Keeping Tabs on the Stash

Howdy, everyone!

This would normally be the time I would go over my current projects, give progress updates, etc. 

However, since my current projects are actually Christmas gifts for others (NO SPOILERS!), and the projects I’ve previously posted are in a temporary state of hibernation to meet holiday deadlines, I thought I’d put in my two-cents-worth on a topic that most knitters and crocheters have to some extent; some of us are happy to discuss with our fellow fiber artists, but non-crafters just don’t understand it. 

I’m talking about the stash.  That ever-growing collection of yarn, needles or hooks, and—for spinners like me—fiber that’s ready to be spun. 

I’ll be the first to say, mine can still considered by some standards a “baby stash”.

It just barely spills out of the bin, even when haphazardly jumbled in,

Really, this thing is only a foot-and-a-half deep.  And it's not as organized as it could be.  That's about to change...

 

And it only takes up about 12 square feet of space on my kitchen counter. 

 

But what it lacks in size it makes up for in personality, and believe it or not, a person’s stash can say a lot about the owner, as I think mine does.  Let’s take a look at what’s going on…

UFO’s

No, I’m not talking about alien spacecrafts—in this case, UFO stands for Un-Finished Object.

Not pictured:  the beginnings of a shawl in light blue and sage green laceweight

Some yarn I buy with the intent of making a pattern, or at the very least with a general idea of what kind of thing I want to make.  But for whatever reason, I start projects more than I finish them. 

What it says about me:  I dig variety.  And If I get stumped on a technique or ideas for finishing, I don’t stew too long over it.  I’m also easily distracted. 

 

The Crowd of Novelty Yarns

Finally, after five-plus years at the bottom of the stash, they see daylight.  And I actually have some idea of what to do with it! 

Eyelash and fun fur and bobbles, oh my!  
All wound up, they look like tribbles that made trouble in a painter's studio.  And if you're not careful, they can reproduce like the darned things.  Yeah, we've all seen this trend come and go, and like all trends they can bring either fond nostalgia, cringe-worthy flashbacks, or something in-between.  Used well, they can add a little something extra to a scarf or some socks.  Used wrong, though, and results vary from Muppet with a shedding problem to goodness knows how much worse. (Ravelry users, check out the Ugliest FO thread under “For the Love of Ravelry” if you haven’t already become addicted as I have)  Some of these were either purchased for me when I was a young knitter just starting out, or I bought them on an impulse and later regretted it.  But I can’t bring myself to get rid of them. 

What it says about me:  I don’t like wasting yarn, and I will find at least some kind of fun, updated use for an out-of-date novelty. 

 Re-worked Garments and Commercial Yarns

I was considering using the sweater on the left in a crazy-cat-lady costume for Halloween, but even that was too outlandish for me. 

There are times when I have a love-hate relationship with a store bought piece in my wardrobe; I just don’t like the thing itself, but I love the material too much to get rid of the garment in its entirety.  This is where knowledge in the skill of deconstruction comes in handy.  If you know where to take out the seams and how to do it, and you know which tail of the yarn to pull, you’ve got a new sweater, shawl, or other ready to be made.  The same can go for some plain, no-frills yarn, preferably something that has visible singles plied together.  Before you know it, you can split 300 yards of worsted into 600 yards of DK or sock weight.

What it says about me:  at least one of the following... 

·       I’m resourceful

·       I’m not well-funded to buy the 1,000 or so yards required for a sweater

·       I’m freakishly patient

·       I probably have waaaay too much time on my hands, or

·       Most likely a combination of all of the above. 

 

The Bag of Odds and Ends

Oh, boy.  If ever the phrase “not enough to keep, too much to throw out” applied.  In here go all the bits of dreamily-colored discontinued nylon so soft you’d swear it was genuine alpaca, or some extra chenille you didn’t know you even had when you were making an infinity scarf from another ball of the same yarn.  Anything you like, that’s discontinued, or think you could use for something.  I keep all of mine in a gallon-sized zip top bag, along the side or back wall of my stash bin. 

What it says about me:  Besides being a pack-rat, I really don’t know. 

 

Do you have a stash?  Do you think it reveals anything about you?

