Part 3--hand sewing for hand knitters--the running stitch

This third installment of the TECHknitting series on hand sewing for hand knitters is about the running stitch. The running stitch is iconic--say "hand sewing," and this stitch is what most folks think of first.

We'll get to the advantages and disadvantages of running stitch in a minute, but first, here are 4 illustrations showing the stitch itself.

HOW TO DO THE RUNNING STITCH

1. (above) In thin fabric, the running stitch is often done by the "shortcut method," creating several stitches at once. For right handed sewers, it is easiest to sew FROM right to left, as shown. (Left handed sewers should reverse course.)

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2. (above) In the shortcut method, the needle is drawn through even "bites" on the fabric face, creating stitches of even length.

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3. (above) In bulky fabric, the shortcut method will cause bumps and puckers, and this is particularly true where several layers of fabric are being stitched together. To avoid puckers, "stab down" on each stitch from the face of the fabric to the back, then return the needle by "stabbing up" from the back of the fabric to the face. Accomplished hand sewers, such as hand quilters, keep one hand above the fabric and one below, rapidly stabbing the needle up and down with each hand, alternately. When first learning this two-handed method, it is VERY easy to prick yourself with the needle, so go slow.

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4. (above) Unlike some other hand sewing stitches, the running stitch looks the same on the front and the back.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES of the RUNNING STITCH

Hand knitters generally meet the running stitch in two different situations. First, it is often used to attach lining fabric to hand knitted fabric. Second, the running stitch is often used to sew up the lining fabric itself. Sadly, the running stitch is NOT actually good at either task.

To sew lining fabric to itself (such as to close the end of the Polar fleece headband shown in the TECHknitting post of April 25, 2008) the back stitch is a far better choice, and a future post will be show more about the back stitch. To attach lining fabric to hand knitted fabric, such as attaching the Polar fleece headband to the hat in the headband post, the overcast stitch, is a far better choice, and a future post will show the overcast stitch in detail.

The running stitch is a poor choice for hand knitters because, as shown in illustrations 1-4, above, the running stitch "runs" straight through the fabric. Without any reserve "slack," when running stitch is stretched, it is likely to snap. As you can imagine, once the running thread is snapped, the running stitches would quickly unravel. Every time you put on or take off a knitted garment, these non-slack stitches stress, and will eventually break.

Running stitch is really best for only one thing--BASTING (temporarily tacking fabric together before the "real sewing" takes place). After the real sewing, the basting is removed. When used for basting, the weakness of running stitch (it comes out easily) is actually a strength (you WANT basting to come out easily).

Now, as you know, basting today is uncommon because it is time consuming. The modern trend is to skip basting and use pins instead: to pin fabrics together and then do the "real" sewing on the pinned-together fabrics. When you HAND-SEW fabrics together, pinning is a sensible, time saving substitution for basting--hand sewing goes slowly, so pins in the way can readily be re-positioned. However, for MACHINE SEWING, especially for machine sewing bulky hand knits, pinning is a poor substitute for basting.

An example: suppose that you wanted to machine-sew a grosgrain ribbon backing onto a button band. If you were to PIN the button band (green) to the ribbon (red), each pin would make a lump in the fabric, as shown in illustration 5, above. At each lump, your sewing machine foot must climb up, over, and then down the other side. Unless you are an expert machine-sewer, the result is likely to be a wandering line of stitches, with each stitch likely a different length.

However, if you were to BASTE the ribbon (red) behind the button band (green) before machine sewing, the ribbon and the overlying button band would lie smoothly together, as shown in illustration 6, above. Basting makes it more likely that your precious hand knits will emerge from the maw of your sewing machine without incident.

Another hand-knitting application for a running stitch basting is before you machine-stitch a steek. If you've ever stabilized a steek using a regular machine foot, you may have experienced the heart-stopping realization that the machine stitching is s-p-r-e-a-d-i-n-g the hand-knit fabric substantially. Although the subsequent knit stitches picked up along the steek edge counteract the stretch, a line of running stitch basting with a sturdy doubled thread BEFORE machine stitching will help prevent this scary tendency to stretch in the first place.

Bottom line: running stitch is best reserved for those occasions when hand knitters need to baste. Running stitch is not suitable for permanent sewing, and especially not on stretchy hand knits.

added on May 5, 2008: A BIG THANK YOU to Honnay, who noted that the direction of sewing in the original version of this post was confusing. Thanks to Honnay's comment, the drawings have now been reversed, and a note about sewing directions added.

This is part 3 of a 5 part series on hand sewing for knitters
Part 1: Starting off
Part 2: Starting off with a doubled thread
part 3: the running stitch (this post) 
part 4: the back stitch
part 5: the overcast stitch (best way to attach lining fabric to knitting) 

--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on: "the running stitch--hand sewing for hand knitters")

Part 2: handsewing for handknitters: starting off with a DOUBLED thread

Yesterday's post (starting a single thread in fabric--first knot) was incomplete, as I realized after it went live. Here is the missing part--starting off with a DOUBLED thread--first knot.

