top down – Page 12 – Deb Gemmell: Top Down, Gauge Free and more

Gauge-Free Build A ‘V’ Triangle Beginning

We’re not going to make a swatch, YAY. I’m all for that. This is freedom from the tyranny of getting gauge. We are going to be the boss of our knitting!

You can dive into your stash and pick any yarn you like. But … this does change where and how we begin since there are no specific number of stitches in an inch to guide us.

This cardigan is knit in blocks. The first block of the Build a V is a Back Panel the width of the Back of Neck. The Back of Neck is an important measurement in a sweater.

The Specific Gauge pattern Baby J begins in the same way, with the neckband.

That would be my preferred place to begin most of the time too. Because this pattern is worked for DK weight yarn there can be a specific number of stitches to cast on for each size.

Then the Back of Neck number of stitches is determined.

And a Back Panel is knit with that number of stitches.

Build a V child blank schematic - shaded back panel

All that works a treat.

But when you want to knit it Gauge-Free there are no specific stitch counts. We can’t begin with the neckband because we don’t know how many stitches to cast on. We have to think of another way of determining the Back of Neck width.

We can begin with a triangle. It works just like a triangle shawl. Cast on a few stitches and work 4 increases by working one increase at the beginning of the row, one increase before and one after the centre marker and another increase at the end of the row, followed by a knit row. Work until the finished edge is the width you want for the Back of Neck.

The marker is there to indicate the Right Side of my fabric. This is a 12 month size with a Back of Neck measurement of 4″/10cm.
That’s not hard, right? And so it begins.

Thanks for reading,

Deb

Any Gauge and Gauge-Free patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever patterns

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Decisions, decisions

What’s in your “knitting time out” corner? Do you know why it’s there?

My 3×3 Cardigan has been sitting in the corner for several weeks. I have found myself putting this new design down to work on something else that seemed more pressing. I look at it every day and pass it by. Nope, not today. Right now I am knitting Climb Every Mountain sweater for my daughter and socks for myself and telling myself I needed this break but It’s TOTAL DENIAL!!

I was just stalled and trying to ignore it. I thought I had made all the design decisions for the 3×3 Cardigan. That’s the idea right? Make all the design decisions at the start, think of everything you want to do and then just knit it up. Easy, peasy, right? In hind sight, I realize now that I had to do a rethink on some of those decisions and didn’t want to admit it.

This cardigan has a square neck (which will eventually be filled in at the back of neck) and quite wide shoulders, as you can see. DSC_0047 (2)

That means that at the Great Divide many knitters will find that the sleeve size they need will be inside the Raglan Lines. The raglan lines are only used as a guide here, not the exact size of the sleeves. (The orange markers are the raglan lines and the green markers show where the width of my sleeve is going to be.) sleeve markers 3x3

The problem is … what to do with the raglan lines themselves. I used YO increases for the raglan lines and did’t want to leave the line of holes hanging, sort of dead ending at the underarm level. I’m sure no one would notice that they just stop but it doesn’t seem right or finished. DSC_0068 (2)

Do I continue the lines down at the same angle to make a V under the arms? I did that on the Any Gauge Raglan Pullover which worked fine. The underarm V made nice clean lines and worked into the side seam line. DSC_0071 (2)

Not the case here. Way too much going on to see the V. 20190722_100316

Soooo, there my latest 3×3 Cardigan sat in the corner through no fault of it’s own. Just my indecision causing a Big Stall.

I have taken myself in hand and made a decision. I had to take a good look at where I was now and think ahead to consider what kind of shaping I want for the body of this cardigan.

Decision: I’m taking the raglan lines in a straight line down the sides. I’m keeping the YO increases and working corresponding decreases to keep the stitch count even. I know, not exactly earth shaking stuff. DSC_0066 (2)

I think this will work fine. What to you think?

There is going to be A-line hip shaping in this cardigans future because I want to make it quite long. I have the wool. Now doing the A-line shaping should be easy to work. At the side panel I will work the increases without the decreases every inch or so, and ta, da, it will be wider at the hip where I need some extra room. Now of course the decision is how often to work the shaping. Stop! One decision at a time please.

I have a plan. The sweater is out of the corner and I’m getting a better feeling about continuing. I might have a new spring cardi yet.

Thanks for reading,

Deb

Catch me on instagram for my other knitting projects because you know there has to be more than one.

Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever No-Sew patterns

Sentimental Yarn

I’m back on my regularly scheduled project, the3×3 Cardigan, now that the holidays are over. I hope yours were joyful and have helped you prepare to face and conquer another winter.

