Master Knitter Level I – Swatches #1, #2, & #3

February 11, 2010| Lindy| 0 Comments | 12:05 pm

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I have completed the first three swatches for the TKGA Master Knitter Level I program. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I discovered an issue with tension that I did not realize I had. And over the last few weeks, I have done quite a bit of reading about tension and an equal amount of knitting, reknitting, and being much more aware of HOW I knit. This is one of the purposes of the Master Knitter program — it makes you think about your craft and helps you identify the bad habits you have developed over time.

I have decided to use this blog as I way for me to document the lessons learned as I proceed through the Master Knitter Level I program. Hopefully, others will find my notes and comments helpful and will also learn from them. So, here is the first of my “lessons learned”:

Swatch #1 — 2 X 2 Ribbing & Garter Stitch
Garter stitch (knit all rows) was fairly easy for me — the key is to maintain an even tension throughout knitting the rows.

Tension can be a real issue with 2 X 2 Ribbing, because most knitters tend to purl more loosely than they knit. [I do]. The result of this tendency is that your ribs are formed of uneven stitches and appear “wonky”. My first attempt at this swatch was definitely “wonky”. After much researching, knitting and reknitting, I determined that I was really out of practice purling because I had been knitting projects mostly “in the round” and this was part of my problem. So, I spent some time just purling and working on my tension — trying to get it more consistent. I eventually managed to obtain a fairly even tension with my ribs. From my reading, I think that the unevenness on the edges is normal and should be satisfactory.

Swatch # 2: 1 X 1 Ribbing and Stockinette Stitch
Tension was also an issue for me with the 1 X 1 Ribbing. With this ribbing, I found that my looser purl stitches really impacted the shape of the ribs. Again, I found that I really needed to practice purling and focus on keeping my tension even when doing the ribbing.

For the Stockinette Stitch, I was able to obtain the even fabric required — but only after I had worked on my purling. The evenness isn’t as noticeable on the right side — you need to look at the wrong side of the fabric and make certain that there isn’t a distinct difference in your rows between the knit rows and the purl rows. Along the way, I discovered that I knit fairly loosely and I had to go down one needle size to achieve a decent fabric.

If you are trying to correct uneven tension when ribbing, here are a couple of ways to do so:
1) Just try knitting with an even tension; 2) Give your yarn and extra tug when moving it to the front of the needle and before purling; 3) Try wrapping your yarn under your needle when purling — note, this makes the stitches sit on the needle with the back loop leaning forward — to avoid twisting the stitch you must knit through the back loop rather than the front when knitting; 4) Try purling using the Norwegian Purl method [link to video here].

Swatch # 3: Seed Stitch

Swatch # 3 was a sample of Seed Stitch — which is K1, P1 across the row over an even number of stitches. The goal here is to produce a nice even fabric with no visible holes between the knit and purl stitches. This is another tension challenge. It took me three swatches to produce the swatch shown. I finally came to the conclusion that I was over-doing the tension, basically trying too hard — and once I relaxed a bit on this, I got a better result.

In summary, here’s what worked for me: 1) After practicing, I needed to relax a bit — I got to the point that I was pulling my purl stitches so tightly that I made my knitting even less consistent. 2) Remembering to do that little extra tug when putting the yarn in front to purl. 3) For the edges — giving the yarn an extra tug when knitting off the last stitch on the row, followed by giving an extra tug after knitting the first two stitches on the next row.

1 thought on “Master Knitter Level I – Swatches #1, #2, & #3”

Jody says:

January 18, 2011 at 8:03 pm

Lindy, I found your narrative to be very helpful to me as I start the Level 1 Master Knitting course. I, too, have found in the very short time of working on swatches 1, 2, and 3, that I am taking a very close look at my knitting techniques, style and results. I have made swatches several time with two different kinds of yarn and will block and see which I like better. Over the years, I have read many knitting ‘how to’ books, but I am finding that I need to go back and take a second look at some of the articles. I found your article by google-ing ‘seed stitch without holes’. So, you can see where I am with my transitional stitch tension. I have added your site to my favorites and will continue to ‘check with you’ as I move through this exciting course.

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Tips for Selecting Knitting Needles – Part 1: Needle Materials & OptionsTips for Selecting Knitting Needles – Part 1: Needle Materials & Options

April 8, 2022| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 4:27 pm

The type of material used to make a set of knitting needles ranges from aluminum, acrylic (plastic), nickel, stainless steel to different woods such as bamboo, birch, and rosewood. Each type has properties that may affect your knitting. For instance, wood needles are “grippier” and work well with slippery yarns. Needles made from metals are often slicker and work well with “sticky” yarns because the stitches can glide more easily across the needle.

