Why watch a YouTube video by Martha Lyons/Knityourselfhappy?
Personal instruction is the best way to learn how to knit or learn a new technique. When you don’t have me as your local knitting teacher, my YouTube videos are a great substitute. If you want to learn a new knitting technique or you need a reminder of something you have already learned and forgotten, go to my YouTube channel. Everyone needs a clue now and then!
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My favorite knit stitch RIGHT NOW is the Star Stitch.
This stitch is easy and fun. It gives you a fabulous knit fabric with very little effort. (Don’t you LOVE that?)
This favorite stitch right now resembles crochet. The Star Stitch can be done in a solid color or any number of colors. It is usually knit in two colors. Try working it in a gradient yarn. You may use it for shawls, scarves, baby blankets and even sweaters in any weight yarn.
If you work the Star Stitch in two colors, simply draw the yarns gently up the side of the work without cutting.
Cast on with color A. *Work rows 1 and 2 in color A. Join color B and work rows 3 and 4 in color B.* Repeat between *’s.Note: When a stitch pattern gives a multiple with a plus number behind it, use multiples over and over and add the plus at the end. For our example, you would cast on a multiple of 4 (4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, etc) and then add one stitch. The pink swatch has 41 stitches. The green and white has 25 stitches. The cream and peach swatch has 17 stitches.
Star Stitch Pattern: Cast on a multiple of 4 plus 1.
***How to MAKE STAR: Purl 3 stitches together. Do not remove these from the left hand needle. Yarn over the right hand needle (counterclockwise as usual). Purl the same 3 stitches together again. Remove all to right hand needle.
Row 1: K
Row 2: P1, (make star, p1), repeat between () to end.
Row 3: K
Row 4: P3, make star, (p1, make star), repeat between () to last 3 sts, p3.
My post in October 2017, seen here, invited you to follow along on my journey to design and knit a custom sweater for my brother, Bob. I am happy to report that all is going well, thanks to a bit of time off recently.
To make sure the sweater fits the way he likes, I measured one of his favorite sweatshirts.
This video shows you the key areas to measure.
Make sure you knit the swatch in the stitch pattern that you intend to use on the garment:
I cast on using 2 skeins of yarn for 238 sts:
joined in the round:
and worked a K2, P2 rib for 1.5″.
I’m not that fond of working K2, P2 rib for a long time.
I mentioned this to one of my sisters. It seems to take forever.
It can be a bummer. It is a necessary part.
She commented, “Just like puberty.” Exactly.
I chose a three-over-three left crossing cable and off-set
the cable twist every 12 rows for the front body.
The back of the sweater is stockinette stitch.
So now I am on my merry way. The following pictures show the progress
through the first skein:
The second skein:
And the third skein:
So there it is so far! Next time I post about this sweater,
Bob lives in Maryland and has two pet Babydoll sheep. Their names are “Wooley” and “Lambchop”.
“Wooley”“Lambchop”
Quoting from Mylittlesheep.com: “Babydolls are sweet. They are peaceful, curious, intelligent, and like to interact with each other and “their people”.” You can learn more about Babydoll sheep by clicking on this link: Mylittle sheep.com.
The main thing knitters need to know about Babydolls is that they make great outdoor pets and their fleece is beautiful.
These two sheep have been completely sheared twice so far in their young lives. They also have their faces and undersides sheared a second time per year. If their fleece is allowed to continue to grow around their face, it can cover their eyes completely, causing “wool blindness”. The wool from the two complete shearings was saved, carded and washed. Babydoll sheep fleece has a very short fiber, so to enable the wool to be commercially spun, it was mixed with 50% merino. Each skein is about 220 yards and the yield was 55 skeins! That is a lot of yarn! So… I will start by making him a sweater. That should make a very small dent in the amount!
The Plan
I took measurements from a well fitting garment that Bob owns. I sketched out a schematic with all of the vital numbers:
Then, I decided what stitch design I wanted. I chose a three-over-three left crossing cable and off-set the cable twist every 12 rows. The back will be plain stockinette stitch. Of course this means that I had to make a swatch with the stitches that I will be using in the garment!
Then I had to measure the gauge in both the stockinette stitch portion and the cable stitch portion. For help figuring out how to measure gauge, see my previous blog post, “It Really Is All About the Gauge”.
I got a gauge of 5.22 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch and 6.66 stitches per inch in the cable pattern. As you can see, the cable pulls the fabric in quite a bit, so I will have to do a bit of math to figure out the stitch count for the front and back. Math, math, math (doing the math)… The sweater will be 21″ across the chest for the front. 21 x 6.66= 140 (rounded) sts for the front. The back will be 21″ x 5.22= 110. The cable pattern is a multiple of 8 plus 2 (a 6 stitch cable and 2 purls between equals 8 sts in the cable pattern and I also want to have two purls on the opposite end to balance.) That means that for the front of the sweater I need to have 138 sts to make the pattern come out evenly. Since I need 140 sts for the front, I am going to add two knit sts on either side of the front that will blend in nicely with the back stockinette stitch. I will make the sweater in the round to the armhole. That means that the body of the sweater will have 250 sts. Whew. Time to cast on.
I want to use a measurement of 40″ circumference at the hip. I am using my stockinette gauge to calculate. I will use a 2 x 2 rib, which is a multiple of 4. So, 40″ x 5.22= 208 sts. Is this a multiple of 4? Why yes, yes it is! When I finish my border of about 2″, I will increase evenly to 250 on the last row of ribbing using a Knit Front and Back increase and then begin the cable pattern. I have decided to use the German Twisted Cast On (or HERE) to begin, it is nice and stretchy and looks good. I have an entire blog post detailing the German Twisted Cast On!
Finally, since there are 250 sts to cast on, I used two skeins of yarn to cast on so I wouldn’t run out of the long tail.
So, there it is! The very beginning of the Wooley and Lambchop Sweater for Bob!
I love this time of year when the air is crisp in the morning and the sunlight is gentle. Knitters may feel in the mood to start creating items for cooler weather. Decorations for fall are some of my favorite things to knit.
Check out these darling pumpkins. You can make them with any weight yarn, but because I think they are so cute, I had to make them tiny! I used various fingering weight yarns and size 3 and 4 double point needles.
And the Summer Squash looks just like the real thing!
As if I couldn’t get enough, I had to make the Zucchini.
For me, knitting the tiny items is instant gratification. Each one I finish is my favorite!
But… some people like to make super chunky items for instant gratification. So, I decided to knit The October Vest by Karen Clements on Ravelry. How is that for cozy warmth to toss on with a pair of jeans? I used four skeins of Loopy Mango Merino 5 in Midnight and size 19 needles.
And last but not least, every year I have to make another Pumpkin Hat! This one was made with Berroco Vintage Worsted in the most beautiful orange you have ever seen.
This favorite stitch right now resembles crochet. The Star Stitch can be done in a solid color or any number of colors. It is usually knit in two colors. Try working it in a gradient yarn.
You may use it for shawls, scarves, baby blankets and even sweaters in any weight yarn.
You can make them with any weight yarn, but because I think they are so cute, I had to make them tiny! I used various fingering weight yarns and size 3 and 4 double point needles.
