tutorial Archives - Page 18 of 18

from fleece to tweedy yarn

What I really love is to spin my own yarn and then design a pattern to use that yarn to its best advantage. Often I just use ready-dyed top or roving, for example from wonderful dyers like Dutch Wool Diva. Other times I start out with a raw fleece and clean and dye it myself, like I showed you in the dyeing wool tutorial. In this post, I want to show you the steps involved in making a tweedy yarn from the fiber I dyed before. The main characteristic of tweed yarn, consists of contrasting flecks of color on a solid or tonal background. In this particular yarn, I will be using sari silk threads as the contrasting component. I got mine from Bart & Francis.

Therefore, my starting materials consist of the following:

However, before the wool can be spun in threads, it has to be prepared. Because I wanted a somewhat “fluffy” yarn I carded the silk and wool together in fluffy batts, using my drum carder:

I alternated layers of wool and silk, starting and ending with wool. After this first pass, I removed the batt from the drum, tore it into strips and put it through the carder again to blend it better. The end result, three lovely fluffy purple batts, streaked with colorful silk:

Spinning

And then it was time to spin! I spun this yarn as a fat 2-ply on my vintage double drive spinning wheel. I didn’t mind some unevenness, because plying multiple singles together evens out a lot of irregularities. Besides, I really don’t mind a hand spun yarn being a tad rustic. Here’s a progress shot of spinning the singles:

And both bobbins full of singles, you can see the singles are somewhat thick-‘n-thin:

After plying both singles together, I had a wonderful aran weight 2 ply yarn, exactly as I envisioned it! I finished the yarn by giving it a wash to set the twist and snap the skein a bit to distribute the twist better. And there you have it: 189 m / 125 g of hand spun goodness, in this picture drying in the sun:

And of course the resulting and skeined up yarn! Truly from fleece to tweedy yarn, I used it in a cowl.

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tutorial: foundation half double crochet (fhdc)

Foundation half double crochet (fhdc) - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

In another post, I have already shown you how to make a foundation row based on single crochet stitches. I really like this method of a chainless start of my crochet projects for all the reasons already explained in the other post. In this post I will show you how to make a half double crochet foundation row or fhdc for short.

This is a type of foundation row I use a lot myself, because I really like the fabric hdc stitches produce: not too dense, as is often the case with sc stitches. And not too holey either as a dc based fabric usually is. Exactly right as far as I’m concerned!

In a pattern, you may find the following instruction for fhdc:

Foundation half double crochet: make a slip knot and place onto hook, ch 3, yo and insert hook into both lps of the third st from hook, yo and draw through st, ch 1, yo and draw through all 3 lps on hook, *yo, insert hook in ch part of previous st, yo and draw through st, ch 1, yo and draw through all 3 lps on hook; rep from *.

Foundation half double crochet step by step

Below you can find the various steps and accompanying pictures. Please note that American crochet terminology is used in this tutorial.

1. Make a slip knot and chain 3.

2. Insert the hook from right to left under the top strands of the third chain from the hook.

3. Yarn over and draw through those top strands indicated above.

4. Chain one stitch, make sure to make this one not too tight, because here you create the “chain” part of your foundation row.

5. Yarn over and draw through all three loops on your hook. This completes the first stitch in your foundation half double crochet.

6. Insert the hook in the chain part of the previous stitch, this can be a tad hard to make out.

7. Yarn over and draw through both strands indicated above.

8. Chain one stitch, make sure again to make this one not too tight.

9. Yarn over and draw through all three loops on the hook.

Repeat steps 6-9 as often as needed!

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tutorial: foundation single crochet (fsc)

Many crochet patterns start with the instruction to work a foundation chain followed by working either a single crochet, half double crochet or double crochet into each chain. Personally, I don’t care much for this way of starting a project: I lose count of the initial number of chains, the chain stitches are fiddly to insert your hook into and getting the tension right is just hard. I usually end up with an edge that is either too tight or too loose.

That is why when I learned about foundation rows, I never looked back. When making a foundation row, both the foundation chain and first row of your project are in effect made simultaneously. This makes it easy to keep track of the number of stitches worked and the tension just right.

A foundation row can be worked with a variety of stitches including (but not limited to) single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet. The below tutorial focuses on making a Foundation Single Crochet or FSC. Please note that American crochet terminology is used.

