VINTAGE YARNS
More goodies from the mailbag. Laura wrote:
I recently came across the Mary Francis Knitting and Crocheting Book. It is darling! Even though the credits don’t specify, I assume it’s a reprint of a book originally written around 1920. Woven within the story are quite extensive photo demos of knitting and crochet, along with many patterns for doll clothes, and even Red Cross knitting patterns. The text of the book describes yarns as 2-fold, 3-fold or 4-fold, and appear to be referring to what we would call ‘ply’ today–though perhaps more in the UK style. The book then goes on to say that yarns are named Germantown Zephyr or Germantown Wool (4-fold or 8-fold), Knitting Worsted, Saxony Wool, Woolen Knitting Floss, Teazle Yarn, or Angora Wool. Would you have any info on what the modern equivalents of these might be? Any references to point me toward? I did a google search, but mostly came up with “Bear Brand Germantown Yarns,” a few skeins of which have retired in my stash….It would seem that Germantown could refer to worsted weight or heavier (about a 3 or 4 in the modern number scheme trying to standardize the industry), Saxony might be more of a baby or sport weight (2ish, I suppose) and Knitting Floss might be more like Shetland yarns–lace or baby/fingering weight (1 or 2ish, I’m thinking).
I know there are lots of people now interested in older knitting patterns – everything from ponchos published in the 1970s through the truly vintage stuff going back to the late 1800s. The older the book, the harder it can be to figure out how to make the garment using today’s materials. Laura’s problem is a very common one for anyone looking at these older patterns.
I can’t claim to be an expert on this on this, but I have had a little bit of experience with legacy/historical patterns. From my limited exposure, Laura’s guesses are spot on.
For the yarns described in her book, Germantown’s closest equivalent is true worsted (not just something within the group system 3 or 4 designation; (the group system being a lousy method yarn classification – 2021 update and elaboration of my 2004 rant here). The closest modern yarn is Cascade 220 – a 100% wool that knits at 5 stitches per inch. Many patterns call for that size yarn to be doubled. I’ve had good results using either a true worsted, or even a lofty DK when the pattern calls for knitting with two strands.
Saxony was often used for baby items, knit on 15s or 16s. The modern needle size equivalent would be 00s or an size in between 00 and 000. I’ve had success substituting modern three-ply fingering or baby yarn. (4-ply fingering is standard sock weight, knitting at 28 stitches = 4 inches, 3-ply is lighter, usually knitting at 32 stitches = 4 inches.) Perhaps Jamieson Shetland Spindrift might work, being lofty and able to be knit down to that gauge. Brown Sheep WildFoote is one of the lightest sock yarns around now that Kroy 3 Ply is discontinued. Froelich Wolle Special Blauband is also on the thin end of the fingering spectrum. Much thicker and denser but machine washable is Dale Baby Ull. Knit tightly it might work, but I think that the Spindrift or Wildfoote would have a more historically accurate look.
I also suspect that Knitting Floss is lace weight. Skacel Merino Lace might make a good substitute.
Teazle, and Angora Wool are tougher. My suggestion would be to look at the needle size and gauge. Since most historical patterns don’t give gauge, are sized fairly small and fit FAR tighter than modern ones, the best way to figure out gauge is to look at the stitch count around the wrist or cuff rather than around the chest. Fit on wrists don’t change much, nor is ease generally a big factor there. Compare whatever you get to the wrist measurement of a modern piece – women’s small, men’s small, or children’s about size 6 for post-baby garments. Using that measurement roughly estimate how many stitches per inch the piece had just above the ribbing.
I’ve been working on this chart for a while, collecting historical yarn names and modern gauge/needle size equivalents. Also some suggestions on possible modern yarns. I started with some needle size data abstracted from Lois Baker’s highly useful comparative needle chart. Most of the historical yarn types I cite are from patterns before the 1930s. Note that these are not hard and fast categorizations, many yarns/needle sizes can slip up or down a peg. Also note that texture is difficult to match. I have no way of knowing if one yarn type was say, closer in feel to Spindrift than it is to Regia. Feel free to attach corrections/additions in the comments. I’ll update the chart body and put a link to it under ‘Reference’ at right.
For yarns from the 1950s through 1970s, VintageKnits maintained a very useful guide to fiber content and actual gauges of specific yarn brand names. It’s divided roughly by weight into several pages.
