Review: Knit Pro Karbonz knitting needles

I recently purchased some Knit Pro Karbonz DPNs.

For a start off, they are a work of art. I think they look sleek and quite unusual.

My usual DPNs are the Knit Pro Nova metal ones. I prefer the metal ones to wooden because the stitches move quicker, it speeds up my knitting and I enjoy the process more with metal needles.

I've knitted a pair of socks in the Karbonz. The pros are that I can see is they are lightweight, flexible, warm to the touch (a benefit for those with arthritis or other issues with their hands) and the stitches are less likely to drop off the needles (they have a similar surface to wood, which is a bit more clingy than metal). In general, I prefer them to wooden needles. Though lightweight, they have a better balance to them than say the Symfonie wooden range. They have the benefits of wooden needles but with the extra pointyness of metal needles. If you are a knitter that prefers wooden needles then it is seems to be a good middle ground between the metal and wooden ones.

Top needle: Karbonz
Bottom needle: Nova
Shows same size needle.

The only downside is the join between the metal tips and the carbon. Don't get me wrong the yarn doesn't catch at the join, it's a smooth join but I'm aware of the difference with how the stitches move from one to the other. I'm perhaps being a little too picky with this and it doesn't put me off them. Though, (especially with the higher purchase price), I won't be changing all my current Nova needles to the Karbonz.

I'll be quite happy to use the current set I have. I've compared them to other Knit Pro needles, as I thought this was fairest since it focused more on material than make. I have other makes of needles too such as HiyaHiya and Addi, which I've always been happy with too. Knit Pro seem to strike a good balance between quality and value for money.

 A little photo of my current WIP, made using my Karbonz.

Ravelry Project Page - Errolina

Sock Chimneys

I love knitting in the round and have done a LOT of it. So I thought I had fairly good knowledge on the subject. I was bought Circular Knitting Workshop by Margaret Radcliffe for my birthday and was quite surprised that there was a lot of information that I've been finding very useful.

It's a beautifully made book, clearly written with lots and lots of good photographs. It's set up like a lot of knitting books with techniques and then projects to demonstrate the techniques. However, the first 103 pages of this 320 page book are filled with details of circular knitting from the cast ons, joining in the round methods, diffferent ways to graft,  to converting a pattern to circular knitting. I wish I'd had this book when I first started. It's very in depth.

Much of the information I've seen in other places such as books, Youtube, Ravelry etc. but it's brilliant to have it all in one place and organised into sections. One section that surprised me was about Kitchener stitch; it explains clearly the way I'd learnt how to do it but there are another 4 methods -including a left hand version.

Lucy Neatby's Sock Chimney technique caught my imagination and since I was nearing the end of my socks for the January Mystery Sock - Echeveria by Rachel Coopey  for the Sock Anonymous Group on Rav, I decided to give it a go. The gist of the idea is when you get to the point of grafting, change to a contrasting waste yarn and continue knitting for a few rows and cast off.

Fold the chimney inside the toe.

Then using the colour change as a guide start to graft the toe together (starting in the middle then coming back and doing the other half). Here is the link to Lucy Neatby's site, if you want more detailed information on the technique.

The sock on the right was made using the Sock Chimney technique and the left sock using plain old Kitchener stitch. I can't really see much difference myself, the Sock Chimney one didn't have the little ears on the edge you get sometimes. Though it takes a little extra time to knit those extra rows, there's more control on the tension and once figured out easier to execute than Kitchener Stitch. I'll definitely try this one again.

Oh and the finished socks!

Bobbing

I can't seem to settle with my craft life at the moment. I'm bobbing about all over the place. As well as the usual, knitting, I've been spinning and sewing too! As I mentioned last week, I've been doing some embroidery. My dropcloth sampler arrived this morning; so I've got another project to add to the list.

I've got 3 socks finished at the moment, unfortunately none of them match each other! So I'd better get on and do the others.

I have got some finished objects to show you. I've been wanting to spin the fibre I got for Christmas, but I'm a starter/finisher so wanted to finish the fibre I already had on the wheel. However, it seemed to be taking forever. I'd intended for the merino to be sock weight but somehow, it ended up thinner than that and in the end I've drafted over 2km and plied it into a 1km 2ply. I've no idea how it ended up being that much and I'll have to find another project for it, as it's too thin for what I intended it for.

Here is the big pile of merino. It was a rainbow 100% merino mix from Wingham Woolworks. There's 2 skeins of 2ply, which adds up to approx. 1014m in 178g. I haven't checked my w.p.i. on it yet but it looks like a heavy laceweight. It's sometimes hard to capture the colours clearly and there are some really lovely inky blue hues. The last photo shows the dark colours the best.

I managed to get around to starting some of my HilltopCloud fibre. Here is 36g from my Frog Prince Batt, which is 80% Shetland, 10% Silk Noil and 10% Firestar. The batt is the little one at the back right in the photo. The handblended fibre club arrived last week too, so I've got even more to get through now. I won't post photos in case it spoils the surprise for anyone but here's my stash page if you want to peek.

I ended up with a 3ply with approx 132m/36g.

The silk noils added some extra texture, which should be interesting in the finished knit; though not sure what this will be for. Most probably in a colourwork project or a trim.

Embroidery

Not really sure what started it but I've had the needle, thread and embroidery hoop out this week.

