Having Fun Learning How to Use My Brother KH 270

This week's lesson was learning how to do an "open tuck stitch pattern."  I saw this pattern on CCKITTENKNITS blog in January.  Thought it was nice.  It wasn't until Bonnie brought the project to our guild meeting that I saw it in person and thought "I have to make that."  She and I worked to get it setup on her machine.  She working the electronics of her bulky and me consulting on proper needle setup.  She was off and knitting and made a gorgeous cowl.

I got my electronic bulky and decided to bring it to our guild meeting this month.  Bonnie helped me read my manual and taught me how to set up my machine for open tuck.  I think because of my previous experience with her making this I was off and running quickly.  Next thing I knew I had made my first cowl.  One of the guild members had to take my picture in the cowl as she wanted to make one herself.  She sent me the photo.  She was making me laugh telling me how much she loved my smile.  What a great compliment.

Denim blue Woolike from Michaels

To seam my cowl I rehung the beginning ewrapped stitches on the needles.  I used the pattern of the needle set up to help me figure out which stitches to hang.  I then did a simple latch tool bind off.  I figured it would be just as easy to do this as to whip stitch it later and it was.

Charcoal Woolike from Michaels

Second cowl I made in the Charcoal gray.  My daughter had asked for a light weight scarf and I thought this just might fit the bill.  She loved it.

The Woolike yarn from Michaels was on sale when I bought it for $2 a skein.  It's turned out to be quite a bargain for such a soft, cozy and easy to work with yarn.  Big thank you to cckittenknits for this beautiful cowl pattern.  Cckittenknits shares a story on her blog regarding the making of one of these open tuck cowls and it's a fun read for machine knitters.

Welcome Sacramento Area Machine Knitters 2015

Welcome Sacramento Area Machine Knitters Just a reminder...

This blog entry is here to assist the Sacramento Area Machine Knitter's Guild in advertising their meetings on the Internet. I hope you will stop by one of our meetings and share your latest project with us!

Meet with local Machine Knitters. Chat and discuss the art of machine knitting. All machines brands users are welcome, from the Studio, Brother, Bond to the Electronic Passap.

We welcome everyone to bring a knitting machine.  Learn how to use, work on a project or learn how to maintenance a knitting machine and get it up and running.

Sacramento Machine Knitters Guild, meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays 10am-noon (we meet throughout the summer at our normal days and times if there is enough interest).  We also meet the 3rd Tuesday 10am - 2pm.

We meet at St. Andrews United Methodist Church, 6201 Spruce Avenue, Sacramento, CA (off I-80 at Greenback exit, turn right at first street, up about 2 blocks, bear right at the curve and the church is straight ahead).

Contact Marilynn (pronounced Mary Lynn) Wright at 916-331-2309 for more information about the Guild and upcoming training topics.

Double Rib, English Rib, Fisherman's Rib Oh My!

My daughter asked me to make her a really warm variegated gray colored scarf.  Well, being the holidays I jumped on that.  I remember making myself a super warm scarf a few years ago using a Diana Sullivan video.  It really me got me to thinking did I make Fisherman's Rib or not.  What exactly is Fisherman's Rib.  My manual talks about English Rib and Double Rib.  I made a few phone calls and got all my knitting friends confused, but everyone got to investigating.  I watched several of Diana's videos and we all figured it out about the same time.

Double Ribbing is knitting on every needle on both beds.  Verses 1X1 ribbing where you use every other needle.

English Ribbing (or Half Fisherman's Rib is tucking in one direction on one of the beds.  Doesn't matter if it's the main bed or the ribber.  This is what I did for the scarf.  I can directionally tuck if I use my ribber on my Studio 155.  I might be able to tuck with the main bed, but I'll need to experiment with the stitch dial.  I've been told it can't be done.

Fisherman's Ribbing is tucking in opposite directions on both beds.

When I was confounding my friends with my ribbing questions they both suggested I just make a 2X2 ribbed scarf.  Though lovely in it's own right the English Ribbed scarf I made is so thick, soft and luscious comes to mind.  So, thick, soft and luscious that I don't want to give it away! 

