Ready for 2012

Well I've rummaged, pulled apart my spare room, excel spreadsheeted, listed projects and their yarns, brought them out to the loungeroom and sorted them out into which machine/s they will be made on .. and.. and this morning I took their photo, cause Ann asked to see it - no really - She. Did. So here it is for Ann:

This pile of wool and cotton is bound for the Miss Pinky Passap on chair one and Yoko on chair two:



















This one has my wildcard projects in a bag. One is the Electric Blue Allegro, that I had put aside for that lovely Vogue Pattern Forestry. But.. I only bought 4 balls and that won't be enough, but I do have 5 Highland Heather and I wont run out.

The other bags are gorgeous Chyrsanthemum colour 8ply and this really cool blue and gold mystery stuff called "show special" that I bought at the Sydney Craft and Quilt Show in July. I have used up the rest of the stuff I bought - in the Rustic felted slippers. Well I think can all be my wildcard projects, I haven't a clue what to make with them, but hopefully I'll get an inspiration sometime during the year.

And here it all is, all bagged up ready for some 2012 machine and hand knitting.

Getting Ready for 2012

I've finished up my Christmas knitting. Packed away my Japanese machines, Miss Pinky is up and staying up, and she's ready to go. And I'm clearing out the last of my hoarded junk and sorting out my stash.

Over on Ravelry, we are having a 12MKAL in 2012 from stash only. Well that is wonderful, but that won't be enough to get through my overflowing floordrobe. I've picked up all the bags and boxes from the floor, listed them, sorted out my Rav stash page and projects, patterns and so on and I've spent today sorting it out on an excel spreadsheet. Assigning the machine/hand. And I've been running around finding some of it in boxes and tubs, cause of course, not everything I need is on the floor is it? No. Some of it is packed away where it should be. I'm going "cold sheep" in 2012, not buying anything for a whole year. And I really need some vests.

My friend suggested I put it into those big plastic zipper bags - found them - and tomorrow I'll be able to pack everything up and finish repacking my spare room. Clutter free house coming up.

Felted Slipper Boots

Working notes for felted slippers with longer ankle section.
Theo wants a pair. He loves the pair I already made him, but would like the next ones to have higher legs section, so his ankles don't get cold.

Theo's beloved slippers - before they were felted

I'm trialling a pair structured this way and Loz is crash test dummy.

Made on my midgauge SK860 aka Yoko, using that fabulous Bendigo Rustic 8ply. Which felts like the clappers, as we'd say. However, 8ply Bendi isn't the thickest - even felted, so I thought I'd make them with some padding. And to help me identify which area/s need improvement I did each section in different colours.
inner sole - bluestone
inside ankle - green tweed
outside ankle - damson
heel - green tweed
sole - damsom
toe green tweed
upper - damsom
Well, without any further adooo. Here's what I did.

It is necessary to know how long/wide you are going to make the foot section. The inner sole covers the entire section, from half of the heel and toe. I'm not sure if the the heel side of the short rows and the top of the toes need to be doubled as well or if fully lined would be good.. We shall see.

Make two inner soles:
Cast on 26 sts on WY, with MY, T8, knit one row, set carriage to hold. RC000.
put centre 8 needles and all 9 needles on the right to hold.
knit one row.
pull out 8 stitches on the left, wrap needle next to the carriage (side)
knit one row and wrap the yarn under innermost needle in hold and working from the centre to the outside, alternative bringing one needle into UWP on the opposite side to the carriage and wrapping under the next needle towards the outside each time, until the end.

In other words, identify the centre panel of needles and each time - wrap the needle on the same side as the carriage and put one needle back into work on the opposite side - each row - but wait, there's more to do..

Side levers go forward. and I left them there for the entire project.
Ev 4th row EON alternating slip stitch is worked.
to do that - leave the carriage in hold and the outside needles don't knit. but with the 1:1 ruler, bring every second needle to Upper Working Position (UWP) and set the carriage to slip. The needles in UWP are knitted, so make sure the first one is next to the new stitch being brought back into work.