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This is part 2 of a 5 part series on hand sewing for knitters
Part 1: Starting off
Part 2: Starting off with a doubled thread (this post)
part 3: the running stitch 
part 4: the back stitch
part 5: the overcast stitch (best way to attach lining fabric to knitting) 

--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on: hand sewing for hand knitters: starting a doubled thread)

Hand sewing for hand knitters: Starting off

Before TECHknitting turns to the subject of fully lining hats with Polar fleece, there will be an intermission. After publishing the previous post (lining hats, headband style, with Polar fleece) various communications have revealed that there is a certain hesitance among knitters (you know who you are!) to get involved in projects which require hand sewing. Yet, I know from a previous TECHknitting poll, that there ARE lots of handknitters who would like to learn to line knitwear.

Bottom line: for the next several posts, TECHknitting will focus on BASIC HAND SEWING stitches and techniques useful to hand knitters.

Today, we'll start at the very beginning: how to start your thread. The other posts in this series will include the running stitch, the back stitch, the overcast (whip) stitch and how to end your sewing (how to make the final knot). Once these techniques are illustrated, further posts about lining knitting will make more sense, I think.

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The very beginning: anchoring your thread in the fabric (the first knot)* * *
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This is part 1 of a 5 part series on hand sewing for knitters
Part 1: Starting off (this post)
Part 2: Starting off with a doubled thread
part 3: the running stitch 
part 4: the back stitch
part 5: the overcast stitch (best way to attach lining fabric to knitting) 

--TECHknitter (you have been reading TECHknitting on "basic hand sewing: how to start your thread)

How to line a hat, headband style, with Polar fleece

includes 14 illustrations
click any illustration to enlarge
Lining a hat with Polar fleece is a splendid idea for several reasons. First, if the hat is too large, you get a second chance to make it fit--you can ease the hat smaller by sewing in a correctly-sized Polar fleece lining. Second, Polar fleece completely alleviates "itchy forehead" syndrome. Third, for athletes and active types, Polar fleece "wicks" -- it draws moisture away. A hat lined with Polar fleece will remain comfortable long after a woolen hat is sodden. Finally, Polar fleece has many virtues of its own--it's cuddly, sturdy and comes in lots of pretty colors and prints. Oh--it's also very easy to cut and sew and it never, ever, comes unraveled.   Further information about Polar fleece can be found here 

There are really two methods of lining a hat--the headband method and the fully-lined method. The fully-lined method is warmer, while the headband method is less bulky and suits active folk well--more heat can escape from the crown of a hat lined by the headband method than from a fully lined hat. Today's post shows the headband method, while the full-lining method is described here.

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1. (above) The first step is to cut your headband out of Polar fleece yard goods, as shown. The illustration suggests a 4" deep headband, which is generous. Some folks prefer a narrower headband, so experiment and see what suits you. Polar fleece is pretty cheap, so there's no real reason to be sparing with it.


2. (above) Once you've cut your headband strip, the method illustrated here lets you go forward without taking any further measurements--everything from here out is done intuitively, and the tape measure can be put away. For example, the headband strip for the lining is sized by wrapping it around your forehead and pinning it shut. Experience shows that it's best to wear the pinned headband around the house for a little while before you commit to sewing it shut. What seems comfortably snug at first can seem ear-numbingly tight after a quarter of an hour.


3. (above) When you're pinning the headband, arrange matters so the "good" side (green side) is on the inside and the "not so good" side (blue side in these illustrations) is on the outside. Then, once you have the length correct, sew the headband shut across the short end.


4. (above). Trim away the excess fabric at the seam. If you find a standard 3/8 inch seam allowance too bulky, you can cut it closer--Polar fleece does not unravel or fray, so you can get away with narrower seam allowances if you prefer them.


5. (above) Because you want to see the good side of the fabric when you peer inside your hat, you must put the not so good side against the inside of the hat. Therefore, flip the band inside out so the seam allowance (and the not so good side) are on the inside of the band.


6. (above) Flip the hat inside out, also.


7. (above) Slip the headband over the hat. If the hat has a back--a seam, perhaps, or a little knitting error you don't care to display on your forehead--align the seam of the lining with the hat back.


8. (above) Illustrations can take you just so far. For reality, there is nothing like a photo. As you can see from this photo, it often happens that the headband is far, far wider than the hat itself. This is because the hat is likely to "draw in" more than the band, especially if the hat is in a contoured fabric like ribbing. While this may look worrisome, it really isn't a problem, as you can see by skipping ahead: illustrations 12 and 13 are the "after" photos of this same hat.


9. (above) The next step is to pin the hatband inside the hat. Make sure to tuck the seam allowance flaps inside and smooth them down at this point.


10 (above) Here is the how-to trick for pinning a headband evenly into a hat (or should I say--for pinning the HAT evenly inside the HEADBAND!?)

a: holding the hat (gray shape) inside the lining (blue shape), S-T-R-E-T-C-H the hat and the lining with both forefingers into a long shape which can be stretched no further. This automatically centers the hat inside the band. Pin the band to the hat in these two spots--a 4 inch headband may require two pins at each contact point (as shown in illustration 11), a narrower band may require only 1 pin at each contact point. Do you wonder how you can pin in the headband while your hands are inside the hat and band, stretching everything smooth? You can ask someone to help you, of course, but if you are alone, you can take a shortcut by pinning in one contact point BEFORE you start the stretching-out process, then pinch the hat and lining together where you find the second contact should go. Just be sure not to prick yourself with the pre-set pin, which would go right against one of your stretching fingers.

b. along one side, divide the length between the two pins in half by again stretching the hat and the lining until they can stretch no further. Pin this third contact point.

c. along the other side, repeat step b. Four points are now pinned.

d. again stretching between two contact points, set a fifth contact point at the half-way mark between two already-set pins.

e. repeat the "stretching to find the half-way point" 3 more times until a total of 8 contact points are securely pinned down.

f. the perfectionists among us may want to again halve each side length for a total of 16 contact points. I myself wouldn't bother unless the hat was very large, smooth and light--a large man's cap knitted from sock yarn, perhaps.

