Free pattern: easy v-neck baby cardigan in DK yarn

This was knitted on the midgauge (6.5mm) machine using approx. 100g DK acrylic (approx. 300m per 100g ball).

This is the finished object - sorry for the poor quality of the pic, I was having problems with the camera.

Tension: 21s x 27.5 rows @ T4 = 10cm

Back

Cast on 64 sts in 1x1 rib using MT-2, and knit 14 rows. Transfer all sts to main bed, set RC000, MT, and knit to R38. Mark both ends of row (armhole) and continue to knit to R70. Scrap off on waste yarn.

Fronts

Cast on 32 sts in 1x1 rib, using MT-2, and knit 14 rows. Transfer all sts to main bed, set RC000, MT, and knit to R36. Dec 1 st on neck edge, K 2 rows, mark R38 (armhole). On neck edge, dec 1 st and knit 2 rows, then dec 1 st every 3 rows 10 times (19 sts remain). Knit straight until R70. Scrap off on waste yarn

Knit another front, reversing the shapings.

Sleeve (make 2)

Cast on 36 sts and knit 1x1 rib, using MT-2 for 10 rows. Transfer all sts to main bed, set RC000, MT. Inc 1 st on 5th and every following 5th row until RC25, then inc 1st every 6th row 2 times (RC37, 50sts). Knit straight until row 42, cast off loosely.

To join shoulders: With RS facing, mount a front onto the machine and remove waste yarn. With WS facing, mount the corresponding side of the back (do not remove waste yarn). Knit 1 row T10 and use the latch tool to cast off. Repeat for other side.

Hold pieces along machine bed and estimate number of stitches required for band when pieces are slightly stretched. Make one band for one front and back of neck, and the other band for the remaining front. I knitted 5 rows 1x1 rib, made some buttonholes, and then another 5 rows 1x1 rib. Transfer all stitches to main bed, knit 1 row MT and then with WS facing, mount the front/back neck onto the machine. K 1 row T10 and latch tool cast off. Repeat for other band, omitting buttonholes. Remove remaining waste yarn. Mattress stitch side seams and sleeve seams, weave in all ends, sew on buttons.

FO: Baby doll outfit

The bloomers...



The petticoat...



The bootees...



The dress and hat...

I think she's a bit small, or rather, the whole outfit is a bit big for her, but it was too late when I realised. It's certainly a lot better than the outfit I have for her. This was my doll as a child, aka Clare. My sister wanted a Tiny Tears for Christmas and my mum always tried to get us the same things, so she was a jumble-sale find I think. I did not chew her fingers or cut her hair - she came like that - I was careful with my toys!

Finished the sewing up last night. I've been flat out at work all week and not getting home on time, so hand-sewing in front of the tv is all I've been capable of.

FO: Baby cardigan (orange)

100_3906
Originally uploaded by steel breeze

Yes, it really is neon bright orange, and I didn't even adjust the brightness on this picture!

Another SK860 project, this time calculated in Knitware

Stalled? Nah, just busy!

The one problem about doing a lot of knitting/crochet is that it generates a lot of sewing up before it's finished. I've got the doll's outfit to sew up and decorate, and a sideways skirt to graft (although I'm not sure how happy I am with it already). The one obstacle is time - these things aren't quite mindless enough for in front of the tv - not as mindless as a simple garter stitch dishcloth, anyway. Not that I spend that much time in front of the tv. I'm following "Waking the Dead", "Doctor Who" and "Desperate Housewives" at the moment. Anything else I get chance to watch, is a bonus! And it'll get worse before it gets better - I've got a portable telly in the knitting room, but it's not digital so after September it will be useless without a digibox - and that room has no aerial anyway. It was going to get freecycled, but I discovered I could use it with the Brother PPD so we kept it, although I don't have a proper place to put it at the moment.

Don't worry, I'll get there. Planning on doing some sewing up on Wednesday night at knit club.

