October 21--exciting news! I have been designing patterns for the double knitting boards such as The Authentic Knitting Board, Knifty Knitter Long Looms and Noble Knitters.Some are available on my own loom knitting pages. Others are at VivaLoom.com See the links at right. Keep in mind that many patterns may be knitted on more than one kind of knitting board or loom so it's in your best interest to visit all the pages.	Knifty Knitter patterns Double Knitting Board patterns VivaLoom
September 26--Love, not money--charity knitting Years ago, a speaker at a machine knitting conference impressed my by pointing out that "we are fortunate women--we can afford our hobbies!" At the time, I could barely afford a used machine and had laboriously scraped up the conference fees but I had to agree that she had a point. I WAS there at the motel, learning great stuff and I had a place to go home to. Our charity project for the conference was to knit small bags and fill them with necessities for women who had to leave abusive situations and hide out in shelters. Many left home without even a toothbrush. By comparison, I was fortunate indeed. Since that time, I have learned more about charity knitting. For one thing, an amazing number of knitters participate! At times I have contributed patterns to help things along. At present, an exciting new project has presented itself. My friend Angela McClellan from the Country Knitting of Maine yahoo group came up with the most adorable cat-toy pattern: a catnip stuffed mouse. These seemed to me like a perfect fund raiser for animal shelters so I spoke with my sister who is a long-time volunteer with PAWS in Atlanta. She agreed. So PAWS will be accepting mice to help socialize the cats in the shelter and to sell in the gift shop to help support their work. I'm sure that your local shelter would love to have some, too. If you cannot find a worthy recipient and want to knit from the pattern, which will soon appear in Country Knitting of Maine News and Views, you may send mice to me and I will pass them on to PAWS via my sister. Mail them to po box 384 Crawford, GA 30630. If you would rather knit something besides mice, Country Knitting of Maine combines a hat contest with a project called "Keeping Maine Warm" to provide hats to the needy. Project Linus provides blankets to children to help with traumatic situations. Another worthwhile cause is to provide head-coverings to cancer patients who lose their hair. I have been there, as have many of you, and I know that soft, warm head-coverings can add a lot of comfort both physically and socially. Newborns in need accepts clothing & blankets for infants and preemies in difficult situations. The link marked "cancer caps" will take you to some info on that subject. The link marked "charity-suitable patterns" takes you to the page where my book "Great Knitted Gifts" and "Kangaroo Covers" are sold. Kangaroo covers has been popular with project Linus knitters. The bath turban in Great Knitted Gifts is a superior cancer cap. Keeping Maine Warm project linus charity suitable patterns cancer caps newborns in need There are some surprise rewards in charity knitting beyond the obvious. It is a great way to keep the knitting room orderly [not that mine ever gets there] by using up odds and ends. It is also a great way to practice your knitting skills. Believe me, the recipients of these unexpected gifts are not in the mood to criticize! They will be grateful for whatever you do so feel free to use your charity work to build your confidence.	These are Angela's mice. Aren't they just perfect? The pattern is not difficult at all so you can have lots of fun knitting without stress. Also pictured are the turban and Kangaroo Covers pattern mentioned at left. Below right is Afghan for Everyone, also from Great Knitted Gifts and also great for project Linus. News and Views subscribers will find 2 hat pattern series running concurrently. These are also designed for charity knitting. They are "Stripping with our Clothes On" and "Hats with Character"
	NIFTY NEW YARN--July 15 I have been looking for quite awhile for the perfect bulky yarn and I think I have found it at last! It's a luxury yarn at a moderate price. Merino/acrylic blend. Here is what I like: it's springy with nice memory. It knits easily on hand needles, on the Authentic Knitting Board and on the bulky knitting machine. For the AKB use 1/2" spacer to get a nice robust double knitted fabric. It is easy to find and hook over the correct strand with this yarn. I have designed some slippers using this yarn for knitting on the AKB. The pattern will soon be available. On the bulky knitting machine, use stitch size 10 and every other needle. Use weights, especially at the edges of the work. After the work is off of the machine, give it a lengthwise pull to get the stitches properly aligned. I am working on some slippers for the bulky machine. The yarn comes from Turkey and will be direct shipped to you. From my yarn page [see link below] you can read more about shipping and get directly to the order page for Kuka bulky merino/acrylic. The yarn site in its entirety is enormous and confusing so on my yarn page I have provided a link directly to the correct yarn. You can buy any yarns you wish but be aware that I have not tried them ALL. I will review them here as I try more. My relationship with this company is what they call a "reseller" and what I would call selling on modest commission. So far, it seems to me to be a good, reliable yarn source. We'll see how it goes. Keep in touch and let me know what you think. Hope you enjoy this new yarn as much as I am! click here to visit my yarn page