Yes I know this is a little bit of work, and I did need to concentrate, but once I got into a rhythm, it went well.
My notes say:
C026 WY, 1 row, working short row from the middle 9/8/9 and EON slip st ev 4th row..
Keeping the EON every 4th row - and I found alternating which needle was slipped gave an evently felted result. (from the experiments I did on the bag a few weeks earlier).
Work K 60 rows then
short rows to 8, take it off and set aside until it's time to graft onto outer sole.

Now onto the ankle part.

I thought doing this in one whole piece was a better option than doing it in two sections. I trialled doing the joining seam in the back and the other one in the front. Loz will tell me which one is better.

Inside and outside pre felted shown

Cuff - I'm not going to explain how to do the slip EON alternating needles ev 4th row - see previous instructions.

CO 63 (1 for join) T8 - cuff on WY, change to Col 1, then 1:1 EON slip st ev 4th row 30 rows change col 2.
knit 2 rows, pick up loops from slip st EON and continue on till all rows /loops are worked.
T9 - join together 1 row.
T8 - Divide up 13/5/26/5/14 (= +1 for join) which is for back/sides/front/sides/back
take off 26 = for front in the middle of the work, then the 5 each side onto bobby pins then transfer the 13 and 14 (overlapping the centre stitch for 26 sts getting ready for the heel to be worked. Change to heel colour short row down to 9/8/9 join inner sole on all needles and work short rows out. - joining loops from slip stitches ev 4th row EON.

Change to under sole colour and reset RC AND keep a note of where you are with the every 4th row pick up loops.....
Theses are the things that are going on at the same time:
putting on the loops from the inner sole every 4th row
putting on the side stitches one at a time from the bobbypins (ten times in total)
putting the bar from the inner sole onto the end needle after the side sts only (ten times in total)
NOW pick up those side stitches, on opposite side of the carriage, pick up one of the bobby pins and put it on the last needle AND a side bar from inner sole, but just for these 10 stitches, AND keeping the putting the loops from the inner sole every 4th row (don't forget), for the first 10 rows - opposite ends of the carriage is having side stitches put on from bobby pins, loops are onto the correct needles every 4th, when that's done, continue to RC 60 rows, but don't join to the inner sole - that's done when the top is formed.
Now change to toe colour and work short rows to 8, attach the end of the inner sole, continue graduations back out to 26sts, change to top colour and join to both sole pieces SAYG to end.
Graft (kitchener) to cuff.
Secure and weave in ends.
Felt to desired size.
Stitch and row count may have to be adjusted. Loz will let me know if every second row would be better, whether the back of the heel needs to be double thickness - top of toes? top of foot? too soon to tell.

Felted Fibonacci Bag

Continuing on with Slip Stitch Felted things. And my fascination with Fibonacci stripes... I have made a felted bag.

Done on my SK860 - Yoko in more of the 8ply Rustic I bought for felting. It was cheap, what can I say. And I don't always have to have bright stuff, I can do subtle.. Really!

The Fibonacci sequence is 21, 1, 13, 2, 8, 3, 5, 5, 3 8, 2, 13, 1, 21 rows in alternating colours. I don't cut the yarn, instead I pick up the colour from the side it was on last - much, much easier having no ends to weave in and the felting squishes them rather well.

The first thing to do is prepare the inside gussett.
T7: on WY cast on 70 sts, change to main yarn and do the EON slip stitch every 4th row. Work 20 (or more) rows. Take off with deckers, WY, garter bar - whatever and set aside.

Now the the bag itself.

