I just finished a master knitting program and I have to say that you're comments about "what skill made a difference" mirrored my experience exactly! It was really great to go through the program. I learned so much and, at this point, would say it gave me the tools to approach any knitting project with confidence. Gauge is critical and swatching it the key to understanding gauge!
Roxy, i love your storytelling! You spin a great yarn! (sorry, i couldn't resist!) Thanks for telling us about the fair. I'm trying to persuade my knitting group and weaving guild to enter the Great New York State Fair. I was surprised to learn that the most populate category from last year in knitting only had 15 entries!!!
So glad I watched this! I had been struggling with a new project for three days and knew that something wasn't right, but kept doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. After absorbing what you said about questioning things I stepped back, considered my options and have now chosen to take a different approach. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and wisdom.
I’m a fairly new knitter. Learned a few years ago basic knit/Purl then didn’t do anything for about 3+ years. I started again in February this year and haven’t stopped knitting since! I have not made anything difficult like sweaters but did try a lace scarf. My biggest problem was fixing mistakes. I could fix basic knits and purls in non lace patterns because I really analyzed the stitches and could figure out on my own where I went wrong (without videos/tutorials- my game changer) but not the lace. Someone in my knitting group showed me the lifeline which helped me in that I wasn’t starting over completely every time I messed up my lace, but still couldn’t fix the yarn over misses because I didn’t understand how they were supposed to look and how to get it there. Your last video was amazing and I wish I had that before my very easy shawl with the 1 eyelet bear the edge. I ripped out SO many rows because I couldn’t fix a yarn over! So thank you!!!!!
I think as many do when doing lace, the biggest problem or “challenge” is discovering you’ve dropped a stitch…ugh! And especially when it’s a really lacy project! Figuring out how to go back and pick it up from below, if you can even see the dropped stitch all together. I have(especially when I was just starting out) completely frogged a project and began again. It did two things for me… helped me release the frustration and helped me SLOW DOWN and pay close attention to my work…I also learned to use a lifeline, which is especially helpful when doing brioche knitting! Not gonna lie, as frustrating as mess ups can be, I love learning new stitches and challenging myself so I say bring them on!
I do a lot of demonstrations of spinning and weaving and I get a lot of men interested in the process. I think it is the mechanics that interest them the most. They love it and some of them remember their mothers or grandmothers spinning and weaving. It's nostalgic I think. I often women saying "you know you can buy yarn at Walmart". I laugh and say yes you can buy something at Walmart, but you can't buy this at Walmart,
OH WOW!!! I am a fairly new knitter and I have learned a lot in this video. The most exciting thing I learned was that an SSK was a left leaning decrease and a K2tog is right leaning. I think I'm going to find some reading material that teaches me how to learn to knit. This was an amazing video, thank you.
Socks are a great 👍🏻 learning skills especially with having to decrease stitches over and over so you get a lot of practice. The Kitchener stitch took me a long time for it to stick. With a 100+ days of harsh lockdown (5 klms curfew and 8 pm to 8 am). I began Knitting socks after socks. 9 in 5 months 2020.
Hi just found you yesterday. I'm thrilled that I did. I feel I found a nurturing place. We all love knitting who are watching you but it can be quite frustrating. So having an even tempered teacher can change how you respond to your own problems. That is the only vibe that helps.me. Needless to say I feel very nurtured and in a healthy educational and friendly place. I am happy bevause I have been wanting to join a group in Ravelry but didnt know anyone or which ones I would find most helpful and enjoyful. Due to your passion, obovious compassion, sure it was your daughter but your interest in her project and her actual need for the item (super cute heratfelt story) tells a lot about you!!! Then in reading through a few comment from subsscribers here Ihave to say Im slipping away for a moment to Join your Ravelry group and coming back. I think im going to likely have a month or so of things to watch from just your videos and it sounds like your group is another jam packed area with tons of educational tips. So I just want to say it not often that I feel as good about what I may get out of by subscribing as I do feel right now. You make me feel and it seems to others as well that no question is a dumb one and I always teach with that sentiment at heart so I am very happy I found you. I kinda have to ask. Andi know this is too long however you say MN. I wonder if you know of one of my local to you friends working in sculpture and Polymer Clay (Marie Carlson?) her company is Wee Folk Creations. I know its a huge area but I assume being elevated up into the arts community as she is and you seem I don't know much about MN. But oddly its one of the very few states I've NOT YET VISITED? Even my muse, a blackfoot Indian woman, was from your state and she taught me SOOOO many art diciplines, she excelled in all of them. Because of the cood and perhaps other extreem weather of hot to cold in your state indoor arts are popular. Perhaps and may be why I know so many very tallented people from you state in several diciplines. I really need to visit there. The state fair sounds really cool. My muse was Myla Whitefield. I wish that I remembered her maiden name. Anyway I am going to put in request to join your Ravelry group. brb........Trudy sorry so long
i was knitting while i was watching this video. i had just got to the top of the back of a sweater and was about to cast off when i checked the number of stitches i had left. to my horror i had 6 too many. i looked everywhere to see where they had come from. imagine my despair when i found that i had not decreased enough times at the armhole shaping. 12 inches down. yes, that's right 12 inches down. i ran a spare needle through the stitches just above the mistake and pulled it all back. normally i would have been angry/upset/tearful but i was enjoying the video so much i didn't mind. whether that will be the case tomorrow when i do the forgotten decrease rows and reknit the rest remains to be seen. but i have to thank you very much for making what would be normally a homicidal rage inducing event actually rather fun x
I have both a saxony wheel an a spindle that I use to demo together. I like to ask little kids where Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger. Then show the spindle laying across the flyer. I have done this for 11 years or until Covid hit, It is a huge benefit. I even had a man from India come on the second day of a fair and ask me to show him how his deceased mother's charka (hand cranked Indian wheel) worked. Just as well I had been practicing my long-draw. Just a note - Rumpelstiltskin is the spinning story most people forget. :)
I love how lace looks , I tend to steer clear of patterns that use lace because it requires more concentration and I find myself constantly tinking back. Yarn overs are definitely a challenge, as is maintaining the pattern. I have begun to knit more lace lately and do enjoy it more but now I use alot of stitch markers to keep me on pattern. My biggest dilemma is reading the lace to determine if I missed a yarn over or did too many etc. Most knitting is easy to read but lace is very hard for me ... if I am lucky enough to figure out my problem then I usually make something up to fix it. LOL
Some lace patterns are easier to read you do this thing when the previous row has this. I prefer a kacs oaytern that this us true about and that requires only counting to 7 or only to 3 if I am having headaches.
My main difficulty with lace knitting is the same as the others mentioned. If I drop a stitch, either yarn over or knit 2 together, I get really lost and confused and end up ripping back to a lifeline. There has to be an easier way.
I totally get men being interested in the spinning wheel because of it being something "mechanical" and being popular with the woodworkers. I almost forgot how big that state fair is and how long it runs. Slave to the pattern is such a good description and it crosses the crafting boundary as well. I find tinking back through yarn overs mixed with k2tog and skp's difficult in lace patterns if you make a mistake.
You hit the nail on the head for me on Tuesday. Yarnovers are my biggest problem. I started a Möbius cowl last summer, over a year ago and when it came time to get the mesh stitch portion correct I was always off! I finally ripped the thing right off of the circular needle and frogged all the mesh stitch off. How I got all those stitches back on I gave no clue, but I did it. Now I’ve picked it up again and ever so gingerly completed two rows. I’m afraid to continue but I will. If I have to I’ll throw in a yarn over in order to make the stitch count correct. But counting over 600 stitches wrapped around the needle twice is no easy feat! So that’s my sob story Lol! We did a circular swatch for all the different stitches and I found that very helpful. I also depend on lifelines! This particular needle didn’t have a built in place for a lifeline and I tried to make my own on the needle but it just didn’t work. Live and learn. I totally agree with you about swatching! Thanks for another great video!
Ok. So at the risk of sounding completely stupid I went over to Rox Rocks on Ravelry and joined. I then went to the page that says to “ Introduce Yourself” and I can’t find where to post a message! I see all of the messages from oldest to newest and where to reply to them. But I cannot find where to put a new post. Ugh! Any help would be appreciated. I love everything else! Thanks.
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i think the building blocks of a process are the most important things anyone can learn to help themself. Great video
Thanks for demonstrating handwork at your fair. When I demonstrate my 1918 circular sock knitting machine (CSM) at our fair, men are often fascinated by the mechanical functions of the device. I enjoy the discussions with folks (of any gender) who see the elegance in the engineering of the CSM. Children are also intrigued by the machine, especially when I explain that the socks they are wearing are made in basically the same way, just with bigger, faster and louder machines.
I LOVED the section on the skill that made the most difference. I laughed at the comment about sticking to shawls instead of thinking about gauge (I used to do that). AND, so happy about your comments on Master Knitters because I just started that series. Thanks so much for your insight.
