Socks: Toe up, Two-at-aTime

Thursdays, August 11, 18, 25, 6 – 7:30 p.m.

$35 + supplies, pattern included

If you already know how to knit, purl and cast on, you can learn to knit socks from the toe-up, two-at-a-time on two circular needles.  Use worsted weight yarn and two pairs of US 4 circular needles, 24″ or longer.  It helps if one is bamboo and one metal.

Thursday, July 28, 6 – 8:30 p.m.

$20

Ripple stitches make a wavy or zig-zag patterned fabric and are a fun way to combine colorful yarn and textures in your projects. We will learn how to do a few ripple patterns in order to get started on an afghan or baby blanket. see more examples of ripple crochet

$25 + yarn & needles (meets 5x in March!)

or $5/meeting

Join our Kids Knitting Club! Bring a project you’re working on, begin something new or learn the basics of knitting.  Beginners and knitters of all levels welcome.

BABY PULLOVER

Wednesdays, March 9, 16, 23, 6 – 8 p.m.

$40 + supplies

Great for beginners! Make an adorable sweater.  Directions for a roll collar and ribbed collar are included. Knitted in heavy worsted weight yarn at 4 stitches to the inch. Sizes 6, 12,  18,  24 months. Yarn in photo is Lorna’s Laces.

]]> http://www.homeecworkshop.com/knitting/baby-pullover-class/feed/ 0 http://www.homeecworkshop.com/knitting/socks-toe-up-two-at-a-time-4/ http://www.homeecworkshop.com/knitting/socks-toe-up-two-at-a-time-4/#comments Wed, 02 Mar 2011 03:04:44 +0000 admin http://www.homeecworkshop.com/?p=959

with Nancy

Wednesdays, March 9, 16 & 23, 6 – 7:30 p.m. (three-part class)

$35 + supplies, pattern included

If you already know how to knit, purl and cast on, you can learn to knit socks from the toe-up, two-at-a-time on two circular needles.  Use worsted weight yarn and two pairs of US 4 circular needles 24″ or longer.  It helps if one is bamboo and one metal.

Not a practical substitute for all purling needs, but fine for working stockinette stitch. This produces the same exact stitch as the purl stitch, it just does it with the knit side still facing you. This is a great method if you are working a narrow piece of knitting, as when doing Entrelac, and are tired of having to turn the work every five stitches. With this method you can work a whole entrelac piece without turning the work! The limitation of this stitch is that you can’t alternate it in the row with knitting, like to do ribbing. Well, you could I suppose, but you’d have to turn the workbetween every stitch, or learn how to purl backwards, too! (I know, it makes me dizzy just to think about it!)

This may look like “Left Handed Knitting,” but you wrap the yarn the other way for that method.

I’ve been told that this is an excellent method for knitting without looking (a good knitting method for blind knitters or those with poor eye site?), because you can feel whether you’ve come to a knit or purl stitch, because they’re oriented differently on the needle.

Another reason this method can be appealing, is that because the yarn is held in the left hand, it has the speed advantage of Continental purling, and many people find it easier to manipulate than Continental.

One must be aware, however, that directions on standard patterns need to be adapted to accommodate the different stitch orientation. Decreases and increases, and other stitch directions, need to be done differently than described in a pattern, or the stitches need to be re-oriented before executing them.

Yarn is held in left hand. The middlefinger (or index finger) is used to push the yarn down and to the right, to where the right needle can easily push it back through the stitch. This method requires the fewest hand movements of any purl method, and is consequently the fastest (with the exception, perhaps, of the “Combined Knitting Method” of purling–see below). It is quite a feat of agility to execute this method, and is invariably awkward at first.  I hope you’ll give it a try, though.  It has the potential to become fluid enough to be enjoyable. This is the method I use in the Continental purl videos on this site. Videos where the yarn is held in the left hand, all have a pink icon

This method of purling, when combined with Continental Knitting, makes for a very fast ribbing. Here’s a fast-paced demonstration of Knit 1, Purl 1 ribbing worked with these methods: