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Date: Tue, 4 Feb 1997 01:40:14 -0400 (AST)
From: Linda Boudreau (sheralee@ATCON.COM)
**********
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/
00/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/000/0/0
000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00000/00
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
X= cc1
/= cc2
0= cc3
This fairisle border is printed on Courier 12 and is a band for the bottom of a sweater or
whatever knitwear one is working on.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
VVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV VVVVV
VV V V V V V V V V V V V V V
OO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO OOO O
OOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OOOOO OO
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
V= cc 1
O = cc 2
Spaces between - maincolour
Another pretty fairisle border.
Happy February - Linda
-----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 18:21:10 -0500
From: David or Carol Paul (davencarol@voyager.net)
> Oh, and question: Is it easier to use the intarsia keyplate for Fair Isle?
Nancy,
I have found that the easiest way is to manipulate the needles by hand. I think I've tried
every variation/adaptation that is possible trying the intarsia and regular keyplates.
No matter what, the hand manipulation is faster for me (and definitely faster than hand knitting).
If there is anyone else with an alternate method, I'd love to give it a try!
Carol
davencarol@voyager.net
-----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 1997 11:38:35 -0500
From: David or Carol Paul (davencarol@voyager.net)
I am working on a fairisle sweater. It is turning out gorgeous and this is only my third
attempt at fairisle.
> But how do I decide what color the carriage should knit?
I usually pick with the color that has the most stitches in the row, or the color that
seems to dominate the entire pattern.
> I'm worried that the hand knit stitches will be different.
At first they might be. Practice on swatches until you get the hang of how you need to
manipulate the stitches. Try to make the hand-manipulated stitch look the same size as the
MKed stitches in the row.
> What about taking the carriage off, putting it back on the right side, and running
> across as many times as I have colors?
I tried this. You'll be picking up the "floater" between colors each time you use the carriage
to knit across.This makes your knitted piece very bullky and the stitches turn out tighter
than the areas that have no fairisle. Hand-manipulating seems like it will take forever.
It does take longer than straight non-patterned stitching, but having to line up the colors
each time to run the carriage across takes even longer.
> does anyone have suggestions for how many claw weights to have on hand.
I bought a second machine, so I have that extra set of weights, plus I bought the claw
weights with "teeth" (Lea-Ann knows what I'm talking about). I like using the weights
with "teeth" better when I'm knitting smaller things (baby clothes, toys, socks) since they
grip the yarn and the weight is spread out a little (not hanging from an S-hook). I do like
using my 4 S-hooks when I'm doing the front of a sweater and I have to do one shoulder
side at a time. I weave a knitting needle through that side, leaving 4 spots evenly distributed
where I can hang the triangle weights on their S-hooks. I picked that tip up from someone
on this list. Thank you! It works like a dream.
Hope I've been able to help.
Carol
davencarol@voyager.net
-----------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 1997 12:05:31 -0500
From: Marg Bennyhoff (mrsbee@ptd.net)
Subject: [BOND] RE: Peak at Fair Isle..
Good Morning all:
I found that putting a lamp (electric of course ) under my table, especially at night really
helps you to see the stiches . I've picked up many a mistake that would have been bypassed
without using a lamp. Also helps a lot when using dark colors, even during the day. I bought
a clamp on light last week. $7.00 at K-Mart. The type with the neck that can twist into
different positions. I can use it up top or band it under the table to keep an eye on those
stitches. Just an idea I came up with out of necessity.
Marg
-----------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 11:24:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: TinaNH@aol.com
Subject: [BOND] Knitting in floats
> Can you tell me or send me some illustrations of how you carry the yarn
>across so you don't get big loops and also how you start it so it doesn't leave
>big holes when you start a pattern with a different color? The books and the
> videos and the instruction booklet doesn't give very good examples. It's
>fine when every other stitch is a different color but when you get a space in
> between like 5 stitches of a contrasting color and then 7 stitches with
>the main color I find it is harder to do. Do you have any suggestions?
I just went and looked this up -- you're right, the info in the book isn't
terribly clear. But I did figure it out after a couple tries :-)
For example, let's say you are doing a 7 - 3 - 7 - 3 - 7 - 3 sort of
alternating pattern, 7 sts in MC, 3 in CC, etc. across the row. Knit the
row, ignoring the floats that form. *ON THE NEXT ROW*, lift up the float
from the previous row and hang it on the needle above, *behind* the latch.
