Knitting With Granny LJ

Good morning.

I have been asked about taking out stitches that are on circular needles.  Taking out stitches in a knitted work is tricky.  When I first started knitting I would discover a mistake and say a few rude things to the project I was working on and tear the whole thing out and start again.  I really do not like starting things over.  But I was still tearing out projects that I discovered a mistake in when I started shopping at Yarn for All Seasons.

Dodie, my friend and mentor, taught me how to tink.  It is as important as learning to knit and purl.  It is easy and a skill that every knitter, in my opinion, should have.

Tinking:

Examine the piece you are working on and find the problem.  The problem is, of course, what needs to be taken out and reknit.  I usually mark the problem with a stitch marker.  If the candidate for thinking is in the same row you may want to skip the marker.  If it is several rows back, trust me, mark the place.

Put the point of the left hand needle in the stitch below the row you had been working on.  Pull the stitch onto the left hand needle and slip the upper stitch (the one on the right hand needle) off and pull the yarn so that the upper stitch is gone.  

Because the word  “purl”  comes out “lrup”  I use  the word tinking for taking out both knitting and purling. 

The one thing to remember is to get those lower row stitches back onto the left needle in the same direction they were knit or purled onto the right needle.  Otherwise, when you get to replacing the stitches, they are difficult to re-knit or re-purl.   And those re-knit/re-purled stitches  are visible in the finished work.  I have done that frequently in my early knitting days and have ended up taking  out work that I wanted to avoid taking out by the tinking.  Some of my more frustrating knitting moments. 

So that is tinking.  I work on circular needles, as I have said before, and switch to double point needles for topping off.  I have tinked on the double points, too.  And the method is the same as on the circular. 

Until I learned to tink, I was seriously considering crocheting my caps because crochet is so easy to pull out and redo.  But thanks to Dodie, I can now tink my projects, if necessary, as well as I can knit  or purl them in the first place. 

Happy knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning.

I have not lost much weight at Weight Watchers since I started.  But I have found a new friend.  She came to the meeting one Thursday in a hand knit cap.  I am always interested in caps when I see them, so I took myself by the hand and walked across the room and asked if she had made the cap.  She had not made it, but was learning to knit. 

A week or so later, she was wearing a beautiful off-white cap in a simple lace pattern.  I asked her again, and she said, yes she had made the cap.  After the meeting we talked a little more about knitting.  She is a new knitter and like a lot of new knitters has several projects going.  She told me that she wanted to do a cap like the off-white but a bit smaller for her daughter.  I suggested she cast on 92 stitches instead of the more than 100 stitches the pattern called for.  We talked for a little bit longer about knitting. 

Then, I found out about the Spin-In.  At the next meeting I asked if she would like to go.  She said she would. 

So, last Saturday, off we went to  Newport and the Spin-In. My plan was to introduce my new friend to some old friends and give her a chance to see another side of things.  I was NOT going to get any yarn.  I was going to look and  see if  next year’s Spin-In might be a venue for selling my caps.  And I was NOT going to get any yarn. 

We got to the Spin-In about 1 p.m. and there were 2 or 3 big circles of  with 10 to 20 spinners per circle.  Around the edge of the room were the vendors.  The first person I saw was Elsie, a spinner I know from a couple of summers ago when Karen and I did the Saturday Market in Newport.  I introduced Elise to my new friend and we looked briefly at the rovings she had in her space.  A couple spaces to the left were Arlene and Lyle, my friends from Crafts on the Coast.  I introduced her to them.  Arlene was spinning and Lyle was selling his small area rugs.   

My friend and I visited a bit with Lyle and Arlene and then wandered off to look at the other spaces.  About that time, the Spin-In organizers drew a number for a door prize.  Arlene won a beautiful skein of handspun, undyed Shetland.  The color is hard to define.  Sort of a white with strands of gray and brown through it.  It is gorgeous.  I promised Arlene I would have it done up by Crafts On the Coast in May. 

As my friend and I wandered around the edge of the room, I found a space with some of the most wonderful, incredible varigated lavender, purple, red and blue yarn.  It was so soft that I wanted to sped the rest of the day rubbing it against my cheek. But I bought some instead.   We managed to get through the rest of the vendor area without finding any more things that I could not live without. 

We saw Kristy at the sign-in table and I introduced her to my friend and we talked a minute.  Kristy is going to be at Winterfest next weekend.  Told her that I had one skein of the yarn I got from her in January done up and would be showing it in the February show. 