Steps to make a (machine) knitted/crocheted garment

1. Choose a design
2. Take body measurements
3. Select pattern and adjust to size
4. Prepare yarn
5. Thread up machine
6. Make tension gauge; let rest for at least 24 hours; treat as for finished garment
7. Make note of gauge
8. Set the knit contour (if using)
9. Knit the pieces
10. Block and press
11. Sew up the garment
12. Final press
13. Completed garment

This is based on a list I found alongside a cute cartoon, in the invaluable Knitmaster publication "Bible for Machine Knitting: How to knit garments".

I'm sure most non-knitters think it's as easy as steps 1, 9, and 13. Certainly I get that impression from people who've asked me to do commissions. Luckily they've never followed it up with yarn or money. I'd rather not take commissions - I don't have the time, and I'd rather knit what I want and then pass it on. Having a deadline would make it a chore, and that's not what I want from my hobby. Plus the two people who asked wanted large items in black or navy blue. Very hard to see, even harder to sew up neatly.

They seem to think, it being a machine-knit, it must be faster, right? Press a few buttons and out pops a jumper? Yes, the old toaster-knitting machine idea. It doesn't work like that (except perhaps in industry). Working from an established pattern that I've done loads of times is one thing - I know what yarn works, what gauge works etc. Designing something from scratch and doing it properly is quite another. I've heard tales of customers ultimately not paying up because what they thought they wanted and what they got didn't match up. I'm not sure I could handle that. If you cost it correctly, there's no way it'd compete with a cheap shop-bought item anyway - the yarn itself can be expensive before you've even factored in a minimum wage for yourself.

Handknitters ought to do all of these steps too, skipping steps 5 and 8 of course. To get a perfect garment, you should follow all of these steps, and don't skimp or skip any of them. Unless you are knitting for charity, or have an unlimited supply of relatives in various sizes, you really need to swatch (unless it's for a non-critical item such as a bag or scarf). Let us not speak of the time I wasted in hand-knitting the back of an intricately-cabled cardigan, in cotton, in the size I thought would fit me, only to have my mother point out the back alone would happily fit Giant Haystacks (a wrestler) as a shawl. Not to mention, the thing was so heavy even in the smaller size that it has stretched beyond all usefulness. Never again! If you hate to swatch, knit part of the sleeve. It's big enough that you can measure it, and if it's right you're already under way.

Unfortunately I get the distinct impression that a lot of textiles students are being taught about textiles, but not about how long these things take to produce. I've lost count of the messages I've seen on various boards, some student needs a knitted/crocheted garment for their coursework, and they need it for next week. Yeah, right! They should be taught to make something themselves and see just how long a machine (or a loom, or knitting needles, or a hook) really take. Not an industrial loom or knitting machine, either. A real one that needs warping up or setting up.

As in all things, if it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. I'm my own worst enemy in this respect. I'm impatient and I get bored/distracted easily. Sometimes I'm in such a hurry to get to the fun bit, the knitting bit, that I skip the preceding steps. It only takes a few minutes to machine-knit a swatch in advance. Then I get bored again, and the pieces lie around, waiting to be sewn up. It takes patience, concentration and dedication (or perhaps, sheer bloody-mindedness) to get to the finish line sometimes.

But it's definitely worth it.

Hey, this almost turned into a rant. I must be in a ranty mood, sorry about that. Now, where did I put that pile of things I need to sew up?! :)

FO: Baby cardigan

100_3898
Originally uploaded by steel breeze

This is based on a Heidi Cleary design from MKM magazine, but I used the mid-gauge machine instead. The pattern was written for two ends of 4ply @ T10, so I used DK @ T4. It was also written for a boy but I reversed the button band because mint green and pink seem feminine to me.

This is a stashbuster project and will either go to my niece or to charity.

How to use a needle pusher - standard machine

I struggle with written directions - I lose track of what they are talking about. I've had this needle pusher for years (from BSK) and never used it before. Last weekend I decided to knit a sideways-knitted skirt - based on one from the Mary Weaver book. It has wedges of holding position between straight sections. The wedges were 14 needles in hold x 4 then 11 needles in hold until only 16 left in work, and then back out again. I'd already done one wedge by counting - which took ages - and had walked away because I couldn't face another 11 wedges. Then I remembered I had this tool - and it works really well. It could also be used for the chunky gauge (9mm) if you double the number.

