October and Breast Cancer Awareness

October 10, 2020| LindyBeir| 0 Comment | 10:49 am

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October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I am a ten year breast cancer survivor and at this time of year I like to remind my friends and followers about the importance of having an annual mammogram. I was well overdue for my mammogram when my breast cancer was detected. Fortunately, it was in the early stage and I received good treatment and am now cancer free. But I do not miss my annual mammogram.

So, my friends — Have you had your annual mammogram this year? If not, please get it scheduled and get it done. It’s important to take care of your health and this is one thing that you must do for yourself every year. One in eight women over the age of 40 will develop some form of breast cancer.

For those who are either dealing with breast cancer treatment or have a loved one who is — I have designed a Turban Style Chemo Hat — one knitted using worsted weight yarn and one knitted in sport weight yarn. Both are available for free.

Turban Style Hat in Worsted

Turban Style in Sport

Cast On Methods: Cable Cast On and Backwards LoopCast On Methods: Cable Cast On and Backwards Loop

February 22, 2021| LindyBeir| 0 Comment| 3:14 pm

The Cable cast on is very similar to the knitted cast on. It starts the same way as the knitted cast on, where you make a slip knot and place it on your needle and then knit through the loop to form the next stitch. After this step, instead of knitting another stitch and putting it back on the right needle, you insert your needle between the two stitches to form the next loop and then place that back on the right hand needle. You continue making stitches by going between two stitches to make the loop.

Where I use the Cable cast on:

When I need a firm edge such as the border on a blanket
When I need to add stitches at the end of a row
Making a one -row buttonhole

Backwards Loop (e-Wrap) Cast On is a very basic cast on and is one of the cast ons often taught to beginning knitters. It starts with a short tail and a slip knot placed on a knitting needle. You then take the working yarn and wrap it over your thumb , insert the needle under the loop on the outside of your thumb and let it slide off your thumb onto the needle and tighten up the stitch.

Where to use the Backwards Loop Cast on:

This is an elastic cast on that can be used for most projects needing a stretchy edge (hats, gloves). You can also use it to add stitches in the middle of rows (i.e. the underarm of a top down sweater or at the base of the fingers of a glove.) You can also use it to add stitches at the end of a row. The loops between stitches can look sloppy so you need to pay attention to how you make your loops.

Here are links to YouTube videos for these two cast ons:

Knitting Help – Cable Cast On

Refined Cable Cast On

How to Knit: Backwards Loop Cast On

Technique Tutorial: Backwards Loop Cast On (shows how to cast on in middle of stitches)

January and HatsJanuary and Hats

February 6, 2011| Lindy| 0 Comment| 8:56 pm

January in Nebraska is usually cold, snowy and gray. This year was no exception. We have had several 5 inch snowfalls, sometimes with freezing drizzle accompanying, temperatures well below freezing and our usual gusty winds — which makes for wind chills in the sub-zero category. So, it seemed like a good time to knit up some nice warm hats. I have knit two and am about half-way done with a third. February is continuing with the snow and cold temperatures — so I will have no trouble finishing this third hat.

First up is the “Three Color Hat ala EZ”:

This hat was knit using Patons Classic Wool yarn, which is a worsted weight yarn. This yarn is nice and soft and knits up well. The main color is Plum Heather (Colorway 77307). Color 2 was Aran (Colorway 00202) and Color 3 was Jade Heather (Colorway 77208). I used size US 6 and US 8 circular needles and my gauge was 5 spi using the larger needles.

I knit this hat according to the instructions given in Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop. Her instructions are for a yarn with a gauge of 4 spi, so I adjusted the number of stitches from 72 to 90 to start. The first color pattern is one suggested in the book, the second is one I made up as I went. I knit the hat to a length of 6 inches before I started decreasing. It is probably too long, but I’m happy with the end result: A one of a kind, warm wool hat that fits nicely over my ears and keeps me warm!

Next Post: Trinity Stitch Slouchy Hat.

Reference: Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitting Workshop

Three Stretchy Bind-off’sThree Stretchy Bind-off’s

October 12, 2010| Lindy| 0 Comment| 12:44 pm

All of us know the standard bind-off (K2, pass first stitch over, *K1, psso, repeat from * until all stitches are bound off). This is a useful bind-off and it works well for any number of knitting projects where you need a nice firm edge. You can occasionally have trouble with it, however, if you do it too tightly and most of us have experienced the frustration of a too tight bound off edge. Most often to correct this you simply need to bind-off more loosely by pulling your stitches out a little more when doing the passing over of the stitch.

Then, there are those projects where you simply need a much more elastic – or stretchy – bind-off. I discovered a couple of these stretchier bind-offs as I was looking for a different bind-off for my Crazy Zauberball Shawl. And I thought I’d post them here for future reference with some of my notes.
You see, I tried them all in the process of finishing the shawl and ended up doing the standard bind-off anyway because I was at the very end of my yarn and all three of the bind-offs used up more yarn. So, one thing to keep in mind with these more elastic bind-offs is that they are stretchy because they use more yarn.

The Elastic Bind-off
This is a very nice, stretchy bind-off. I will probably use it for toe-up socks and ribbed necklines.

To do the Elastic Bind-off:
Knit first two stitches, then * slip them back onto the left needle.
Then knit these two stitches together through the back loop.
Knit the next stitch and repeat from * until bind off is complete.

Here is a You-Tube video of this bind-off:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Da40Z_YVr0Q&feature=related

The Lace Bind-off
This bind-off is also known as the Decrease Bind-off. It produces a very nice elastic edge that really looked nice on the edge of my shawl, but it takes about 2-3 times more yarn to complete than the standard bind-off. I would use this bind-off with any lace shawls or scarves.

To do the Lace Bind-off:
Knit together the first two stitches on the left needle, through the back loop.
Then slip the stitch now on the right needle back onto the left needle.
Repeat these two steps until the bind-off is complete.

Good pictures and explanation at Knitty.com. Here’s the link:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/FEATsum06TT.html

Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-off
Many sock knitters swear by this bind-off. It does produce a super elastic edge, but I don’t think I would use it on a lace shawl.

This bind-off is nicely explained and demonstrated in an article on Knitty.com. Here’s the link:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall09/FEATjssbo.php

If you haven’t tried any of these bind-offs, I recommend that you do. It’s always nice to have more than one method of finishing off your lovely knitted item. I’d love to hear from any of my readers about any other bind-offs they like/love to use. Just leave me a comment (and a link if you have one). Thanks!

Happy Knitting.