Knitting and Inventing

Here's where I'm at with the February Lady Sweater. It's been a long time since I knit a sweater by hand from the top down, and I can't say that I am really enjoying the long long rows around the whole body. It will, however, make the sleeves seem easy. I like this lace pattern, the only lace pattern I have ever been able to memorize since it only has two pattern rows.

The book I am going to show today is an old book for the Brother knitting machine user, from the 60's I think, that I picked up in an antique store in Martinez. The store owner was astounded that someone actually wanted the book, and it only cost me a few dollars. The reason I show this is to point out what a treasure trove of stitch patterns these books are. Sure, they are for the machine, but every pattern has a chart next to it that is totally useful for hand knitting. This particular version of the Brother book has a chapter towards the back with motifs and lace edgings, too.

Here is a page showing some of the patterns and the charts. The lefthand chart is for the punchcard system on these old machines, but the long skinny chart next to it shows the pattern with handknitting symbols. These use the Japanese symbol system but there is a chart in the book telling you what they mean, and they are very similar to ours anyway. There are also nice full-color sections near the front of the book.

So if you see an old knitting machine book at a thrift store or antique store, don't assume that it is not for you just because you are a hand knitter. They contain all kinds of stitch patterns that don't appear in regular books. There are texture patterns, lace patterns, slipped stitches patterns, etc, etc.

I had a somewhat brilliant idea for churning out hats for the rescue mission on the machine. Instead of knitting them one at a time, I can cast on once and knit the hat bodies one after another in a long string with waste yarn between the sections (or ravel cord). Think of the casting on time this would save. I am going to get started on that today or tomorrow. Winter is approaching fast.