Tag: Wearing Knits That Fit

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How To Be A Better Knitter

Knitting has been a popular trend for the future because of the new types of yarns and improvements in the tools used to knit. New patterns and designs are for those wanting to begin up through highly advanced. Whether a hand or a machine knitter, many relaxing hours are available to the person at every level of ability as a knitter and to the wearer of the completed jacket design.

Knit garments have always been a necessary part of my clothing choices, so I really like the weather, which lets me wear my favorite item of clothing. However, during the season changes when air conditioning is turned up inside waiting rooms, sweaters remain an important part of my wardrobe almost year round.

Since there are so many new types of knits, make a list of those that are favorites for your own wardrobe. See if you can find additional new ways to wear that same style of knit jacket. Review specialty magazines, watch for sweaters on your favorite TV programs, go to movies and just observe the people that are around you and how they are wearing their knits.

It will give you great ideas when you make time to knit with new creative ideas that can allow you to enjoy your favorite sweater style just knit in a slightly different way.

There are many types of knitted garments. Sweaters, jackets, coats, shawls and capes are just a few. As a knitwear designer I see many unique garments but they do not fit on the person. There are several things that need to be taken into consideration to achieve a finished knitted item that is properly fitting the person who will wear the item.

You may want to explore the styles and lengths of the sweater designs you are considering to be sure they will look great on you. You can get proportion information for your length and accent details.  Armed with the information about your preferences, go through the steps below for amazing success with your new projects.

1. Before you begin you need to take accurate measurements. For help see the tools in the navigation bar that will assist you.

2. Determine the yarn you will use and the size needles or the machine tension that match the yarn.

3. Knit a swatch to get the feel of the yarn. For machine knitters I suggest a scarf or shawl so you will know your time has not been wasted as re-knitting when machine knits are unraveled changes the look and feel of the yarn so you do not want to use it in a new item.

*NOTE: It is necessary that you put the swatch through all of the processes you will use to care for the final item. Wash and put through the dryer on the temperatures you will use or wash and lay flat to dry. Help with blocking knits.

You may catch a major problem at this part of the process so be on the look out to see if your swatch size changes dramatically or stays close to the same. It may need something as easy as changing the wash water or dryer temperatures.

4. From the swatch, see how much the yarn might shrink.

5. Measure the pattern template you will be matching and cross check the measurements to be sure you will be right at the finished size you want before you go through all of the time of knitting the pieces.

6. With this information you can have more assurance that your finished knit will be worth your energy.

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Creating a Schedule For Your Knitting

Whether you’ve been knitting for a long time now or you’re completely new to knitting, one thing that can really help focus your efforts and make things less stressful is to create a basic schedule. This way, you know what you’ll be knitting ahead of time, or at least have a basic idea.

Many knitters create their schedule by days of the week, Monday Mindbenders, Tuesday Teasers, etcetera. You get the idea. We’re going to create a sample schedule for knitting. Let’s start our week on Monday and go from there.

Monday Machine Knitting: On this day, you could write about the differences between machine knitting versus hand knitting, pros, cons, patterns, and so forth. Some great tutorial topics would be how to convert a hand-knitting pattern into a machine-knitting pattern and how to work in rounds on a knitting machine. There are also a lot of one-day projects out there for machine knitting, like making a sweater in one day. You could review different machine knitting patterns, projects, and accessories.

Tuesday Twos: Get it? Knit one, purl two? Okay, so maybe I’m not as witty as I think I am, but you get the idea. You’re looking for a daily project that you can easily knit. This could be patterns, whatever comes up when you’re knitting.

Wednesday WIPs: If you’re wondering WIP stands for work(s) in progress. So, sticking with our knitting example this would be whatever projects you are currently working on. Share pictures, talk about mistakes you might have made while going through the pattern, share a tip about the project.

Thursday Threads: Product reviews could go on this day. Talk about that awesome luxurious new wool you just bought, or the shiny new needles.

Friday Free Patterns: Here is another opportunity to talk about products that you’re using and the free patterns that you’ve found on the internet. The nice thing about free patterns is that they free us up to splurge a little more on the supplies.

Even better if you create your own patterns and share them with your readers. You’ll find yourself with a following of fans in no time at all.

Saturday Scarves and Socks: Everyone always seems to be knitting one or the other at any given moment.

Sunday Wild Cards: I like to leave Sunday as a wild card day where I might or might not knit.

 

 

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Long Cardigan Sweaters – Simplistic Fashion For Both Men and Women

The cardigan sweater has been a long time favorite for both men and women. You can find them in a variety of lengths and styles. The long cardigan is one of the single favored styles. The long cardigan is perfect to keep you warm in the cooler months of the year.

These are perfect for both men and women. They are made in a variety of materials with wool being amongst the favorite. They come in all different types of styles as well.

A cardigan is a type of sweater that usually buttons up or in some cases can zipper up. They are traditionally long sleeved although they can also have short or three quarter sleeves. They are often also made from cotton, acrylic blends and wool. many new fibers and fiber blends are being created every year.

A cardigan sweater has a long history in fashion. There are plenty of options because they have been such a fashion staple. They have never gone out of style. They have been around for quite some time but what has changed is how they are worn.

You can wear a long cardigan with skirts, slacks and jeans. Many times a long cardigan will be the main piece of clothing in an outfit. It can be worn belted with a matching belt or it can be worn with a belt made of yarn or leather.

Most of the time a long cardigan, is a part of a layered outfit. Typically it is worn with either a long sleeve shirt or a turtle neck. Sometimes it is a bit sophisticated in its style and in that case it is typically worn with dress clothes.

The type of yarn used to knit the long cardigan will dictate the cost of the sweater. The more luxurious the yarn, the more expensive it will be to buy the yarn and knit it yourself or buy it already knit. For example, an angora sweater will be much more expensive than an acrylic sweater. Expect to spend anywhere from forty dollars to several hundred dollars. Regardless what you spend it is a great investment, this is a timeless classic that will never go out of style.

Long or short  cardigans are a fashionable addition to any wardrobe.

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The Joy Of Knitting

Many pleasurable hours can be spent on knitting projects.  I seem to enjoy the cardigans, jackets  and coats the most.  In determining how to knit the items so the yarn is showcased and is the right weight for the project adds to the creativity for me.

I’m launching my video series showing how to start from selecting the yarn, to knitting and on to finishing.  Then when you wear one of these masterpieces you can have the most amazing satisfaction experience. I call it layering satisfaction.

The satisfaction of:

  • selecting yarn you really enjoy and want to work with
  • actually knitting the garment
  • finishing the project
  • assembly of your garment
  • wearing your garment
  • and of course the compliments

There is nothing quite like it in the enjoyment of each area.  OK maybe not the assembly so much but even that has a level of completion that satisfies.

If you are in the Branson, MO area you can take a class in person with me.

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