(Don't put it in the latch, or you'll see it on the right side!)
In the 7-3-7 example, you'd probably hang the float on the 4th (ctr) needle
of those 7-stitch wide areas. Move any needles to HP that you would normally
move to knit your pattern, then knit across the row. Voila! The float will
be caught and held.
If the float is behind a needle that will be knit with the contrast color,
rather than the MC, it will be knitted in when you manually knit the CC
stitches.
Like I said, I just did this myself for the first time, and it does look
quite tidy! :-) The reason I was confused at first because I thought I need
to be doing something to catch the float as I knitted across *that* row,
rather than on the following one, as you would normally do when
handknitting..
Tina
------------------------------
Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 18:02:31 -0700
From: Patrick & Linda Boudreau (plboudreau@ns.sympatico.ca)
Subject: [BOND] Weaving in ends
When I knit with more than one colour I knit the ends in and don't
worry about them later.
To do this move the first five to six needles forward and starting with
the yarn go over one, under the other, over the next, etc. and end with
an under, and put a clip on it. make sure that these are behind the
latches and knit across you have just knit the strand in.
When there are more than one, I work one strand in at the beginning
before I take the carriage across and work the other end in at the end
when the carriage returns. I try and weave over a minimum of 5 - 7
needles depending on the weight of the wool.
Bonding Buddy,
Linda
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 24 Nov 1997 22:16:04 -0800
From: Linda Boudreau (patrick.boudreau@ns.sympatico.ca)
Subject: Re: [BOND] Intarsia knitting
Now for some of my favourite pointers on intarsia, if you are
knitting from a handknitting pattern we read these from left to right, if
you want to use the same pattern and have it appear the same, for example
facing the same direction read the pattern from right to left.
I have seperate balls of yarn for knitting intarsia and do not carry
my yarn over the colour blocked design, it is just as easy to knit in as you
go or to weave in following.
Knit in plain knit to where the design is to begin. Now place the
needles that are holding the colours in working position and manually lay in
the first row of colours, for example the sweater is navy, the design is
blue yellow and red, then you would probably according to the desing, lay in
the navy, lay in the yellow, blue and red, and knit across the first row is
not that difficult, I usually put a clothespin on the ends of the yarn to
stop them from pulling through, and it weights it down a bit in the back so
that I can either knit it in as I go, or leave it and weave it in later
depending on my preference.
Now, check and make sure that you have not dropped any stitches,
then proceed to lay the yarns in again making sure that they "X" under the
needles so that no further holes appear in the yarn until you make a
definite colour change.
Practise on a square within a square first rather than tackle the
big projects. Once you have been able to work more than one colour across,
set it aside and knit a sleeve first, then you feel satisfaction, then
proceed to knit the desirn, when it gets difficult take it off on waste
yarn, set it aside, remove the hem, and knit another sleeve, this way you
are not forcing yourself to finish in a hurry and still getting the sweater
knit quickly.
Hope this helps.
Linda B.
Personally I cannot live without the Intarsia keyplate, and there are great
videos out there, my personal favourite is Colour on the Bond by Cheryl
Brunette, I always watch it one more time when I am ready to start a new and
difficult pattern.
" I cried because I had no shoes - until I met a man who had no feet."
" Live life one day at a time but make it a masterpiece."
patrick.boudreau@ns.sympatico.ca (Linda )
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/9197/sheep.htm
http://www.keyway.net/crafts/lbpats.htm
http://www.wlv.ac.uk/~in1036
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 15:04:04 -0600
From: cpolfer@juno.com (Cindy S Polfer)
Subject: [BOND] Two-carriage fairisle
Dear Bond list members,
I have seen some inquiries lately about 2 carriage fair-isle. Here are
some instructions that I wrote last September. Thought I would post them
again for some of the newcomers.
Sincerely,
Cindy Polfer - cpolfer@juno.com
TWO-CARRIAGE FAIR-ISLE (copyright 1997 by Cindy Polfer)
Two-carriage fair-isle is really a neat way of knitting in your
contrasting color by means of a carriage instead of hand manipulation.