In a pattern, you may find the following instruction:

Foundation single crochet: make a slip knot and place onto hook, ch 2, insert hook into both lps of the second ch from hook, yo and draw through, ch 1, yo and draw through both lps on hook, *insert hook in ch part of previous st, yo and draw through, ch 1, yo and draw through both lps on hook; rep from *.

Working foundation single crochet step by step

1. Make a slip knot and chain 2.

2. Insert the hook from right to left under the top strands of the second chain from the hook.

3. Yarn over and draw through those top strands indicated above.

4. Chain one stitch, make sure to make this one not too tight because here you create the “chain” part of your foundation row.

5. Yarn over and draw through both loops on your hook. This completes the first stitch in your foundation single crochet.

6. Insert the hook in the chain part of the previous stitch, this can be a tad hard to make out. In the below picture I’ve indicated that part with the arrow. On your hook are now 2 strands and 1 loop.

7. Yarn over and draw through both strands indicated above.

8. Chain one stitch, make sure again to make this one not too tight.

9. Yarn over and draw through both loops on the hook.

Repeat steps 6-9 as needed.

Hope you find the foundation single crochet as useful as I do!

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tutorial: dyeing wool

Being a spinner, I not only have lots of lovely top and roving in my fiber stash, but also quite a few whole fleeces. A whole sheep worth of wool can get a bit boring color-wise. So, now with Easter all done, it is time to put that leftover Easter egg dye to good use and start dyeing wool!

Easter egg dye and other food coloring are perfectly suited to dye protein-based fibers and yarns. Wool, alpaca, and silk are lovely to dye yourself. These dyes, however, can’t be used to permanently dye acrylics and plant-based fibers like cotton.

Supplies needed

Wool or yarn: I’m using some lovely Lleyn wool, that I already scoured last year. If dyeing or over-dyeing yarn, make sure to skein the yarn if you have it in a ball put-up. Remember to tie the skein with some pieces of cotton or acrylic to make sure your wool won’t tangle beyond rescue.
Easter egg dye or other food colorings
Vinegar to change pH value and improve the dye take up by the wool
Non-aluminum pot and spoon

Let’s get started!

1. Fill the pot with hot water from the tap, add some glugs of vinegar (I know, very scientific this way) and put in the wool to pre-soak. Leave it like that for 10 to 15 minutes.

2. While waiting I made myself a cappuccino and pondered what colors to use. I decided to use red and blue to hopefully end up with purple.

3. Added the dye to the pot and put it on the stove until the water had reached a slow simmer. Then I put the fire out and let it be. Do not let it come to a rolling boil and don’t stir a lot or vigorously, we don’t want to felt our wool!

4. Checking the progress, you can see that the red dye has disappeared completely from the water. There is however still a lot of blue in the water and not in the wool.

5. A couple of hours later I’m satisfied with how much dye has been taken up by the wool. Other colors may need less time. Now it is time for a rinse. I have filled the sink with hot water and gently swooshed the wool around int it, to rinse out any leftover dye. Only use cold water, if your wool is also completely cooled down. Rapid cool-down can also cause felting. Therefore I always use hot water for rinsing, just to be sure I don’t accidentally felt my wool.

6. Then it is time to remove all the excess water from the wool. After a gentle squeeze, I use my dedicated salad spinner for this. You can, of course, also use a stand-alone spin dryer. When using the one in your washing machine, make sure it does not automatically involve rinsing as well, because that may again cause felting.

And there you have it: a nice crate full of purple wool! Dyeing wool is pretty fun, isn’t it? When completely dry I had even more fun carding the wool into batts for spinning, read all about it here.

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latvian twist tutorial

The Latvian Twist, also known as the twisted stitch edge, makes a lovely edge. In the above picture, I used it in my Ayamaru cowl. This edge can be worked in both stockinette stitch as in garter stitch, the latter also preventing rolling. The edge can be made in multiples of 3 to 6 stitches, each giving their own look to the piece.

In the step by step how-to below, we are making a garter stitch Latvian Twist, worked over multiples of 4 stitches.