If the band was far wider than the hat, as in illustration 8, you will find that the band is puckering where it is pinned onto the hat. This is normal, so don't worry.


11. (above) Now we come to the sewing. The trick here is to smooth the hat to the band by stretching as you sew. Use a sharp-pointed needle and polyester sewing thread. I use a single strand, but some folks prefer a double strand. The fact is, polyester sewing thread is very, very strong. So strong, that it could end up cutting the woolen yarn of your hat if you are not careful about tension. You do NOT want to pull the thread up so tight that there is no slack--this is what causes the thread to want to cut the yarn. On the other hand, you also do not want to to sew so loosely that loops of thread lay inside the finished hat. Practice makes perfect in this, as in so many skills.

The best stitch for sewing linings into stretchy woolens is the overcast stitch (also called the whip stitch).  This overcast stitch is particularly good because it allows a bit of extra thread to remain in the fabric, allowing for stretching without popping the thread or tearing the knit fabric.

The overcast stitch is also an excellent choice because the thread "tethers" the two pieces of fabric (hat and lining) together, rather than fastening them unmovingly to one another. An analogy from woodworking would be a carpenter attaching two pieces of wood together with short lengths of chain rather than nailing them together.  Nailing would be stronger, but the chain more flexible.  In the same way,  "nailing" the lining onto the hat with a firm stitch like the back stitch would be strong but inflexible, so that the thread might tear as soon as one fabric stretched more than the other.

If you click on illustration 11, it will enlarge enormously, and you can see a closeup.

• At the hat edge, you'd want to pierce right through a strand of yarn--use the sharp point of the needle to catch two plies of a 4-ply yarn for example.
• At the Polar fleece edge, you want to catch a little dollop of fabric from the fabric face, as illustrated. Using your needle to catch a little dollop from the fabric face forces the cut edge of the fleece to roll to the inside. This little roll hides the cut edge of the fleece from view, making a very lovely transition line between the fleece and the knitting (click to enlarge illustration 12 for a closer view)

HOWEVER, catching that little dollop of fabric from the face can be frustrating with fleece, because sometimes your needle just catches fuzz, instead of scooping up the little dollop you want. So, although, the rolled-in edge is very beautiful, don't let frustration and this sort of perfectionism stand between you and a lined hat. Sew the headband in by whip stitching right through the cut edge of the Polar fleece and to heck with it! This stitching is inside a hat, after all.


12. (above) Here is the final result from the inside. As you can see, the excess width of the band, as shown in illustration 8, has been eased to the hat. When the hat is put on, all those puckers disappear, and the hat lies smooth against the head.


13. (above) There is something of a line where the edge of the headband lies. If you don't care for that look, here is a post about a method for fully lining hats with Polar fleece.
14. (above) ta da!

--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on: how to line a hat with Polar fleece, in the headband style)

Polar fleece: an excellent fabric to combine with hand knits

If you're a hand-knitter who's never used Polar Fleece, you have a wonderful surprise waiting for you! Although it is not without drawbacks, Polar fleece is EXCELLENT when used in small amounts for lining hand knits. THIS TECHknitting post shows how to line a hat with a polar fleece, headband style, while THIS TECHknitting post shows how to fully line a hat with Polar fleece without measuring anything, just by using your head and your finished hat as the template. But before all that, here is a free-standing write-up on just what Polar fleece is, its advantages, disadvantages, and characteristics.

WHAT IS POLAR FLEECE?

Polar fleece is the name for a certain type of fuzzy, stretchy KNIT yard goods invented by Malden Mills. (Malden Mills, you might remember, is the corporate feel-good story of the 1990's. When the factory burned down, the owner, Aaron Fuerstein, didn't close down or move overseas: he used millions from his insurance money to keep the workers on full pay and benefits as he rebuilt the mill). The company was eventually sold, and is now called Polartec LLC, with "Polartec" also being the brand name of their very premium fleece. You can buy generic fleece at big-box fabric stores, and that kind is good enough for linings. If you want the really good stuff, Polartec brand fleece is available at high-end stores as well as on-line. Polar fleece is also called "microfleece," although (confusingly) this name is also used to indicate thinner yard goods, like those used for undershirts or pajamas.

Fleece is an entirely synthetic fabric made from PET plastic, often from recycled soda containers. The plastic is heated, then turned into thread by extruding it through shower-head- like nozzles. Giant machines then use this extruded thread to knit enormous tubes of fabric, usually with with loops on both sides like a towel, although single-sided fleece continues to be produced. The loops are "napped" into fuzziness by more giant machines, then trimmed to a uniform length like a velvety shag rug. (Read more here.) Fleece is made in different thicknesses, with the medium thickness (called "200 weight") being the most all-around useful.

WHAT'S WONDERFUL ABOUT POLAR FLEECE:

There are several truly WONDERFUL things about combining Polar fleece with hand knitting. Not least among Polar fleece's marvels is that ANYONE who can sew AT ALL can make a really nice job of using it as a lining. (Really!)