	March 29--release stitch lace I have been having fun with release stitch lace. This is basically stockinette fabric but 2 needle beds are used. Wherever a lacy hole is desired, a needle is raised on the ribber and knitted for 1 or more rows, then dropped. When it drops, the stitches in the main fabric enlarge to include the extra yarn creating the lace holes. You can knit the main fabric on the ribber and use a punchcard to select lace stitches on the main bed or you can knit in the normal way and manually select stitches on the ribber. In either case, rack the beds so that the needles alternate. When it's time to drop the stitches, do so manually or with a stitch ditching tool of some kind. Another option is to detach the carriages[locks] and move the one with the temporary stitches across the bed without any yarn which will also drop the stitches. The choice of methods depends partly on what is available but also on how many lace stitches are in use and how many rows are being knitted. Sometimes one method will be much more practical than another. This kind of lace is much faster than hand transferring. I think it is about the same in time consumption as using a lace carriage.
Seminar news! The Carolinas Machine Knitters Guild is hosting a seminar in late April. I have greatly enjoyed these events in the past. If you need instruction, this is a great place to get it. If you are skilled already, it's a great place to find inspiration. There is detailed information available at the following blog machine-knitting-in-raleigh.blogspot.com Knitting seminars in the south are somewhat rare so make time for this if you can!	March 29--fantastic stitch saving idea I was talking with fellow knitter Jo Ann and she happened to mention the coolest technique. I have never run into the specifics of this one before so I got her permission to share it with you. When, for some reason, you must hold a bunch of stitches, try inserting fishing line rather than yarn through them. It comes in many sizes and is much stiffer than yarn. Select the line that is closest in size to the diameter of the yarn, run it through the open stitches, then stick a pencil eraser on each end of the line to keep it from dropping the stitches. From this point you can re-hang or work the edge in any way much more easily. Jo Ann discovered this when she bound off a blanket edge much too tightly and had to re-do it. In such cases, I have either worked the new bind off while undoing the old a few stitches at a time, run yarn through the open stitches, run a knitting needle through them or attempted to re-hang them directly. In each case there are hazards. Her method avoids many of them. Great idea, I think. I'm sure it won't be long before I need this to get me out of my next jam!
An upcoming knitting retreat: I just received the note I will post at right. This is my first exposure to this group and event--I have never been. But a quick look at the website made a good impression.	We would like to ask your assistance in notifying knitters in the southeast about a Fiber Arts Retreat that we are hosting. It is being held at the end of April in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina. We will have 55 attendees coming to relax, knit and learn. We will have workshops, evening programs and lots of time to socialize and explore the area. we would appreciate it if you would include the retreat information in your newsletters. Registration just opened so there are still spaces available. www.unwindgetaway.com
JAN 30---BEADAZZLED FINALLY! I had the felted bead party that was repeatedly canceled due to horrible weather. You can see the results at right. At first, the girls were a little uncertain but as soon as they detected the beads actually hardening in their hands, the excitement level rose. I was astonished at how pretty and un-childlike each necklace turned out. I had knitted the beads in advance and simply demonstrated knitting a single bead so they could see what we started with. Then we dished up hot soapy water, tossed the beads in and started felting them in our hands. It took about an hour to get all the beads felted. We took a cookie break. Then another hour got them all strung. I had the help of all the mothers, 2 extra adult women and we had to call in my husband. This was NOT a surplus of adult help so any of you who are thinking of having such a party, keep it in mind. We got a couple of surprises: the girls felted their beads so firmly that we had to get out pliers to get the needles through the finished beads but once we did, it worked fine. Also, I provided stretchy beading thread in thick and thin. The older girls selected the thin because it will go through the more elegant tiny glass beads. It knots fine to finish the necklace. But the thicker thread, used by the younger set unties no matter how well you knot it. My husband saved the day by crimping the necklaces with electrical connectors! Proper connectors are sold for this thread but I did not buy it because the package says "use our connectors OR knot the thread to finish". All in all it was a labor intense day but very successful!
JAN 13---hand knitted scarves because I am snowed in! This is unbelievable but for the 2nd time this winter, I am really and truly snowed in and I live in GEORGIA! this is not supposed to happen to us but it has and it gives me new empathy for those of you in routinely chillier spots. My knitting room heater has been temporarily moved to protect the plumbing pipes. Although they are wrapped and covered, we are not convinced that they are sufficiently so and "better safe than sorry" seems to be the path to take. Obviously, I can't machine knit in an un-heated room. No matter how hardy I consider myself, at a certain coolness, the machines cease to work well. SO I have been sitting in the heated part of the house hand knitting scarves. I can't seem to focus on knitting bikinis or tank tops in sub-freezing weather so scarves it is. I have come up with a couple of somewhat unique and very easy ones that you may download for free from my hand knitting page.	JAN 13---downloading freebies safely from Mediafire My free things are hosted on a file sharing service called mediafire. It is entirely reputable but, as I use the free version so I can afford to offer free downloads, advertising is shown. That is OK but sometimes the pop-ups are persistent and annoying. Happily, I demonstrated last weekend and one of the ladies who attended my class is quite a computer expert. She referred me to a pop-up blocker that I have just installed and it works wonders. This blocker works with the firefox browser which I use and highly recommend. It is free, fast and relatively safe because most viruses target internet explorer because it is the big one. Below is the link to download the pop-up blocker I first tried to download it from internet explorer. That is complex and I don't recommend it. But accessing it through firefox is a piece of cake. So if you don't already use firefox, install it first, then add the blocker. I think you'll be very pleased. Thank you Sheron!!! popup blocker
