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How to Wind Yarn into Balls and Center-Pulling Balls.

June 12th, 2007 at 07:19am Under Knitting Questions and How to+ Crochet Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe

Dear SweaterBabe, 

I keep reading about making a ball of yarn before knitting a project. Apparently, you need to “re-wrap” the yarn into what I have heard described as “a ball that unwinds from the inside”. I cannot find any info that tells me HOW or WHY to do this.

Could you please explain.

Thank You from a new knitter (addicted to sock knitting, but have as yet to finish one)
Tracy

Dear Tracy,

That’s a great question that I get asked a LOT. 

There are some situations where I would recommend you “re-wind” the yarn… but other times, I think it’s more a matter of personal preference and time.  Some people really prefer balls to unwind from the center so the balls will not be rolling around.  Others are perfectly happy with balls unwinding from the outside, as this is often what you get when you purchase the yarn as balls and don’t want to take the extra time to re-wind each one.

Here are some different scenarios and my advice/thoughts:

– If you buy the yarn as a skein, you can usually find where the yarn can pull from center of the skein, so just use that end and you won’t need to re-wind it into a ball.  Otherwise, you can also use the end that is unwinding from the outside, in which case the skein will just roll around on your floor or table.  HINT: You can “contain” the rolling by putting your yarn in a bag.  I like to use the handled paper bags that can stand-up on their own, e.g. the ones you often get at boutiques or as gift bags.  OR here’s an example of a product called a “yarntainer,” that was specially made for this purpose.

– If you buy the yarn as a ball, you can also often find the end that is coming from the center, in which case you won’t need to re-wind it.  If you can’t find the center (you can’t locate the end without making a mess of the ball, etc.), then you can either knit or crochet from the ball using the end that will unwind from the outside OR you can “re-wind” the ball and create a “center-pulling” ball (explained below).

– If you buy the yarn as a hank, then you MUST first wind the yarn into a ball (center-pulling or just a regular ball) before you can use it.  If you don’t, then you are VERY likely to tangle up the hank and end up with a big mess and lots of wasted yarn.  Since more expensive yarns are often sold as hanks (because they are hand-dyed that way, hand-spun, or just look better displayed that way), you really want to make sure you take the time to wind them into the balls first.  You may try asking the Yarn Shop staff if they can wind it for you, as they will often have a yarn swift and ball winder that can make it a cinch to turn the hanks into balls.  OR perhaps they will let you use the swift and ball winder to do it yourself.  If you will be doing it at home, see the technique tips below.  Here’s what a swift and ball winder look like.

– If you are doing any kind of colorwork where you are using separate balls of yarn at the same time, balls that pull from the center are great to prevent the colors from tangling.  BUT also, you can use the handled paper bags (one per color) or the special containers that I’ve seen at shops that have separate compartments for each color.  If you use the bags or containers, balls that unwind from the outside are just fine.   Here’s an example of a great bag for colorwork.

OK - so how do you wind a ball of yarn??

1) To wind a ball that pulls from the outside, you just take the yarn and start winding it around the palm of your hand a bunch of times.  When it gets a bit bulky in your hand, take it off of your hand and turn it 90 degrees so you can wind around the middle of what you had wound around your hand.  Keep going, winding around the mass of yarn and keep turning.  As you turn and continue to wind, it will end up looking more ball like.

2) If you want it to pull from the center, the trick is to keep track of the center end and to NOT wind too tightly (or it will be too hard to pull the yarn from the center as you use up the ball).  Start by keeping about 6″ of yarn out as a tail.  Start winding the yarn while making sure this tail is ALWAYS sticking out. 

Here’s the technique I learned… I line up the tail against my thumb (of my non-dominant hand, i.e. my left thumb since I am right-handed) and start winding the yarn around my thumb and the tail, keeping it loose so that my thumb is creating a little tunnel within the ball.  It’s as if you were to wind a skinny band aid around your thumb, completely covering the tip of your thumb evenly.  After winding around your thumb for a little while, you take out your thumb and you will have a thumb-sized tunnel/hole where the tail of yarn is sticking out.  This is where the yarn will unwind from.  Continue to wind the ball as for a normal ball, turning it to make it more ball-like, BUT always making sure you never accidentally wind over the thumbhole and lose track of the tail.

Do you have more suggestions on winding balls of knitting yarn?  Feel free to submit your comments! 

