One fitting issue some women have is how to fit a sweater for a generous bust without it becoming a gunny sack. You may not know that the “Ms. Average” that the the fashion industry designs for is a B cup. So if you are larger than a B cup, OR if the difference between…
Technique Speak
Knitting Ribbing Solutions: Clean Color Changes
When changing colors (or yarns), if you purl on the RS of the work on that first row, you’ll end up with the new color showing up as purl “bumps” or “blips” in the old color. So what are you supposed to do if it’s ribbing? If you want a clean color change in ribbing…
Designing
How to “Steal” Ideas
A book I have called “Steal Like An Artist” says, “Nothing is original, so embrace influence, collect ideas, and remix and re-imagine to discover your own path.” My “Sassy” sweater is a perfect example of this kind of re-mixing. It started out as a version of Jenna Adorno’s “Tempting“, which was originally published in Knitty’s…
Books, Sites, Mags, Vintage Knitting
Vintage Knitting: 170 Years of Patterns for Downloading
The University of Southhampton has put nearly 300 books from its Knitting Reference Library online! The Knitting Reference Library (KRL) includes the published works collected by Montse Stanley, Richard Rutt and Jane Waller. These comprise books, exhibition catalogues, knitting patterns, journals and magazines. The material dates from 1840 to 2012. I’m already in love with…
Fashion, Style & Fit, Vintage Knitting
Vintage Patterns for Classic Style
I love, love, LOVE old knitting books. Old VKs are a fave, but I’ll thumb through just about anything. (And I have the overflowing bookshelf in my studio to prove it.) Often you can find a stitch pattern, a silhouette, or a detail that will spark an idea. Also, looking at vintage styles is a…
Technique Speak
Ribbing Solutions for Knitting: Simple Stretchy Cast-On and Tess’ Simple Stretchy Bind-Off
One of the biggest problems with knitted ribbing is the relative lack of stretch in the cast-on or bound-off edges. Ribbing is almost always at the edges of a garment, and we usually want it to stretch as much as possible. If the cast-on or bound-off edge is too tight, it can break when the…