Now that I’m back knitting this cardigan I’m looking at the wool I chose. Thanks everyone for helping me choose 3 colours. DSC_0047 (2)

Two of the colours are discontinued wool from my stash. The blue though, well that has a history. DSC_0059 (2)

I have had it in my stash for more than twenty+ years. Yes, a long time. It’s ~~roughish~~ rustic wool and I believe was hand dyed. Many years ago we were driving along an isolated road in Scotland and came across a croft with a yarn sign outside. In the middle of no where (at least it seemed so to us).

croft bothy

Stop!! There was wool, local wool, from the sheep we had been looking at out of the window. I bought it because the croft was so amazing, the view beautiful and as a treat for myself. But it sat in my stash for all this time. There wasn’t enough for a sweater and it’s too rough for a hat.

I feel like I failed this wool. I’m sure it didn’t want to sit in the dark in my closet for all this time. I’m sure it wanted to be … something special. It wasn’t telling me what though. So now it’s going to be something, a cardigan. A big, cozy cardigan that I will associate with Scotland and an isolated croft in the middle of a purple field of heather.

I’m sure it’s sighing and asking what took me so long. Am I the only sentimental yarn collector?

Deb

ANY GAUGE and GAUGE-FREE patternsby Deb

Cabin Fever patterns

Deb oninstagram

Mittens Galore

I went on a mitten knitting jag. Yup, lots and lots of mittens using the Any Gauge Mittens, Top Down pattern. I think I’m done now. Here’s a long post to tell you all about it. Any Gauge Mittens group

Yes, lots of black. I had quite a few balls of black chunky weight Northern Lights in my stash and well, can you go wrong with black for young people and men?

These are for me because they match my new butterscotch coloured winter coat. The colour block pair (Navy and Apricot) will go inside my striped pair. I knit the stripes first, a little bit big. Then with a smaller needle and the same stitch and row counts, knit the second pair. One pair fits nicely inside the other. I used almost all of the two balls of wool. DSC_0030 (2)

I did the same for this pair for my daughter, who is a mitten wearer. I noticed she had a very bedraggled pair of mittens that I knit her several years ago. Long overdue for a new doubled up pair. DSC_0032 (2)

We have a new member of our family, my son’s partner, so I knit her a pair too (worsted weight). She liked the fingerless mitts I knit her so maybe she’s a mitten wearer too. I put a pattern down the back of the hand to keep me amused. DSC_0031 (2) Here’s a tip: For the Right Hand you work the Palm first and the Back of Hand second. For the Left Hand you knit across the Back of Hand first and then the Palm. Now you can add any pattern you like to the Back of Hand. I’m sure you have a couple of favourites that would fit nicely.

Once I had done all these mittens I started to get the second mitten syndrome. Oh, no, I wasn’t finished yet. I had a couple more pairs to go. So I took on a new to me technique, two-at-a-time. And it was a synch, ha, ha, ha, ha!!

It took me 3 times to get the cast on done and redone and redone again. Then I was on my way, except for the two times I joined up the two mittens. If you’ve done the two-at-a-time thing you probably know what I’m talking about.

The correct tools do help when you’re trying something new and I didn’t have them. I don’t own a long circular needle in size 5.5mm/US9 with a flexible cable. I have older needles with cables that don’t bend too well. So … I thought I would try using 3 circular needles along the lines of those flexi sock needles. The ones that are 3 very short circular needles with half your sock on one needle, the second half of your sock on a second circular and knit across with a third circular needle. I haven’t tried them. Have you? Did you like them?It sort of worked. There was a lot of clacking of needle tips above my knees but that’s sort of music to my ears. 20191207_153336 The next pair I knit I had a correct circular needle for Magic Loop method (still rather new to me) but no problems this time (worsted weight).

You Can teach an old ~~dog~~ knitter new tricks. This pair is for our friends who we see this weekend. DONE with the mitten thing, at least I think so.

Are you knitting for the big holiday? How’s it going?

Deb

Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever NO-SEW patterns and BOOKS

Deb on instagram

Any Gauge Mittens, Top Down

Mittens, they’re a small, a portable project and quick to knit. Do you have a pattern you knit over and over? It works. You know exactly how to do it because you’ve done it so many times before. Or do you download different mitten patterns to try something new? A new stitch pattern, a different yarn or a different way of doing them? It can make knitting mittens an adventure.

These are mine. A new pattern: Any Gauge Mittens, Top Down DSC_0012 (2) - Copy

They start at the top, yes, the top. That way you can dive into your stash and pick up any ball of yarn and get started right away. NO SWATCH. I love that.

Work increases until they are the correct size. GAUGE DOESN’T MATTER. In fact, nowhere in this Top Down Mitten pattern is it referred to. Not once.

If they’re for you, knit until you can fit your finger tips into the mitten top. DSC_0018 (2)

You also get to knit the thumbs from the top too. That’s the exciting part. It’s knit as a giant I-Cord on two double pointed needles. Quick, really quick.

