Circulation—It's A Good Thing

After spending more than 20 minutes without circulation to the middle finger on my left hand the first time I tried plying singles from my drop spindle using the Andean hand wrap, I decided not to use the technique again unless I could figure out how to do it without risking a finger.

Here's where things stood with me:

1. I really like the fact that plying from both ends means the entire cop gets plied. (Whereas from two center-pull balls you're guaranteed to have some left over.)
   
2. Plying from both ends of a center-pull ball seems like insanity.
3. Plying from two center-pull balls seems like greater insanity.
4. Winding hundreds of yards of singles into center-pull balls ... also insanity.

As I prefer to keep what little sanity I have left (a dubious prospect, at best, after working my way through a PhD program with a young child and a theatre company), I've developed what I think is a simple, elegant solution to the circulation problem and one worthy of a physician's daughter:

Use a splint.


I used a large table spoon, but a ruler or anything else you have around that looks about the right size would also work.

Why does this work? By inserting a splint like this, you prevent the thread from forming a complete circle around your finger. The spoon handle carries nearly half the surface of the wrap and creates some extra space. It also stabilizes your finger so it isn't pushed increasingly forward as you load on more thread.

Orient the spoon face-down on the back of your palm, extending from your wrist up along your middle finger.

You need to wrap a few rounds before inserting the spoon so there's something in place to prevent the spoon from falling off. Also, you need to turn your hand over so it's palm-down while you're wrapping—at least for awhile. Most of us learn how to do the Andean hand wrap palm side up because that's where the tricky part of the wrap is and all the diagram books show it palm-up. It'll take a minute to re-orient yourself.


I've found that it's best to situate the spoon so the handle doesn't extend off the tip of your finger. Aligning the end around the first knuckle gives plenty of room to hold even the longest singles without making it awkward to manipulate the wrapping.

See those healthy, pink finger tips? I'd already been wrapping nearly an hour when I took these pictures—and the finished, plied skein (Song for Dalai Lama) is 150 yards! That means something more than 300 yards of singles are on my hand in the picture, right?! Does anybody know how the singles-to-plied yarn ratio works out?

Once you're done loading on, remove the spoon, and you'll have no trouble wiggling your finger out. It'll be smooth plying from then on!

Happy plying—and please drop me a note to let me know if you find this helpful.

How To Prep A Tidy Sock Project /Coffee Makes Everything Better

I've learned some great things about knitting from my co-Raveling sister:
   1. How to knit socks.
   2. How to work magic loop.
   3. How to knit socks toe-up using magic loop and Judy's magic cast on.
   4. Addi Turbos rock for magic loop.
   5. KnitPicks Options rock even more.

This tip from her is my current favorite:
   6. How to keep two-at-once sock projects portable, neat, and tangle-free.

Recognize my Monkeys?
I'm about to start the toe decreases!

Instructions:

1. Get a sturdy, clear-plastic, zip-top bag large enough for two hand-pull skeins of sock yarn. The one pictured here came from Weaving Works, one of the many fine LYSs here in Seattle. I imagine you can find these bags any number of places.

2. Using a hole-puncher, put two holes — evenly spaced — in the bottom. If it's a round- or flat-bottom bag, you'll need to make a little fold where you want to punch the hole.

3. Put something on or in the bag to differentiate one side from the other (i.e. a sticker on one of the sides or a picture of your pattern on the inside). I like to use the manufacturer's case for my needles, if I'm using Addis. For awhile, though, the price sticker on the bag did the trick.

4. Put your 2 skeins of yarn inside the bag so the "marker" is on top, pull each end through its respective hole, and zip the bag.

When you're working magic loop, you'll always know when you're at the beginning of a round based on whether the marked side is up or whether the two strands of yarn leading to the bag run parallel or are crossed.

This technique can be a real lifesaver if you're working an allover stockinette pattern for your socks. Everything stays tidy, and when you're done for the day, you can pack up the knitting into the bag as well. Just be sure not to zip it closed over top of your yarn!



If you don't want to spend the $1.63 for a bag like this, with a real zipper, use a standard zip-lock storage bag. You'll want at least the quart size, not only because it will hold more but also because the plastic is a little more durable.

The set-up above works really great if you're not reinforcing the heels and toes. But when you add the two additional yarns for reinforcing, it can get messy.

