DIY Snag Free Knitting Stitch Markers

     Today I was working on a knitting project for a doll and needed some stitch markers. As I was using size 2.5mm needles I decided to make some small ones so they were the right size.

    Although I have seen some very pretty ones around, I hate those dangling ones that seem to get caught up in the yarn all the time. If I am using fine yarn I don't want to risk it breaking because it gets tangled in the stitch marker! They also seem to reduce my knitting speed.I like them to be as simple as possible.

      I often just use those little plastic rings that are used on some bras, but the ones I had around were slightly bigger than I wanted. So I picked out some jewellery jump-rings and chose some small beads which had the hole of about the same size as the wire. I don't like to use big beads because they take up space inside the ring. Small beads look pretty and are functional.

     If you don't have any jump-rings the size you need  you can just use some fairly thick jewellery wire, cutting it to the size you wish. Long-nosed pliers like the ones I used make it easy to shape it into a circle. You can also use a bigger size knitting needle to give it the right form. Remember that the stitch marker needs to be slightly bigger than the needle you are using so you can easily slip it from one needle to the other while knitting. Too big can be awkward and stretch  fine yarn.

     So here I picked out some jewellery jump-rings and chose some small beads which had the hole of about the same size as the wire. With a pair of long-nose pliers I opened the ring.

I placed a bead on one end of the wire pushing it almost fully on.

I then bent the wire back into position. putting the open side of the wire into the bead and pulling the bead over the join. I actually used 2 pairs of pliers to do this as I found it easier to grasp and push the wire into shape.

Here is the finished little ring. Looks cute doesn't it? Looks like a dolly ring!

     Here I placed the stitch markers on the needle as I started the pattern. If you use different colour beads you can mark different parts.

     You may have noticed that I do not glue the beads into place on the wire. If they are a fairly snug fit they do not slip around but stay in their place. Although personally it has never happened to me, if you do knit them into your work by mistake, it would be easy to pull them open and take them out without damaging the knitting! If they are glued you can't do that so easily.
I have been making these for years and they have never come open while knitting.

     They are quick and very cheap to make.

I would love to know what you think about my method of making these with no glue. 

Easy DIY template for measuring Knitting Gauge.

   

  How often I have seen comments from people that their finished project didn't match the pattern measurement:

  "The sweater doesn't fit me! But I used the yarn and needles that were on the pattern! "  She wails.

      Yes sure:  But did you measure your gauge? Yes; your gauge, not the gauge the pattern designer got with those needles and that yarn!

      We all knit in slightly, or very different ways. It is very important to work a gauge swatch before starting your project!

     Yes I know that you can't wait to get going and start this fantastic new design! But patience and get that swatch done!

An average gauge swatch should be at least about 4" x 4" (10cm x 10 cm)  That gives you enough to measure stitches and rows.  Elizabeth Zimmermann recommended measuring over 3" making it easier to get an average. A swatch should ideally be worked  in stockinette if the pattern gives gauge in stockinette or in the stitch pattern indicated. Be Warned! Different stitch patterns can give very different results!

     I usually start my swatch with a few rows of garter stitch, then work in stockinette with a few stitches in garter at each edge. I end with a few rows of garter stitch. This helps avoid the swatch rolling up on itself.

     If the pattern calls for the swatch to be blocked, then block it as the finished garment will be. You can even wash it if you feel the yarn may change after washing! If the designer has given specific instructions follow them!

     In every case let it rest for a while before measuring. That is something I learnt in my machine knitting days. It will then take the final form.

     Lay it flat and use the stitch gauge template to measure it. Place the template on top and count the stitches and rows in the "window"! I used to find that with pins and rulers or measuring tapes I would be counting wrong, maybe counting a partial stitch as a whole one which on a big garment with many stitches and rows can give a significant difference in size creating an ill-fitting garment.

Now how do you make your template?

     To make a simple stitch gauge template you just need some medium weight cardboard.
 I also used some graph paper, a pencil, glue, a ruler and a sharp cutter. (A sharp knife would do).

     Decide what size template you want to make. I made two here, one to measure 3" and a smaller one to measure 1".
      I drew a square one inch bigger than the template on some graph paper for ease, and another the size I wanted inside.

      I glued the template on some cardboard. Then using a sharp cutter and a ruler as a guide, I cut the inner part leaving a "window". Very simple.

      Just place the the template over the swatch and it is easy to accurately count the rows and stitches that you see.

     If you make a 4" template you will divide the results by 4 to get stitches and rows per inch; for this 3" one I divide by 3.

 
     I find a smaller 1" one very useful when making my doll patterns.

     The bigger the swatch template, the more accurate your results will be. Remember to include partial stitches when calculating!


                                    Easy?  Please let me know what you think of this!

Summer knits and hairbands for American Girl Dolls!

   

                                                     Summer Sleeveless Set.

Ella-Mae.

     This week I have been very busy with my latest knitting patterns for 18 inch dolls. I published "AGD Summer Sleeveless Set" and finished off the testing on another "Ella-Mae" which will be available on Ravelry later today.
     I am so lucky to have some super-quick efficient testers who control my patterns!