Here’s a fact that I stumbled across when I was struggling to knit with a laceweight yarn:

“Not all yarns work with all needles”

I had this lovely, but very fine laceweight yarn that I tried using for a lace shawl, but I became so frustrated with knitting it because it just wouldn’t knit up properly. The shawl pattern was part of a knit along (KAL) and so I posted a question to the group asking for suggestions on how to address my issue. One knitter told me to try a different type of needle because the needle I was using with the yarn might be the problem. This was a new concept for me at the time – it had never occurred to me that the knitting needles I used might not work with a yarn. So, I went to my LYS and purchased a set of Addi lace circular needles. These needles are made of brass, but they have a coating on them that makes them grippier. The difference in the way the yarn knit up on these needles was amazing! No more struggles with how the stitches formed or moved on the needles.

Lesson Learned. When selecting knitting needles, you should consider what you plan to knit and what type of yarn you plan to use. For this reason, I recommend that as you build your collection of knitting needles, you buy needles of different materials and try them out. If the project you are planning to knit uses a slicker yarn and you need to purchase a new needle for this project, consider buying a bamboo or birch needle. If the yarn is sticky – consider buying a needle made of nickel or stainless steel. You will find that over time, you will need a mix of needles made of various materials.

Types of materials that needles are made of include:

Metal – Needles can be made of Aluminum, Brass, Nickel, or Stainless Steel. All these metals make needles that are strong and smooth. Metal needles work well with most yarns, but if you have a slick yarn, you may find that the stitches slip too easily off the needles. Addi Lace needles are made of brass but have been coated to make them less slick. This helps when knitting lace patterns with very fine weight yarns. Some knitters find that they are allergic to Nickel. Others report that Brass needles stain their fingers. Aluminum and Stainless Steel are less reactive and may be a better choice if you are one who does react to Brass or Nickel.

Wood – There are many companies that make knitting needles of Bamboo, Birch, or Rosewood. Wood needles are less slick than metal needles and work well with slicker yarns such as rayon or silk. One issue with wood needles is that they can break if put under a lot of pressure. This is especially true with the smaller sizes.

Synthetic – These needles can be made of plastic, acrylic, or carbon fiber. Plastic and acrylic needles come in a wide variety of colors. These needles are also smoother than wood needles and are less expensive. Needles made of carbon fiber are quite strong and work well slick yarns. These needles are more expensive.

Needle Options:

Straight Needles are single point needles with a cap on the other end. They are available in several different lengths ranging from 7 inches (for kids) to 14 inches. Single point straight needles work well for knitting items flat, but they do not work for knitting circular (or in-the-round). As I said in my last post, these are the needles on which I learned to knit. I knit my first sweater using a pair of 14-inch needles.
Double Point Needles (DPNs) are exactly what the name says: needles with a point on each end. These are probably the earliest type of knitting needles, and they are used to knit circular. According to historians, early depictions of knitters using DPNs have been dated to the 14^th century. DPNs are sold in sets or 4 or 5. You have stitches divided over 3 or 4 needles and knit with the remaining needle. These needles also come in a variety of lengths.
Circular Needles have a single point needle on each end with a thin cable in between. The cables are made of a flexible synthetic material and come lengths ranging from 9 inches to 60 inches. While these are used to knit in-the-round, they can also be used to knit flat.

There are two options for circular needles: Fixed lengths and Interchangeable. Fixed length needles are just that – they have a fixed length. 9-inch circular needles can be used to knit socks, and 16-inch needles work well to knit hats. For general purpose knitting, a 24-inch fixed circular is a good choice for length. If using “magic loop” technique, lengths between 32” to 60” work well. The longer lengths also work when knitting items with large numbers of stitches.

Interchangeable Circular Needles are needles that have needle tips that either screw or click into the ends of a cable. They are sold in sets with a number of different sizes of tips plus different lengths of cables. Such sets offer a lot of flexibility because you can easily change the length of your needles by switching cables. Interchangeable sets can be somewhat expensive depending on the type of materials used and the brand. Interchangeable needle tips and cables can also be purchased in single sizes and lengths, so it is possible to build a set over time. This is also a good way to expand your set of interchangeables.