1. STRETCHY: because it is knit, Polar Fleece stretches. This means that if you line a handknit with Polar fleece, the garment will continue to be stretchy. This is very different than using woven material to line a handknit. Woven material does not stretch very much, and what little stretching there is, is on the bias. Translated into regular English, this means that you have to use a lot of little dressmaker's tricks to successfully line a (stretchy) handknit with (not-stretchy) woven fabric. By contrast, very few tricks are needed with Polar fleece because the fabric is so similar, stretch-wise, to handknit fabric. In other words, the stretch-factor means that if you can operate scissors, thread a hand-sewing needle, and do the simplest sewing stitch, you can make a good-looking Polar fleece lining for your handknit hat (Really, really!)

2. CUT-AND-SEW: Although it is a knit fabric, Polar Fleece is heat set, so it will not unravel like handknit fabric does (or like woven cloth does, either). This means (frabulous day!) that you can cut it and sew it without having to worry about hemming it. (Polar fleece is simple to use!)

3. NAP HIDES THE SEWING THREAD: Polar fleece is so fuzzy that your sewing thread will sink right in. This means that if you hand sew with a small stitch and a single strand of polyester thread, and then run your thumbnail firmly several times over the stitches, the nap will rise up and completely hide your sewing. (NOW do you believe that your lining will look great?)

4. NOT ITCHY: Polar fleece is well-tolerated. Most people don't find it itchy at all, not even pressed against ears or neck. Picky little kids who flail and fling themselves to the ground at the approach of a disliked garment don't scream or fuss at the touch of Polar fleece.

5. DRY: Polar fleece "wicks." This means that it draws moisture away from your skin. Even after WAY too many hours of sweating into a Polar-fleece-lined hat on a cross-country ski slog adventure, your forehead will be dry, long after the woolen outer shell is soaked.

6. LIGHT-WEIGHT: if you line a hat with Polar fleece, you won't notice any additional weight.

7. EASY-PEASY TO WASH: washing Polar fleece couldn't be easier: It doesn't shrink, it's tough enough to be endlessly machine washed and dried, yet it sheds dirt so easily that hand-washing with a swish through sudsy water cleans it just as well. Therefore, fleece is suitable to line any sort of hand-knit hat, ranging from the most delicate "hand-wash-dry-flat" mohairs, through hardy superwash wools, and all the way to bombproof wash'n'dry acrylics.

8. CHEAP: a quarter yard won't set you back more than a couple of bucks, and will line a whole bunch of hats in the headband style, and even a couple of hats in the fully-lined style. That's because this stuff is seriously WIDE -- somewhere around FIVE FEET -- the denser stuff measures 58 inches, while the thinner stuff measures up to 68 inches wide.

WHAT'S NOT WONDERFUL ABOUT POLAR FLEECE:

With so many excellent qualities, you just KNOW there are some downsides, and so there are.

1. FLAMMABILITY: This is the very biggest disadvantage. Regular Polar Fleece is horribly flammable. Just like the plastic it is made of, it goes up like a torch. Nowadays, there ARE fire-retardant fleeces (mainly for military and fire-fighter use) but you have to really hunt for these. It is for fear of fire that I, personally, feel best about using Polar fleece in small amounts. Specifically, I use it mostly for lining the inside of nice, safe wool hats, with the wool on the OUTSIDE. Certainly, I would never, EVER sew a non-flame-retardant fleece garment for an infant.

2. NOT GENERALLY WIND RESISTANT: nowadays, it IS possible to find windproof fleece, but, like the fire retardant ones, you really have to hunt for these, and when you find them, they're rather thick and stiff. Ordinary fleece, like that at big-box fabric stores, lets the wind through. As a lining for a close-knit woolen cap or under a windbreaker, no big problem--for a garment on its own, avoid!

3. STICKY: most linings, especially arm linings, are slick, which is why you can pull your ski jacket or dress coat over a woolen sweater. In a small garment like a hat, a Polar fleece lining is no particular problem, especially as hair is fairly slick. However, an outerwear jacket lined all in fleece would be nearly impossible--you'd stick like a bug in a web as any sweater you were wearing tangled with the fleece jacket lining.

4. STATIC-Y: fleece is very static-y, more static-y than any wool, and the electric shock factor in dry winter air can be VERY annoying. This is another factor which usually leads me to restrict the amount of Polar fleece in garments I make.

5. MELTS! Polar fleece will melt under the heat of even ordinary ironing. This means that steam blocking an wool hat lined with fleece is out. Avoid the iron and wet-block, instead.

To be sure, other than the fire issue, the good FAR outweighs the bad. Polar fleece is as close to a miracle fiber as you can get, and WILL look good as a headband lining or a full lining in even the fanciest hand-knit hat. Even if you never thought of using it before, if you should ever find yourself in a fabric store, snag a quarter yard to mess around with, and see for yourself.