T7 ***( I did 7, but if I make it again I'll try it on 6 for a tighter edge only for the folded hem on the top of the bag)
T ?6: C/O 80 work 3 rows,
1 row EON slip stitch, (RC4)
straight to RC7
1 row EON slip stitch (RC8)
straight to RC13
next row pick up slip stitch hem row (RC 14)
straight to RC18
pick up slip stitch row RC19
Knit to 20
Join to cast on row.
Change to T7 and work straight to RC31.
Every 10th Row, begining at RC31, decrease one stitch each end to 70 sts, and begin Fibonacci sequence. I didn't bother with resetting the RC, I counted the sequence while I was decreasing. The last one was on the last row of the 5/5..HERE IS THE LAST DEC.. before change of colour to 3/8.
OTHER SIDE BEGINS IT'S INCREASES at the same point.

When finished the Fib sequence. Change to the base colour, I decided to use the colour I started with (I had more balls of it is why...) Rehang the prepared base liner. (I used a different colour cause it was left over from the slippers and I only had enough for 20 rows).
It's on the inside of the bag so it doesn't matter.
work 3 rows , hang the slip loops every second needle and repeat till the loops are all worked, work 3 rows, join the cast on edge. I didn't offset the loops, kept them on the same needle every 4th row - yes it does make a difference to the finished felted result.

Next thing is to reverse the sequence colours, remembering to increase 1 st each end at the beginning of the ..5/5 row sequence.
Reverse the bag edge, REMEMBERING TO do the slip stitch row on the 4th row (and yes I did forget and have to undo the stupid thing and do it properly). Join again by either, slip stitch or kitchener it.

Sides and handles: RC000.

Pick up 10 stitches (the bars) from BOTH the outside and liner onto the same needle.
Using sew as you go, join as you work to the beginning of the folded hem. Stop and put on WY etc.
Do the other side the same.
When up to the Stop and put on WY etc, put onto garter bar and flip it over, to do the underside of the handle.
Move the carriage to the side that has the yarn joined to it.

Handle: Keep going with the sew as you go on the inside foldover and;
Work 3 rows
Work 1 row EON slip stitch ...But the next time alternate the needle it's going on. Exactly like the sock heel flap.. makes a big difference to the handle's finish after felting, so yes it's worth doing. I used the needle selector ruler, put it on the side that the first needle next to the carriage pushed up that sequence, then put it to the opposite side so the next turn to do the slip stitch row, the first needle on the other side pushed that set up.
keep going (alternating the needles being pushed) to RC 180 or more and begin the sew as you go on the inside of the fold over AND the slip stitches every 4 rows.
Take off the machine (garter bar is good) re hang, making sure it is NOT twisted, loop side is facing out, rehang the held stitches from the side.

Working sew as you go on the opposite side to the carriage the whole way, work 3 rows, pick up the loops to the end. take off and kitchener stitch to the other side so it looks neat.

Weave in ends. There isn't any sewing, it's all done. There aren't any ends from the stripes either, because the carriage is moved to the side of the next colour.

Felt.

I used the dryer as the front loader isn't as good for this.

Hand washed all the stuff I'd knitted for felting (a bit of red dye came out of the hats and slippers.) I washed in hot water, rinsed in cold, then hot, then cold until the water ran clear and chucked one bag, one hat and 8 slippers into the dryer, I stopped it every couple of minutes to check on things. The bag was done first. I didn't want to felt to too much, and it was done at a lower stitch size - I didn't give it as much room to felt down. (then the slippers and then the hat for 5 mins extra).

The wool I used last time to felt wasn't going to give it up and I had to chuck it in the front loader on hot wash with a pair of jeans. But the Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic is a dream to felt.

Slip Stitch Brim on Two Hats

I bought some Bendigo Woollen Mills Rustic 8ply in 50g balls from the Sydney Craft and Quilt show in June. I wanted to do some felting experiments with slip stitch as an alternative to garter stitch on the SK860 mid gauge aka Yoko.

Basically, they are the same hat design, but in different sizes so I could felt one.

I'll write up the unfelted hat first, it's a beanie with a sun visor is what it is.

