Misti Lace, get it while it's hot!

Cobalt Blue, Blue Mist Melange, Carbon Teal
Cilantro Melange, Straw Melange, Orange Melange
Coral Melange, Carnival Melange, Mauve Melange

We mentioned it in a past newsletter and are happy to announce our latest shipment of Misti Alpaca Lace has arrived! Shown in these fabulous colors at $6.50 per skein with the same great yardage (437 yds!), it will be in the shop for as long as we can keep it in stock. That might not be such a long time since they're being discontinued by its distributor in Canada, so grab it while you can. However, we snatched some up just in time for that summer shawl you've been eyeing. Maybe the Fountain Pen Shawl from Spring 2009 Interweave Knits? Just a suggestion....heh heh.

The Other April Project of the Month

Just on the off chance that yesterday's project doesn't cry your name in quite the way you'd like, here's a more demure (but equally lovely) pattern. The Articulation Scarf is a beginner-level lace project made from one skein of Louet Mooi, a luscious bison/bamboo/cashmere blend.

It features a simple two-row repeat, the double-ladder look being achieved by working yarnovers on both right & wrong sides.

Articulation is available for free download here on our Rosie Knits Pattern page. Happy April!

How to Block A Project

Most patterns end simply with a one-line instruction to block garment to measurements, but perhaps you're wondering just what that means - and why you would take the time to do it.

Does blocking really make that much of a difference in the end result of your knitting? Yes.

Blocking is a way of using water or steam to set the fibers of your knitting and to perfect its shape and symmetry. It expands the fibers -- especially good for ones that bloom like merino or drape, like bamboo. Blocking is handy if you're making a bulky hat, but it's absolutely crucial if you're making a lace shawl or knitting a sweater. Have a look at what this shawl (Frost Flowers Stole, Interweave Knits, Holiday 2008 by Charlene Schurch knit by Lisa out of a laceweight Silk and Cashmere blend from Skaska for those interested) looked like right off the needles:

And a close up for full effect:

Mercy! We know there is a beautiful piece of knitting hidden in there. After blocking, it looks like this:


You can see the stitches are much more clearly defined, the knitting is flat, has grown in size and the lace pattern is much easier to see. A huge difference!

There are multiple ways to block.

Steam Blocking:
If you're in a hurry, lay your knitting out on top of a towel on a flat surface, pin it to your desired measurements and using either a steamer or your iron set to super-steamy mode, pass the iron over the whole piece. (You're not actually ironing here, so hold the iron about 6 inches above the knitting.)

Wet Blocking:

Method A (for things like heavy wool sweaters): Lay your knitting between two damp towels, positioning it so that the arms are even, the hem isn't stretched, and the entire piece is lying flat. Allow the towels to dry.

Method B (the most precise method, especially for lace and shaped items, and the method used for the stole pictured above):
1. Fill a sink with warmish water and a dab of your favorite woolwash and place your knitting into it. Instead of squeezing or agitating in any way, just let it soak. Go watch an episode of yor favorite prime time t.v. show, then come back and drain the water.
2. Carefully squeeze the water out of the knitting very gently without wringing. It would be best to begin squeezing at one end and working your way to the other without wringing.
3. Next, grab a thick towel and lay your garment onto it. Roll the towel up, with the knitting inside of it, like a sushi roll. Press firmly to allow the towel to absorb the excess water. You could even step on the roll if you'd like!
4. Place another towel onto a flat surface with the knitting on top. This is the time when you measure & pin the item out to the specifications given in the knitting pattern schematic. If it's finely worked, has lace, or has a shaped edging, use rustproof pins to pin it in shape. If you are trying to change the length or width a bit (like if your sweater arms came out a little bit too short and you're trying to stretch them), stretch the piece gently until it's the size and shape you want. Pin the piece and allow to dry.

5. Once completely dry, remove all the pins and marvel at your knitting!

Next time you finish your knitting and it looks a little wonky, don't worry. Take the time to block and you too will find a beautiful end result!

One Approach to Beads

Beads knitted into stuff look so cool, but the process can be such a pain -- the traditional method, which is to string all the beads onto the yarn before the knitting begins, and then slide them up to the needles as needed, is slow and frustrating and puts an awful lot of stress on the yarn. Recently, we've seen some techniques for adding beads "as you go" (that is, putting the bead onto the yarn as you knit the stitch that needs it). This is a big improvement.

Most of the instructions I've seen for this, however, call for special tools: a "beadle" (which is like a teeny tiny latch-hook, for those of you old enough to remember latch-hooked rugs), or a minute crochet hook. And to make them work, you need a bead with a hole large enough for the tool to pass through. Because beads are quite heavy (for their size), I find that I usually want to use a bead too small for my tools.

In fact, let me say up front that the spot where I most often want a bead is at the edge of a lace shawl. With the ultrafine yarns in some shawls, I like to add just a little weight, to improve the drape of the finished product. The old-fashioned method of stringing the beads first is out of the question, because the yarn is fragile (and because laceweight skeins are typically hundreds of meters long -- I don't want to be sliding 200 beads down 800 meters of yarn from the moment I cast on 7 sts at the back of the neck).

Here's an alternative. You'll need a 6-inch length of heavy-duty sewing thread in a color that contrasts with your beads and your knitting yarn.

My demonstration project is Evelyn Clark's Swallowtail shawl from Interweave Knits Fall '06. The yarn is merino laceweight from Cinnamon's Dyepot. The pattern called for nupps in the last pattern section, but it only took a few p3togs to send me to the bead shop. These are #6 beads, I think.

Step 1: Work the bead row, making each stitch that's going to get a bead a plain knit stitch. The beads get added on the following row.

Step 2: Work in pattern to the stitch that needs a bead. Then take your length of sewing thread and pass one end of it through the stitch.


Step 3: Bring the two ends of the thread together and hold them as if you were going to thread a needle. (You can't see the knit stitch in this picture; it's behind my thumb.)

Step 4: Push the ends of the thread through a bead.

Step 5: Slide the bead down the thread loop until it reaches the knit stitch.


Step 6: By pulling on the thread loop, lift the knit stitch off the left needle. Then push the bead further down the loop until it transfers onto the stitch.
Step 7: Put the knit stitch back onto the left needle. Have a little care not to twist the stitch (though it probably won't show if you miss, since the twist will be in the bead).

Step 8: Work the stitch. (This one is purled, because it's a wrong-side row.) The bead is almost invisible here; it's just below the right-hand needle and looks like it's between the first two stitches.

Step 9: Turn the work around and admire it. (This step is essential.) The bead in question here is on the fourth stitch on the left needle, right near my forefinger.

Repeat steps 2 through 9 as necessary.

Depending on how big your project is, you may need more than 6" of sewing thread -- the ends get limp after awhile and need to be trimmed (or the whole thread replaced). Buttonhole twist is more durable than plain sewing thread, but it's also thicker, which may be a problem with the smallest beads.

What I like about this technique is that it doesn't just make a really fidgety technique a little less fidgety, it makes it totally reasonable. From "gorgeous, but who's going to do THAT?" to "sure, I can handle a few slow rows" with one piece of sewing thread. You should try it!