My latest pattern "Ella-Mae" has a matching hairband as part of the outfit. I have great difficulty buying the hairband blanks for American Girl dolls here so had to adapt cheap plastic ones.
     This was an idea I had seen on another blog so just had to have a go!

 If you would like to check it out this was the original blog post:  http://tikidoll.blogspot.it/2011/09/how-to-make-headband-...

These were some cheap plastic hairbands I found for a few cents.

 First I bent the hairband and held it in place with some wire leaving a small amount to hold it.

 Then using the extra wire as a handle I dipped it into some boiling water for a couple of minutes. Here the time depends on the plastic. The orange one took far less. Careful not to let it touch the pan, just the water!

I then put it into cold water to set the shape.  With some cutters I chopped off the extra length.
 I quickly redipped the ends in the boiling water to smooth any rough edges.

Look how cute! 

     
                                                           Here is the orange one.

I sewed the knitted pieces from the pattern onto the hairband and added the bow!

                       
                                                    So easy to make and so cute!

I would love to hear if you try this!

Italian Sewn Bind off Tutorial (Kitchener or grafted)

     In my last post I started a swatch to demostrate how to do an Italian tubular cast on which I learnt when I first came here. In this tutorial I have continued the swatch and will show you how to do a sewn bind off to match the cast on.

     Once again it was my neighbour who showed me how to work this. An old lady who couldn't  read or write she  made many wonderful things and was capable of reading a piece of knitting as if reading a pattern. I learnt to "reverse engineer" knitting following her example!

     All knitting instructions I have seen in books and online seem to divide the work when doing a sewn bind off, placing stitches on 2 needles. She taught me to bind them off from the same needle they were on while knitting.
.

     
     First work two rows of double knitting:
1)* K1, S1 purlwise with yarn in front. Repeat form *to end of row.
2) As row 1.
     Now take a blunt tipped yarn needle. Cut the yarn leaving at least twice the width of the work in length. I usually calculate about 3x the width of the stitches to be bound off.  It is better to have excess yarn than to have to join in the middle of sewing!

The first stitch should be a knit stitch. Slip the needle in the stitch as if slipping purlwise (without twisting it) Slip the stitch onto yarn.

 The next stitch is a purl stitch. Slip the needle into the stitch from the front as if you were going to knit it, Slip onto yarn.

 Now bring the yarn over the top of the work and go into the left loop of the last knit stitch worked bring the needle out of the next knit stitch on the needle slipping it as if to slip purlwise.

Take yarn over the top to the back again and enter into the left leg of the last sewn purl st and go out of the next one on needle as if to knit it.

Keep repeating these movements to the end of the row.

She taught me to say "in and out" You are going inwards on the last stitch worked on that side, and out of the next stitch on needle.Loop over the top and repeated on the other side.

See what a nice neat edge this gives? It is almost identical to the cast on she taught me.

This edge is very elastic. I find it easier to work from the one needle than to divide onto 2 as many tutorials show you. If binding off a lot of stitches there is less risk off dropping them. if you do run out of yarn while sewing, simply make a neat join at the last stitch and continue sewing, don't try to pass knots through the stitches! You can hide the end in the edge quite easily when finished.

I have tried to take a lot of photos to show what I was doing. If you have any questions please let me know and I will try to answer!
     Happy (Italian) Knitting! Lol!

Italian Cast On Tutorial. (Or tubular cast on)

     When I first came to Italy in the seventies I was already a fairly proficient knitter but here I discovered new ways of doing things.
     Apart from the different way of holding the needles which I will talk about in a future post, I also found that my neighbour used a different cast on method which I thought was better for many projects. This cast on gives a tubular cast on which is far stretchier and also pleasing to the eye!

     This way of casting on is excellent when making topdown sweaters or socks where you need an elastic stretchy edge. If knitting in the round I usually start flat and then join on the third row!

This is how she taught me to cast on with some waste yarn.
Let's say that I need a knitted piece with 40sts:

     Cast on half the stitches + one stitch  with waste yarn. For this example I need 40 sts so I cast on 20 + 1sts =  21sts.

With the working yarn  work as follows :
Row 1) *Knit one stitch, Yarn over, (that is bring the yarn to the front and pass back over the needle to the back), repeat from * to last stitch, K1. ( 41sts on needle).

Row 2) *Slip the first stitch purlwise with the yarn in front, Move the yarn to the back of work,  knit the yarn over. Repeat from * until you reach the last stitch, S1 purlwise.

Row 3)* K1, S1 purlwise, repeat from * to last stitch, K1.

Row 4) * S1 purlwise, K1, repeat from * to last st, S1 purlwise.

Now work in K1, P1, rib as usual. (Or change to stitch required)  If, as in this swatch, you have one stitch more than you need purl 2 together at the end to get the correct stitch count.
 At the end of work carefully undo the waste yarn. You have a neat double knitted edge.

In my next post I will continue this swatch to show you how to do a sewn bind off which matches the cast on.