I have ordered a book on taking better project pics. I really, really, hope it’ll help cos currently my projects on ravelry or pretty suck-tastic. They bear little relation to how well the projects look in real life. I know some of the basics; i.e. outdoor light, but not blazing sun; in focus, not too many other distracting things in the pic – so I hope there’s a bit more than that in the book. Since I just cannot afford a new camera, but the battery in the existing one lasts about ten minutes; I have also invested in two(!) new batteries for it. Including postage, £14, which will get me some nice long photo sessions. As well as good pics and vids of the kids. And since my lovely hubby is splashing out on getting us a new computer too, we should be set up! I love my friend the Lady A, and she was really generous to give us her old machine, but man, getting anything done on it is like climbing up a cliff on a planet with an atmosphere made of treacle.
Technical Editing for Knitting
Hmmm, wonder if I could do this for money? I solemnly vow to apply these rules rigorously to everything I design henceforth.
I have copied this checklist from Stephannie Tallent’s technical editing page. She offers tech editing as a service as well as some fab patterns (ooh, wrought socks, lust!).
What is technical editing for knitting?
- Checking all math.
- Checking all sizing/grading.
- Ensuring all stitch counts are correct.
- Ensuring stitch multiples are set up accurately.
- Checking that the dimensions are accurate based on gauge and instructions.
- Checking the pattern numbers against the schematic measurements.
- Checking the schematic for accuracy.
- Checking chart(s) for accuracy.
- Checking the pattern against the chart(s).
- Ensuring all conversions are correct (ex. inches to centimetres).
- Measurements are rounded appropriately and consistently.
- Checking yarn requirements for different sizes.
- Ensuring any tutorials and/or special instructions are logical and easy to follow.
Other things I check:
- Formatting of headings/subheadings/body copy is consistent and logical.
- Body copy is easily understandable and grammatically correct.
- Style, language and phrases are consistent.
- Rows are noted as rows and rounds as rounds.
- Punctuation is correct; rows/rounds end with a period.
- All supplies are listed.
- Gauge is always done in x sts by y rows = 4 in.
- Gauge is available for both Stockinette stitch and any pattern stitches.
- Use of fractions or decimals is consistent.
- Use of abbreviations & capitalization is consistent.
- All abbreviations are listed.
Intarsia is Killing my Design Buzz
Oy vey. Have a design in my head that I’m trying to swatch up, but I’m SO fed up of intarsia that I can’t make myself get around to just getting on with it. Halfway dreading the possibility that my design will get picked for publication as it will mean actually going ahead with knitting the whole darn thing up. Note to self. Don’t use intarsia again in any other patterns!
I-Cord Cast-on and Off
I-Cord Cast-ON (for in-the-round)
Do not turn the work whilst making the i-cord cast-on. When you do the kfb, keep the yarn quite taut as this is where the i-cord closes in on itself.
Cast on 3 stitches then *kfb, k2. Slip 3 sts back onto LH needle and repeat from * until you have two stitches less than the required number of stitches on the RH needle, and 3 stitches still on the LH needle.
kfb
Place the last two remaining stitches on a stitch holder, or tie them up with scrap yarn. When it is time to finish the garment, use the tail of the cast-on to sew in these two stitches to the beginning of the i-cord cast-on. This will help make it look like the i-cord is continuous all around at the cast-on edge.
On the next round, if you find the stitches created are a little large, work into the back of each stitch to twist and tighten it.
I-Cord Bind-Off/Cast-Off
Cast on 3 stitches then [k2, k2togtbl, sl3 back to left needle], repeat as required.
Ribbed Grafting
You can find a good explanation of Kitchener stitch by Theresa Vinson Stenersen on knitty.com at http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/FEATtheresasum04.html
Ribbed grafting is similar to Kitchener stitch except it’s worked across a ribbed fabric. One way to do ribbed grafting is to work as for Kitchener, then when you reach a purl section, pass the thread through to the other side, flip the work over and continue. I prefer just to work across.
Unfortunately, because the ribbing is worked in two opposite directions, the join can’t be perfect. There will be a slight jog of half a stitch. This doesn’t show in stockingette grafting as the “V’s” can be said to point up or down, depending on which columns of “legs” you examine.
Here I describe how it works for 2×2 ribbing, starting with a single knit stitch, though you could generalise it for any width ribbing.
Note: Don’t pull your grafting stitches too tight as you go. You can pull on the loose loops to adjust the tension to match your work afterwards.
Arranging your work as if to do Kitchener grafting, i.e. with live stitches on a “top” or “back” needle, T, and live stitches on a “bottom” or “front” needle, F, set up the grafting in the usual way:
1) Insert your tapestry needle into the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl, then pull the yarn through and leave the stitch on the knitting needle. I will notate this as Fp
2) Next go through the first stitch on the top needle as if to knit, leaving the stitch on the needle. Tk
Continue with step 3 below. This box explains my notation using ordinary grafting as an example.
Usually, Kitchener stitch continues with the following four steps:
Fk/, Fp, Tp/, Tk
Where “/” means “slip the stitch off the needle”.
You could read these four steps as
– go knitwise through the first stitch on the front needle and slip it off,
– go purlwise through the new first stitch on the front needle and leave it on,
– go purlwise through the first stitch on the top needle and slip it off,
– go knitwise through the new first stitch on the top needle and leave it on.
Repeat as necessary.
All Kitchener stitches are knit stitch to knit stitch (k -> k). I.e. you graft the second half of a knit stitch and the first half of the next knit stitch to their counterparts on the other needle. Ribbed grafts may be second half of a purl stitch with the first half of a knit stitch, or (p -> k), etc.
But with 2×2 rib, it’s a teeny bit more complicated. I hope my notation simplifies it a little!
3) (k -> p): Fk/, Fk, Tp/, Tp
4) (p -> p): Fp/, Fk, Tk/, Tp
5) (p -> k): Fp/, Fp, Tk/, Tk
6) (k -> k): Fk/, Fp, Tp/, Tk
Repeat from step 3) as necessary.
Carol Feller has an excellent photo-illustrated explanation of grafting 2×2 ribbing on her blog, Stolen Stitches at http://www.stolenstitches.com/tutorials/grafting-hip-2×2-ribbing/
Explicit Cable Notation
Hey knitters! What do you think of cable notation? I’m trying something new here, what do you think?
I’ve come up with a new way to describe cables in knitting patterns. I hope if you come across it in one of my designs, you’ll find it intuitive to use.
Cables are described like this: C4B2[k2|p2]. This reads as “Make a Cable across 4 stitches. Slip 2 stitches onto the cable needle and hold at the Back. k2 from the left needle and p2 from the cable needle.” I know this is a lot more verbose than a simple C4B, but when the cables get more complicated, I detest having to flip back to the index of abbreviations every 5 seconds to look up what say, “T4pF” means. This way, even complicated cables will still be written the same way. For example, an unbalanced cable in something other than stockinette might be notated C7F3[k1,p2,k1|p1,k1,p1], meaning: make a 7-stitch cable. slip 3 sts onto the cable needle and hold at front of work, (k1, p2,k1) from left needle; then (p1,k1,p1) from cable needle. I sincerely hope a beast so hideous does not exist, but if there was ever a need for it, at least I’d be able to abbreviate it!
Catchloops 