I wondered the first time I made this scarf if a tensioning error created the different look of the knitted stitch on the back of scarf.  No that's English Rib.  Since it's tucking in one direction it creates the different look on the back.  It is quite beautiful too.

I used Red Heart Medley in the Urban color.  The scarf is all washed up and ready to be wrapped.  Every time I walk by it I pick it up and bury my face in it.  It's so soft and warm and smells so good.  If it wasn't going to my daughter I might have had to wash it again.

Discovering My Intarsia Carriage

It's been sitting in a box in my craft room for years calling me.  I didn't really know what intarsia was until I hand knitted a hat as a Christmas present for my daughter.  I was having trouble getting the pattern to work and sent a picture to an experienced hand knitter friend.  She sent back "Oh you're doing intarsia you need to twist the yarns."  I looked up videos on what the heck I was supposed to do and it was simpler than I thought.

When I had a bag to do out of the same book as the above hat I thought why couldn't I do it on my knitting machine.  OH!  I have that intarsia carriage let's get it out and see how to use it.  Meanwhile, looking online at a YouTube video of a machine knitting pattern done by a Russian gal I came across a video of her using the intarsia carriage to knit my arch nemesis yarn Sashay.  I was quite excited that I recognized that it was an intarsia carriage and I gave myself a V-8 forehead slap, because why didn't I think of using it myself.  It made making a Filly Scarf on the knitting machine that much easier.  I had gotten it down to 2 hours.  Greatly faster and greatly less frustrating than doing it by hand.  If I could do it faster that would be even better as I had 3 skeins of that stuff left that I was very tempted to throw it in the trash.  Yes, it's aggravated me that much.  So much so that one skein was on my craft room floor.  Every time I saw it there I didn't think "Oh I should pick that up."  I thought, "Oh that's right where you belong."

Today with the intarsia carriage I made peace with Sashay.  In one hour I had knitted a Filly scarf easy.

 I found out the weight I used was too much.  Took it off when scarf was about 12 inches long and the weight of the scarf was plenty.  The needle set up was from the video.  I could easily hang the Sashay skipping every other hole with the needles that far a part.

 Can I refind the video on YouTube?  No!  It's in Russian, so I can't even search for it.  When I come across it again I'll post it.  It gave me such a wonderful idea.

Big thank you to my commenter Misha Moon for giving me the link to the youtube video:  Video Lesson "Curly" scarf.

Kool-Aide Dyeing on a Beautiful Spring Day

Carolyn invited Bonnie and I over for a day of lunch, machine knitting discussion and Kool-Aide dyeing.  Lunch was wonderful, but before we ate we got our yarn dyeing.  Carolyn gave me some yarn as I didn't have any wool to dye.  Thought I'd just watch them dye.  It really was a lot of fun to participate.  Her thoughts were to get the yarn wound and tied into hanks.  Add dye and water to the yarn in 1 quart Mason jars.  Then set the jars in her solar oven to make sure they got hot enough.  We all didn't do any reading up on what to do, but we all had a little bit of knowledge and vague memories of doing it in the past.  So, we all went about dyeing our hanks in different ways.

After soaking my hank in a vinegar solution I laid my hank on the lawn (didn't want to mess up Carolyn's kitchen) and I sprinkled a package of Grape Kool-Aide and a package of Ice Blue Berry Lemonade Kool-Aide on both sides of my hank.  I didn't randomly come up with these flavors.  I used a chart on the Dye Your Yarn website.  Then I stuffed it into the Mason jar and added hot water until the jar was full.  Shook it up until I thought all the Kool-Aide was mixed.  It was interesting as the yarn quickly turned purply pink and the water around it was blue.  Very pretty.

Carolyn and Bonnie mixed their colors in water before adding it to the jar with their yarn in it.  They then topped off the colored water with more hot water.  Their color choices were completely different from mine. It was getting very exciting to think about how things were going to turn out with our little experiments.