It's basically a simple plastic ruler with a sliding part that sticks out and allows you to easily select the required number of needles.

I'm not saying the skirt was great - I got sloppy about wrapping needles so there are some holes, and it needs grafting and a hem treatment - but it sure went a lot faster!


Pushing needles into hold


Returning needles to Upper Working Position (UWP)

New baby!

Yeah, don't panic, my weight gain is ALL ME and not somebody new, haha! This baby is the mechanical/electronic kind, a mid-gauge SK860. I picked it up at the Nottingham show, and yesterday was the first time I got it set up to play with. I had been thinking I might knit up the rest of the fine blue yarn on the fine gauge machine but decided what the heck, I can always swap them back again later.



First impressions are very good. The ribber attachment threw me for a while - it uses a fixed pin system to locate onto the main bed, and I was expecting screw holes. I managed to run over my own thumb trying to cast on with cotton, my own silly fault for leaving my thumb lying around on the bed really :) Now, of course, I'm wondering what other gadgets I need to go with it (intarsia, colour changer, knit radar). Actually, I think I'm probably covered on the last two, and it has to be said, after a brief flirtation with intarsia, I haven't done that much with the two carriages I already have.

The plan is to knit through a load of stash and make some charity stuff/dishcloths etc. To that end, I made two T tops (I used the standard gauge pattern here and multiplied everything by 0.75) and two dishcloths (not shown). Of course, the only problem with making more garments is that they all need sewing up! :) At least dishcloths are quick and easy.

London Machine-knitting Ravelry Meet, May 7th

One of the moderators on the main Ravelry machineknitting group (Ozlorna) has a daughter in London who is getting married this week, and she suggested we all met for a meal whilst she was here. Lots of discussion back and forth and we established we'd meet at Wagamamas in Leicester Square. Wagamamas was chosen because some of our party have food intolerances. The original plan was to meet by the Charlie Chaplin statue, but it turned out he's no longer there, and the Swiss building is also unrecognisable due to 2012 Olympic revamping.

I've had a stressful few weeks health-wise, thanks to gastro-enteritis and then a frozen shoulder, and I was suddenly sent to Holland last week, which always wrecks my sleeping patterns. So I was rather jittery about making sure we didn't miss anybody. London is a big place, full of strange-looking people, so we agreed I'd pack Flat Eric and some loud acrylic yarn so people could find us. This was based on my experience of the Birmingham Wagamamas, which is always packed. I've not been to London for two years, and didn't realise that in the Leicester Square area you are spoilt for choice restaurant-wise, so the Leics Sq one is a lot less rammed.

As it turned out, Saturday dawned grey and wet in Rugby, and himself decided he'd go to work, so he was anxious to drop me off as soon as possible. In fact, if he hadn't been dropping me off, he'd've been out the door at 7am I think. So I got to the station very early. Luckily I'd paid a bit more for a one-day travelcard, which meant I could get any train or tube. The local train and the fast train turned up at the same time - the first was packed, and I didn't fancy standing for 90 minutes with my poorly shoulder, but the fast train was only half-full so I jumped on that one. Got into London at just past 11am - was so stunned to be so early I checked my watch twice!

Got straight onto the underground - so glad I bought a ticket in advance, because the queue for the ticket machines was a nightmare - and found Leicester Square very easily. Wandered around looking for a birthday card (and then a pen to sign it with) for a friend, and then settled down at a pavement cafe within sight of Wagamamas, so I could look out for the others. The weather in London was fine, although I had packed for every eventuality. Spotted Hilarygermany (we met last year) and then she spotted Brother, and then we spotted the Australian contingent - Ozlorna and Ozism. Went down to the restaurant and Gillyr was waiting for us (and probably wondering where Flat Eric was). Ozism brought her ipad so we could chat to ChrysalisChris, who could hear us, but we couldn't hear her - Wagamamas is one of those restaurants where you can see right into the kitchen, so it's very noisy.