Prepare the Brim first:
T4: Cast on 50, (ewrap), and do two things at once: every 4th row, do one row EON slip stitch, (two posts back is details on how to do this). First thing is do short rows, 1 needle end of every row down to 17 sts and then do two rows, starting across the 17 sts, to the end, one complete row then a part row back to where you started and short row back.
On the way back, pick up a loop and put it on every second needle (EON).
Put the cast on edge but don't knit. Take off machine however you like, WY, garter bar, knitting needle.

Crown:
Cast on 120 + 2 (one extra on each ends 11.1.1 ~ 1.1.11) EON for a mock rib. work 20R. Join up the cast on edge into the empty needle, don't knit yet, put the brim on.
However, what I did in the photo was put the brim on top of the mock rib, however, I put it UNDER on the felted one, which I liked better.
Next, knit one row, mock rib, both edges of the brim, all in one row. Reset RC to 000.
Work straight to 50 rows.
skipping the Edge stitches - don't count them, they are being sewn together. (What we are doing is K2tog, k6 repeat to end). put needle 2 onto 3, miss the next 6, then needle 10 onto 11, and so to end and fill in the gap = rehang however you like - garter bar, waste yarn, circ needle. knit 4 rows.
Reducing the missed stitches by one needle each time, do this twice more (three lots of 4 rows inbetween), then every second till there are no more stitches inbetween.

I completely messed up the first one because I did not make sure, before I did the 2togs, that I was on the correct needle and that I had the correct number of needles inbetween.

Finishing: take off, thread through the loops, sew up back seam, weave in ends.

Next are the numbers for the felted version:
Brim:
T7: C/O 72, short row sequence: 1 sts at each end 10 times, then 2 sts each end to 22 sts and back, while doing the slip stitches, EON every 10th row.
Crown:
C/O 160 + 2, EON mock rib, 20 rows, same as the other one.
Join the end of the rib, cap under the rib, knit one row.
Knit 16 rows,
Skip the first needle, then 2 tog, 8, to end, three times. (three sets of 16 rows) Same, reducing of the needles inbetween,
then do the same every 4th row till none are left.

Finish the same.
Felting. I had a real feltathon so in it went in with 4 pairs of slippers and a bag. I have a front loader, so I hand washed them all, got the excess dye out of all the red things, rinsed till clear, made a pathetic effort in squeezing out the excess water = put them all in the bucket and chucked them all into the dryer on super hot. Which was ok because they had just come out of a hot/cold/hot/cold hand wash cycle. I checked on them every couple of minutes, redunked the hat, took out the bag, and they them all another bash around the dryer, took the socks out then it had another 5 mins to really shrink down.

I thought the brim felted in an interesting pattern, the EONs were in line on the same needle. I really like the result, much better than garter stitch, which makes also makes a thicker piece where you need it but always looks - lumpy, doesn't it.

Slip Stitch Stocking Stitch Hem Edge

After I did the slip stitch socks, I was surprised to see it at our knitting club meeting last June.

We are going through one of the older no-longer-knitting ladies' sample book. It's a lovely collection of samples. Margaret was "picked" (we all duck under the chair when asked "who's going to show us something from the book next month") and she chose this one:

Knit your band however you like, WY, ravel cord, ewrap, whatever, and knit half the band. Bring EON out to hold, set your machine to either PART; Russel levers | side levers forward; ***BX (but I'd do that on the back bed and drop the FB for the next part, but that's me). knit one row.
Return setting to what they were before.
Knit three rows.
Pick up loops (every 2nd needle has a loop)
knit second half of the band.
Pick up stitches from beginning and join in your usual manner.

I liked this so much I decided to do some experimenting.

Edit: ***
or you could bring them up on the back bed, GX/N the next three rows and transfer them to the FB. But really the Passap do such a lovely cast on anyway, I wouldn't bother.

Loz's Slip Stitch Heel Flap Socks

Loz likes the heel flap socks like she hand knits and
was asking can she make them on her KX35o.

