Diana natters on... about machine knitting. 2014. It's a Saturday morning, and I have my coffee and the weekend break from my busy office.
Well, I haven't blogged in just a little while, and yes, I did miss y'all. Here's what I've been up to - I was very excited to finish "Best Baby Blankets," which I featured on this blog. Initial sales are good, as is early feedback. I did a "baker's dozen" really good baby blanket patterns, with lots of gauges (bulky, mid-gauge, standard), ways to use scraps, and new techniques and time-savers.
Last weekend I taught at the Fingerlakes Machine Knitting seminar in Cortland, New York. Highlights of the seminar for me: An INCREDIBLE people's choice fashion show with so many entries and so many professional-looking items, that it was hard to vote. Now, you have to understand, our kids call John the "Uber Tourist," because he has to go everywhere possible and see everything possible when we travel. John and Angela are also our bus leaders on the Holy Land trip John and I are taking in December. Video for February - Zigzag Panel Join. New Video for March - Super Easy Decorative Anti-Roll Edge. New Video for May - Latch Tool Cast-On Trim. New Video for August - Beautiful Buttonholes on a Folded Stockinette Band. Sometimes we overlook doing a plain folded buttonhole band, but it gives a great result.
It does not require a ribber or any fancy stitches, so you can do it on any machine. I've seen a lot of different buttonhole techniques for this situation over the years, but I want my buttonholes to look perfect, or at least, look so good that if something's wrong you won't even notice it. I do not want any lumps, bumps, tight or loose spots, or changes in texture. Over the years, I've tried all kinds of things and I've finally come up with two preferred techniques that give the effect of the knitting just continuing right inside the buttonhole. This is the one for a band knitted vertically. Yes, this buttonhole can be also used for hand knitting. Best of all - if you can do a Kitchener graft from the wrong side, you can do this - it's easy.
New Video for November - Knit Both Sides of a Neckline at Once. December's Video: Slanted Pocket. Another Video for December - Candy Cane I-Cord. New Video for March - Scalloped Hem. New Video for May - Shadow Pleats. New for June - Video Teaching Rolled Edge. June 2017. Oh, I know I've been quiet.
Awfully quiet here, for a chatterbox like me. I've been busy and had a series of issues that kept me off balance. First, John's mom got very, very sick, was hospitalized a whole month, had two brain surgeries and a stint at a rehab hospital. She's home now, and doing okay, but this was terribly serious and she's in her 90s. A few weeks later, I got sick. John had a work crisis and a horrendous problem with work deadlines. I had an insect sting about a week ago that turned into a 4" round pink and red bulls-eye on my leg very quickly. Through all of this, work's been very busy, I've been going to evening meetings, and I've been trying to finish my upcoming mid-gauge machine knitting book. Every spare minute I'm running to the knitting room to do a little more, try another idea, edit a little video, or wind more yarn to get ready to knit.
Some really great things are coming up really soon: October 2017. I have a new book out, "Mid-Gauge Mastery," which has thirteen patterns for sport and DK weight yarn for your LK-150 or other mid-gauge machine.
It comes with two DVDs that have 5 hours of video instruction. The book is available over at www.dianaknits.com. One of the things many knitters find difficult and tedious is making a good-looking V neckband. Here's one from my new book, "Mid-Gauge Mastery," that is hemmed - no ribber - and looks just wonderful. This, I believe, is a good, clear explanation of how to do this. One secret to this - don't move all the neckband stitches in and out for the decreases or increases. (545) diana sullivan machine knitting. How to knit the Cross stitch: A two-row repeat pattern - So Woolly. Today you’ll learn how to knit a beautiful and easy cross stitch.
Similar to the Spine stitch, this Cross stitch is a two-repeat pattern, one of which is just purling. Its eye-catching texture makes it great for knitting hats, cowls and sweaters (as the Ripple stitch). To successfully use this pattern, I strongly recommend two things: This cross stitch is not reversible and requires blocking, once our work is finished. Why?