what every brother knitter should know...

I’m not going to name all the names, but, this problem occurs every now and then - usually involving a tuck pattern. I get a bunch of emails or frantic phone calls from knitters insisting that there must be a mistake in the pattern. The first question I ask - what machine are you using? but I already know the answer... ‘my brother’...of course.
This time, the pattern in question was ‘Take an old bag shopping’ , our ‘go green’ shopping bag from No 44 (also see April 2008, 'a bag or two'). The original one was done on a Passap by Pat Holbrook - oops, I said I wasn’t going to mention any names - I was so intrigued with the idea of the stretchy, mesh fabric that was created, I converted the pattern for the Japanese machines. But, I never said I was perfect! I guess I figured all brother knitters would know about needles out of work and the end needle selection thing and I forgot to mention it. If this has caused you grief, I apologize.
So, here it is (and a few other pointers) in BLOCK CAPS!!
1. When working with every other needle or needles out of work, such as tuck lace - DO NOT USE END NEEDLE SELECTION - set to KCll instead. If you use KCl, the needles beside the out of work needle become an end needle and you will get no pattern on that needle. So, think about it - this applies to any time you have needles out of work - tuck lace or even a double bed pattern, when there are needles on the rib bed to fill in the empty needle on the main bed... what I do is a dry run or ‘air knitting’. No yarn, bring out some needles. Pass the carriage across to put the needles in B position. Go outside the turn mark, set to KC1 to select the pattern, and move the carriage across. Look at what you have. For a regular tuck pattern, most of the needles will be brought out. These will be knit stitches. The needles left in B will be the tucked stitches if the pattern is properly entered... if it doesn’t look right, you may need to reverse the needle selection or, in the needles out of work scenario, set the carriage for KCll and voilà, you have your tuck pattern!! Use this to make sure you have the correct needles in work for tuck lace also.
2. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN ‘read/select’ the pattern from EITHER side of the machine - it does NOT have to be from the left side only.
3. On the 970, when programming in your own lace pattern (i.e. one that is not built-in), because there is no actual option for doing this, enter the pattern or download it as a 2 colour fairisle. You will have no memo information, so you need to pay attention and know when to use the lace carriage for transfers and when to knit rows with the knit carriage. Sometimes you may need to flip the pattern horizontally - DAK flips it automatically for you but you don’t want that for lace. In the patterns in KNITWORDS, we show the pattern the way it should be entered on your punchcard, mylar or screen.
4. That funny little wire thingy on the tension mast - that is a sub take-up spring, used for your fine yarn to add extra tension for thread lace knitting. Put the thin yarn in the left side and then into this spring.
There’s sure to be some other things...stay tuned!

Battle of the sexes...