Carolyn placed all our jars into the solar oven.  We had lunch and talked every thing fiber for several hours before they thought to check on our yarn.  When we peeked in the oven the water around our yarn was clear, so we knew it was done.  We needed hot mitts as the solar oven had gotten up to 200 degrees F.

I drained my jar, rinsed my yarn and hung it to dry on a near by tree.  My yarn came out the most variegated in color.  Probably due to my sprinkling technique.

Bonnie's yarn from the left was purple and the next hank a beautiful tan with yellowish highlights.  She had a little bit of variegating.  Carolyn's roving on the right was a mint green color.  Sorry the sun wasn't helping with the photographing.  I'm curious to see what we all do with our lovely colored and great smelling fiber.

Sashay!

It's a beautiful frilly and frustrating lace yarn.  My machine knitting group ladies are making scarves with it "hand over fist."  What does that mean?  Ahhh it's a nautical term in reference to pulling a rope quickly and continuously.  Well, they are making them quickly and seems like continuously as every time I see them I'll get a report "I've made seven Sashay scarves."

I was told they were very easy and fast to make.  I don't know if it's that I'm a novice hand knitter or I'm easily aggravated, but I couldn't get into knitting one by hand.  The yarn confused me.  I'd get lost in the many different holes and then it all fell right off my needles into my lap.  That was it.  What in the H, E, double toothpicks was I going to do with 4 skeins of Sashay yarn!

I got to thinking I might be able to use my knitting machine to knit up one of these scarves.  I've been working with my garter bar lately and I thought hmmmm I might be able to use it with the pattern for this scarf.  I wouldn't be able to use the carriage and traditionally knit this yarn, but I could use the needles and the garter bar to get the look the pattern calls for.

The pattern calls for casting on 6 stitches and that's what my MK ladies have been doing. I thought the scarf was awfully long. I'm kind of short and it seems to hang pretty low on me.  There is the option of using 10 stitches, but I didn't want it too short. I went for 8 stitches.

I hung 8 holes along the edge skipping every other hole of the Sashay.  That was a tip given to me by every women in my MK group, but one.  The one said every stitch would give a nice filly scarf just fine.  She's kind of bossy, but what she knits is always gorgeous.  After the 3rd lady secretly told me to skip every other stitch I decided to go by the majority.  After Thanksgiving though I'm going to use the every stitch method and just see what the difference would be.

 

Yes, you heard it right I will be making more of these scarves.  Putting them on the knitting machine really helped organize the yarn for me.  I'd hang 8 stitches and then using my transfer tool handle horizontally I'd pull all the stitches through.  Then I used my garter bar to flip the knitting.  Once I got a groove going it went pretty quickly.  I'd say it took me a total of 4 hours to finish the scarf.

 

There is a gal on Ravelry that did not flip the work and even though the scarf had a definite right side/wrong side she said either side was lovely.  I wanted to follow the pattern on the wrapper though and it is one continuous circle to get this frilly scarf.

 

8 stitches was perfect for me.  It measures 46 inches.  It really have a nice frilly feeling, but it has substance.  Not too airy.

 

Looking a bit like a I'm wearing a clown ruff here, but really in person and with the right outfit it's going to be a gorgeous scarf.

Pumpkin Hats!

Using a mock rib technique these adorable hats can be made on a flat bed bulky machine without a ribber. It uses a tuck stitch.

 

 

Bonnie demonstrated the pattern to our group.  She punched the pattern in on her electronic machine.  The pattern comes with a chart to create a punch card if that's the kind of machine you have.

 

She made 2 adorable hats for her Grandkids just in time for Halloween and Thanksgiving.

This pattern can be found at Baby Jane Machine Knits.  It is called "Lil Punkin Hat."

The Dreaded Garter Bar

At least that's what I always thought of it.  I just recently started working with it as a member of my Sacramento Guild is doing a charity project.  She asked me to help out and she'd teach me how to make "baby doll clothes" as she likes to call them.  I call them doll clothes.  I have no reason to make baby doll clothes, but I'm always happy to help with a charity project.  I also thought it was a great time to finally dust off my garter bar and actually work with it.