I tried two solutions, both of which failed. First, I put the reinforcing threads inside the bag using the same holes as for the normal yarn. But the fibers didn't pull evenly, and I ended up with all sorts of rolling. Next, I left the reinforcing thread outside the bag. But this way, the yarn cards (or miniscule skeins) flop and roll all over the place. Completely destroys your chances of knitting on the bus!

The solution?

Espresso!

Seriously.

I solved the problem quite by accident. I wanted to have two sock projects going at once and needed a second bag. I remembered the stack of fantastic little bags my favorite espresso beans come in, which I had been saving for a good way to re-use.

Let's face it — for a true coffee connoisseur and knitting enthusiast, it's a yummylicious match made in heaven!


WARNING! Shameless commercial plug: Espresso Vivace is, IMO, the finest roaster in Seattle. We get their decaf (i.e. let me sleep) and vita (i.e. wake me up) beans, and we go through about a half pound of each every week. Needless to say, the bags pile up. I just can't bring myself to get rid of them, even through recycling, because they're so nice. I'd already been using them to store remnants from knitting projects. I realized they were great candidates for sock project bags.


What makes these bags special — and, thus, provided my lightbulb moment — is the pressed "selvage" around the edges. I like the bottom construction, too, because they stand upright, but that's beside the point. When I punched for the two holes (in the side rather than the bottom of these bags), I made not two openings but four: two stacked sets of two.


So now I load the center-pull skeins of yarn into the bag, with the skein top facing the punched hole, and I pull the working thread through the upper hole. I wind the reinforcing thread off the cards into little center-pull skeins (often I just divide one card's worth in half to do both) and load these in front of the main yarn, pulling the tails through the bottom set of holes.

The two threads don't tangle around each other, and the reinforcing thread doesn't bound freely across the room or bus!


You're right: I could have had this brainstorm, eventually, without the coffee. But I didn't. It took the beans.

Speaking of which, Vivace does sell its beans online. You can get them (and thus your own nifty bags) here. Believe me: It's worth every penny!

Just make sure to wash the bags well before putting your yarn in them. You'll want to remove all the coffee oils and smell. (Well, if you're like me, you don't mind a little lingering coffee aroma.) I've had the best success turning mine inside-out and running them through the dishwasher on the top rack.

Not interested in buying the coffee but like the bags? I've got a few extras. Pop me an email with your address, and I'll send one.

Fave Fingerfree Mitts How to Cast on Magic Loop

I made these fingerless mittens in October and put off posting a blog because I keep them at work and didn't have pictures. Never too late to share a great project!

My office in Pioneer Square freezes in the transitional months before building management turns on the steam heat. Last year I bought fingerless gloves, but I wanted something without fabric between my fingers slowing down my typing. These have been perfect.


Pattern: Chavi's Fingerless Mittens (The pattern used to be available for free online, but it's no longer there. I wrote the designer asking to have it reposted. Original URL: mashpitsknits.blogspot.com/2007/09/cabled-fingerless-mittens.html)
Started & Completed: October 2007
Materials: Cascade 220 Wool
Needles: US 6 / 4.0 mm

I've never knit mittens or gloves before. Not sure why. Once I decided to give it a go, I searched around for a pattern that really spoke to me. This one did! I love the cable. It's so perfectly balanced for the scale of the mitts.


Used 40" circulars (Addi Turbo) so I could knit both at once using magic loop technique. Worked fabulously. This was only the second project I ever did using magic loop, though — the first project had been toe-up socks — so I had to figure out how to cast on since I couldn't use the closed method. I didn't have any tutorials, so I did it the hard way. Here's what I know now:

Casting on magic loop, 2 at once on one needle, open end:
1. Cast on the first half of the stitches for item A.
2. Cast on all the stitches you will need for item B.
3. Pull cord through at the half-way point between stitches for item B.
4. Cast on the second half of the stitches for item A.


I only used about 53 grams of the skein — just a little more than half. Plenty left to make another pair for C!

As for time-to-finish, these didn't knit up quite as quickly as I expected. Even so, I was done within two weeks of beginning, and I only knit in odd hours before bed. My expectation must have been unrealistic.


I love the way they look and feel. I get all sorts of compliments. And they're holding up very well!