Mother of Purl by Eig, Edith (best desktop ebook reader .TXT) 📗

them together. Next, knit the second two stitches together. When you have two stitches on your right–hand needle, bind them off. Repeat across the row, binding off as you go. Note that the needles replacing the stitch holders function as holders themselves, so you can use a different size needle as long as your third needle is the same size you used to knit your sweater.

Ah, success! You’ve successfully completed your very first sweater. Congratulations. Everyone’s quite impressed with your work. Only you seem to notice that it needs some minor adjustments: it could have been a bit roomier in the body, or perhaps you want the seams pressed. There is a simple solution. It’s called blocking.

[EDITH KNIT TIPS]

Stitch Holders

When using stitch holders, it’s a good idea to turn them upside down on your work so that should it open up accidentally, your stitches won’t fall off.

BLOCKING

Blocking is the process by which you dampen your finished garment with cold water and, pinning it onto a towel, gently stretch it until it dries in the shape that the pattern called for.

Find a large flat area to lay out your towel and garment where it can remain undisturbed for at least a day. If it’s exposed to sunshine, so much the better—it will help to dry your sweater even faster—but avoid direct light as it might fade the color. Special blocking boards are also available for purchase, but this is not essential. What is essential is stainless steel T–shaped blocking pins. These are heavier than ordinary straight pins you might use in sewing, and they won’t rust.

Here are few tips to help you learn to block:

I recommend you use the schematic from your pattern as a guide. Or, if you prefer, you can take one of your favorite sweaters that is similar in shape as a guide to block your garment. Lay the damp sweater on the towel and pin out the shoulders, starting from the center. Make sure your pins don’t push through the actual material, but rather just through the yarn loops at the edge of the sweater, and take care to use enough pins to ensure that your yarn won’t stretch unevenly.

If you want to make your sweater a little wider or longer, gently pull the sweater either outward or downward as you pin along the top, sides, and bottom. While you are pulling it into shape, remember to ease the sweater, rather than tugging on it roughly. Refer back to your schematic or guide sweater as you go.

Once you’ve finished blocking your garment, check to ensure that the edges of your sweater have smooth lines. Now leave it to dry.

Another technique for shaping a finished garment is steaming, an even easier process than blocking. Start by laying a dry towel on an ironing board or a flat surface, then place your garment on the towel. Next, take a very wet (but not dripping) towel and lay it on your knitting. Using a warm setting on your iron, lightly steam over the towel, quickly and gently touching it. Leave the wet towel in place on the garment overnight. The weight of the towel will be enough to block your garment. In the morning, remove the towel and let it air–dry.

[EDITH KNIT TIPS]

Remember Where You Put It …

When you are seaming your sweater, you need to bury the loose end of your seaming thread. However, keep in mind there may be a time when you might need to undo the seaming, so you’ll want to make sure you leave a bit of the tail visible.

CLEANING YOUR GARMENT

Fill up a plastic tub with cold water and add a capful of Eucalan—an Australian product made from the eucalyptus plant, which I happen to find to be one of the most effective, safest, and most gentle cleansers. I only recommend this, as some popular wool wash detergents will discolor your yarn. The choice of washing agent is more important than you may realize. Washing dyed natural yarns may fade the color, and washing garments made of animal fibers, such as wool or cashmere, causes them to lose their lanolin—the natural oil in animal fiber that keeps the garment soft and protects the individual fibers from breakage. Once you have washed a sweater several times, you have effectively stripped it of its lanolin, and your sweater will lose its elasticity and softness. Eucalan and other similar washing agents on the market restore the vibrancy and life of the fabric. Trust me, you’ll be amazed.

FIXING MINOR MISTAKES

At some point, every knitter is bound to make a mistake—sometimes it’s small and other times it’s colossal. Perhaps there’s a purl when you should have knitted, or your cable twisted in the wrong direction. The result is devastating and you see it as a glaring mistake. These are heartwrenching moments. For some mysterious reason, such mistakes tend to be in the most obvious place. What to do? Well, the first thing to do is put the piece down and walk away, thus avoiding your first impulse to rip it out or toss it. After you’ve had a chance to compose yourself, you can begin to think about how to fix it.

There are several ways to fix a mistake or remedy a problem, other than ripping out your entire work. One of the first thing you can do is put away the pattern and look at your creation objectively. So your sweater looks a bit different than the original design. Let’s make the best of the worst. I’ve had women come in with sweaters that had been ruined by bleach spots—we embroidered over them or added a decorative item. Sweaters that were too small—we added a side panel to both sides to increase the circumference. Be brave and make a design feature out of your mistake. The key is to not be afraid to take risks in repairing your work.

Remember that your knitting is a