CHARACTERISTICS of POLAR FLEECE YARD GOODS

As stated above, Polar fleece is knit in giant tubes. After the tube is knit, it is slit open. When the fabric is finished, it is folded in half and wound onto bolts to become "yard goods," (fabric sold by the yard, rather than the piece or panel). At that point, the slit-open edges are the LONG edges of the fabric. These lengthwise edges--the "selvedges" of the material, are not napped (not fuzzy)--they are naked looking.The BAD thing is that, since the edges were slit open, and because they are all naked-looking, they are a bit raggedy. This means that, unlike woven cloth where the selvedge is a valuable part of the cloth (because it doesn't unravel) you wouldn't want to use a fleece selvedge right at the edge of a lining, where it might show. If a selvedge are still attached to the piece of Polar fleece you plan to use, either cut it off, or fold it under and sew it to the inside--between the lining and the hat. The GOOD thing about the naked, un-fuzzy selvedges is that you can use them as landmarks when you come to sew with Polar fleece.

To explain: The S-T-R-E-T-C-H of Polar fleece is directional--it stretches a great deal from side to side (from selvedge to selvedge) but stretches far less along the length. BE CAREFUL that you cut a headband-lining or a full lining so the direction of stretch is going AROUND your head (the long way of the headband-lining) NOT "up and down" on your head. Having the stretch go AROUND you head will be far kinder to your ears and forehead!

Double-sided polar fleece comes in two flavors:
1. the (expensive and relatively rare) fancy kind that is really two different fleeces fused together--a truly reversible fabric, which may even be a different color on each side.
2. the (far more common) "regular" kind which has a thicker "good side" and thinner not-so-good side.

On "regular" double-sided fleece, the good side pills less and is denser and nicer than the not-so-good side. To tell the truth, this ISN'T VERY IMPORTANT for lining a kid's hat, or a sweater for the dog. But if you're lining a hat for the new boyfriend, or that fancy creation to hand around at your next guild meeting, you probably want to keep track of which side is which. Usually, you can tell by just looking and feeling--the denser fuzz is on the good side. If you're unsure, ask the nice ladies at the fabric store to tell you, then mark the good side with a pin or a piece of tailor's chalk.

Another thing hand-knitters can mostly ignore is "nap." This means that the little velvety cut loops, the "fuzz," runs directionally. If you're sewing two pieces together, it would look more pleasant if the nap caught the light the same way--if it ran the same way on each adjoining piece. For 99% of handknit lining applications, however, you can ignore nap--this info is just here so if you decide to abandon knitting & take up sewing as a hobby, you'll be all set.

Next time: how to line a hat with a fleece headband.

--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on: Polar fleece--information for hand knitters.)

QUICKtip: softening itchy wool

Have you a woolen hat* which is itching your (or someone else's) forehead? You could line the hat with polar fleece in a headband style or in a fully lined style. But before you go to the trouble to line your creation, today's post will show an easy solution you might want to try first.

<---Yup! Hair conditioner. Here's how:

1. If the hat needs to be washed, wash it gently in tepid (room temperature) water, then rinse, in the same temperature water, until all the soap suds are gone. If the hat does not need to be washed, then simply soak the hat in tepid water until it is completely wet.

2. Gently press all the water out. Make up a new basin of water of the same temperature, and into that basin, dissolve a tablespoon or two of hair conditioner.

3. Swish the wet hat through the solution, then let it sit for about 5-10 minutes. Again gently press out the water. Do not rinse out the conditioner.

4. BE CAREFUL not to agitate the hat or felting will result. Swish, swish, swish--that's all you need to do.

5. Roll the item in a heavy towel, step on the towel/hat jelly-roll to press out all the water,unroll, then lay the hat on another, dry, towel. Pat into shape and let dry.

Some hair conditioner leaves a sticky trace, some does not--if it leaves your hair feeling sticky, it'll probably leave your hat feeling sticky, so use a different kind. Conditioner that leaves your hair soft and smooth will do the same for your woolens. Also, the kind of hair conditioner to use for this trick is the ordinary supermarket kind for "normal hair." Specialty hair conditioners (volumizers, curl releasers, chemical damage-repair conditioners and the like) may have odd interactions with wool. If in doubt, try your conditioner on a swatch, first.

If you try this trick and it does not sufficiently "de-itchify" your hat for you, then click the links at the top of the column for information about lining knitting with polar fleece.

* Of course, this trick works for all woolen garments, not just hats. Scarves and mufflers--in contact with delicate neck skin--generally benefit from conditioner's softening properties, and this works for itchy sweaters, too.  

--TECHknitter
(You have been reading TECHknitting on: softening itchy wool with hair conditioner.)

Resuming in April

Dear readers:

Due to a loss in the family, TECHknitting will be on hiatus until some time in April.

The next two posts will be about two different alternatives to avoid "itchy forehead" syndrome arising from woolen hats.

--TECHknitter

Why block hand knits? Here's why (and how)!

includes 2 illustrations, click any illustration to enlarge
As to the "why" of blocking: here is a "pocket hat" (made of wool) before it is blocked:

Here's the same hat after it is blocked:
I believe these pictures speak for themselves, and hope that you will consider blocking your newly-finished woolen knitwear to get a similar improvement in looks.

As to the how-to, blocking could make a little book in its own right. There are as many methods to block items as there are knitters--inevitably, there are some strong opinions out there on the "right" way. Here's my own little process to get from unblocked to blocked by the full immersion (a.k.a. "wet-block") method. (For steam blocking, click here.)

1. I swish the newly made item in a sinkful of tepid (barely warm) water, using enough water so that the item floats in the sink loosely. No kneading, scrunching, or manhandling: just swishing.

2. Once the item is completely wet, I drain the sink and press the item against the sides and bottom to gently squeeze out as much water as possible.

