tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-372010402024-03-14T05:14:52.248-05:00TECHknittingTECH-niques to turn HOME MADE knitting into HANDMADE knittingTECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comBlogger320125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-32685528456735356752023-02-13T18:52:00.004-06:002023-02-13T20:35:33.815-06:00Infinity loops in color: Celtic Valentine's hearts With Infinity Loops, it's easy to make contrasting color motifs, like these hearts. So here these cuties are, from me to you. Happy Valentine's day 2023! (If this is your first time finding out about Infinity Loops, maybe go back and read the intro post, and also the post on same-color hearts.) Each arm of a contrasting-color Celtic motif is knit from its TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-82915886435229102272022-11-12T08:55:00.002-06:002022-11-12T11:03:27.463-06:00Celtic hearts and teardrops. Infinity Loops, part 4 Here are two little Celtic hearts. The left is knitted by standard Celtic knot technique. The right has been transformed by the Infinity Loop method. What do you think when you compare at top and bottom? ↑ Ordinary heart ↑ vs. ↑ Infinity Loop heart ↑If this difference impresses you enough to get really picky with your TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-47211376350929881932022-11-05T07:13:00.003-05:002022-11-05T17:16:41.469-05:00Celtic knots: adapting Infinity Loops to complex forms--Double Bowen CrossTwo samples, shown sidewaysThe knitted Celtic Knot Bowen cross was the subject of the last post. Today, the Double Bowen cross Infinity Loop takes center stage. If this is your first exposure to this series, Infinity Loops are a way to knit self-contained figures, like Celtic knots, then transform the knitting so there is no distortion in the cable arms or in the background fabric. After TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-58789106110503740932022-10-30T05:51:00.004-05:002022-11-05T08:38:10.106-05:00Celtic knots, improved: Bowen cross, and introducing shortcuts. (Infinity Loops part 2) Improved Celtic Knots: Bowen CrossIn part 1 of this series, we knit a little round infinity loop. It was an improvement over the usual motif knitting because it features no distortion of the background fabric or in the cable arm, which is unusual in Celtic knot knitting. If you haven't read that post, consider going there now--it is the basis for today's figure, which lays equally smooth TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-6187549005260958272022-10-22T13:22:00.005-05:002023-02-13T14:38:06.997-06:00Infinity loops--Intro. A new trick to improve Celtic knots & continuous cables, Part 1Knitted Celtic knot cable motifs (sometimes called continuous cables) are beautiful twisting patterns made of intertwining loops. This, the first in a series, shows a new, smoother way of working these called "Infinity Loops." These are an unvention I have been working on for some time. Today is the intro: simple infinity loop rings. And by the way? These not applied I-cord. They are TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-9825894684120413552022-10-14T05:35:00.010-05:002022-10-16T10:04:09.890-05:00Cables crossed wrong: anchored I-cord disguises the miscrossThis trick to correct miscrossed cables uses an anchored I-cord. The cord creates a new cross which goes straight OVER the miscross, disguising it. The old miscrossed cable remains hidden under the correction.TECHknitting's previous post showed how to correct a miscrossed cable to be structurally identical to one knitted correctly in the first place. By comparison, you may think today's "TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-28453438711827123532022-10-04T10:46:00.003-05:002022-10-10T09:36:32.433-05:00Fixing miscrossed cables: unlatching and re-knitting cables crossed the wrong wayCables crossed the wrong way can happen to the best of us. Here's a famous mess up, right on the cover of Vogue Knitting!The good news is, there is a way to fix miscrossed cables which makes them good as new. With this fix, cables crossed the wrong way will be structurally identical to cables knitted correctly in the first place. In other words, this is a "real structural" fix, worked right into TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-56029882475856856302022-09-23T14:11:00.002-05:002022-09-24T19:17:03.269-05:00What row am I on in my cable? (Counting cable rows)What row am I on in my cable? If losing row count leaves you with a mystery on your needles, today's post shows how to tell.The answer lies in two pieces. First, if you do not remember