My friend and I started toward the door then.  I think she was a little overwhelmed by it all.  I know I was.  And then I got hooked in again.  By the door to the parking lot was a booth that displayed the most incredible lavender/burgundy colored yarn.  It is just about 20 yards shy of the 200 yards needed to make a cap. I tried to talk myself out of getting it, and lost the argument.  So when I left the Spin-In I was possessed with the makings for 3 great caps. 

My friend was a bit more provident than I was and when we left the parking lot I suggested that we stop at Yarn for All Seasons on our way home.  I had spent all my cash, but I wanted to introduce my friend to that shop  ….    Well, more about that stop tomorrow.

Good morning.

I love doing the shows and markets.  Besides the obvious perk of being able to show my work and earn some money for new yarn, I get to meet people and can talk knitting with lots of them.

I met a lady at the show this month.  She is from Portland.  She is a beginning knitter.  She has made some socks and is starting to learn how to do a cap.  We swapped knitting histories.  She is taking classes and I, of course, started by looking at pictures in a Seventeen magazine.  I have taken a class and made a tiny sock for a person with only 1 toe.  Not very successful, obviously.

In her cap making class, the instructor was having her work on double point needles on about 72 stitches and she could not see how a cap on 72 stitches would fit an adult head.  I told her how I make caps, and the stitch counts and the needle size and switching to double points for top off. 

I did not want to say crappy things about a knitting teacher I did not know and had no idea what her goals for the students were.  So I launched my little monolog  about the several ways there are to knit:  Continental, English, Near East, Elizabeth Zimmerman, and all the rest of us. 

With the exception of my  German-Swiss aunt shrieking at me over my first project and some quiet and good instruction and encouragement from my friend Dodie, I am really pretty much self taught.  And what that means is  that this way IS my way.  And I told this very nice beginner to do it her way.  I told her about the pattern I saw that started by casting on 1 stitch on one double pointed needle and then increasing until the  top was on 4 double points and then working down to the ribbing at  the brim.

I have no idea why some patterns are written in this complicated way.    I know that I have seen some cap pictures that made the cap look like it was on steroids.  I have seen cap patterns where you start on straight needles and work back and forth with the ribbing on one end of the needle and the top off at the other end of the needle.  In addition, this format leaves that seam up the back of the cap. 

However, I told the woman at the show that there is no wrong way to make a cap.  You simply find the way that works for you and knit and enjoy.  

Now, if any one out there reading this knows how to do an SSK, I would love some instruction …

Happy knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning.

I have recently been asked about making a watch cap.  They are very easy caps to make.  When I first started knitting caps, I was so excited about the possibilities of caps and color and design, that I really quit making watch caps.   I had made one out of Lamb’s Pride (Brown Sheep Company) for my son, Ian, several years ago when he was still in Bend.  But I did it in the same dimensions as I did the women’s caps in.  It was too small and he ended up giving it away.  After he moved to Nashville, I did another with the same result — it was too small and he  gave it away.  (I always have been somewhat of a slow learner.)

Then I got a commission to do 5 guy caps for a gift shop in Yachats.  I thought about the two I had done for Ian and decided that I needed more stitches.  I put the cap on 100 stitches and made the ribbing and  the body appropriately deeper. 

So how does one make a watch cap (which I also call a guy cap)? 

I use circular needles size 6. I use the smaller needle because the smaller the stitch the less wind blows through the stitches.  So  my directions will be based on size 6 circular needles.

A Watch Cap aka Guy Cap.

The yarn can be any good wool or wool blend yarn, about 200 yards. I like both the Lamb’s Pride and Galway for doing watch caps.  The Lamb’s Pride is a wool and mohair blend and feels good against the skin.  The Galway is a 100% wool with the scratch taken out.  The yarns feel different in the skein — the mohair makes the wool feel a little more soft, but both make up into great guy caps.

So you have your needles, size 6 circular — many knitters like working caps on a 16 inch circular needle.  I prefer 20 inch needles.  I tried the 16 and everything was so crunched together that I really could not figure out what I was doing.  So I have 20 inch needles. 

Cast on 100 stitches with 1 extra so you can knit the first cast on stitch and the last one together, making a unified circle.

Next comes the ribbing.  I do a K2, P2 ribbing instead of the more usual K1, P1 ribbing.  Why?  I like it better.  Whatever ribbing works for you, use it.  The ribbing should be about 2 inches deep.

Then knit the body.  And that is easy because you knit around and around and around.  It is a great project to carry along, because once you start the body you  knit and that is all.  Do 6 to 7 inches of the  body.  Depth, of course, depends on if you are making a general sort of a watch cap or one for a specific head. If you are working for a specific head, take measurements of the head and adjust the cap body  to the head.

