Thank you for your time,I always learn something new and I love your new sweater pattern ,I think it’s a must knit 🧶 for me gorgeous retro vibe 🤗. From a very chilly Sydney Australia
Hi Andrea, I look forward to Friday’s, it’s a treat for me to tune in. I love your colour choices in your knitwear, maybe you could talk about that, your fluorite socks both and the fade articles. Thanks for making time for everyone that is interested😘🤩
I love knitting socks, always have a pair on the needles, the perfect portable project for me that I can pull out and knit anywhere. I learned initially doing top down on double points, quickly switched to toe up and magic loop. Must say, starting out top down was great for learning and understanding the anatomy of a sock. I knit one at a time, take notes, then refer when doing the 2nd one. My favorite bind off is a sawtooth bind off which allows for enough give to slip into and doesn't stretch out the cuff at all. Embrace sock knitting, people! Very satisfying to make and wear and to gift to others :)
Watched this while blocking my first superwash yarn sweater. Which is now a dress. Fortunately, I anticipated growth, so didn't cut the ends on the arms or body, so I will now significantly shorten both when fully dry. I don't like the feel of the super wash, but I loved the color of the yarn. So many lessons learned in this experience as it is only my 2nd sweater. Thanks for explaining how the integrity of the yarn is sacrificed for the "convenience" of being able to machine wash a garment.
Another interesting and informative episode thank you! I used to knit socks two at a time, however as well as the yarn wrangling required for TAAT (especially with contrast toes, heels and cuffs) I also found it quite hard on my wrists. Now I knit my socks in tandem - one toe then the second toe, alternating 10 rows on one sock then 10 rows on the second all the way along the foot, heel of one then the heel of the other and so on. Of course doing it that way does mean that you need to have extra sets of needles. I never really got second sock syndrome anyway, but this approach works really well for me.
I loved hearing about your working history including where you lived and how you transitioned to each and from each. It is what makes us unique. I remember when younger, maybe even in my 20s (68 on 5-30) thinking I could not work at the same job and the same place for 20 years or more like my dad was. So . . . do you carry your knitting around with you because you need to move? I watch knitting podcast in order to keep me in the kitchen and focused on dinner. It gets rather boring chopping up vegetable after vegetable just standing there. And I discovered that I'm actually learning a lot. I started doing this after we moved to Hawaii a year ago. In my twenties I started taking my knitting everywhere I went. I lived in Montana and had a boyfriend where we would go and visit people. It was difficult, well I'll put it this way, it allowed me to sit and visit and not be antsy. That has continued with me throughout the years. I also discovered that carrying my knitting to conferences allowed me to retain the information that I was hearing of the speakers. That was a real surprise to me, so I started knitting during some of my masters classes at school when I was in my thirties. It was such an eye-opener and wonderful and amazing. I now am aware that it's because of my ADHD. I also take my knitting in my purse everywhere and I do walk and sometimes that shows :-) I also wondered about your tattoos on your hand, so thank you for sharing that information with us.
I love magic loop socks. I recently tried 9 inch circular and got really arthritic. Magic loop, one at a time, size 1, all the way. Making a beautiful pair of socks from one ball is the best. One ball wonders. Love listening to you.
Thanks for the chat! I have enjoyed making your DRK socks.The bind off that works best for me is the Elizabeth Zimmerman Sewn bind off. You enter the first two stitches as if to purl, then slip the first stitch off knit wise. It makes a nice stretchy bind off that looks like a long tail cast on. 🇨🇦
Favorite sock BO: For me it's the Lory's twisty. It's my favorite for ribbing because it's done directly on the needles. For my hubby though, it has to be a stretchier BO because otherwhise his foot won't pass. For him, I'm using EZ's sewn, which is my favorite when I can't BO on the needles. It's so stretchy and easy to remember!
Hi Andrea! My favorite BO for socks is: K2, *sl those 2 knit sts back onto left needle, k2tbl, k1, repeat from *. You can also just insert the left needle into those 2 knit sts instead of passing them back onto the left needle and you're already set up for k2tbl. It has a nice stretch for me and doesn't look very different than a regular BO. Thanks so much for this series - I love it!
Andrea, thank you for all the tips and tricks! Regarding superwash yarn, I am always surprised by how much it grows when blocked. I can do the math, but actually seeing the effect on the whole garment is astounding. It seems that the garment grows even more than the swatch.