DECEMBER 7--keyhole scarves The term refers to scarves that have a slit into which one end is inserted to secure the scarf. No knot is needed. They are tidier and less bulky than other scarves to wear and great for people like me who are accessory impaired. In the past I have always made these on knitting frames or by hand but recently have been experimenting with the possibilities on knitting machines. Then the subject was raised by another knitter in a discussion group so I am wondering if there would be some interest in a series of patterns for scarves of this type??? Let me know your thoughts. In the mean time, here is some info that is included in the frame knitted keyhole scarf pattern that I sell. I am changing the wording a little because the original refers to "pegs" which correspond to needles on our machines. These basics will help you design a scarf of your own if you are adventurous. Think of the scarf as being made up of segments: 2 tails, 1 neckline, 1 slot. Cast on enough stitches to make the width of scarf you want. Knit the length of tail you want. Knit the slot by knitting rows that will equal the width of the scarf minus 1". First place half of the needles in hold and knit this length. Break the yarn. Now place the needles that have just knitted in hold and the others in work. Knit the same length again. Resume knitting on all needles for the rest of the scarf. For most adults, knit 16” for the neckline after the end of the keyhole and before starting the 2nd tail. There will be no difference in the knitting as you transition from neck to tail, it's just a way of thinking of the work to keep the row count straight and simple. Knit 2nd tail to the same length as the first. For children, knit 14” or 15”for the neck section. For extra large adults knit 17” or 18”.	knitting frame pattern page
NOVEMBER 27--2011 Hat Challenge As you know, I write for Country Knitting of Maine News & Views. The publisher, Linda Williams, has been running a hat contest each year. The hats are donated to charity. In 2010, I challenged myself to knit 100 hats to contribute to the charity and challenged readers to knit 100 also for which I'd give them a reward. I'm delighted with the response to this year's challenge. I hope you'll keep knitting along with me & that more of you will join me. As before, I'll reward you! If you don't know about Linda's "Making Maine Warm" charity, paste http://www.countryknittingofmain.com into your browser and go see what she has to say. This year, what I am challenging myself to do is knit 100 hats that can be strip knitted. What I mean by that is that all 100 could be knitted continuously with waste yarn in between them. My idea is to think of as many creative things to do within those parameters as I possibly can. Some of what I knit will be worth passing on to you so Linda has agreed to publish the "stripping for charity" series in News and Views and the first of the series has already appeared. There is an introduction to the series in the latest issue that will fully explain. My challenge to the knitters is to knit 100 hats to contribute but I'm not requiring you to knit them in any particular way. It seems enough that you knit 100! However, you may get some nifty ideas from the strip hats series. There is also a "hats with character" series running concurrently. These can also be strip knitted though ears and features to create the faces of the characters are knitted and applied separately. I have finally received the photo of the hat This year, I also contributed knitting to the Habitat For Humanity auction. I was astonished to see a very simple hat that auctioned for between $35-40. The hat is super simple [see it at right] but the colors are great. I think it shows that we need not knit with bells and whistles to make things people really appreciate. Simple hats answer my challenge just as well as elaborate ones do.
NOVEMBER 17--a new approach to fairisle. I have been experimenting with ways to make fairisle fabric more wearable. The problem is always the floats. They catch on things and also limit the stretch and flexibility of the fabric. My latest effort has worked out well. It combines 2 features: 1) a fairisle pattern with very short floats. None are over 3 stitches wide. 2) using a stretchy yarn for the contrast color. The result is a very unusual gauge. The stitch and row gauge are the same at 8 stitches & 8 rows per inch. But the fabric does have more stretch and movement than is typical of fairisle. I designed a paisley-ish punchcard for this jacket. I've always loved paisley. In researching it and trying to figure out how to make a punchcard design that would be satisfactory, I discovered an odd piece of trivia: paisley has sometimes been called "Persian Pickles". So far I have worn my new jacket 3 times. It has been comfortable and there have been no floats snagged. In case you wish to experiment, the strechy yarn I used is "Walkaway" sock yarn from Hobby Lobby and the main yarn is Tamm Bebe. It may seem an odd pair to choose because Bebe is fuzzy and not a texture one would imagine choosing for a jacket plus Walkaway is noticeably thinner. However, when I swatched, this was my favorite combination and it is working well. Walkaway does not come in true solid colors. This one has a main tone of gold but tweedy varigations that include pink and green. It's subtle enough to make good fairisle without disrupting the design but adds some interest.

