Welcome: Knitting and fencing but rarely together

Hello, I'm Bronagh aka Lapurplepenguin a Northern Irish born, London-based knitting designer, tech editor and journalist 

I love my pointy sticks and when I occasionally put down my knitting, I am sometimes known to pick up a sword - or at the very least help others indulge in some sabre fencing by helping my club organise competitions and events.

Although superficially different knitting and sabre fencing share some surprising common traits (apart from getting you odd looks on the train) - storage requirements, specialist kit, strange languages and of course the pointy objects.

The blog is mainly about adventures in yarn and jewellery but will occasionally feature a spot of swashbuckling.

One thing I should explain is the name. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Ravelry as lapurplepenguin and on Instagram it is bromiskelly_lapurplepenguin so this blog belongs to a penguin with pointy sticks (knitting needles and swords). There's lots of knitting on all these feeds so do please follow me.

Purple Penguin has been an all purpose name I've used for years - long before I started a second career as a knitwear designer. It first started I think when I needed a name for a quiz team or the like. Someone said think of a couple of things you like: obviously purple and penguins.

But it then came in handy as a code in relation to knitting and dressmaking. If you are wearing a garment you made and someone compliments it, and you admit you made it, there are sometimes odd reactions. But if I say "it's a purple penguin" they nod or say really. And so my knitting superhero identity was born.

You can find more about my work and designs at lapurplepenguin.com

Tip of the week: Check out your yarn labels, they are a fount of info

I'd like you to take a look at your yarn stash and read some labels. Quite often when we start a project we just discard the labels or leave then to languish in the bottom of the project bag, but they have a lot to say.

What the yarn is made of: The more you knit the more you learn about how different fibres behave so the fibre content listed can give you clues about how the yarn will be to knit with and what sort of fabric it might make.

Recommended needle size and tension: This doesn't mean that you must use these needles or that this is the tension that you will get in a particular pattern. Rather it is the average tension the manufacturer has found for that yarn on that size of needle. But this does give you clues to what range of needles this yarn will work best with.

The amount and length of the yarn in the ball or skein: Labels will often tell you how many metres there are in the ball as well as the weight. Some patterns will tell you how many metres of yarns are used in a project, so this can be very useful.

Washing instructions: Very useful - if I am giving a knitted item to a non-knitter I will often include a yarn label so they have official washing instructions.

Getting on the right side of your knitting

In the various online knitting spaces I frequent I’ve come across a couple of interesting discussions on what “right side” means in a knitting pattern.

It’s a tricky one because the phrase can be used in two separate ways – in terms of the outward facing part of your finished item or it could refer to the right hand side of a garment (which can be tricky in itself -see below).

Right and wrong sides, and front and back

In knitting patterns you will often see rows referred to as “right side” and “wrong side” rows. Usually this means the side the pattern is intended to show on and the side that would be on the inside of a garment or reverse of a scarf.

This is easy to understand if you are doing stocking stitch (the smooth side is the right side) or Fair Isle (the strands or floats are on the wrong side) but can be harder to see in other stitch patterns. And if you are doing a stitch pattern that is effectively double-sided, you may need to decide that the right side is facing you either when working the odd or the even numbered rows and put a marker in place to remind you.

The right side of your knitting in not the same as the front in most patterns. Front usually refers to the side of your knitting facing you on that particular row. In other words if you are told to bring the yarn to the front, you want it to be between you and your knitting. If it should be at the back, the yarn should be behind your knitting as you hold it at that moment.

Right-hand side

Then there are the times when right side means the right hand side of the finished item. Sounds simple but it can be confusing. If you are knitting the front of a garment is stocking stitch, when you are on the knit row (ie with the smooth/right side facing), the stitches to the left of your work will be the ones forming the right hand seams of your finished piece.

Yep, now your brain is feeling the strain.

My approach to working out what the right hand and left hand parts of your piece are is to think about where sleeves will attach. Your right arm will go the right sleeve so the side where the right sleeve will attach will be the right-hand side of the body. So if you are ever feeling confused, spread your work out so you can see the shape and think about where your sleeves would go.