By Katherine aka SweaterBabe 4 comments

Understanding Knitting Instructions on Increasing.

June 15th, 2007 at 06:35pm Under Knitting Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe

Hello SweaterBabe,

I was wondering if you could help me figure out a part of a debbie bliss pattern that’s giving me a  headache.  Where it introduces an increase to the sweater it gives the stitch of the increase row, then says “cont in patt and inc in this was at each end of 5 foll 6th rows.”

This direction isn’t covered in any of my ‘how to knit’ books, and doesn’t make any sense.  Can you tell me what it means?

Thanks,
Valerie

Dear Valerie,

Good question!  Knitting patterns can seem so cryptic. 

Here are a few translations:

“Continue in patterns as established, increasing one stitch at each end on the 6th row [from now] and every following 6th row 4 more times.”

OR

Let’s say you are currently on Row 10.  Then, increase 1 stitch at each end on Rows 16, 22, 28, 34, and 40.  That’s 5 increase rows, where 2 stitches are added per increase row = 10 added stitches.  You can usually use whatever basic technique you like to increase at or next to the 1st stitch on an increase row and at or next to the last stitch on that same increase row.

OR

Let’s say you are currently on Row 10 when you read this instruction.  It means:
Rows 11-15: Work even in pattern.
Row 16 (1st increase row): Increase 1 stitch at each end of the row = 2 stitches added.
Rows 17-21: Work even in pattern.
Row 22 (2nd increase row): Increase 1 stitch at each end of the row = 2 stitched added.
Rows 23-27: Work even in pattern.
Row 28 (3rd increase row): Increase 1 stitch at each end of the row = 2 stitched added.
Rows 29-33: Work even in pattern.
Row 34 (4th increase row): Increase 1 stitch at each end of the row = 2 stitched added.
Rows 35-39: Work even in pattern.
Row 40 (5th increase row): Increase 1 stitch at each end of the row = 2 stitched added.

This is a very common instruction in shaped patterns.  I often have a separate pen and paper where I map out the rows (like I did in the 2nd and 3rd translations above) to make sure I do all of the proper increases.
Ideally, the instructions would confirm with you how many stitches you should have after all of the 5 increase rows so you can double check that you are interpreting the directions correctly.

Hope that clears it up for you!

By Katherine aka SweaterBabe 1 comment

Cute Baby in a Crocheted Hat.

June 15th, 2007 at 08:02am Under Cute Baby Photos

Here is the newest addition to our Cute Baby Photos:

“Here are some pictures of my daughter, Chloe, in the first thing I ever crocheted. She was 15 months old (it was 4 months ago). It’s the “Anarchy/Irony” hat from Stitch N Bitch Crochet. I actually made it for me, but she decided to try it on, so my husband grabbed the camera and started shooting.”

– Shonika A.

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 Add comment

The Knitted Kimono Sleeve Cables and Lace Wrap will be up this week!

June 13th, 2007 at 10:20am Under Knitting and Crochet News+ Updates

By Katherine aka SweaterBabe 2 comments

Yarn forward and yarn back?

June 13th, 2007 at 11:54am Under Knitting Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe

Dear Sweaterbabe,

I thought I knew how to knit albeit simply!  However, I am doing a baby jacket and have got to a row which says knit 1, yarn to front, slip a stich purlwise, yarn to back. 

What does the yarn to front and back mean?  I did what I thought was correct but my pattern looks nothing like the picture!!! 

Also, does yarn to front and yarn to back mean the same as yarn forward and yarn backward?  If not, what do these mean? 

Thank goodness I have 7 months to knit this jacket!

Thank you so much if you can help.

Helena

Dear Helena,

Without seeing what the finished stitch pattern should look like, I do believe that the “yarn to front” and “yarn to back” are exactly as you first guessed. 

“Yarn to front” means to bring the yarn (between the needle tips) to the front of your work, just like you do if you are ribbing (”ribbing” is like doing [K1, p1] over and over to get a ribbed fabric) and need to move the yarn to the front to purl the next stitch. 

Simply put, take the yarn and bring it towards you by bringing it between the 2 needle tips and letting it sit in front of your work.

So, “yarn to back” means to bring the yarn to the back of your work, just like when you prepare to knit the next stitch while ribbing.

By Katherine aka SweaterBabe Add comment

Converting yards to ounces?

