How the Yarn Harlot Led Me Astray - An Unintended Knitting Gauge Experiment
Here's a tale on tension.
Once upon a time (a week or two ago) when I took a wee knitting break, I saw a video of the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, knitting like the wind.
Have you seen it? She tucks a straight knitting needle under her right arm, slides stitches onto it with her left needle held crosswise and flips yarn stitch after stitch like a sewing machine.
On speed.
Her hands almost blur.
I'd seen it before.
It looked too much like throwing for my taste.
I'm a continental combination knitter with enough speed to knit 40 pairs of socks and 40 beanies for Socks for Soldiers, plus half a dozen pair of socks for me and mine in under two years.
I'm pleased.
This time, I couldn't stop thinking she knits faster than me.
She's allowed, of course.
But I love speedy knitting.
Many, many soldier feet and hearts need some comfy love ASAP.
If I could whittle my average time down from a pair in ten days, to a pair every week or so..
..
I was about an inch into the stockinette of a beanie when I saw the video.
I changed the yarn to my right hand, mimicked her hand positions and tried Stephanie's "Irish Cottage" production style of knitting.
Whoa, baby.
Did those first two rows go tight! I tinked back and tried again.
Better.
After about an inch, I could see the new knitting style still made the gauge tighter than my old style.
I tore back and tried again.
After two inches, it was still a tighter gauge than my old style, but the stitches were a beautiful, even tension.
My old style looked lumpy bumpy by comparison.
Wow! Too bad I didn't take a photo of it.
I frogged the beanie back down to the last ribbed round and knitted all the stockinette part Yarn Harlot style.
I'm not sure how fast it went, but not bad.
Then I made a second beanie, this time using her style for the ribbing too.
Heavens, it was slow.
K1P1 ribbing her style takes twice the motion of my style.
What surprised me more: it took more rows to create 2" of ribbing.
Both hats fit fine, but the Irish Cottage ribbing feels more snug.
You'd think the hats would have the same gauge in the stockinette part, but no.
As I got faster, the gauge got tighter! Now I know why I had tighter tension all along.
You may already suspect why, but let me explain.
Today I'm on the heel flaps of sock pair #40.
I did the ribbing my way and it zipped right along.
I'll do the stockinette part her way--but with one significant difference.
I'll hold the yarn in my right hand the exact same way I hold yarn in my left hand.
Left hand: over index and ring fingers, under the others.
I'll do the same with the right.
No more looping yarn around one finger.
I think that's what made my gauge tighter.
Yes, I know.
Duh! I loved learning the new style.
What's not to love about sweet, even stitches? With different hand motions at the ready, I can change off knitting styles and prevent repetitive stress injuries.
You know what that means? I can do...
more knitting! At the right knitting gauge, please.
Once upon a time (a week or two ago) when I took a wee knitting break, I saw a video of the Yarn Harlot, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, knitting like the wind.
Have you seen it? She tucks a straight knitting needle under her right arm, slides stitches onto it with her left needle held crosswise and flips yarn stitch after stitch like a sewing machine.
On speed.
Her hands almost blur.
I'd seen it before.
It looked too much like throwing for my taste.
I'm a continental combination knitter with enough speed to knit 40 pairs of socks and 40 beanies for Socks for Soldiers, plus half a dozen pair of socks for me and mine in under two years.
I'm pleased.
This time, I couldn't stop thinking she knits faster than me.
She's allowed, of course.
But I love speedy knitting.
Many, many soldier feet and hearts need some comfy love ASAP.
If I could whittle my average time down from a pair in ten days, to a pair every week or so..
..
I was about an inch into the stockinette of a beanie when I saw the video.
I changed the yarn to my right hand, mimicked her hand positions and tried Stephanie's "Irish Cottage" production style of knitting.
Whoa, baby.
Did those first two rows go tight! I tinked back and tried again.
Better.
After about an inch, I could see the new knitting style still made the gauge tighter than my old style.
I tore back and tried again.
After two inches, it was still a tighter gauge than my old style, but the stitches were a beautiful, even tension.
My old style looked lumpy bumpy by comparison.
Wow! Too bad I didn't take a photo of it.
I frogged the beanie back down to the last ribbed round and knitted all the stockinette part Yarn Harlot style.
I'm not sure how fast it went, but not bad.
Then I made a second beanie, this time using her style for the ribbing too.
Heavens, it was slow.
K1P1 ribbing her style takes twice the motion of my style.
What surprised me more: it took more rows to create 2" of ribbing.
Both hats fit fine, but the Irish Cottage ribbing feels more snug.
You'd think the hats would have the same gauge in the stockinette part, but no.
As I got faster, the gauge got tighter! Now I know why I had tighter tension all along.
You may already suspect why, but let me explain.
Today I'm on the heel flaps of sock pair #40.
I did the ribbing my way and it zipped right along.
I'll do the stockinette part her way--but with one significant difference.
I'll hold the yarn in my right hand the exact same way I hold yarn in my left hand.
Left hand: over index and ring fingers, under the others.
I'll do the same with the right.
No more looping yarn around one finger.
I think that's what made my gauge tighter.
Yes, I know.
Duh! I loved learning the new style.
What's not to love about sweet, even stitches? With different hand motions at the ready, I can change off knitting styles and prevent repetitive stress injuries.
You know what that means? I can do...
more knitting! At the right knitting gauge, please.
Source...