My GS is almost two and “Choo Choo’s” are one of his most favorite things at the moment. Now he got a train table and lots of trains and things to go with it for Christmas, but this Grandma just had to knit him a hat with a choo choo train on it. My first attempt was a little too tight, so I knit another a lit bit wider and it fit perfectly.
Since two year olds are always in motion when awake, it was a challenge to get him to stand still long enough to take his picture — But I was able to get one (and only one) good picture of him wearing his new hat.
I took a little knitting detour last week and knit up the Multnomah Shawl in Zauberball Crazy yarn. Colorway is Fliederduft, which is loosely translated as “lilacs”. I had allocated this yarn to a pair of socks as part of the “10 in 2010” projects at the beginning of this year. However, after looking through many examples of socks knit with Zauberball Crazy in the Ravelry projects, I decided that I really didn’t want to knit this yarn into a pair socks. So — I switched to a shawl and ended up doing the Multnomah pattern by Kate Flagg.
The shawl was done in garter stitch until I had 265 stitches and then I started the feather and fan pattern and did 9 repeats. This pattern is a fairly quick knit. I was able to finish it up in a week and that was even with needing to frog back a couple of rows in order to have enough yarn to bind off.
Final size of the shawl — it’s actually a shawlette — was 15.5 inches by 58 inches.
I am pleased with the result. It’s an nice size for a decorative scarf/shawlette and I think the striping of the yarn is shown off to better affect than it would be in a pair of socks.
Zauberball Crazy is a self-striping, marled yarn. Which means that it stripes, but because the two plies of the yarn may be different colors, you get a somewhat “tweedy” appearance in many of the stripes. It’s a unique yarn. It is a fingering weight, superwash wool and nylon yarn and the fabric is soft and drapes nicely after blocking. I did find that the yarn had a tendency to split occasionally and there were spots where a tuft of yarn from one of the plies would stick out — these were easily removed. I might be tempted to try another colorway — but not certain what project I would use it for.
The Multnomah Shawl pattern is a very popular pattern on Ravelry and there many knitters who have made larger shawls, so when I knit this pattern again I plan to knit a larger one. The pattern is free and available for download from Ravelry (must be Ravelry member) or on Kate Flagg’s website.
I have finally figured out how to share information from my Ravelry project pages, so I am linking to this project details on my “Z Crazy” Multnomah Page.
I have been away from blogging for about five months. There were a number of reasons for this. First, I just got busy with other things and didn’t seem to be able to find time to sit down and write any posts. And then, my knitting projects just didn’t seem to be getting finished — even though I was knitting. And then, my husband started on our remodeling project — which was/is my office. The remodeling will be worth it when it is done — but when it will be done doesn’t seem to be anytime soon. I now have my computer set up in the spare bedroom and I have retrieved a few skeins of yarn and patterns from the boxes I packed up several weeks ago — so I can knit. But heaven help me if I need to find any of my knitting books or any of my yarn stash! It’s all in boxes and plastic containers, stacked three deep and nearly to the ceiling in the garage. (So any future knitting projects are an excuse to go yarn shopping…) I’ll update you on the remodeling progress — here’s to hoping it’s done by the time I need to decorate for the Christmas holiday.
I do have a finished object! I have finished my Clapotis shawl.
I haven’t blocked it yet. Blocking will have to wait until I have free floor space again (remodeling). Here are the details:
Pattern: Clapotis – free on Knitty.com
Yarn: Jaggerspun Zephyr (50% wool, 50% silk) Colorway: Teal Needles: U.S. 4 (3.5 mm)
Since this is a laceweight yarn, I knit 18 repeats of the straight rows to get the length I wanted.
Unblocked the shawl measures 17 inches wide by 62 inches long. It will be wider and longer after blocking.
It’s a lovely, soft shawl and I am very happy with the way it turned out. I liked the finished shawl so much, I cast-on another using Knit Picks Gloss from my stash. More about this WIP another time.
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 14th 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.
