The Answer Lady innovative ideas for knitters To contact the answer lady, use this new anti-spam e-mail address. Rewrite this address in the standard e-mail format with no spaces anywhere and the usual symbols for and and dot: kathryn d answerlady at hotmail dot com Return to Home Page Got a question about a pattern? Have you run into a snag? It happens. Here are some questions I have answered for other knitters about my designs. They may help you. If question doesn't get answered here, use the link above to ask a question directly. Wondering about the need for cast-on combs and weights? Having trouble visualizing Fab Footwear for Bulkies? read the following letter: It's true that some machines usually don't require cast-on combs, but in this case you'll probably need some weight because you'll be knitting such HUGE stitches. You probably don't absolutely have to use a cast on comb if you have big claw weights that you usually use on the edges of your knitting. You can try it and see. The reason for the cast-on comb is even distribution of weight across the work. Anything that you can improvise to achieve this is fine. If you try a swatch and the stitches don't jump off the needles you may be able to get by without weight but if you do this, knit a test piece to see if your gauge is right because weight on the yarn usually affects the gauge. You knit one layer of sole, then begin hanging stitches from the edges of that layer as you continue to knit. This creates a fold at the toe or heel depending on what layer you are knitting. At first the fold is barely visible, the as you knit it becomes obvious. Because the edge stitches need to be hung one the side of the work that is towards you, weights placed there would be in your way. Therefore, whatever weight you are using should be hung behind the knitting. Do this by slipping your hand with the weighting device under the knitting so that your hand is on the machine side, hidden from your view. Hook the weights in the knitting back there as high up (close to the needle bed) as you are able. If you don't want to make a comb and don't have enough claw weights, I have found that www.dknits.com has wonderful "pin weights" that are 20 stitches wide. I didn't know about these when I wrote the pattern. They are only about $6 ea and you have to ask for them--I don't think they are listed on the website. Brief re-cap of pattern: 1) cast on and knit 1 layer of sole 2) begin hanging edge stitches so that a second layer is knitted, already attached to the first 3) repeat step 2 until all the layers of sole are complete and attached to one another along both sides and at the heel and toe. 4) do almost the same thing without hanging edge stitches to create the first layer of the upper 5) knit the 2nd layer of the upper, by hanging edges as for the sole When the final layer of the toe is bound off, the top and sole are connected only at the toe and have to be sewn together. The heel roll must also be knitted. I think this will help you visualize what is going on. Best wishes, Kathryn WONDERING ABOUT THE CAROLINAS' MACHINE KNITTERS GUILD? We don't have meetings. We do have listings of local clubs and announcements of their meetings in our yahoo group postings. Your $20 membership fee entitles you to our monthly newsletter which is excellent and membership in the yahoo group which is private and not filled with junk. You can get help with your knitting problems, info on yarn and machines and share with other knitters. You can post an ad in the newletter for $5 and be sure that it is reaching the right people. Our membership includes professional designers and absolute beginners so you'll definately find kindred spirits whatever your skill level. The newletter is now on-line in the group archives to those who can receive it that way. Those who cannot can still get it by mail. The archives contain the last year and a half worth of newsletters and they continue to grow so you'll have access to all of them. Periodically, the guild sponsors a seminar and these are excellent. We also post notices of locally sponsored seminars To join, you would send your check or paypal payment to me, the guild treasurer: Kathryn Doubrley KATHRYN@THEANSWERLADY.COM (MUST BE ALL CAPS FOR PAYPAL) po Box 384 Crawford, GA 30630 Hope you'll join us--Kathryn WONDERING WHY THE FELTING INSTRUCTIONS IN MY PATTERNS ARE SOMEHWAT DIFFERENT THAN SOME OTHERS YOU HAVE SEEN? ...hot water does work but here is how I came up with cold: I like to felt at the laundromat because the front loading machines there agitate the wool pieces without catching them on the center spindle and pulling them. I think you get a more reliable, less distorted felt that way. The laundromat I use has temp selections but I noticed that all you ever