Thursday, February 28, 2013
One day to go!
I start the scarf tomorrow! I will be taking daily pictures of each new patchwork. Hopefully this blog will cooperate; yesterday 2 posts got swallowed up instead of published :(
Patch Details
Gauge: My stitch count within a 2-inch stockinette square is: 10 stitches across, 13 stitches down.
Each completed patch should end up being 25 stitches wide, and 36 stitches long. Most patches will be made with the stockinette stitch. The design area is 19 stitches wide, and 28 stitches tall.
A solid color patch takes me almost 2 hours, but I'm a new knitter, so I hope to improve as the days pass!
The stockinette stitch alone curls horribly, so my patches will have garter stitches around the edges to help flatten the finished product.
When traveling, I'm going to keep working on the scarf. But I'm only going to take the yarn I need, and will join the new work to the scarf's main body when I get back home.
Each completed patch should end up being 25 stitches wide, and 36 stitches long. Most patches will be made with the stockinette stitch. The design area is 19 stitches wide, and 28 stitches tall.
A solid color patch takes me almost 2 hours, but I'm a new knitter, so I hope to improve as the days pass!
The stockinette stitch alone curls horribly, so my patches will have garter stitches around the edges to help flatten the finished product.
When traveling, I'm going to keep working on the scarf. But I'm only going to take the yarn I need, and will join the new work to the scarf's main body when I get back home.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Tools and Yarn
The yarn I like using for this project is any soft, medium #4.
My favorite brand is Caron Simply Soft, although I like some of the colors from other brands.
The knitting needles are: US size #8.
My favorite knitting tools are the Yarn Daisies. Not only are they cute, but they are very helpful for adding in multiple colors!
My favorite brand is Caron Simply Soft, although I like some of the colors from other brands.
The knitting needles are: US size #8.
My favorite knitting tools are the Yarn Daisies. Not only are they cute, but they are very helpful for adding in multiple colors!
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Learning Curve
Basic knitting stitches aren't too hard. Knit, purl, stockinette, garter.
But I had high hopes for making detailed pictures in some of my patches. I thought it would be like cross stitch, as long as I planned out a pattern.
It turned out to be much harder than I thought to add colors! Extra yarn colors tangle; the tension is hard to get right, and blocks of color have to be woven carefully or holes will appear.
Also, most disappointing, the little arrow-shaped stitches do not form neat outlines! And the stitched rows end up wider than they are tall, with the image coming out a bit more flattened than it looks on a grid. So most of my patches will have to be very simple pictures or designs.
I tried doing my cat. I ended up doubling a few rows to make sure that the face didn't look too squished.
But I had high hopes for making detailed pictures in some of my patches. I thought it would be like cross stitch, as long as I planned out a pattern.
It turned out to be much harder than I thought to add colors! Extra yarn colors tangle; the tension is hard to get right, and blocks of color have to be woven carefully or holes will appear.
Also, most disappointing, the little arrow-shaped stitches do not form neat outlines! And the stitched rows end up wider than they are tall, with the image coming out a bit more flattened than it looks on a grid. So most of my patches will have to be very simple pictures or designs.
I tried doing my cat. I ended up doubling a few rows to make sure that the face didn't look too squished.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Practice
I taught myself how to knit in January. I bought a knitting book and some fun colored yarns at Michael's craft shop.
As my family watched me practice different stitches, they kept asking what I was making. I was just having fun using different colors!
So I decided to make a patchwork "scarf" by knitting a different color block each day. That way, I will be making something real, but I can still play around with colors and patterns.
I'm still practicing, but my plan is to start the scarf on March 1st.
As my family watched me practice different stitches, they kept asking what I was making. I was just having fun using different colors!
So I decided to make a patchwork "scarf" by knitting a different color block each day. That way, I will be making something real, but I can still play around with colors and patterns.
I'm still practicing, but my plan is to start the scarf on March 1st.
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