Summer is coming (sometime, I guess - but it’s been so freaking cold here - if Clinton can use that word so can I!!). It’s rather hard to get my head around cool knitwear - that might be my new oxymoron - you know, I just realized that ‘advanced beginner’ is an oxymoron...gonna have to change that - any ideas???
Okay, so back to planning my summer issue. I do like thread lace and Mar Heck’s Dragonfly shawl pattern and article in No 48 (it's in the mail!!) inspired me to make a new stitch pattern from of a leaf design I’ve been tinkering with. I want something light, airy, cool and suitable for my hot friends in hot places. In going over Mar's article (she does all her knitting on Brother and I do the majority of mine on my Silver Reeds) she had me convinced that knitting thread lace on the Brother was going to work better than on my Silver Reed. You might ask why? Because the machines knit differently. In particular, on the Brother in thread lace, the ‘selected’ needles -the ones brought out - knit only the finer yarn and the non-selected needles knit both threads, so it is possible to get a better edge on Brother, by using the non-selected end needles feature and, if the end needles are selected because of the pattern, you can push them back before knitting the row, resulting in a better edge. On the Silver Reed, in order to make sure the finer yarn knits properly, the end needles are brought out at the beginning of the row, with hold set on one way. This means the end stitches are knit only every second row, with the finer yarn only, making a rather wimpy edge that can be difficult to seam, depending on yarn choice. Even if it knits without bringing out the end needles, moving the point cams still won't make the edge stitches knit with both yarns, in fact the opposite. So, like I said, Mar had me convinced I should use the Brother for this new project. I go to my Brother 970 - I do know how to operate it, but... excuses, excuses...
I have tried out my stitch pattern on the Silver Reed, making a swatch with the yarn I intend to use, a slub rayon (putty) and a very fine cotton rayon yarn in the same light shade. Happy with it! Now, move to the Brother 970. I have planned my shape, drawing it to scale on graph paper in preparation for making notes from which I will write and grade sizes for the pattern for the magazine. It will be a cardy with drapy fronts, and 3/4 sleeve, so the front pieces are asymmetrical. Normally I would draw the shape on mylar for my KR11 knit radar which links to any of my Silver Reeds. I attempt putting the shape into the CB1, something I have not done for quite a long time, but with instruction manual in hand, I get the back shape in, relatively quickly. I entered it as a symmetrical shape, not realizing until after the fact I cannot just alter it to make the fronts and I did not make detailed notes of the places where the program takes over. I have a few choice phrases for the poor CB1 box, decide I will deal with the fronts later, just continue as if only to make the back. I fiddle a few moments, trying to get the ‘box’ to accept my shape file - I begin to feel empathy for poor Steve in the cereal commercial when his wife asks, what else does box say? Box says, shut up, Steve!
The box wants the swatch information and I haven’t made it yet!!! okay, scrap that idea, I’ll put that in later. Download my leaf thread lace into the box, which means, take the box, remembering to take converter and power cord with me, up to my desktop computer which has DesignaKnit and the cord that goes to the box. Do the do, take the box back down, put it on the 970, plug it in, turn the machine on and proceed to make the swatch. Cast on with waste yarn. Knit a row of disposable ravel cord - the only one handy is a light brownish mercerised cotton and, knowing I’ll likely regret this, do it anyway. Remove waste yarn and thread up my 2 yarns - I have 2 tension assemblies on the Silver Reed, so can have waste yarn always threaded up. Knit 16 rows of graded tension hem and sure enough, as I pick up the first row, berate myself for using that beige ravel cord. Half way across, break down and go in search of my work-station bi-focals and florescent lamp. Get to the end of the row, pull out the ravel cord, check all is well with hem. Use next row to join hem and read/select for first row of pattern by setting the carriage to KCll, congratulating myself for making sure I’m outside the turn mark.
Back on the right side, strangely, all needles are selected, instead of the every other I was expecting. Fiddle with the box, make sure I have not inadvertently locked the pattern or something dumb like that - one of those silly little omissions... I push back all the needles and confidently depress both part buttons to get a free pass to re-select and be back on the same side as the yarn...do this several times with same results, before remembering ‘the box’ sometimes doesn’t know it is really attached to the machine - turn off machine, unhook cable, rehook, turn on again and pass carriage across.
What the?? my hem is dangling in mid air - oh yeah, I forgot, on this fifth time, to push the selected needles back!! Holy hell! another oxymoron, emphasis on the MORON!! The needles are selected for my pattern, though!! But just wait!! Against everything I’ve ever taught and preached and know in my heart, instead of breaking it off and remaking the hem, I decide to rehang it. Why does it amaze me when, at the end of this agonizing row I see I’ve missed the second strand on 10 or 12 stitches??? Still calm though, I fix them, taking pride in the fact I shall use this swatch in a teaching demo some day.
Everything back on, re-select without incident, rethread, set to thread lace and knit several rows. Hummmmm - long floats. Why? check both the centre buttons are properly depressed as per thread lace, click them out and in a couple of times, knit a few more rows. Set it to fairisle, top button only to see what happens. Yeah, it’s different, so the thread lace was working. It dawns on me the wrong needles are being selected. Guess I forgot to check the main and contrast in my DAK pattern before I downloaded it - that screws me over all the time!! Okay, I go to the box, find the variation screen, change it to select the opposite needles, go back to my pattern and knit again. Same thing. Oh, maybe I need to be outside the turn again. Do that. Nope. Still the same. Okay, go back to the variation screen, pick up the manual and see that I need to actually click the solid or #2 key to lock the variation negative ON. (Note to self, oh yeah, back on the knit screen, it will have a (v) to indicate there is a variation working!!!) Fix that, go back to the knit screen, re-select, outside the turn just in case. Humph! it works, thread lace knitting as it is meant to be.
What I’ve learned?? I think the Silver Reed is a female machine and the Brother is a male machine!!

In-betweens...sometime last week...

