Looking for Ribbon Yarn that isn’t soo expensive…

I found this really awesome shawl/wrap pattern in Knitter’s Magazine- the ends of the wrap have these diamond shapes and there is this cool ruffly black ribbon knitted in along the edges of the diamonds and down the length of the wrap.

So sounds cool…but when I looked up the yarn they suggested, Trendsetters Yarn, it is pretty darn expensive . Like, 9 balls of Tonalita ($8.85 per ball) and then 2 balls of the ribbon-y Intermezzo ($10+ per ball)??! So I went to Michaels and just got Patons SWS (soy wool stripes)- I know sounds fancy (soy wool??) but it was way way cheaper and the yarn was really pretty- striping earthy-coffee colors.

Now for the ribbon yarn…I’ve been looking but can’t find any other type of yarn that is wide enough and/or has an edging that lets you easily pick up the side of the ribbon yarn to attach it to the piece as you knit. There are plenty of regular ribbon yarns, but they are meant to be knit by themselves and not attached as ribbon edging…so you’d have to sew it on by hand, and it probably wouldn’t be wide enough…Ahhh trendsetter yarn why are you so expensive!!

First stitch patterns: Combine Knit and Purl Stitches

So now that you know how to do the two basic stitches, knit and purl, these two stitches can be combined to create infinite different textures and effects. You can make patterns out of knit stitches on a background of purl stitches, or vice versa.

Here is what the knitted piece looks like when you simply knit every stitch of every row. It has a row of v’s, then a row of horizontal bars, etc. This is called the garter stitch.

Here is what it looks like when you knit one row, purl the next, etc. Most people think the all-v’s look better than the garter stitch, so this is used for the right-side in many clothing patterns. It is called the stockinette stitch (abreviated st st). But the back however will be the opposite, all horizontal bars.

If you want both sides to look like nice v’s, you can use the ribbing stitch of knit 1, purl 1 for every row. You have to make sure you have an even number of stitches though, so that they line up (each stitch should be knit on one side and purl on the other). This stitch looks like knit on both sides because the purl stitches get bunched up in between the knit stitches.

How to Purl

The second basic stitch used in knitting is called purling. It is basically the “opposite” of knitting: knitting is just pulling a row of loops through the previous row of loops, and whether you pull them through the front or the back of the row makes it “knitting” or “purling.”

Purling is not that different from knitting. After you have cast on and have your stitches ready to purl, you insert your second knitting needle through the first stitch from top to bottom instead of bottom to top. Like this:

Compared with knitting:

Then (just like the knit stitch) wrap the yarn around the needle.

And use the right-side needle pull the wrapped loop through the stitch on the left needle.

Then to finish the stitch, slide the stitch on the left needle up…

…and slide it off the end of the left needle.

Ta-dah! It doesn’t look like much yet, but after a few rows of purling it starts looking like a scarf ^_^.

What do you do next? You can read about how you can combine the basic knit and purl stitches.

Knitting Step 2: How to Knit!

Okay, so you’ve already done step 1: casting on and have a bunch of stitches on the needle like this- Now what?

2.1 Have cast on ready to go!

Well knitting is basically the same as casting on except you don’t “save” the stitches on the first needle, you kick them off the end and they form a second row.

2.2 Put 2nd knitting needle under the first stitch. (To purl instead of knit you would put the needle the other way into the stitch. that will be lesson 3 though.) Remember keep the yarn on the right side.

2.3 Just like when casting on, wrap the yarn around the 2nd needle from the back to the front like this:

2.4 Also like casting on, slide the 2nd needle down and pull the wrapped yarn through the loop on the left needle.

2.5 Now the new knitting part: you have to slide the loop/stitch that’s on the left needle, off. It might be a little bulky and look weird at first but don’t worry after you get through a row or few it will shape up ^_^.

Tadah! Here is the completed first row. Again, it might not look like much, but you can see the beginning of the pretty “V”s that make up the front, knitted side. When you get to the end of the “right side” row you turn the work around to knit (or purl) the “wrong” side. The back will have horizontal bars, this is what “Purl” stitches look like. If you knit both the right and wrong sides, this is called the Garter stitch and has alternating rows of V’s and horizontal bars. It’s not as pretty as the all V’s (in the second picture)- you get this by knitting one side and purling on the other. The next lesson will show you how to purl…^_^

Knitting Step 1: Casting on

How do you go from a ball of yarn to knitting away and creating a masterpiece? Here’s how to get started!

Step 0: Form a Slip Knot.

Okay technically it doesn’t have to be a slip knot…but a slip knot is adjustable which can help keep your first stitch tidy after you get started.

0.1 Make a simple loop with the yarn.
0.2 Make a second loop and pull this through the first loop.
0.3 Tighten by holding loop and pulling long yarn tail.

Step 1: Casting on- how to create stitches.

Now you have to cast on, which is making the base stitches that you can then knit. This will warm you up for the knitting too!

1.1 Slip Knot goes on the knitting needle…hold it with left hand…
1.2 Slip the second knitting needle under the stitch. The yarn should be on the right side.

1.3 Take the yarn and loop it around the 2nd needle like in the picture:

1.4 Now you slip the 2nd needle down and pull the wrapped yarn through the loop on the first needle.

1.5 Now pull the loop some more and put it onto the first needle- this is the 2nd cast-on stitch. Ta-dah!

1.6 Now do the same thing for the 2nd stitch etc. until you have as many stitches as you want. Then see Step 2: How to Knit!

Recent projects- sleeveless top and tote bag

Here are two recent projects I finished…well mostly anyway.

Crochet Tote Bag

The tote bag is finished, here it is with a few mini neopets inside…the pattern is from a Lily/Bernat Sugar n Cream booklet. The bag is crocheted mostly in one piece wrapped around for the body, two handles sewed on, and attached to a bottom crocheted strip. This is why I actually like crocheting more than knitting, because you don’t have to sew much to finish the thing…you can keep crocheting to build new pieces or attach others. That’s why whenever I finish knitting pieces for something, they sit for a while and I start knitting something else…because I don’t like actually sewing the pieces together to finish!

Sleeveless Knit Top

And here is the knit top, pattern from Yarn Cocktails. I still have to sew on the buttons on the side waist (you can’t see it but it is split at the bottom). The pattern called for picking up and knitting around the arm and neck holes but I used crochet instead since that is easier and probably looks better anyway…

Hello knitting world!

Well so…nice to meet you, here’s my blog, I’ll (obviously) be writing about knitting…and crochet…and probably Kdramas too at some point…:)

Here are my ideas so far for what to write about:

• What I’m knitting/crocheting…or what I wish I were
• How to knit/crochet
  • the basics
  • cool things
  • like miter(ing?)- where you turn the knit piece and pick up stitches along another side and knit off of there
  • cables- kind of boring but fun at the same time
  • patterns?
  • lace knitting
• how to make clothes that fit and look good instead of being giant and frumpy- hint: when a pattern says 34″ bust that really is probably like 38″ and it will be too baggy!!
• how to make nice edges- hint crochet borders are the best! way easier than picking up a million edge stitches to knit 1 row and stops the curling.
• knitting book/magazine reviews