Check out the Video: Any Gauge Mitten, Thumb

What do you do with all those ladders? You hook them up with a crochet hook, just like a dropped stitch. It’s magic!

Video: Hooking Up the Thumb Ladders NAA mitten P1020890

I’m experimenting with videos as you can see. Ha, it’s a learning curve for sure. I’ve made videos to go with each section of the mitten knitting. You’re getting all the info you would get in an Any Gauge Mitten, Top Down workshop. Let me know if this works for you.

Deb

Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever, NO-SEW patterns by Deb & Lyn

3×3 Cardigan and Mittens coming along

I have been working on my Any Gauge 3×3 Cardigan. Thanks for all your help. If you didn’t read the post last week, I needed some help in choosing colours. I’m really happy with the Blue/Brown/Purple combo.

I’m at the Great Divide and am taking a moment to admire how the colours have come out. There are many garter ridges along with the stockinette rows which give it quite a bit of texture. It also means there is more knitting than purling, Bonus!

Next is to place the sleeves (video). They will sit inside the Raglan Lines which you can see are very wide apart at the shoulders. I would like to do something to extend the lines down the body. Hmm. Still thinking.

Once the Divide is done it will really look like a sweater. I can’t wait.

Meanwhile I have been working on a new pattern: Any Gauge Mittens. It’s based on a workshop I have given several times. This is actually a Gauge-Free mitten. Gauge does not come into it at all. We don’t measure it, we don’t even think about it. It doesn’t matter. So you’ll be able to dive into your stash and cast on with whatever wool and needles you like. Whoopee.

To do this you have to begin the mittens in a different place, the top, and work the mittens down to the cuff. These are my new pair for this winter (knit in Northern Lights chunky weight wool by Cabin Fever).

These are the very worn out pair that needed replacing. They have served me well.

Converting from a workshop where I am there to guide the knitters, to a pattern where the knitter has to read it and work it on their own, has been a challenge. I am finding I can’t write in everything I would tell you if you were in my class. So this week I’m working on some videos so that you’ll be able to take me home with you. I don’t eat too much, I’m happy to talk knitting any time and I’ll even sleep in your wool room where the yarn fumes will lull me to sleep!

Deb

Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever No-Sew patterns and Books

3×3 Cardigan Prototype Done

It’s time to get the cardigans out, at least in my neck of the woods it is. It’s also past time to finish a cardigan that I started in the spring. How about you? Are any of your sweaters begging for some attention?

My design process is really slow. I knit a prototype, this cardigan, and then I write the pattern. Now from my written pattern I knit another sample. That’s where I am now, so this is going to be a quick post because I need to get cracking on my second cardigan.

Ta, da, I pretty proud of myself for finally finishing my first 3×3 colour cardigan. I even sewed the buttons on yesterday. That usually takes me months to get around to. Oh, wait, it did take me months!! 20191016_101606

The last bit of knitting I had to do was to raise the back of the neck. To get a lower front on this Top Down I made the shoulders quite wide when I cast on. That means the back of neck was low too. Whoo, that really is quite a dip in the back! 20190723_145811

I needed to fill in some of the back of neck dip for the cardigan to be comfortable. I picked up a stitch for every cast on stitch and worked short rows, making the first turn in the centre of the far shoulder, turned and work to the centre of the other shoulder and turned again. I worked 2 stitches further toward the front with each short row and turned again. The back of neck is over an inch deep now and the front is less than 1/2″. 20191016_101746

Finished. I did it all in garter stitch using German Short Rows which I think work really, really well with garter stitch. You only have to learn how to do the short rows knitwise, bonus. Here’s a side view of the neck shaping. It’s all happening over the shoulder stitches. 20191016_101812

Today I’m casting on another 3×3 colour cardigan in DK weight Cotton Tweed this time. My pencil is poised over my written instructions. Ready, set, go. 20191018_102350

Thanks for reading,

Deb

Any Gauge patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever patterns and books

Under the Bust Shaping

Is it too early to think about knitting garments? Too late, I’ve already started but I don’t want to repeat this …

The cardigan is finished. I’m so excited as a stand in front of the wall of buttons at the Fabricland store trying to choose the perfect buttons. These ones, no maybe these ones. I’ve decided on the blue ones (ha, almost always). I’m rushing home to sew them on. Oh, it looks gorgeous. I’m patting myself on the back as I put it on and stand in front of the mirror.

I tug it a little, tug a little more and get that horrible feeling as my heart drops down to my toes.

I have that horrible buttonband gaping. Can I wear it without buttoning it up? Maybe, I guess I could but I really like 3 or 4 buttons done up.

