Friday Morning Knitting Club

My girls are 10 and almost-8 and I've worked with them to learn both crochet and knitting for several years. Those experiences have taught me that there is a certain amount of hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity that is needed to crochet or knit. While both of my girls have learned, neither has chosen to work on a project for more than 15 minutes.

As I approached the lesson plan for the 2nd grade Friday Morning Knitting Club, I was prepared for the children's interest to wane after that first week. The teacher and I decided the club would meet as long as the children were interested, with no obligation for them to continue if a child chose to stop.

That first morning, I worked with 3 children for 20 minutes. I found the teaching experience to need quite a bit of hands on and individual attention for each child. I gave them my ground rules: 1) be patient with each other, and 2) be patient with yourself. They did a great job at both.

I must admit that I had doubts about them mastering the knit stitch that first week. At the end of the session, their enthusiasm still ran high, and they were quite proud of the row or 2 that they had knit.

And I went home, energized and filled with ideas to improve our next club meeting!

Knitting Fever

I was helping in my daughter's 2nd grade class one day and spied a book called Knitting Fever. The plot was that a sheep on a farm caught knitting fever and then taught all the other sheep on her farm and on a nearby farm to knit. The sheep worked furiously and ended up knitting all of their wool. This turn of events caused the farmers quite a bit of concern, as they had no wool to sell, and therefore no income.

The farmers and the sheep put their heads together and came up with a good solution: the sweaters that the sheep had knitted would be displayed and sold at the county fair. The farmers made enough money from the sweater sales to cover all of their expenses.

The story ended with the sheep making plans to knit "mittens and gloves next year".

I asked the teacher if I could bring in yarn, needles and a few items that I had made to show the children what the sheep were doing. She agreed, and I brought in a pair of socks, a blanket and a top. I had a pair of big needles and chunky yarn, and demonstrated the knit stitch, then let each child who wanted to make a few stitches.

I thought that would be all she wrote, but the children were so excited that the teacher asked me to create a knitting club.

And that is how the Friday Morning Knitting Club was born for 10 2nd graders!

Split Single Crochet Stitch

My Honeycomb Socks in the Fall 2010 issue of Interweave Crochet use a split single crochet stitch for the foot. It is an interesting stitch and not one that I've seen used widely.  The definition is: insert hook between the 2 vertical legs of the next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops on hook.

The part about the "2 vertical legs of the next stitch" is the part that is out-of-the-ordinary.  I've created a photo that I hope will help!

Making It Fit

I've always thought that the bust measurement was the be-all, end-all in measurements for a top or cardigan. Bust, waist and hip measurements are the 3 measurements that are listed on the pattern envelope for a sewing pattern. For a crochet or knit garment, the bust measurement is the one listed in the sizing area. So . . . what other measurements could there be? And how do they play into the construction of a garment?

Something called the Cross-Back or Shoulder-to-Shoulder measurement has turned out to be important for me. I am smaller than the "standard" measurement for the Cross-Back for my bust size, so a garment made exactly to the pattern will almost always be too wide at the neck area and hang off my shoulders. I have several tops that I constantly tug at to pull them back up onto my shoulders.

Bust, waist, hips and cross-back measurements are circumference measurements or measurements around the body.

Length measurements are also important for a good fit or a pleasing look. Back Waist Length is the distance between the little bump at the base of your neck to your natural waistline. I am of average height, so I don't usually have to make adjustments in the length area, but if you are taller or shorter, your garment will either be too long or too short.

Length is a matter of design or personal preference. Standard length for a top or cardigan is 5" below the natural waistline, while the standard length for a tunic is 9". I prefer my tops to be a little longer than the 5" as my midriff area is not as . . . enticing as it once was.

Next, I'll talk about getting all those measurements down.

Making It Fit

After that initial debacle with the sweater I made in my 30's, I didn't make another garment until I was in my . . . well, let's just say it was quite a while.  By this time, I had learned a valuable lesson--make an item at least 3 times. The why's and wherefor's of that wisdom is for another post.

