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 SteppSubject: 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.