Author: debgemmellmods

I'm a Knitter. The capital K means every day, everywhere. I started designing as co-owner of Cabin Fever with my sister Lyn. We have published over 160 patterns and 11 books. I'm also working on a new set of patterns for Any Gauge or Gauge-free knitting so you can dive into your stash and cast on for a Top Down sweater that fits, or an accessory to use up those odd balls of yarn.

Who is the boss?

Who is in charge of your knitting? I hope you are.

Do you make changes to a pattern to make it easier for you to knit it?

I think you should. After all, a pattern is only a guide for a certain result.

I am knitting the Mossblossom wrap by wool.and.pine.designs with these changes so that it’s a more enjoyable knit for me. There is nothing wrong with the methods used in the pattern. I made these changes to make myself more comfortable. After all, I am the boss of my own knitting.

I find K3tog (right leaning double decrease) a struggle to knit so I changed it to: K2tog – slip stitch back to left needle – pass second stitch on left needle over the first stitch – slip stitch back to right needle and snug it up. – 2 sts decreased.

I know this seems like so many more steps, but they are steps that are easy to work, which is what I was looking for. It also matches the left leaning double decrease just before it: slip one stitch – K2tog – pass slip stitch over.

The other change I made was to the bobble. I find all that turning business a hassle. I made my bobbles as if they were I-cords. Check it out.

I-cord bobble

Two changes that made knitting this wrap a total pleasure.

Cheers,  Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-free patterns by Deb

Deb.gemmell on instagram.

The 6×6 went travelling

I finished my purple 6×6 cardigan just before (actually the day before) I went to Ireland. That was a firm deadline that I definitely needed to get it done and I was so happy to have it with me.

I wore it for 12 days straight and it was so comfy (dk wool by Shelridge Yarns in Iris colourway). I stuffed it in bags, rolled it up for a pillow on the plane and pulled it over my head every morning, never undoing the buttons (which would explain why I knit more pullovers than cardigans). It was an amazing travel companion. I felt at home even though I was far away.

Ireland is a wonderful country full of very friendly people. We had a marvelous trip with Inishfree Music tours with David Francey (a canadian singer/songwriter). This was a trip on our bucket list and exceeded expectations.

Now curling season has begun and I think I need a new curling sweater. The one I have has a hole in the front (a zipper catch). I could fix it or I could knit a new sweater. Any guesses?

My sweater is at the test knitting stage so soon it will be published.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-free patterns by Deb

Deb on instagram

Knitting Crash

I just finished knitting two sweaters. It seemed like I was knitting sleeves forever. Note to self, knit the sleeves first!

The pattern is written and today, after a final read through, it will go off to my test knitters. Yes, the process of getting patterns published is l-o-n-g.

And then there is the crash.

What should I knit now? There are no idle needles allowed around here. I scroll through ravelry for hours. I’ll knit this, no this one looks really interesting, or maybe the pattern  that’s been sitting in my library for 10 years???

I need a break from designing so this is when I knit someone else’s pattern.

I knit one of the Easy Over Socks by Holli Yeoh. I will knit some more but would like a longer cuff. It’s really inventive, has a new-to-me heel and only uses small amounts of sock yarn, bonus.

Now I’m knitting a lace shawl, the Mossblossom by wool.and.pine.designs. I find having to pay attention to a chart really relaxing. I mentioned all that sleeve knitting, right? This, for me, is the carrot.

What’s your reward for getting through the tough parts of your project?

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-free patterns by Deb

Deb on instagram

Ta, Da

Look at that. This 6×6 Cardigan is finished. Yes, I am doing the bring and brag thing. I’m so happy to be done.

Is finishing a moment for you too?

Now I am button shopping. I used removable markers to hold the sweater together for this photo. What do you think – purple buttons or something bright, like orange, to contrast with the sweater?

The othere up side to finishing is that I get to cast on something new. Hallelujah!

Sweaters take a long time to knit, and I was really working at sticking to it. Now, I will block it and sew on the buttons, as soon as I buy some, that is.

The relief to be able to start something new is great!!!

Hope your knitting is going well too.

Cheers,  Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-free patterns by Deb

Deb on instagram

Good Ol’ Sleeves

I know I’ll be really glad I have long sleeves on this sweater. I know that, but … sleeves, OMG, do they have to take soooo long?

About 4 years ago I started this: Two Sleeves on 2 circs. It’s the same as working socks two at a time. If you’ve done that, this might be for you.

No second sleeve syndrome for me.

So here I am with the purple sleeves of my 6×6 Cardigan. I knit one inch of knitting on each sleeve separately. Then I slipped the stitches of the sleeves onto two circular needles with the underarm sections facing each other. (You might be able to see that one circular has a blue cord and the other has a red cord.) I put a big pin in the fabric at the underarms of the sleeves to hold them in position on the two circular needles. I’m only about 2″ in so far, with many hours ahead of me.

You know that I really, really, want to cast on something new right now. I’m resisting so far. I can do this, I can, I can?!

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free knitting patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

Home again, home again, jiggety, jig

Hi. How was your summer? I took some time off at my northern ontario cabin. Read lots of books, swam a little bit, kayaked and generally took it easy. I hope your summer has been good too.

