Combined knitting?

For a while now, I've been slightly confused with all the knitting patterns that aren't designed for circular or double pointed needles for the simple reason of my stitches being orientated slightly differently. Not confused enough to stop me knitting the pattern and coming out with a lovely piece, but confused enough to wonder...

You see, I discovered today that I knit using the technique known as combined knitting and seeing as I've never knitted with other knitters, only with my family, all of whom were taught my grandmother, I've never seen any other technique. With this method, when knittng a purl stitch, you take the yarn underneath the needle instead of over as in the English technique. This results in a stitch that is orientated backwards, with the front leg of the stitch being behind the needle, as if you were twisting the stitches.

It also means that apparently you have to change some patterns slightly to accommodate this sort of different slant, such as reverse ssk and k2tog.

If you knit the same way I do, I recommend checking out this conversion chart that I found today, it'll help in fixing patterns for your knitting, instead of having to learn a different technique for each project.

Conversion Chart

What do you mean... swatch?!

I have to admit, I've never swatched in my life. Not once. I've always viewed as a waste of time that could be better spent workng on the actual project. I may have knitting up samples of lace, to see how it worked, but that's about it. I've always had good tension. I've always been able to pick up the the recommended yarn and needles and knit the pattern and have wonderful results. I've even been able to substitute yarns with minimal maths and still have perfect results

However, today I started a swatch.

This is for a number of reasons.

1. I'm not following a pattern
2. I'm making a gift
3. I'm using my own handspun and therefore don't have a recommended guage or needle size

This isn't to say that I'm knitting something difficult. I'm actually knitting something really easy. It's only a scarf in a basic checkerboard pattern, but I'm knitting it as a gift, so I want it particularly nice. Luckily, It appears that I'll only have to do the one swatch. It's knitting up rather well. I'm very happy with it

Commenced!

I've started the pinwheel jacket finally! I decided to give up on the entrelac cushion cover and the mitred wrap. Mainly because they were both started as experiments, to see if I could do it at all, not because I actually wanted to make those objects. The other reason being they're using awful, acrylic yarn that I really don't like.

I'm rather pleased with it, really. It's knitting up rather quickly, but that might be the 5.5mm needles. I think I may finish this much faster than I previously thought, it may be done in time for winter after all!

A slight hiccup, and a new knitting book

Today I did nothing related to the topics of this blog. Absolutely nothing. I've not knitted, tatted, spun, nor even skeined up the bobbin full of plied yarn that I promised myself I'd do today.

Mainly because this morning, I lost consciousness for some, currently unknown, reason. Therefore, it was decided I should do nothing more strenuous than lie down on the lounge and be fussed over. The doctor took some blood, so hopefully I'll find out on Monday if there is anything I should be concerned about.

In other news, the boyfriend did buy me this book.


It's a fantastic book, full of rather off the wall patterns. It's also one of the very few knitting books I actually own, considering most good knitting books have a not so good price tag. But I have at least three of the patterns to the list of things to knit. I'm considering trying at least one of the patterns in handspun, so that should be interesting!