Fear Factor: Crafter's Edition (part 2)

 

For the longest time, I have been simultaneously in wonder and in fear of cable work; at the stores during the cooler months, I gravitate toward sweaters elegantly striped with four-by-four ribbing with that bold licorice-like twist spaced evenly down the vertical line of the garment.  And don't get me started on the Aran style jumpers--thick, cozy, and adorned with panels of braids, basketweaves, and trellises.  My favorites look like they belong in an ancient Celtic stone carving. 

But when it came to actually knitting such pieces, even as a foolhardy knitter who wasn't afraid to use a different yarn than a pattern called for and not bother to check my gauge (I have since learned my lesson--especially with the gauge.) I would shy away sheepishly from any pattern that required cables. 

Maybe it was the confounding charts?  Or the freaky-looking needles said to be required?  Or the mystery of how on earth do you get the yarn to contort like that?  Nonetheless, I was content to simply admire the pretty pictures and scour the shops to find a ready-to-wear piece that suited my particular aesthetic tastes. 

It took until last spring for me to actually get up the nerve to stop looking and start doing.  I had just finished a scarf with plenty of the main-color yarn to spare, and the urge to start a new project to use it up.  I eventually saw the Celtic Cables Dishcloth pattern on Yarnspirations (if you would like, this is the Ravelry link to add to your queue or favorites!).  The Saxon braid spoke to me, and the enticingly simple-looking cables along the edge whispered, " Don't be scared!  You can do it!" 

Before I could think twice, I had cast on and started on my first cable adventure.  Here is the result of my efforts:  

I continued the repetitions of the pattern to elongate the dishcloth into a simple pouch, complete with some spare, and might I add cheesy, buttons I had acquired.  
The yarn had felted itself slightly from previous moments of indecision before the cables found me, and a little from slip-ups along the way, but that weeklong adventure in cables had empowered me.  I could knit anything I wanted to. 

Here's what I had found on my journey, and some of my insights for others with untapped cabling potential. 

Charts

If you haven't already, please read my little bit on charts from my inaugural Fear Factor: Crafters' Edition post.

Read it?  Got the hang of it?  Awesome! 

Wrong-side rows

Just like when you read a lace chart, or any chart for that matter, you read the right-side rows from right to left, and the wrong-side rows left to right.  Unlike lace, though, for the most part you're just working with knit and purl stitches.  That being said, unless you're knitting a pattern that results in reversible fabric, you don't always have to look at the chart when you're working the wrong-side rows--I love that! 

So, how do you know what to do?  With each stitch or set of stitches, you just look at those that line up with them from the previous row.   (Insert picture and caption)

Right-side rows

Under normal cabling circumstances, the right-side rows are going to be the ones where you're going to cable.  And you're going to need to know when.  The symbols used in cable charts are a little more...well, dizzying than those in lace charts.  They span multiple stitches, and they often travel, if that's not daunting enough. 

I sense some hyperventilation, so let's take a deep breath and dissect a chart.  But before we can dissect anything, we need to see the specimen intact. 


One of my favorites; not only is it pretty, it gives a sample of different techniques. And yes, I realize the error in row 11--It's supposed to be the same as row 3. 

Before we continue, I would like to mention that other pattern writers may have some slightly different insignia or different abbreviations, but they all come down to the same thing. 

Let's break it down, shall we? 

Name:  Cable 4. 
Alias:  2-over-2

 This is one of the most basic cable stitches, done two ways.  It's called the "cable 4" because there are four stitches involved in the maneuver.  The reason for the other name:  two stitches are cabled over the other two, depending on the instructions.  In the C4L, the top stitches travel to the left, as above, and the C4R to the right.  Line up a bunch of the same type in a column, separated with four rows of stockinet in between, and you'll have a classic cable: 

You could so the very same thing with only two stitches in the sequence. 

Don't worry; once we go over the rest of the stitches, I'll show you just how it's done. 

Also, if you recall the lace charts from before, you'll see those little boxes with either dots or blank spaces that indicate purl and knit stitches, respectively.