3. Supporting the item in my hands and against the sink sides and bottom, so that it NEVER sags under its own weight, I squeeze it snakewise--hand-over-hand.

4. Again supporting the item to prevent sagging, I lay it out in a thick and thirsty bath towel. This first lay-out is rather rough, but at the least, I make sure no parts of the garment overlap one another. I roll the item and the towel together, lay the roll on the bathroom or kitchen floor tile and step all over it, barefoot. Doing it in shoes would really dirty the towel, doing this in socks would get my socks wet, doing this on a carpet will make the carpet wet--a LOT of water gets pressed out in this step.

5. Next step is to unroll. Again supporting the item with my hands, I lay it out on a DIFFERENT, dry towel. What happens next depends on the size of the item.

• For small items like hats, mittens, and kid's sweaters, I pat, tug and smooth the item into shape and let it dry. With the "pocket hat" of the intro photos (which was knitted relatively firmly) I actually grabbed it at the brim and at the top and gave several mighty tugs lengthwise before smoothing.
• Larger garments such as sweaters are sometimes tugged, patted and smoothed, or sometimes they are pinned out. Lace and other openwork with edges which have to be "dressed" into points and scallops are also pinned. For pinning, I lay the garment, on its second towel, over a yielding surface--a bed, sofa, fridge box or thick carpet--if a carpet, maybe with a clean sheet spread out to avoid carpet dust and sheddings in the project.

6. Allow the item to dry. Waiting for it to dry completely is actually the hardest part of all--at least for me. That damp, newly knitted item sings such a siren song that I can hardly stand to leave it alone. If it is really drying absurdly slowly, I speed things along by switching in a new, dry towel, or putting the towel up on a flat-top laundry rack to improve air circulation. The hat of the illustration dried overnight on a towel placed on a laundry rack, cunningly positioned three feet above a hot air register. Knits dry even faster laid flat outdoors on a lawn chair when it is warm and windy, but do this in the SHADE. Knits dried in full sun will bleach and become coarse and odd.

7. Elapsed time? 5-10 minutes (well, except for the drying of course--which takes forEVER). And ... that's it--a beautiful new item, W-A-A-Y more professional looking than the same item in the "before" stage.

I'll end with a couple of FAQs (frequently asked questions).
Q: Do you have to go through all this every single time you wash a woolen hand-knit?
A: Sadly, yes. The good news? It becomes second nature after a few times. Also, if washing a soiled item, you start by swishing through soapy water, then plain water, then all the other steps. For washing (but not for a first blocking) I personally use a drop or two of concentrated hand dish soap (NOT dishwasher machine soap!), then rinse twice.

Q: Blocking or washing makes me nervous. What if I ruin my garment by felting it?
A: Felting requites a combination of wetting AND agitation. You can't avoid wetting wool when you wash it but you CAN avoid agitation. Number one precaution: DO NOT WRING OR KNEAD!! Instead, swish, then squeeze gently but firmly. Also, I attribute a good deal of felting-prevention to step number 4--the barefoot walk all over the jelly-roll of handknit and thick towel. This really removes water effectively and quickly, but does not cause any rubbing or wringing action. Oh--one more thing: temperature shocks encourage felting, so avoid them. Make sure your water is always at a mild, tepid temperature. For this same reason, even if you want to speed along the drying, don't overdo exposure to hot dry air--a dryer, for example would certainly result in felting.

--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on "why you should (and how you can) block hand knitting")

A truly flat hat top (and part 4 of "pocket hats")

5 illustrations, click any illustration to enlarge
*reminder--like the other posts in this series, the top part shows the general directions, the bottom part, directions for the KAL of the "pocket hats" which illustrate the post

For years, a truly flat hat top in ribbing eluded me. With spiral decreases, no matter how ferocious the rate of decrease, the darn thing never lay flat, nor could I find a suitable pattern for progressively eliminating ribs. With "all-at-once decreases" the ribs became even more distorted and the darn thing still wouldn't lay flat--the 12, 10 or 8 stitches at the top would form a little nipple when the yarn was drawn through--not quite the thing. On both kinds of decrease, the needles at the top of the hat went slipping out as fewer and fewer stitches remained. But today, I go on my way rejoicing, because a few months ago, a new trick revealed itself to me, a ...

TRULY FLAT TOP
for a ribbed hat

This hat top features 5 decrease rounds and a final working together at the top, 6 steps in all: these are labeled steps A through F on the illustration, and are described in the text. Step D is not labeled on the illustration because it is only a minor (although mathematically important) decrease. Some of these steps are ordinary decreases with which you are familiar: knit 2 together (k2tog) and purl 2 together (p2tog), but some of these steps have a little trick involved.

In the top part of this post -- the general directions -- the number of plain rounds to work between the decreases is left vague, partly because much depends on the yarn you're using: baby weight requires more plain rounds between decreases than does bulky yarn. In the bottom part of this post, round-by-round directions are given for the hat top in double knitting weight (DK, also called "light worsted") and you can use these row-by-row directions as a starting point, adding plain rows for thinner yarn, subtracting for thicker.

Part 1: general directions for the truly flat hat top

STEP A (decrease on the purl ribs)

This first round of decreases features an ordinary decrease done on the PURL stitches. Written succinctly:

• *purl 2 together, knit 2* all the way around the first decrease round

Hidden in the purl ribs, the purl 2 together (p2tog) decrease will never show on the outside (although it does show inside). After this decrease round, knit several rounds without decreasing in the new pattern (k2,p1), and that is the end of step A.
One little note before leaving step 1: On a 2x2 ribbing, the rate of decrease in step A leaves 3/4 of the original number of stitches on your needles.

