Shopping list for August project

Posted on July 28, 2012 by jackiees

I’m really excited about the Lace-edged towel for August.

It’s a project to turn an ordinary towel into something extraordinary. Whether for yourself or a gift for someone else, your Spiral Diamonds Lace-edged Towel will have a special place in the heart and home.

Spiraling Diamonds Lace-edged Towel
Spiraling Diamonds Lace-edged Towel

Hope you will be knitting along with us.

Thed pattern for this Lace-edged Towel will be available in the Free Membership area August 1, 2012 through August 31, 2012. I wanted to give you a heads-up now about the  materials you will need so you can be ready to start the project as soon as possible after the pattern goes live.

  • 16″ wide towel (pattern can be adjusted for other widths, so feel free to go narrower or wider)
  • Size 10 crochet cotton (I used J&P Coats Knit Cro-sheen; 1 ball was more than enough and could probably do a huge bath-sized towel rather than the smaller towel I did)
  • Size 2.5 US (3 mm) knitting needles (choose US 2 if you knit loosely, or US 3 if you knit tightly and you should be ok)
  • For attaching the lace edging to the towel, eventually you’ll need sewing needle and sewing thread that matches your towel color, but you can hold off on that until later since you will be knitting the lace edging first

Please be sure to tell your knitting friends about this. I appreciate you spreading the word to bring the art and skill of knitting lace to as many people as possible!

Posted in Bit-size Tutorials | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Now I Have a Question for YOU … Thinking Ahead

Posted on July 25, 2012 by jackiees

I can’t believe we are already more than half-way through 2012.

Have you been having fun with Bits of Lace 2012? Have you started thinking about what you might want to do for 2013?

I’d love to get your input on what you would like for the focus in 2013.

a question for you

Some possibilities I’ve thought of are:

  • More Bits of Lace
    More bit-sized lace projects beyond lace edgings.
  • Bits of Beads
    Bit-sized projects that incorporate beads in a variety of ways.
  • Bitty Surprises
    A surprise bit-size project with a different focus technique each month.

I’m open to your suggestions, too. Or expanding on any of the suggestions here as a jumping off point with ideas that really spark your interest.

Please help me plan for our group! I want us all to have fun, and if we can learn something along the way, even better.

I’m looking forward to hearing your answers, suggestions and comments.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on our Knitting Bits of Lace Facebook group page.

p.s. Just in case you are not following my Jackie E-S Blog, I wanted to let you know there are 3 recent articles I think you will like: an easy way to tell what size bead you have; what bead size goes with which yarn weight; and a photo tutorial for transferring pre-strung beads. Feel free to share links to these articles; the content there is open to everyone, even non-members.

Posted in Q&A | 7 Comments

Q&A: What weight yarn with which bead size?

Posted on July 23, 2012 by jackiees

Leslie asked:

“… is there a chart anywhere that says what size beads to use with what size yarn? I live waaaay out in the country and there are absolutely no yarn stores or bead stores around here – the nearest is a Michaels about 35 miles one way. So, I do most everything on the internet and you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to hold an imaginary piece of yarn up to an imaginary bead to see if the yarn will fit through the hole! Consequently, I haven’t done any beading yet although I would love to.”

Answer: HeartStrings knitting patterns will always tell you the size bead used for the specified yarn weight. So of course, that is one way to know. 🙂

For the method I have discussed here where just one strand of yarn/thread goes through the bead, the guidelines for corresponding yarn sizes are:

* size 5/0 (5 mm) :: worsted weight
* size 6/0 (4 mm) :: sport/DK weight
* size 8/0 (3 mm) :: fingering weight
* size 11/0 (2 mm) :: lace weight

If a different method is being used to incorporate beads into the knitting (e.g. if 2 strands of yarn need to go through the bead, then go to the next larger size bead). For example, the “crochet hook” method used in the Peek-a-Bead Scarf uses size 6/0 (4 mm) beads with fingering weight yarn.

Remember to think about whether you might want to do Bits of Beads in 2013? It would be a chance to get into much more depth and fun projects with beads. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below or on our Knitting Bits of Lace Facebook group page.

Posted in Q&A | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Easy Knitting with Beads: Slip/sliding a bead into place

Posted on July 22, 2012 by jackiees

In this Part 2 of Easy Knitting with Beads, I’ll be sharing pictures and tips about  the “slip (or slide) a bead into place” method.

Once you have your beads strung on your yarn/thread, now the real fun begins.

Cast on for your project and begin knitting. As you knit, carefully push the beads down further along the yarn until you need them. When you come to a place where you want to place a bead, just slide a bead up along the yarn until it is right next to the last stitch you worked.

Slide a bead into place

Slide a bead into place

When making the following stitch, take care that the bead is not pulled through the loop while making the new stitch.

In the lace edging pattern for the Satin and Lace Ornament, the last stitch worked before placing a bead is a knit stitch. Thus in the above picture you see that the thread is at the far side of the needle (and thus the bead has been scooted up close to the back of the right-hand needle). The next stitch to be made is another knit stitch. Thus the bead will end up on the running thread between the stitches and toward the back of the fabric.

Placed Bead

Placed bead is on the running thread between two knit stitches

Because the thread is in back of the needle, the bead shows up best on the opposite side of the work. I.E. in this pattern, your bead placement rows are actually wrong side rows. You will want to keep this in mind when you are later attaching the beaded edging  to the ornament ball so that you get the full effect of the beads.