Your truly inspire me to learn how to knit and to weave. A couple of years my neighbour, who always has her knitting with her showed me how to knit. But after having many trouble... I gave up. Now ( in our hope of leaving sustainable), I picked it up again and I am happy to say I just finished my very first pair of mittens from the book "Salt Water Mitten" and is working on my 2nd pair. I am having lots of trouble preventing the colours from twisting. In my search I came across your channel. I am hooked, as well as excited to learn. Thank you for the videos and your inspiration. I am now teaching my 4yr old how to finger knit and she is very keen to learn. Good job
My problem with lace knitting is that I can't read my knitting. If I make a mistake I have to tink back several rows (usually to the end of that repeat) until I have the right number of stitches again. Sometimes I can tink back to the beginning or ending of a row and see that I missed a yo or a decrease, but that's pretty rare. If I make a mistake or drop a stitch while I'm tinking back I have to go back even further to figure out when I'm ok again. I have torn out 2 shawls and 2 sweaters and put them in time out. As much as I don't want to only knit socks it's the one thing I am able to do and be proud of. I'm self-taught after learning to knit and purl about 52 years ago.
This was interesting! Just knew to the online knitting world so very happy to come across your channel and be able to go back and watch these shows/videos!! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and knowledge:)
I have been prolifically and excessively (is there any other way??) knitting for 3 years. I am just now beginning to love swatching and gauge. I think it is because I am able to concentrate now on the mechanics of WHY things work in knitting rather than basic how-to's, similar to when you described your revelation on increases and decreases. For lace knitting, dropping a stitch and fixing it, especially when it is over a column of yarnovers and increases/decreases, is stressful for me and not something I can fix all of the time although I am getting much better at it. Sadly, it seems the only way to get better at it is by making those mistakes and persevering through looking at how the stitches interact. I find myself studying the chart of the lace to make those discoveries and make the corrections which I am enjoying more and more.
I meant to comment on your last video. I loved touring the state fair with you. I mostly knit lace shawls and I always swatch. I swatch for gauge, because yarn usage can change, and to see if I like the fabric that I knit with my yarn. I have changed yarns just based on my swatch. I also like adding beads to my lace, so swatching a beading scheme is crucial. I would knit garments, but not for myself. I live in a very warm climate, so not for my loved ones either. I just knit a baby sweater for my BFf's first granddaughter, they live in a temperate clime. It was the baby version of an adult sweater. I may finally attempt it. As a lace knitter, and a habitual forgetter of YOs, I discovered all of the saving techniques on my own. I felt very courageous. I have misread charts, or made assumptions about a pattern which required my reknitting on the wrong side row. I’m very far from the woman who four years ago cast on her first "lace" scarf. The cast on was 49 stitches and that number remained constant throughout the pattern. At no point in my attempt at that pattern did I ever have 49 stitches. I’ve learned a lot since then, often with the help of online videos or classes. Thank you for your videos. I enjoy all of them.
Great video, we are always learning! Off topic, love the white blouse with your silver hair and complexion, good choice for you! Loved your stories about your time at the fair, thks
Thank you, I enjoyed this SO much! I’m fascinated by all of the challenges you described in the first year of the Master Knitter program that I’m thinking of looking into it myself, just for the learning experience. Please keep sharing your knowledge and insights with us. Susan
When I was bitten by the lace bug, I knit lots of shawls for a while till I burned out. But mistakes happen as we all know. What I found useful was using short double-pointed needles in the same size as the knitting needles. I prefer bamboo as they have a bit more grip on the yarn vs. metal. That way I could rework the part the mistake was in and not have to frog back so often. Though I am both an English Knitter who Flicks and a Continental Knitting, I found that reworking a few rows of lace did best in Continental. That and being able to work backwards so that I could see what my fix was doing and that it was looking right, made a fix that I could not see at all where my problem had been. And I am rather picky about my own work. I taught myself this, have not seen another knitter do it or read about it or seen a video on UA-cam. I am likely not the only person who's thought of this. Outside of that, I have short double-ended crochet hooks which I use primarily for repairs such as dropped stitches. If you are repairing in garter, having one of these handy crochet hooks and what I use is by Clover, is bamboo and available in G, H, I, and J. I've worked some parts of Tunisian with these if I was making a tube. Tunisian is a lot of fun. Great for what looks like knitting but is thicker so you don't need to put an inter-lining of plastic canvas to give body to the bag.
One more comment re lace knitting challenges. When tinking back to correct an error, i have a hard time picking up YO stitches in the row below. As I mentioned in my earlier comment, this is a problem with reading my work. I just saw that your Techniques Tuesday series has a video on lace knitting problems--will watch that now! Thanks for your great video podcast and tutorials.
Another fantastic video Roxanne, thank you. Like others, I too learned the importance of gauge swatching. What I love about swatching is the freedom to choose different yarns for a pattern. I prefer to use natural yarns but they don't always knit up the same though they may be the same weight. And...also have had the experience of trying to get other knitters to use swatches who vehimently refuse...and then the finished garment ended up fitting someone four times their size!!!! Such a waste plus it gives the knitter a dislike for knitting anything that requires sizing.
When I’ve knitted lace, it’s when I drop a stitch I have difficultly but now I put in a lifeline every 10 rows. I had a nightmare before I knew about this technique, even though I’ve been knitting nearly 60 years, I’m still learning. 💐
I understand you totally. I love the lace but I just ignore them so I am missing out. I have never knit top down on jumpers/sweaters and never toe up on socks. I am so close to turning 70 and was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes plus narrowing where moisture should move through but not happening. Yesterday I had tests and told it was like looking through printing paper which has been twisted?? I have been sewing by hand, machine and Knitting many socks and creating my own patterns on both pairs as any pattern I had to read or use a graph was becoming torturous to do. It would turn my stomach and I get anxious. So now I am so grateful that I was getting headaches wearing my glasses so when the lockdown was lifted I saw an optometrist who was taking a lot longer then usual. So my new journey began seeing an opthomologist and being booked in for my surgery on August 11th. Today we have been put into our 5th lockdown for 5 days. I live in Eltham Victoria Australia 🇦🇺
I have been knitting since I was 4/5 years old. A school teacher taught me as all my grandparents had past away many years before I came along. I was born in the Netherlands 6 years after the WW2 ceased?
@@FrancienDanielsWebb your eyes are so precious, I pray that the doctors are able to help with them. Hope they’ve discussed it with you and arranging an operation to try and eliminate your issues. Take care.
Learning and discovering that it is as much fun as doing the project is, I agree, the key to really feeling you can decide what you are knitting for. I think skill building never ever goes away, There are always new needles, other options of how to do something, people who develop a new purling method. These are all a part of the enjoyment of knitting. I am glad, though I live in a state California, where knitters are a rare breed, being able to interact with fellow knitters is great. It is also for me, that if I find my mind not as clear, making myself learn a new technique, helps push that fog away. My dad died of Alheimer's disease as well as all of his brothers and his father. So knitting is a skill to help me keep who I am for as long as I am able. Yes, I eat a lot differently than I did once, the windshield gets clean by washing the whole thing, likewise my approach has to be as all-in as I can.
Lace knitting is the only project type where I struggle to 'read' my knitting. The stitches often get so distorted in a lace pattern that it's difficult to do the sleuthing to understand what mistake I've made.
I'm glad you asked for feedback on challenges experienced by novice lace knitters. I seem to come up against the same challenge repeatedly and this has caused me to frog several lace projects. When I find myself off-pattern for whatever reason and try to tink back, I usually get completely lost when trying to figure out where the YO stitches were or should be. I've heard advice many times about using life-lines periodically through the project, but have never done this; not sure why, I guess it seems like an additional step or I'm just too lazy. I would really like to be able to better read my lace knitting.
For sure! My biggest problem, too. It doesn't help that I chose a 50 row lace pattern for my first knitted lace project. I know how to crochet lace and have learned to deal with mistakes there. So, I thought I wouldn't have much trouble with knitted lace. ha, ha! The joke was on me. Tinking back in lace is nothing like ripping out crochet and picking up one stitch on a hook. Identifying a row and getting all those stitches back on knitting needles is a skill in itself. I still love that pattern. (The Tuscany Lace dress from Interweave Press) I still want to finish it.
Have demonstrated at historic village in years past, and it’s good to know older men haven’t changed. 20 years ago, the ‘old coots’ were asking those same questions!
I really enjoyed this! As a novice lace knitter I recently dropped a stitch and didn’t realize it for a few rows. If it’s stockinette, garter, or purl I know how to work it back up but for lace I just hooked a stitch marker on it so it doesn’t drop further until I can figure out what to do. If the answer is to rip back a few rows, I don’t know how to do that in lace either. Is there a way to put in a life line right in the row where it’s needed? Thanks for all the great knowledge and experience you share!
The skill that changed it all for me was learning to use more than one source yarn on the same piece keeping the yarn sources attached. . When yarn got too thin or too thick, I could change to the other yarn source. I could use yarn thaf was cheaper or more fiddly when before I could not. I could do textures and stripes and patterns impossible otherwise, especially when combined with using double pounted or cable needles, and I once did a 5 color stipe pattern with remainder yarns.
I’ve done spinning and weaving demos for years. Most women approach a spinner and say “you know you can buy that at Walmart…”. Men on the other hand are mesmerized by the physics of the wheel. I think the mechanics of spinning fascinates them. To the women I say you can buy something at Walmart but you can’t buy this at Walmart.
Hi Roxanne! This was great to listen to and watch. I started knitting to knit socks. I have accomplished that goal! It took a while but I can read my knitting too. I understand that as a knitter I should know the purpose of certain aspects of the knitting process. I am new to knitting garments. I started my first sweater a couple days ago. I feel confident that I understand more about knitting. Looking forward to success with my sweater. Happy knitting!
Made a lace knit project and used lots of markers for repeats, a “life line” in row one of lacy pattern and all purl rows were simply purled! Moved the lifeline occasionally, and finally got it done! Whew! So much stress because I easily get so mixed up that I just rip out and avoid most lace! ( baby dedication dress, so extremely important to me. Took a month of intense work, but worth it). Life line was a life saver! I knew if I had to rip out, I could begin row one again and get back on track!
Andrea on Fruity Knitting taught me about the lifeline as her daughter Madeleine knitted way too many rows. Andrea showed how by using two lifelines she could rip out many rows. She has many great and very clear instructions one being the steeking. Scares the hell out of me. One day when I can see properly again I will use it.
I'm doing my first lace in my first sweater. I keep ending up with 80-100 extra stitches when I'm done with 1 repeat of the lace. I start with 146 sts, then in the lace I'm increasing so at the end of 8 rows I should have q69 stits. My first attempt I had 248 sts. My 2nd attempt I had 276 sts. The lace is very simple, yo, decrease, yo, k2, yo, decrease. I did my gauge swatch, but I can't figure out if I'm on guage. I do know I have the right number of sts at the end of the gauge. I'm flummoxed and keep frigging.
My biggest problem is tinking back and knowing where I am in the pattern...so I guess reading the lace, especially the stitches that surround a yarnover. Also slip stitches!!
Hi Roxanne, thanks for another great video. As a novice lace knitter I sometimes find I get to the end of the row I don't know the right number of stitches for the pattern. I have learned to better read my knitting and usually it is that I have forgotten to at a yarn over in the previous row. I also sometimes have difficulty picking the right yarn to get the right fabric (aka drape).
OKAY you have like 4 BOOKS there that I have...I have been knitting for 25 years. I think that once A PERSON really gets into knitting we all eventually buy the same books. Great books. Thank you for this amazing video and your stories. so interesting. Knitting around the world Traditional Knitting The Principles of Knitting Fleece and Fiber. Have a great day.
Hi Roxanne! You are talking about being unsure of matching colors for the socks you were knitting at the time? I can offer my help on that subject matter if and when it comes up in any new or unfinished projects you are doing. Since matching colors is what I do for a living, and for fun. Please, don't hesitate to ask - it will be my pleasure to give back, even if just a little. Thank you!
When I was young, spinning was explained to me in school as the yarn going around the big wheel and then back to the bobbin. It seemed so confusing! Thank goodness it makes more sense than that lol
I think with my lace knitting, I’ve found that I enjoy knitting more with fingering weight vs. cobweb. If the gauge of the yarn gets too thin, even with wrapping the yarn twice around my pinky, I am just not fond of the result. And I’ve really had to go up on my needle size as lace knitting to open up when blocking, I’ve found I needed to knit more loosely. And the needles I choose matters. I started using bamboo but now can knit lace on my ChiaoGoo stainless steel. I do like working with smaller gauge needles, I love knitting socks. Want to try a sock perhaps with a lace pattern on just the top, of course.
So…purl bumps, wrong side/right side on long tail cast on, wha? I will be learning a new thing this week. So many things to know that I don’t even know that I don’t know! But I’m gonna learn one this week🧶 Thanks for the info.
I would so appreciate a tutorial on fixing a failed yarn over two rows down. I know I should have caught it but didn’t. The great news is I caught it two rows up. Getting better at reading stitches. Still in kindergarten. Thank you
How about this one on Fixing Yarnover Mistakes ua-cam.com/video/GM26rcJCXKs/v-deo.html. FYI, I have an entire playlist on Fixing Mistakes: ua-cam.com/play/PL1AZxTfSCe2e3jF5yO0FvcZGnvA-GoPC5.html
Hi Roxanne, thanks so much for the techniques picking up stitches. What about on a curved neckline like a cardigan? My pattern calls for 104 stitches around neck but if I use your calculations I get a lesser number because my stitches run large and pattern calls for seed stitch edge which you said runs wide. Thanks!
I don't do much lace knitting as I don't know how to fix mistakes if I've done one down a couple rows. I don't usually have trouble fixing a yo unless there was a 2tog before I got to the yo mistake. I would say that how to fix 2 tog no matter whether or not they were left or right leaning. I can read my knitting and find the mistakes so I would sure like to know the technique for fixing tog stitches. Thanks for all of your help and passing on so much knowledge.
I have had this experience a couple of time with guys being drawn to my spinning wheel, my dad for one. He doesn't care what I'm working on as far as knitting or crocheting, but he'll give me about 10 minutes when I break out the wheel.
I've been waiting for this video all day. Really enjoy. I don't even spin. Doesn't matter. I can't believe it was "cold and rainy". It's in the 90s here for the foreseeable future. Wish I was there. Thanks.
Hi Rox! I stumbled across your channel and really enjoyed your latest episode. I am Raveler 24,055 and an avid self-taught knitter. Lived about six years in Michigan so very familiar with the area around Sleeping Bear Dunes. Will go back and watch some of your technique videos - always looking to improve. Thanks for the work you put into making these so enjoyable. Best, Jean
Hello Roxanne, in this video you are asking if we have problems fixing lace errors, I usually don't, but I would love to know how to fix problems on Bavarian travelling twisted stich work. I had to unknit many rows quite a few time (both in Palm tulip and in Tranlated patterns) because I dropped a stich while cabelling and I just couldn't catch it before it laddered 4 or 5 rows. I could have tried to take the needles off undo a few rows and then put the neddles back on, but I just didn't know if I could catch the stithes correctly, so I choose to unknit the row one stich at a time, which was quite long. Any more efficient way ?
I usually ladder down the span of sts that is a problem and then put them all on a dpn and reknit them row by row. I have a video on laddering down that might be helpful, (It's not fixing one stitch column at a time, it's fixing the entire span row by row). Look in the playlist called Fixing Mistakes.
@@RoxanneRichardson I had tried that but I guess I could'nt place the stiches on my dpn needle in the right order. I will try it swatching to understand better how to do it on Bavarian travelling twisted stiches. I am starting to love swatching Thanks to you ...
I sometimes have trouble with the last stitch in a row. Sometimes, when the last stitch falls off the needle and I put it back on the needle I'm never sure if I have put it back correctly. There is a twist in the stitch that I do not understand. I usually do not slip the first stitch of every row.
True story: The first time I heard a tv celebrity talk about her “spinning class”, 😳yep, I thought she was learning to spin wool.🤨 Later found out she was just on a stationary bike. Still get a chuckle from that🤭🙃🙃
That was a very fun video to watch. A question and problem that I have had in lace knitting is that I sometimes get lost, especially if I have made a mistake and then I can't figure out where I am. I have asked others how they deal with this and I haven't gotten any good answers. I can do crochet lace with no problems at all and so I want to be able to learn the same skill in knitting. I try so hard to be able to read the stitches so that I can recognize where I am at, but sometimes I just can't figure it out. I was wondering if you have any tips about this. Thank you
Sandy C I use lots of markers and lifelines. So when I knit intricate lace I have a marker for each repeat in the pattern. After I have knitted a section between markers I stop, count the stitches and read my knitting to make sure everything is correct. It’s a lot easier to read the stitches that are on the needle vs stitches that are in the body of the knitting since they have stretched so it’s hard for my eyes to follow the row. When I know that an entire row is correct I will run a lifeline through every stitch on the needles and mark that row on my pattern. I will only place a lifeline every 10-20 rows depending on how much I think I am willing to rip out and reknit. This may sound like a lot of work but it’s a whole lot simpler than trying to figure out where I made a mistake and then figure out how to repair it.
Some yarns will hide your mistakes. Variegated yarns and yarns with textures are good and I have some stitch patterns esthetic will tolerate errors to a point.
As a very novice knitter (only 2 lace shawls to date); when I make a mistake and it is on the current row or the row previous, normally just think back stitch by stitch. There have been a lot of start overs, until I started using lifelines, normally before a real complicated row or a chart section. However, the lifeline came back to bite me because it was holding a dropped stitch in the middle of a difficult section and I didn’t see until a hole appeared when blocking. I didn’t know how to fix, so I just stitched around the hole, tried to follow some semblance of pattern, pull in and anchor the hole. Barely noticeable to the untrained eye. Is there a better way to fix this when it happens after knitting the project?