Yes - it will because it is a bigger, and thus heavier, so gravity will pull it down a bit more. It really depends on the garment and the gauge as well! If it is knit tighter, it will grow a bit less.
Love when you mentioned professions. It's hard being home and finding that identity. Always good when people say it aloud so you know you're not alone. - Thank you! Kimberly
I started knitting socks on dpn's too and had to laugh when you talked about feeling magical when knitting with all those needles. I feel the same way lol have a great weekend 😊
I felt the same way until I put a sock into a project bag and took it out of the project bag minus half of the needles. Now, I knit them on 9 inch circulars, 2 circulars, or magic loop. I only use dpns as cable needles these days.
Another great session, Andrea! Thank you! Love your tatoos and their meanings. Also, love hearing about your interesting life in addition to yarn/knitting discussions.
Yours and my stories a pretty similar in a sense! I also came to realize after quitting my career path to be a stay-at-home mom that I NEEDED to do something! Idle hands are not my friend! So that is when I got back into fiber arts. Mostly Knitting, Crochet, and Macrame! And now, it has over time, become my new career path! I am currently looking into the knitwear design program at the Academy of Art Institute in San Francisco so that I can really dig deep into the whys and the hows of knitting ❤️
I love using chiaogoo twist shorties for sleeves and socks. Sock knitting has also become faster using the shadow wrap short row heel. I can knit everything on my 9 inch circular. I prefer the Finchley graft for cuff down and Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off for toe up.
You have such a great way of explaining things, & your patterns are lovely. Yoriko Oki does a basic toe up sock tutorial and she has posted all the different parts on her channel, so the bind off has its own little video. It's one she adapted & it's stretchy without flaring.
Have to completely agree on the stretchy bindoff. I'm not a fan either it actually ruined a couple of things I made..thx for the tips and all..from south Milwaukee, wi..I love Michigan. So pretty up north.are you a yooper???😄😄😄
Oh funny I love socks too I always do 4 rows on one sock then 4 rows on the other so I finish my socks at the same time I always make them so much faster that way lol
Hi Andrea, I love your videos. I am learning so much. I am wondering what kind of knitting bag or bags do you use, along with notion bags. I use different knitting and notion bags and I feel like when I sit down to knit I never have all of the tools I need. Do you just keep one notions bag with everything in it or multiple ones?
You talk about short rows fairly often and I have read about short rows, I've done short rows, and I have watched videos on short rows. What I don't know is how do I know how many stitches and where to start a short row on a sweater that has a neck lower than what I want? I have been getting the courage to knit a sweater, which I have not done in 20 years, and many have lower neck lines in the back.
Do you ever knit with cotton and/or cotton blend yarns? I recently did a test knit for a vest, and I used a bamboo/cotton blend and it stretched so much that it became a tunic after I washed it to block it. Now I am afraid to use cotton again. I found a men's cardigan that I really want to knit, but it was made with cotton yarn. I am afraid to substitute the yarn. I just wanted to know your thoughts and opinions on cotton yarns. Thanks.
Cotton can grow quite a bit. I prefer to use cotton/wool blends - as cotton alone is too hard on my hands. I think if the pattern was designed with a cotton yarn, you should be fine to use it.
You know you are the third person I have heard that used to be a baker and is a knitter. I also used to be a baker. That’s so interesting. I believe Amy Beth the fat squirrel used to be a baker too. Marie 💕😊💕
I just follow it on my phone - but I think people have the best luck using either Knit Companion, or actually printing the chart and using highlighter tape so they can quickly and easily see where they are :)
Thank you for your time,I always learn something new and I love your new sweater pattern ,I think it’s a must knit 🧶 for me gorgeous retro vibe 🤗. From a very chilly Sydney Australia
Hi Andrea, I look forward to Friday’s, it’s a treat for me to tune in. I love your colour choices in your knitwear, maybe you could talk about that, your fluorite socks both and the fade articles. Thanks for making time for everyone that is interested😘🤩
Another helpful video! You are an amazing teacher!!! ❤Your videos have helped me immensely. Thank you, Andrea.
