Jogless Stripes

It seems "we" don't use stripes, as in alternating colored yarns, enough to keep methods in the brain.  After yet another discussion, I thought I'd share this that just came to my attention from Knitting Daily today.

Here's a great method for working stripes in the round and avoiding the jog.  Jogless Stripes: When knitting stripes in the round, one of the downfalls is the jump in color where one round transitions to the next. Knit one round in the new color. At the beginning of the next round, insert the right needle tip into the left leg of the stitch in the row below the first stitch of the round (old color stitch) and place this stitch on the left-hand needle (figure 1). Knit this stitch together with the first stitch of the next round to raise the color of the previous round to the height of the new round (figure 2). Do this at the beginning of every round that involves a color change.

          

Figure 1		Figure 2

Here's the full Knitting Daily Blog on the subject, plus patterns.

So simple it's hard to believe it can be forgotten!! LOL

I DO believe that these things go in spurts:  I'll go a year or more and not make stripes with separate yarns, then it seems I'm doing it ALL the time.
I thought I was doing it correctly by slipping the stitch but this proves it's not so nice.

And  here's my attempt at fixing it.

I have two other stripes I "could" fix farther down. We'll see how I feel when I get around to that point again...

       

          

Becuz...

Because I can.... I started something new.  In MY defense:  I'm using yarn from my stash, purchased two years ago.  I remember the moment:  I went to the wall of yarn, placed my fingers on it, and it was love at first touch.  I bought enough for some unplanned project, and now I have it. 
I was encouraged by a certain blogger who is knitting a light-weight cardi which reminded me of the light-weight cardi I knitted last Fall.  It's now 4,000+ miles away, and I thought to myself:  Self, no more mourning.  Start a new one. 

It's a lacy "dahlia" on the back, and yummy Alpaca (sport weight) from DROPS.

See Interweave Knits, Fall 2011.  (Ravelry link.)

Back by popular request:

Here's a link to that infamous video we keep referring to:
It's Eunny Jang demonstrating how to do jogless stripes, and amazing everyone with her speed knitting. (This time I'm going to label it properly so it SHOULD turn up in my search blog feature.)

I'm working on "jog-less" cupcakes;  I've really got it down now. Last night at Knit Nite, someone commented that it shouldn't be possible to work on colorwork and talk, too.  True, but this being technically my 5th mitten in cupcakes, it works.  Works so well in fact that I knitted too far, and had to pull out 2 rows.
  I'm leaving off the riff-raff edge stitches which don't line up (because of the above mentioned "jog") and making it purely cupcakes.

Mitten Picture

The third time knitted mitten is a fast knit.   :)  
Fewer stitches!  And I have changed up the colors and am finally happy with what I see.
Mitten on the left is the newest edition.  Mitten on the right is too narrow in the cuff and too wide in the hand (therefore, frogged).
Cupcakes, in my dreams!

Mittens Over and Over Again

Remember last March?  The infamous contest to finish 3 projects?  And nothing got done?  I exaggerate:  One got finished on the deadline, number 2 finished about a month ago, and number 3?....  It's turned into a saga.  The cupcake mittens re-invented to include a clever convertible flap.
I have great respect for designers, and pattern creators, but this is getting ridiculous:  I have planned, measured and knitted those mittens through the thumb increase twice, and am hoping beyond all hopes that "three times' a charm".  This time, I'm salvaging the ribbed cuff.  I don't remember why it didn't work out last time, but last night I discovered that the thumb increase wasn't the only thing that made them look gigantic... it's got to be the stitch count.  One less cupcake on front and back... I'll be done by.... March 2012.  Oh, my!!
And for those 'in the know', the masked blogger is back.

Loads of Yarn

In June I returned home with a 'boat-load' (or plane-load/suitcase-load) of yarn.  Leftover yarn from years of projects--other people's projects... don't ask.

I don't mind... I have a few more places to store un-loved yarns, however, it makes me itchy to use it.  In fact, I have this thing...(somebody, please analyze me kindly) that I would rather use yarns that are recycled and partially used skeins than start a project with brand new/newly purchased yarn.  I'm sure you are putting together yesterday's "thrifty" blog with today's information about my psyche (and my daughter and her friends are rolling their eyes) and thinking I'd be a great candidate for some treatment!  Bring it on-- I've perfected these flaws over my many years.
Do you think this is the same syndrome that makes me obsessive about eating all of the broken chips out of the bowl before the perfect, whole ones?  Anyway, back to knitting.

I brought back a boat-load of colors of mostly the same weight yarn.  One skein of each color, I have been eager to find a nice fair isle that would use them.  I found it!  A pattern that would use 5 of those colors, leaving only another 15 to find a purpose. Here is the beginning of a toddler pullover:

The original pattern uses a white background, but... I didn't have or want another white sweater.  In the same magazine there was much information on choosing colors, and they showed how the color intensity really shows true if the photo is black and white.

You can see that the lighter pink is almost the same as the light purple, which isn't "good" in their terms.  Oh well. Before I started, I lined up all the balls of yarn, took their picture and turned it black and white to look at the contrast.  I didn't notice how close they were then.

It's fun with so many colors, and so fulfilling to use up small amounts of color! STASH-BUSTING!

 Pattern:  Hearts and Flowers Cardigan by Judy Alexander from Interweave Knits, Winter 2009

Re-useable Yarn!

One of the nicest things about creating with yarn is its resiliency.  I'm a thrifty daughter-of-a-scot, and my father had quite the reputation for being able to assemble workable farm equipment from parts.  Very ... thrifty!  I'm sure he kept many tractors from the salvage/landfill yards, just as I'm keeping wool from the compactor!

 It started last June as my daughter pointed out that she didn't need another purple scarf and I was involved in the fascinating pattern of reverse (or two-sided) cables, and knitting up her yummy cashmere.  

I 'know' I have a picture, but the only one I can find is here, on Ravelry.

It was a lovely scarf;  errr... Two scarves!  I had one almost complete, and my daughter had made one of the same yarn years earlier. 

Using the yarn doubled, it makes a nice squishy cashmere vest:  (unfinished)

The pattern is "Eco Vest" and the next step is to add front panels and collar.  Alas, it will be an 'alternative' yarn, because I don't have any more cashmere...  Even though this sounds very familiar (see yesterday's blog), I fully was aware of this.  When I started it in June, I knew I wouldn't have enough and bought an alternative yarn.
Almost as yummy and squishy:

That was purchased 2 months ago, and almost immediately I found myself taking the sleeves off another purple sweater, making it a vest, and the sleeves... well, here's another re-useable yarn.  I have unraveled one sleeve since I'm not sure I'll need both.  This is the third or thirteenth most yummy of yarns:  Elsebeth Lavold's Angora.

By using once knitted cashmere and once knitted angora, I'll have taken "Eco Vest" to the next level of Ecology!  N'est ce pas?


Link to My previous Blog on this project!