I use my interchangeable needles the most. Over time I have added a variety of needle tips in different materials to my first set, so now I have the option of using either nickel or wood tips. I also have added extra cables in different lengths. I usually have more than one project on needles at any given time, so it’s great to have duplicates of sizes and cables available. I recently received a second interchangeable set of needles that has stainless steel tips. I find that enjoy using these, so I will be purchasing some duplicate tips in the sizes I use the most.

Recommendations to New Knitters:

Try out different types of needle materials so that you learn what works best for you. If you are planning a project with a slicker yarn and need a new set of needles for it – consider buying one made of bamboo or birch wood. Likewise, if your project uses a sticky yarn, go for a metal set, and if possible, select a metal than you haven’t used before.
If you belong to a knitting group, you might find some members that will be willing to let you try out one of their needles on a swatch.
If you haven’t used circular needles before – consider buying circulars instead of straight needles for your next project.
Big box stores sell knitting needles and supplies but if you have a local yarn shop near you, consider buying from it. Some local yarn shops may also offer you the chance to try a type of needle before you buy. It doesn’t hurt to ask.

Chevron Scarf – in ProgressChevron Scarf – in Progress

November 9, 2009| Lindy| 0 Comments| 8:00 am

So, I spent quite a bit of time asking various folks what they thought about the chevron scarf and which patterning they liked. All of them were very supportive and all gave me their opinions — but many couched their remarks in such a way that I would not feel the need to frog what I had already knitted. (I appreciate their kind concern, but I really don’t mind frogging something if it isn’t knitting up the way I want it.)

Those who thought the 2 row change in color was best were about equal to the ones who preferred the 4 row change in color. Likewise, many suggested that I leave the initial rows of 2 row color changes as is and just continue knitting the 4 row color changes until the scarf was nearly done — then switch back to the 2 row color changes. I seriously consider doing this — but, in the end, I decided I preferred the 4 row color changes over the 2 row color changes (too busy, I found them really distracting). So I took a plunge into the frog pound, and started over.

ChevronScarf2b Now this pattern knits up rather quickly and it didn’t take me very long to get back to the original length I had knitted. This is a wonderful knitting project — it is an easy to remember 4 row pattern and I really like knitting the Cascade Heritage yarn. I am certain I will finish this Christmas present well ahead of schedule.

Combinations of Knit & Purl – Simplicity or Complexity?Combinations of Knit & Purl – Simplicity or Complexity?

July 19, 2009| Lindy| 3 Comments| 8:51 pm

The other day while waiting for my MIL at the beauty shop, I took out my baby blanket and sat knitting in the waiting area. One of the stylists came up to me and asked me what I was knitting. So I showed her. Then she said, “I could never knit anything like that – it’s too complex.” I replied that this pattern was actually very easy – it was just a three different combinations of knit and purl stitches, and I showed her the graph of the pattern square. She then told me that she had once knitted a sweater for her granddaughter that had a color pattern of a frog. So, I told her that if she had done that type of color knitting, this textured pattern would be easy for her to do. She replied that “maybe, she could do it – BUT she didn’t think she’d ever be able to master anything like cables”. So in spite of my gentle encouragement, I’m not certain this knitter will try to knit something with a variety of textures – which is too bad, because she will miss out on some wonderful knitting projects.

Have you ever limited your knitting by such thinking? I know I did many years ago – but after discovering Elizabeth Zimmerman’s approach to “unventing” things, my perspective has changed greatly. I’d like to encourage all my readers to think about this. There is a lot of freedom in being able to take a printed pattern and view it not as something that has to be followed exactly, but more as a place to start something uniquely yours. BTW – if you have never read Elizabeth Zimmerman’s books – you are missing an absolutely fun and enlightening experience!

As I spend time knitting my baby blanket, I find myself marveling at how those two basic stitches – the Knit Stitch and the Purl Stitch – can be combined in endless ways to make up fascinating textures. Consider the sheer simplicity of these two stitches. They are just opposites of each other. Yet these two stitches are knitting up nicely into teddy bear squares surrounded by seed stitch borders. And this project is rather simple. Then consider an Aran sweater pattern as an example of a far more complex combination of textured patterns – but again, the textures are made by the way one combines the basic knit and purl stitches and applies techniques such as cabling. Thus, knitting is both simple and complex and filled with unlimited possibilities of variation and combinations. No wonder we knitters love to knit!