Archive for April, 2010

Sandy at Ravelry.com has produced a fabulously useful list of crochet tips this week.  Some I knew, but most I hadn’t even thought of!  Well done and very helpful!

Welcome to the Corner!

You smart crocheters!…..there are no questions this week. So this gives me a perfect opportunity to share some crochet tips to help make your work go a little easier or look better.

1. Use stitch markers to count long foundation chains. If you have to make a long chain to start your project, put a marker every 10 stitches…..it will make counting much easier. Do the same with your rows when needed.
2. Draw a simple chart for problem patterns. If you get stuck on pattern instructions, make a drawing of what you are reading. Sometimes seeing a representation of the text makes it easier to understand the directions.
3. Split your yarn for a more even Russian Join. Sometimes a yarn is so thick that a Russian Join can be noticed in a project. If this occurs, split the yarn in half and only use half the plies for the join. Weave the other 2 sets of plies into the work.
4. Slip a stitch marker in your loop when you take a break from your project….it will prevent stitches from unraveling.
5. When starting a project with a large, joined ring of chains, substitute a foundation row. This will eliminate a twisted chain when joining.
6. You can add beads to a project without having to string them onto your yarn first. Use a hook small enough to go through the hole in the bead to pull your yarn loop through and then make your stitch. Or if a hook is too large to put through the bead or too small to pull the yarn through, try using a loop of thin wire. Catch your yarn loop and then thread the wire through the bead hole and pull the yarn loop through.
7. If you use a box to keep your pins in for blocking, purchase a flat magnet (like the kind used to put on the back of business cards), cut it to fit the bottom of your box, tape it inside and you wont have a problem with spilled pins.
8. Use a metal tape measure to measure your gauge swatches….tape measures made from material can stretch over time and give an inaccurate measurement.
9. If you are making a long foundation chain (200 or more chains), use one end of the yarn for the chain, and the other end to make your first row. If you miscounted, you can add more chains or subtract them without frogging the row.
10. If you want to see how a project will look before you seam it, use those tiny hair clips to create a faux seam.

Great News – American Yarns is now stocking Denise interchangeable needles and crochet hooks!  Denise has been getting rave reviews from lots of knitwear designers and knitters around the globe and now you can get them here in Australia!

Denise needles and crochet hooks are made from lightweight resin, so are soft and comfortable to use – and air-line friendly!

The sets come with different cable lengths so you can adjust the length of your circulars, make straights or even a set of tunisian crochet hooks.

Here’s what Amy Singer, of knitty.com, had to say:

Interchangeable? Indispensable!

When I started knitting again after a long hiatus, I started hunting for new tools. (I’d picked up a little tool fetish during my time as a quilter.) Certainly there’d be new products to try, right?

The first thing I came across were casein needles. And I liked them. But I was still annoyed with the perpetual need to constantly buy pair after pair of needles when I didn’t have a certain size in my already embarassingly large collection.

I first turned to the well-known Boye Needlemaster, thinking it would solve my problems. But I hate knitting with clinky aluminum needles and found out quickly that I really hated this set. Coarse joins, scratchy surface. Just not for me. I sold my set to someone who likes aluminum and went back to my caseins.

Soon after, I spotted an ad for Denise Interchangeable Needles in the back of a knitting magazine. How good could they be? They were half the price of the Needlemaster and I hadn’t heard much internet buzz about them. But in the interest of knitting science, I wanted to test them.

I am in love.

In this small blue kit (about the size of a hardcover book) you get 10 needle tips from sizes US5 to 15, 6 lengths of cord from 5 to 19” inches, 4 end buttons and 2 connectors. For a mere $49.95US. You may never have to buy another needle or stitch holder ever again. Though you can make nearly an infinite number of combinations of cord length and tip size, the basic set is the equivalent of:

• 10 tips x 5 cord lengths = 50 circulars at $6 each that’s $300.00.
• Plus 10 tips x 5 cord lengths = 50 long flexibles at $8 each that’s $700.00.

Yes, that’s at least $1000 worth of needles you won’t have to buy. And it doesn’t even begin to cover the condo needles, stitch holders and other neat tricks it can do. Join various lengths of cord to get just the length you want; leave your work on any cord, twist off the knitting tips and twist on the end buttons and your work is safely held until you need it.

Interestingly, I learned that the Denise system was created by the original designers of the Needlemaster. It was their second go at developing the perfect knitting set and it’s my opinion that they got it right this time.

The tips are made of a smooth lightweight resin that’s easy on your hands. The cords are made of a smooth, flexible blue plastic and a simple twist joins the tips to the cords. They do stay put! I found myself knitting more quickly and more comfortably with Denise needles than with any other type of needle I’ve ever used.

Denise needles are so light that I was certain they were even lighter than Addi Turbos. To satisfy my curiosity, I weighed two similar-length circulars—one 4mm (Addi turbo) and one #6US (Denise). Both weighed exactly 6 grams. There you go. Science in action.

To test this set, I cast on for the Sitcom Chic pattern featured in our last issue. You’ll see it calls for quite a few different needle sizes. With the Denise system, I was able to create just about every size called for in the pattern (except the double points). I knit the body on the longest cord, switching tip sizes when called for in the pattern. And when I started the sleeve, I found I was soon able to switch to a tiny circular made up of two 5.5” cords joined with one connector. Very enjoyable working on these sleeves this way.

The joins are not perfectly smooth (they’ve got a little indent to make it easier to grip them as you twist on the tips), but I found that this took very little getting used to. I knit on the set with pure cotton and cotton/acrylic of all different weights and had no troubles slipping the knitting past the joins.

Hint: If you cast on too tightly as I do, you might want to choose the next size larger tip for your cast-on row. Then switch to the size called for when working the second row.

The only negative I’ve experienced is that the smallest tip size (3.5mm or US5) has occasionally come unattached while pushing my stitches over the joint, usually on my (too tight) cast-on row. It’s because this tip is virtually the same diameter as the joint, so slipping snug work from the needle to the cord is a little fiddlier. It’s not insurmountable…just be a little more careful when using the smallest size if you’re a tight knitter.

Customer service note: The original Denise set I received had troublesome cords. My stitches wouldn’t slide easily along them and knitting got caught in the joins. It turns out that the Denise folk had a bad batch last fall/winter and I had accidentally received a set of cords from the bad batch. A quick call to Linda at their toll-free number and replacement cords were sent to me with no fuss. As promised, these were very smooth, slippery and worked perfectly.

I have the sets listed on my site (see links above) for pre-order but will be getting a delivery in 2 weeks.

Have a Yarn is the official blog of AmericanYarns.com.au.  We sell a range of American-branded knitting yarns, needles, pattern books, crochet supplies, spinning wheels, weaving looms and equipment.  We have a store based in Brisbane – 3/265 Blaker Road, Grovely, 4054.

Come on in and see us for all your yarn and fibre needs!  We are open – Wednesday to Friday – 9am to 4pm and Saturday – 9am to 1pm.  EFTPOS available and plenty of free parking.