My boyfriend had to get a spinning wheel design when I started spinning...He is a woodworker. He was fascinated. He did learn to weave when I got an inkel loom. Peasant heal? I've not heard of that one before. What is that? I know it must be some type of afterthought heal from the held stitches.
Hope to see you at the fair this 2021 year and thank you personally. If I am unable to, Thank you! Your video is very entertaining. Loved your description of the men who would watch you do knitting and spinning. Aren’t they just the cutest humans!?
Rox, I just discovered your channel not too long ago and have enjoyed each post. I didn't know you also spun, I suppose its just part of the process, so many crafts blend into others and I thin knitting and spinning is of course no exception. I recently bought a wheel that I have wanted a long time, I am trying to do worsted spinning with Corriedale top, but it seems I end up having too much twist., I've tried tightening my tension and loosening and it just doesn't seem to ever be correct. I'm using a 5.5-1 ratio but haven't tried increasing it because I don't want it to twist even further...Do you have a clue what I'm missing??? Thank you for any help you can possibly lend :-) I value your knowledge!!!!
I’m working on lace knitting with cables-not my favorite so far. I miscount very often and rely on stitch markers to try to catch the mistake within one repeat but I’m soooo slow. Also right now I’m sticking to squares because I was completely overwhelmed with adjusting the pattern that included shaping. Can you help show how to mark a chart that includes shaping? I think that if I eliminate a decrease I have to eliminate a corresponding yarnover but which one? So hard for me to read a chart that changes shape!
in some lace projects, I have trouble telling the right side row from the wrong side. I usually put a stitch marker that helps, but sometimes I forget. Any tips for when I forget?
My skill that made a difference after 50+ years of knitting? I'd always counted stitches by 3. I realized recently I could easily count 5 at a time by eyeballing 3, then 2. Weirdly, it's much quicker.
I have an entire playlist on my channel on fixing various types of mistakes. You might find the one on laddering down to fix mistakes to be helpful. ua-cam.com/video/-RmexrJRIDo/v-deo.html
I always appreciate your videos and tutorials… I am a fairly new knitter and want to learn how to knit yoke sweaters. Is there a good book you can recommend that teaches one how to approach this style of knitting successfully?
Rox you are the quintessential teacher! Thanks for all the info. Btw can u elaborate a little bit more on the “purl bumps” during cast on. What is ur preferred style when casting on socks?
When you do the long tail cast on, you are knitting each of the twisted thumb loops, so the back side of the CO edge is all purl bumps. When working ribbing, I don't like having a purl bump at the base of the knit columns on the RS of the work, so I make the first row I work a WS row.
Men do typically stare at the wheel mechanism or woodwork. They'll ask questions about that but not immediately catch on that the wheel does only two things: twist and wind. These two processes are much more obvious on a great wheel because they are done in two separate steps. A finger on the flyer or not allowing take up force the bobbin-flyer assembly to perform the steps separately. Women who stop typically want to pet fiber., so I take several varieties. Families also stop, wanting some education on where clothing comes from. I delight in telling the kids the secret of bug vomit and showing them cocoons and cotton bolls. I take an akha (matches spindle on great wheel), an 1850 antique great wheel, and a bobbin-flyer wheel (preferably my Reeves, hand made with beautiful wood working and period appropriate). It's the great wheel that does the best job sucking people in, plus kids can participate by turning the great wheel while I spin a 2 m length, ply on the fly, knot, and then give them a finished 1 m string as a keepsake. I demo in 1850s costume (farmer's wife version, so thankfully no corset).
Your red sweater with a shawl collar. Is it your pattern? Where can I get it ? I want to knit my first sweater and need a cardigan. Want to do a top down raglan sleeve. Would that be a good one. I've done six or eight pairs of socks. Made 2 shawls. In the process of putting the edge on 2nd shawl. Should be through in a week or 2. So I am looking to my next project. Any advice!?!
I'm not sure which sweater you're talking about, since it wasn't one that I wore in this video. I have two sweaters with shawl collars. I usually include a link in the video description to the project page for whatever knitted item I'm wearing.
I was the #1000 like! Thanks for the video. I am trying to teach myself to knit so I am binge watching videos. So glad I found you. I really want to learn socks so that they will be easy too!
I’ve noticed that when I do knit a gauge swatch (sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, and to be honest when I do I only do 2” or so before I decide it’s good enough to measure stitches/rows per inch), I find that my gauge swatch is never the same gauge as I get when knitting the real project. I tend to be looser in my project even if I’m using the same needles, yarn, stitch pattern, etc. Why do you think this happens and how can I fix this? It feels pointless to do a swatch if it doesn’t translate to my real project. Thanks!
This is why the advice is to do a 6x6'' swatch and measure across the center 4''. (I usually find 5x5 is enough for me) Next time you have 2'' on the needle, take a look at how easy it is for you to push or spread sts on the needle to get the gauge you *want* to be true.
I just started lace knitting and my yarnovers are not tension constant. Either its a small yarn or a huge yarn over. I don't know how to control the tension :\
The difference in your YO sizes might actually be due to what types of sts occur before and after the YO. When the two sts are identical (both knits or both purls) the YO is middle-sized, but if the st before is a purl and the st after is a knit, the YO will be smaller, and if it's the opposite (knit before the YO and purl after), the YO will be larger. Typically, washing and blocking will help to even things out.
A fascinating episode👍. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your experiences at the fair, and listening to you answer questions... What I really appreciate about you, is that you so obviously never stop learning... You never assume that you know it all... Your mind is vleays open to new ideas... I am nit a skilled knitter.. I have no one to advise me, so I pretty much stick to the easy knits... and I love to crochet simple shawls... I use lots of good colors in my work, so simple designs seem to work... I am happy with what I do. I’ve lost a lot of vision, over the past couple of years,. But.... I totally appreciate what really good knitters and cricketers can do with a humble ball or two of pretty yarn. Even if I had perfect vision, I seriously doubt I would be doing the kind if knitting and crocheting I see the experts do.. and that’s fine with me... it often looks like magic to me... especially the wonderful design and color work I see in sweaters and mittens. I never fail to feel amazed when I see it. Thank you again for being so generous with your considerable knowledge and awesome skill set. Sandy from Cincinnati❤️
Nupps where I have failed to knit through all the stitches and then knitted more than 20 rows. I don't think I even like nupps in lace knitting now I think about it. If it was something I liked I would have taken more care. Yadda, yadda, yadda, I know I need an advanced lace knitting fixing tutorial.
I find this interesting. Is this still going on at the State Fair since Covid, and are they planning on having it 2022? I just got back into knitting and thought it would be interesting to go see you at the fair.
Thank you for good, clear instructions. Do you keep and organize your swatches? If so, what kind of a system do you use? I would be more likely to do more swatches with an easy organizing method.
So I’ve been really wanting to try to spin dog fur but I’m a new spinner so I want to first get some nice hanks behind me lol if anybody has advice it is welcomed and encouraged
I learnt how to knit as a child, my Mom taught me how to k,p,yo and k2tog. I started knitting again about 30 y later. My problem as a beginner lace knitter was that I didn't consider yo as a stitch by its own, because there wasn't a complete loop attached to the previous row. I counted yo and the next knit stitch as one stitch that's why I had a hard time reading charts. Thanks to educational videos like yours I realized that this was a misconception :)
Would love to know some personal information, such as how you met your husband, what’s his occupation, what jobs you e had, etc. I believe you have two daughters, one in Netherlands, where is the other one. Pets?
I ENJOY KNIT ALONGS JUST CHATTING AND KNITTING... DUE TO i DON'T KNIT WELL AND COULD KEEP UP. i USE SMOOTH JAZZ AND KNIT NOW. ALTHOUGH i HAVE A LADY WHO DOES KNIT AND WE CAN JUST EITHER KNIT ALONG OR JUST ENJOY THE TIME
I just finished a master knitting program and I have to say that you're comments about "what skill made a difference" mirrored my experience exactly! It was really great to go through the program. I learned so much and, at this point, would say it gave me the tools to approach any knitting project with confidence. Gauge is critical and swatching it the key to understanding gauge!
Roxy, i love your storytelling! You spin a great yarn! (sorry, i couldn't resist!) Thanks for telling us about the fair. I'm trying to persuade my knitting group and weaving guild to enter the Great New York State Fair. I was surprised to learn that the most populate category from last year in knitting only had 15 entries!!!
So glad I watched this! I had been struggling with a new project for three days and knew that something wasn't right, but kept doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. After absorbing what you said about questioning things I stepped back, considered my options and have now chosen to take a different approach. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge and wisdom.
I’m a fairly new knitter. Learned a few years ago basic knit/Purl then didn’t do anything for about 3+ years. I started again in February this year and haven’t stopped knitting since! I have not made anything difficult like sweaters but did try a lace scarf. My biggest problem was fixing mistakes. I could fix basic knits and purls in non lace patterns because I really analyzed the stitches and could figure out on my own where I went wrong (without videos/tutorials- my game changer) but not the lace. Someone in my knitting group showed me the lifeline which helped me in that I wasn’t starting over completely every time I messed up my lace, but still couldn’t fix the yarn over misses because I didn’t understand how they were supposed to look and how to get it there. Your last video was amazing and I wish I had that before my very easy shawl with the 1 eyelet bear the edge. I ripped out SO many rows because I couldn’t fix a yarn over! So thank you!!!!!