June 13th, 2007 at 12:24pm Under Knitting Questions and How to+ Crochet Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe

Dear SweaterBabe,

How do you convert yards to ounces?

Dear Knitter/Crocheter,

You can only convert yards (a measure of the length of yarn) to ounces (a measure of the yarn’s weight) if you know how many yards there are per ounce or gram of the yarn. 

This kind of information can be given on the yarn’s ball band/label or you may be able to easily find it online if you know the name of the yarn.  Do a search and either the yarn company that makes the yarn or an online yarn store will have that information available.

Otherwise, it’s a bit of a guess.  Why?  Because yarn weight and length can vary a lot based on what the yarn is made of and it’s thickness.  For example, a featherlight mohair that is sold in super fine or fingering weight, like Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze is sold as .875 oz/25g ball has a length of 227 yds/208m; whereas a bulky 100% wool yarn, like Brown Sheep Burly Spun, is a hefty 8 oz./229g hank, which has only a length of 132 yds/121m.

If you can’t find the yarn label or don’t know what the yarn is, I would suggest going to your nearest yarn shop, finding a similar yarn and seeing what it’s yarn label says for it’s weight to yardage ratio.  Then, you can use this ratio to give you an approximation for your yarn.

Hope that helps!

SweaterBabe

P.S. Here are some math conversions that are helpful:

[Number of inches] x 2.54 = Number of cm

[Number of cm] x .394 = Number of inches

[Number of feet] x .3048 = Number of meters

[Number of yards] x .9144 = Number of meters

[Number of meters] x 1.0936 = Number of yards

[Number of grams] x .035 = Number of ounces

[Number of ounces] x 28.57 = Number of grams

For example, if you have a 50g ball of yarn, it is a 50 x .035 = 1.75g ball of yarn.

Happy knitting and crocheting! 

By Katherine aka SweaterBabe Add comment

How to start a local knitting group?

June 27th, 2007 at 08:47am Under Knitting Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe

Dear SweaterBabe,

I am wondering if you have any advice for someone wanting to start a local meeting for people who want to learn how to knit? I know there are several people in the area who would be interesting in coming to something like that, but nobody knows how to go about setting one up or getting a place to meet. I also don’t know how often it would be good to have the meeting. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

– Cristi

Dear Cristi,

What a wonderful thing to do!  I can certainly give you some advice, and I’m sure there are others that might chime in on the comments to this post.

Here goes…

LOCATION IDEAS:

– Maybe a local coffee shop?  Many coffee shops, whether the big chains like Starbucks or Coffee Bean, or the independant ones, have great comfy sofas/chairs or lots of seating that you can group together. 

Visit a few.  Here are the things I would consider:
-Do they have good/easy parking?
-Are they open to allowing small groups to gather?  Maybe there are certain times of the day that the cafe is less busy and they would love the business?
-Will they have a minimum order per person?
-Do they have decent lighting if you are meeting in the evenings?
-Maybe they have a community board and will let you post a notice about your meeting there?
-Maybe they are even willing to provide a food/beverage discount if you are going to be regulars?

– How about your local library?  Many local branches offer knitting nights, which I presume meant someone like you suggested it to them!  Worth a phone call or a visit.  Plus. GREAT air-conditioning and you can browse knitting books together!  And, they will most likely post flyers for your knitting group meetings to the whole library community. 

– Ask your nearby yarn shops.  Many have knitting groups already set up or would be happy to host new ones.  It’s great for their business and you and your knitting buddies get to knit in a very inspiring environment.

– Check if there is already a Stitch-n-bitch group in your area.  I’d do an online search and see if you can locate one.  There are so many across the U.S., it’s a great community to join! 

OTHER THOUGHTS:

– Meet as often as there is interest.  I think many groups meet 1-2 times a month.  I think it depends on how many you have in your group as well.  If you have 30 members, then having more frequent meetings might work as you may get your critical mass at most meetings. 

– Communicate with your group via email if at all possible. It will make your life so much easier if you are the co-ordinator.  Many groups set up a special Yahoo Group to do so.  That way, you can easily send out an email to the group and be sure that all members should receive it.

– Keep it casual and fun.  Maybe you can invite members to share their favorite cookies (and the recipe) at meetings. 