your pattern, you have to figure out how many rows are in your cable repeat. Then, you have to find out where in the repeat you are. Luckily, cables have two landmarks to help: holes and strands.Are you surprised TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-31872796813589426492022-09-13T13:34:00.006-05:002022-09-23T14:13:52.624-05:00Tracking complex cables using box-and-circle. Part 2 of a seriesKeep track of simple single or multiple cables using box-and-circle charts was the subject of Part 1 in this series. Box-and-circle charts also work for complex panels of cables such as this one, and that is today's post, Part 2. * * *Most complex panels are made up of at least some simple patterns. The main components of this* complex cable panel are:mirrored twisted cables (12 row TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-80153342757159684842022-09-06T18:53:00.006-05:002022-09-20T12:37:43.711-05:00Keeping track of cables: box and circle method, introThe goal: knitting complex panels When different cables are knit side-by-side, knowing where you are can be a challenge."Box-and-circle" is a simplified method for keeping track. Today, part 1 of this series shows box-and-circle for simple cables. Part 2 shows box-and-circle for complex panels like this green one. (I'm trying to tempt you to slog through the basics today before we get to complex TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-59625399935514822592022-08-30T12:25:00.002-05:002022-09-23T16:57:42.779-05:00What is a cable, anyhow? (Cable crosses and how to knit them)the heart of the matter"Cables look hard," beginning knitters say, and "what is a cable, anyhow?"Gorgeous and complicated-looking, yet the concept is simple. Leave the paraphernalia and procedures aside for now. Start at the heart of the matter. The heart of a cable is its cross-over, and that cross-over is nothing more and nothing less than stitches switching order along the row.Suppose sixTECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-46129722229785629722022-04-01T01:00:00.001-05:002022-04-01T01:00:00.169-05:00TECHknitting April Fool's edition: More time for knittingHere's a neat April Fool's trick. More time for knitting, less cleaning up!Once the dishes are unloaded, your dishwasher can help keep things tidy. (Not to mention, offer more work space in a small kitchen.) The door is the perfect (self-cleaning) spot for messy projects like re-filling the flour. The top shelf is the perfect place for messy projects like slicing the bread. Another plusTECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-21933645101040746712022-02-11T19:27:00.004-06:002023-12-09T15:45:39.252-06:00Shortening knitted ribbing--part 3: alternative tricks for bind offSo far in this series, we've shortening ribbing knit bottom-up by removing the unwanted excess ribbing (which we're calling waste fabric) thencatching the live loops, and thenoperating on the caught live loops to bind off a new bottom. Part 1 shows shortening and binding off K1, P1 ribbing (also called 1/1) and part 2 shows shortening and binding off K2, P2 ribbing (2/2). TheTECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-89655234413606578402021-07-05T12:23:00.003-05:002022-09-29T23:30:45.516-05:00Shortening ribbing: K2, P2 (part 2 of 3)Supposing you want to shorten bottom-up ribbing. Just as there are two ways to pick up the loops in K1, P1 (1/1) ribbing, so there are two ways to pick up the loops in K2, P2 (2/2) ribbing. The first way is to snip a single stitch, then pick out the yarn, catching the ribbing stitches one-by-one as they pop loose. The second way is to insert a slim double-pointed or circular needle ahead of TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-86217216184293348152021-06-28T06:00:00.022-05:002022-09-29T23:31:12.731-05:00Shortening ribbing: K1, p1 (part 1 of 3)Suppose you have a sweater which you have worked bottom-up, and you decide you want to shorten the ribbing. Suppose further that the ribbing is K1, P1 (1/1) ribbing. You're in the right place: that's what this post is about. (Iif you have K2, P2 ribbing, check out the second post in this series.)Shortening ribbing, overview sketch. This is the cartoon version.** 📺😺📺 **In real life TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-59109234783039480802021-06-27T12:48:00.000-05:002021-06-27T12:48:08.975-05:00Announcement about mailing list TECHknitting readers—hello!
TECHknitting blog is getting an updated e-mail notification service. The new service is set to overlap with the old service for one or two posts. After that, the old service will end as the new service takes over.