|
Historical Needle Size |
Modern Needle Size |
Expected Gauge |
Typical Historical Yarn Names |
Possible Modern Substitutes |
| 0.25mm | 1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread |
|||
| UK 24 | 0.5mm
US #00000000 (8/0) |
1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread |
Size 80 cotton | |
| UK 22 | 0.75mm
US #000000 (6/0) |
1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread |
Wool Floss Spool Cotton Knitting cotton |
|
| UK 19 US 18 Steel |
1.0mm US #00000 (5/0) |
1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread |
Size 50-80 cotton Jamieson 1-Ply Cobweb Wool |
|
| US 17 Steel | 1.125mm | 1 ply Cobweb wool Cotton thread |
||
| UK 18 US 16 Steel |
1.25mm US #0000 |
2 ply Lace weight Cotton thread |
Berlin Wool Briggs Knitting Silk |
Size 50 cotton Skacel Merino Lace |
| UK 17 US 15 Steel |
1.5mm US #000 |
2 ply Lace weight Cotton thread |
Berlin Wool, Andalusian Wool | Size 30 cotton Skacel Merino Lace Lorna’s Laces Helen’s Lace |
| UK 15 US 14 Steel |
1.75mm US #00 |
3 ply Fingering Light Fingering 30-32 st = 4 in |
Saxony, Shetland, Pompador, German Fingering, Alliance |
Jamieson Shetland Spindrift, Brown Sheep Wildfoote, Dale Baby Ull (knit very tightly), Kroy 3-Ply Most of |
| UK 14 US 13 Steel US 0 Standard |
2mm US #0 |
3 ply Fingering Light Fingering 30-32 st = 4 in 4 ply Fingering |
Saxony, Zephyr, | Jamieson Shetland Spindrift; Kroy 3-Ply
Most of the lighter weight sock yarns |
| UK 13 US 12 Steel |
2.25mm
US #1 (some) |
3 ply Fingering Light Fingering 30-32 st = 4 in 4 ply Fingering |
Saxony, Zephyr, Cocoon | Jamieson Shetland Spindrift; Kroy 3-Ply Dale Baby Ull (knit very tightly) Most of the lighter weight sock yarns Most standard sock yarns; Rowan 4 ply yarns |
| US 1 Standard | 2.5mm
US #1 (most) |
4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4in |
Saxony, Beehive, Penelope | Most standard sock yarns; Rowan 4 ply yarns |
| UK 12 US 11 Steel US 2 Standard |
2.75 mm US #2 |
4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4 in |
Beehive, Peacock, Penelope | Most standard sock yarns; Rowan 4 ply yarns |
| UK 11 US 10 Steel US 3 Standard |
3mm
US #3 (some) |
4 ply Fingering 28-30 st = 4 in Lighter sport weights |
Koigu; GGH Marathon; Zitron Libero |
|
| UK 10 | 3.25mm US #3 (most) |
Sport weight 24 st = 4 inches |
Louet Gems Opal Merino; Jaeger Matchmaker |
|
| US 9 Steel
US 4 Standard |
3.5mm
US #4 |
Sport weight 24 st = 4 in |
Louet Gems Opal Merin; Jaeger Matchmaker |
|
| UK 9 US 8 Steel US 5Standard |
3.75mm US #5 |
Gansey weight, 5-ply 23 st = 4 in |
Jumper wool | Wendy Guernsey 5 Ply |
| UK 8 | 4mm US #6 |
DK weight 22 st = 4 in |
Germantown, Zephyr, Saxony doubled |
Jaeger Matchmaker DK; Jo Sharp DK Wool; Most standard DK weight yarns; Most 4 ply fingering weights, doubled |
| US 6 Standard | 4.25mm | DK weight 22-21 st = 4 in |
Lighter airy worsteds, heavy cable spun DKs, most 4 ply fingering weights doubled Whatever can be knit to just under regulation worsted weight |
|
| UK 7 | 4.5mm US #7 |
Worsted 20 st = 4 in |
Germantown | Cascade 220 |
| US 7 Standard | 4. 75mm | Worsted 20 st = 4 in |
||
| UK 6 US 8 Standard |
5mm US #8 |
Heavy worsted
19 st = 4 inches Aran |
Most standard Aran weight yarns; Most standard sport weight yarn, doubled; Most standard mass market yarns labeled “Worsted” with on-label gauges of 19-18 stitches over 4 inches (10cm) |
|
| UK 5 (some) US 9 Standard |
5.25mm | Aran 18 st = 4 inches |
||
| UK 5 | 5.5mm US #9 |
Light bulky 17-16 st = 4 in |
||
| US 10 Standard (some) | 5.75mm | Light bulky 17-16 st = 4 in |
||
| UK 4
US 10 Standard |
6mm
US #10 |
Light bulky 17-16 st = 4 in |
||
| UK 3
US 10 1/2 Standard |
6.5mm US #10 1/2 (some) |
Bulky 15-13 st = 4 in |
Germantown doubled | Two strands of Cascade 220; Most standard worsteds, doubled |
| UK 2 | 7mm
US #10 1/2 (some) |
11Bulky 15-13 st = 4 in |
||
| UK 1 | 7.5mm | 11Bulky 15-13 st = 4 in |
||
| UK 0 | 8mm
US #11 |
Bulky 15-13 st = 4 in |
||
| UK 00 | 9mm US #13 |
Super bulky 12 or fewer st = 4 in |
||
| UK 000 | 10mm US #15 |
Super bulky 12 or fewer st = 4 in |
||
| 12.5mm US #17 |
Ultra 10 or fewer st = 4 in |
|||
| 14mm US #18 |
Ultra 10 or fewer st = 4 in |
|||
| 15.5mm
US #19 |
Ultra 8 or fewer st = 4 in |
|||
| 19mm US #35 |
Ultra 8 or fewer st = 4 in |
|||
| 25mm US #50 |
6 or fewer st = 4 in |
QUESTIONS – BOTH INTERESTING AND ANNOYING
Interesting Question
Yesterday Marcia asked about the K2P2 rib I posted about. She wants to use it on a hat where the brim is worn folded up. She’d like to have the pattern visible on the flipped up part, and wants to have the twists on the hat body and brim oriented with the same leg on top.
I haven’t tried this, but I think that if this stitch were worked two-sided – with crossings on both sides, Marcia’s effect would be achieved. To do this you need to make it a six-row rather than a five row pattern. Marcia was also concerned with the leg direction, but if the thing is worked two-sided this way, when flipped up the reverse will display the cable twist crossings going in the same direction as the front. (Try it by making slash marks on both sides of a piece of paper, then folding it.)
To do it flat, I’d work:
Cast on a multiple of 4 stitches
Round 1: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 2: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 3: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat
Round 4: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 5: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 6: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat
In the round I’d work:
Round 1: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 2: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 3: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat
Round 4: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 5: (K2, P2), repeat
Round 6: K2, (Right purl twist using this method: [Skip the first stitch but retain it on the left needle and purl the second one, also retaining it on the left hand needle. Then purl together both the skipped stitch and the second stitch and move the resulting two-stitch unit to the right hand needle], repeat
Of course another way to deal with the problem is to knit the cuff area using the pattern as described yesterday. When it was deep enough, you’d add three rows of purls to make a welt (the fold line); then reverse direction and knit the cap part, using the opposite twist stitch wherever the original called to use one. That would put the right side of the cuff showing when folded up against the hat body.
Another Interesting Question
FeliciaSix says “Wow. Eyes. Monitor. Bright. Hurt. Why did you pick that most unsubtle of color combos for the Fingerless Whatevers?”
