08.26.08

One of my favorite knitting tools

Posted in Sock Club, Tuesday Tips at 10:09 pm by Sue

Tuesday Tips – knitting tips you can use!
What on earth is this? Can you guess? It’s one of my favorite knitting tools. I made it myself, and you can too.

I call this my 1-2 marker, and I originally got the idea from a sock knitting book, but I can’t recall which one.

So what is this and how do you use it? It’s designed to keep track of something that alternates, like an increase row and a non-increase row, where you increase in one round but not the next, over and over again. A good example is when you’re knitting the gusset area of a sock. One row has increases (or decreases, depending on whether you’re knitting toe up or toe down), and the next has none.

To keep track of this, I would place one of this marker’s rings as a stitch marker on a non-increase row. The rest of the marker just hangs straight down. Then when I get back around to the marker, I’m on an increase row, so I slip the second ring right next to the first one, using the two rings together as a stitch marker. Now I’ve got two rings on the needle, where I had only one before, and the marker hangs in a loop with both rings on the needle.

When knitting, you “read” the marker by counting rings. One ring = no increase. Two rings is MORE than one ring, so that signifies an INCREASE row. How simple is that? You could define your own method for using this, just decide that one ring means one thing, and two rings means something else. If you’re alternating between two kinds of rows, this is a very simple tracking method.

I have never seen a marker like this in shops, so I made my own with a few silver beads, two jump rings, and some monofilament line. Took all of about 5 minutes to make, and I totally love it. Hope you love it too – email me photos of yours when you make one!!

And in SOCK CLUB news – Sock Club Sign-ups begin TOMORROW!!! I can’t wait!!

Working hard to get everything ready for the onslaught when sign-ups begin tomorrow,
Sue

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08.07.08

Ready for our close-up…

Posted in What's New at 2:22 pm by Sue

I am SOOO excited, I can barely sit down long enough to type a blog post! Interweave Knits has long been one of my favorite knitting magazines, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to receive my subscription copy yesterday, open up the magazine, and yep, it’s there! Great Yarn Company’s first national ad!!

This issue’s chock full of inspiration – and lots of great sweaters and projects – my fingers are itching already! If you’re an IK subscriber, you should be receiving your issue any day now, and it will be arriving at bookstores and newstands in the next few days, for everyone else.

I especially like the Afterthought Darts Cardigan, a very intriguing design, which is shown in Louet Kidlin Lace. This sweater features darts added after you have knitted the sweater, for a made-to-measure, personalized fit – and the Kidlin Lace give the sweater a fluid, weightless appearance. Lovely!

Denise Interchangeable Needles have been one of our most popular products, and with good reason. You have every size needle right there when you need it – what a relief! They’re great for travel, as they don’t show up in x-rays at security points – no more arguing with security agents in airports! And now, they’re are available in Denise Singles – individual needles in single sizes!

And the Denise folks have introduced another new product, Denise Organizers, which are featured in this IK issue’s spotlight feature. These versatile organizers can hold your Denise kit or all the parts without the kit case, plus all the other goodies you usually tuck into your knitting bag. How clever is that?!

Still knitting away on my Wrap Me Up Shawl, no new progress photos, but it’s coming along. I’ll have updated pics for you in a few days, when there’s more to show for my efforts.

Trying to knit and admire our new IK ad at the same time,
Sue

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