Yesterday, at our first meeting of "just" the knitting group, Ren decided she had, still yet, more knitting information and guidance to pass along (WHAT WOULD WE DO WITHOUT HER?). She taught us to cable and informed us of the importance of gauge.
The cable stitch can actually create fear at the thoughts of actually doing it!!!! I mean, look at that stitch - there is NO WAY something that complicated looking can be easy. BUT, guess what - IT IS. I know some will say it is not easy, but I think a better description of it, especially when you first start trying it, is that it is a little awkward. And, just paying attention, as you can see Rebecca is deep in thought on this subject, will pay off in the end. If you try it and have trouble, don't forget, you can go to one of many helpful sites, including You Tube, and watch someone go slowly through the steps.
Gauge - now there is a very important subject, especially if you are knitting something to wear. Think about it - you spend all of that money on "nice" yarn, spend all of that time on working the pattern and voile', it doesn't fit!!!!! This is why gauge is so crucial. And, to get your gauge, you should swatch. Now, swatching doesn't bother me - remember, I'm the one that's perfectly satisfied just knitting dishcloths, but even Ren said she doesn't like to swatch, but still does. You have to, to make sure that your certain number of stitches per inch match up to what the pattern says about the number of stitches per inch. If you don't and yours is different from the pattern, then you are wasting your time going by the size on the pattern. I had to laugh - on Ravelry (http://www.ravelry.com/) there is even a group that do nothing but swatch. And, I joined that group - LOL. I even bought the 365 Knitting Stitches A Year Perpetual Calendar (after see and drooling over Ren's) so I could eventually, in this lifetime or the next three, knit/swatch some of those squares. They are just so pretty. But, getting back to the subject, if you decide to jump in and make a sweather, please take the time to swatch to see if you are on target for the gauge. And, know that if you have too many stitches in your swatch, then you need to switch to a larger needle and swatch again. And, if you don't have enough stitches in your measurement, you will need to switch to smaller needles and YES, swatch again. You just can't swatch too much. :-)
AND, I would also like to say that we have some extremely talented members in our group. Robin is in the process of making a quilt and had a question for one of the other members. I just had to snap a picture of her work - it is absolutely gorgeous. Can't wait to see the finished product - hopefully, she will bring it in and show us:
Also, Dot made some very pretty wash cloths. She said she got the pattern from the inside label of the Peaches & Creme cotton - WHO KNEW there were patterns in there!!!! These were so neat I had to take pictures of these also:
Come back soon - my next post will be dedicated to our surprise speaker that had some special show and tell for us.
1 comment:
MaryAnn, you are the greatest! The pictures are fab. And the information/visuals help so much for the class to visit and ponder over. Aren't you glad you got the 365 Knitting Stitches? It is such a neat little book. :( Miss you all already!! Have fun this week and don't forget Olympic Knitting! I still don't know what Fonzie and I are going to knit!
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