Because it’s cold, dark and dreary in the winter and I wanted to wear the opposite.
Annoying Questions
None of them are worth repeating. Some days I wish every computer came equipped to display this error message:
You can build your own error messages, too.
REPORT AND PATTERN – FINGERLESS WHATEVERS
UPDATE: REVISED PATTERN FOR FINGERLESS WHATEVERS IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EASY TO DOWNLOAD PDF AT THE KNITTING PATTERNS LINK, ABOVE.
On this 43rd day of the Great Monitor Dearth, and second day of post-blizzard digging out, I share these mitts:
Fingerless Whatevers
Approximately 200 yards of sock weight yarn – roughly one 50 gram skein. This pair looks to be using half a skein each of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock and Dale Baby Ull. (I can’t guarantee that this is a spot on perfect quantity estimate as I am not yet done with the second mitt.) This would be a good project to use up odds and ends of several self-stripers, pairing them with one solid color common to them all. Five US #1 double pointed needles?(2.5mm). May be knit using the two circ method by considering each two-needle unit = 1 circ
Gauge in stockinette:? 9 st = 1 inch
Twisted cable ribbing:
Round 1: (K2, p2), repeat
Round 2: (K2, p2), repeat
Round 3: (Right twist using this method: [K2tog, leaving unit on left hand needle. Re-insert right hand needle tip into stitch closest to end of left hand needle. Knit this stitch. Slip entire now-twisted two-stitch unit to right hand needle], p2), repeat
Round 4 and 5: Repeat Rounds 1 and 2
Wristlet/Pulse Warmer or wrist part of Whatevers:
Cast on 64 stitches and knit one round, using the method described in yesterday’s post. You should have 4 dpns, each with 16 stitches (or two circs with 32 if using that method.) Work twisted stitch ribbing for 9 repeats (45 rounds). I alternated my two color yarns, switching colors after Row 5 and stranding up rather than breaking the yarn at every stripe. Note that you can end off right here and have a perfectly nifty pair of pulse warmers, instead of continuing on to make the thumb hole and palm part of these mitts.
Left Thumb Gusset and Palm (Mitt #1 only):
Knit 9 rounds in stockinette.
10th Round: Knit all the stitches from Needle #1. Knit 12 stitches from Needle #2. Place a marker. M1, K2, M1, place another marker. Knit remaining 2 stitches on Needle #2. Knit all stitches on Needles #3 and 4.
11th Round: Knit all stitches
12th Round: Knit to marker. Transfer marker to right hand needle. M1, Knit to marker, M1. Transfer marker to right hand needle. K2. ?Knit all remaining stitches on Needles #3 and 4.
13th Round: Knit all stitches.
Repeat rounds 12 and 13 until there are 24 stitches between the two markers.
Knit 2 tog at the beginning of Needle #1.Knit remaining stitches on Needle #1. You should have 15 stitches on Needle #1. Knit to marker. Slip the 24 thumb stitches onto a stitch holder or piece of string. Stranding very tightly to avoid gapping, knit the remaining two stitches of Needle #2 together. You should have 14 stitches on Needle #2. K2tog, knit remaining stitches on Needle #3. You should have 15 stitches on Needle #3. Knit all stitches on Needle #4. There will now be 60 stitches total.
Knit 10 rows. On 11th row begin working rounds 1-5 of Twisted Cable Ribbing (I chose to switch back to my solid color for this). You will find this easier to work if you slip the first stitch of Needle #2 to Needle #1 and the last stitch of Needle #2 to Needle #3 just prior to commencing this round. Bind off in pattern.
Right Thumb Gusset and Palm?(Mitt #2 only):
In theory you could just make two lefts, since there are no fingers in this piece to skew the fit one way or the other. But I think it’s more satisfying (and marginally better fitting) to do a mirror image. Plus it’s good practice for anyone planning on graduating from fingerless whatevers to real gloves.
Knit?9 rounds in stockinette.
10th Round: Knit 2. Place a marker. M1, K2, M1, place another marker. Knit remaining 12 stitches on Needle #1. Knit all stitches on Needles #2, 3 and 4.
12th Round:? Knit all stitches
13th Round:? Knit to marker. Transfer marker to right hand needle. M1, Knit to marker, M1. Transfer marker to right hand needle. K2. Knit all remaining stitches on Needles #2, 3 and 4.
14th Round: Knit all stitches.
Repeat rounds 13 and 14 until there are 24 stitches between the two markers.
Knit 2 tog at the beginning of Needle #1. Slip the 24 thumb stitches onto a stitch holder or piece of string. Stranding very tightly to avoid gapping, knit the remaining 12 stitches of Needle #1. You should have 14 stitches on Needle #1. Knit 14 stitches on Needle #2, K2tog, knit You should have 15 stitches on Needle #2. Knit all stitches on Needle #3, and 4. There will now be 60 stitches total.
Knit 12 rows. On 13th row begin working rounds 1-5 of Twisted Cable Ribbing (I chose to switch back to my solid color for this). You will find this easier to work if you slip the last stitch of Needle #1 to Needle #2 just prior to commencing this round. Bind off in pattern.
Thumb:
Evenly divide the 24 stitches of the thumb onto three DPNs. With a fourth work the following rounds of Twisted Cable Ribbing:
Round 1
Round 3
Round 5
I chose to work these in my solid color. Bind off in pattern. Darn in all ends, taking care to snick up the hole that has formed at the base of the thumb where the ribbing began.
Please note that this pattern is copyright 2005, by Kim Salazar, and may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without her permission. It is intended for private end-consumer use only. Please contact the author for permission if you intend to make up this item in quantity for sale or charitable donation.
Mailbag Questions
Michelene asks how I keep half hitch cast on stitches from loosening and turning into big loops. The answer is knitting them very slowly, firmly, and carefully. They will distend somewhat, but if your second row is neat and even, the cast-on row will snick itself back into reasonable shape. The long string gap between needles will also resolve itself; and the beginning/end round gap is addressed by the trading stitches trick also described.