I think as many do when doing lace, the biggest problem or “challenge” is discovering you’ve dropped a stitch…ugh! And especially when it’s a really lacy project! Figuring out how to go back and pick it up from below, if you can even see the dropped stitch all together. I have(especially when I was just starting out) completely frogged a project and began again. It did two things for me… helped me release the frustration and helped me SLOW DOWN and pay close attention to my work…I also learned to use a lifeline, which is especially helpful when doing brioche knitting! Not gonna lie, as frustrating as mess ups can be, I love learning new stitches and challenging myself so I say bring them on!
I do a lot of demonstrations of spinning and weaving and I get a lot of men interested in the process. I think it is the mechanics that interest them the most. They love it and some of them remember their mothers or grandmothers spinning and weaving. It's nostalgic I think. I often women saying "you know you can buy yarn at Walmart". I laugh and say yes you can buy something at Walmart, but you can't buy this at Walmart,
Hi Roxanne, I hope you are feeling well.I came across this episode and have loved it, you are brilliant! Thank you so much.
OH WOW!!! I am a fairly new knitter and I have learned a lot in this video. The most exciting thing I learned was that an SSK was a left leaning decrease and a K2tog is right leaning. I think I'm going to find some reading material that teaches me how to learn to knit. This was an amazing video, thank you.
Socks are a great 👍🏻 learning skills especially with having to decrease stitches over and over so you get a lot of practice. The Kitchener stitch took me a long time for it to stick. With a 100+ days of harsh lockdown (5 klms curfew and 8 pm to 8 am). I began Knitting socks after socks. 9 in 5 months 2020.
Hi just found you yesterday. I'm thrilled that I did. I feel I found a nurturing place. We all love knitting who are watching you but it can be quite frustrating. So having an even tempered teacher can change how you respond to your own problems. That is the only vibe that helps.me. Needless to say I feel very nurtured and in a healthy educational and friendly place. I am happy bevause I have been wanting to join a group in Ravelry but didnt know anyone or which ones I would find most helpful and enjoyful. Due to your passion, obovious compassion, sure it was your daughter but your interest in her project and her actual need for the item (super cute heratfelt story) tells a lot about you!!! Then in reading through a few comment from subsscribers here Ihave to say Im slipping away for a moment to Join your Ravelry group and coming back. I think im going to likely have a month or so of things to watch from just your videos and it sounds like your group is another jam packed area with tons of educational tips. So I just want to say it not often that I feel as good about what I may get out of by subscribing as I do feel right now. You make me feel and it seems to others as well that no question is a dumb one and I always teach with that sentiment at heart so I am very happy I found you.
I kinda have to ask. Andi know this is too long however you say MN. I wonder if you know of one of my local to you friends working in sculpture and Polymer Clay (Marie Carlson?) her company is Wee Folk Creations. I know its a huge area but I assume being elevated up into the arts community as she is and you seem I don't know much about MN. But oddly its one of the very few states I've NOT YET VISITED? Even my muse, a blackfoot Indian woman, was from your state and she taught me SOOOO many art diciplines, she excelled in all of them. Because of the cood and perhaps other extreem weather of hot to cold in your state indoor arts are popular. Perhaps and may be why I know so many very tallented people from you state in several diciplines. I really need to visit there. The state fair sounds really cool. My muse was Myla Whitefield. I wish that I remembered her maiden name. Anyway I am going to put in request to join your Ravelry group. brb........Trudy sorry so long
i was knitting while i was watching this video. i had just got to the top of the back of a sweater and was about to cast off when i checked the number of stitches i had left. to my horror i had 6 too many. i looked everywhere to see where they had come from. imagine my despair when i found that i had not decreased enough times at the armhole shaping. 12 inches down. yes, that's right 12 inches down. i ran a spare needle through the stitches just above the mistake and pulled it all back. normally i would have been angry/upset/tearful but i was enjoying the video so much i didn't mind. whether that will be the case tomorrow when i do the forgotten decrease rows and reknit the rest remains to be seen. but i have to thank you very much for making what would be normally a homicidal rage inducing event actually rather fun x
I have both a saxony wheel an a spindle that I use to demo together. I like to ask little kids where Sleeping Beauty pricked her finger. Then show the spindle laying across the flyer. I have done this for 11 years or until Covid hit, It is a huge benefit. I even had a man from India come on the second day of a fair and ask me to show him how his deceased mother's charka (hand cranked Indian wheel) worked. Just as well I had been practicing my long-draw. Just a note - Rumpelstiltskin is the spinning story most people forget. :)
I love how lace looks , I tend to steer clear of patterns that use lace because it requires more concentration and I find myself constantly tinking back. Yarn overs are definitely a challenge, as is maintaining the pattern. I have begun to knit more lace lately and do enjoy it more but now I use alot of stitch markers to keep me on pattern. My biggest dilemma is reading the lace to determine if I missed a yarn over or did too many etc. Most knitting is easy to read but lace is very hard for me ... if I am lucky enough to figure out my problem then I usually make something up to fix it. LOL
Some lace patterns are easier to read you do this thing when the previous row has this. I prefer a kacs oaytern that this us true about and that requires only counting to 7 or only to 3 if I am having headaches.
My main difficulty with lace knitting is the same as the others mentioned. If I drop a stitch, either yarn over or knit 2 together, I get really lost and confused and end up ripping back to a lifeline. There has to be an easier way.
I totally get men being interested in the spinning wheel because of it being something "mechanical" and being popular with the woodworkers. I almost forgot how big that state fair is and how long it runs. Slave to the pattern is such a good description and it crosses the crafting boundary as well. I find tinking back through yarn overs mixed with k2tog and skp's difficult in lace patterns if you make a mistake.
You hit the nail on the head for me on Tuesday. Yarnovers are my biggest problem. I started a Möbius cowl last summer, over a year ago and when it came time to get the mesh stitch portion correct I was always off! I finally ripped the thing right off of the circular needle and frogged all the mesh stitch off. How I got all those stitches back on I gave no clue, but I did it. Now I’ve picked it up again and ever so gingerly completed two rows. I’m afraid to continue but I will. If I have to I’ll throw in a yarn over in order to make the stitch count correct. But counting over 600 stitches wrapped around the needle twice is no easy feat! So that’s my sob story Lol! We did a circular swatch for all the different stitches and I found that very helpful. I also depend on lifelines! This particular needle didn’t have a built in place for a lifeline and I tried to make my own on the needle but it just didn’t work. Live and learn. I totally agree with you about swatching! Thanks for another great video!
Ok. So at the risk of sounding completely stupid I went over to Rox Rocks on Ravelry and joined. I then went to the page that says to “ Introduce Yourself” and I can’t find where to post a message! I see all of the messages from oldest to newest and where to reply to them. But I cannot find where to put a new post. Ugh! Any help would be appreciated. I love everything else! Thanks.
i think the building blocks of a process are the most important things anyone can learn to help themself. Great video
Thanks for demonstrating handwork at your fair. When I demonstrate my 1918 circular sock knitting machine (CSM) at our fair, men are often fascinated by the mechanical functions of the device. I enjoy the discussions with folks (of any gender) who see the elegance in the engineering of the CSM. Children are also intrigued by the machine, especially when I explain that the socks they are wearing are made in basically the same way, just with bigger, faster and louder machines.
I LOVED the section on the skill that made the most difference. I laughed at the comment about sticking to shawls instead of thinking about gauge (I used to do that). AND, so happy about your comments on Master Knitters because I just started that series. Thanks so much for your insight.
Your truly inspire me to learn how to knit and to weave. A couple of years my neighbour, who always has her knitting with her showed me how to knit. But after having many trouble... I gave up. Now ( in our hope of leaving sustainable), I picked it up again and I am happy to say I just finished my very first pair of mittens from the book "Salt Water Mitten" and is working on my 2nd pair. I am having lots of trouble preventing the colours from twisting. In my search I came across your channel. I am hooked, as well as excited to learn. Thank you for the videos and your inspiration. I am now teaching my 4yr old how to finger knit and she is very keen to learn. Good job
My problem with lace knitting is that I can't read my knitting. If I make a mistake I have to tink back several rows (usually to the end of that repeat) until I have the right number of stitches again. Sometimes I can tink back to the beginning or ending of a row and see that I missed a yo or a decrease, but that's pretty rare. If I make a mistake or drop a stitch while I'm tinking back I have to go back even further to figure out when I'm ok again. I have torn out 2 shawls and 2 sweaters and put them in time out. As much as I don't want to only knit socks it's the one thing I am able to do and be proud of. I'm self-taught after learning to knit and purl about 52 years ago.