Step B (decrease on the knit ribs)

On this step, a knit 2 together (k2tog) decrease is done on the knit ribs. However, there is TRICK: an extra round added, a set-up round where only the purl stitches are worked, while the knit stitches are not worked at all, only slipped. As shown in the illustration, working the k2togs WITHOUT the set up row results in flabby, slanted stitches, while WITH the set up row, the stitches are more upright.
Including the set-up row, written succinctly, step B is in 2 rounds:

• round 1 (set up round): * p1, slip the 2 knit stitches of the knit rib purlwise, while holding yarn in back* all the way around the round.
• round 2 (decrease round): *p1, k2tog* all the way around the round.

By inserting an extra round of purls but not knits, the knits are forced to stretch upward. Of course they will slant somewhat, but with much their slack devoted to stretching up that extra round, the k2togs will lay smoother and more upright than if the slipping row were omitted.
Three little notes before we leave step B:

• After this step, you will have 1/2 of your original stitch count on the needle.
• From here on out, when you come to count rows, it will look like you lost a row -- if you find that you need to count rows, the row on which you slipped the knits will be invisible--you won't be able to see it unless you turn the work inside out to count rows!
• Performing the decreases on this round will certainly result in so few stitches that they cannot POSSIBLY be stretched around a circular needle, however short. Therefore, if you were not already working on double pointed needles (dpn's) or by the magic loop technique, you would have to switch to one of those techniques now.
  

Step C (decrease away all purl ribs, change gauge)

The problem now is that there is STILL too much yarn and too much slack to make a hat top lay nicely flat. So the little TRICK of this step is to CHANGE GAUGE. Yes, simply by knitting with a smaller needle (2 sizes smaller works well) you'll be putting a lot less yarn into the hat top, and that'll help a lot with laying smooth.

Changing gauge is not a conventional method of decrease, so it bears repeating one more time: by switching to a smaller needle, you are putting a lot less yarn into the fabric, and this creates a decrease all by itself. In other words, you will now: *switch to needles 2 sizes smaller and use these smaller sized needles for the remainder of the hat top.*

As it happens, in step C we NOT ONLY want to tighten up all the future stitches we are going to knit, but we ALSO want to decrease away even more of them. Therefore, IN THIS SAME ROUND that you're switching to smaller needles, you are ALSO going to do another k2tog decrease all around.
The k2tog's will look best if you arrange matters so that the purl stitch lays behind the knit stitch when the k2tog is finished. Written succinctly, and incorporating the previous part about smaller needles, step C can be summarized:

• arrange matters so that one purl stitch is on the tip of your left needle, with a knit stitch the left of that. *Knit together the knit stitch with the purl stitch* all the way around the round, using the smaller needles.
  

As you can see from the illustration below, the combination of gauge change and decreases results in a very pretty and very distinctive change in fabric. After this decrease, work an additional round or 2 with the smaller needles and this will end step C.
Two little notes before leaving step C:

• After this step, you will have 25% of your original stitch count on the needles.
• In this step, you work away all the purls, and all the rest of the hat top will be by means of knit stitches only.

Step D (another set up row, possibly with decreases)

In step D, you're going to decrease away as many stitches as are needed so that at the end of the step, you'll have a multiple of 4 stitches on your needles. If the number of stitches on your needles is ALREADY divisible by 4, then you're all set, just knit a round plain. If you wonder WHY you need a multiple of 4, there is a green paragraph of explanation. If today is not a "why" day for you, just scroll past.

In Step F, the last step, you Kitchener-stitch (graft) the top of the hat together. Step E-- just before that final grafting--is a last decrease round in which you're going to decrease away the remaining number of stitches by half. So, in order to have the correct number of stitches for steps E and F, this step--step D--gets rid of any extra stitches which would throw off final stitch counts. In other words, this step, D, is a "set-up round." As you may remember from middle-school math, only numbers which are multiples of 4 (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40 or 44, etc.) will yield an even number when further divided by 2. In other words, round E gets rid of half the remaining stitches, and the number of stitches at the end of round E has to be an even number of stitches, so rounds E and F will only work if we use round D to decrease away any leftover stitches ahead of time.

Written succinctly, in step D you must proceed as follows:

• If on your needles, you have ANY NUMBER OF STITCHES DIVISIBLE BY 4, you're all set: just knit one round plain. If, however, you have ANY OTHER sort of a number, you must use this step to bring the number of stitches on your needles to the nearest multiple of 4 by knitting 2 stitches together as many times as needed. You can simply put the necessary number of decreases anywhere at random in this round, just so long as you don't put them next to one another.
  

Knit one additional round plain (no decreases) and that is the end of step D.

Step E (last decrease round)

This step is simply a round of k2togs--and it is the last decrease round. The only thing remarkable about this round is that these last decreases are a bit miserable. As a result of previously switching to smaller needles in step C, these stitches are already at a very small gauge. Knitting two together at this gauge (and on so few loops) means stitches that just want to POP off the needle. However, persevere, because the final result is worth it.

