Knitting Needle Sizes

Most knitters will have loads of needles in drawers, knitting tubes, bags with unfinished items.  Some pairs will be from days long ago or maybe you picked up a pair at the local Op shop.  Perhaps you've found a great pattern in the bottom of a cupboard or it's a US pattern and the needle size required just doesn't seem to match what's in your collection?  Here's a helpful chart which compares Imperial, Metric and US sizes:

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Knitting & Crochet abbreviations ... what does that mean?

Have you ever picked up a knitting or crochet pattern and thought – is this in another language? Abbreviations are abundant in pattern books and usually there is a key to all the abbreviations somewhere in the book. But what happens if you’ve grabbed a pattern out of a magazine or the rest of the book is missing? Maybe someone copied a pattern for you.


Well, here are a few of the more common abbreviations I found on the Cleckheaton website – need more just click here.

ch=chain
dc=double crochet
dtr=double treble
dec=decrease, decreasing
garter st=every row knit
htr=half treble
inc=increase, increasing
K=Knit
‘M1’=make 1 - pick up loop which lies before next st, place on left hand needle and knit into back of loop
P=Purl
psso=pass slipped st over
sl st=slip st
sp/s=space/s
st/s=stitch/es
stocking st=1 row knit, 1 row purl
tbl=through back of loop
tog=together
tr=treble
yfwd=yarn forward - bring yarn under needle, then over into knitting position again, making a st
yoh=yarn over hook; yon=yarn over needle - take yarn over top of needle into knitting position, making a st
Base (Foundation) chain=the length of chain made at the beginning of a piece of crochet as a basis for constructing the fabric.
Turning chain=one, or more chains, depending upon the length of stitch required, worked at the beginning of a row.

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Is it Knitting time again?

Now that the nights in Melbourne are getting colder it’s time to get out your stash ... of knitting yarn I mean ... and see where your last project ended up. At my place I have a half knitted dog jumper, I need to sew off the ends of a baby’s cot cover, finish the edging on a lovely baby’s shawl and start sorting out the half finished balls to see what would look good for a scarf this year.

One of the most popular knitting yarns for a scarf is the ever-lasting feather yarn. Judging by the stock and huge colour range I see in stores, it’s still very popular. You do need to be careful though, some are rather scratchy and you certainly don’t want that in a scarf. I usually choose Moda Vera’s Flurry because it has a silky texture and some great colours. To keep the shape of the scarf I often work one strand of feather yarn and one strand of 8ply. It takes a while to get used to the two strands but after a while your fingers just seem to work it out. Of course, there are hundreds of different textured yarns you can use and the results are only limited by your own imagination.

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Determining the Ply of your Knitting Yarn

If you have some yarn and you don’t know what ply or weight it is, you can work it out by wrapping some of the yarn around a ruler and then counting the number of wraps it takes to cover one inch (2.5cm), however, this does not work with mohair or fuzzy type yarns.

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Easy Baby Jumper Knitting Pattern

This quick and easy pattern is for a short sleeved jumper, knitted all in one using 8ply Acrylic. It can be knitted in one colour though it does look great with colourful stripes. Great pattern for Charity work (see my earlier entry regarding kogo).

Materials
1-2 100g balls of 8ply or Double Knit Acrylic Yarn
4.5-5mm Knitting Needles

Instructions
Knitted all in one.
Cast on 44 stitches and work 18 rows in K2, P2 rib.
Work 30 rows stocking stitch (one row knit, one row purl).
Cast on 12 stitches at beginning of next 2 rows and at the same time, change to K2, P2 (for sleeves).
(The number of cast on stitches can be increased to make longer sleeves.)
Work 22 rows in K2, P2 rib.
Cast off 12 stitches at beginning of the next 2 rows.
Work 30 rows in stocking stitch.
Work 18 rows K2, P2 rib.
Cast off.
Sew up side seams.


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kogo - Knitting for a Cause

The group known as kogo (knit-one-give-one) began in Melbourne in 2004. During that year 180 scarves were knitted and distributed by the Emerald Hill Mission to those in need. The following year, with 200 volunteer knitters onboard, kogo donated over 2,000 knitted garments. By 2006 the number of volunteers had grown to 350 and the garments increased to 3,000. Growing each year kogo has now received over 43,000 hand knitted items, supplying over 30 agencies.

I joined this group last year and thoroughly enjoyed making my small contribution to the massive pile of scarves, beanies and varied items. So, if you have any scraps of yarn and you think you might like to help someone in need, click on this link - kogo - and read all about the fabulous work being done. There are suggested patterns available on the website, details of where to send or drop off your items, and the project runs from March until the end of August.


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Look what they're doing with Bamboo!

Remember the days when variety meant buying Bluebell or Totem and in winter it was Husky or Crafty? Well, haven't things changed with Knitting Yarn? Today's variety means Alpaca and Hand dyed Silk, Australian Merino and Cashmere, and Organic Eco yarns made from Bamboo, Soya Beans or Milk, just to name a few.

Yarns with a Bamboo blend have become very popular due to the soft and silky feel. Certainly easy on the hands when knitting. Bamboo is also credited with an anti-bacterial quality.

Here's a couple of different types of Bamboo yarn - one fabric and one blended with wool -

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