OCTOBER 15--knitting a tubular dress If you have 2 beds, you can knit a dress all in one piece. This is easiest on the Passap but a Japanese machine with a well adjusted ribber can do just as nice a job. To begin with, you need to know the desired circumference of the dress at the hip area, at the bust area, the length of skirt you want and your back-waist length. Figure the skirt by multiplying gauge X desired flat width to get the number of stitches to cast on per bed. Don't add any seam allowance. For example: to get a skirt that finishes to 40" when the stitch gauge is 7 per inch, multiply 20X7=140 needles to cast on per bed. The 20 is because 20=half of the total circumference which is what will be knitted on each bed. Most of us need our skirts wider than our tops so for a 1 piece dress, we'll also need to figure the desired bust size in the same manner. Between the 2, decreases will be needed.

You will need to knit twice the number of rows that the row gauge indicates because only half a round is knitted each time the counter clicks. So if your row gauge is 10 stitches per inch, multiply the total number of inches desired by 20 to get the correct row count on the counter. Example: you want a skirt 24" long. Add 2" for a hem which will be turned under and stitched in place after the knitting is complete. So multiply 26"X20=520 rows on the counter to the waist. If the bodice is to be narrower than the skirt, work the decreases in the top 4-8" of that length, depending on your shape. Simple decreases on each side of each bed work fine. The above-waist portion is figured by multiplying back waist length by row gauge. If you like traditional shaping, figure our where the armhole should begin using row gauge, place one bed in hold at the underarm and shape the front and back armhole and neckline one at a time. I prefer finishing with the techniques detailed in my book "KNITTING AND SEW ON" which means knitting tubular to the back-waist length and adding an inch for safety, the removing on waste yarn. Besides the advantage of speed, this method allows you to complete the armholes AFTER any drop has occurred in the knitting and to copy the fit of your favorite top perfectly.

