Blog Page – Page 18 – Laura Chau Designs

works in progress

I’m waiting on a rather large amount of yarn destined for deadline projects (for NEXT fall!) but since it’s not here yet, I’ve had a chance to pick up a sweater project that’s been languishing on the needles for ages!

The yarn is Anzula Haiku, a fingering weight blend of 70% merino, 20% bamboo and 10% nylon. I’m not quite sure if they’ve changed the put-up since I got it at TNNA several years ago – the website says 400 yds/skein but my labels say 500!

The colourway is “Madam”, a delightfully dusky pink, and the sweater design is my own – a top-down, fingering weight wrap cardigan with a ripple lace edging and i-cord ties. I hope to release the pattern this fall!

I have a limited amount of yarn, so when I finished the body I decided to go ahead and do the front bands and the ties before starting the sleeves. I divided the remaining yarn into two equal balls (with the help of a scale) and now I can just knit the sleeves until I run out of yarn – I don’t think they’ll be full length, but that’s totally okay with me. It’s a lighter sweater after all.

I also finished up my Just Enough Ruffles Light for the knitalong! Do check out the thread, there are lots of beautiful in-progress and finished projects.

The yarn is Mountain Colors Perspectives, a gradient set in their Twizzle base. Because the stitch count for JERL changes so drastically, the last couple colours are quite narrow along the ruffle. I’m into it!

I did add a few extra rows to the ruffle, and I cut it perilously short – I had perhaps a foot of yarn left over after binding off. The finished piece desperately needs a good blocking, and I’m going to share a blocking tutorial on Friday along with a blocking prize pack!

August 18, 2015
KAL Tutorial: KFBF

Join the Knitter’s Pride KAL Thread for chat and to win awesome prizes! We still have two awesome prize packs to give away. KAL runs through August 21!

The KFBF increase is, of course, an extension of the KFB (also referred to as kfb, kf&b, kf/b) increase. In a regular kfb, you knit into the front and then back loop of the stitch – this ‘uses up’ one stitch from the previous row, as opposed to an increase worked between stitches like an m1. A kfb results in 2 stitches being created out of 1 stitch from the previous row.

In a KFBF, we’re tripling the number of stitches on the needle – creating 3 stitches out of 1! It requires a little bit of needle acrobatics, but it’s easy to work and doesn’t require yarnovers or multiple rows to increase the stitch count quickly.

Here’s a quick step by step tutorial for the KFBF increase! Click any photo to see a bigger version.

Insert the right needle tip into the stitch knitwise as normal.

Pull the new stitch through, but don’t remove the stitch from the left needle. Try to keep this stitch a little bit looser than normal – it’ll give you more room to maneuver.

Swing the right needle tip around to the back and insert it into the back of the stitch.

Wrap the yarn as normal for a knit stitch.

Pull the new stitch through, but still don’t remove the stitch from the left needle!

Bring the right needle tip to the front and insert it into the front of the stitch again – this step can be a bit tricky especially if you are a tight knitter. Pull the stitch open a little to get the needle tip in if you need to.

Wrap the yarn as normal.

Pull the new stitch through and then you can remove the stitch from the left needle!

Ta-da! You have created 3 stitches out of 1.

I’m a few rows into the ruffle of my JERL and I’m onto the second last colour. I plan to knit the ruffle until I’m nearly out of yarn, which should add perhaps an inch to the length of the ruffle.

How’s your summer neckwear knitting coming along?

Edited to add: I’m using Knitter’s Pride Marblz needles, available at WEBS! Aren’t they awesome? Someone on IG said they look like glow sticks ;)

August 7, 2015
Eye Candy, Tomato Edition

If tomatoes aren’t your thing, check back tomorrow for a knitting tutorial? Or sign up in the right hand sidebar (click through if you’re in a feed reader) to receive blog post notifications in your email!

August 6, 2015