Purl Two Together - Knitting news from p2tog.com for January 2013 by handspinner.co.uk

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Knitting news from p2tog.com for January 2013 Happy New Year and Welcome to the first Purl Two Together and thank you so much to those who have taken the plunge and subscribed already. I hope it will live up to the promise! If you already read PTT's spinning sister, Hand Spinning News, then you'll recognise the format but I expect it'll take on a life of its own as time goes on. So without more ado, read on for this month's selection of knitting news, notions and nonsense. Kate knitting at 3,000ft

Contents News and articles from around the web From the Blogosphere Tips and techniques DIY corner - ideas for you or the handy person in your life Free patterns - a selection of free knit and crochet patterns that I've bookmarked this month. Problem page - can you help or comment on a problem of the month? Events - some 2013 dates for your diary

News and articles from around the web Five tips for better knit-to-felt projects Have you knit to felt? If not, it's simple; knit it big and then put it in the washer. In this post, Kathleen from Knitting Daily passes on some tips for making those project even more special. http://nls.interweave.com/track?t=v&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXN...

K is for Knitting This amazing sculpture featuring knitting and needles in a basket was made by artist Lusi Klimenko entirely from paper and glue. http://www.lusiklimenko.com/Paper-Sculpture

News

Not for the faint-hearted This series of nine very creative but greusome monster masks was knitted by Tracy Widdess of Brutal Knitting. (It was surprising to find a knitting story on one of my favourite non-knitting websites, many thanks to GW and Geekologie) http://www.obviouswinner.com/obvwin/2012/12/27/brutally-knitted-creaturewinter-helmets-masks.html

Pudify's Large Squid While we're on extraordinary knitted creatures, this giant squid was made by pudify and shared on Knitting Project of the Day by Lynette. Lynette asks "How could you NOT want to knit a giant cephalopod?" If you agree with her, then there's a link to a round-up of squid and octopus knitting patterns. http://kpotd.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/pudifys-large-squid.html

Knit Pro chart maker Not the needle manufacturer in this case; this Knit Pro is a free web application that translates digital images into knit, crochet, needlepoint and cross-stitch patterns. Simply upload jpeg, gif or png images and knitPro will generate a graph. http://www.microrevolt.org/knitPro/

From the blogosphere 12 Shawls in 2012 There have been many posts recently looking back at 2012 projects and planning 2013. This is one of my favourite; rebecca from Chemknits has finished '12 shawls in 2012' It's a nice varied selection, she's made a lovely montage and gives us details. http://www.chemknits.com/2013/01/12-shawls-in-2012.html

knitting at 3000 feet I love outdoor and public knitting, and have a collection of photos here (feel free to join the group and add your own). Thanks to Kate Davies for this amazing photo. On World Wide Knit in Public day (9 June 2012) she decided to knit atop Ben Lomond. She found it "strangely exhilarating" and is hatching a plan to try knitting on all 284 Munros (hills over 3000ft). http://katedaviesdesigns.com/2007/06/10/knitting-in-public-day/

Araignee's Knitting Year in Review I hinted earlier that I like photo montages - they are great for showing off the stages of a project, and especially good for reviewing a year's projects. This is one of my favourites, showing Araignee's Knitting Year, no less than 20 projects including shawls and sweaters. It makes a slow knitter such as me wonder where she finds the time! http://araigneestangledweb.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/knitting-year-in-review.html

Knitting in the dark Here's a warning for us all. It may not be obvious from this little image, but click through to the larger version and you'll see the horrifying truth. GlennaC had been knitting in a darker room and it it was only later that she saw the 'dye lot' line running across both sleeves of this sweater. On a lighter note, but also on the subject of knitting in the dark, I like her comment that she discovered The Hobbit to be long enough to knit the entire foot of a sock! http://crazyknittinglady.wordpress.com/2012/12/28/pause-button/