– Set expectations in terms of whether your group is to “teach how to knit” or more of a “come and get some help here and there”.  The more experienced knitters are usually more than happy to help the less experienced; however, if you are finding that those interested are total newbies, you’ll need to be sure you have enough experienced ones that feel comfortable teaching (and don’t mind taking the extra time) before you set up the meetings.

By Katherine aka SweaterBabe 1 comment

Understanding Crochet Instructions

August 28th, 2007 at 08:37am Under Crochet Questions and How to+ Ask SweaterBabe

Dear SweaterBabe,

I am a beginner and I need help with something that appears to be quite simple but I do not get it.

sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 1, 5 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch1, sc in next ch 3-sp, *(ch 3, sc in next ch-3 sp) 3 times, ch 1, 5 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 1, sc in next ch 3-sp: repeat from *

I know sc - single crochet and the shell pattern with the 5 double crochet.  I am not getting the “next ch-3 sp”. 

I worked on this for hours last evening and I just don’t know what  to do.  This is only row 2 I am working on.  Just never learned this terminology. Could you put this instruction in plain English?

Here is the beginning of the pattern:

Chain 146 loosely.

Row 1:  Sc in second ch from hook. *ch 3, skip next 2 chs, sc in next ch; repeat from * across:  49 sc and 48 ch-3 sps. Row 2:  (Right Side): Ch 4 (counts as first dc plus ch 1, now and throughout), Turn; sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 1, 5 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch1, sc in next ch 3-sp, *(ch 3, sc in next ch-3 sp) 3 times, ch 1, 5 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 1, sc in next ch 3-sp: repeat from * across to last sc, ch1, dc in last sc: 90 sts and 49 sps.

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!– Janet

Dear Janet,

Here is the same set of instructions long-hand to try and explain each bit of Row 2:

Row 2:  (Right Side): Ch 4 (counts as first dc plus ch 1, now and throughout), Turn

Row 2 is the “Right Side” of your work, meaning that it will be the side that faces out or is the “prettier” side of the item/garment.

Counting the Ch 4 at the beginning as the first dc, plus ch 1 is just for 1) counting stitches if you need to (especially if there is a stitch count mentioned at the end of the row) and 2) may be how the “ch 4″ will be referred to at the end of Row 3 if you need to work a stitch into it.

“Turn” just means to turn your work to begin the next row.  You will turn your work like you do the page of a book and begin working your second row from right to left. 

; sc in next ch-3 sp,

As you are looking down the row (right to left), you will see the next chain-3 space, which is one of the 48 ch-3 spaces that you created on Row 1.  Work a sc in that ch-3 sp by inserting your hook in the space and working the sc. 

ch 1, 5 dc in next ch-3 sp,

Chain 1 ch, then work 5 dc into the next chain-3 space you see to the left.  Work the first dc into the space by inserting your hook into the space and working the dc.  Then, work 4 more dc into the exact same space, so you create a 5-dc group that fans out like a shell.

ch1, sc in next ch 3-sp,

Chain 1 ch, then work 1 sc in the next chain-3 space you see to the left.

*(ch 3, sc in next ch-3 sp) 3 times,

Work the instructions you see in the parentheses 3 times in a row, which means to: ch 3, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 3, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 3, sc in next ch-3 sp.  You will have just created 3 new ch-3 spaces.

ch 1, 5 dc in next ch-3 sp, ch 1, sc in next ch 3-sp: repeat from * across to last sc,

Chain 1, work 5 dc in the next ch-3 space you see to the left. Chain 1, work 1 sc in the next ch-3 space you see to the left.  Go back to the asterisk and work all the instructions from the asterisk to the colon until you only see 1 sc left (from Row 1). 

ch1, dc in last sc: 90 sts and 49 sps.

Chain 1, work a dc in the last sc (which is the 1st sc that you worked in Row 1).  You should now have 90 sts and 49 spaces that you can count to double check that Row 2 was worked correctly.

Here is a Crochet Diagram that further explains the instructions.  I LOVE these sort of diagrams because you can see visually what the pattern is asking you to do.  I only diagrammed the first part of Row 2, as you will just repeat the part where the big blue arrow arches.  I’ve shown 1 repeat of the * to : section.

Hope this all helps!!  Please feel free to comment on this post.

By Katherine aka SweaterBabe 1 comment

Skipping a ch-3?

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 Add comment

Confusing Crochet Instructions - Armholes.

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 1 comment