To work this method you need two carriages and an intarsia keyplate. The
first carriage uses the regular keyplate and is threaded with the main
color yarn. The second carriage has the intarsia keyplate inserted into
it and is used to knit the contrasting color.
Here is the procedure:
Cast on the number of stitches needed for your project and knit the
number of rows needed of the main color yarn until the two-colored
patterning begins.
Step 1: Place the needles to be knit in the contrasting color into
holding position (HP). Knit the main color stitches with the first
carriage.
Step 2: Place the needles in HP into forward working position (FWP)
[that is, the needles are in a position to knit with the stitches BEHIND
the latches and the latches OPEN]. Now lay your contrasting color into
the needles beginning with the needle farthest away from the first
carriage. [It is actually the side from which you first starting knitting
with the first carriage.] Place the second carriage, with the intarsia
keyplate inserted, onto the bed at the side opposite the first carriage.
[ It is the same side you started laying your contrasting yarn in the
needles.] Push the second carriage across the needle bed, knitting in
the FWP needles with the contrasting color. After you knit the row with
the second carriage, all needles will be in FWP. REMOVE second carriage
from the bed.
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to knit every row of pattern containing two colors.
Special Knitting Tips and Hints:
1. While knitting, ALWAYS CHECK to see if the LATCH IS OPEN on any
needle where the stitch is behind the latch.
2. If you wish to knit in the yarn floats that occur between contrasting
color sts or catch in the end of the contrasting yarn at the end of each
row, work the following before knitting the main color of the next row as
described in Step 1.
Floats: Before knitting the main color as described in Step 1 above,
pick up the float (the best place is in the center) and place it on ONE
of the needles directly above the float, placing the strand of yarn
BEHIND THE LATCH with the stitch that is already there. It will knit
into the back of the work as you pass the carriage to knit the main
color. [My rule of thumb for knitting in floats is that I knit them in
if they are carried more than 1". Ex: If your stitch gauge is 5 sts =
1" , I would always knit my float into the back of the work if the yarn
is carried more than 5 stitches across the back. ] Also be careful of
knitting in floats always in the same position (that is, on top of one
another. Spread them out if possible. Also be careful of knitting in
dark color floats on a light background. Sometimes they tend to show
through. You may want to secure the floats by some other means after you
have knitted your garment.
To catch in the contrasting color at end of row: Before knitting the main
color as described in Step 1 above, take the end and lay the strand of
yarn on the end needle or second to the end needle with the strand of
yarn BEHIND THE LATCH. I then put a clothespin or clip on the end to
insure there is some tension on the end and it will knit into the back of
the work properly.
3. Another tip is to adjust the intarsia keyplate tension to what works
best with your main keyplate tension. You may want to have the intarsia
keyplate tension slightly tighter to avoid droopy loops on the back of
the fabric.
I hope this explains the procedure. I like knitting fair-isle this way
because the contrasting color tension is much more even and it goes a
little faster not having to hand manipulate all of those stitches.
If you don't have a second carriage, they are available for purchase.
You can do it without a second carriage, but you must always unthread and
switch keyplates with every pass of the carriage. It becomes very
tiresome - fast!!!!!
These instructions have also been written up in the BOND Stitch
Encyclopedia Vol #1, and also in the Sept/Oct 1991 (Issue #44) of The
Machine Knitters Source. I gave you a few more hints and tips here than
what you will find in those publications. I am glad somebody asked about
the technique and hope that you will show the technique to others. I
must ask though, that you respect copyright on this article written here
and print it only for personal use. Thanks so very much!
Just a little background info - I never liked knitting the fair-isle
stitches by hand, so I had been racking my brain as to a way in which
they could be knitted with a carriage. It came to me one morning at 6AM
while lying in bed!!! Needless to say, I had to get up and try my idea
to see if it worked. I'm sure glad it did. You never know what you can
come up with by doing a little thinking! Maybe you will discover a new
technique.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 21:33:10 EDT
From: Smithercol (Smithercol@aol.com)
Subject: [BOND] More on slip-stitch or "mosaic" knitting
Just for the record, slip-stitch is a way to have two colors in a row while
only actually knitting with one color at a time. A good resource on mosaic
knitting is Interweave Knits, Fall 1997. Although it deals strickly with hand
knitting technique, it explains how to read the charts, etc. The vest I did
was "A Walk in the Woods Vest" on page 18 which turned out great. I can't
wait to see Lea Ann's article too.
