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Bond Buzz, Issue #21
June 24, 2005
Free from Bond America
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Welcome to another issue of Bond Buzz!
With all the rain and cold we’ve had around Vermont, it’s been a great time to cozy up in a sweater – or better, yet, one of the hot trends, a wrap. But summer seems to have finally arrived, and knitting will be moved onto picnic tables, into RV’s and out onto porches.
As a subscriber to Bond-Buzz, I'd like to invite you to subscribe to a brand-new, FREE e-mail newsletter—Caron Connections from Caron® International. Just visit the Caron site (http://www.caron.com) and enter your email address. It's that easy. As a subscriber to Caron Connections, you'll receive monthly emails filled with the latest inside scoop on Caron's new fashion yarns and free patterns. |
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New Yarns for Your Sweater Machine |
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For super summer knitting, Caron has a wonderful new yarn called Fabulous, that is ideal for this weather, great for fringe, great for combining with Caron's Simply Soft® and Simply Soft® Quick among others and what I thought would be great to use on the machine. However, my attempts failed —until I talked with Lori (who's in charge of Bond America customer service and is an amazing knitter). Lori will find a way to knit just about anything on the machine, so here’s how she makes Fabulous work on the Ultimate Sweater Machine: use the Intarsia Keyplate (or the intarsia technique). It’s that simple. Here’s why: |
Fabulous is a 3/8” wide ribbon-type yarn, also called a “ladder” or “railroad” yarn (it looks like the rungs of a ladder or the ties on railroad tracks). Notice the spaces between the color sections. It’s those sections that the needles catch if you knit the yarn running it through the carriage. |
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Figure 1 |
- Set the intarsia keyplate to tension 2 or 3 (I found 4 didn’t work as well).
- Lay the yarn in the hooks of the needles so it’s relatively flat (it doesn’t have to be perfect). Figure 1. Until you get a feel for how the yarn should run, as you push the carriage across, be sure the yarn has not caught on any of the hooks of the needles (you will be able to feel the carriage “balk” if the yarn has caught.)—or on the carriage stripper plates.
- Let the yarn run through your hand with very slight tension as you knit the carriage to be sure the yarn lies flat in the hooks.
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Figure 2
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Take a close look at the sample at left (Figure 2) of the yarn knitted using the intarsia keyplate. The top of the swatch (above the black line) was knitted using a #3 tension, the bottom using a #2.
Now look at this sample (Figure 3) of what the drop stitch pattern (instructions below) looks like.
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Figure 3 |
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What a great idea for making one of the new “Skinny Scarves!” Using the online pattern—Fabulous Skinny Scarf—you can really get busy on that gift-giving list ‘cause skinny scarves will be on everyone’s wish list this holiday season! |
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On the Road |
Last week I attended the TNNA (The National NeedleArts Association) trade show where yarn shops buy their yarns for the upcoming fall season. It was one of the biggest shows since the mid-80’s. So what’s hot? The fashion show said it all: scarves (of course), wraps in every imaginable configuration with the most interesting (but challenging to figure out) were the architectural ones. Also hot was felting, knitting kits, knitted and crocheted flowers, purses, knitted necklaces (great for the summer!), vests (yes, they’re back – in a big way), long coats, bright colors, brights on black – and lots of multi-colors in very fancy yarns. I would love to show you photos, but they were not allowed on the floor or during the fashion show.
What was most interesting was the buzz about “going back to basics” where the yarn isn’t plain but it doesn’t look like fireworks either. There was lots of self-striping or wide striping (where one color “morphs” into another rather than well-defined stripes). These types of yarns lend themselves to simple textured stitches and easy-to-do cables, all of which you can do on your Ultimate Sweater Machine.
But when I’ll really get a good look-see will be next month when I head to Florence, Italy to attend the Pitti Filati international yarn and knitting fair. The trends section is supposed to be (this will be my first trip) fabulous with lots of over-the-top designs (that we then have to edit down to where a “normal” person could actually wear them). The Pitti allows attendees to take photographs, so I will be sure to have some in the next newsletter. |
Rwanda Knitting Project |
Geofrey Katsushabe and Cari take a moment to show off the Rwandan Scarf for Peace
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And for those of you following the Rwanda knitting project, I am so pleased to let you know that the Rwanda Knits program (part of the Rwandans and Americans in Partnership organization based in Rwanda) just signed a $99,000 grant with USAID (US Agency for International Development) to provide over 600 knitting machines to women, mostly widows, in Rwanda. I’ll be returning to Rwanda late August for a week to continue my work on the project. Soon I will be able to visit for fun, as the program is in the capable hands of Geofrey Katsushabe, the project manager. Here’s a photo of Geofrey wearing one of the Scarves for Peace and me.
If you wish to donate to the Rwandan Knitting Project through Fiberandcraft.org, click here. |
Have a great June and see you in July!
Happy Knitting!
Cari Clement
Bond America
And please visit our parent site
Caron® International |
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