I survived the holiday season and now it is back to more normal things. I am expecting to need a couple of baby gifts in the next two months, so no time like the present to get things going. How blessed I am to have this wonderful stash. Our weather is dreadful very cold below zero and wind my goodness a smaller body than mine would blow away. So here is what I have been working on.
I love knitting the little pink outfit knit from some Patons Simply soft. The pattern from an old "Knitters". One of my favorite ones to knit. Top down and fun to make. I did make a couple of changes. I Slipped the first stitch of each row to achieve a chain stitch edge on the front borders. Knit the sleeves in the round, and when the body was finished did my favorite flat bind off. You slip the first stitch as if to purl, bind off until 2 stitches remain and knit 2 together and bind off. Nice square corners! On the hat I began with a waste yarn cast on and then just wove the live stitches together. Means no seam when baby is placed on its back. My other hint is for the ties. The pattern calls for crochet. I don't like the way they curl, or if you make more than one row they tend to be stiff. I cast on the number of stitches called for for the tie, knit across these stitches, knit up stitches across the back and then cast on for the other sided and knit a few rows and bind off. Yup no sewing here at all.....
My favorite cast on these days is where you place a slip knot on a crochet hook, hold it above the knitting needle, wrap the yarn around the knitting needle and make a slip stitch, when you are one short of what you need, place the loop on the crochet hook onto your knitting needle. What I love about this is that the cast on and bind off look exactly the same.
When I need a waste yarn cast on I use the same system with scrap cotton yarn. When I have all the stitches cast on, I place the loop that remains on the crochet hook on a coiless pin and pin to the edge. Now when it is time to remove the waste yarn, unpin this loop and it will zip right out to leave you wonderful live stitches.
2 comments:
my favorite cast on too!!! ever since you taught me, that's the only one i use :) thanks for all the teachable moments in this blog!! i crave them so much now that i can't see you whenever i want to. i'm working on a BSJ for my neice.... and still whittling away on the Great American Afgan. luv u!
love the sweater..is there a publication for it? I have a new niece on the way and am so lovin knitting in pink.
Take care and thanks for the hints.
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