I usually take this time to do a little ‘practise’ and lately, I like to do a remake of my favourite garment from the last issue, sort of to get myself back in the knitting groove and just take it easy - for me, it’s almost like cheating, not having to think too much and just taking a ‘done’ pattern (not even making a swatch) and tossing it off, so to speak. Yeah, right!! So my pattern of choice is ‘Me-Cozy’ a lace pullover hoodie in alpaca. The one in the magazine that you’ll see soon is gray and I really loved it, but it looks much better on Lindsay than me. I had the same yarn in a denimy blue so I’m making it in the next size up - I must’ve been dreaming to think I’d fit that one!!
Okay, casting on is a snap - gave you some tips about that already -
see ‘Wasted...not!’ And I’m cruising along, knitting lace. I glance down and notice that I have some strange but nice, vertical lines - not the pattern that I’d planned! Ooops! forgot to unlock the pattern and it’s repeating the same row - but it is pretty! So, okay, let’s go with this. I knit a total of 10 rows the same and then release the pattern. Works for me!! I'll call it a deliberate mistake - I love oxymorons - it’s only a mistake if you don’t know what you did - if you can repeat it, it’s a design feature!! How do you think I came up with so many new trims?
Now, I know this will be my favourite go-to garment for the next couple of weeks!! I just love it!!

Really fine for '09

Happy New Year! better late than never, right? Anyway, been kinda busy, getting all my stuff done. Got No 48 off to press - it seemed so dragged out this time!! We had a photo shoot back in early December with only about 6 garments - someone wanted theirs back to give as a Christmas gift (you know who you are!!). I don’t usually make such rash promises, but I was caught off guard and I did agree so had to have an early shoot before everything was in and ready and then it was too close to Christmas to try and round up models and oh man!! I hate when that happens!! I knew I was getting a bit stressed when I woke up in the middle of the night and realized that I had completely forgot about sending renewal notices!! rats!! It’s a lick job, but someone has to do it! Whatever! it’s all done and I’m happy!!
What’s in No 48? Love & Kisses, Made to Match, Almost seamless, All-Aruffle, NVee, Blue Ribbon, Ultimate Poncho, Me-Cozy, Barely There, Spring Bling, Crosswise, Threeway, Dragonfly. Can you figure out what they are??
We have a ruffled wrap and a shrug on the mid gauge from Susan G. Eileen M sent a beautiful, hand manipulated lace top on the LK that she had made as a cover-up for her MOG outfit, as well as a shell and lace cardy in velveen on the standard gauge.
We have our very first Bond pattern, a great poncho thingy with sleeves from Michael Hale of Toronto. This is Michael’s first submission, he’s 77 and took up MK-ing as his retirement hobby. He’s planning on sending us something done on Passap soon!!
I did hoodies for Nathan, Rhiana and myself - not matching, and a couple of other cardys.

Evelyn McNabb’s ‘Spring Bling’ made the cover, a vest, wristlets and ankle socks - she designed it for her daughter, Hannah. Our model, Tyra, is such a little cutie and she is developing into a great model. She is a member of my son and daughter-in-law’s ‘Rafiki Youth Choir’, does Ukranian dancing and is a figure skater - not just another pretty face!
We also have Mar Heck’s very popular ‘Do it in DAK’ column with 20 questions (with the answers, of course), an article on lace carriage knitting and lots of other stuff to keep you inspired and entertained.
It will be in the mail for February first.

I even got my last year’s worth of bookkeeping done AND my office cleaned up and ready to go for another year!!

Oh, by the way, in all the fuss, I totally forgot that this is our 12th year anniversary!! Whoo-hoo!! Who woulda thought...

Wool ewe like it too?

I just got the cutest holiday card ever!! My friend, Jeanne Crockett (machine knitter and designer extraordinaire) created it and it’s ‘sew’ perfect. I asked her if I could share it with you and she said yes!!

Looks like she embroidered - probably with one of those fancy embroidery machines - the sheep on a piece of fuzzy fabric, cut it out and pasted it to the card.
Inside, it says...

and, best of all, did you notice, it was green!!!
Happy Holidays everyone!!

