Crazy Clackers

The following web sites are for people who need knitters’ graph paper to plan their own stitch or colour patterns.

http://www.tata-tatao.to/knit/matrix/e-index.html The graph paper is generated then printed at your computer.

http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/ scroll down until you see “Asymetric” which is the best form for knitting. The graph paper is generated then downloaded to your computer as a pdf file.

Judy

The January Clackers Meeting will be held at Linda’s house (please check your directory for the address and phone number) on Tuesday January 27th at 7:30 pm. Feel free to bring show and tell of projects, books, gadgets etc. We are still doing our lace projects, so bring yours along or any other project if you are not knitting lace. This time we will look at casting off loosely for lace, so if you want to try this please see if you can come with a square knitted in a simple lace or any other square so that we can try casting off. Casting off loosely is also useful for many other projects. As well as your usual needle bring a needle two or three sizes larger than the one that you are using to knit the square. We will also begin to discuss lace borders. Everyone welcome.

I am a volunteer for the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle. They are holding a Nordic Knitting Conference March 13-15th. Two of the classes pertain to knitting and weaving patterns. I was wondering if you could place this in your event calendar if you think it would be of interest. More information about this Conference can be found on www.nordicmuseum.org

Instructor
Jody Grage

Weaving and Knitting Together

Friday, March 13, 9 am - 4:30pm

Several aspects of weaving have interesting possibilities for knitting. Weaving construction techniques and clothing styles can be adapted to knitting and be an improvement because of the different qualities of knit “fabric”. Finishing techniques used in weaving to stabilize cut edges can encourage more freedom to “cut and paste” with knitted pieces.

Combining weaving and knitting can make use of the special characteristics of each technique as well as the interest created by combining the textures and colors. Examples from traditional as well as contemporary clothing will be discussed as a springboard for the development of your own ideas and approaches.

Skill Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Knitting from Weaving Patterns
Saturday, March 14, 9am-12pm
Both knitting and weaving use charted/graphed patterns - but there are complications that keep the two systems from being interchangeable. In this class you will explore methods for converting weaving patterns to knitted stitch patterns. Weaving pattern sources, including historic pieces, will be available for discussion. Knit samples based on weaving patterns will be used for demonstration.

Skill Level: Intermediate with 2 color stranded knitting experience

Thanks for your time.

Karin Lowe
Museum volunteer

hi all….
hope you all enjoyed tonight’s Crazy Clackers.
what a turn out! did we lose count, Deb?

Firstly…..thanks to Debbie for opening her home and kitchen (great snacks) to such a large group. is this the largest we’ve had?

We enjoyed Show and Tell from Laura, Judy, Charlene and me. (sorry if I forgot someone else. its late and my brain is already sleeping)

Thanks to Linda for sharing information on Life lines. No matter if you are in plain knit, pattern, or lace - a life line in your project can save you from froggin’ or a very bad headache. She suggested using a heavy sewing thread or Perle Cotton to run along the row at a point like the beginning of a pattern repeat or start of shaping. That way, if you find that you have made an error or need to change the shaping in the next section, you can rip back to the life line where the thread is holding all your stitches.

Thanks to Judy for a lesson in lace knitting. She stressed the importance of knowing what the different stitches look like & how a SSK slants differently than K2tog. Practicing with a worsted weight yarn and 5mm needles will help you learn how different combinations knit together to form a simple or complex pattern. Judy also brought along some good lace knitting books as well as a number of patterns that are available on the Internet. As an experienced knitter, she described how to correct mistakes along the way. sometimes you may need to take back a few rows or to your life line, but sometimes you can correct just a few stitches.

Just wanted to share this clip from the Yarn Harlot’s blog on lace error corrections. (please be aware that some objectable language is contained in the comments)
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/06/23/out_of_words.html
and when you have had time to catch your breath, be sure to read the post that follows a few days later.
http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2006/06/27/what_is_possible.html
…… next time for Clackers to Click together will be at Linda’s house on Nov 25.
Happy Halloween everyone,
Denise

ps: there were some newcomers this evening that are not in my group email list. please pass this along to them. thanks.

The Clackers November meeting will be on Tuesday 25th November at Judy’s (please see the membership book for address and phone number) We will start at 7:30 pm.

We are continuing with our lace projects. Some people have finished their first project and some are still learning the basics and will begin when they feel ready. This month we will look at reading a chart to knit lace. So bring your yarn and appropriate needles for lace knitting and we will knit a small sample. Just bring your knitting if you want a relaxing evening!