I love knitting socks, always have a pair on the needles, the perfect portable project for me that I can pull out and knit anywhere. I learned initially doing top down on double points, quickly switched to toe up and magic loop. Must say, starting out top down was great for learning and understanding the anatomy of a sock. I knit one at a time, take notes, then refer when doing the 2nd one. My favorite bind off is a sawtooth bind off which allows for enough give to slip into and doesn't stretch out the cuff at all. Embrace sock knitting, people! Very satisfying to make and wear and to gift to others :)
Watched this while blocking my first superwash yarn sweater. Which is now a dress. Fortunately, I anticipated growth, so didn't cut the ends on the arms or body, so I will now significantly shorten both when fully dry. I don't like the feel of the super wash, but I loved the color of the yarn. So many lessons learned in this experience as it is only my 2nd sweater. Thanks for explaining how the integrity of the yarn is sacrificed for the "convenience" of being able to machine wash a garment.
Another interesting and informative episode thank you! I used to knit socks two at a time, however as well as the yarn wrangling required for TAAT (especially with contrast toes, heels and cuffs) I also found it quite hard on my wrists. Now I knit my socks in tandem - one toe then the second toe, alternating 10 rows on one sock then 10 rows on the second all the way along the foot, heel of one then the heel of the other and so on. Of course doing it that way does mean that you need to have extra sets of needles. I never really got second sock syndrome anyway, but this approach works really well for me.
Thanks for your generosity, I felt you wear your heart on your sleeve, so grateful ❣❣❣
I loved hearing about your working history including where you lived and how you transitioned to each and from each. It is what makes us unique. I remember when younger, maybe even in my 20s (68 on 5-30) thinking I could not work at the same job and the same place for 20 years or more like my dad was.
So . . . do you carry your knitting around with you because you need to move? I watch knitting podcast in order to keep me in the kitchen and focused on dinner. It gets rather boring chopping up vegetable after vegetable just standing there. And I discovered that I'm actually learning a lot. I started doing this after we moved to Hawaii a year ago. In my twenties I started taking my knitting everywhere I went. I lived in Montana and had a boyfriend where we would go and visit people. It was difficult, well I'll put it this way, it allowed me to sit and visit and not be antsy. That has continued with me throughout the years. I also discovered that carrying my knitting to conferences allowed me to retain the information that I was hearing of the speakers. That was a real surprise to me, so I started knitting during some of my masters classes at school when I was in my thirties. It was such an eye-opener and wonderful and amazing. I now am aware that it's because of my ADHD. I also take my knitting in my purse everywhere and I do walk and sometimes that shows :-) I also wondered about your tattoos on your hand, so thank you for sharing that information with us.
I love magic loop socks. I recently tried 9 inch circular and got really arthritic. Magic loop, one at a time, size 1, all the way. Making a beautiful pair of socks from one ball is the best. One ball wonders. Love listening to you.
Thank you for the fun video. My favorite sock bind-off is the sewn bind off, though i mostly knit cuff down socks.
Thank you again for another informative & enjoyable 'I'll knit if I want to'. xx Oh & purchased 'Evenfall' right after! 👍
Thanks for the chat! I have enjoyed making your DRK socks.The bind off that works best for me is the Elizabeth Zimmerman Sewn bind off. You enter the first two stitches as if to purl, then slip the first stitch off knit wise. It makes a nice stretchy bind off that looks like a long tail cast on. 🇨🇦
Favorite sock BO:
For me it's the Lory's twisty. It's my favorite for ribbing because it's done directly on the needles.
For my hubby though, it has to be a stretchier BO because otherwhise his foot won't pass. For him, I'm using EZ's sewn, which is my favorite when I can't BO on the needles. It's so stretchy and easy to remember!
Hi from Sydney, Love your sweater , can’t wait to knit it
Hi Andrea! My favorite BO for socks is: K2, *sl those 2 knit sts back onto left needle, k2tbl, k1, repeat from *. You can also just insert the left needle into those 2 knit sts instead of passing them back onto the left needle and you're already set up for k2tbl. It has a nice stretch for me and doesn't look very different than a regular BO. Thanks so much for this series - I love it!
I'm loving your hint and tips thank you🥰
I love doing the elastic bind off for socks and have never been disappointed. Love your videos Andrea so thank you for sharing!
Andrea, thank you for all the tips and tricks! Regarding superwash yarn, I am always surprised by how much it grows when blocked. I can do the math, but actually seeing the effect on the whole garment is astounding. It seems that the garment grows even more than the swatch.
Yes - it will because it is a bigger, and thus heavier, so gravity will pull it down a bit more. It really depends on the garment and the gauge as well! If it is knit tighter, it will grow a bit less.
