Command Decisions

Recognize this schematic? I mean before someone circled-and-slashed it?

This is the schematic of the proposed garment shape for Roan's Roan pattern. The reason *someone* has defaced it is that it is hateful to human bodies, and therefore to knitters. THERE IS NO PLACE TO PUT THE WEARER'S NECK. Placing a "garment" of this shape onto a human body will result in (at least) two problems:

1. The pointy shape at the top of the center back will squish down, forming a hump of knitted fabric. Instant Hunchback. We can't see this (or the un-centered chart motifs) because no photos of the back are shown to us. But it's there, my friends, O it is there.

2. The front edges, with no other choice (Science!), will hitch up around the wearer's neck, causing them to shorten in front at the bottom hem. 

I'm choosing to believe that the original silhouette was a misguided attempt to make things easier for the knitters. Unfortunately, it only makes things ill-fitting.

Luckily for us, the fix is pretty simple. Now that we are knitting our stranded colorwork in the round, as God intended, all we have to do is have a little think on necklines. There's plenty of time to do this as we blissfully work along on our sweater body tubes.

Here are a few neckline shapes for us to think about, and how to make them:

Copywright Mary Scott Huff, 2017, All Rights Reserved

All of these options are created after all the body tube knitting is complete. We just remove any knitted fabric that would get in the way of our having necks.

Copywright Mary Scott Huff, 2017, All Rights Reserved

These two options call for a little action as we knit. #4 is done when the body tube is complete up to the base of the square neckline. When the second "mini" steek is cut, the neckline forms a square. #5 is done at whatever point in the knitting you feel like it, and calls for mirrored decreases at regular intervals next to the steek. When the steek is cut, the neckline forms a V.

Both of these options call for the knitter to make a command decision on where the shaping will commence, which is why I mention them to you now, while there's still plenty of time for (most of) you to implement them.

For my Permission Denied sweater, I am going with the tried-and-true neckline #1. I like it because it requires no thought while knitting the body tube, and can be placed with exact precision when I'm ready. How about you, Gentle Readers?

Comment below, or weigh in at the Ravelry Knitalong group and show us! 

Info
2 Comments
Written by Mary Elizabeth Scott On In , Tagged ,

Sit Up Straight

Here's the command center at Mary Scott Huff Hand Knitter Headquarters. I write books here, tend the blog, and do everything else technicious. What you can't tell from this photo is that my monitor is adjusted to its maximum height, but I still have to squish down in my seat for it to be at eye level when I work. Which messes up my hand and wrist alignment, in addition to my spine and neck.

And I've been using it like this for as long as I can remember.

Before/Wrong Monitor Height

On a recent visit, my friend Carson Demers pointed out that I was slouching in my seat when I work. That's what happens when your besty is Knitting's foremost expert on ergonomics. He further informed me that this arrangement was also creating excess glare and eyestrain. Who knew! Okay, Carson did. Lucky for me.

You can read about this subject, and so much more, in Carson's new book Knitting Comfortably. Get your copy immediately and learn to care for your body so you can knit forever without injury!

I decided to impress Carson next time he's over. And to fix my dumbass posture, of course. I took myself shopping for a monitor stand, to raise both my computer and my ergonomic standards.

Surprising nobody, I couldn't find a riser I thought was pretty and/or cheap enough. Unfazed, I ambled over to the big blue store where the lumber lives, and bought $17 worth of wood. I spent $12 for a piece of birch measuring 12" x 24", and $5 for another one that was 6" x 24". I batted my eyelashes at one of the lumber codgers there, who kindly cut my 6" x 24" piece neatly in half. Mischief managed, and I didn't even have to drag out my saw.

Back at home, I set up shop on the kitchen island. After a light sanding, I glued the short pieces to the outer edges of the top. Notice how the top is placed over the side pieces? This is so the sides bear the weight of the monitor, rather than the fasteners. To hold the sides in place while the glue dried, I drove some finish brads in, down from the top.

Then I patiently (not) waited for the glue to dry. After that there was a little more sanding, and the application of some stain I had leftover from when I built my desk.

Once the stain dried (more patience. Not.), I added four corner braces underneath. They may or may not have been necessary, but my monitor is a 27" all-in-one computer, which is pretty heavy. I'm sort of a belt-and-suspenders type where construction projects are concerned.

And then, because I am bound at a cellular level to decorate everything in the whole wide world, I added these cute nailheads to the edges of the stand. I could have covered my finish nails with putty to hide them, but since I knew I'd be adding the nailheads, I just placed them strategically to cover the brads. Tip: use a ruler to space them precisely.

After/Right Monitor Height

Here's the finished result. I think the nailheads look kinda steampunky and cool. As an added bonus, the space underneath the stand is wide enough to slide my keyboard under when I need room to draw or reference a knitting book. More desktop acreage is always welcome! The whole circus only took one afternoon and a few dollars. The hardest part was waiting for everything to dry. Pleased with myself much? Yup.

And now a challenge for you: Are you like me, and potentially hurting yourself with your computer setup? Well stop it. Make one of these for yourself and sit up straight. And even if your home office is perfect, do check out Carson's book for the benefit of his wisdom in all your fibery pursuits. I love you and I want you to be safe and healthy.

Info
2 Comments
Written by Mary Elizabeth Scott On In Tagged ,

Twist and Shout

Yeah. So, that happened. Fortunately I only worked the first band before realizing what I had done. Has this ever happened to you? If so, now you can prove that you are not alone. If not, shut it: no one likes a showoff.

But of course, jacking up knitting is just one more service I provide: I have seized this teachable moment to share with you how I proceed when this happens. First, I cussed a blue streak.

Next, I bound off all 6 steek stitches. Then, with a hand needle and sewing thread, I secured the knitted stitches on either side of the center. Sorry; there's no photo of that part because I couldn't sew and hold the camera at the same time. Visualize what sewing looks like. Sewing while still swearing.

Then I cut the infant steek, and removed the twist from my round. Swearing began to slow at that point.

Being careful not to put too much pressure on the stitches at the cut edges, I picked up and knit new steek stitches through the bound-off ones. The stream of invective dissipated after that. And I felt better without the twist in my round.

Now that I've knit away from it a bit more, you can see that the cut area is really small. The rest of the steek will get cut too, before we're done, and then covered up with something. So it's only ugly for now, and only for the first inch or so. 

And swearing is super cathartic, at least the way I do it.

Oh, and I got so excited about getting started knitting, I forgot to tell you the winner of the blog poll on which yarn I should choose: Paragon, by Knit Picks. It's actually on sale, as of this writing, which is a bonus if you want some too. I'm really enjoying the sheen of the silk, and the awesome twist, too. It is a bit slippery, but thanks to a nice, toothy wooden needle, it's tensioning okay. I would not want to work with this yarn on a metal needle, though, if it could be helped. Oh, and that blue strand at the bottom is a provisional cast on, in case you're wondering. I just couldn't commit to an edge treatment, so I started without one.

Notice how the braids and the vine-y bits are mirroring each other exactly? I love it when a plan comes together.

Info
2 Comments
Written by Mary Elizabeth Scott On In , Tagged