Oscar The Grouch Socks I do enjoy following the Men Who Knit blog, it's really good to see that knitting's not just for the girls. In this post, KenInMaine shows off his Hidden Treasure Socks which he's nicknamed Oscar the Grouch socks because of the colour! They're particularly interesting because of the Sweet Tomato Heel (follow his link to find out more about that) which he enjoyed knitting, and that each sock has a little pocket. Ken says "All in all I had a lot of fun making these and I must say that the fit is excellent!" http://www.menwhoknit.com/community/?q=node/13112

It takes balls to knit! Again on the subject of men with pointy sticks, It Takes Balls to Knit is designer Steve Malcolm's blog. If that hasn't grabbed your attention, then this might; one of his ideas is a calendar featuring male models wearing his knitwear and not much else. If that's not enough, it also includes 11 scarf patterns. Proceeds to prostate and breast cancer charities. Unfortunately the slideshow only contains one image from the calendar (which seems to be Steve himself - I can't be sure despite examining it very thoroughly all in the name of bringing this news to you...). The calendar is available at his blog here, and a slideshow of images including several pictures of his products are at the link below. (And if you're reading, Steve then you'll find my details elsewhere on this page ;))

http://www.examiner.com/article/it-takes-balls-to-knit-entrepreneur-stevemalcolm-proves-it

Tips and techniques Portuguese Knitting Portugese style involves less movement of the hands. knitmd says that she tried it when she broke her wrist. It helped with that, but she also says that her tension is more consistent. In this video Andrea Wong adds that the Portugese-style purl stitch is easier than the more regular purl stitch. So easy, in fact, that she knits her garter stitch all in purl, and when knitting in the round she knits insideout and all purl. http://asheepinwoolsclothing.typepad.com/a_sheep_in_wools_clothing/2012/11/portugueseknitting.html

How to Incorporate a Stitch Pattern into a Project There are many stitch bibles or stitch dictionaries giving some wonderful stitch patterns, but how to work these into an existing pattern or your own design? Here Lion Brand give tips for doing just that. http://blog.lionbrand.com/2012/12/27/how-to-incorporate-a-stitch-pattern-into-aproject/

Knitting with beads Part of a series of four posts about placing a bead in your knitting, this method uses a very small crochet hook. Jane Crowfoot does admit that the method is a little bit fiddly, but unlike the other three methods in her series, you don't need to thread the beads onto the yarn before you knit. The link takes you through to the crochet hook method, but if you explore The Knitter blog you should find the other three. http://theknitter.themakingspot.com/blog/knitting-with-beads5

3 Tips for Yarn Substitution I'm not sure that I've ever used the exact yarn suggested by a pattern. And I don't often finish a pattern without changing it somehow. It makes the outcome a little bit of a lottery, but a more pleasant surprise when something turns out well! Here on Lion Brand's site, Jess says that substituting a different yarn is one way to make your finished item unique. She gives three solid tips for making sure that you'll be happy with the result. http://blog.lionbrand.com/2012/04/03/3-tips-for-yarn-substitution/

Tiny knitting ornament And now for something completely different. Can you guess what this tiny piece is made of (the 'needle' is a cocktail stick)? It's polymer clay, and I bet you're now thinking 'how on earth...?' Click through for the tutorial. There's a clever twist.... http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=367662.0

DIY corner Instructable - bamboo yarn bowl Thank you to makezine for sharing this great Instructable. If you have a light wooden bowl (or a certain Swedish flat-pack furniture warehouse nearby) and a Dremel, then this instructable shows you or the handy person in your life how to make the bowl into a far more useful accessory! http://www.instructables.com/id/Bamboo-Yarn-Bowl/

Patterns A selection of free knit and crochet patterns that I've bookmarked this month

Chic Easy Shrug This shrug looks beautiful and is much easier to knit than you'd think. It uses a long circular needle and worsted / aran yarn. The pattern requires a free sign-up for fine craft guild's newsletter. http://www.finecraftguild.com/chic-easy-shrug-free-knitting-pattern/