Important note on this – If you try to work a normal purl on a half hitch cast on stitch, the cast on stitch will disintegrate because the motion of the purl undoes the twist that formed the stitch. That’s why the first round of the sock method described two days ago is all knits. If you MUST purl, do a twisted purl through the back of the loop. Awkward, yes – but it shouldn’t disintegrate.
On finding teeny size needles, I get most of mine at my LYS – Wild & Woolly, in Lexington, MA. They get them every now and again as part of their DPN order. When I see a set in a size I haven’t got yet, I buy it. I’ve also found some in yard sales and other yarn shops. If your local shop stocks Inox accessories they should be able to special order them for you. There are also lots of on-line sources for specialty needles. I’ve never dealt with either, but both Lacis and JKL Needles! both have quite extensive offerings.
WORKING REPORT – FINGERLESS WHATEVER
UPDATE: REVISED PATTERN FOR FINGERLESS WHATEVERS IS NOW AVAILABLE AS AN EASY TO DOWNLOAD PDF AT THE KNITTING PATTERNS LINK, ABOVE.
Day 41 of the monitor hostage crisis. Will the unholy alliance of Samsung and UPS actually deliver?? Odds are not in my favor…
Seriously, thank you to eveyone who has offered up a monitor or pointed me at low-cost sources. This is a highly computer-enabled household, my not wanting to use one of the kids’ machines, The Resident Male’s deck or even the house server is more a matter of territoriality. This is MY set-up, and I want it to work. Right now I’m using MY laptop – older, slower, but enough for when I need to tote a machine with me on a consulting assignment. I can access my stuff on my base machine via VPN, and drive it remotely. It’s slow, a pain, but it works. So my whining is mostly about lousy service, not deathless need.
If you do have a spare monitor, please consider donating it to a local school, library, literacy program, shelter, or other worthy cause. They need it far more than I do.
Fingerless Gloves/Mittens/Wristlets (Whatever)
I still don’t quite know what this project is. I’m torn bamong doing?the fiddling to make gloves with abbreviated fingers, settling for truncated mittens, or something shorter like a pulse-warmer or cuff. In any case progress is being made. I have settled on an eye-popping combo of the Lorna’s Laces Socknitters Rainbow, and bleeding scarlet Dale Baby Ull. Interestingly enough, the red Baby Ull is perceptibly thicker than the charcoal black. I’ve used the black in combo with the Lorna’s on a sock, and found them much closer in weight. This isn’t unsual, many yarns sport thicknesses affected by the specifics of dyeing one color or another. Blacks, whites and natural undyed hues are sometimes different from other colors.
Here we see the proto-wristlet. After much experimentation, I’ve arrived at something that’s working:
In a counter-intuitive leap, I ended up having to use LARGER needles to make something that stretches enough. I moved up to US #1s, and used the stretchiest ribbing I know. It’s a K2, P2 variant with the two Ks twisted every 6 rows, making them into 1×1 mini-cables. To avoid looseness, I work the crossing as a twist stitch rather than as a true cable by knitting two together, but NOT slipping the result from the left hand needle, then re-inserting the needle tip into the end-most of the two just knit together. That stitch is knit, then the entire two-stitch unit is slipped onto the right needle. I picked up this trick from the stitch glossary in Walker III.
The pattern so far:? Cast on 64 stitches, work in the cabled rib described above, alternating colors every 6 rows. Exact length of how far to go or what to do next has not yet been decided. (It must be pretty evident by know that I leap long before I look, knitting-wise.
Big Box Stores and Yarn Stocking Patterns
Yesterday’s comments and letters brought several speculations on why big box stores stock a different mix of yarns than do specialty yarn shops, and observations of a convergence.
I think the posters were right. It’s got to be an “economics of scale” phenomenon. Big box crafts and discount department stores buy in huge lots. They use the size of their purchase to negotiate price concessions from the manufacturers. Lion, Caron, and a couple of others can supply yarn in ISO shipping container sized lots (the huge boxes that stack the decks of freighters, that are lifted off to become truck bodies). That’s the quantity larger stores typically purchase.
Even medium-sized big box stores can buy in larger quantities than LYSs. Here in Eastern Massachusetts we’ve got? small sewing specialty chain called “Fabric Place.”? They’ve always stocked yarn, but over the past five years have greatly expanded their department. They’ve also cornered the local market for Reynolds Lopi because they were able to offer it at a far lower price than smaller shops. Although Lopi had been a good seller at most local yarn shops, sales fell to zero in the face of competition – especially from FP’s special sales, in which it was marked down to $1.50 per ball. All the smaller shops dropped the line, and the only source of Lopi around here is now FP (which hasn’t offered the ultra-low price in a long time.)
Right now in this area the big box crafts store/distributor combo?that is evoking the most ire is A.C. Moore. They appear to have cut a deal with the distributor Knitting Fever. Now that doesn’t mean you’re going to find Noro yarns at Moore. It does mean that many of the other lines that Knitting Fever handles – Sirdar, Schachenmayer, their catch-all Euro category, and even On Line products are showing up there, at prices below what LYS can meet. I predict that as a result, LYS will be decreasing their stocks of Knitting Fever yarns – they just can’t afford to fight a store with Moore’s retail clout.
Is this good for knitters?? Yes and no. Yes in the short term. It means yarns for less. No in the long term. It kneecaps a major source of support for knitting and knitters. Big box stores are notoriously fickle, and known for limited at best customer service. I dread what will happen if they suck up too many yarn lines. LYS, already under attack from?web-based competition?will have additional pressures in their fight to stay open. Some will die. ?And when the knitting trend crests and the big box stores move on to scrapbooking or whatever fad is next, we’ll have even fewer sources for both yarn and advice.
