3 tips to power up your knitting

Now I like a nice meditative knit as much as the next person but there are times when you do just need to power through something. Whether you are knitting to a deadline or whether you have 10" of plain, grey, stocking stitch sweater to plough through there are times when you just want to put your "foot to the floor" and knit as fast as humanly possible.

The next time you find yourself in that situation why not try these few simple tips to speedier knitting?

Use super slick and shiny needles: As slick as you can get away with without your stitches flying off the needles. I like Addi Turbos in particular for lots of stocking stitch. The points aren't the sharpest but they really are super speedy.

Front load your stitches: Scoot as many stitches as you can to the tip of your left hand needle. That way you don't have to pull the next stitch to the top of the needle - it will already be there.

Knit at the tips: Knit each stitch right at the tip of the left hand needle - but be sure to wrap the yarn fully around the wider part of the right hand needle as this is what determines the tightness of each stitch.

Set your timer for 10 minutes. Eyes down and why not see how much you can knit when you really put your mind to it.

Yay for new socks

Toe-up socks in yarn from West Green Loft Yarns 

There's truly nothing better than new socks, finished just in time for #FOFriday and the weekend. Being able to gift them to a friend is an added bonus. This is one of those projects that I'm almost sorry to see finished.

The yarn was from the summer yarn club by West Green Loft Yarns and is a joyous mixture of bright pastels. I really love knitting with this type of yarn where you have more colour than just "pops" but not enough to have longer colour runs and cause all types of issues with pooling. I have no idea how Vykky does it, but I'm just pleased that she does.

These socks have been riding around in the car with me for weeks now as my in-car travel project and we've become good friends. But I know that my friend will love them and I get to rummage in my stash for my next plain vanilla pair of socks in waiting.

Happy weekend one and all

X

A new monthly challenge: Cables

This month over on the Everyday Knitter Facebook group we are all about the cables. Whether you are a complete cable newbie or you are planning to embark on the world's most epic cable sweater I hope you will pop over and join us.

I'm going to be doing a few blog posts and mini tutorials on the subject of cables with the first one being how to do simple cables without a cable needle. This is a super handy, nifty little technique that will leave you feeling like a total knitting ninja. And it's also useful when you have lost your one and only cable needle down the back of the sofa.

If there is anything about cables that you've always wanted to know or learn please let me know and if I can do a tutorial or anything to help I'll certainly try.

I'm also in the process of creating a Pinterest group for the Everyday Knitter. A place where we can put popular patterns that we talk about regularly and a place to browse for inspiration and ideas. I'll create a cable board too so that you can see some of the great cabled projects that folks are trying out.

Whether you are working on a cabled sock on a beach or getting ready for winter with a cabled afghan I hope you join us. Cables are one of my favourite things in knitting and I'm excited to be chatting with you about them this month - it's going to be a good one.

We are not at home to the knitting police

Just the other day on a Facebook group I saw a comment which started innocuously enough but by the time I had read the thread to the end I had steam starting to come out of my ears. And so, another slightly ranty blog post ensues.

I hasten to add that it wasn't the Everyday Knitter facebook group where this thread happened and I'm not going to name it for fear of adding fuel to the flames. I think I've said enough over there for the time being. Anyway, it started out as a comment about people learning to read charts and whether there was any advantage in being able to do so.

There then followed lots of helpful advice with people merrily debating the pros and cons of each. There then followed a series of far less helpful and constructive comments which is when my right eye started to twitch ever so slightly.

"Knitters who read from charts are lazy" 

"There is no reason to use charts when all the decent designers provide written instructions"

And my personal favourite "Charts are antiquated"

By this time my blood had started to boil and I had to step away from the laptop. 

Seriously, why on earth do people think they have a right to criticise others for how they chose to assimilate pattern directions. If they think the use of a chart is lazy what does that say about the use of stitch markers, or heaven forfend, lifelines. Why not go the whole hog and insist that we all knit complicated fair isle in mercerised cotton whilst adhering to directions written over 2 pages of densely packed 8 point Arial font? Surely anything else is just bone idle?

As soon as people start asserting the viewpoint that there is only 1 way to do things I know it's time to back away slowly. Strangely enough, this 1 way, this solitary way always seems to coincide with the speakers way of doing something and they are never backwards at coming forwards with this view.

Faced with the Knitting Police - whether they appear in front of you in public and whip your sock from your hands, or whether they are behind a keybaord on a Facebook group I now employ the tried and tested technique which got me through many a visit from the Health Visitor when my boys were babies.

Simply *smile, nod, ignore. Repeat from * to end.

Disclaimer: In case anyone were to think I am maligning health visitors let me be clear. They do a wonderful job in difficult, trying circumstances. We had 3 HVs during our baby days (prem babies, lots of TLC needed - won't bore you with the details). 2 HVs were wonderful, sainted creatures who made me tea, dried my tears and told me that despite all my protestions to the contrary I wasn't the worlds crappest mum. The third was awful. Opinionated, bossy and never failed to make me cry. I learned to deal with her by employing the above advice and it worked a treat.

For want of a scale.

Yes of course. I always make copies notes on a pattern I'm knitting. That way when I leave it under the bed for 6 months I know exactly where to start from when I pick it up again. I wish!
Someday, maybe I'll learn to do this. But for now I've just lost an hour of my life sorting it out, thinking I knew where I was, then ripping back to start again where I actually was. Sigh!

It really is a lovely pattern though. Very wearable and I've no idea why I abandoned it for so long. Then of course as I knit further and get my mind back into the project I remember. The second skein of grey yarn (Baby Elephant colourway from The Uncommon Thread) is quite a bit lighter than the first skein I've already used most of. Striping it in won't be a problem I don't think but I needed to make sure I left enough to also stripe it in for the sleeves too. 

And for want of a digital scale ( my old ones broke last year) this poor project has sat unloved for many months. It only took a few minutes to whip out my old scales and wind off 10g for the sleeves.

Now I'm back on track and motoring down the waist shaping.

And yes, in case you are wondering, this does mean that my Windswept sweater is if they needles. It is currently blocking in a secure cat free location - photos to follow shortly. For a triumphal FO Friday post no less.

Second verse same as the first

Knitting away on my Starting Point shawl I find that this refrain "Second verse same as the first" keeps flitting through my mind.

The rational part of my brain knows that any shawl which calls for 5 x 100g skeins of 4ply yarn is going to involve A Lot Of Knitting. But then there is the cold hard reality that dawns when you complete the loveliness that is the end of Clue 1. You smooth it out, you admire and pat it, you weave in the ends... oh OK, You got me there. You know me too well.

Then you realise that you have to make another piece exactly the same before you can dive into Clue 2. Sigh!

Still, this time around I know what it should look like and it's fresh in my mind so I can just steam ahead. 

In case you are wondering, I'm keeping the textured stitches to a minimum so I just have the ribbed section for yarn 2 and i'm replacing the eyelet rows with plain stocking stitch - it's just my personal preference.