Twist Collective – Ink, Yarn & Beer

Out Looking Around

Being in vacation mode means – being in vacation mode! But as my last week begins, the organizational part of me returns. This means a return to patterns of daily living, such as coffee set up the night before, getting up at 5:30-6:00, and following the morning routines of reading the news, blogs I enjoy, and perusing the patterns on Ravelry, and what everyone is knitting. And this brought me to the current issue of Twist Collective, for which I had considered sending in a pattern or two. Well, I never got around to that! However, this morning I sat down and went through the current edition, and was really impressed by a lot of what was on it.

Latvian cast-on? That possibility caught my eye on this hat with knit-purl-cable patterns that are very pretty in all their combinations. This is the Crown of Leaves hat by Faina Goberstein.

A lot of sweaters caught my eye, too. Mostly they are traditional patterns – I don’t do innovative well – that are on the tailored side. Wellfleet by Cecily Glowik MacDonald presents with a tidy appearance in a very unconservative and cheery color.

Continuing on a traditional note with innovative design is Hallett’s Ledge by Elinor Brown. It is easy to see why this is a popular sweater on Ravelry – design and construction! And the name – where did that come from?

Finally, there is Acorns by Carol Sunday. The entire design of the sweater is very attractive. It is knit from the top down, in one piece. The name of the sweater got my initial attention – I really love oak trees – but then the sweater itself showed its appeal.

A part of me wants to order these patterns and get to work! Self-control must step in, but this post certainly will remind me what got my eye! (I still have other projects to work on . . . ) And this is not to say there are not a lot of other wonderful patterns on Twist Collective – there are far too many. This season’s issue is, in my opinion, one of the best. But then, I say that about most of their issues.

Casting On in Knitting: A Survey of Varieties

Personally, I never seem to be able to master the long-tail method of casting on – the one that is wrapped around the thumb and index finger in a Y-shape. I have my own method that I’ve done forever, yet never have seen duplicated on YouTube. I wrap the yarn on my left thumb, and knit a stitch with the needle in my right hand – this is my version of the long-tail. And it is very nice and stretchy. However, the cast-on by Alasdair Post-Quinn made the Y-shaped long-tail cast-on sensible because of the two different colors being used. I may actually be able to do it now!

Given this, I know that I have found a lot of videos on YouTube for casting on before knitting. Being somewhat encyclopedic in my approach to things, I decided that this post would be a collection of the different ones on YouTube I found to be especially useful.

Traditional Long Tail Cast-On

Long Tail Tubular Cast-On for 1×1 and 2×2 Ribbing by Ysolda Teague

Stretchy Knitted Cast-On Using a Crochet Hook from the Scarlet Zebra

Estonian Cast-On for Knitting Socks with Nancy Bush

Channel Island Cast-On by Oftroy

Double Knitting Cast-On with Alasdair Post-Quinn

German Twisted Cast-On with Lucy Neatby

And these are just a few! In particular, I highly recommend that you connect with Oftroy on YouTube. She has oodles of videos about cast-ons and different ways to do it – braided, multi-colored, whatever – and her videos are very watchable. She blogs here. Lucy Neatby’s YouTube channel has some unusual videos, such as on knitting based on Navajo plying (used in spinning), and a very tidy bobble. She is not a prolific video-maker, but her stuff is very clear and solid.

What would we do without the internet and YouTube??? There is sooooooo much to learn and share!

Double Knitting

In the past few months I’ve given thought to double knitting, which is the creation of mirrored patterns on a double layer of fabric. I’ve found some patterns that really have caught my attention. What really got me more interested was one called Cheesehands, by Julia Mueller. I really like the design – it’s a small project – and I have someone in mind who likes warm hands.

It also has a matching hat, so the temptation to knit is there! The pattern is quite cheerful, I think, and certainly worth the effort of learning double knitting.

Also, if you like gloves, Julia Mueller has incredible patterns, from whimsical to classical. Her other items include socks and hats. Check her stuff out on Ravelry. Her cable and twisted stitches are different and intriguing.

The current edition of the Twist Collective has a lot of gorgeous patterns, and a hat called Four Winds by Alasdair Post-Quinn.

The article he wrote about double knitting is quite good. What is even better are the videos embedded within. These videos enhance reading about the whole process, including his incredible cast-on that allows the knitter to begin knitting immediately. For me, the long-tail cast-on like this has always been confusing. For some reason, it makes sense here. (My long tail is very different. I think it is easier. Maybe I’ll film it one day.)

Here are the three videos in the article.

Double Knitting Cast-On

Double Knitting – Regular and Twisted Stitch

Double Knit Decreases

Interestingly, when getting the links on YouTube for Alasdair’s videos, I found that there are quite a few from the Twist Collective which I plan to check out.

* * *

In the meantime, I plan to finish a few hats and a shawl and a sleeve before I take on double knitting. And paint a few pictures. And prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday.

* * *

Addendum: I lied. I started playing with double knitting. Here is a link with some good tutorials: Golden Apples.

Online Knitting Resources – A Few Thoughts

Online knitting resources have been around for years, but as internet technology and hardware improves, they have become better than ever.

One of the most valuable tools, for me, is the video. On youtube, there are all sorts of instructional videos. These really help get points across, and show the viewer something which is really difficult to describe in words, even with sequenced photographs. Just doing a search for “backward caston” results in numerous hits, and refining it with “knitting” breaks it down even more. If it hadn’t been for youtube, I’d never have been able to purl using the continental method – the Norwegian Purl video was more than a little bit of a help!

Other favorite sites for patterns include Ravelry, Twist Collective, Knitting Pattern Central, and KnitNet. On many of these, techniques can be found, groups, local yarn stores. In some ways, the internet is like an ongoing treasure hunt – click here, click there, and something new and interesting pops up!

Still, despite the potentials found online, there are also limitations, although as time and technology move forward, that will become less of an issue. The low-tech book and magazine provide a portability not found online, and yes, you can take them with you! I personally would rather look at these than spend hours online, sitting in a chair, at a desk, and be indoors. Much nicer to wander outdoors to peruse. Color illustrations still catch my eye, the smell of ink and paper, and the beauty of layout, design, type font as well.

And, in this high-tech world, isn’t it interesting that many of us still prefer to knit with fine knitting needles in our hand, rather than at a knitting machine?