Once the body is done, I do a 7-point top off.   Count the stitches and divide by 7.  You may need to add or decrease a few stitches to get a number that can be divided by 7.  As noted in earlier blogs I do the 7-point top off because I like it, but there are literally dozens of potential top offs.  Be sure to switch to double pointed needles for the  top off, though.

When the top off is done, it is time for finish work.  Get all the loose ends worked in.  A yarn bobble at the top of the cap is optional.  I do not like the bobbles so don’t put them on any of my caps.  If you like them, do one and attach it to the top. 

Well, that is all there is to a watch cap/guy cap.  It is good as a beginner’s project or something for an experienced knitter to take along when traveling or for a change of pace. 

Hope you have a great day.  Good knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning.

When I wrote yesterday’s Blog entry, I only  mentioned 1 place to be able to find kid cap patterns.  I did that partially because I did not think things through very well and partially because I figured that anyone who would be looking at my site for kid cap patterns would not, probably, have access to a yarn store.  And yarn stores are full of patterns for kids — from the infant up through most of childhood.  And once a kid gets to be a teenager, then they have, pretty much, an adult body.  So please excuse the failure to suggest  your local yarn stores as source of patterns for kids.  Also, now that I think about it, most yarn catalogs I get have patterns for kid caps and other kid clothing, as well.

On to topic 2:  Topping off.

I do a 7-point top off.  And have for most of my capping career.  I do this top off because I like the way it looks and because I hope that it will bring good luck to the person who wears a cap that I made. 

Directions for a 7-point top off:

1.     Count the stitches on the needle.  Remember, too, that I work on circular needles. I count and put markers at the end of each set of 50 stitches. 

2.      Divide the total stitch count by 7.  And a  set stitch  marker at each 7 stitch repeat.  If the stitch count is not evenly divisble  by 7, I fudge and add or decrease the number of stitches necessary to make a count divisible by 7.

3.      Then I switch to double point needles.  The first needle holds 2 sets of the top-off count.  The second needle holds the second 2 sets of the count.  The third needle holds the last 3 of the top off spaces.

4.       I use loops of yarn  to mark off the stitch where the K2tog is to be for each top pattern section.

5.      A handy tip:  When I first started using this top-off method the seams at the beginning of each change of the needles was floppier than the other top off seams.  To make them all beautiful with no sloppy seams, be sure to pull the last K2tog of the needle very tight before starting to knit the next section of top off area.

6.      Work around  doing a K2tog at every marker until the total stitch count is 5.  Two of the double pointed needles should have only one stitch and the third needle should have 3 stitches. 

7.     Move the remaining stitches to one double point needle and the work an I-cord to bring all the areas together in a nice closure.  The length of the I-cord depends on what you want to do with the top.  I leave a pretty short I-cord — maybe 3 or 4 repeats — and pull the I-cord back through the top of the cap when I do the finish work.  If I want to make kind of a nubbin at that point, I pull the I-cord to the top of the cap and just pull the tail of the I-cord through to the underside.   Work in the ends as necessary. 

I don’t do bobbles of yarn on the top of my caps.  For some reason I have a thing about those bobbles.  Other people like the yarn bobbles.  If you do like them then make a bobble and attach it to the top of the cap.

Also, Ann Budd has written a book, The Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns, published by Interweave Press, in 2003, which is a great resource if you are doing caps and other projects.  Also, Interweave Knits magazine, spring 2002, has an article about tams by Priscilla Gibson-Roberts which I have found very helpful in my  knitting efforts.

Have a great day.  Happy knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning.

I saw it happen to older people I knew — when I was younger and never expected to get to be an old person.  There is a point where the older person’s brain says “Don’t even try.  I am not learning one more new thing.” 

Well, it has finally happened to me.  Back in my younger days when I had brown hair with red highlights (before I had to buy that color at the local  beauty shop)  I played a little bit of Mahjongg.  Since I have had my new computer, Hal, and am beating him at Scrabble a lot, I figured that I would like to try Mahjongg again.  So yesterday, I was at a local office supply store getting a color cartridge for my new printer,  and saw a copy of Mahjongg so I got it, too.  I figured that I was totally cool with installation and learning how to play it — even though it had been the better part of 30 years since I had played. 

I brought  the  copy of the game home  and tried to install it myself, this morning.  About 30 minutes later I had Karen come over here and she helped me with it AND the printer ink. 