What can we do about it?? Support your local yarn store. If you’ve got one nearby and?can afford it, buy there. Think of that extra 25 cents per ball as an investment in having hands-on help, and a source of other yarns?available. Please, no whining about lousy and or snooty?LYSs, how you live on a fixed or student income, or that the closest one is 100 miles away. We’ll save those complaints for another day.
Manga
Japanese-import or derived comic books. More like?graphic?novels, actually. There’s a big cross-over between manga and anime (Japanese animation) in stories, artists, and look/feel. ?If you know the TV cartoons Sailor Moon, Ruroni Kenshin,?and Yu Yu Hakusho you’re familiar with the aesthetic. Subject matter is all over the map – everything from romance novels to mysteries, the supernatural, history, and hard science fiction. Many are quite adult in theme and depictions, but others are aimed at a more teenage audience. They’re all the rage in the junior high and high school sets. The Older Daughter loves them.
Don’t tell her but I like them too. Maybe someday I’ll confess about the eight collectors’ boxes of ’80s vintage comics we’ve got squirreled away. I think she’d like Lone Wolf and Cub, and the not-Japanese?Stinz.
BY AND FOR, BY AND LARGE
UPDATE: THE PATTERN BELOW IS NOW AVAILABLE AS A QUICK DOWNLOAD PDF AT THE KNITTING PATTERNS LINK, ABOVE.
Sigh. Still no monitor. Perhaps today. At least today I’ve got Internet connectivity. Yesterday I experienced several hours of intermittent service interruptions (that’s why there was no Monday edition of String).
In the mean time, I’ve managed to get one of the other machines in this house to accept input from my bargain-basement digital camera. It’s blurry, but you get the idea:
I finished the Crazy Raglan. Now it’s lurid and not my best effort, but it’s to the exact specifications of the target Small One, and she loves it. Perhaps this explains why:
She’s got one of these. It’s been her favorite toy since she was only a couple of months old. Her Squeaky is now much less pristine than this catalog shot, and (mercifully) no longer plays a music box rendition of “Born Free.”? She?picked out the self striping yarn because she wanted a “Squeaky Sweater,” and now she’s got one. But I?think you have to be six to truly appreciate such things.
In terms of technical?performance and lessons learned – there were several. First, going back to mid-summer, there were all sorts of things to be experienced?managing the repeat and?width of the area being knit so as to best manipulate the striping. Second, I used?Sweater Wizard software to devise the basic raglan shape. I really like having that shortcut available to me, but I have to say that for kids sizes at least,?the templates do?run a bit small.I added both copious width/ease and length to make a custom fit on my string-bean kidlet, and it still turned out to be snug.
I’m not entirely pleased with the raglan angle. I should have made the armholes deeper. That would have changed the angles and made the sweater a bit more proportional. I also bowed to kid-preference and made a very shallow V-neck instead of a crew or deeper V, trimming it with a very narrow band of ribbing. She likes it, but I don’t – again the proportions are a bit off. Finally, I did a slip stitch selvedge edge on all pieces. I’ve done that before on raglans and had no problems, but they were solid color raglans, sewn with yarn of the same color. The mattress stitch seaming in the space dyed yarn – especially on the raglan seams – was VERY evident. I ended up taking it out and redoing it as pierced double running stitch to tighten up those shoulder seams and make them gap less. I also selectively cut bits of the darkest green to use for my redone seams. That helped a bit, too.
One thing I did do right was to use provisional cast-ons for the body and sleeves. I also knit both back and front at the same time, and both sleeves at the same time. After I sewed the seams, I went back and picked up the bottom edge stitches at body hem and cuffs, and knit the ribbing in the round. I did the body ribbing first, and liked the contrast between the narrow one-row stripes in it, and the wider stripes in the body. When I did the cuff and neckline ribbing I used two balls of yarn starting at two different points in the color cycle to ensure that they matched the waist ribbing.
So I post an equivocal success. The target audience was pleased, but I’m not enirely so.
Why “By and For?” in the title?? Because those little hand-mitt wristlets The Small One is wearing are a knitting product entirely of her own manufacture. They’re lumpen, odd little superbulky yarn paw-warmers but she’s very, very proud of them. Here’s the pattern. Such as it is:
Morgan’s Paw Warmers
Will fit a small child, age 6-10.
Small quantity of?leftover superbulky yarn. I can’t say what we used. I bought it years ago for holiday present ties. My guess is that it’s 100% acrylic.
US #10.5 straight single pointed needles. Tapestry needle for sewing up.
Gauge – roughly 2 stitches = 1 inch in garter stitch.
Cast on 16 stitches. Knit in garter stitch until piece measures about 6 inches long. Bind off four stitches, and knit across remainder of row. Knit next row, casting on four stitches at the end. On the next row, (K3, K2tog), repeat across the row, ending K1. Knit three more rows on the remaining 13 stitches. Bind off. Sew side seam, taking care to leave the thumb slit open.
WORKING REPORT: VARIOUS PROJECTS
Still no monitor, so I’m still photo-challenged here at String. Progress is being made on several fronts, in spite of the joyous accumulation of frozen precipitation that continues unabated.
First, I’m on to the sleeves of Crazy Raglan. I am knitting them flat, both sleeves at the same time, each from a single ball of the Regia Crazy. I had started the sweater body the same way, but being wider, I didn’t like the way the self-striper was manifesting itself. Those I did from two balls each, with an Intarsia-style join down the center front and back. I think the sleeves being narrower might look better done straight across. But as with the body, if I don’t like the way they look after a couple of inches, I’ll rip back and start again.
I’ve also completed a couple of pairs of socks that were sitting half-done in various small briefcase project bags. One is from a Lana Grossa Melienweit self striper, and is yet another standard toe-up, with a very ordinary ankle based on Old Shale. The other is a pair of kids’ toe-ups made from leftovers of several projects. One or both of these pairs will end up being donated to a charity auction.