So, my bright idea for Lauren's socks are done. I thought. And this is what I came up with.

They could be made on any single bed machine - just adjust stitch count and rows.

The cast on numbers are 20-24, depending on how wide the sock. I did this pair on T4, however, I think T3, 3.1 would be better. A tighter knit is usually preferred. However the thicker socks? Best experiment and see what is preferred.

So.. Cast on and/or not do your cuff of choice. Maybe your cuff of choice is to pick up the stitches and knit the ribbing? Maybe drop back and latch up? Or mock rib? Hung hem? Pick one.

then roughly 30-40 rows to heel

RC000. Set the KX35o to Partial knitting on the left side (flip the side lever up). Do that on the SK860, but also flip the dial to Slip. (Apparently Punchcard No. 1 does it automatically - Doesn't help if you have neither of these machine, but if making these on a standard punchcard? Good, go for it).

Ok back to doing the slip stitch heel flap.

Starting on L10, bring EON up to hold (so only they knit) PLUS THE NEEDLE ON THE OTHER END.
Knit 2 rows.

Now starting on R10 bring up EON PLUS THE OTHER END NEEDLE.
Knit 2 rows.

Repeat these four rows for (say) 22 rows. (Always - BOTH ENDS NEEDLES WILL KNIT)

Turning the heel:

This bit is surprising tricky.

Identify one third of the needles in the centre.
It is MUCH easier if the end numbers are divisible by 2....
for 20 sts: 6/8/6
or 22 sts: 8/6/8 or 6/10/6
or 24 sts: 8/8/8.

Now what you are doing is knitting xxx stitches, k2tog, k1, turn. Sl 1, p xxx sts, p2tog, p1 turn - repeating until all stitches are knitted.

Starting with carriage on the right, identify your centre, and with your two prong tool, pick up the two stitches next to it and move them over 1 needle. (the handknitting equivalent of K2tog, K1.)
Either put the remaining needles on the left in hold, or slip them onto bobby pins etc.

Knit one row, bring the needle closest to the carriage out to hold. pick up the 2 stitches on the right and move them over one needle and remove the other stitches (exactly as you have done on the left). knit one row.

Now do this all the for the next couple of rows until all the stitches are back in work:

On the carriage side: bring the last needle knitted out to hold
on the opposite side: bring one new needle up into WP, put the first stitch hanging on the bobby pin onto the needle that was on hold last row and the second stitch onto the new needle.
(what you are doing is: Slip one, knit to last stitch held, knit it plus the next stitch together, knit 1, turn)

Picking up the stitches from the side of the heel flap. 22 rows = 11 sts to be picked up.
I tried picking up the bar - but on the thick yarn, the bump is better. However - after the first one, it's very, very difficult to prize the little blighter loose, so I ran a thin needle up them all and they went on beautifully.

Knit one row.

Do the same to the other side. It is a very big stretch, I made it almost to the end, but slipped a couple of bobby pins onto them, knit one row, then slipped them on and hand knitted them.
knit two rows very quickly - before it gets time to get cranky.

Now, doing the gusset. Fully fashioned is the norm.

Each end. Pick up needle 3, put on top of needle two and move both over one needle and return the end needles to RP.

Knit 2 rows.

Continue until you are back to your original stitch count.

This is a bit of a guess - do xx rows to your toe. Somewhere between 40-50 depending on length of foot and how many rows done in the toe.

But before you do them, identify the correct bar to collect on the way back by putting a marker - bobby pin, paperclip, scrap of yarn on the bar before you start your toes.

Short row toes:
If you have round shaped toes, then do short rows until 10 sts, about half the stitches remain.
If you have more pointed toes, then do short rows until 6 or 8 sts, roughly a third of the stitches remain.

Using the Sew-As-You-Go technique, continue knitting until you are at your cuff stage and match what you did when you began.

I've done step-by-step instructions into a PDF for her. I've popped it on Ravelry download, there are a lot more photos describing the technique.

Download Pattern