These discussions have really made me think about how much I use these terms in patterns and how to make what I mean as clear as possible.

Your goldilocks cast-on and other options

Do you have a favourite cast-on? The one that’s not too tight, not too loose, with a bit of elasticity (but not too much) and gives an edge you like. Just right like Goldilocks and the bears’ porridge.

Some people’s goldilocks cast on is the first one they ever learned. It works for them and they don’t have a good reason to change it. Other knitters will have tried several or have strong views on why they use the cable cast on rather than long tail or vice versa. Personally, my cable cast on is neater than my long-tail so that’s my “just right” option. But that doesn’t mean it will be yours – we’re back to different options suiting different hands again.

 

While your goldilocks cast-on will be great for most of your projects there will be times when you need something a little different. With 30 to 40 cast on methods to try. It can be worth experimenting with a few specialised ones – there are plenty of resources including books and videos to help. I'm a fan of a useful little book called Cast On Bind Off by Leslie Ann Bestor

Swatching your cast on

When (if) you make a tension square or swatch a knitting idea, do you think about your cast on at all?

It’s most likely that you give the cast on little more thought than as a way to getting to the gauge test. But if you are working on a new stitch or type of project, or trying a new yarn, it can be useful to knit a few rows in the edging pattern to see if your cast on is right. For example, some cast ons could be too tight or loose for the ribbing on a sock. Or pull too tight for a lace section.

When do you need a different cast on?

Among the times you might need to test and change your cast on include the neck of a top-down sweater, the cuff or a sock or a shawl that starts with a lace section that will be blocked.

The first two examples, the neckband and the sock cuff, are times when you might need more stretch in your cast on than usual. Luckily, there are plenty of stretchier cast-ons, including “alternating” versions for both the popular long-tail and a cable cast ons. These are versions where you cast on in rib, alternating the usual “knit” version of the cast on with a purl variation.

For the lace project, it may be worth swatching your pattern with your normal cast on and with one that can come out a bit loose such as the thumb (or backward loop) method or the basic knit on cast on. I find these cast ons can be a bit loose compared to my knitting tension so on a garment they’d give me an untidy edge but for a section of lace I am going to aggressively block out, that slack could be useful.

Other cast on types

Provisional cast ons – for example the crochet cast on. These are cast ons that allow you to “release” stitches from the start of your work to be knitted later. They are useful in lace and in some top down projects.

Decorative cast ons , such as a picot cast on and the Old Norwegian cast on, can give a different look to the edge of your work.

Multicolour cast ons create braided or contrasting edgings – great options for colour work hats and gloves.

Once you start building your cast on repertoire, you will find lots of interesting options but this doesn’t mean you will abandon your original goldilocks cast on. This is workhorse choice that will still be a good choice for much of your knitting. But you’ll have more choice and more confidence about knowing when your cast on is doing what you need.

First rule of business, know your market or perhaps not with the Ecomcrew and knitters

Today a big topic on “knitting Twitter” or at least the social media that top my feeds has been a video from Ecomcrew a pair of North American ecommerce gurus where they explain why they have bought the domain Knitting.com

It seems that the pair see the knitting sector as somewhere ripe for their expertise and where they can build a “seven figure business”. So far, so good you might say – we are all keen on increasing interest in and access to knitting and other yarn crafts.

Watch the full 40min video here if you want to know all the details so far.

Unfortunately, this first introduction of Mike and Dave to the yarnie community has not gone well.

The video episode about why they have acquired Knitting.com is aimed at their business community following and their aim is to use their knitting business as a teaching tool for their activities in that arena as much as building a successful brand.

However, it seems to me that two people who clearly put a lot of stock in great content could have managed to produce something that explained their reasons for developing the brand without simultaneously belittling and insulting the potential customer base.

Perhaps they didn’t expect knitters to come across their blog and podcast because we have no interest in business, which in itself suggests some ignorance about the knitting audience. Lots of vocal yarn crafters are also running their own business and are keen to learn. 