Love when you mentioned professions. It's hard being home and finding that identity. Always good when people say it aloud so you know you're not alone. - Thank you! Kimberly
Magical looper! Love that!
I'm from Michigan too! Love the fall colors! ❤
I started knitting socks on dpn's too and had to laugh when you talked about feeling magical when knitting with all those needles. I feel the same way lol have a great weekend 😊
I felt the same way until I put a sock into a project bag and took it out of the project bag minus half of the needles. Now, I knit them on 9 inch circulars, 2 circulars, or magic loop. I only use dpns as cable needles these days.
Another great session, Andrea! Thank you! Love your tatoos and their meanings. Also, love hearing about your interesting life in addition to yarn/knitting discussions.
I have developed my own toe up sock pattern using Sheena’s stretchy bind off without flare. This is my favorite bind off.
Yours and my stories a pretty similar in a sense! I also came to realize after quitting my career path to be a stay-at-home mom that I NEEDED to do something! Idle hands are not my friend! So that is when I got back into fiber arts. Mostly Knitting, Crochet, and Macrame! And now, it has over time, become my new career path! I am currently looking into the knitwear design program at the Academy of Art Institute in San Francisco so that I can really dig deep into the whys and the hows of knitting ❤️
So exciting!! Best of luck on your journey!
I love using chiaogoo twist shorties for sleeves and socks. Sock knitting has also become faster using the shadow wrap short row heel. I can knit everything on my 9 inch circular. I prefer the Finchley graft for cuff down and Jeny's Surprisingly Stretchy bind off for toe up.
Love these Friday videos!! So helpful! When will the accessories KAL start?
You have such a great way of explaining things, & your patterns are lovely. Yoriko Oki does a basic toe up sock tutorial and she has posted all the different parts on her channel, so the bind off has its own little video. It's one she adapted & it's stretchy without flaring.
Love your sweater. Did you knit it?
Thank you for doing these videos! I enjoy them so much!
Have to completely agree on the stretchy bindoff. I'm not a fan either it actually ruined a couple of things I made..thx for the tips and all..from south Milwaukee, wi..I love Michigan. So pretty up north.are you a yooper???😄😄😄
Could you show us what’s in your notions pouches?😊. Thank you
Oh funny I love socks too I always do 4 rows on one sock then 4 rows on the other so I finish my socks at the same time I always make them so much faster that way lol
Hi Andrea, I love your videos. I am learning so much. I am wondering what kind of knitting bag or bags do you use, along with notion bags. I use different knitting and notion bags and I feel like when I sit down to knit I never have all of the tools I need. Do you just keep one notions bag with everything in it or multiple ones?
Not knitting related, but how are you so gosh darn pretty?😍
Right! Absolutely radiant.
Could you show me what a wool binder looks like. I've never seen one. Thank you.
You talk about short rows fairly often and I have read about short rows, I've done short rows, and I have watched videos on short rows. What I don't know is how do I know how many stitches and where to start a short row on a sweater that has a neck lower than what I want? I have been getting the courage to knit a sweater, which I have not done in 20 years, and many have lower neck lines in the back.
I love when other people ask the things I’ve been wondering too! Thanks for the sewing tips in your last newsletter!
Do you ever knit with cotton and/or cotton blend yarns? I recently did a test knit for a vest, and I used a bamboo/cotton blend and it stretched so much that it became a tunic after I washed it to block it. Now I am afraid to use cotton again. I found a men's cardigan that I really want to knit, but it was made with cotton yarn. I am afraid to substitute the yarn. I just wanted to know your thoughts and opinions on cotton yarns. Thanks.
Cotton can grow quite a bit. I prefer to use cotton/wool blends - as cotton alone is too hard on my hands. I think if the pattern was designed with a cotton yarn, you should be fine to use it.
sewn bind off is what i use to sock bind offs
You know you are the third person I have heard that used to be a baker and is a knitter. I also used to be a baker. That’s so interesting. I believe Amy Beth the fat squirrel used to be a baker too. Marie 💕😊💕
I’d like to know how you set yourself up to follow a chart. I find it hard to knit, read the chart and key and keep my place. Thanks
I just follow it on my phone - but I think people have the best luck using either Knit Companion, or actually printing the chart and using highlighter tape so they can quickly and easily see where they are :)
Is there any help for new knitters?
Thanks for the great explanation of blocking and gauge. Clever questions, too!