The brown and beige yarn I made the first sweater with is actually perfect for my machine. The only problem is that in the store I didn't notice the glimmer. It knits really nicely though and looks great.
I bought some mid blue yarn which is a little thinner than the brown, about a 4 ply and that knits great too.
So those two lots of yarn turned out to be just fine in hindsight. The only problem is the difference in thickness so I can't use the mid blue yarn with the brown or beige so at some point I have to get something that I can do a contrast colour with it.
Here is where I went a bit silly and wasn't so wise.
Note the cup of tea that is never very far away lol.
I think it is about 1 and a half ply per strand so I have been using two strands together making it an approx 3 ply. As I have sooooo much of it, I have to use it. It's way to much just to be waste yarn lol. I'd be knitting till I'm a hundred and fifty to use it all up! Each cone weighs about thirty six ounces.
So to start I am going to make my second youngest grandson a sweater with it. I mentioned this in my previous post but I have changed my mind on doing it all stripes. I may incorporate some into it but not all throughout.
So I did some swatches to see how it knitted and check the tension. I do not like knitting with two strands, although it looks fine. I found that I casted off way too tightly with it and had difficulty doing ewrap cast on with it. Mind you I have yet to master the art of casting on on just the main bed, sometimes it works great and other times not so good!
My first swatch was to test the size the garment would come out as well as test the pattern. I like the pattern a lot but the floats were way too big for a young child. He could easily catch his fingers in them. On this one I also tried using one strand of blue and one of green together. I liked how it looked on the rib but not so much on the stocking stitch.
I did another couple of swatches using different patterns and colour combinations and the floats on the back of both of these are not a concern. I also tried different amount of rows for each rib and decided on 24 rows and 18 rows of pattern with 4 rows of plain before the pattern starts (well 5 with the pattern remembering row).
So, I've decided to go with the last pattern but using the blue as the main colour for the rib and the rest of the body and arms. I will decide on what colour to do the neckband. This one is going to be a V neck so maybe that's where I'll do some stripes.
Bedtime now, started this around 4 pm but then had evening meal and watched some TV.
I am sure that as the novelty wears off my posts will get shorter and simpler but for now I am enjoying documenting what I'm doing.
Loved reading your post Maureen. Do you ever use the latchet tool cast on using the single bed? I used to always use the e wrap method but when I tried the latchet method I really liked the edge it created and was less tedious than e wrap.
ReplyDeleteI always find a good stitch pattern to use when wanting to use fairisle in kids garments is either 2 colour slip or 2 colour tuck patterns. This way you get the look of fairisle but with no floats - this maybe a technique for you to consider for the future?
Can't wait to see the final project.
:-)
Thanks Phil, no I haven't tried either the latch tool method of casting on or using tuck or slip stitch but I will be sure to try both. Haven't tried any slip stich or tuck yet. As you can see I am still very much a novice lol. I am like a kid and impatient, I wanted to get a couple of simple garments under my belt so I could feel like I had accomplished something. I will try the latch tool cast on today though. The problem I have isn't doing the wrap but on about the third row it starts making floats. Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. I think using the two strands makes it worse and that's what I'm using right now. Do you have a sequence with the levers when casting on? My manual says to drop the weaving wheels but doesn't say for how many rows? If you have a sequence when casting on I would be grateful if you would tell me. I have struggled with it on this machine since getting it. Doing rib is great, never have any problems but might not always want to do a rib edge. I think the cast on comb with rib helps but don't know what the alternative is for main bed casting on other than the hanging weights which I put on as soon as there is space to do so. I can't remember having problems with my Brother machine all those years ago.
ReplyDeleteAny help and advice would be very much appreciated Phil. Thanks.
Hi Maureen - the usual cast on I use is either E wrap or latchet tool cast on. Sometimes I use the weaving cast on, however I never bother with the automatic closed edge method as I can never be bothered messing around with the ravel cord.
ReplyDeleteTo do the latchet tool cast on, I create the chain stitches over the needles as per the latchet too cast on and make sure these are all behind the latches. Then I knit the row from right to left, carriage set to normal weaving knobs up. Then I put all the needles to D or hold position so that all the stitches are behind the latches. I knit another row, and then I repeat again moving the needles to hold and knitting a row. I do this as many times as I need until there is sufficient knitting on the machine to hang weights across.
With E wrap I use the same principle - pushing the needles to D until there is enough knitting to hang the weights with. When I do the weaving method cast on, I push all the required needles to working position then i push every other needle to D position. I then set the carriage to stockinette, side levers forword, russell levers on II an weaving knobs down. I feed the yarn in the feeder then pull it over and across the needles in hold and hold the yarn down, knit one row slowly. I then knit another 5 -6 rows like this, then I would move the weaving knobs up and hang weights, and continue knitting normally. I would only ever use the weaving method with waste yarn though. Hope this helps :-)
PS If you dont put the needles to hold position in the first rows of the e wrap cast on you will get the floats, as the carriage arm struggles to hold the knitting against the bed because there simply isnt enough knitting to hold onto. Once you get a good 6 rows knitted using the method of putting the needles to hold there is then sufficient knitting for the sinker plate to press the knitting back against the bed and therefore the machine lays the yarn across the needle hooks and knits, therefore not leading to floats.
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil, going to try the pulling the needles out to D position for more than just the first row.
ReplyDeleteAlso I am going to buy a couple of hook type combs. The sort that come with the Brother machines to hang on when I am doing just plain knitting. I very much like how the ribbing comb holds the knitting down so I think the other combs will work similarly with plain stockinette knitting.
I really appreciate you taking the time to explain these things to me.
Thanks