I’m also finishing up my Cursed Socks. I’m well?past the heel of Sock #2. Unfortunately, I’ve misplaced my two Strickfingerhuts, and working without one is slowing me down. They’re in a knitting bag. Somewhere…
I’ve still got several UFOs in queue. But while I like to start off the year finishing up some of?the previous?year’s stalled efforts, it’s also fun to think on some new things. One idea I’m toying with is for a toy. Although I’m not a fan of Muppet-pelt furry novelty yarns, my kids adore them. They’ve asked if it’s possible to work up some patterns for stuffed pillows or floppy bed toys. But they don’t want licensed characters or recognizable creatures of any sort. They want fuzzy "Alien Pets" of their own devising. They’re scribbling madly away at their sketch pads even as I type this, adding extra limbs and/or tentacles, wings, and multiple eyes. We’ll see what develops…
And finally, I’m still working on the write-up for the lacy scarf. Yes, I know it’s taking a while, but I want to be sure that it’s as error free as I can make it.
OOP BOOK REVIEWS – TWO GENERAL OMNIBUS VOLUMES
Sometimes useful things can be found in strange places. I don’t consider used book stores to be particularly strange places, but I’ve found all manner of things there overlooked at the end of the craft book shelves.
Case in point – those multicraft omnibus type books. You know the kind – Needlework 101 with a sagging binding, pix of frumpy looking or laughably outdated garments, and short chapters on everything from plain sewing to macrame, with side trips to knitting and crocheting. The Great Great?Godmother of all of these (though not the first book of this type) is the classic de Dillmont Encyclopedia of Needlework, aka The DMC Encyclopedia of Needlework. That book is still in print, and remains a very valuable resource in spite of the fact that it was first published in the 1890s.
There have been thousands of books of the same general type published since. Many can be found languishing in used book stores, upstaged by their far more popular sisters. But many of these books are more useful than their sad covers, dated projects, and scattershot presentation suggest. Today I’ll look at a couple of these.
First is?Stitch by Stitch:? A Home Library of Sewing, Knitting, Crochet and Needlecraft.? I believe this to be a hardback periodical or installment-bought crafts series, issued in at least 20 volumes by Torstar Books. The copyrights start in 1984 or 1985. I only have Volume I (shown), so I can’t speak to the rest of the series.
Volume I?is a standard exemplar of its type, but it’s better illustrated than many, with the knitting?and crochet?sections stuffed full of?photos showing how to hold the needles or hook, and how to form?the stitches. That’s the kicker in this particular book. It’s got the best illustrations I’ve seen of the pencil grip, throwing/flicking?with the fingertip?knitting style. Volume I just covers the absolute basics – crochet chain, single, double and triple crochet; plus knit, purl, cast on, cast off, and ribbing, arranging the subject matter into six lessons for each craft?that use simple scarves and other projects to teach (some are very dated). There are also sections on needlepoint and plain sewing. ?Now not everyone NEEDS an on-shelf resource showing an alternative way to knit, but I’ve used it to help teach people who were uncomfortable with both Continental/picking, and the more popular methods of holding the yarn for British/American/throwing. Plus there’s a bonus here. Among the patterns is a very nice lacy throw, shown as a baby blanket.
|
|
|
More useful is The Bantam Step by Step Book of Needlecraft by Judy Brittain; New York, Bantam, 1979 (left). This was also published in the UK as The Good Housekeeping Encylopaedia of Needlecraft, (possibly bearing the name of A. Carroll as editor) by Dorling Kindersley, Ltd, 1979. It’s been re-issued under a couple of different covers over the years. Along with a ’40s era Spool Cotton Company "Learn How Book" (right)given to me by my mother this is the book that taught me to knit.
Like Stitch by Stitch, this book covers several crafts and is copiously illustrated with color photos and (sadly dated) projects. It goes into much deeper detail than SbS.?? For example, the knitting section includes a small stitch dictionary, and covers all the basics, plus everything from designing one’s own pattern to gloves, socks, traditional lace shawls and edgings, bead knitting, and fixing mistakes. It describes both throwing and picking?styles, but?after a couple of cursory how to hold the needle?drawings?avoids showing finger placement again, probably to avoid committing to one method or the other.There’s a tremendous amount in there for only 90 pages of text and illustrations combined.
Although briefer, the crochet section is similarly nicely done. The book goes on to cover needlepoint and macrame (it was the ’70s); weaving, tatting, several styles of embroidery; pieced quilting; applique; and plain sewing. I find it a handy reference, even though I’ve got lots of more specialized and more complete books on my shelves.
I still have my mother’s?old green "Learn How Book."? That one is only 65 or so pages. It exists in many, many editions, varying mostly by the projects included at the end. Some editions also vary in the crafts detailed. Mine includes knitting, crochet and tatting, with side trips into embroidery for embellishment. The earlier ones were published by the Spool Cotton Company, which was bought by Clarks some time in the 1940s. Clarks in turn was gobbled up to become part of Coats & Clarks. The booklet continued to be published with updated projects and under the new owners’ names in turn. It’s useful but is now more of a sentimental curiousity than a living resource. I do however buy other editions of the thing when I stumble across them and the price is reasonable. I’ve got four or five now, ranging from the ’40s through the early ’60s.
Little to Do With Knitting – Firefly Series on DVDHow did we miss this one?? A very good friend gave us a Firefly?DVD set containing this entire very short lived SF series originally aired on Fox in 2002.
Fantastic!
We must have blinked at entirely the wrong nanosecond the half-season this was on the tubus. What an inopportune blink that was. Interesting scenario and stories, strong characters, excellent writing (too witty to have survived on regular TV), and even good acting with compelling and believable chemistry among the cast members.
The only bad thing about the DVD is that there were only 14 episodes, including a two-part pilot. But all is not lost. Sniffing around the web I note that a movie derived from the series is in production right now, scheduled for release in September.
Why does this have little to do with knitting instead of absoutely nothing?? In one of the episodes a particularly lumpen and lurid hand-knit hat makes a cameo appearance. It’s such an incongruously memorable thing that knitting fans of the series have posted patterns for it.
