I’m going to do this:
Pattern is at http://www.knitpicks.com/kpimages/pdf/50517221.pdf
for the Feb. challenge, it WILL be quite a challenge as it will be my first fair isle AND first felted project.
One question…what do they mean you can knit 2 at once if you use 24" dpn??? How do you do that?
It doesn’t say that you can knit 2 at once with 24" dpns. It says that you can knit two at once if you use TWO 24" circular needles. Using 2 circular needles is another method of small circular knitting, an option rather than using dpns.
This tutorial is for knitting 2 socks at once on 2 circular needles, but the same technique can apply to the project you are making.
no they are saying on a 24 inch circular needle. basically it is telling you that you can knit 4 coasters at once but you would have a lot of strings hanging off your needles as you move from coaster to coaster. it would make sure that your work is all even and that you dont end up getting bored and quitting before you make all four.
Thanks. I guess I’ll tackle the 2 at once with 2 dpns another time. I think people do socks that way too right?
RE the pattern if someone can help me I’d appreciate it. This is a big challenge for me. I don’t think the instructions are all that well-written.
QUESTIONS:
“Use a backward loop to add a stitich of the correct color in the increase section”. What does that mean?
When working rows 1-5 which are blue, do you use 2 yarns of blue at the same time and just or do you just add the 2nd color when you get to the patterned part?
The pattern for the cuff has a checkered white and blue area on each side of the design, but the picture doesn’t reflect that.
I think that’s basically it…I’ve never done fair isle, I’m going to watch the video here again because I’m not sure if say even numbered rows are purl, etc.
I don’t think I explained that very well. It’s a tiny project but a big challenge for me. :doh:
I think I figured out the answer to #2 is to just forget the white until the 6th row… :shrug:
I haven’t checked the instructions myself, but you know, because you don’t understand them doesn’t mean they aren’t written well. It may just mean you don’t understand. The (1) in your questions, I guess, means to use the backwards loop method of casting on a stitch. Is that the part you don’t understand?
Okay, realizing that my response wasn’t that helpful, I thought I’d better come back and say something more useful. So I’ve looked at the pattern. There are two things you can make in this pattern, a “cuff” to go around a cup like that for hot coffee or you can make coasters. Both of these things are made with a snowflake motif.
For the cuff, they tell you to cast on 60 stitches over dpns OR over 2 24" circular needles. If you knit in the round with two circs, there’s no real reason they need to be 24", I don’t think.
For the coasters, the writer of the pattern is saying that if you make four coasters, this number will fit nicely around a 24" circular. You can make fewer coasters using a smaller circular or more using a larger circular or you can make these with double pointed needles or two circs as well. But these are also knit in the round. They are done by casting on a multiple of 28 stitches and knitting the snowflake motif in that multiple. Then after felting, you can just cut the circular piece you knit into the 28 stitch pieces, and each of these can be used as a coaster.
For the coasters, there is no need to do any increases because they are just rectangles. If you are doing the cuff for a cup holder, then you do the increases as shown in the chart. You will increase at the beginning and ends of the motif. You will do this by casting on another stitch at the beginning or end of the motif, and your method of cast on will be the backwards loop method. There is a video on how to that here:
http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/index.php
The color you will use when you are casting on this extra stitch will be determined by the chart. So for example, you work from the bottom to the top, right to left on all rows of a circular chart. You will notice that row 11 is the first row that there is an increase on. The increase at the beginning of the motif is done in blue, so you will do a backwards loop cast on in blue. At the end of the motif, you will do this in white.
Sorry if I sounded a little snappy in an earlier post. Truly, though, this pattern is written fine as far as I can see.
Good luck!
Thanks Nikki, you were very helpful!
I didn’t think the instructions were poorly written, I knew it was my own lack of expertise that was the problem. 