Driving is a bit tricky but I feel well enough to drive up to Columbus on Sunday for TNNA. I usually spend a couple of days but this year it works out for me to go up Sunday. I'll probably drive back Sunday night but I might stay until Sunday.
STUDENT NEWS
I didn't receive many lessons to review while I was recuperating. I think summer must be here! Registration has opened for the meeting in Charlotte. (Registration for the Indianapolis meeting is open until June 24.) I'm teaching the two-day finishing course at both meetings.
TIP OF THE WEEK
A student requested the topic for this week's tip. She was working on a project where she was supposed to bind off stitches in the middle of a row and was having trouble counting the bound off stitches. This is something I find hard to describe when writing a pattern so I thought it would be a good topic. If you are binding off stitches and get distracted, it can be hard to figure out how many you have bound off. The key is to ignore the bind off loops on top of the stitches and instead count the column of stitches. Binding off requires two stitches. You work them both and then pull the first stitch over the second. The resulting loop appears to be between the two stitches. If you count the loops you probably won't count the first stitch. When you bind off the last stitch, you pull the last stitch over the next stitch. When you are binding off center stitches, this means that the next stitch (the first "live" stitch) after the bind off has a stitch around it. If you look at the photograph below notice that the stitch labeled "1" after the stitch labeled "10" has a stitch around it. I think this is what causes the problem in counting bind off stitches. It is easy to count this stitch.
Another confusing aspect to binding off stitches in the center, is the "live" stitch at the end of the bound off stitches. This live stitch is not part of the bind off. In the example above, when the 10th stitch is bound off, there is a stitch on the needle. This is the reason I had trouble with a pattern not too long ago. I originally wrote it, "Work 5 sts, BO 10 sts, work 5 sts." The problem I had was that when you got to the last stitches, there were only 4 since the 5th stitch is worked with the last bound off stitch. I decided this would be confusing so I avoided the issue, as other designers do, with the "work to end of row" instruction. Here is the link to the video: Counting Bind Off Stitches
Counting stitches when you are binding off all of the stitches isn't really important, provided you have the required number on your needles. You just bind them all off.
KNITTING SALON
Since I am not leaving for Columbus until Sunday I will have Salon this week. It will be Saturday from 1:30-4:30.
CURRENT PROJECTS
The selection meeting was the day before my surgery. Since I wasn't sure what shape my hands would be in, I only proposed one thing...a cabled swing coat. I got the yarn a few days ago but I haven't started to work on it yet. The photo shoot isn't until August. I'd like to finish up my sweater. The back is done and I'm almost to the armholes on the left front. The button band is worked with the front and will fold over. I had to do a bit of origami to figure out how to do the mitre but it should be fine. I am dreading the sleeves...So much knitting. I've photographed the sweater I am recreating. You can see I opted for a different shade of blue. The yarn is Miss Babs Yasmin, color Regent. It is too bad you only get this type of drape with such fine yarn & itty bitty needles.
I was in Magpie Yarn ( a local shop here) and was reminded of how much I like Shibui Linen. I've had Jane order me a bag of the latish gray. I want to do a version of my wasp wing coat. The first one used Redfish Silk & was worked on 000 needles. I've been asked for the pattern but I am not doing a pattern for that version. I have been looking for a lightweight yarn with the right drape. The Shibui Linen should be perfect. I will knit it up for me and then determine if I want to write the pattern.
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