This was interesting! Just knew to the online knitting world so very happy to come across your channel and be able to go back and watch these shows/videos!!
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and knowledge:)
I came here for the "skill that changed it all portion". This was really cool! Thank you!
I have been prolifically and excessively (is there any other way??) knitting for 3 years. I am just now beginning to love swatching and gauge. I think it is because I am able to concentrate now on the mechanics of WHY things work in knitting rather than basic how-to's, similar to when you described your revelation on increases and decreases. For lace knitting, dropping a stitch and fixing it, especially when it is over a column of yarnovers and increases/decreases, is stressful for me and not something I can fix all of the time although I am getting much better at it. Sadly, it seems the only way to get better at it is by making those mistakes and persevering through looking at how the stitches interact. I find myself studying the chart of the lace to make those discoveries and make the corrections which I am enjoying more and more.
I meant to comment on your last video. I loved touring the state fair with you. I mostly knit lace shawls and I always swatch. I swatch for gauge, because yarn usage can change, and to see if I like the fabric that I knit with my yarn. I have changed yarns just based on my swatch. I also like adding beads to my lace, so swatching a beading scheme is crucial. I would knit garments, but not for myself. I live in a very warm climate, so not for my loved ones either. I just knit a baby sweater for my BFf's first granddaughter, they live in a temperate clime. It was the baby version of an adult sweater. I may finally attempt it. As a lace knitter, and a habitual forgetter of YOs, I discovered all of the saving techniques on my own. I felt very courageous. I have misread charts, or made assumptions about a pattern which required my reknitting on the wrong side row. I’m very far from the woman who four years ago cast on her first "lace" scarf. The cast on was 49 stitches and that number remained constant throughout the pattern. At no point in my attempt at that pattern did I ever have 49 stitches. I’ve learned a lot since then, often with the help of online videos or classes.
Thank you for your videos. I enjoy all of them.
Great video, we are always learning! Off topic, love the white blouse with your silver hair and complexion, good choice for you! Loved your stories about your time at the fair, thks
Thank you, I enjoyed this SO much! I’m fascinated by all of the challenges you described in the first year of the Master Knitter program that I’m thinking of looking into it myself, just for the learning experience. Please keep sharing your knowledge and insights with us. Susan
When I was bitten by the lace bug, I knit lots of shawls for a while till I burned out. But mistakes happen as we all know. What I found useful was using short double-pointed needles in the same size as the knitting needles. I prefer bamboo as they have a bit more grip on the yarn vs. metal. That way I could rework the part the mistake was in and not have to frog back so often.
Though I am both an English Knitter who Flicks and a Continental Knitting, I found that reworking a few rows of lace did best in Continental. That and being able to work backwards so that I could see what my fix was doing and that it was looking right, made a fix that I could not see at all where my problem had been. And I am rather picky about my own work.
I taught myself this, have not seen another knitter do it or read about it or seen a video on UA-cam. I am likely not the only person who's thought of this.
Outside of that, I have short double-ended crochet hooks which I use primarily for repairs such as dropped stitches. If you are repairing in garter, having one of these handy crochet hooks and what I use is by Clover, is bamboo and available in G, H, I, and J. I've worked some parts of Tunisian with these if I was making a tube. Tunisian is a lot of fun. Great for what looks like knitting but is thicker so you don't need to put an inter-lining of plastic canvas to give body to the bag.
One more comment re lace knitting challenges. When tinking back to correct an error, i have a hard time picking up YO stitches in the row below. As I mentioned in my earlier comment, this is a problem with reading my work. I just saw that your Techniques Tuesday series has a video on lace knitting problems--will watch that now! Thanks for your great video podcast and tutorials.
I think my biggest lace knitting mystery :) is how I manage to mess up stitch counts.
😅I have to mark every 10 or 20 stitches and tripple check each in order to count reliably
Another fantastic video Roxanne, thank you. Like others, I too learned the importance of gauge swatching. What I love about swatching is the freedom to choose different yarns for a pattern. I prefer to use natural yarns but they don't always knit up the same though they may be the same weight. And...also have had the experience of trying to get other knitters to use swatches who vehimently refuse...and then the finished garment ended up fitting someone four times their size!!!! Such a waste plus it gives the knitter a dislike for knitting anything that requires sizing.
When I’ve knitted lace, it’s when I drop a stitch I have difficultly but now I put in a lifeline every 10 rows. I had a nightmare before I knew about this technique, even though I’ve been knitting nearly 60 years, I’m still learning. 💐
I understand you totally. I love the lace but I just ignore them so I am missing out. I have never knit top down on jumpers/sweaters and never toe up on socks. I am so close to turning 70 and was diagnosed with cataracts in both eyes plus narrowing where moisture should move through but not happening. Yesterday I had tests and told it was like looking through printing paper which has been twisted?? I have been sewing by hand, machine and Knitting many socks and creating my own patterns on both pairs as any pattern I had to read or use a graph was becoming torturous to do. It would turn my stomach and I get anxious.
So now I am so grateful that I was getting headaches wearing my glasses so when the lockdown was lifted I saw an optometrist who was taking a lot longer then usual. So my new journey began seeing an opthomologist and being booked in for my surgery on August 11th. Today we have been put into our 5th lockdown for 5 days. I live in Eltham Victoria Australia 🇦🇺
I have been knitting since I was 4/5 years old. A school teacher taught me as all my grandparents had past away many years before I came along. I was born in the Netherlands 6 years after the WW2 ceased?
@@FrancienDanielsWebb your eyes are so precious, I pray that the doctors are able to help with them. Hope they’ve discussed it with you and arranging an operation to try and eliminate your issues. Take care.
Learning and discovering that it is as much fun as doing the project is, I agree, the key to really feeling you can decide what you are knitting for. I think skill building never ever goes away, There are always new needles, other options of how to do something, people who develop a new purling method. These are all a part of the enjoyment of knitting.
I am glad, though I live in a state California, where knitters are a rare breed, being able to interact with fellow knitters is great.
It is also for me, that if I find my mind not as clear, making myself learn a new technique, helps push that fog away. My dad died of Alheimer's disease as well as all of his brothers and his father. So knitting is a skill to help me keep who I am for as long as I am able. Yes, I eat a lot differently than I did once, the windshield gets clean by washing the whole thing, likewise my approach has to be as all-in as I can.
Lace knitting is the only project type where I struggle to 'read' my knitting. The stitches often get so distorted in a lace pattern that it's difficult to do the sleuthing to understand what mistake I've made.
And even with lifelines, I can never correct errors. It’s always faster to rip it and start from scratch.
I'm glad you asked for feedback on challenges experienced by novice lace knitters. I seem to come up against the same challenge repeatedly and this has caused me to frog several lace projects. When I find myself off-pattern for whatever reason and try to tink back, I usually get completely lost when trying to figure out where the YO stitches were or should be. I've heard advice many times about using life-lines periodically through the project, but have never done this; not sure why, I guess it seems like an additional step or I'm just too lazy. I would really like to be able to better read my lace knitting.
For sure! My biggest problem, too. It doesn't help that I chose a 50 row lace pattern for my first knitted lace project. I know how to crochet lace and have learned to deal with mistakes there. So, I thought I wouldn't have much trouble with knitted lace. ha, ha! The joke was on me. Tinking back in lace is nothing like ripping out crochet and picking up one stitch on a hook. Identifying a row and getting all those stitches back on knitting needles is a skill in itself. I still love that pattern. (The Tuscany Lace dress from Interweave Press) I still want to finish it.
Thank you so much for posting this, and your preferred technique. 🌺
Have demonstrated at historic village in years past, and it’s good to know older men haven’t changed. 20 years ago, the ‘old coots’ were asking those same questions!
I really enjoyed this! As a novice lace knitter I recently dropped a stitch and didn’t realize it for a few rows. If it’s stockinette, garter, or purl I know how to work it back up but for lace I just hooked a stitch marker on it so it doesn’t drop further until I can figure out what to do. If the answer is to rip back a few rows, I don’t know how to do that in lace either. Is there a way to put in a life line right in the row where it’s needed? Thanks for all the great knowledge and experience you share!
The skill that changed it all for me was learning to use more than one source yarn on the same piece keeping the yarn sources attached. . When yarn got too thin or too thick, I could change to the other yarn source. I could use yarn thaf was cheaper or more fiddly when before I could not. I could do textures and stripes and patterns impossible otherwise, especially when combined with using double pounted or cable needles, and I once did a 5 color stipe pattern with remainder yarns.
I’ve done spinning and weaving demos for years. Most women approach a spinner and say “you know you can buy that at Walmart…”. Men on the other hand are mesmerized by the physics of the wheel. I think the mechanics of spinning fascinates them. To the women I say you can buy something at Walmart but you can’t buy this at Walmart.
Hi Roxanne! This was great to listen to and watch. I started knitting to knit socks. I have accomplished that goal! It took a while but I can read my knitting too. I understand that as a knitter I should know the purpose of certain aspects of the knitting process. I am new to knitting garments. I started my first sweater a couple days ago. I feel confident that I understand more about knitting. Looking forward to success with my sweater. Happy knitting!