I did do some knitting.

My 6×6 Cardigan is finished. OK, you might notice it’s not quite finished. I need to sew on the buttons and sew in the ends. Argh, my least favourite part of the whole enterprise. But today I bought buttons so that’s progress. And I went to a knit night and spent my time sewing in the ends. Look at me, being a knitting Adult!

I have made progress on my purple lacey version too. Since this is a bigger size I decided to try something different to extend the raglan lines after the divide row. I’m calling this “fading the raglan lines”.

I think this is going to work. I also have incorporated extra decreases down the sides to take away the extra bust increases I had added earlier. You can also see that I worked some increases for hip shaping too.

I’m so excited to be so close to the bottom of the body. Yay. Next the sleeves. That will involve several evening of tv watching. Moving along. Fall and sweater season is near.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instragram

6×6 – Design Journey Extra Bust Width

I have more techy talk for you. That’s where I am right now.

I had a couple more tech issues that have been swimming around my brain, looking for a solution. I think I have a couple, solutions that is.

It is progressing.

Issue #1 is how to get extra width across the Bust. I need it and maybe you do too.

This cardigan is set up to have 4″ of ease on the body. That’s a really standard amount of ease (ease is the amount that the body of the sweater would be larger than your actual body). This amount of ease generally works for most of us. The ease on this pattern (and most of my other patterns) is added as underarm stitches cast on when your work the Divide Row. Two inches worth of stitches are cast on at each underarm.

This amount of cast on stitches at the underarm means that when you go to work the sleeve, you will pick up one stitch for each of those cast on stitches for 2″ of ease on your sleeve. A really good amount of ease for your sleeve.

But is the 4″ of ease for the body of your cardigan enough across your bust?

It’s not enough for me. I would like a little extra width across the bust area so that the cardigan is not stretched there and buttoning up my cardigan won’t cause gaps at the buttonband.

As I was knitting the yoke I was pondering just this question. This is what I have decided to add to the Modification Pages as an option for added bust width.

I worked 4 increases across each front (3/4″ worth of stitches on each front). That, at my gauge, gives me 1.5″ of extra width across the bust for a total of 5.5″ of ease around my cardigan at the bust. Just what I need. I will decrease these extra stitches away at the imaginary side seam as I get closer to my waist.

I think that takes care of one of my design issues. Next is what to do with those raglan lines when it’s time to do the Divide Row. Can I leave just leave them be? Can I continue the raglan lines down the body in some way?

What do you think? A good idea? Let me know.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

6×6 Cardigan – Design Journey Lace version

I can’t seem to leave the lace patterns on my swatch alone. I keep looking at them and wondering how they would look in this cardigan.

I ditched the chunky weight red sample. It’s history.

A new lace version is born. I’ve cast on and am merrily working the Double Ridges with eyelets.

This is in DK weight yarn by Shelridge Yarns. A pleasure to knit with. It went sooo fast. It’s actually purple, not blue, but my camera obviously likes blue. I can’t wait to get started on the lace stitch patterns.

More chat if you want to watch:

Two, two, two cardigans in one. I’ve got to get back to them. See ya’. Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

6×6 Cardigan – Design Journey

What do I want this cardigan to look like? That probably matters, right? For me, the challenge is the construction, but in the end the sweater has to be something you want to put on, LOL.

This is the general idea.

Time to do some swatching. Quite frankly, not my favourite activity but I persevered for several mornings, trying out some different ideas.

I did sort out what I liked and didn’t like (more in the video below). Now this cardigan is going places. It’s so much fun to knit.

Here’s the chat.

Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram

6×6 Cardigan – Design Journey OVERTHINKING

Here’s how it starts in my head (read this really, really fast because that’s how it sounds to me in my head): I should give the knitter an easier version, yes, I could do that, I’ll knit a chunky version, that will be faster, fast is good, it could have a garter stitch neckband, yes, that will work, that’s easier, and where am I going to add in the extra bust stitches that I and lots of knitters need (?), where can I put them … under the last set of double ridges (?), right that would work, I could add in more double ridges and then that would give the knitters some additional control over where that last double ridge lands, yes, ok, I’ll do that on this chunky weight version, that will look great.

And then I start because how long can one listen to all that chatter and not cast on?!

And I hate it.

I’m not enjoying the knitting. I don’t like the garter neckband. I don’t like the garter buttonbands. This looks really plain to me. I had a fancier cardigan in mind, something summery, with stitch pattern panels running vertically down the fronts. The garter stitch is not doing it for me.

On the positive side, I do like the yoke with more double ridges. And I tried adding extra stitches on the Fronts for extra bust width and that worked too. So I’ll be adding those options in the Mods Pages.

And now, don’t look, it’s getting ripped out.

The good new is there is progress on the yellow cardigan. It’s bright and cheerful and a pleasure to knit.

I do have some thoughts on where I want to go from here. Some sort of panel of vertical stitches running down from the double ridges.

Here is some chat about where I am on this cardigan.

Now that the fog has cleared, I’m on to deciding on a stitch pattern. Haul out the stitch dictionaries, here I come. Cheers, Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

deb.gemmell on instagram