1. Mary and Carol both had trouble subscribing. This was due to my paranoid “protection” using .htaccess. I not only blocked folders that should be “super secret” but blocked the subscription too. You should be able to subscribe by visiting this page. I set the price at $15 for the first 90 days, and the subscription automatically recurrs every until you cancel. ( Yes, you can email me within 10 days after re-billing and realize you forgot to unsubscribe. It’s just me. I’m pretty nice. But it’s set that way so you don’t have to re-subscribe every 10 days.)
2. Some content is free; some is by subscription. The calculators will be by subscription.
3. In addition to (or instead of) subscribing for $$ you can also subscribe to the “newsletter”. I found a plugin for Wordpress that lets me send out each full post as I post. This sign up for is at the bottom of my “about” page. Visit it here. (Eventually, I will be organizing so that subscribers are automatically sent email posts for their lessons when they subscribe, but right now, I need to write the script to do that.)
4. If you get the email newsletter only, but don’t spend the money on the subscription, the email is currently configured to show you the full posts. That means that quite often, you can read the lesson. However, for those pages that are “by subscription”, you will only be able to load the top of the page when visiting the blog. This means you will not be able to run the “calculator” that goes with any particular lesson,
5. The first lesson is very, very easy! This is intentional. It will let people who know nothing about design learn using a very, very simple pattern, and also give me time to get all the features sorted out
6. Carol asked if you will be able to print out all patterns: Yes! I need to sort out the css files to help you already hit “print” for a blog post at the site. The CSS file is organized to not show the sidebars or extra junk. You will also be able to print out the emails, etc. I hope to later organize lessons into a nice pdf ebooks so the lessons are collected together conveniently for subscribers. (No promises for now. Right now, I’m focusing on getting weekly chats going, making sure the email and subscription works in ways that are not too obnoxious and getting the first lesson up and running.

For other news, visit The Premium Site.

© lucia for The Knitting Fiend, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments
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But this time, I’ve decided that I want to continue bringing lessons to everyone but . . . well… I also want to make a little money. So, over the past few weeks, I’ve been organizing a new site that will provide some free content and some “by subscription” content. I’ll admit I’m still working the bugs out on the technology end, but I’ve decided I have enough there to host an introductory design lesson.

The design lesson will be “how to design an ascot scarf”.

I’m wearing one in the photo shown.

The first few lessons will be free, with later, more computationally intensive lessons by subscription. (The final lessons will include a calculator so you can create your own scarf pattern.) The first very simple lesson is here.

By the way, if you try the chat at that site, and I’m around, I’ll say “hi”. But… of course.. if I’m not there, I won’t. Sorry.

© lucia for The Knitting Fiend, 2009. | Permalink | One comment
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Just before Christmas, Mom made some “I want slippers” noises. I also wanted some. My sister and niece wanted some. I found a pattern for crocheted slippers in an old Workbasket magazine and adapted it. If you use RedHeart, the yarn cost for a pair of light green slippers like the one shown below is about $1.67.

Mamma and Baby Booties.

Note: Red Heart wears well for afghans, but it doesn’t do well if you walk over concrete. So, these are indoor slippers. Mom wears then as footwarmers in bed.

How to make the $1.67 slippers

Here’s the pattern for a woman’s feet:

Materials:
Roughly 2-3 ounces of Red Heart Worsted weight yarn in a solid color. Scraps of the other color. 1 size G crochet hook.

Gauge: 3 sc=1″.

Directions (Make two):
Start at toe: (Don’t turn while working this.)