MORE QUESTIONS – SNOWFLAKES AND FOOD
Did you crochet those snowflakes on your tree?
Yes. I’ve done them in several batches. I often invite holiday visitors to take one home with them, so replacement/supplement sets have been made. A couple of the flakes are my own invention, one or two are single motifs intended for bedspreads or tablecloths, but most are from these books:
 |
 |
Of the two, I like the patterns in the green Leisure Arts booklet better than the red American School of Needlework leaflet. The LA flakes are smaller, lacier and a bit more delicate. Both books are pretty easy for experienced crocheters to follow, but I’d recommend the red one if you’re relatively new to thread crochet. Warning – this IS thread crochet, although it’s pretty large scale for that style. These snowflakes all look better done with smaller threads and hooks. You can work them with relatively large threads, size 10 and bigger, but you won’t get flakes of a pleasing scale for hanging on a tree (they’ll look nice as door or window ornaments, though.) Mine were done with size 20 crochet cotton, although the next batch I’ll make will be with size 30 cotton, comparable to the stuff I used on the dragon curtain.
There are also lots of patterns for snowflakes on line, although I haven’t tried any of them yet. Noel Nevins maintains a nice index to them at her thread crochet website.
How was the cassoulet?
Wonderful. Worth the year’s wait. Beyond that, words fail me. And when that happens you know I’ve been conked royal.
Is cassoulet the most complicated thing you’ve ever cooked?
No. In what now seems like a previous life, The Resident Male and I were very active in the SCA (East Kingdom, Barony of Carolingia). Among the many things we did was host a Valentine’s Day event for the local group.
It was a themed day, and included several activities as well as a sit-down three course dinner for 125 people. The feast offered up nine main dishes from historical sources (of which I can only remember seven), plus three in-between-course sweets. The theme of the day was Chaucer’s Parliament of Fowles poem, in which the birds hold court to debate the nature of love. It’s more than 25 years ago, but as close as I can remember the “Feast of Fowles” ran something like this:
First course
- Ostrich eggs on salad nests – many chicken eggs cracked and separated, then the yolks poured into round golf ball sized molds and cooked to set. The whites were poured into huge half egg-shaped molds. When they were mostly cooked, the centers were set inside two half-whites.
- Not Chickens – a chicken skin with legs and wings intact, stuffed with a forcemeat style sausage, sewn back into chicken shape and roasted.
- A barley-thickened chicken soup with leeks (broth made from the bones and scraps from the Not Chickens)
- First sweet – spun sugar nests with tiny marzipan birds
Second course
- Ham dressed in pastry to resemble sleeping swans
- Chicken pies – the meat from the Not Chickens after the soup was made, cooked with onions, leeks and bread,?made into open face pies
- [memory fails on the third dish]
- Second sweet – Feather shaped shortbread cookies (again memory lapses, I think this was what we served)
Third course
- Roast duck stuffed with kasha and onions
- Beef birds – roulades of thinly sliced beef, wrapped around garlic and mushrooms, then braised
- [memory fails on the third dish]
- Third sweet – Peacock in its pride – three magnificently shaped and painted gingerbread cakes, each sporting heads, wings, and a fan of real peacock feathers behind.
There were also sallets (vegetable side dishes), brewed mead and ale, and nibbles offered earlier in the day. Before your mind boggles, please note that we didn’t offer these dishes in full-serving-per person portions. There was enough of each for everyone to have a fair taste, and to be full at the end of the meal, but not enough to stuff everyone silly (For example, for each table of ten we sent out one pie, one duck, one Not Chicken, etc.)
The Resident Male and I did not do all the cooking ourselves. Lots and lots of friends helped. They did the marzipan birds, the splendid peacock cakes, the beef roulades, the mead and ale, and half of the Not Chickens. Most of the rest we were able to cook together ahead of time and warm at the hall; the remainder we did on-site. RM ran the day-of kitchen, I ran the hall, the service, and arranged the entertainments, which included copious dancing (and flirting); a Court of Love adjudicated according to the rules of Capellanus; a poetry competition; and other gentle activities suited to the day and theme.
Needless to say, life has interfered with other pursuits and we don’t do this sort of thing much any more.
OOP BOOK REVIEW – REVERSIBLE TWO-COLOR KNITTING
I had the opportunity to hit my local library during the holiday week. It appears that they’re either culling their knitbook collection, or many other people had the same idea at the same time. The shelves were picked over, and even the older, dowdier looking books were in short supply. More investigations are necessary.
In any case, I did find this one: Neighbors, Jane F. Reversible Two-Color Knitting. New York: Scribners, 1974.
Neighbors appears to be a disciple of Barbara Walker (the book mentions her in the acknowledgements). The Walker legacy is also evident in layout and subject matter, both of which are very familiar if you know the Walker stitch treasuries.
Layout is very Treasury-like, with large, clear black and white photos illustrating each stitch. There are 12 pages of color illustrations showing the projects that accompany the stitch pattern directions. With the exception of one chart associated with the most complex project in the book, all directions are in prose.
The reversible techniques covered include
- Simple garter and knit/purl combos – lots of tweedy-looking seed stitch and ribbing variants);
- slip stitch patterns – mostly linen stitch variants, and “chain patterns” -linen stitch or other tweedy textures overlaid by columns of slipped knits that end up looking like embroidered chain stitch
- “Reversible geometrics” – slip stitch patterns that form regular (but different) designs on the front and back. One example of this is a vertical two-tone stripe that reverses to a horizontal two-tone stripe. This section also includes some mosaic-style slip stitch patterns.
- Motifs – Also included under geometrics, these are simple motifs worked in true double knitting to produce a double-thick fabric that shows a stockinette surface on both sides of the work. By necessity, motifs done in this technique swap colors front and back, so a red motif on a white ground would reverse to a white motif on a red ground. The double knit hat I made was done this way. Neighbors also describes stuffing the area created between the two faces of double knit motifs. She calls it Trapunto Knitting, a nod to the venerable quilting technique of the same name and similar method.