Tomorrow, TECHknitting blog debuts part 1 of a multi-part series on shortening ribbing. If you've signed up for e-mail notificationsTECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-87364472146766061862021-04-21T15:49:00.006-05:002022-10-05T21:27:15.930-05:00Hole in my knitting! Help!"How did I make this hole in my knitting?" "Where did this hole come from?" These are common questions on knitting forums. If you have a mystery hole in your knitting and don't know how it got there, perhaps your problem is shown below.A Rogues' Gallery of Mystery Knitting HolesGoing around clockwise, and starting from the upper left, At 11 o'clock in magenta, a very common errorTECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-29463638564397898452021-04-01T00:30:00.001-05:002021-04-01T00:30:00.177-05:00Knitting crossword (by TECHKnitter)Solvable knitting crosswordWhat's is this, you ask? It's the answer-board for a knit-themed crossword! For April Fools, 2021, I've constructed you a crossword and knitted the board! (There's a conventional plain-background version, too, below the clues)TO SOLVE...• click here for a one-page plain-background
printer-friendly grid (this is the grid reproduced below ▼ the clues). TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-75870714427659378182021-03-24T16:09:00.000-05:002021-03-24T16:09:58.344-05:00Missed yarn over! Help!Did you forget to make a yarn over (YO) in the row below? No problem, and no need to rip back your knitting. Your forgotten yarn-over can be added in the next row. Step 1:Work to the exact spot where the YO is missing. At this point, in the row below the one you're in, there will be a stitch tail (tail = yarn which connects two stitches). This is the tail which, if you hadn't forgotten to TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-87397077473539137642021-03-13T08:30:00.005-06:002021-03-25T12:33:46.862-05:00Knitted increases based on a twisted tail: Backwards loop, Yanked Increase, & Twisted Yarn-OverKnitted increases form the foundation for a new column of knitting to appear. Where two columns lay, side-by-side, there are now three: the two originals with a third between. The most simple type of foundation for the new column is a twist of yarn--a loop twisted shut, and that's (mostly) what this post is about. Stockinette fabric with an increase--the base of the increaseTECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-19392678553922203822021-03-01T10:28:00.016-06:002022-11-26T19:16:56.172-06:00Ribbing in hand-knitting: its structure + links to "after-knitting" tricks for improvement Why is ribbing three dimensional? Why is it often distorted, with deformity in the last knit column before a purl column? How can ribbing be tightened into a smooth and even regularity? How to remove from ribbing, the extra slack which causes it to flare and s-p-r-e-a-d at garment edges? Our old friend, the structure of the knitted stitch, is the key to answering all these questions. Here ▼TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-82668466428823937752021-02-06T18:25:00.006-06:002021-02-24T19:09:59.599-06:00Gauge: a mystery of knittingWhy is stitch gauge variable between knitters? It's a mystery of knitting encompassing many factors. Widely understood to have an influence are needle size, needle composition (material), tension in yarn supplied; and this post considers all these. Yet, a factor equally important--if not more--so lies in the formation of the knit stitch itself. We'll start there. We can say there are TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-48990241822585382662021-01-23T13:44:00.002-06:002021-01-23T14:43:18.461-06:00Fake I cord bind off (FICBO)--Quick and easy, sturdy and handsomefeaturing a video and lots of illustrationsWhy another bind-off?How about a Fake I-Cord Bind Off (FICBO for short) which looks a lot like the real thing? Here it is on the sleeve of a doggie sweater. What do you think?This bind off is a fake copy, yes, but more than that, it is a thing which is good in itself. It is quick, easy to do, and handsome. Its resemblance to I-cord is a TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-41673821234145967562021-01-20T11:55:00.001-06:002021-01-20T11:55:24.823-06:00TECHknitting blog returnsIn protest at what Donald Trump represents, this blog went mostly dark for 4 long years. "All-me, I-got-mine." What (un)reality twists such selfishness into "greatness?" It was too depressing for words. Literally. With the installation of our new president, we--the blog and I--are back. Older and sadder, but back. In the hope that normalcy can return after four truly TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37201040.post-37361509936832011842016-12-01T16:29:00.000-06:002016-12-22T20:15:45.166-06:00Corrugated ribbing tricks and tipsCorrugated ribbing looks like a very fancy kind of ribbing and it's knitted like a fancy kind of ribbing, but doesn't act much like a ribbing at all.
Front and back of a simple 2-color corrugated 1/1 ribbing. 15 columns are shown: 8 knits, 7 purls.
Admittedly gorgeous, corrugated ribbing is certainly traditional for certain kinds of Fair-Isle knitting. Yet, structurally speaking, TECHknitterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04099523691285110606noreply@blogger.com