My Favorite Knitting Resources

As promised, there has been no knitting around here. Good thing I didn’t plan on much because my fingers are sore from all the wire nuts yesterday. To top it off I cut a pretty good gash in my index finger. Note to self – 80 year old rusted nails are indistinguishable from 80 year old wood. Oh well. I’m not really complaining though. The rooms are making good progress and I should be done with all wiring – electric, cable, and phone – by end of day.
So, here are a few of my favorite resources/links:
Patterns

• Wendy’s Toe Up Sock Pattern – No need to explain
• The Incredible Custom Fit Raglan Generator – While I haven’t tried this one yet I’ve heard it makes a fabulous basic pattern. I love simple patterns because you can start slow and just do the pattern as is, or choose to elaborate with textures, stitch patterns, and other fun stuff.
• Adriafil – I like browsing thru these patterns for ideas. They tend to use some interesting stitch combinations.
• Lana Grossa – I always like checking their Model of the Month. Check out July 2003. I love the laced up tank!
• Shapely Tank Pullover – I can’t wait to try this tank! I’m hoping I’ll be able to say – Finally, a tank that fits! For more detail on how the fitting works, see the Short Row Bust Shaping technique below.

Techniques

• Combined Knitting – I love this technique when knitting flat. Since I already knit Continental I think it was easier for me to pick up. What do I love about it? Purling! It significantly increased my purling speed. It didn’t really change my tension or gauge – which I was happy about.
• Short Row Bust Shaping – Do the armholes of tank tops gape open on the sides? If so, then you need to read this article. It talks about how to shape the tank so it fits you. A nice introduction to short row shaping as well.
• Bonne Marie’s TEKTalk – If you’re unsure about a technique, check out this page. She has GREAT explanations and lots of photos to make things clear. A few of my favs are How to Insert a Zipper and How to Felt.
• Cabling Without a Needle – Great photos to help you along the way.