Tip 1: Beads want to go to the bumpy side of fabric that surrounds them. Thus, if a bead is placed between 2 knit stitches, the bead will show up on the opposite side of the fabric. If a bead is placed between 2 purl stitches, the bead will show up on the side of the fabric facing you.

Tip 2: Look for opportunities in other stitch patterns to place beads. If you see purl stitches, imagine how beads would look there!

Tip 3: To lock in a bead more firmly, work through the back loop of the stitch before and after the bead; e.g. knit 1 through back loop, slide bead, knit 1 through back loop.

I love knitting with beads and would love to share even more beady things with you. But we are already past the half-way point this year and I still have lots more to share with you on lace edgings. Think about whether you might want to do Bits of Beads in 2013? Let me know your thoughts.

Posted in Bit-size Tutorials | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Easy Knitting with Beads: Preparation

Posted on July 20, 2012 by jackiees

How are you doing with the Christmas in July project? I hope you are enjoying “Antique” Satin and Lace Ornament. Are you doing the beads? Read on for more about the  “slip/slide a bead into place between stitches” technique used for knitting with beads in this project.

Preparation

Although the “slip/slide a bead into place between stitches” is easy to do, it does require beads to be strung onto your yarn/thread beforehand. Since this project only requires 36 beads, it’s a good time to try knitting with beads using this technique.

* The first point I want to make is that there really is no need for a special beading needle. So don’t let that hold you back from enjoying the experience and results of knitting with beads.

* If your beads have come on a pre-strung strand of thread, simply transfer the beads that you need as described in this month’s project pattern. If you’d like more detailed step-by-step visuals to show you how I transfer beads pre-strung on a temporary thread to the project yarn/thread, I’ve got a photo tutorial at my Jackie E-S blog on Transferring Pre-strung Beads.

* For loose beads, you can use the “waxed thread needle” method as described in the project pattern. Any kind of bee wax or paraffin wax can be used. You might already have some of this on hand with your sewing notions? Or a block of paraffin wax for use in canning jams and jellies? I do recommend using a non-colored wax (i.e. not a colored candle) so that it does not transfer unwanted color to the inside holes of the beads and then later to your project.

* Besides the “waxed thread needle” method, there are 2 other commonly available needles you may already have on hand to get your loose beads strung without special equipment.

Bead stringing options using common needles on hand

Top of photo: Use a fine sewing needle or tiny tapestry needle. If you have trouble getting your yarn through the eye of the needle, you can make your own larger “sewing thread eye” as follows:

  • Thread the eye of your needle with the short length of strong sewing thread such as quilting thread.
  • Holding both ends of the sewing thread together, make a simple overhand knot and pull snugly.
  • Clip the ends of the knot a short distance from the end.
  • Now you have an “eye” through which you can easily pass your yarn.

Bottom of photo: Floss threaders are available in the dental supplies section of stores. The tip of the floss threader is used as the “needle”. The big “eye” of the floss threader makes for easily threading your yarn/thread through it. The collapsing eye allows you to easily push beads over the eye and onto your thread/yarn.

Next up: Slip/sliding a bead into place

Tomorrow I’ll post Part 2 of the Bit-size Tutorial about Easy Knitting with Beads for our Christmas in July project. I can’t wait to see you again!

Posted in Bit-size Tutorials | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

The Key to Keeping Your Free Membership Active

Posted on July 12, 2012 by jackiees

The short story: Don’t unlink your email address between this KnitHeartStrings.com site and your subscription to HeartStrings news. If you unsubscribe (or don’t confirm your invitation to subscribe within 30 days), you will no longer have access to the free content for Bits of Lace.
Key
The longer story: The email address you are registered with at this site should be the same as the email address you use to subscribe to HeartStrings newsletters. This keeps your free membership active, thereby giving you access to free content.

If you are not subscribed to HeartStrings news when you first register here, the system will email an invitation to the address you enter. You will want to confirm the invitation so you continue to have access to free content for Bits of Lace.

If you need to change email addresses for any reason, let me know so that I can make sure you don’t get dropped from the group.

I want you to continue to enjoy Bits of Lace. So please don’t feel shy about commenting about what you like, about what you’d like to do and learn about, and any questions or suggestions.

p.s. More interesting projects coming up! Remember that an outline for the remainder of the year is posted at What’s Coming Up for Bits of Lace.

Posted in Bits of Lace | Tagged | 11 Comments

Supplies Kit to make Satin and Beaded Lace Ornament

Posted on July 11, 2012 by jackiees

Kits are now available through my catalog at Shopatron for making the Satin and Lace Ornament.

Some in our group were having difficulty getting the supplies in time for the Christmas in July project we are doing this month. So I hope this helps.

In the supplies kit, you get your choice of 5 colors color for the satin ornament ball, choice of 3 threads, pearl seed beads, and fine gauge pins for attaching your completed lace edging to the ball.

Satin Ornament Balls

Satin Ornament Balls - your choice of color

I even save you the work of stringing the beads onto the thread. Your pre-strung beads are ready for you to start knitting right away!

How does that sound? I hope I am not going to drive myself with my offer to string beads for all the kits, lol.

p.s. Sorry, my Shopatron catalog is set up to ship kits only to continental U.S. If you are elsewhere and desperate, contact me directly and I will try to work something out with you.

Posted in Bits of Lace | Tagged , , | 1 Comment