Knitting Questions

A few questions have been asked either in comments or via e-mails recently. Some have also requested that I provide technical details of various techniques. Today I will try to provide detailed answers.

Weaving in Ends
I mentioned that I always weave in ends as I go along. Since I'm working with many knit/purl combinations, weaving in can happen in one of four ways for me:

1. While knitting with the public side of the fabric facing me - Keeping the end(s) to be woven in, and the working yarn to the non-public side of the fabric, I pull the yarn end between the fabric and the working yarn before wrapping the needle and completing the knit stitch. I weave the end under each stitch until the end is too small to work with.

2. While knitting with the non-public side of the fabric facing me - Keeping the end(s) to be woven in to non-public side of the fabric, I bring the working yarn to the non-public side as well, put the yarn end between the working yarn and the fabric, and then move the working yarn back to the public side of the fabric, and complete the knit stitch.

3. While purling from with the non-public side of the fabric facing me - Keeping the end(s) to be woven in, and the working yarn to the non-public side of the fabric, I pull the yarn end between the fabric and the working yarn before wrapping the needle and completing the purl stitch.

4. While purling with the public side of the fabric facing me - Keeping the end(s) to be woven in to non-public side of the fabric, I bring the working yarn to the non-public side as well, put the yarn end between the working yarn and the fabric, and then move the working yarn back to the public side of the fabric, and complete the purl stitch.

Each of these weaving techniques secures the loose end of yarn underneath, and to the non-public side of the fabric for a number of stitches. The number of stitches is based on the length of the tail. The length of the tail is based on how "sticky" the yarn is.

I also never weave in cotton or silk. The woven ends seem to distort my stitches and it makes it too obvious. That's another reason I hate knitting with cotton.

One of these days I'll post pictorial instructions for those who might be interested.

Searching Blog Archives
Most of the topics discussed in my blog eventually make their way to the various search engine databases. If you do a Google search for something on my blog, you should include "QueerJoe" (one word) in the search terms to help narrow it down to my blog, or someone else discussing my blog.

I've also included a blog search feature on my blog to help out in future contests.

Selecting Pattern Stitches
I decided I wanted three different types of pattern stitches:
1. Emblem-like patterns in the middle of the block (like the bottom, center red pattern)
2. All-over Knit/Purl stitch patterns (like the center teal block)
3. Lattice or ribbing patterns (like the lavender and orange blocks towards the top.



I chose or made up various patterns, and then just randomly assigned them trying to avoid having the same color/pattern combination.

Selecting Colors
Someone asked me what I was thinking trying to combine navy, olive, orange and lavender in the same garment (they actually asked much more nicely than that, but I took blog-owner liberties).

I first started by picking five colors of the Jamieson DK that all had equal tonal weight to them, brown navy, olive, red, and orange (yes, the orange is really about the same vibrancy as the others despite how it appears in pictures). Someone once told me that you can pick any color combinations you want as long as they're all the same vibrancy or tonal weight and the colors will work well together.

I then picked two "kicker" colors, the lavender and teal.

I selected the most neutral color as the ribbing, the brown. I then used mostly the deeper colors in the sweater and then balanced the two lighter colors throughout the sweater. I figured this would give it an overall balanced composition.

Interestingly, I didn't really like the colors together until the entire back was completed, and then I liked the overall effect. So it seems to have worked out as I intended.

Blog Rules Fallout
One unexpected benefit of posting blog comment rules, is that I got to hear from some new and very creative knit bloggers. Another blog I will be adding to my ever-lengthening list of daily reads will be Amber's Knitting and Textile Blog. Sleak, interesting and a good, easy read.