Ask Ms. Knitty (and pals)

[I be me]

you know I was sure that I stickeyed this thing last time I was online
but it isn't stickied.......
the quandries of life,  

[kochi~mochi]

I was watching a video showing how to use cables and i thought to myself "wouldn't double pointed needles work as well as those little wooden cable needles?"

...

Would they?  

[Peppermint Elf]

Mikono

I was watching a video showing how to use cables and i thought to myself "wouldn't double pointed needles work as well as those little wooden cable needles?"

...

Would they?

They work for me. Working with metal cable needles in the winter = yeah right. I just used the extra bamboo DPN as a cable needle. My cabling came out fine. 3nodding  

[Catcheen]

Mikono

I was watching a video showing how to use cables and i thought to myself "wouldn't double pointed needles work as well as those little wooden cable needles?"

...

Would they?

Peppermint Elf is right. They work just fine. *grin* It comes in exceptionally handy when one has misplaced her appropriately sized cable needle. *cough*  

[kochi~mochi]

thankies! I haven't any money, but my beloved sister kamiyra has some size 8 DPNs that i am unsure if she's using or not.  

[AccentualWolf]

I know that this question has been posted before about what to do when your stocknit stick purl stitches at the begining of a row looks weird. If you do slip the first stitch won't it make your rows a little uneven or is just me over estermating (I'm sorry I can't spell).  

[Catcheen]

AccentualWolf

I know that this question has been posted before about what to do when your stocknit stick purl stitches at the begining of a row looks weird. If you do slip the first stitch won't it make your rows a little uneven or is just me over estermating (I'm sorry I can't spell).

Nope, it makes it look a little nicer. I only recommend slipping the first stitch (of every row, not just the purl rows) if you're making something where the edges will show. If you're making a sweater or something else where that edge will be seamed, it doesn't matter how nice the edge looks since it'll be on the inside. Besides, if you're going to do it on something you're seeming, you have to cast on two more stitches to everything looks normal and blah... I just suck it up and have secretly wonky edges on the inside of things.

I wish this picture was bigger, but I hope it's enough to give you an idea. http://www.jimmybeanswool.com/2006AprilNewsletter.asp (scroll about midway down the page) It won't make anything look uneven if you're consistant. (ie: slip the stitch the same way every time, remember to slip the first stitch of every row, etc) What it's actually doing is tugging those loose edge stitches and making them take up two rows.  

[Zahra Ovaci]

I've got a question smile What bindoff do you think works best for large lace pieces that will be heavily blocked? Needs to be stretchy almost to the point of excess. So far I've heard the crochet bind-off works ok, or adding on a (perpendicular) lace edging. I'm trying to design a center-out shawl, since I hate picking up stitches smile  

[Catcheen]

Zahra Ovaci

I've got a question smile What bindoff do you think works best for large lace pieces that will be heavily blocked? Needs to be stretchy almost to the point of excess. So far I've heard the crochet bind-off works ok, or adding on a (perpendicular) lace edging. I'm trying to design a center-out shawl, since I hate picking up stitches smile

Personally, I've totally fallen in love with this bind off. It's actually kind of a cross between a bind off and grafting. http://www.socknitters.com/toe-up/lessonsix.htm It's worked SO well for my toe-up sock cuffs, I can only imagine that it'd also work for lace. I really like it because you're in control of your own tension since all you do is stretch it out to see how loose you need to make it. No need to guess. Plus it's really nice looking. Not messy at all. I'd probably make a swatch and block it to see if it'll be adequate enough. Please let me know how it works for you!  

[Tonaire]

Hey everyone. I things and stuff like crafting, like making stuff but i've been stuck on what to do. I made a kitty that looks like a bear. I love him and i named him Alikzandar. Now that i'm done i don't know what else to do. I'd like some pointers...Thanks you!  

[Catcheen]

Tonaire

Hey everyone. I things and stuff like crafting, like making stuff but i've been stuck on what to do. I made a kitty that looks like a bear. I love him and i named him Alikzandar. Now that i'm done i don't know what else to do. I'd like some pointers...Thanks you!

If you want to list the skills you already know and what you'd like to try, I'd be glad to help find a pattern and tutorials that can show you how to accomplish that.  

[buttoneyes]

I've got a question...
I've been knitting for a while and I want to learn to cable.
I have no idea actually, how it's done so I was wondering if someone could just basically explain?  

[Catcheen]

In a nutshell, a cable just uses another needle (either a cable needle or DPN) to switch the order you knit the stitches. When you use the cable needle, you're crossing a certain amount of stitches over or under other stitches and then that's the new order you knit and purl them until you cable again. See if you have a sweater with cables on it and notice each twist. Every twist is where you'd use the cable needle. Once you're actually doing it, cabling becomes quite intuitive. *grin* Hope that helped get the concept across. If not, let me know the parts I should find more detail for.  

[Peppermint Elf]

I need someone better at reading instructions than I am to read this and give me some advice...

Knitty.com

Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k to 3 sts before marker, ssk, k2, k2tog, k to last 3 sts, ssk, k1.

K 5 rounds even.

Repeat these 6 rounds twice more. 152[168, 188, 204, 220] sts.

So... over the K 5 rounds even... does this mean I continue doing the decreases over the 5 rows? Or do I just do them in pure stockinet? In case you need the whole pattern, it's here.  

[Lee Kushrenada]

Peppermint Elf

I need someone better at reading instructions than I am to read this and give me some advice...

Knitty.com

Decrease Round: K1, k2tog, k to 3 sts before marker, ssk, k2, k2tog, k to last 3 sts, ssk, k1.

K 5 rounds even.

Repeat these 6 rounds twice more. 152[168, 188, 204, 220] sts.

So... over the K 5 rounds even... does this mean I continue doing the decreases over the 5 rows? Or do I just do them in pure stockinet? In case you need the whole pattern, it's here.

now don't take my word for this, but I think that when it says knit 5 rows, it just means that after you do all the knitting together and what not...you just knit 5 rows, and then you do it all over again.
but to be honest I don't know if that's true, so if some one say's it better than I then go with them.