I ordered this sampler to embroider and while waiting for it to arrive; I ransacked my supplies. It was like a very colourful bomb had dropped.

I bought the latest Crossstitcher magazine, and wanted to try a little cross stitch. I like the bird cross stitch but didn't have many of the exact colours so after much playing about and matching colours. I found suitable supplies without having to buy anything.

This is my progress so far...

I'll see how much gets done before the knitting bug bites back.

Fluffy gifts

I had some really wonderful surprises from my family this Christmas. I had lots of lovely knitting/spinning gifts.

Some very helpful knitting books.

And some gorgeous spinning fibre and some Knitpro Cubix needles. Going clockwise, starting with the braid, it is 100% BFL - Enjoy the Ride from Countess Ablaze. The others are from HilltopCloud, 100g Yellow Batts - shetland, merino & camel, and a 35g Frog Prince Batt and 100g Hand Blended Frog Prince Roving.

And my best knitting present of all was made by my niece.

I love it. Though, not sure what the warning is about, perhaps flying needles and balls of yarn! I'm sure I'm not a dangerous knitter...

Learning to Knit

I had a wonderful day, during this holiday week. 

I taught my beautiful niece to knit. We had some help though from little Pippa.

To be honest, there was more giggling, talking and music than knitting but it was lots of fun.

Secret Santa

I can finally reveal the knitted projects that were made for Christmas gifts.

The first is a Neat Ripple Cushion made for my Mum. It's the Neat Ripple Pattern by Lucy of Attic24. I made an 18" cushion. 

The yarn is Rico Design Essentials Cotton DK and there is such a lovely array of colours to choice from. It lends itself well to crochet and I used it in my African Flower Bucket Bag

I crocheted one piece 18" by about 42" then folded over and crocheted together on the edges and a few tiny buttons to close it.

Also, Mum got a pair of fingerless mitts that are my own design. I used Rowan Pima Cotton DK, which is beautiful yarn and made a lovely soft fabric but it was a little tricky to work with in fair isle.

It has lots of different elements, broken ribbing, vikkel braids, fair isle, corrugated ribbing and an I-cord bind off.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Handmade Christmas: The Tree

I thought I'd share my Christmas tree with you!

I've made a few decorations for the tree.

This flat ceramic bauble is double-sided and from the photo above you can see the Christmas tree on the other side.

A ceramic glazed santa

Hardanger embroidered decoration and it's filled with cloves so it smells very Christmassy

Secret Garden folded fabric blocks with lucet cord and beaded tassels

And, it's not just me. These are Mr's contributions, a wood turned bauble and a star for the top of the tree which is made from white leather (a strange material for a star but it looks nice)

These are a few tree decorations that friends have made for me over the years.

Going through them all, I've realised there is not one knitted decoration. That will be something I'll have to remedy for next year!

Möbius Methods

After having made quite a few möbius cowls recently (see this post). I've been doing a bit of research into the background of möbius strips and the different ways of making a möbius shape in knitting.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a "Möbius strip";

"/'mə:bɪəs/ ► noun a surface with one continuous side formed by joining the ends of a rectangle after twisting one end through 180° ORIGIN early 20th cent.: named after August F. Möbius (1790-1868), German Mathematician

Though it was independently discovered by Johann Benedict Listing at the same time.

One of the main practical uses for a möbius strip is for drive belts; but I think that the best use is in knitting (though perhaps I'm a bit biased).

There seems to be two main categories for making a möbius; flat and circular.

Flat

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The first option is for the cast on edge to be the long horizontal, the piece is worked flat and then twisted and sewn along the vertical edge. This would create an obvious seam in the work.

The second option is when the cast on edge is the shorter vertical edge, again worked flat, then twisted and then the cast on / bind off edge is sewn together. This is very similar to the first option and again this would create a seam.

The third option is to provisionally cast on along the short vertical edge and then it is grafted together at the end.

Circular

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All the following require circular needles.

This option is to cast on with circular needles and then make one twist in before joining in the round. So the bottom edge will be the cast on and the top will be the bind off.

The next three options all involve what I consider a little bit of magic. They are started at the middle of the strip and then the piece is worked on circular needles around the entire edge of the work. Therefore, all the outside edges will be the bind off edge.

The first one involves a regular cast on, such as a knitted or long tail cast on. Using the same circular needles that the stitches were cast on, the same number of stitches are picked up from the cast on edge.

The second and third options are relatively similar. They both require a provisional cast on. Cat Bordhi's Moebius Cast On is made using the needle tip and the cable of the same needle and the other is the Alternating Cast-On for Moebius from June Hemmons Hiatt’s “The Principles of Knitting”, which uses two circular needles of the same size.

I'll leave you with a joke from "The Big Bang Theory". Why did the chicken cross the möbius strip? To get to the same side.

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References

The New Oxford English Dictionary (1999) Oxford University Press p.1187

Flynn, Mike, Infinity In Your Pocket (2005) Elwin Street Ltd p.25

Hemmons Hiatt, June, The Principles of Knitting (2012) Touchstone pp. 368-370

Patmore, Frederica & Haffenden Vikki, The Knitting Book (2011) Dorling Kindersley Ltd p.197

Wikipedia, Möbius strip, Retrieved 05.12.12. from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%B6bius_strip

Bordhi, C - Intro to Moebius Knitting, Retrieved 05.12.12 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVnTda7F2V4