Had tried to work out the points beforehand (yes, I'm trying to follow WW again) but couldn't remember which was the lowest point thing so ended up going for ginger chicken udon because it's my favourite. And everyone was having pudding, yes, I know I should have resisted. I ordered white chocolate cheesecake but we got fudge cake by mistake, so we got that one for free - Ozism wasn't too impressed when I suggested we smear it into the ipad for Chrysalischris to enjoy.

There was some showing off of knitted garments - I only had the Noro Silk Garden cardigan I was wearing, as Flat Eric takes up a lot of space in a rucksack, and lots of photos were taken.

We were a good two hours in Wagamamas - nobody wanted to leave. Luckily it wasn't as packed out as the Birmingham one gets (London has several, Brum only one) so they didn't try and make us leave and we did leave a large tip :) We posed for a group photo at the entrance before going our seperate ways. Brother and I found a little pavement cafe around the corner and had another drink whilst we waited for her partner to return. I had made vague plans to visit Iknit and Loop, and perhaps Libertys, but decided that I really didn't need more yarn/fabric and I knew I'd feel compelled to buy something if I went in. Got back to the station and was home by 6pm - a mere 50 minutes on the train. Why do we need HS2 again? (the government are planning on cutting a new high speed railway through a swath of greenbelt to make it easier to get to London)

All in all, a lovely day. It was lovely to put faces to "Ravatars" - and we decided that one of Ozlorna's other offspring needs to marry a Canadian, so that she can visit ChrysalisChris and we can skype with her next time. I could have stayed all day and chatted!

This is a not-very-exciting pic of my sock on the train home :)

...and I'm aching

which is a line from a song.

Yes, I'm still alive, despite appearances. The 'flu turned out to be gastro enteritis, so I'm only now getting back to normal. Somebody somewhere didn't wash their hands, and I'm sure it wasn't me - I'm guessing it was the restaurant I went to with work on Wednesday, but I guess I'll never know. I booked the week off work - 3 days booked = 11 days holiday = bargain. It being a holiday, and sunny, beer had been planned. Beer + stomach bug = very bad.

We still managed to make a trip to York, which is lovely - spent two nights and rather a lot of money visiting various attractions. Enjoying oneself whilst trying to pick low fat, low sugar, non alcoholic food is really quite tricky when you're not cooking for yourself. Managed to leave my boots in the hotel so got to get them posted back to me.

Friday I planned to watch the royal wedding - just the ceremony really - and then potter about, and then go to the pub later. The neighbours invited us to join their street party and I ended up sitting out in a stiff breeze, getting a cricked neck, and getting rather drunk. There was a bouncy castle and inevitably I ended up trying it out - there's probably a very funny video already on Facebook somewhere. Managed to bang my nose on the tarmac as I came back off it - it didn't really have enough oomph for an adult - but luckily it doesn't seem like it's going to bruise.

We've been having a very nice spell of dry/sunny/warm weather - with the odd exception being Tuesday when we drove up to York and the day of the wedding. - so I've not felt inclined to sit indoors slaving over a hot knitting machine. Typical Brits, we are never happy - when it's miserable, we long for sun, and when it's sunny, we feel we have to be outdoors which means not doing the jobs we planned to do indoors. I'm a bit tired, lethargic, and anxious at the moment - disrupted sleep and stomach seems to do this to me - so not much knitting has occurred. I have, however, finished the doll's outfit, apart from the bootees, and then I need to find the lace and the daisies I bought and dig out some buttons.

However, I did manage to start a sideways knitted skirt. But only one panel so far - it's a lot of knitting! It's loosely based on a Mary Weaver pattern from her skirt book, but I am using an unknown mohair instead and am recalculating it to fit me.

Well, better go - I promised to help the other half chop down the willow/weed in our garden that is 20ft high and needs to go!