Begin on waste yarn. Hang comb and weights. Make sure that the needles are racked to be exactly opposite one another so that there is not a transition bump at the side of the knitting. Make sure the beds are getting the same gauge even if the stitch dials are set differently to achieve it. Knit a few waste yarn rounds using circular settings. This will be CX/CX for Passaps. Levers are used on the Studio and Part buttons are used on the Brother. Now knit the skirt rows, work the waist shaping, knit the bodice area and remove. If you shaped the top, you need only sew the shoulder seams and bind the armholes and neckline. Otherwise, you'll finish these by cutting and sewing.

Before finalizing the finishing,pull the knitting lengthwise, wash and dry the dress and let it hang for a few hours so that any of the gauge change we call "hanging out" gets over and done with while you still have some fitting options.

The great thing about this style is that the lack of side seams makes for a very smooth & flattering fit. It is also a pretty fast way to make the dress. The essential factor for success is to be absolutely certain of your gauge. It is also important to select a yarn that will reach a stable size and stay there.

I just finished a dress in Diamante using this method. If you don't feel up to designing your own, you may have a chance to knit mine in a few months as I have offered the pattern to News and Views. Last night I wore the dress with this reversible cable sweater from "EVERY WHICH WAY CABLES". Made a nice sharp outfit and was comfy, too.

Easley Adventure We spent Saturday the 9th in Easely, SC with Lorraine Brown's knitting group. Had a wonderful time teaching the Merry Go Round sweater and meeting this lovely group of knitters. Jack fixed a couple of carriages, too. I was pleased to see many knitters keeping their vintage machines in work.

I have known Lorraine was there at the Knitting and Lace Making Cottage for ages but have never gotten myself together for a visit. It is delightful! The shop is in a building with a fascinating history and Lorraine has it lovingly stuffed with enticing yarns and needlework goodies of all sorts.

Easley itself was a treat. It has the original downtown nicely restored and in use. We had stellar pizza & salad at Michael's Pizza in an old building that overlooks the railroad that runs through town. A train went through while we were there. Plus it was one of those fall days just made for a country drive.
All in all a happy experience! I hope more local knitting groups will invite me to cool places to teach nice knitters.

SEPT 24--put your foot in your hand My great grandmother used to say that to mean "hurry up" or "get a move on" but I am using it in a new way. Here's the story. My friend Marianne and I share a love of knitting and crocheting. We were comparing projects the other day and I complained about getting a terrible pain in my back from overdoing the needle arts. My pain is most intense below the left shoulder blade but eventually encompasses the neck and shoulder and may even pull my spine out of alignment at about bra strap height. In professional life, Marianne is a ballerina who has owned a dance studio and school for many years and has degrees in things like dance physiology so she knows a lot about body mechanics. She asked if I was stretching. I answered yes, but obviously not with success and she suggested the following 2 things. First, support the elbow on the side that tends to hurt with a pillow as you work. 2nd: put your foot in your hand. Sit where you can lean back for support as on a large sofa. Bend the left knee and place the left foot in the left hand. Press your foot away from your body for a gentle sustained stretch. Repeat on the other side. I felt the most amazingly effective stretch in the problem areas when I did this. I now do it regularly with wonderful results. I know some of you are as obsessed as I and therefore end up as knotted as I do. I hope this helps you as much as it is helping me.

SEPT 19--success with the Channel Isle cast on The unique thing about the Channel Isle cast on is that it produces a beaded effect at the edge of the work. It is also sturdy. I tried oodles of things that looked pretty nice and were sturdy but had no beads. After much cogitation, I realized that the beaded look is produced because the working yarn wraps the doubled strand and enters the doubled loops from 2 different directions, making a knot-like effect where this occurs. The instructions below do achieve the effect. They are a little labor intense but worth it for some projects.