Working a Latvian Twist step by step

1. Cast on stitches, making sure you have a multiple of the type of Latvian Twist you want to make. For this example, I cast on 24 stitches, as multiple of 4 stitches. You can use your preferred cast on, I used a cable cast on.

latvian twist1

2. Knit 4 to 6 rows, again this depends on the look you want to achieve. Working more rows makes for a fatter Latvian Twist. In this example, I knit 4 rows.

latvian twist2

3. Next, knit 4 stitches or the number of stitches you are working multiples off.

latvian twist3

4. Rotate your right-hand needle clock-wise around the left-hand needle, twisting the work. Make sure your yarn is positioned in such a way that you don’t create a yarn over.

latvian twist4

5. With the rotating action, the yarn will be twisted together with the rest of knitting on the right-hand needle, around the garter piece already worked. Pull it tight.

latvian twist5

6. Repeat steps 3 to 5 until all stitches are worked.

latvian twist6

7. Knit (or purl) one more row. In this example, I knit 1 row. With this extra row, you lock down the twists worked in the piece.

latvian twist7

8. Then continue with your main pattern. In this example, I worked a couple more rows of stockinette stitch.

latvian twist8

And there you have it: a lovely Latvian Twist edge!

Points of attention

There are also two more points of attention I would like to share with you: A Latvian Twist can only be worked flat. This means that if you want to apply it to a piece knit in the round, you can only join in the round after the Latvian Twist has been worked. During finishing both ends of the Twist can be sewn or grafted together.

Also, this edge can only be worked at the start of a knitted piece. Therefore, if you want to finish both the start and end of your work two separate Twists have to be worked, to be grafted together using the Kitchener stitch at the end.

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garter tab cast on tutorial

Many top-down shawl patterns start with a garter tab cast on. Why? Because it creates a lovely seamless start of any shawl. See for example the start of my Zomer Zilt shawl, pictured above, you almost can’t see where the cast on is! Yes, it can be a bit fiddly to work, especially when working with very skinny yarn. However, don’t let that deter you from knitting patterns that use this cast on: with the below step-by-step instructions and tips you are sure to master this technique.

In this example I used the garter tab instructions as used in Zomer Zilt:

Cast on 2 sts and knit 12 rows. Turn work 90 degrees, then pick up and knit 6 sts from the garter stitch ridges along the long edge. Pick up and knit 2 sts along the cast on edge. (10 sts).

The garter tab cast on step by step

1. Cast on two stitches using your preferred cast-on method. In this example, I’m using the knitted on cast-on.

2. Place markers in each of every CO stitch, this will make it easier to pick them up later on.

3. Work twelve rows in garter stitch (knit every row). This will give you 6 ridges to work into in the following steps. Then turn your work – still on the right-hand needle – 90 degrees clockwise.

4. Using your left-hand needle pick up one stitch in each of the garter ridges along the edge, for a total of 6 stitches. In the picture the purl bumps are picked up, but you could also pick up from the legs of the knit stitches instead. You now have 8 stitches on your right hand needle.

5. Turn your work 90 degrees clockwise again and pick up the two marked stitches along the cast-on edge. These stitches can be a tad hard to see, but because we marked them in step 2 this really isn’t an issue.

There you have it: a garter tab cast on! There are now 10 stitches: 2 stitches on either end which will become the garter edge stitches, and 6 stitches in the middle which will become the body of your shawl. You are now ready to start the rest of your pattern!

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duplicate stitch tutorial

Duplicate stitch is a very versatile way of adding a colored decoration to an otherwise plain piece of knitting. For example, as I did with the Sweet as Pi cardigan pictured above. This is done by embroidering a contrast color over the V’s of the knit side of stockinette stitch knitted fabric. In a way, duplicating the stitches that are already there. You can apply a design freehand, or use a charted design. When using a chart, every box represents a stitch.

Working duplicate stitch step by step

To start, thread the yarn through your darning needle and determine where to start the duplicate stitching for optimal placement of the design.

1. Pull the needle through the bottom of the first stitch, from the back of the fabric to the front. Make sure you leave a yarn tail long enough to weave in the ends later on.

2. Insert the needle from the right to left through both loops of the stitch above.

3. Insert the needle down through the bottom of the stitch again, this time from the front of the fabric to the back. This step completes your first duplicate stitch.

4. Repeat steps 1 – 3 as required. Try to keep the tension the same as in the knitted stitches underneath, otherwise, the fabric may pull.

Below, you can see a sweater I made for my youngest. He wanted a Marshmello picture on the front of it, and using duplicate stitch was for me a better option than intarsia. I’ve embroidered the picture in vertical lines, going from left to right. In the right picture, you can see how it looks on the wrong side of the work. Cool, right?

And that’s how you work duplicate stitch! Did you know it’s also a great way of covering little mistakes in knitting when found after binding off? A good trick to have in your knitter’s toolkit!

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