It wasn't easy at first.  Had several rows that looked like this.

But once I figured out Becky's garter bar had a slight bend in the middle I was finally able to account for that and become successful.  I was teasing with my friend Bonnie, who had also joined the project and lesson that I was sweating profusely each time I had to use the garter bar.  And that I think I was getting a ulcer.  We figured that we needed to practice on something we didn't care about.  Messing up in the middle of a hat was too stressful.

 

As with anything learning your tools and practice I was able to successfully get a many rows turned for the "baby doll hats."  I think the garter bar and I will become friends in the very near future.

 

 

Once I get a hat and matching coat done I'll post a photo.

 

Day 4 of Completion Challenge

I don't have any photos yet of what I'm doing.  I've been kitchener stitching.  Also referred to as grafting or weaving, joins two sets of live stitches.  A hand knitter would sometimes have live stitches on needles.  As a machine knitter my live stitches are mostly held together with waste yarn. 

I did a purse handle, a hat and a slipper.  Originally, I was going to get started on some purse linings, but that's when I saw I hadn't kitchenered the purse handle and thought I may as well do all the kitchenering I could find.  I'm sure there is more, but that's all I've found so far.

Digging into my boxes and bags of knitted items I'm finding some real treasures.  I'm not going to kick myself for putting things off.  For the next 25 days I get a free pass.  I'm looking forward to either using them or giving them as gifts.  The recipient doesn't need to know how long I've held on to it. :D

Here is a list of links to "how to kitchener stitch" I've been looking at.  I thought I really would have to reteach myself.  I found though that I remembered more than I thought.  In Diana's video she has a chant as she stitches.  I find that I do myself and it really helps.  "New stitch, old stitch, new stitch, old stitch."  It keeps me on track.

Techniques with Theresa
The Knit Witch
Diana's Lesson 22 Kitchener Stitch Seams

Speed Ripping

I wanted to try speed ripping, but didn't want to try it on anything that really mattered incase I didn't do it right.  So, was experimenting with beading on a small bag on my Studio 700 standard machine then I made a mistake.  Thought if this thing falls off in my lap I wouldn't be broken hearted think I'll try the speed ripping technique.  It worked great!  I had to do it several times, because I was working on a new pattern that I was having trouble understand.  Bottom line it worked great.

Speed Ripping on the Knitting Machine

My jaw just hung open when I watched Diana's video.  I've needed to rip back so many times mainly, because of my perfectionist streak.  I've even taken a project off the needles on waste yarn to rip it back at home, so my fellow machine knitters wouldn't see what a nit picker I am.  The project I speak of is a bag that we had made a mistake on the handle portion.  The teacher said just do the same thing on the other side and all will be well.  Yes, it would have been, but I didn't like it.  I liked the pattern and wanted mine to look like the pattern.  Yes, my bag does look like the pattern and I love it.  Speed ripping would have been a life saver that day.  The thought of ripping back about 15 rows seemed impossible at the time.  At home I took my time and undid every stitch.  I'm going to try Diana's speed ripping technique.

The Madness Has Been Pinpointed....I Think

Still working on the "EZ" Entrelac.  I think I've found out all my problems happen when I'm doing the 2 triangles and 3 rectangles row.  It starts on the left and makes it way right.  So, everything I'm doing is done left handed or should be.  I'm doing it right handed, because I'm... well... right handed.  The stitches are more difficult to pick up right handed this way.  I keep getting the carriage parked on the wrong side.  It should be on the left, but I find it on the right a good deal of the time.  Then I have to figure out which row did I start making that mistake.  More unraveling.  Next thing I know I find a stitch hung on the 11th needle in a 10 needle only pattern.  More unraveling when did that wayward stitch get hung up.  Oh my goodness I'm so aggravated right now.  It only spurs me on though.  I won't let not being left handed conqueor me.  Because when the pattern is moving in the opposite direction it's a breeze being right handed.  So, I guess no matter what handed we are we'll all have to work harder in one direction or the other.