Pull the needles you need into working position. This should be an even number of needles. Cut a piece of yarn 4X the width of these needles. Fold this piece of yarn and hang the fold on a needle a few places to the left of those in work. Make a slip knot in the working yarn [single strand] and hang it on the same needle. This needle is just a holder. Pull the first 2 needles on the left from working position to hold position. E-wrap both of them in a single wrap with the doubled yarn. With the single strand of the working yarn, wrap under the first needle, then place the strand in the hook and manually pull the needle back forming a stitch. Place the hook of the latch tool in the hook of the 2nd needle and pull the needle back so that the loops of yarn transfer to the latch tool. Reach down with the latch tool, wrapping it around the doubled strand that is hanging down and catch the single strand with the hook of the tool. Pull the single strand through the loops on the hook, forming a stitch. Transfer this stitch from the latch tool to the 2nd needle. Pull the next 2 needles forward and repeat the process just described. Do so all the way across. Drop the loops off of the holding needle at the left and you are ready to go. I have not tried it yet but suspect that for cotton yarn, this cast on will be enough to prevent rolling.

SEPT 18--a new cast on and notes about Mediafire While at Ileen's I chatted with some ladies who were hand-knitting about their projects. Two of them convinced me to resume my efforts at learning to knit with circular needles. Yesterday I found this little video on the Channel Isles cast on. So I combined both things and have successfully knitted a hat in the round using the cast on. I got to thinking about how the cast on could be duplicated on the machine. My first try is not quite right but is still nice so I'll pass it on: use a separate doubled piece of main yarn to weave over one needle and under the next working from right to left across the bed. E-wrap all the needles from left to right with main yarn. Place the yarn in the carriage at right and knit from right to left. This entraps the weaving yarn in the first row and beefs up the edge considerably but the weaving yarn is not actually knitted and can be used to adjust the edge. What is NOT accomplished is the beaded look of the Channel Isle edge so I'll keep working. In case you'd like to try the Channel Isle cast on by hand, here is the link to the video I learned from: channel isle cast on

From time to time, someone asks about Mediafire which is where you get taken if you click on the links throughout my website that offer you free downloads. Understandably, safety is a concern. Mediafire is OK. Nothing sinister is going on. It a file hosting site & is the way I can afford to house all that stuff and offer it for free. There is a note on my home page that explains in detail. Basically, when you click the link on my site, it takes you to media-fire. Mediafire has levels of service as most such sites do. I am using their free hosting plan so I can afford to offer lots of stuff. Since this is the case, they will present ads and offers. Ignore them all and only click on the page you went for. I'm not aware that anything on Mediafire is bad but it would waste your time. The downloads work very smoothly and never contain anything other than my file. Sometimes you have to scroll up or down to see the link to my file because they re-format the hosting page all the time. My free downloads are almost all .pdf files so Adobe Acrobat reader will load for you to read them. Most of you have that but if you don't it is a free download available from the Adobe website and well worth having. You can check out the service by visiting mediafire

SEPT 14--a new option: gift certificates You will find a new gift certificate button just above the index on the home page. This will allow you to give Answer Lady items as a gift even if you are not sure which ones the recipient would prefer. Gift certificates may be sent in amounts from $5 up. When you click on the button, paypal will ask you for details about where the certificate goes and when and how you'd like it delivered. Delivery may be by e-mail and you can specify exactly when. Or you can print the certificate yourself and hand it over in person. This is very much like buying a gift card without the plastic card. Paypal keeps excellent records so I fully expect this system to work smoothly. Still, it only makes good sense for you to print your records of the transaction for yourself so that, in case of a glitch, you and I can iron it out quickly.

SEPT 12--some clarification I heard from a reader who was concerned that I was using styrofoam to restore sponge bars which seemed to her to be a bad idea. I agree. Let me explain that by "craft foam" I mean the colorful sheets of flexible EVA material sold for childrens' crafts. In our local stores it is labeled craft foam so it did not occur to me that the name could imply something else.

EVA is used as a cushioning layer in shoes and Croc type shoes are made entirely out of EVA. This is what led me to think that its surface might be durable enough and its sponginess resilient enough to do the job. I have knitted several more things since I last posted and it is still doing very well. If you are unfamiliar with the product, it is normally sold with the things aimed at young children. Often it is cut into flower and animal shape but there are rubber sheets of it available in 2 sizes and 2 thicknesses.