That was several years ago before I realized that I had to have some extra width right here. Body schematic bust shaping Top Down Now as a confirmed cardigan buttoner I add extra Front stitches for Bust Shaping to every cardigan. Then I have extra width just where you need it. Bust shaping Yoke increases Body schematic direction of knitting But now what? What do you do with those extra stitches below the bust?

This is my current cardigan. I decided to knit this Top Down to my regular Finished size, including the ease, and then add even more additional width above my bust. I don’t want that unsightly buttonband gap that seems to show up in so many magazine photos. Negative ease on a cardigan across the bust is a mistake.

20190723_145811

Now I’m cruising down the body with the extra width across the bust. Decision time, do I want these extra stitches to remain on the front for the entire body? Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes no.

This time it’s no. I’m going to decrease those extra bust stitches away so that my two Fronts and the Back are in their original proportion: 2 Front sts added together = Back sts.

Techy Talk:

I worked straight until I had knit just past the largest part of my bust. For me that’s 4″ measured down from the underarm cast on.

This time I decided to decrease the extra bust stitches or most of them anyway, worked along with some waist shaping. So here goes.

On a Right Side row I’m going to decrease on the front side of the imaginary side seam on both Fronts (that will decrease an extra bust stitch on each Front). Then work a couple of rows and decrease on both the Front and Back sides of the side seams (waist shaping). Knit a couple of rows and repeat. Underbust decreases bust and waist

underbust decreases with 3x3 sweater

I worked this repeat quite quickly with only a couple rows in between the sets of decreases. I’m very short and I needed to start the A-line shaping for my hips pretty sharpish to get the width I needed there. If you are tall, first of all I’m envious, and second you can space these sets of decreases further apart so that you work them down to your waist. It will look terrific.

Cruising to the bottom edge now. Yay. Sleeves here I come.

Thanks for reading,

Deb

Any Gauge and GAUGE-FREE patterns by Deb

Cabin Fever pattterns and Books

Deb on instagram

A New Knit for Little People

Want to try something new, maybe experiment a little (otherwise known as designing)? Why not try it on a little person sweater first. They’re quick and little people are generally not too fussy as long as you choose the right colour.

Karen asked me about adding a stitch pattern to the raglan lines since she wanted to try it herself. I dug around in my UFO pile of experiments and found something I had started. I don’t even know when. Not finished, imagine that!

And now it is. It’s in two colours because I didn’t have any more of the original colour dye lot (shh, don’t tell).

20190629_121942 - Copy — Railroad Top Down on ravelry

The garter stitch raglan lines go down the sides of the Body on the Front …

20190629_122126 - Copy

and the Back.

20190629_122025 - Copy

With all this extra patterning, the body knit up in a flash. I’ve added it to the Cabin Fever ravelry store.

Enjoy and Happy Canada Day,

Deb

Deb Gemmell Any Gauge patterns

Cabin Fever patterns and BOOKS on ravelry

Where to Widen Raglan Lines

So I took a chance and decided to Add A Pattern to the Raglan Lines. It looks amazing. The pattern on the raglan lines are perfect. I’m at the bottom of the yoke. After this row it’s really going to look like a sweater and I’m excited. Then it happens, as I put my sleeve stitches on spare yarn I realize my lovely raglan line pattern is half on the sleeve and half on the body and not what I intended. My raglan line pattern is ruined!

Yes, it’s happened to me too. The first time it’s hard to envision the entire process. A little time thinking ahead would have saved me some grief.

Don’t get surprised when you do the Great Divide (separating the Sleeves and Body). Look ahead to the bottom of the Yoke. Where do you want the pattern you’ve added to the raglan lines to end up? Maybe you do want half of it on the Body and half of it on the sleeve. Or do you want the pattern to continue down the sides of the Body?

That’s what I decided to do this time. I wanted to widen the raglan lines so that when I reached the bottom of the yoke and put my sleeve stitches on spare yarn, I would have the raglan patterned stitches on the Fronts and Back.

To do this, at the top of the yoke arrange the raglan lines placing a new raglan marker the number of stitches for the pattern away from the stitches for the sleeve, towards the Front and Back of the yoke.

move raglan lines

The dark lines are where the original Raglan Markers are. Then place a second marker at each raglan line towards the Front and Back, in this case moved over by 5 stitches.

When I place my sleeve stitches on spare yarn at the bottom of the yoke my raglan patterned stitches will remain with the Body.

20190622_115854

Now I can continue down the Body with a nice little pattern down the sides. This is a child-sized sweater so there are no underarm cast on stitches to consider.

20190623_140151

If this was an adult size there would be underarm stitches separating the two sets of garter stitch patterns. More thinking might be required. I’ll leave that to you. Now I need to get going to finish the Body.

Cheers,

Deb

Any Gauge Patterns by Deb Gemmell

Cabin Fever Patterns and Books on Ravelry

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