Most patterns have you knit two rows slipping some stitches and knitting
others. Then you knit two more rows slipping different stitches, etc. On the
Bond, I think you can only slip a stitch for two rows which is how most of the
patterns are written anyway.
Here is what I do. First of all, use lots of weight because you are not
knitting some stitches and you need good tension. I pull the needles of the
stitches I want to slip into holding position, then knit across and back.
Then return the needles in holding position back into working position and
made sure the latches are open. The next row has to be knit very carefully
because the latches don't always want to behave since there are two unknitted
strands behind the latch of the slipped stitches. At this point, before
knitting the third row, you usually change yarn colors and pull the needles of
different stitches you want to slip into holding position. Knit across and
back. Repeat this over and over. It takes some time but it is probably
faster than fair-isle. The fabric will have a slight puckery character to it
which adds some interest. The gauge is changed considerably because of
slipping the stitches. You will have more stitches and more rows per inch
than when not slipping stitches. (When counting stitches to determine the
gauge, be sure to count the slipped stitches too.)
I hope this helps. It is fun to do and the results are interesting.
Colleen in Ada MI
Smithercol@AOL.COM
"A few rows a day keeps the skrink away"
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 03 Nov 1998 08:00:32 -0600
From: Heidi Stepp
Subject: Re: [BOND] Mosaic Knitting
I bought the book Mosaic Knitting by Barbara Walker and tried out this
technique in hand-knitting first. It is a really simple idea. You always
knit two rows (stockinet style - knit one row, purl one row) with your main
color yarn according to a chart, knitting some stitches and slipping the
rest. They are always slipped as if to purl with the needle going into the
stitch from behind and when a stitch is slipped, the yarn is always held on
the wrong side of the knitting. On the purl rows, you repeat exactly the
same row as before and with the same color yarn, purling the knit stitches
and again slipping the slip stitches. On the third row you use your
contrast color and again reading the chart, you knit some stitches and slip
others. The 4th row is again purled with the contrast color yarn and
identical to the third. This book has many patterns and some look very
intricate.
On the Bond it is easy to do mosaic knitting although the needles have to
be hand-manipulated. I have used the intarsia keyplate minus the yarn
guide for this as it will bypass (slip) stitches that are in working
position and only knit those that are in forward working position. On the
first row you pull out some needles to FWP with latches open and leave
others in working position according to your chart, then knit across. On
the second row and with the same color, you pull out the exact same needles
as on the first and leave the rest in working position as before and knit
this row with the same color yarn.
On the third row you use the contrasting color and again leave some needles
in working position against the bed and bring others to forward working
position according to the chart you are using. I have a picture of two
samples that I have done and also a chart if you would like to see it.
It is almost like fair-isle knitting except that in this type of knitting
not every stitch is knitted on every row, but a stitch or set of stitches
are actually pulled up to cover two rows instead of one. You can also do
this with the regular keyplate by pulling some needles, according to the
chart, to holding position and knitting the exact row twice, then lifting
the floats that have formed off the needles and depositing them underneath.
I hope this explains it and is not too confusing. Have a good knitting day
everyone!
Heidi in Alabama
rhstepp@snowhill.com
------------------------------
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1998 09:59:05 -0500
From: Jocelyn Shaw
Subject: [BOND] Colors
I am doing a child's sweater in a checkerboard pattern. When I started the
first row I had 12 bobbins hanging down and had trouble keeping them from
falling off before their stitches got knit and then I discovered something!
Instead of just trying to balance the bobbin with the little clip on the
free end of the yarn, I clipped the clip to the hem. That kept the yarn in
place and the clips out of the way. When I started the sleeve, I clipped
the clips to the fabric (I am knitting the sleeves right in). I am also
using the tip about weaving the yarn behind the latches when I switch colors
for the checkerboard pattern. It works great!
Jocelyn
Jocelyn Shaw, MLIS
jshaw@muskegon.k12.mi.us
http://www.muskegon.k12.mi.us/library/hackley.htm
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Author : Steph Thornton.
Last modified on : 8th November 1999.