SEPT 11--success! The finished and FULLY dried sponge bar is back in the machine and 3 hats have been knitted without a problem. These include the use of fur yarn and fair-isle which are both a bit challenging for a hobby machine so I feel quite pleased with its performance. I honestly cannot remember what it knitted like when new to compare but it knits nicely now. There are many methods of restoring a sponge bar out there. I did not invent the idea and have borrowed ideas from many. For example, another knitter suggested white glue instead of a more permanent one so that removing the foam for the next restoration would be easier. My main innovation is the use of craft foam which is EVA and very, very durable as compared to the other sponge materials in use. My first tries were problematic because I tried to make the sponge the same thickness as it originally was. With craft foam, this is too thick and makes it hard to knit. The 2 layers I use now come just above the level of the metal channel but as they are very high in compression rating, that is plenty. It will take a few weeks to determine how well this bar performs in the long haul but early results are excellent.	THE ANSWER LADY'S SPONGE BAR RESTORATION STEPS 1. clean old foam out of the bar with solvent and a screw driver. Rubbing alcohol or "Goo Gone" work as solvents 2. cut strips of craft foam that will fit the channel in the bar using a rolling cutter or craft knife 3. glue 2 complete layers* of craft foam into the channel with Aleen's craft glue[selected because it is thicker than other white glues] 4. tape around each end of the foam & bar tightly with strong thin tape 5. allow to dry for at least 24 hours *sometimes it is possible to get craft foam that is twice the thickness of the usual stuff. If you can get this, only 1 layer is needed. Remember that the total amount of foam should extend only a little above the metal channel
SEPT 10--oops! obviously I was not patient enough. When I inserted the sponge bar, glue oozed out! Fortunately, I used washable white glue [Aleen's] so I was able to clean up the mess and start over. sigh. SEPT 7---as the hubbub of the long weekend and returning from Ileen's dies down Things are returning to normal. Normal means knitting of course. Having finished up with the hats for this year's charity drive through Country Knitting of Maine News and Views, I am thinking of things to do for next year's efforts. More about that soon. Also, it's time to get the jacket knitted for that suit I began in August. I'm debating whether full needle rib would be a good fabric or too heavy. Any thoughts on that? It will be in Tamm Diamante so if you have used it for FNR and liked or disliked it, I'd love to hear from you.	SEPT 9--sponge bar experiment My very first knitting machine, a Singer HK100 is about to get a new assignment. When I checked the sponge bar I discovered that the ORIGINAL 25 year old bar was still in the machine! Obviously I have not checked it often. Amazing that it was still knitting! Happily, the old bar is not the rusty mess one might fear but it is totally defunct. So before searching high and low for a replacement, I'm attempting a restoration. I have read lots of methods and tried a few. All basically work but I have had objections to all of them also. One of my main dislikes is the necessity of applying that long strip of ribbon to the top. So this time I am trying craft foam which has a more durable surface. I'm waiting impatiently for the glue to dry right now and will give you a success report soon.
Before I left for Ileen's seminar, I promised myself that I would clean the knitting room before setting up the machine I traveled with again. Believe me when I say it REALLY needed it. I am happy to say that it is finally clean. What a joy. Very inviting. I confess that there are still some containers of oddments that I should and will sort but it is SOOO much better.	SEPT 2---happiness is a machine with 2 carriages and a clean knitting room I was talking with some knitters at Ileen's about using 2 carriages on 1 machine. This makes striping and some other patterns infinitely faster and easier but the carriages take up room on the machine and limit your working space, UNLESS you make extensions. That is what you see in the photo at left. Both carriages have been pushed to the left though you can only see 1. Jack added the support boards labeled at right and affixed plumbing tubing [they type that fills the toilet tank] to them to create the extensions on both sides. The tubing was selected simply because it was the right size to match the groove on which the studio/singer 328 carriages slide. It works great. Periodically, it gets out of adjustment and Jack fixes it with a scew driver. Lots of fun.