Archive for July, 2007
July 10th, 2007 at 07:56am
Under Yarn Store News
“Country Yarns has a beautiful,soft,and cozy afghan on display that is made with a strand of SRK Yarns Candy Floss and a strand of SRK Marble. Also very popular are the Alan Dart animal patterns which everyone will love to knit.”
Visit Country Yarns at:
2776 LaSalle Line, R.R. #3
Petrolia, Ontario N0N 1R0. 1-877-841-0818.
order@country-yarns.com
www.country-yarns.com
Tell them SweaterBabe.com sent you!
If you are a Yarn Shop Owner, tell us your news using our easy online form. We’ll include it in our blog and newsletter to 10,700+ knitters and crocheters!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 10th, 2007 at 07:59am
Under Yarn Store News
“Organic, organic, organic… We love to sell organic cotton from Blue Sky Alpacas. It comes in 6 naturally grown colors, and dozens of dyed colors. We have them all!! It’s so super soft, you won’t believe it’s just cotton.”
Visit Lint at:
1700 NW Marshall, Portland, OR 97209. (503)226-8500.
contact@lintinc.com
www.lintinc.com
Tell them SweaterBabe.com sent you!
If you are a Yarn Shop Owner, tell us your news using our easy online form. We’ll include it in our blog and newsletter to 10,700+ knitters and crocheters!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 15th, 2007 at 08:07am
Under Yarn Store News
“We are having so much fun knitting projects for our homes using our stash, and some new yarns, and giant needles. We have been making great pillows and rugs. We also notice that folks are wanting to participate in our Knit for Peace program.”
Visit The Knitting Garden at:
25887 Detroit Road, Westlake, OH 44145. (440)250-KNIT.
info@knittingarden.com
www.Knittingarden.com
Tell them SweaterBabe.com sent you!
If you are a Yarn Shop Owner, tell us your news using our easy online form. We’ll include it in our blog and newsletter to 10,900+ knitters and crocheters!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 15th, 2007 at 08:09am
Under Yarn Store News
“Elsebeth Lavold, Katia, and SWTC, namely linen, hemp, and soy silk blends. And bamboo. Rowan’s Bamboo Tape is a gorgeous knit with great pattern support.”
Visit The Knit Nook at:
1140 Bardstown Rd., Louisville, KY 40204. (502) 452-1919.
knitnook@knitnook.com
www.knitnook.com
Tell them SweaterBabe.com sent you!
If you are a Yarn Shop Owner, tell us your news using our easy online form. We’ll include it in our blog and newsletter to 10,900+ knitters and crocheters!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 28th, 2007 at 08:19am
Under Yarn Store News
“We are in the midst of a sock frenzy! JitterBug by Colinette has been a huge hit and we order it frequently to keep the shelves stocked. Our Wonderful Wallaby class is always a hit..perfect for all! The Wallaby is one of our favorite patterns!”
Visit Knit-a-Bit at:
66 Elm Street, Ste. #2, Westfield , NJ 07090. (908) 301-0053.
harriet@knit-a-bit.com
www.knit-a-bit.com
Tell them SweaterBabe.com sent you!
If you are a Yarn Shop Owner, tell us your news using our easy online form. We’ll include it in our blog and newsletter to our almost 11,000 knitters and crocheters!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 19th, 2007 at 08:40am
Under Crochet Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe
Dear SweaterBabe,
Question:
What does this mean?
Ch 3 (counts as first dc), work 2 dc in top of first 2-dc cluster, skip ch-3, sc in ea of next 3 sc, skip ch-3,
This is a row I am working on row 4. I am stuck on this row if you can help me out?
Thanks, Ms Toni
Dear Ms. Toni,
Let me try to explain…
This crochet instruction line is asking you to work 2 double crochets on top of the first 2-dc cluster that you come across as you are working your row from right to left (assuming you are a right-handed crocheter).
Then, it is saying that as you look along the previous row (Row 3), continuing from right to left, you will come across a “ch-3″ that you had worked from Row 3. Skip it, meaning don’t work any crochet stitches into it, and then work on the next part: “sc in ea of next 3 sc”. Then, it is saying to “skip ch-3″ again, which means that there must be another ch-3 that you had worked on Row 3 that you can skip over.
Basically, when reading crochet instructions, follow it verbatim. When it says to skip something, just skip it by NOT working any crochet stitches into whatever you are to skip. You will see this kind of instruction in all sorts of crochet stitch patterns that have open areas, i.e. lacy crochet patterns.
Once you get used to this sort of crochet instruction, it will be easy! Hope that helps!!!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 10th, 2007 at 08:51am
Under Crochet Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe
Dear SweaterBabe,
Hi my name is Nia and I am trying to crochet a baby sweater and there is one part of the pattern that i don’t understand i wanted to know if you can help me to break this down a little further.
Thank You!