Made a lace knit project and used lots of markers for repeats, a “life line” in row one of lacy pattern and all purl rows were simply purled! Moved the lifeline occasionally, and finally got it done! Whew! So much stress because I easily get so mixed up that I just rip out and avoid most lace! ( baby dedication dress, so extremely important to me. Took a month of intense work, but worth it). Life line was a life saver! I knew if I had to rip out, I could begin row one again and get back on track!
Andrea on Fruity Knitting taught me about the lifeline as her daughter Madeleine knitted way too many rows. Andrea showed how by using two lifelines she could rip out many rows. She has many great and very clear instructions one being the steeking. Scares the hell out of me. One day when I can see properly again I will use it.
I'm doing my first lace in my first sweater. I keep ending up with 80-100 extra stitches when I'm done with 1 repeat of the lace. I start with 146 sts, then in the lace I'm increasing so at the end of 8 rows I should have q69 stits. My first attempt I had 248 sts. My 2nd attempt I had 276 sts. The lace is very simple, yo, decrease, yo, k2, yo, decrease. I did my gauge swatch, but I can't figure out if I'm on guage. I do know I have the right number of sts at the end of the gauge. I'm flummoxed and keep frigging.
My biggest problem is tinking back and knowing where I am in the pattern...so I guess reading the lace, especially the stitches that surround a yarnover. Also slip stitches!!
Hi Roxanne, thanks for another great video. As a novice lace knitter I sometimes find I get to the end of the row I don't know the right number of stitches for the pattern. I have learned to better read my knitting and usually it is that I have forgotten to at a yarn over in the previous row. I also sometimes have difficulty picking the right yarn to get the right fabric (aka drape).
OKAY you have like 4 BOOKS there that I have...I have been knitting for 25 years. I think that once A PERSON really gets into knitting we all eventually buy the same books. Great books. Thank you for this amazing video and your stories. so interesting.
Knitting around the world
Traditional Knitting
The Principles of Knitting
Fleece and Fiber.
Have a great day.
Hi Roxanne! You are talking about being unsure of matching colors for the socks you were knitting at the time? I can offer my help on that subject matter if and when it comes up in any new or unfinished projects you are doing. Since matching colors is what I do for a living, and for fun. Please, don't hesitate to ask - it will be my pleasure to give back, even if just a little. Thank you!
When I was young, spinning was explained to me in school as the yarn going around the big wheel and then back to the bobbin. It seemed so confusing! Thank goodness it makes more sense than that lol
I think with my lace knitting, I’ve found that I enjoy knitting more with fingering weight vs. cobweb. If the gauge of the yarn gets too thin, even with wrapping the yarn twice around my pinky, I am just not fond of the result. And I’ve really had to go up on my needle size as lace knitting to open up when blocking, I’ve found I needed to knit more loosely. And the needles I choose matters. I started using bamboo but now can knit lace on my ChiaoGoo stainless steel. I do like working with smaller gauge needles, I love knitting socks. Want to try a sock perhaps with a lace pattern on just the top, of course.
Would you consider doing a knit along sweater on UA-cam similar to what you experienced in the Yahoo! Group?
So…purl bumps, wrong side/right side on long tail cast on, wha? I will be learning a new thing this week. So many things to know that I don’t even know that I don’t know! But I’m gonna learn one this week🧶 Thanks for the info.
I would so appreciate a tutorial on fixing a failed yarn over two rows down. I know I should have caught it but didn’t. The great news is I caught it two rows up. Getting better at reading stitches. Still in kindergarten. Thank you
How about this one on Fixing Yarnover Mistakes ua-cam.com/video/GM26rcJCXKs/v-deo.html. FYI, I have an entire playlist on Fixing Mistakes: ua-cam.com/play/PL1AZxTfSCe2e3jF5yO0FvcZGnvA-GoPC5.html
Hi Roxanne, thanks so much for the techniques picking up stitches. What about on a curved neckline like a cardigan? My pattern calls for 104 stitches around neck but if I use your calculations I get a lesser number because my stitches run large and pattern calls for seed stitch edge which you said runs wide. Thanks!
Love your adventures at the faire.
I haven't used my spinning wheel in over 30 years but this video has got me thinking. Thanks!
Great to hear!
I don't do much lace knitting as I don't know how to fix mistakes if I've done one down a couple rows. I don't usually have trouble fixing a yo unless there was a 2tog before I got to the yo mistake. I would say that how to fix 2 tog no matter whether or not they were left or right leaning. I can read my knitting and find the mistakes so I would sure like to know the technique for fixing tog stitches. Thanks for all of your help and passing on so much knowledge.
Is there any way I can shorten sleeves from the cuff rather than pulling it back, as I’ve sewn the garment up entirely
I have had this experience a couple of time with guys being drawn to my spinning wheel, my dad for one. He doesn't care what I'm working on as far as knitting or crocheting, but he'll give me about 10 minutes when I break out the wheel.
Do you have a video about cast ons or how you choose a cast on. I’m intrigued as I’m not always happy with the way mine looks.
I've been waiting for this video all day. Really enjoy. I don't even spin. Doesn't matter. I can't believe it was "cold and rainy". It's in the 90s here for the foreseeable future. Wish I was there. Thanks.
Hi Rox! I stumbled across your channel and really enjoyed your latest episode. I am Raveler 24,055 and an avid self-taught knitter. Lived about six years in Michigan so very familiar with the area around Sleeping Bear Dunes. Will go back and watch some of your technique videos - always looking to improve. Thanks for the work you put into making these so enjoyable. Best, Jean
Hello Roxanne, in this video you are asking if we have problems fixing lace errors, I usually don't, but I would love to know how to fix problems on Bavarian travelling twisted stich work. I had to unknit many rows quite a few time (both in Palm tulip and in Tranlated patterns) because I dropped a stich while cabelling and I just couldn't catch it before it laddered 4 or 5 rows. I could have tried to take the needles off undo a few rows and then put the neddles back on, but I just didn't know if I could catch the stithes correctly, so I choose to unknit the row one stich at a time, which was quite long. Any more efficient way ?
I usually ladder down the span of sts that is a problem and then put them all on a dpn and reknit them row by row. I have a video on laddering down that might be helpful, (It's not fixing one stitch column at a time, it's fixing the entire span row by row). Look in the playlist called Fixing Mistakes.
@@RoxanneRichardson I had tried that but I guess I could'nt place the stiches on my dpn needle in the right order. I will try it swatching to understand better how to do it on Bavarian travelling twisted stiches. I am starting to love swatching Thanks to you ...
I sometimes have trouble with the last stitch in a row. Sometimes, when the last stitch falls off the needle and I put it back on the needle I'm never sure if I have put it back correctly. There is a twist in the stitch that I do not understand. I usually do not slip the first stitch of every row.
True story: The first time I heard a tv celebrity talk about her “spinning class”, 😳yep, I thought she was learning to spin wool.🤨 Later found out she was just on a stationary bike. Still get a chuckle from that🤭🙃🙃
i bet the older men who sat there and watched you knit were reminded of watching their mothers knit when they were young.
That was a very fun video to watch. A question and problem that I have had in lace knitting is that I sometimes get lost, especially if I have made a mistake and then I can't figure out where I am. I have asked others how they deal with this and I haven't gotten any good answers. I can do crochet lace with no problems at all and so I want to be able to learn the same skill in knitting. I try so hard to be able to read the stitches so that I can recognize where I am at, but sometimes I just can't figure it out. I was wondering if you have any tips about this. Thank you
Sandy C I use lots of markers and lifelines. So when I knit intricate lace I have a marker for each repeat in the pattern. After I have knitted a section between markers I stop, count the stitches and read my knitting to make sure everything is correct. It’s a lot easier to read the stitches that are on the needle vs stitches that are in the body of the knitting since they have stretched so it’s hard for my eyes to follow the row. When I know that an entire row is correct I will run a lifeline through every stitch on the needles and mark that row on my pattern. I will only place a lifeline every 10-20 rows depending on how much I think I am willing to rip out and reknit. This may sound like a lot of work but it’s a whole lot simpler than trying to figure out where I made a mistake and then figure out how to repair it.
Some yarns will hide your mistakes. Variegated yarns and yarns with textures are good and I have some stitch patterns esthetic will tolerate errors to a point.
As a very novice knitter (only 2 lace shawls to date); when I make a mistake and it is on the current row or the row previous, normally just think back stitch by stitch. There have been a lot of start overs, until I started using lifelines, normally before a real complicated row or a chart section. However, the lifeline came back to bite me because it was holding a dropped stitch in the middle of a difficult section and I didn’t see until a hole appeared when blocking. I didn’t know how to fix, so I just stitched around the hole, tried to follow some semblance of pattern, pull in and anchor the hole. Barely noticeable to the untrained eye. Is there a better way to fix this when it happens after knitting the project?
My tricky lace problem - how do you keep YOs from 'jumping' over your stitch markers?