It is a good thing knitting is not as complicated as computers are.  Think about it.  There are really only 2 stitches you have to learn.  Knit stitch and Purl stitch.  Of course there are some other things, like multi-colored knitting, lace, cables, yarn overs, casting on and off  and a few  other things.  But pretty much you can do everything you want with those 2 stitches and all the rest are really based on those 2 stitches.  You can make everything you want in knitting with just 2 stitches.  Amazing.

I have —  after about 30 minutes solo and another 30 minutes with Karen coaching from behind me —  I have decided to forget the Mahjongg and go back to knitting and those wonderful 2 stitches and make the caps.  I don’t really remember the rules of Mahjongg anyway.  And If I forget a rule of knitting, I can, quite literally, make up my own. 

Well, I have 5 caps that need topping, and one more started yesterday afternoon. 

Have a great day.  Good knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning.

We  have another storm blowing through here on the coast.  Lots of rain and some pretty intense winds.  That is what is so nice about knitting.  I can sit in my comfy chair and knit the caps and imagine all the wonderful heads that will be glad to get a warm cap for these windy and wet days. 

I started one out of Mano yarn the day before yesterday.  I started it as a simple beanie kind of a cap.  But when the winds kicked up  I decided would take a different tack.  I have 2 skeins of the 100% wool in the Mano”s color 114.  This is a varigated red with some light and darker colors.  The Mano is a fun yarn to work in.   The rolled brim caps are fun to wear too. 

On the beach you can never be sure whether the wind will get you or not, even on clear days.  That is reason I have started doing the rolled  brim caps.  This is the pattern:

1.    Cast on 92 stitches.  Again, I am working with size 6 circular needles (20 inches). Cast on 1 extra stitch. Then join the two ends of the base by pulling the 93rd stitch over to sit beside the first stitch.  Then knit the two stitches together.  And set your row marker.

2.    Purl the first row.

3.   Knit the second row.

4.   Knit 2 and increase 1 stitch in the 3rd stitch around the base of the cap.

5.   Knit 2 rows or 3 rows. 

6.   Increase again every 4th stitch.

7.   Knit  about 4 inches.

8.   Decrease every 4th stitch. 

9.   Knit another inch.

10.  Decrease every 4th stitch.

11.   Then  knit until the body of the cap is deep enough to fit a head and top off in your usual way. 

This is, of course, the basic cap.  I tend to let the yarn carry the design but you could do it in 2 color, 3 color,  a knit/purl combination.  The choice is yours. 

What this basic rolled brim cap provides is a hat that can be worn with the brim rolled up on casual weather days, and if you need extra coverage for your ears, roll the brim down and cover those ears up. 

Happy knitting.  Granny LJ

Good morning.

I spent the day yesterday working on the mushroom cap.  I have the base finished and have started the top. It is a very simple cap to make. 

Cast on 93 stitches on circular needles (I use size 6) and then bring the first stitch  from the right hand needle and  the last stitch from the lerft hand needle together on the left hand needle and knit the 2 together.  That way you will have 92 stitches on the needles.

Then do 1 row of purl.  The purl row makes a nice finished look to the bottom of the cap that a row of knit stitches does not. 

After the purl row is done knit one row.  Then knit the second row and add a stitch every 8 stitches.  This will create a bit of a roll to the bottom and tends to mimic the base of a mushroom. 

Then have a jolly time knitting around and around and around until the base or the stem reaches about 8 inches.

When I did the prototype cap, I  knit the stem  and then purled a row and added stitches once around at about every 5th stitch.  This time I did the increases on the white stem part.  I increases every 3rd stitch for one round and then knit a round and  repeate these 2 rows  twice more.

Once the increases were done, I started the red yarn.  I did a row of knit and then purled a row and now have started the red top of the cap.  Today, I will start adding the white bobbles. 

The increases below the color change tends to mimic the underside of a mushroom cap. 

I am really eager to go to work on it this morning.  I will get to see today how  the image in my brain matches the cap when it is finished.  When I experiment with a shape or colors or whatever, it is always a bit of a surprise.  Sometimes they match up.  Sometimes they don’t.  But if  they don’t match up, then I will be able to see where I could improve  whatever  does not work correctly. 

I have talked to knitters who said that they HAD to have a pattern to be able to knit anything.  Sometimes I wish I felt that comfortable working with a pattern, and I think if the cap pattern makers had been a little less absurd with the patterns they create, I probably would have worked more from patterns.  But since a lot of the cap patterns  tend to be rather impractical — both in design and for here on the coast — I  have evolved my own way of doing things.  And it has been, so far,  a good thing.

Well, I need to get to those bobbles. 

Have a good day. And good knitting. Granny LJ