Among the statements made in their video and blog post are:

• That as straight men nobody would expect them to take on a knitting business
• That there are less than 10 big brands producing good content and the rest is granny bloggers. (Yep, only grannies and gay men knit)
• And the surprising announcement that Amazon is not the go to place for knitters to buy their supplies.
• They also tell us that their plan is to have great patterns that will attract people to buy their products - this isn't exactly innovative in the yarn sector.

Unsurprisingly the use of stereotypes has raised a lot of hackles but there is more to object to here and not just for knitters, the followers of these business gurus are being short-changed too.

This smacks of abysmal research and perhaps only a cursory glance at the market which they assume to be exactly like others they have had businesses in. There was certainly no mention of how community is a key aspect in this market.

It is very frustrating. If these two people had come along and shown they have really looked at the market and then said we think we have knowledge from elsewhere that we think can build something new or better and we’ll be engaging the community, they would have received much better feedback.

Of course, it may be that this is a clever ploy for their business guru content as over coming months they reveal that their initial stereotyping and assumptions were wrong and how they adapted their model accordingly – that would be great.

But responding to knitters initial reaction by describing us as “passionate and protective” isn’t a good start.

I will be following the blog and the podcast to see what happens –  as well as being a knitwear designer and content creator (but not a granny), I also happen to have a business journalism background that involved writing for would-be tech entrepreneurs back when that really was innovative. 

 

UPDATE 25 FEB 2022

The video and the version of the blog post I was referring to have now disappeared and a post talking about learning from the knitting community has appeared in its place. 
It contains the admission that "The knitting community is clearly strong – far stronger than I would have imagined just a couple of days ago!" I refer you back to my point above - researching your market is important and it is a good idea before you start talking about it.

New magazine pattern: Anika yoked top

Knitting magazine issue 227 is out and it's all about texture.

I've a couple of patterns and tutorial in it but today I'm just showing you Anika.

 

This short-sleeved 4-ply top is worked bottom-up in the round on the body and sleeves which then join for the yoke (don't ask about working out yoke shaping for 10 sizes!).

 

It features a slip-stitch texture pattern which is easy to work but very effective. I used Cascade Yarns Heritage for this which means a vast range of colour combinations - and as mention above the pattern offers 10 sizes. But any nice plain 4-plys would work for this - or perhaps a variegated for the contrast.

 

I'll share the other design later in the week.

Tip of the week: Use your previous cables as a guide

Once you have decoded your cable instructions and established the first few rows of your project, you have already knitted yourself a quick cheat sheet.

If you reach the next cable in your pattern and have a sudden blank about whether your cable needle needs to be held at the front or the back, look down your work at the cables below to find an equivalent one. Look at the cable you are about to knit - if you have the cable needle at the front, will your stitches cross in the same way as before? If yes, your cable needle is in the right place. For visual learners, this can be a lot more help than reading the cable instructions again.

In general, look at the patterns you cables form at you knit - they make a clear picture on your work, so it should be easy to spot a mistake like the one picture above. Also once your cable pattern is established compare it to the pictures in your pattern. 

This idea of stopping, from time to time, and looking at how any pattern is developing is a good idea for any project. If it doesn't look right, it may well not be.

Tip of the week: Decoding cable patterns

When I talk to people about why they are intimidated by starting a cable project the answers is often that the terminology or abbreviations seem so complicated. They seem surprised when I say that all cables use the same basic steps:

1. Put a given number of stitches on cable needle.
2. Hold the cable needle to the back or front of the work as instructed.
3. Knit or purl a given number of stitches from your main needle.
4. Knit or purl the stitches from your cable needle.

The result is a set of stitches that cross each other.

 

The key to cable knitting is understanding the number of stitches that go on the cable needle, whether it goes to the back or front and what you knit or purl for each type of cable in the pattern. This can seem like a massive puzzle because there are so many different ways that cables are written in patterns.

However, whatever coding system has been used the pattern abbreviation key should tell you what to do for each one. To be honest, it there isn't a key telling you that, I would be inclined to find a new pattern.

