Drop Spindle Your Own Handspun Yarn

My drop spindle that is stained green from my green fiber.

I was recently at the Carolina Fiber Fest and saw a booth with a few spinning wheels and price tags that let me know it would be a while before I could spin. I went to another booth to buy a book. In my peripheral vision I saw a woman at the spinning booth using this 12-inch stick thing to spin yarn. Unfortunately, it was time for me to leave and I didn't get to ask the woman what she was doing. I went home and searched online for something like, “spin yarn by hand.” I found dozens of videos for using the stick thing, which turned out to be a drop spindle.

That one demonstration has become a Pandora's Box for my fiber world. I watched every video I could find of people using drop spindles. This was my alternative to an expensive spinning wheel. I took a class for the drop spindle just last weekend. I haven't had much practice since the class, but I look forward to my next fiber purchase so that I can spin, spin, spin!

I wanted to show my drop spindle in case there are others interested in spinning yarn, but can't afford a wheel. I have seen some basic, but high quality drop spindles on Etsy for $10-$25 dollars. And then of course Etsy also has some gorgeous intricately designed spindles. A lot of yarn stores carry spindles and fiber and many spinning wheel manufactures make spindles. You can learn a lot from watching the videos available online, but nothing beats learning in person. I liked being able to ask questions and receive corrections.

Your first yarn probably won't be something that you can knit with, but you may be one of the lucky ones who picks it up right away. A spindle is not as fast as a wheel, but some use spindles exclusively. They are worth learning on because of their portability. I will take mine to some spinning groups when I get a little better.

My first 3-yard hank of handspun.

Do you already spindle or use a wheel? Or, may spinning be in your future?

Knitting Gauge: A Mildly Essential Tool

I consider the knitting gauge “mildly essential” but, I want to be clear that I am NOT saying that checking gauge is unimportant. Gauge is especially important when it comes to garments, but I'll make a post about checking gauge in the near future. I purchased one of those beginning knitting kits when I first learned to knit and I think that it came with a knitting gauge that I never used. It was a long time before I knit anything where gauge really mattered. The reason I say that a knitting gauge is mildly essential is that you can use a standard ruler to check gauge.

The pictured gauge is from my Boye set of interchangeable needles. The 2-inch vertical and horizontal windows on the left edge are what I use to check the rows and stitches per inch, also known as gauge. I use the needle gauge on a regular basis since sizes aren't marked on my interchangeable set. It also has a 6-inch ruler across the top for small measurements. Basically, I use this for a lot more than checking gauge. You can buy these alone and they are often packaged with kits. It's also worth looking into some unique and handcrafted gauges since it is a tool you can buy once and keep forever.

Do you use a knitting gauge or ruler to check gauge?

Knitting Aid: Row Counter

One of the tools I am using while knitting my socks is a row counter. After a decade of knitting I finally decided to buy one. My original method for counting rows or pattern repeats was tally marks. There is nothing wrong with saving the money and using pen and paper. I decided to make the change now because I have a toddler who likes to come and snatch things and its easier to keep up with one row counter than a pen, paper, and something to write on. I usually hide my row counter under my thigh so that he doesn't see it.

Most row counters I see are similar to the one I purchased, which is made by Clover. They count to 99 and then reset to 0. I have seen a few that will count to 999 and have separate number sections to count two things such as stitches, rows, or pattern repeats. I have also seen a few apps that have customizable counters. I also like the clicking sound they make. It is aural gratification that makes me feel like I am making progress. That click means I have just completed one more row, and then one more. It is much more satisfying than tally marks.

The only drawback I have found is that the top will sometimes get pressed if the row counter is bouncing around in my project bag. Then I have to spend some time figuring out which row I am on. This has happened a few times while working the chart for the socks I am knitting. I make a mental note of my last row at the end of my knitting sessions, but my brain sometimes fails me.

Do you bother with a row counter or use another method?

Unfinished Sock Woes

I wanted to share my UFO for this week. I am working on a pair of socks and I wanted to have the first sock finished this weekend, which did not happen. One of my knitting goals for 2014 was that every piece I knit have at least one element that is new to me. These socks have multiple new elements and they are driving me crazy.

It is my first time using fingering weight yarn, size 1 needles, and legit stitch markers. It is also the first pair of socks I have made and for some reason I decided to make it even harder on myself and knit them using the standard continental method instead of my usual combined method. In hindsight I think that I would have enjoyed making a sock in a worsted weight sock yarn with simple ribbing.

The sock pattern is called, “Elm” from The Knitter's Book of Socks. I instantly fell in love with the pattern and I rarely find a pattern that I want to follow to the stitch. This may have actually been a first, but I fell in love with the stitch pattern and not the overall sock design. I should have considered that I don't like long socks. The more I get into constructing this sock the less I think it is something I will wear and that has hindered my motivation.

I still really like the stitch design. It is basically a repetition of the 3 x 3 rib pattern used for the cuff. As it moves towards the toe the ribbing shifts and appears to crisscross in a beautiful way. I get a little fed up with the constant decreases and increases, but the finished socks will be beautiful. My only variation on the pattern is that I used Ty-Dy Socks Dots by Knit One, Crochet Too instead of the pattern's specified yarn. I saw this at my local yarn store and grabbed it on a thoughtful impulse. Its one of my favorite sock yarns.

I'm giving myself another week to finish the first sock and then I will work on another project before I start the second one. I need to give my hands a break from the small needles. Do you have any never-ending projects?  

Beginner Basics: Garter Stitch

I want to talk about what is usually the first stitch pattern learned - garter stitch. My Psychology teacher was not a knitting professional or even American, so terminology was not emphasized. Some of the early patterns I worked through would say something like, “work garter stitch until piece measures four inches.” I would then look at one of those teach yourself books to figure out what garter stitch is. Most newer pasterns write out the stitch patterns in the general notes, but you may run into “work garter stitch,” in older patterns.

What is Garter Stitch?

Garter stitch is simply performing a knit stitch across the row on both the right side (front of the work) and wrong side (back of the work) of the work. The first thing I knit with my Psychology teacher was a garter stitch scarf. I cast on around 45 stitches in a worsted weight yarn and knit every stitch of every row until the scarf was approximately four feet long. I ended up with a scarf that was too wide and too short. I never wore it, but I still have it.

I was very anti-garter stitch after making that scarf. I find garter stitch takes a bit more effort physically than stockinette stitch and I think there is a mentality that its too simple once you move on to more complex stitches. But, after knitting for years I have fallen in love with the humble garter stitch. I think that it is a beautiful stitch in all its simplicity. It also works beautifully as an edging to prevent stockinette stitch from curling. Many throws and baby blankets have garter stitch borders.

How to Count Rows

Garter stitch is also one of the easiest stitches to count the rows. Each ridge of garter stitch is made of two knitted rows. If a pattern calls for 15 rows of garter stitch it is easy to count each of the ridges and multiply by 2. That will give you the total number of rows that have been worked. It is important to remember that the cast on row is never counted and the stitches that are on the needle count as one row. Seven ridges, plus the row of stitches that are on the needle would equal 15 rows of garter stitch.

Below is a quickly and poorly knit two-color garter stitch sample. I started alternating white and blue ridges (six rows) followed by two blue and two white ridges (eight rows). Then, it is back to one ridge of each color. The cast on and bind off rows aren't counted for a total of 18 rows.

Please ignore the uneven tension and unwoven ends :-)