M1 Tutorial

There are two ways that I "make one" when doing an increase in knitting. Whichever method you choose, you are picking up the "ladder" between the two stitches on your left and right needles. Here's a still shot of the "ladder."


The first M1 increase method leaves a hole. If you doing a project that will be felted, this is okay. The hole will close. Sometimes you want a hole, as in knitting lace. Also, this M1 method can be used to correct a missed yarn over in the previous row. Just mark the place where you missed the yarn over and M1 when you come to it. I call this the M1, left needle. Insert the tip of your left needle beneath the ladder from front to back. Knit this lifted ladder stitch through the front leg. Notice the large hole formed beneath the M1 stitch.



The other method I use does not leave a hole in the knitting. It's a great way to make an M1 increase more invisibly. I call this the M1, right needle. Insert the tip of the right needle beneath the ladder from back to front. Insert the tip of the left needle into the front leg of this stitch and knit in this position. Notice that there is no hole beneath this M1. This M1 is much more difficult, especially inserting the tip of the left needle into the front leg of the stitch, so be patient with yourself! The result is well worth it.

SSK Tutorial

I just learned I've been doing the SSK incorrectly! I've never been really happy with how it looked, and now I know why. I'm posting this little tutorial to help other "self-taught" knitters. Here are the instructions for SSK: With right needle, slip two stitches knitwise off of the left needle, one at a time. Insert left needle back into these stitches (from left to right). Knit both stitches together from this position. It was the "from this position" that I was missing. Here's the little video I made:

Baby Surprise Jacket

Here is my Baby Surprise Jacket. (Pattern found in The Opinionated Knitter, along with the adult surprise jacket and little matching mitered bonnet and booties.) I've got two grand babies coming, and I hope one of them will be a girl so she can wear this. I finished weaving in the ends and putting on the buttons today. I used Mountain Colors Bearfoot yarn, Sun River colorway. It's not very exciting on the skein, I think - too much fuchsia - but when it's knit up I absolutely love it!

Here's a detail of the buttons. Aren't they perfect? I'm sure they're made from Fimo clay. Should be easy peasy to make some next time!

















Here's a close up of the buttons and miters after washing. This particular yarn gets softer and softer every time you wash it. The mohair in it blooms beautifully.

Christmas Ornament 2008

I decided to continue my mother's tradition of making ornaments for her grandchildren. Now that I've got one grandchild and two on the way, it's getting to be something I can't just start and finish on Christmas Eve. I'll have to be more organized next year! I dug out a mini sweater pattern designed by one of my knitting friends. I wanted it to look like a Weasley sweater from the Harry Potter books and films. I knit it up with my favorite sock yarn, Mountain Colors Bearfoot. I used navy for the main sweater and a nice golden color for the letter. This one is for Abram.


I knit the sweater completely with the navy, rather than mess with the intarsia method in such a small project. Then I added the letter by stitching over the existing stitches with the golden yarn.

Thread a dull darning needle with a long piece of yarn. (One yard will be plenty.) Bring the yarn out at the bottom of a stitch where it forms a V. Insert the darning needle behind the stitch above, following where the right leg of that V goes.


Here's a closeup. (sorry it's so blurry - hope you can get the idea anyway)










Make all your stitches following the path of the yarn as it moves from one stitch to the next. It's a serpentine kind of move.


























Here's the finished A. Now just to weave in the ends and seam up the sleeves!










To finish it off, I made a little wire hanger out of 20-gauge copper/tin wire.

Welcome to my new blog! My sister goaded me into starting a blog for my knitting. She's got a fabulous blog of her own. She does lots of tutorials and is an apronista extrordinaire. You can visit her here: http://mybyrdhouse.blogspot.com/

Right now I several projects on my knitting needles. I'm making a gi-normous bag that I based the color and pattern on a Navajo rug. I've got a pair of socks from Kat's book New Pathways for Sock Knitters that keep getting set aside for urgent family knitting. Of course, I've got a couple of Christmas presents going, but I daresn't give any details on those until after the fat man comes.

I just finished the cutest little Baby Surprise Jacket (pattern available here: http://www.schoolhousepress.com/spunout.htm). I'm teaching a knitting class on it in January. I used double-stranded Mountain Colors Bearfoot sock yarn. It's such yummy yarn! I've made a couple of pairs of socks out of it, and it only gets softer as you wash it. The machine washable-ness of it makes it perfect for baby clothes.

Hopefully pics soon to come!