large range, but patterns need to fit a variety of sizes. As "Slip into Spring" is not close fitting, I decided that if I made it to fit small, medium, large, and extra large, it would fit women with busts from 33 inches to 46 inches. Using simple math and basic design concepts, I could determine the changes in the number of stitches and rows throughout the pattern to allow the desired range of sizes.

With my pattern completed, the all important sample knit got underway. With any pattern, it is best to have the sample worked up by someone other than the designer, in fact many publishers require it. This insures that the instructions are clear and that consumers will attain satisfactory results when they follow the pattern. "Slip into Spring" will be available as a Rare Purls Original kit later this summer.

On Kay's Needles

The fringe is being added to a new throw I worked up using a 100% wool tweed from Valley Yarns, striped with rows of Plymouth's Oakmont. The throws full length was cast on, so much of the fringe was in place simply by leaving long tails at each tie on and tie off when changing yarns. I love the design element of the raised rows of Oakmont. The neutral palette will make this throw at home in a wide variety of settings.

Copyright 2008 Karen Mather

April 23, 2008

When Kermit said "it's not easy being green", Jim Henson penned what was to become a statement about our environment. As I work with Luke on building the Rare Purls website, news of all the trendy, eco-friendly yarns comes across my desk nearly every day. The words organic, renewable, sustainable, green and natural are used to describe yarns made from familiar materials, such as wool or cotton, to extruded fibers made from soy and milk. While doing my best to sort out the vernacular, I see irony in much of the merchandising. Of course, we should all be aware that certain chemicals and growing practices are harmful to the environment, but am I a bad person if I buy regular cotton yarn rather than organic cotton yarn? Will my baby be happier and healthier? What if my organic cotton is not certified organic? Does it make sense to buy wool only from organically grown sheep that is dyed with natural dyes if I have to drive 50 miles further each way to find it? Does using all of that gasoline negate the good of the organic yarn? I have heard so many discussions on this subject, my head may explode! For me, the bottom line is using common sense with an eco-conscience. I simply do the best I can without becoming obsessed over every tiny detail.

But there are products I always do my best to avoid, those labeled "Made in China". That WalMart has launched an advertising campaign asking every WalMart shopper to buy "just one" light bulb or box of detergent from them to help save the planet is ludicrous when so much of their wares are manufactured in China. China has no EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). The top 10 most polluted cities in the world are all in China. They have no OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Those inexpensive leather jackets from China were probably tanned by stripped down men immersed in vats of chemicals, using their bodies to stir the hides. There is no FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in China. Both antibiotics and vitamins manufactured in mainland China and imported to the U.S. have been recalled as they were harmful.

WalMart came to be a giant corporation by ad campaigns touting that they sold goods "Made in the USA". Flags were flown and stars and stripes motifs were everywhere in the store. What a difference 20 years make. I am not a racist and I respect Chinese culture, but every piece of Chinese merchandise supports the country with the very worst policies on human rights. We are funding the atrocities in Tibet when we save a few bucks by purchasing Chinese goods. So many American jobs have been lost to cheap foreign labor, especially those in manufacturing everything from clothing to kitchen gadgets. Our GNP (Gross National Product, an indicator of economic strength) now relies on exporting technology and food, rather than the widely diverse exports of 50 years ago. In my lifetime, America has gone from banning goods from mainland China to becoming dependent on them.

The yarn industry is effected by the influx of inexpensive Chinese goods as well. Personally, I will not use any yarn labeled "Made in China". Although China does produce most of the world's silk and cashmere, most Chinese yarn I see are synthetics. The U.S. Produces many quality yarns, for example Brown Sheep Yarns are lovely. I have no problem buying yarns from Peru, France, Italy, New Zealand or any of the other nations who produce fine yarns, but I draw the line when I know the yarns are being manufactured without regard to human suffering and our environment. I sincerely hope all of you will give this matter some thought the next time you purchase supplies for your next project.

Happy knitting!

Copyright 2008 Karen Mather

February 14, 2008

Last entry, I discussed using the yarn standards chart to determine if a yarn is suitable to use as a substitute for a recommended yarn in a pattern. Although there are several guidelines to aid in this determination, in my opinion the most accurate is to compare the wraps per inch or wpi. This value never seems to be on commercial yarn labels, so one must learn to determine it - an easy task. Wpi is the number of strands wrapped side by side within a one inch measure. For example, a lace weight yarn will be 18+ wpi and a worsted weight 12 wpi. For more information on wpi and a handy chart comparing them to standard yarn weights, go here.

Retail wpi tools are available, but it is so easy to make one yourself. A ruler, even a pencil with an inch marked in the wood, will work, but with a dowel and a woodburner, your new tool will earn a place in your knitting bag.. Notches marking off each inch are a plus and a four inch tool will double as a measure for stitch gauge.

Finally, there are some exceptions when substituting yarns with different characteristics from a recommended yarn, even using a wpi tool. Even though eyelash yarn or fine mohair will have a very high wpi value, they are usually considered a heavier yarn rhan their wpi would suggest. DiVe's Mohair Kiss, a 70% mohair blend distributed by Cascade Yarns, has a wpi of 14 or sport weight by my determination, yet is considered to be worsted weight and the recommended needle size is #9 US, knitting up at 4 stitches to the inch, the higher end of what is considered worsted weight. Very flat, wide ribbon yarns, such as Louisa Harding's Sari Ribbon, are another example of an exception to the wpi method of yarn substitution. This yarn would measure over an inch, if wrapped flat around our tool only two turns, yet is considered another worsted weight at 4 stitches per 1 inch on #11 US needles. As in life, common sense works in our favor when we are presented with situations outside the norm.

Finally, the fiber content of a yarn will effect many aspects of your finished project. Felted items must be made from animal fibers, usually wool, but a superwash wool will not felt, as is the case with some white wools. If you substitute a bulky weight cotton yarn for a bulky weight angora, your garment will be heavier (in ounces) and the actual weight of the fabric can effect the fit. A trumpet skirt fashioned in linen will lose its exceptional drape if knit in acrylic. I am not wanting you to be afraid to try very different yarns than the one recommended in your pattern. You just need to be aware that the pattern designer had specific reasons for choosing a particular yarn and has used stitches and techniques with that yarn in mind. Swatching is always your best guide to how a substitute yarn will look in your pattern stitch and when using a different fiber alternative, laundering the swatch is most helpful. Although there is science involved in our craft, knitting and crochet are needle arts. We express ourselves through the patterns and yarns we choose, so although some choices may work better technically, there is no right or wrong in art.

On Kay's Needles
Presently, I have several projects on my needles. I am making a felted basket to corral our multiple remote controls out of Cascade 220, a double strand on size 11 US. We just got in On line's Supersocke 100 in the Hiking colorways and I just had to cast on this popular self patterning yarn on my #3 US double points for some handknit socks for hubby. I pulled a spring sweater out of my UFO pile, a pattern from Vogue Knitting Spring/Summer '06 using Gedifra Fiocco and began both sleeves on a circular needle.

Having learned to spin recently, I just have to show you my very first homespun yarn. (Yes, I know. It's pretty darned homely.) Spinning has helped me to have a greater appreciation of the many factors that go into making a good yarn, such as amount of twist, color, choice of fiber, and number of plies. By taking a step back to the 18th century, I am more keenly aware that as hand knitters in the 21st century, we are so fortunate to have a wonderful variety of commercially made yarns readily available to us.

Copyright 2008 Karen Mather