I've knit a couple of swatches with Louet Sales MerLin (merino and linen--clever, huh?) and both swatches have a weird bias to them. See? Please, knitting and yarn experts out there, tell me why this is happening. No, I'm not twisting my stitches. This happens when knitting flat (as seen here) and when knitting ribbing in the round. Is it the way the yarn is made? Is there anything I can do to avoid it? I'm highly confused because I have never seen anything like this before.Update: Dragon Hoodie parts are done. Now I have to get up the gumption to sew them together. This weekend involves teaching at LYS on Saturday (assuming that I have students) and watching Peter run the Seabrook Marathon on Sunday. I don't see much seaming happening on either day.
Good News: I'm going to Alaska! Alaska! I have wanted to go to Alaska since I was a kid. Peter and I just booked a Backroads Trip. We will be hiking, biking, rafting, sea kayaking, and DOG SLEDDING. (I'm ignoring the fact that the dog sleds are going to be on wheels.) We will be going in August when the heat of Houston will be unbearable. There are still several spots open on the trip. Anyone care to join us? Come on, where else can you buy qiviut yarn in a museum store?
12 comments:
That bias thing is incredibly odd; I've never seen it before!
And Alaska! I'm so jealous--I've always wanted to go there. Be sure to post loads of pictures.
Some yarns are prone to do that. Usually singles are worse offenders. Is the yarn tightly overspun? Does it want to twist back on itself?
My recent pullover has an all-over knit and purl texture because the swatches were biasing fiercely in st. st. Using Broken Rib really put an end to that. The finished sweater doesn't bias at all.
Wow. Alaska! And that's a serious Alaska trip. I don't think Matt and I are cut out for a trip like that. As he always says, his idea of roughing it is staying at a Holiday Inn where the elevator is broken.
Still, I will look at your photos with great enthusiasm after you return.
What an awesome trip! I'd love to join you, but I think that level of travel is not in the cards for me this year. Boo-hoo.
My mother wants to go to Alaska, desperately. I'm always asking her "Don't you know Alaska is COLD?" I'm assuming that you, too, know Alaska is cold. (Even in August, to someone who hated North Carolina in part because it was so cold.) Houston in August is just fine with me when I seriously think about the alternative.
Can't help on why the yarn is biasing. If I had to guess, I'd bet on the twist of the yarn, in which case I don't think there's anything you can do with it to make it not bias in stockinette stitch.
Good luck with the putting together of the hoodie. :)
--Carrie
I'd love to go to Alaska! I don't think the kids, or the lack of money are going to make that possible though. Sounds like a fun trip!
That's an annoying issue with the yarn! I have no idea why that would happen though.
I think the Alaska trip sounds wonderful--I've heard it's beautiful in summer! And anything cooler than Houston in August would be great.
Answer: unbalanced yarn, a girl's worst friend. Many, many, many yarns found at your LYS are offenders, when you read this, you'll view your knitting in a whole new light :)
http://www.hjsstudio.com/balance.html
I have never come across the bias issue before. I guess you learn something new every day.
You and Peter are going to have a ball in Alaska. You will be able to knit with wool in August while all of us here in Houston are still doing the cotton thing.
Are will still on for today?
Amy
The yarn thing is from the twist not being properly set on the yarn. I might give up that yarn and run far away from it. The other option, I think, is to wash it and hang it dry with a little bit of weight on it. It might help, and it might not, hard to say. If you knit it like this, after you wash it, it's going to be worse.
Alaska! that is so cool. I would love to go there too. It's still in my plans for someday. =) Have fun!
Wow, Alaska! That is very cool. Do bring lots of bugspray; I heard the moskies there are HUGE.
$66 for 220 yards of qiviut... nice. Oh, I hope you get some for show and tell!
- MJ
Or, you could emphasize the bias and use it as a feature... for example, it might make a Clapotis even more parallelogram-shaped... :) You get the idea -- I could see this making a neat asymmetrical kind of thing.
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