This is important, and it will make or break your pattern.  Pay attention to where they are in the pattern in general, and where they are inside the cable sequence, as below: 

I know, my handwriting stinks using a tablet. 
Stitch name:  Turn 3. 
Alias:  Turn 2-over-1

These two are known as "turns" or "traveling stitches".  This is when two knit stitches are cabled over purl stitches.  In a T3 like this, it's always two knit stitches crossing over one purl stitch. 

As with all of these examples, there are multiple variations on this stitch, and one stitch can have as many aliases and guises as the main character in one of those secret agent movies.  Just read the instructions for your pattern, and it will become clear. 

And now, we knit.

So let's, in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, "get 'er doooone."

(oh, yeah.  I went there.)

Equipment

Contrary to popular belief, you actually can knit cables without a cable needle. 

If you're like me and you crochet and have a handy supply of crochet hooks in all different sizes, you're all set.  Just match the needles in your project to the closest size crochet hook you have.  If you don't have exactly the right size, it's better to err on the small side than the large size. 

No crochet hooks?  Use a double-pointed needle (known simply as DPNs), again, erring on the small side. 

No crochet hooks or DPNs?  No problem.  Go with a paperclip or a safety pin.  Or clean chopsticks.   Anything you have that can hold those live stitches, because we will be taking them off the working needles.

 If you have a high level of dexterity or are double-jointed, you can even pinch the stitches when you rearrange them.  (Only if you are very careful and very adventurous with a side of reckless do I recommend simply pushing the stitches off the needle and leaving them hanging.) 

Moving stitches. 

I've stalled for you long enough.  It's time to cable.  While my favorite is the crochet-hook-method, I will be employing the safety-pin technique since that's the easiest to photograph. 

Let's start with the very beginning of the chart:  that first C4L, after the two purl stitches. 

After you work those two purl stitches, slip the next two stitches onto your crochet hook, cable needle, or safety pin (whichever you choose to use) and remove them from the left-hand needle. 

 

 

Move them to the front of your work--remember, we knit right-to-left, and this is a left-leaning cable--and knit the next two stitches. 

Finally, move the two stitches back onto the left-hand needle and knit as usual.  This is where I'd like to point out the advantage of a crochet hook:  you can knit directly off your hook and onto your right-hand needle. 

Since the rest of the row is just basic stitches, it's onto the next row. 

When working wrong-side rows, I just take a cue from what happened on the previous row.  For instance, the very first and very last stitches are purled on the right side, so we're going to knit when working the wrong side.

Then just follow the rest of the stitches. 

 

 

 

Time for the next row of cabling.  Work the first stitch of the chart, and then get ready for the turn.  Since this is a T3R, the next stitch (with the safety pin) will be moved to the back. 

 

 

Since this is a 2-over-one, knit the next two, move the purl stitch back to the left needle, and purl.  In this pattern, knit the next two stitches, and repeat the turn. 

So why is this a turn and not a cable when it's practically the same move? 

Excellent question! 

In cables, you're twisting two stitches or sets of stitches of the same type, just like braiding hair or something else.  When you're turning, you're moving that "strand," so to speak, across a background. 

I hope that answer/explanation makes sense. 

Got the turn?  Nice!  Now finish that row, work on your wrong-side row, and let's continue. 

In row 5, we have a purl, two knits, another purl, and another 2-over-two cable (or C4, whichever you want to call it), this time going to the right.  It's just the same as the C4L, but this time the first two stitches will go behind your work after slipping them onto the cable needle and working the next two. 

Rows 7 and 8 will conclude the first set of the pattern, with 7 containing two T3L (2-over-2, left) stitches.  Again, it's just like the T3R, but the two knit stitches are being moved to the front while the purl stitch is worked. 


What the T3L looks like, this time using the crochet hook (my preferred method).

There!  That wasn't sop hard, was it?
Here's what the chart makes after several repeats: 

If you liked this, check out Ravelry, Knitty, or some of your favorite sites for more patterns.  Still have questions?  Feel free to leave a comment! 

Once you've gotten the basics, there's really no limit on what you can do.  Sometime, I think I'll even make one of these...

Remember, if you have a suggestion for another Fear Factor:  Crafters' Edition post, don't hesitate to leave a comment or a message.

Until next time, have fun and keep making awesome things!