Last night my teenage daughter was manhandling looking at my work and I said, "Be careful I have a pin in it holding a loose stitch."  She asked, "Why?"  I explained, "On the 2nd rectangle some how I missed a stitch."  She says quizzically, "One stitch?"  I said, "Yes."  She says sarcastically, "Really mom just one stitch?!"  I respond a bit offended (is she bad mouthing my project or accusing me of lying), "Yes, just one stitch!"  She says, "Oh really mom you've only missed one stitch in your entire life?"  Now I know what she's really asking and I laugh and say, "Oh no I've missed many stitches over the years.  Just one in this project."  She laughs and says, "Oh that's better I was wondering why you were up on that high horse.  I thought I was going to have to knock you off."  I laughed again and turned back to my computer.  I kept smiling, because my little girl is growing up.  She responded like one of my girlfriends would if we were talking about knitting and they thought I was boasting.

Diary of a Mad Machine Knitter

Mad as in crazy!  Lost my mind... can't believe I'm still plugging along.  I started a really cool project.  It's not the project that's driving me crazy it's my machine knitting clutziness.

I'm doing Diana Sullivan's EZ Entrelac.  It is pretty easy now that I've learned the process, but it was hard going to begin with.  For me anyhow.  I had a neck injury about 14 years ago and my short term memory isn't what it should be.  With repetition though it gets locked into long term memory and then I have no problems.

Until it was locked into long term memory I was ready to turn green and hulk the knitting machine, entrelac and all out the window.  My main problem was and is my choice of yarn.  She suggested a worsted weight acrylic, but I wanted to use some really beautiful cotton yarn from Knit One Crochet Too called Ty-Dy.  The problem with the yarn is that ....well... it's cotton.  It has no stretch and it splits easily.  This pattern calls for a lot of hanging and taking off a needles.  When you have persnickety yarn it just adds another dimension of aggravation. 

This technique calls for the use of a circular knitting needle with a small gauge needle.  This is used instead of waste yarn.  It actually works quite well.  It has taken getting use to.  First off my needle could be a smaller gauge.  Mine is a 7.  With the cotton yarn if the needle was a smidge bigger it would probably get stuck.  Mine slides out barely.  Also the postioning of said needle while machine knitting is important.  I've run the actual wooden needle through the carriage more times than I'd like to count.  Nothing has jammed or gotten stuck.  I've been very lucky in that respect.  Also the cotton yarn gets very tight on the nylon part of the circular needle.  Loosening up the yarn to be able to hang a stitch is challenging.

I've missed a stitch here and there.  I've knitted extra rows.  I've ripped out the same triangle 4 times and redone several rectangles.  BUT with repetition and practice things have gotten a lot easier. I am doing Entrelac without having to pause and replay the DVD any more.  I've even gone a few rows without sending my wooden needle through my carriage.  As you can see below it's well worth the effort.  I can't even imagine how long this would take if I hand knitted it.  Despite my belly aching I'm really having a good time.  As my piece gets bigger and bigger I'm getting more excited to see the finished project.

Figure of 8 cast off

I had a hard time finding this. So, I wanted to put it here to find when I'm ready to try it.


Figure of 8 cast off


This transfer tool cast off on the single bed produces a stretchy cast off which is good for necks or anywhere requiring a bit of stretch.

The cast off is started at the carriage end of the knitting, at main tension, (no loose row) at either end of the machine though you may find it easier from one end than from the other. Remove the yarn from the feeder and pull some yarn through the tension mast to slacken the tension. Position about the first 10 needles in upper working position (UWP).

*Knit the first stitch by hand.

Pull the first needle with its stitch back to non-working position. The stitch will enlarge. If you are right handed put your left thumb nail on this stitch below the gatepeg and push this needle to holding position (HP) with your right hand. The large loop is on the shaft of the needle and cannot shrink as you are holding it. Hold the transfer tool so the end with one prong is facing you and lying above the machine bed and the needle in holding position with the tip just behind the large loop. Pick up the loop from behind and place it on the second needle by bringing the end of the tool towards you and down and dropping the stitch onto the needle from above. You have made the figure of 8 and can see it around the two needles. Gently pull the yarn so that the figure of 8 is firm around the needles.