To make it easier, the little TRICK in this step is that you can either use a smaller needle (a tiny sock needle) OR a crochet hook to work the actual decreases, then replace the resulting loops back onto the needles you have been using (replacing the stitches back on the needles they came from assures that these last loops are of the correct diameter for step 6, replace the stitches RIGHT ARM FORWARD so they are in the correct position for step F).

Step F (graft--a.k.a. Kitchener stitch--the hat top shut)

Arrange the stitches so that they are divided in half. If you are working on dpn's, arrange 1/2 the stitch count on each of two needles. If you are working by magic loop, put 1/2 the stitch count on each needle of your magic loop set-up. The grand finale, the final TRICK of this hat top, is to graft the top together. (Click here for an easy method of Kitchener stitching.)

Kitchener-stitching the top shut achieves three big aims:

• first, the short lengthwise graft pulls the entire top into the pleasant-looking oval shape of the finished decrease (see illustration below)
  
• second, grafting prevents you from having to work final decrease rounds on a tiny number of stitches, with needles falling out in all directions and
• third, it makes a really smooth top, avoiding the pointy-looking decreases of other hat tops

This decrease looks very well, and goes very fast--faster and faster on each round as you decrease away more and more stitches.

Part 2: Round-by-round directions for the pocket hat KAL

In the previous post of the pocket hat KAL, we left the pocket hats 4 stripes high, with the fifth color just added by the jogless back join method. In this post, all the decreasing of the entire hat will be done in this final color.

The row instructions are written for the Watch Cap.
For the Stocking Cap, add another round in pattern between rows 2 and 3.
For the Rasta Hat add another round in pattern between rows 2 and 3 and also between rows 5 and 6.

Stitch counts appear for the two different widths of hats (116 sts = regular size, 120 sts = extra large head size)

• Round 1: After performing the jogless back join in the new color yarn, knit around (no purling) ending just before the first two purl stitches to be worked in the new color. Place marker. (116, 120 sts)
• Rounds 2 and 3: *p2, k2* repeat around (for stocking cap and rasta hat, add another round between rounds 2 and 3, per note in PURPLE, above)
• Round 4: *p2tog, k2* repeat around (87, 90 sts remaining) ROUND 4 corresponds to STEP A of the general directions in part 1 of this post, above.
• Rounds 5 and 6: *p1, k2* repeat around (for rasta hat, add another round between rounds 5 and 6, per note in PURPLE, above)
• Round 7: *p1, sl2* repeat around. (Slip stitches purlwise so as not to twist, slip with yarn in back.)
• Round 8: *p1, k2tog, repeat around (58, 60 sts remaining). Things will start to get tight at this round – it’s time to switch to dpns or the magic loop technique if you haven't done so already. ROUNDS 7 and 8 correspond to STEP B of the general directions, above.
• Rounds 9 and 10: *p1, k1* repeat around
• Round 11: Switching to needles 2 sizes smaller, and using a long magic-loop type set-up, or a set of dpns, *k2tog* around, setting up so that you have (15, 15) stitches on your first needle, and (14, 15) on the second (29, 30 stitches remaining). ROUND 11 corresponds to step C of the general directions, above.
• Round 12: Knit plain (no further purling on this hat top).
• Round 13: In order to make the final graft work on this hat it is important to have a multiple of 4 stitches at this point:
• For the 116 st hat: k13, k2tog, k to end of round (28 sts remaining)
• For the 120 st hat: k13, k2tog, k13, k2tog (28 sts remaining). ROUND 13 corresponds to step D of the general directions, above.
• Round 14: k plain
• Round 15: *k2tog* around. (14, 14 sts remaining). ROUND 15 corresponds to step E of the general directions, above.
• Round 16: Kitchener-stitch the top of the hat closed. ROUND 16 corresponds to step F of the general directions, above.

Try the hat on. If you find it is too short or too long, the hat need not be ripped out all the way to the beginning to rebalance the color proportion among the stripes. No. As stated in the first post of this KAL, the ultimate fit of this hat can be somewhat adjusted by working more or fewer rounds only in this last color. So, if you need to fix the fit, rip out to round one of this last color, then re-work, adding or subtracting in the plain rows to make the hat longer or shorter. If you want to know WHY this procedure does not distort the color pattern even though it seems like it would, a (long-ish) art- history type explanation is here.

If you are following along in the KAL, the steps still remaining to a finished hat are

• BLOCKING and
• TWO ALTERNATIVES to conquer ITCHY-FOREHEAD syndrome

--TECHknitter
PS:

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ADDENDUM, 2011:  The KAL laid out above stretches out over 5 posts, of which this is fourth, and it is free.  However, some folks have written to say they find it hard to follow the pattern over so many posts. So...if you like, you can buy the pattern in an easy-to-print, all-in-one place pdf.

* * *

PS: 

THANK YOU (and have some cake!)

4 illustrations, click any illustration to enlarge
Dear Readers:

TECHknitting has recently passed some milestones, so it's time to take a little break from all the TECH-nical stuff to thank you all. The Bloglines readership recently passed the 1000 count, readership on other rss-feed services is booming also, Ravelers voted TECHknitting the "most educational blog," and a round dozen bloggers awarded TECHknitting the "you make my day award." So, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH for your votes, your support and all the awards! And ...

HAVE SOME CAKE!


Here's some luscious frosting:

Close up of the inscription:

One more look:

Many thanks again, dear readers.

--TECHknitter (You have been reading TECHknitting on "Have some cake!")