• Round 1: Ch 2. Work 8 sc in the first chain.
• Round 2: Work 2 sc in each sc. join with slip stitch. (Optional, mark with safety pin.)
• Round 3: 2sc in next sc, sc in next 1 sc; repeat around. (You increased 4; 12 sc. )
• Round 4: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 2 sc; repeat around. (16 sc.)
• Round 5: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 3 sc; repeat around. (20 sc.)
• Round 6: 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 4 sc; repeat around. (24 sc.)
• Round 7: (optional): 2 sc in next sc, sc in next 11 sc; repeat around. (You increased 2; 26 sc.)
• For small slippers stop increasing now. For larger slippers, work a few more rounds increasing 2 each round until you have 28 for medium and 30 for larger.
• Work evenly in rounds until the length reaches the top of the wearers instep– approximately 4 1/2 inches. (The measurement isn’t that important, but you want both slipper to match. )

You are now going to work the heel. There are two options, and you don’t need to decide which you prefer quite yet.
Options for heel.
Easy option 1: Work even in sc rows until the heel is the length you want for your slipper, always working 1 chain to turn. Count the ch1 as an sc. (Approximately 9 1/4″ from toe to end for mine.) Sew heel seam. Finish off ends.

Shaped option 2: Work even in sc rows until the heel is the 1″ shorter than you want for your slipper. (Approximately 8 1/4″ from toe to end for mine.) Now, shape to “cup” the heel as follows:

Count the total number of scs _____. (Example: 26 including the ch 1 for small.)
Center stitches: 8
To find the number of edge stitches subtract 8 from the total number of stitches: _____ Example: 26-8 = 18 sc.)
then divide by 2. _____ ( Example: 18/2= 9.) This is the number of edge stitches.
You are now going to work decreases in the “center stitches”.

First decrease row:
Sc number of edge stitches (counting the turn chain as a stitch.)
Work 1 sc decrease in the next two stitches. (This is a decrease.)
Work 1 sc in next sc, repeat four times.
Work 1 sc decrease in next two stitches. (This is a decrease.)
Sc number of edge stitches. (You have now reached the edge.)

Notice there are now 9 edge stitches, and 6 “center” stitches.

Second decrease row.
Sc number of edge stitches (counting the turn chain as a stitch.)
Work 1 sc decrease in the next two stitches. (This is a decrease.)
Work 1 sc in next sc, repeat once.
Work 1 sc decrease in next two stitches. (This is a decrease.)
Sc number of edge stitches. (You have now reached the edge.

Third decrease row.
Sc number of edge stitches (counting the turn chain as a stitch.)
Work 1 sc decrease in the next two stitches. (This is a decrease.)
Work 1 sc decrease in next two stitches. (This is a decrease.)
Sc number of edge stitches. (You have now reached the edge.

Sew heel seam. Finish off ends.

You now have a usable slipper. But, lets say you want something prettier. Just add trim!

• Attach yarn at the back seam, work 1 round sc. (I work a decrease at the front of, but it really doesn’t matter. Anchor and break yarn.
• Attach contrast color yarn, work 1 round sc.
• Work 1 round crab stitch. Anchor, break yarn. Tidy up.

Once you get the hang of this, you can make loads of slippers. I wear mind around the house all day, so I’d like more durable soles. I’m going to be working out different designs with soles worked more like the baby booties. The booty designs shown work the sole first, then work “up”. So, I can use a durable yarn for the sole and then switch to a prettier yarn for the top. (I don’t bother for baby booties. Babies can’t walk yet!)

Are you wondering about the booties?

Those booties are from “Annie’s Attic Precious Baby Booties”
. They are pretty cute. The “ballet slipper” type are efficiently designed– and you can easily find that design for free on the web. The pink and white booties are cute but I was aggravated by the inefficient process for crocheting the flange on the pink and white booties. I’m going to re-organize and post a better basic booty design. (Other than the color and trim choices, nearly every one of these bootie is classic design available for free on the web. It’s a bit like socks. Annie’s Attic adds value by a) showing cute color combinations in currently available yarns and b) proof-reading the instructions. )

Script to fix google cache for someone.

© lucia for The Knitting Fiend, 2009. | Permalink | 22 comments
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The calculator

This calculator will calculate in case you don’t want to use toothpicks.
[-- sockulator(../blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/increaseevenlyspacescript1.php)sockulator--]

© lucia for The Knitting Fiend, 2009. | Permalink | 14 comments
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I checked…. and someone has noticed a bug in the program– from way back just before I stopped posting. Anyway…. I fixed the bug today. The bug was: If you used custome, the program over-wrote your head dimension. This meant users couldn’t make the neck tighter or looser for a given neck size.