My boyfriend had to get a spinning wheel design when I started spinning...He is a woodworker. He was fascinated. He did learn to weave when I got an inkel loom.
Peasant heal? I've not heard of that one before. What is that? I know it must be some type of afterthought heal from the held stitches.
Hope to see you at the fair this 2021 year and thank you personally. If I am unable to, Thank you! Your video is very entertaining. Loved your description of the men who would watch you do knitting and spinning. Aren’t they just the cutest humans!?
Rox, I just discovered your channel not too long ago and have enjoyed each post. I didn't know you also spun, I suppose its just part of the process, so many crafts blend into others and I thin knitting and spinning is of course no exception. I recently bought a wheel that I have wanted a long time, I am trying to do worsted spinning with Corriedale top, but it seems I end up having too much twist., I've tried tightening my tension and loosening and it just doesn't seem to ever be correct. I'm using a 5.5-1 ratio but haven't tried increasing it because I don't want it to twist even further...Do you have a clue what I'm missing??? Thank you for any help you can possibly lend :-) I value your knowledge!!!!
I’m working on lace knitting with cables-not my favorite so far. I miscount very often and rely on stitch markers to try to catch the mistake within one repeat but I’m soooo slow. Also right now I’m sticking to squares because I was completely overwhelmed with adjusting the pattern that included shaping. Can you help show how to mark a chart that includes shaping? I think that if I eliminate a decrease I have to eliminate a corresponding yarnover but which one? So hard for me to read a chart that changes shape!
in some lace projects, I have trouble telling the right side row from the wrong side. I usually put a stitch marker that helps, but sometimes I forget. Any tips for when I forget?
My skill that made a difference after 50+ years of knitting? I'd always counted stitches by 3. I realized recently I could easily count 5 at a time by eyeballing 3, then 2. Weirdly, it's much quicker.
I know this is a while later but I would like to know if you can fix a ssk or k2tog when you knitted the next row and see it is wrong.
I have an entire playlist on my channel on fixing various types of mistakes. You might find the one on laddering down to fix mistakes to be helpful. ua-cam.com/video/-RmexrJRIDo/v-deo.html
I always appreciate your videos and tutorials… I am a fairly new knitter and want to learn how to knit yoke sweaters. Is there a good book you can recommend that teaches one how to approach this style of knitting successfully?
Rox you are the quintessential teacher! Thanks for all the info. Btw can u elaborate a little bit more on the “purl bumps” during cast on. What is ur preferred style when casting on socks?
When you do the long tail cast on, you are knitting each of the twisted thumb loops, so the back side of the CO edge is all purl bumps. When working ribbing, I don't like having a purl bump at the base of the knit columns on the RS of the work, so I make the first row I work a WS row.
Men do typically stare at the wheel mechanism or woodwork. They'll ask questions about that but not immediately catch on that the wheel does only two things: twist and wind. These two processes are much more obvious on a great wheel because they are done in two separate steps. A finger on the flyer or not allowing take up force the bobbin-flyer assembly to perform the steps separately. Women who stop typically want to pet fiber., so I take several varieties. Families also stop, wanting some education on where clothing comes from. I delight in telling the kids the secret of bug vomit and showing them cocoons and cotton bolls. I take an akha (matches spindle on great wheel), an 1850 antique great wheel, and a bobbin-flyer wheel (preferably my Reeves, hand made with beautiful wood working and period appropriate). It's the great wheel that does the best job sucking people in, plus kids can participate by turning the great wheel while I spin a 2 m length, ply on the fly, knot, and then give them a finished 1 m string as a keepsake. I demo in 1850s costume (farmer's wife version, so thankfully no corset).
Your red sweater with a shawl collar. Is it your pattern? Where can I get it ? I want to knit my first sweater and need a cardigan. Want to do a top down raglan sleeve. Would that be a good one. I've done six or eight pairs of socks. Made 2 shawls. In the process of putting the edge on 2nd shawl. Should be through in a week or 2. So I am looking to my next project. Any advice!?!
I'm not sure which sweater you're talking about, since it wasn't one that I wore in this video. I have two sweaters with shawl collars. I usually include a link in the video description to the project page for whatever knitted item I'm wearing.
I was the #1000 like! Thanks for the video. I am trying to teach myself to knit so I am binge watching videos. So glad I found you. I really want to learn socks so that they will be easy too!
What a nice mom♥️
I’ve noticed that when I do knit a gauge swatch (sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t, and to be honest when I do I only do 2” or so before I decide it’s good enough to measure stitches/rows per inch), I find that my gauge swatch is never the same gauge as I get when knitting the real project. I tend to be looser in my project even if I’m using the same needles, yarn, stitch pattern, etc. Why do you think this happens and how can I fix this? It feels pointless to do a swatch if it doesn’t translate to my real project. Thanks!
This is why the advice is to do a 6x6'' swatch and measure across the center 4''. (I usually find 5x5 is enough for me) Next time you have 2'' on the needle, take a look at how easy it is for you to push or spread sts on the needle to get the gauge you *want* to be true.
I just started lace knitting and my yarnovers are not tension constant. Either its a small yarn or a huge yarn over. I don't know how to control the tension :\
The difference in your YO sizes might actually be due to what types of sts occur before and after the YO. When the two sts are identical (both knits or both purls) the YO is middle-sized, but if the st before is a purl and the st after is a knit, the YO will be smaller, and if it's the opposite (knit before the YO and purl after), the YO will be larger. Typically, washing and blocking will help to even things out.
A fascinating episode👍. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to your experiences at the fair, and listening to you answer questions...
What I really appreciate about you, is that you so obviously never stop learning... You never assume that you know it all... Your mind is vleays open to new ideas...
I am nit a skilled knitter.. I have no one to advise me, so I pretty much stick to the easy knits... and I love to crochet simple shawls... I use lots of good colors in my work, so simple designs seem to work... I am happy with what I do. I’ve lost a lot of vision, over the past couple of years,.
But.... I totally appreciate what really good knitters and cricketers can do with a humble ball or two of pretty yarn. Even if I had perfect vision, I seriously doubt I would be doing the kind if knitting and crocheting I see the experts do.. and that’s fine with me... it often looks like magic to me... especially the wonderful design and color work I see in sweaters and mittens. I never fail to feel amazed when I see it.
Thank you again for being so generous with your considerable knowledge and awesome skill set.
Sandy from Cincinnati❤️
Nupps where I have failed to knit through all the stitches and then knitted more than 20 rows. I don't think I even like nupps in lace knitting now I think about it. If it was something I liked I would have taken more care. Yadda, yadda, yadda, I know I need an advanced lace knitting fixing tutorial.
Interesting and informative
How do you block an unfinished piece in order to check the size up to that point?
The same way you would block it when it is finished. If you want, you can slip the sts onto waste yarn, first.
I find this interesting. Is this still going on at the State Fair since Covid, and are they planning on having it 2022? I just got back into knitting and thought it would be interesting to go see you at the fair.
The 2020 state fair was canceled. The 2021 state fair went on as scheduled (I did not go). I imagine it will be on again in 2022.
❤ i have a similar career path and approach to knitting as well--writing, research and figuring things out. --KateColors
Thank you for good, clear instructions. Do you keep and organize your swatches? If so, what kind of a system do you use? I would be more likely to do more swatches with an easy organizing method.
I’ve made hats. From each of the yarns I like to use. I wear them but also refer to them, as a sort of library.
So I’ve been really wanting to try to spin dog fur but I’m a new spinner so I want to first get some nice hanks behind me lol if anybody has advice it is welcomed and encouraged
My problem is the row after doing a yarn over. It looks like Greek to me. Would you be kind enough to give me some wisdom? Many thanks
I learnt how to knit as a child, my Mom taught me how to k,p,yo and k2tog. I started knitting again about 30 y later. My problem as a beginner lace knitter was that I didn't consider yo as a stitch by its own, because there wasn't a complete loop attached to the previous row. I counted yo and the next knit stitch as one stitch that's why I had a hard time reading charts. Thanks to educational videos like yours I realized that this was a misconception :)
I wished you would sit next to me while I am knitting! So many questions. Thank you for your videos.
Would love to know some personal information, such as how you met your husband, what’s his occupation, what jobs you e had, etc. I believe you have two daughters, one in Netherlands, where is the other one. Pets?
And maybe her mother's maiden name, and the street she grew up on?
At what point do you just ask for her social security number? Lol.
A kindle sock🧦
At 30.28 Wow!
Gosh, Rox, I get such a kick out of your "correction" captions! I need these in my real life!
I ENJOY KNIT ALONGS JUST CHATTING AND KNITTING... DUE TO i DON'T KNIT WELL AND COULD KEEP UP. i USE SMOOTH JAZZ AND KNIT NOW. ALTHOUGH i HAVE A LADY WHO DOES KNIT AND WE CAN JUST EITHER KNIT ALONG OR JUST ENJOY THE TIME
and a little no equipment fiber prep vid ua-cam.com/video/rNmkysf4r10/v-deo.html