really get is cool to luke warm water. It turns out that this is great because you can't stop the front loaders in mid-cycle to check the felt and something little like a bootie or a child's mitten can felt to a solid lump before you know it. Fit is critical for these items unlike for a pillow or a purse. The instructions I give produce a slower but more controllable felted garment. Scientific fact: felting occurs when the wool fibers react to some type of stress by grabbing tightly to one another. The stresses may be chemical, heat, agitation or moisture. Laundering is all of these but by doing a couple things at a time instead of all of them, you gain a bit of control. In case you have had things that failed to felt at all, make sure you are using 100% wool yarn that is NOT superwash. Recently I got a deal on some fabulous Anny Blatt wool. It doesn't say superwash but it must have been treated somehow because the darned stuff will not felt. If you have had complete lack of cooperation, try another yarn. I really love Ashford Tekapo and Brown Sheep as reliable choices. Have a wonderful time with it--Kathryn HAND KNITTERS: ARE YOU WONDERING ABOUT MACHINE KNITTING? Lots of people both hand and machine knit but it is a separate skill set so you have to go through a fresh learning curve. On the other hand, it is conceptually identical so you are ahead of an absolute beginner. Machine knitting, because of its speed, makes it practical to experiment with design, do stitches that would be prohibitively time consuming by hand, use finer yarns and have significant wardrobe pieces, like suits, that are custom knitted. You have the option of buying a used knitting machine in a number of brands or a new on in the brands that are still in production. Brother and Passap machines, now out of production are still available second hand and many parts are readily available. Those still being made include Silver Reed, Artisan and Bond. Taitexma is another new name on the market but I'm afraid I have never seen one. I gather that they are similar to Brother machines of the past. Silver Reed is compatible with earlier machines under the brand's previous names, Studio and Singer. At present, Silver Reed makes fine gauge, standard gauge and mid-gauge machines at 3.6, 4.5 and 6.5 mm needle spacing. Artisan makes mid-gauge and standard gauge machines at 7.0 and 4.5mm spacing. Bond includes ever-changing model names usually incorporating the words "Sweater Machine". All have 8mm needle spacing This is the least expensive and simplest machine and the latest ones are compatible with older models. I strongly urge new machine knitters to join clubs and guilds for support and to attend seminars whenever you can. You just wouldn't believe how helpful it is to see someone actually doing what you are attempting. Hope this gets you happily started. Expect the machine to be a fresh experience that lets you explore previously untried areas of knitting. all the best! Kathryn Doubrley www.theanswerlady.com DID YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH GAUGE OR LOOSE FABRIC? SO DID CAROLYN--READ ON... Ok Kathryn, I made the slippers with the pattern I bought from you. It says to use thick yarn, so I used double worsted because I didn't have the thick yarn. The patterns worked out good, the problem is they are still too holy and I was trying to make a size 6 and they came out big enough to fit my 9 foot. Also the ankle didn't come out as tight as I thought it should. Mind you I am not complaining about your pattern, just trying to find out if I should have just used one strand of worsted and how to make them not so holy Hope you can figure this out for me. Carolyn ----- Actually, I think the problem is that the yarn used was too thin so I would not go to a single strand of worsted. The Thick and Quick yarn recommended is much thicker than 2 strands of worsted. It's more like 4. When used, it makes a denser fabric and that's why it's great for slippers. The stitches are not any bigger than they would be with 2 strands worsted because the loom limits the size but the fabric comes out much less stretchy and that's how it fits smaller feet. I also am size 6 in the foot and they do fine for me in Jiffy or Wool-ease Thick and Quick. If you also have narrow feet, you might like to use the optional ribbing included in the design for a tighter fit. The holey-ness will disappear with the thicker yarn. I think if you have tons of worsted on hand, you should try using 4 strands together. In the photo on the pattern, I did not have to stuff those socks to get them to "pose" for the photo. That will give you an idea of the body of the fabric that results from knitting with thicker yarn and why it is so great for slipper-sox. Hope this is helpful, Kathryn