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Welcome to another issue of Bond Buzz!
Scarves, wraps, throws—anything rectangular (and easy) is hot these days. So, with that in mind, I’d like to show you a truly easy and unique way of doing what looks like a surface braid but which is actually an enlarged knitted stitch that looks great on a simple wrap or scarf—and can also be used on the front of a sweater.
New Technique |
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Faux Surface Braid
This technique is used on a relatively untextured yarn such as Simply Soft so you can see the stitches well. And is super-easy to do! It can be done with 2 or 3 stitches—perhaps more—but our examples show a 2-stitch and a 3-stitch braid. |
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Decide where you want the braid. Then cast on using a closed-edge. Knit the number of rows for the piece. Before binding off, drop the stitches you want for the braid. For our example, we’ll be dropping 3 stitches. (Note that Fig 2 & 3 show a 2-stitch braid, but the technique for either is the same.) |
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Bind off the stitches up to where you dropped the stitches and cut yarn, leaving a 6” length. Thread this length through the last bound off stitch to secure. |
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Using the main yarn and leaving a 6” end, bind off until you reach the next group of dropped stitches [Fig. 4] and repeat the process above – or bind off to the end. |
| Drop the stitches all the way down to the hem including the e-wrapped stitches. (Do not remove the hem from your work, as it is easier to drop the stitches while the hem is still attached [but if you mistakenly remove it, you can still work the braid stitch].) |
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With the latch tool’s handle away from you, catch the lowest 3 stitches (“rungs” of the ladder) using your latch tool and twist them around until the handle is toward you. [Fig. 5] This creates a loop that you can latch the other “rungs” through. [Fig. 6] |
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Catch the next 3 rungs and pull through the stitch on the latch tool.
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Continue latching up 3 rungs at a time [Fig. 7] until you reach the top. (Note if there are 2 or 4 rungs remaining, just latch them through as you would for 3.) Using the latch tool, catch the 6-inch end of yarn from the bound off stitches adjacent to the braid and pull through the braid. [Fig. 8] Repeat for the cast-on end, but pull through in the opposite direction. [Fig. 9] Tie the ends and weave in to secure. |
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If you’re using a particularly heavy yarn, this stitch can also be done on knitting using every other needle. Note the swatch at left that uses Caron’s new Simply Soft® Quick, a bulky yarn. [Fig. 10] |
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New Yarn! New Project! |
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For this issue, we are very happy to post on the Bond America website Sweater Machine instructions for a wonderful beaded-edge poncho (or, rather, ponchette) designed by our good friend, Terrie Mays. It features one of Caron’s new yarns, Feathers, a super-soft, acrylic chenille wrapped with a multi-colored nylon eyelash. It is available in 13 luscious colorways that feel as soft as a handful of . . . feathers! Click here for information on where you can purchase Feathers, |
Rwanda Update |
| As promised in the last Buzz, I’d like to share with you a couple photos taken during my last trip to Rwanda. |
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Meet the knitters (and dancers) of AVVAIS, an association of widows affected by HIV/AIDS. These women (and their children) break into dance with others accompanying in song, whenever we show up.
And meet Esperance (below), the head teacher at AVEGA, the association of widows from the 1994 genocide. |
| Esperance escaped the killing by hiding in woods near where she lived, coming out only at night to get food from those who knew her. Only one other member of her family survived the genocide. But now Esperance earns an income by teaching others how to use the machine and from making projects both for export (such as the throw she’s holding) and for sale in the local markets (mostly children’s sweaters that are part of school uniforms). |
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Until next time,
Happy Knitting!
Cari Clement
Bond America
And please visit our parent site
Caron International |
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Fig.1 