Patterns are marked as “true reversible;” “unlike reversible;” “alternate reversible'” and “opposite reversible” depending on the appearance of their flip side. Some but not all of the patterns assigned to the ?latter types are photographed both front and back. These photos are very helpful in understanding what the differences are.
The book also includes several simple projects in reversible knitting. I have to admit I found them uninspiring, but they are well described and would be good learning pieces. The best of the lot are some mittens, a shadow rib pullover, and a very 1970s wall hanging of a labyrinth. The labyrinth (the only charted project in the book) would be exceptional updated as a motif on a sweater, pillow, or throw. The book ends with some solid discussions of project planning, motif mathematics and placement, specialized bind-offs for reversible patterns, and the basics of designing your own reversibles.
Reversible Two-Color Knitting is still in demand. I note that hardcover copies can command quite a premium, and have recently sold in the $80-90 US range. (One optimistic seller has a hardback edition priced at $150.) Paperback copies seem to go for $20-50 US.
Is it worth the premium price? It’s hard to say. Much of the material is available elsewhere. For example, many but not all of the stitches Neighbors shows are covered in the four Walker treasuries. They’re not called out by type of the pattern created on the reverse side, but they’re there. The recently issued Fourth Treasury includes a previously published piece on vertical reversing to horizontal striping. There have also been other books on slip stitch and mosaic knitting of late that plow this ground, too. It’s harder though to find a book that discusses double sided double knitting. There are a couple (most notably Beverly Royce’s Notes on Double Knitting), but they’re also not exactly easy to find.
I don’t own this book, but I think I’d like to add it to my collection. I’ll probably keep an opportunistic eye out for it at local general merchandise used book stores (the appearance of the thing is frumpy enough to languish on the shelves in shops unfamiliar with knitting content). I wouldn’t pay a premium for it though, because while very useful it doesn’t cover enough ground untouched by books I already have to justify a big investment.
LESSONS LEARNED
It’s the last day of the year, and like everyone else I should be looking back over the year past, and ahead to the year future.
Lessons Learned for 2004
First and foremost – blogging is fun and (I hope) less of an imposition on people than is?writing interminable posts to the knitting-related mailing lists. At least the audience here is self-selected. Plus I’ve never kept a knitting-specific journal before. I find myself going back and looking up what I’ve written before to see how or why I did something in a specific way. Who knew?
I learned a lot this year about the periodicity and use of variegated or hand/dyed yarns. Although the projects on which I employed them aren’t completed yet (Crazy Raglan, Entre deux Lacs Tee, and Birds Eye Shawl), I did spend lots of time figuring out how to get the color effects I wanted given the color cycle repeat lengths. This remains a fascinating topic for me, and as each skein of hand-dyed offers up new challenges, won’t be an area that becomes boring any time soon.
Filet crochet. I’ve done piddly little things in crochet before. Even blankets count as "piddly little" because they are generally very simple in motif and technique. Snowflake ornaments, a table-topper round cloth of simple design, several blouse yokes in the ’70s, a couple of ill-conceived faux Aran style kids’ sweaters, but nothing as complex as the filet dragon curtain. It turned out to be an even bigger project than I thought, and consumed the better part of five months. Lessons learned include the fact that no two companies’ crochet hooks are the same size (even if so marked); the effect that near imperceptible differences in hook size can make on gauge; how to do a near-invisible join on adjacent strips of filet crochet; and how well the old graphed patterns for Lacis and other Renaissance needle arts can look in filet.
Along the way to the filet crochet project I learned that none of the methods of filet knitting I tried worked particularly well, nor were they fine enough in gauge to handle the complexity of the dragon graph. I’m not through with this subject yet. I did do some experiments in alternate techniques that were less cumbersome than the methods I had read about. I’ll probably revisit this in the future.
Entrelac is much faster if you can force your fingers to knit backwards. I’m still no speed demon at left-to-right knitting, but I’m faster at it than I am at knitting and flipping at the end of each mini-row. Especially when those rows are only six stitches across.
I also learned (via my Suede Tee) that novelty yarns can bring a world of interest to a simple, well-drafted pattern, but at the same time can be a *(#@ to knit. Side note:? I am also not that pleased on how the Suede is wearing. The microfibers do tend to be grabby, and catch on even the slightest roughness.
I learned several methods of knitting a lace edging directly onto a piece, rather than making it as a strip and sewing it on later. The most fiddly but most satisfying came via the Forest Path Stole. I used it again on my Spring Lightning Scarf:
Under "miscellaneous," I learned a nifty I-cord trick that applies a band of cord to both sides of a strip of knitting (apologies for the blurry photo):
I also used?a highly trendy but extremely boring to knit kiddie poncho to experiment with double width I-cord treatments to help tame edge curl in large stockinette pieces.
And finally, I learned an important lesson about something to avoid in the future. If any of you have ever looked at a loosely plied yarn like the Paternayan’s normally sold for needlepoint, and thought about how nice only one or two of those plies might be for lace knitting – take heed. Spare yourself. The yarn for the Larger Kid’s simple drop-stitch rectangle poncho took longer to de-ply than it did to knit up. For this one, I still bear the scars…
Next year?
Who knows. If you’ve been reading along, you’ll have noted that I’m more of a whimsy knitter than a planner. Projects leap up and seize my interest. Sometimes that interest wanders before I finish, but I (almost always) go back and work to completion. Eventually.
I’m finishing up a couple more unanticipated last minute gifts right now – more socks, and a pair of quickie Coronet hats from Knitty (one hat = one evening). Then it’s back to the Birds Eye shawl and the Crazy Raglan. While I don’t as a rule knit to deadline, the Raglan is for The Small One, and the one thing certain about 6-year olds is that they’re a moving target growthwise. The shawl is a present that I really should finish by the summer. Unless another killer project like the dragon curtain ambushes and drags me off first…
String-Or-Nothing 