DAK download for dummies

Hey, I didn’t mean to be offensive or call anyone names, but many of you have said you need this!! On our website, we offer a free download of the DesignaKnit stitch files used in each issue. They are there for each current issue, meaning you have 3 months to get them, but once the new issue comes out, the old files are gone, replaced with the new set. If you miss them, we do have a cd with all of them for you to purchase.
Many new (and not so new) DKers have had trouble downloading these files, and I’ve promised to help, so here it is. Now, you need to have DesignaKnit to use these files. They are usually only the stitch patterns that are part of the garment patterns in each issue, no shape files, unless the designer has included them as part of the pattern. If you are planning on getting DesignaKnit soon, there is no reason why you cannot download these files and save them for when you have the program.
So, here goes...please bear in mind, I am not a computer expert by any means and there are many different systems to consider and many ways to do things, but I’ll do my best to give you basic instructions.
I recommend the files be saved on an external drive, whether it is on a floppy - I still have one, but most new computers do not - or on a cd/dvd, so you may need someone to assist you here. This way, you will always have a backup file to go to in case you forgot to save the original. But here, I’ll tell you how to save to your desktop.
I like to install the files on the hard drive in an ‘easy-access’ place where you won’t forget where they are or how to get to them once you are in DAK. The one that makes the most sense to me is to put them in a separate folder right in your DesignaKnit program.
1. Make a new folder in DK7 (or DK6) whichever you have.
What I do - right click Start from the main screen of your computer, bottom left corner. Choose Explore with a left click.
Locate the folder that has DK7 (or DK6) beside it. Left click on it once to highlight it. At the top of the menu bar, left click File then New/Folder. Single click on the new folder which appears on the right side, to highlight it and, from the top menu, choose File/Rename. Type in the new name, something like webKW47. Now this is ready to hold the stitch patterns from KNITWORDS No. 47.

2. Go to www.knitwords.com , select Current Issue and scroll down the page, where you should see the DAK download for this issue. Click on it and you will have the option to open or save. Choose Save and where you want it saved to (desktop). Do NOT save it right to the new DAK folder yet. Then Close.

3. Exit the website and go to where you saved the download. Double click on it (you will see it on your desktop as a zip file with dak4747 under it) and a new screen opens with a file folder labelled dak47C. Double click this and the thumbnails of the individual patterns come up. Click/hold on the blue bar at the top of this screen and move it over to the side of your screen.

4. Go to 'Explore' (see 1. above) and open another screen to locate your new webKW47 folder. Click anywhere in the right screen where the downloaded files are, then highlight all the files and drag them over to the new folder. Check and see they are there. If they are, delete the zip folder from your desktop.

5. Go into DesignaKnit, click Stitch Designer/open and find your folder.

Most of the files will be in .pat format so DK6ers can use, so if you have DK7 and nothing comes up, click the bar above and select the .pat file extension to see the other files.
Hope this works out for you but if it doesn’t, print this out, call up a computer-savvy friend and get them to come over and help out!!

Wasted...not!

I just have to tell you, I finally figured out how to use the ribber comb for a single bed cast-on!! ‘Why would you want to do that?’ you say. Well, I’m working on some lace things for No 48 and I’ve always found one of the most important things with lace knitting is to have the work evenly weighted and most times, I like to start out with a double bed hem, just to have the ribber comb in the cast-on which gives me the even weight. See, I work on a Silver Reed machine and there is no single bed hanger comb - you don’t need one, because it usually casts on fine with the weaving cast-on or a ravel cord cast-on, but for lace, you need to knit several rows of waste yarn and then hang weights in that and it can be rather awkward.
After several experiments, I couldn’t come up with a double bed hem that I liked with my fashion lace pattern, but did come up with a single bed one that was just the thing. Now, to knit lace - I have my rib bed on - it’s always there - I never take it off - the work has to come out over the front of the rib bed for the lace carriage to transfer stitches successfully without them dropping. So, to begin lace knitting, you need to have enough waste yarn on there to have it over the front, before you even start. I was contemplating casting on with 1X1 rib in the waste yarn, just to get that hanger comb in there and then transfer all to the main bed - which I have done in the past, but it suddenly struck me there should be an easier way. And what do you know, it worked!! Now before you all start emailing me and saying to buy a Brother cast-on comb, I already have one and I hate it. It’s always tipping off when you least want it and it’s a p.i.t.a. (think about it).
So, here’s how I did it. Bring out the width of needles you want, every other needle only. With waste yarn, T10 (as loose as you can get), knit one row. Move the carriage out of the way, take the ribber comb, with the wire out and insert it from below, poking the fingers between the sinker loops. When it is successfully in there, with the sinker loops on your side of the prongs, tip the bottom of the comb back so the prongs come forward, allowing you to insert the wire, without catching the needles or sinker posts. Drop the comb. It falls below everything. Bring all needles to work, set stitch size to 8 or 9, and knit 10-12 rows. TIP: and here's an oxymoron for you, knitting the waste yarn at a higher stitch size will get you there faster, wasting less waste yarn!!! Now, go down to what ever your waste yarn tension would be and knit a few more rows. That will be enough to bring the comb up and over the ribber. Hang two small claw weights at each end of the comb and get ready to lace knit!!! This is my first front (it's a cardigan)- I already did the back and hung the ribber comb in 82-0-82 needles just fine, added one bar weight at the centre of the comb, knit the entire back, 202 rows of fashion lace without one single dropped stitch. Life is good!!!