Knit the second needle by hand and repeat from * as for the first needle to the end. When you get to the end of the row break off the yarn and pull the end through the last stitch. As you use up the needles in UWP bring more out. The yarn needs to be slack so pull more through as needed. You can drop the cast off stitches off some of the needles in holding position if you wish as it can make casting off the rest of the row easier - but always leave a few in HP Remove the knitting from the machine by gently pulling it towards you. If you have to stop mid row either return the needles in UWP to WP or hang the 3 pronged transfer tool onto the needles nearest to the casting off to stop them falling off. Be careful of the needles in HP.
Frances Murray

Blending Yarns to Get Another Color

Hugh from the Sacramento Area Machine Knitter's Guild was showing me a knitted scarf he likes to make. This particular one he used a blended yarn technique. He said he didn't particularly like the color of either of the yarns on the cone. He had bought them fairly cheap from a thrift store. So, not to let them go to waste he knitted both colors simultaneously. Blending the yarns made his scarf have a beautiful rose color. I may have taken the photo a bit too close to get the real beauty of the blend. I was fascinated. I will definitely use this technique in the future to get unique colors for something. Don't know what yet, but it's coming.

Using my punch cards

I really had no idea how to use the punch card mechanism of my knitting machine. Usually using the manual I can make anything work, but had trouble with the very simple manuals that come with these pretty complicated knitting machines. I knew my friend Julia could get me up and running if I brought it to the knitting meeting. What I didn't know was our new member that had only been to one previous meeting had my exact machine and loved it. She knew exactly how to make it work. I was knitting this swatch within minutes. AND there was an instruction that wasn't in the book. Carolyn the fellow Studio 700 owner said you had to run the carriage over the needles and back again before knittting to get the machine to read the card. She called it the "free pass." She asked herself several times "Why do I know that?" It wasn't written in the book. Once it was done everything worked great. I spent nearly 2 hours just using different cards and making a really long swatch. I had SO much fun. I felt SO creative.

Here is a picture of what I was doing. At the top if you notice the stitches are singles. Down below they are doubled. Same card just a flip of a switch that elongates the pattern you are already doing.

Marilynn showed us how to switch colors while using a punch card to make a picture in your knitting. She got this pattern from an old English Machine Knitting magazine. SO CUTE. She gave me the swatch to take home.

I am really looking foward to doing more experimenting with punch cards with my machine knitting!

July's Machine Knitting Meeting

This is a new group I just joined. It is a well established group and there are about 20 women in the group. Lots of experience in machine knitting in this group as 17 of the gals are over 60 years old. 3 including me are under 50 and we three are about the same age. I have admit that one of the 3 under 50's has a lot of experience as well. She's been machine knitting for about 30 years. Quite a lot of the ladies in this group also hand knit. I suppose I'll probably learn more about hand knitting some day. Quite a few gals machine knit and then finish their item or garmet by hand knitting or crocheting. This month there were 2 gorgeous hats. They were hand knit, but could be easily done on a knitting machine. I wanted to remember what they looked like. I wanted a reminder to be more creative when making my hats.

The above hat had two rows of the ladder yarn for lack of a better name weaved in. I was surprised that only 2 rows made such a beautiful fluffy ring.

This hat had some beading, which can also be done on a knitting machine. I just loved the fuzzy brim though. Again something I'd like to try.

Machine Knit Edging

This was actually fairly easy to do and it looked SO nice once done. First she made a hem by knitting a few rows and then rehanging the edge. She knit a row or two after that and then began the pattern. The pattern was achieved by moving a stitch over to another needle. Depending on the pattern you want. She wanted this V like pattern.

You can see the thicker edge of the knitted hem.

I'm going to have to give this a try. I like the fancy look of something so simple to do.