Vintage crochet pattern: Tomboy Cap I've knitted a hat similar to this, I think it was called 'Newsboy Hat'. The style is very cute and I like this one even more. Being a vintage pattern makes it even more special. It should work with a worsted weight yarn. I've queued the pattern and think I have just the yarn for it! katknit at Dances with Wools gives us a scan of the original 1960's pattern, and a transcription kindly made by knotrune. https://danceswithwool.wordpress.com/2012/08/01/tomboy-hat-free-vintagecrochet-pattern/

Van Ness Scarf Even if you're not visiting San Francisco, this looks like a useful accessory to keep nearby at any time of the year. Kathryn Nunes says that her Van Ness Scarf is "perfect for the "the City's" notorious microclimates - whether you're shopping in Union Square, playing tourist at Fisherman's Wharf, or catching a Giants game in SoMa keep this scarf in your bag and you won't be cold when the fog rolls in on a summer evening" http://crochetuncut.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106

Buttercup by Heidi Kirrmaier Since finishing my first Opulent Raglan I've been looking for another close-fitting scoop-necked short-sleeve long jumper, with lace this time rather than cables. I've bought a pattern and started Dixie Lace Sweater, which I will continue, but as a free alternative (which I have queued as well!) how about Buttercup? It fits the bill and has a lovely neckline. thanks to picperfic for the suggestion. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/buttercup-6

Crofter's Cowl by Gudrun Johnston Another one I've started myself. I love the lace pattern worked in a thicker yarn which certainly looks comfy. Designer Gudrun Johnston says "Easy stuff!" http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/crofters-cowl

Problem page I've had a question this month which I've answered (question and answer below). But can you add anything (or maybe have a better answer)? I'll publish an update next month along with another question. Q: Please could you tell me what the abbreviations ytb and ytf mean on a knitting pattern? A: This is an interesting one. My first thought was 'yarn to back' and 'yarn to front', simply letting you know where the yarn needs to be in order to make the next stitch. (I've also seen wyb and wyf for 'with yarn at the back' and 'with yarn at the front') But I've done a little reading, and it seems that some older patterns used to use these terms instead of yarn over or yarn forward, to create a stitch (and a hole) in lace knitting. For example, if your yarn is at the front and the next stitch is a purl, you can't do ytb without creating a new stitch and this is what your pattern maker may have had in mind. You should be able to tell which of these is correct for you by whether you end up with the right number of stitches in your row. Email me if you'd like to comment

Events 2013

Wonderwool Wales 27 & 28 April 2013, Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells Promoting wool and natural fibre production and its use. Exhibitors and trade stands covering all aspects of felting, knitting, weaving, spinning, crochet and textile art with raw materials, equipment, books and finished products for sale. Competitions and a range of hands-on workshops. A list of accommodation and camping in the surrounding area is available on the Wonderwool website. www.wonderwoolwales.co.uk

Woolfest Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June, Cockermouth, Cumbria A celebration of the best wool and wool crafts. From fleecy animals and rare breeds, through fleece, tops, craft equipment and materials, to finished clothing, accessories and unique hand-crafted woollen goods. Also workshops and masterclasses. www.woolfest.co.uk

Fibre East 20 and 21 July 2013, Thurleigh, Bedfordshire The third Fibre East, we'll be hoping for drier weather this year! Those in the Eastern, Midlands and Southern Regions an opportunity to join in an event which aims to encourage and promote British wool and natural fibres. http://www.fibre-east.co.uk/

And finally If you like this newsletter and you're also interested in spinning your own yarn, you will enjoy hand-spinning-news.com. I'll be compiling and sending out Purl Two Together every month. If you'd like to jump on board and sign up for the free monthly email, then please use the form below. Shiela Dixon - Editor / curator shiela@p2tog.com

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