There are lots of cable notation systems. My preferences is for the version that includes writing the abbreviations for example as C8B and Tw4F. Here the the "C" generally indicates that you are working all the stitches in your cable in the same way, the number is how many stitches in total are used in the cable and the B means the cable needle is used to the back. Tw means you will knit some stitches and purl others and F is holding the cable needle to the front.

So C8B could be written as "place 4 stitches on cable needle and hold to the back, knit 4 sts, knit 4 from cable needle". BUT even if you think it means that double check - it could mean place 5 stitches on cable needle and hold to the back, knit 3 sts, etc.

Tw3F is likely to be "place 2 stitches on cable needle and hold to the front, purl 1, knit 2 from cable needle. You can see this type of cable on the upper right of the diamond in the picture above. As you can see it slopes to the left which is why you may see it abbreviated to Tw3L.

If your pattern uses a notation you don't like, it is worth writing out a translation list where you note down how you would think of each cable so you can refer to it until you are sure you are getting your pattern right. 

My cable knitting used to regularly be accompanied by what we might call "strong language" as I dropped or realised I'd lost my cable needle for the hundredth time..

I love cable patterns, but I was driven to distraction by how easy it was to lose a cable needle or for it to drop out of my stitches at just the wrong moment.

Then I found my first kinked cable needle.

The bend in the middle means you can let it angle from your stitches if necessary when working your cable and it doesn't escape. No more manipulating your other needles while grasping the the cable needle in a death grip.

It will also stay firmly in whatever piece of knitting you poke it through. I have come home from a supermarket shop and discovered one still securely sitting in the shoulder of the sweater I was wearing. I'd only stuck it there for a moment while I answered the phone earlier!

Sometimes there are really simple solutions that make a big difference.
 

If you want to practice your cables, you could try the Low Tide Scarf

My cable knitting used to regularly be accompanied by what we might call "strong language" as I dropped or realised I'd lost my cable needle for the hundredth time..

I love cable patterns, but I was driven to distraction by how easy it was to lose a cable needle or for it to drop out of my stitches at just the wrong moment.

Then I found my first kinked cable needle.

The bend in the middle means you can let it angle from your stitches if necessary when working your cable and it doesn't escape. No more manipulating your other needles while grasping the the cable needle in a death grip.

It will also stay firmly in whatever piece of knitting you poke it through. I have come home from a supermarket shop and discovered one still securely sitting in the shoulder of the sweater I was wearing. I'd only stuck it there for a moment while I answered the phone earlier!

Sometimes there are really simple solutions that make a big difference.
 

If you want to practice your cables, you could try the Low Tide Scarf

Farewell to Penguins – changing my business name.

 

Today marks the first step in changing my business identity. As of today, my social media and Payhip pattern store are all changing to BronaghKnits.

When I started designing, I didn’t expect it to become such a large part of my life so I relied on my existing Ravelry and social media tag of LaPurplePenguin – a name that was partly a personal joke.

However, as I have increased my designing portfolio and working more and more for magazines, teaching in person and online all under my actual name this doesn’t really make sense. Over the past year I have noticed that I have been referred to simply as “Bronagh” on other people’s feeds, sites and podcasts. With that in mind, I have decided to step out from the penguin’s shadow and use my real name.

I chose BronaghKnits because it sums up what I do – I knit to create patterns, I knit for my health and write about it some times like in Knitting issue 226, I knit to create class and video tutorials (more coming this year) and I knit to help with your specific skill needs.

The first step is to change the social media, then there will be a new logo, a new blog (though I’ll probably run two in parallel for a bit), a new YouTube channel and a new website over the next few months.

I thought about holding off on any changes until everything is ready but that would allow me to procrastinate for every and this was I can start introduce the changes and take you with me on the journey.

And yes, there are worries about some people losing track of me temporarily but I think overall having Bronagh clearly in my names will make it easier for people over all to find me. So it is a bit scary but probably worth it in the end.

So you can find me on:

Instagram - @bronaghknits

Twitter - @BronaghKnits

Facebook page - BronaghKnits 

Facebook group – Knit with Bronagh, because that’s what I hope you will do.

And my Payhip pattern store is here. 

Meanwhile, you can sign up for my newsletter to keep up with developments.