The idea that will make me rich. (In my dreams.)
I finished the Samus bottom band this morning. Here is an attempt at an artsy-fartsy shot.
I started to mark it off with stitch markers, so I can attempt to pick up stitches somewhat evenly. I have it divided up into segments in which I'll have to pick up 21 stitches. I think that's more do-able than trying to pick up 168 evenly all around. If I screw up, it's a lot easier to do 21 stitches again than it is to do 168 stitches again.
In regards to picking up stitches, I had a brilliant idea last night. Unfortunately, this brilliant idea won't help me for this sweater. Plus, it's only a brilliant idea for those of us who are complete gimps at picking up stitches.
Okay, it's not true that I'm a complete gimp at picking up stitches. I'm only bad at it when I try to do it with a knitting needle. I just can't physically do it. I've tried and tried and tried, but the only way I can get those suckers is with a crochet hook. That works just fine, and I have a wide enough size selection in crochet hooks that I'm never at a loss for one that will fit the job, but it's kind of annoying. Every 10 or 15 stitches, you have to break your stitch-picking-up rhythm and transfer the stitches from the crochet hook to the needle.
So here's the big idea: one of the companies that manufactures interchangeable needle sets (preferably someone like Boye, since they go all the way down to size 2) needs to come out with crochet hook attachments. That way, pickup gimps like me don't have to stop several times a minute to transfer stitches from hook to needle. We can just go and pick up with our crochet hook attachment to our heart's content, and when we're done, snap/screw off the crochet attachment and put on the regular needle attachment. I know they make those super long crochet hooks with ends on them, for some sort of crochet that I don't know how to do, but those won't do. When I use a regular crochet hook to pick up stitches, the key to it working is being able to slip the stitches off the back end of the hook and onto a needle. You can't do this with those, and if you need to pick up stitches on a circular garment or around an armhole, you couldn't use straight needles for long lengths, anyway.
Does this exist? Is there a market for it? If I write to Boye and Denise and the folks who maske the bamboo WEBS set, will they take my idea and run, or will they give me a commission (preferably consisting of mass quantities of cash and/or weekly Koigu deliveries for life)?
On a completely different note, my knitting karma is high this week. At the knitting group last night, I asked the LYS owner if she had any back issues of Vogue Knitting. She said she had one from last winter. It turns out that it was the one. Ya know - the one I talked about yesterday, with that gorgeous cable/rib cardigan. In fact, I think there were only 2 issues of VK in the store - that issue, and Fall '05. Talk about lucking out! Instant gratification, plus no need to pay for shipping. Woohoo! I hate Vogue's layout, but I'll put up with it for that sweater. I'm thinking it will look nice in a plain vanilla worsted yarn, such as Cascade 220. Maybe it will be my big project for after Ingeborg. Minus the boob pockets, of course.
I started to mark it off with stitch markers, so I can attempt to pick up stitches somewhat evenly. I have it divided up into segments in which I'll have to pick up 21 stitches. I think that's more do-able than trying to pick up 168 evenly all around. If I screw up, it's a lot easier to do 21 stitches again than it is to do 168 stitches again.
In regards to picking up stitches, I had a brilliant idea last night. Unfortunately, this brilliant idea won't help me for this sweater. Plus, it's only a brilliant idea for those of us who are complete gimps at picking up stitches.
Okay, it's not true that I'm a complete gimp at picking up stitches. I'm only bad at it when I try to do it with a knitting needle. I just can't physically do it. I've tried and tried and tried, but the only way I can get those suckers is with a crochet hook. That works just fine, and I have a wide enough size selection in crochet hooks that I'm never at a loss for one that will fit the job, but it's kind of annoying. Every 10 or 15 stitches, you have to break your stitch-picking-up rhythm and transfer the stitches from the crochet hook to the needle.
So here's the big idea: one of the companies that manufactures interchangeable needle sets (preferably someone like Boye, since they go all the way down to size 2) needs to come out with crochet hook attachments. That way, pickup gimps like me don't have to stop several times a minute to transfer stitches from hook to needle. We can just go and pick up with our crochet hook attachment to our heart's content, and when we're done, snap/screw off the crochet attachment and put on the regular needle attachment. I know they make those super long crochet hooks with ends on them, for some sort of crochet that I don't know how to do, but those won't do. When I use a regular crochet hook to pick up stitches, the key to it working is being able to slip the stitches off the back end of the hook and onto a needle. You can't do this with those, and if you need to pick up stitches on a circular garment or around an armhole, you couldn't use straight needles for long lengths, anyway.
Does this exist? Is there a market for it? If I write to Boye and Denise and the folks who maske the bamboo WEBS set, will they take my idea and run, or will they give me a commission (preferably consisting of mass quantities of cash and/or weekly Koigu deliveries for life)?
On a completely different note, my knitting karma is high this week. At the knitting group last night, I asked the LYS owner if she had any back issues of Vogue Knitting. She said she had one from last winter. It turns out that it was the one. Ya know - the one I talked about yesterday, with that gorgeous cable/rib cardigan. In fact, I think there were only 2 issues of VK in the store - that issue, and Fall '05. Talk about lucking out! Instant gratification, plus no need to pay for shipping. Woohoo! I hate Vogue's layout, but I'll put up with it for that sweater. I'm thinking it will look nice in a plain vanilla worsted yarn, such as Cascade 220. Maybe it will be my big project for after Ingeborg. Minus the boob pockets, of course.
posted by Rebekkah at 9:22 AM
1 Comments:
The long hooks and hooks with nylon cord that extend the length of the hook (a circ. for hooks) are for tunisian crochet, aka afghan stitch, aka about a million other names for it. It's pretty neat, you should look it up. Crochet Me has a tunisian crochet afghan pattern up right now.
Anyway, in a pinch, could you always use one of those tunisian crochet hooks with the flexible nylon cord end and slip the stitches off the back that way? I don't know, I can usually scoop with a needle, and when I can't, I just pull a loop through with the crochet hook and transfer it immediately to the needle.
All y'all with craft blogs are making me wish to start one...
~schizospider
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