Shape armholes: Next row:Sl st in each of first 4 sts. Ch 2. 1 hdc in each st to last 4 sts. Ch 2. Turn. Leave rem sts unworked. 31 (35-39-43) sts.
Cont even until armhole measures 41⁄2(5-51⁄4-51⁄2) ins [11.5 (12.5-13-14) cm], ending with RS facing and omitting turning ch at end of last row. Fasten off.
Dear Nia,
Let’s write that instruction in plainer terms to make it easier to interpret:
When you shape armholes, you often leave a few stitches unworked at the end of 2 rows to create the armhole opening. That is why it tells you to “Leave rem sts unworked.” “to last 4 sts” means to work a hdc in each st as you go along the row UNTIL you see 4 sts sitting “unworked” at the end of your row.
Here is a photo that illustrates this:
The RED row shows how you do your “Next Row” under the “Shape Armholes” instructions. You can see where I worked the sl st into the 1st 4 sts, then worked until there were only 4 sts left (see the 4 sts unworked at the end of the Row). Then, I did the ch 2, which is exactly what you see in the photo above. So, to “leave rem sts unworked,” you go ahead and turn and begin the next row.
“Cont even until armhole measures…” means to continue in the established stitch pattern (I’m guessing it’s hdc??) without any shaping (NO increasing or decreasing, so maintain the same number of stitches on each row) until you can measure 41⁄2(5-51⁄4-51⁄2) ins from when the armhole shaping began.
Here’s an example of how you measure it:
In the example here, the armhole is only measuring about 1 1/4″, so I would continue to work even (which is what you see in the red) until the appropriate armhole length for the size I am making.
“Ending with RS facing” means that the last row that you work should be a RS row. Sometimes it is written as “ending with a RS row.”
”Fasten off” means to cut your yarn, leaving approximately a 6″ tail (or more if you will need this tail to do any sewing of seams). Then, thread your tail through the last loop that was on your hook and pull through to “fasten” or sort of knot your end so nothing can unravel.
Hope that helps! Please comment if you still have questions.
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 15th, 2007 at 08:32am
Under Cute Baby Photos
Here’s a great Cute Baby Photo sent in by a fellow knitter:
“This is a picture of my daughter, Eliza, wearing the cozy cardigan sweater I knit for her.”
Sent in by Chris W.
Make this sweater using SweaterBabe.com’s bestselling Chunky Baby Cardigan pattern, available as a PDF download.
Send your favorite baby photos in hand-knit or crocheted projects to info@sweaterbabe.com. Be sure to tell us about the knitting or crochet project - where the pattern came from, what yarn you used, etc. We love to see them!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 28th, 2007 at 07:50am
Under Knitting Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe
Dear SweaterBabe,
I was wondering what CL and CR means.
Thank you. — Kathy P.
Dear Kathy,
“CL” means Cross Left and “CR” means Cross Right. Both are techniques done with 2 stitches.
Sometimes, they are referred to as twisted stitches and abbreviated as “LT” (left twist) and “RT” (right twist).
With CL or LT, you will be crossing the next stitch in front of the following stitch.
Here is what you do:
With right-hand needle behind the left-hand needle, sk the next st on the left-hand needle and k the 2nd st tbl, then k the skipped st in front lp. Slip both sts from left-hand needle.
With CR or RT, you will be crossing the next stitch in back of the following stitch.
Here is what you do:
Sk the next st on the left-hand needle and k the 2nd st in front of the skipped st, then k the skipped st. Slip both sts from left-hand needle.
Try the technique and you will see that it is not too difficult and produces interesting crossed stitches.
Good luck!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe
July 29th, 2007 at 06:34pm
Under Updates+ New Knitting Patterns
I just finished my latest knitting project, a cute cardigan knit in Classic Elite Lush yarn. It’s amazing what you can get done when your web access is down for a week (ahem!).
If you have ever used Lush yarn, you know how soft and luxurious it really is. It’s a great camel/chocolate brown color too.
This cardigan has LOTS of cool details, like the slightly belled, elbow-length sleeves, the lace panels that emerge from the great front pockets, and a little fit and flare back waist accent (wait until you see the picture of this!).
I finally visited my favorite button store, aptly named The Button Store, to pick buttons for this cardigan. It’s here in Los Angeles on 3rd street and has the most amazing buttons. The lady that works there is very lovely and I always end up with her first suggestion. The ones I chose for this cardigan are gorgeous glass antique buttons. They really add to the cardigan, don’t you think?? The Button Store will be reproducing these buttons so they will be available for all very soon.
Look for this pattern to be published soon on SweaterBabe.com. I’ll try to get this one out fast! (The sales manager at BCBG loved it when I wore it our last night.)
OK - here’s a photo of the back with the ruffled peplum! I’ve been wanting to make a sweater with this detailing for so long!
By Katherine aka SweaterBabe