I found the problem and fixed it. So, now those of you with big or small heads who want to knit yoke sweaters can calculate the shape. (Fitting in patterns is a challenge for more advanced knitters, and can’t be script-ti-fied easily. )

If you find bugs in other programs, let me know. I’ll try to fix them…. eventually.

© lucia for The Knitting Fiend, 2009. | Permalink | 7 comments
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Anyway, during the superbowl, I made “Moose Towels”– more commonly knows as crocheted towel toppers. I finished the crocheting for 10 of these, but I don’t have buttons!

Figure 1: Moose towels. (Aka crocheted towel toppers.)

Next week, I plan to show my method for creating the first row which causes the towels to fold “just so” rather than rippling across the front. For many designs it doesn’t matter if the front ripples, but rippling would be a negative with these. The trick step to flat fronts that automatically fold at the sides involves masking tape, a ruler and a pen! Other than that, these are just normal crocheted towel toppers.

© lucia for The Knitting Fiend, 2009. | Permalink | 22 comments
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He wanted a “Henley” sort of neck opening– it’s his favorite. He also doesn’t like the placket too deep, the depth is about 2 1/2″. (I’ve seen plackets as shallow as 1″ and as deep as 4″ on commercial sweaters, so the depth is really a matter of preference.)

Henley’s are one of the easiest necklines too design. So, as you can see, I knit the front up to the point where I wanted the neck split to start. I wanted the placket to be about 1 1/2″, so I left 7 stitches on a holder. At that point, I also put the stitches for the left side on a string and worked the right side only. Doing a few calculations, which require anticipating when sweater will actually need to finish up, the other involved figuring out how many stitches I needed for the full neck width– this happened to be 35 stitches. I figured out the row to start shaping the rest of the neck (this will be discussed in detail later).

I then decreased at a rate as follows.

Place a marker 14 stitches from neck edge (this is one half of 35 stitches- 7 stitches.) Starting at neck edge:

1. Row 1: Bind off 3 stitches, work in pattern to end of row.
2. Row 2 & all even rows: work all stitches in pattern.
3. Row 3: Bind off 2 stitches, work in pattern to end of row.
4. Row 5: Bind off 2 stitches, work in pattern to end of row.
5. Row 7: Bind off 1 stitch, work in pattern to end of row.

Repeat row 1 until you have bound off all 14 neck stitches.

Then, I worked the left side to match the right side.

I worked the back to match– only without the slit and no neck shaping. (Neck shaping is permitted on the back neck, but honestly, I often skip it.) I sewed the shoulders together using mattress stitch.

Are there any tips for shaping a neck?

For a well fitted neck, you will be nearly finished with the front side when you have completed the neck shaping. Unless your gauge is very fine, there should be no more than 4 rows before the final bind-off. (If you have more rows to knit, it’s likely the designer made the neck a bit deep either a) to simplify pattern writing, b) to cope with the fact that knitters frequently don’t hit the row gauge or c) the sweater style calls for a deep neckline.)

Note, also, as you work this neck shaping, if you are using a pattern that results in a sweater that fits both your neck and shoulders well, you will almost certainly begin to shape the shoulders before you have bound off all 14 neck stitches. To do this, you will decrease stitches at the beginning of even rows– generally, you’ll bind off roughly 5 stitches every other row. (Beginner pattern sometimes skip shoulder shaping and have you bind everything off all shoulder stitches at once. )

Obviously, you need to finish the neck shaping before you finish the shoulder shaping–but remember: you don’t want it to end way too soon. Understanding that you want to finish the neck and shoulder shaping at on almost the same row is key to understanding how to calculate a neck. For this reason, I’m defering discussing the calculation for a bit– and I’ll be creating charts and the bit of the sweater calculator that lets you calculate the neck shortly.

Bye for now!

© lucia for The Knitting Fiend, 2007. | Permalink | 39 comments
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