I selected the Shapely Tank Top by White Lies Designs as my learning tool.  I chose a bamboo yarn by Southwest Trading Company in a gorgeous red and black.  I did a gauge swatch, selected the correct size and set to work.  The end result was good, but not quite the fit that I wanted.  It was wider than me, and it has grown longer as I've worn it. That's how I discovered one more thing to consider, fiber content.  Bamboo is oh-so-soft and comfortable, but it has a tendancy to stretch.

A few months later, I selected a cotton yarn by Gedifra.  I thought I would experiment a little and I knit this top in the round up to the armhole bindoffs.  I had a difficult time getting the top joined correctly to work in the round and ripped it out 6 times, but then I was on my way.  The end result for this top was better and I still wear it often.  But . . . it was still too wide for me, particularly in the shoulders. 

The solution to this problem seems quite simple in hindsight, but I must say that it didn't come quickly.  Over the years, I have gained weight, but that weight has not been distributed evenly.  While my bust has grown, my shoulder width has not, or at least not as much. So, the shoulder or armhole shaping has to be greater than the decreases for the size I selected.

Hmmm,  first it was gauge, then ease, and now additional body measurements that are important.


 

Making It Fit

The second problem that I had with my sweater-that-didn't-fit was the choice of size. My experience with creating garments had been in sewing. When selecting a size for sewing, the body measurements are listed on the pattern envelope.  These measurements do not represent the finished garment measurements, which is a totally different animal.

Crochet and knit patterns list the ACTUAL finished garment measurements. When I chose my actual bust measurement, the garment fit snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug on my body. The difference between the finished garment measurement in a sewing pattern and the actual body measurement is called ease.

Ease gives the garment some room; it allows you to reach up and grab something from a shelf without ripping the seams. Too much ease and people might compliment you on how much weight you've lost.

Just as yarn weights vary, so does the amount of ease per garment. There are industry standards, such as close fit (very little ease), standard fit (2 to 4" of ease), oversize (way more ease). In addition to the standards, ease is a matter of personal preference -- yours and the designer's.

Ease also varies with the type of garment.  A top will have less ease than a cardigan or jacket that is meant to wear over another piece of clothing.  Socks will have negative ease so that they will fit snugly.

Hmmm, now I have 2 things to consider when working on a garment . . . gauge and ease.

  

Making It Fit

I learned how to knit when I was in Girl Scouts. I made a baby sweater or two, but didn't knit again until I was in my 30's. I chose a pattern and yarn, and worked away. When I finished my sweater and tried it on, I was so disappointed, and disillusioned. Why put all that work into something only to have it swallow me?

I was sure I had followed the instructions correctly.  I had picked a size that corresponded with my bust size. My work (i.e., tension) had been good. So why didn't it fit?

As you might have guessed, there was more than one problem; and I'll talk about each of those in turn. 

First, I had paid no attention to yarn choice. I had no idea that yarns vary in weight or fiber content.  I simply thought that yarn was yarn. I still have that pattern today, so I took another look at it.  The pattern called for DK weight or double knitting, sometimes called sport weight.  I had chosen a worsted weight, which was thicker than the DK weight yarn called for.  Because my yarn was thicker, my garment was bigger--everywhere.  It was wider, and it was longer.

My yarn choice affected my gauge. Gauge is simply the number of stitches and rows per inch. The thicker the yarn, the less stitches per inch. If I knit or crochet a square with the same number of stitches and rows, but use different weight yarns, each of those squares will be a different size.

Hmmm, gauge is important.

 

Knit and Crochet Now!

I just watched an episode of Knit and Crochet Now! on my local PBS station.  I'm always amazed at the wealth of information!  This episode was on Entrelac and demonstrated the knit techinque with a pillow, and a crochet shawl.

Kristen Nicholas taught the entrelac pillow. She explained the technique very well and I felt compelled to go the the show's website and download the pattern.

Drew Emborsky a/k/a The Crochet Dude demonstrated the entrelac-inspired shawl. Man o'man! He is such a good teacher! And he shares his knowledge freely.  His demonstration was interspersed with little nuggats of "extra" details and "whys".

Brett Bara, the editor of Crochet Today! does an excellent job of leading both discussions.  I really felt as if I was watching 2 friends share their love of an art.

The show's website contains videos, free patterns and more.  Check it out and let me know what you love about it.

http://www.knitandcrochetnow.com/