That natural black sweater is just absolutely stunning!~ I love the texture, and the richness and depth of color. That is absolutely something I would want to make!
I visited what was generally known locally as "St Andrews by the sea" many times while visiting my grandparents who lived about a buggy ride away. To them, subsistence farmers trying to feed and clothe a family during the depths of the Great Depression, St Andrews was the place where rich out of towners came to have pleasant vacations where they could play at the rustic, rural life while staying at luxurious hotels. The guest list included ex-presidents and rich folk from a Toronto. The latter, according to my mother who worked a waitress at a resort one summer, were notoriously bad tippers. I bought wool at the shop there in the 1970s for a sweater for my husband. It seemed, at the time, to be focused on serving the tourists/visitors rather than the locals. It was a lively shop in a lovely town that was in general upmarket to the surrounding grinding poverty that had come with the Depression. The Canadian maritime provinces are incredibly beautiful and no town seems without an history. When we can once again travel I would recommend them as places of great food, incredible history and wonderful people.
@@lynnmcrae6659 my mom'family goes black generations on that land. It grabs your heart. And I think many Canadians are not aware of the crushing impact of the Depression or the incredible efforts of Maritimes in WWII.
Hi. Another New Brunswicker here from Rexton area (a longer buggy ride, for sure!). I love to visit St. Andrews. The setting is beautiful and the history of the area is interesting. Try to visit Ministers Island. I remember visiting the Cottage Crafts shop in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. I had some sweater pattern books from them. Wasn’t the yarn supplied by Briggs and Little? Sample cards looked awfully similar.
I have lived in New Brunswick my whole life and I lived in Saint Andrews by the Sea for a year for college. Its a beautiful place and I quite often would stop into the Cottage Craft shop just to brows. They always had skeins of yarn tied to ropes like tassels that hung between posts outside the shop and it is very near to the wharf. It was just a beautiful place to be. The book is quite interesting too if you enjoy history (as I know you do ;) ).
Your Zwartbles sweater looks amazing! I love how it took you down a path of learning about yarn construction - and thank you for bringing us along with you!
I just purchased some Brooklyn Tweed Shelter which is woolen spun to make a sweater. It will be interesting to see if I notice a difference from the other yarns I've used. And thank you for posting today.
Enjoy your videos so much! At some time, please consider doing an instruction video on upper arm alterations. The sweater pattern schematic measurements for upper arms are always too small for my abundant arms. I would like to understand how to add inches for different construction types: drop shoulder, yoke, and raglan and then, how to adjust the body of the sweater to handle those extra inches. Thanks.
I love your videos!! I have been knitting for awhile but still feel like a beginner. I really want to switch from English to continental knitting. I knit very slowly. Please keep posting videos. I appreciate them!!
I hope this is a bit of encouragement: the Central Maryland Knitting Guild has some of the most knowledgeable and experienced knitters I’ve been privileged to meet. Before Covid we had an in person class on brioche. I expected to be only inexperienced knitter in this class, but several of the most talented knitters were there claiming they could never figure out the process. Moral: we are all novices at something and knitting is not a competition. Second: after knitting English style for more than 40 years, I decided to learn Continental - so, I made a lap robe for my husband who loved getting anything hand knit and wasn’t critical. Moral: knit for someone who appreciates the effort more than the product. Knit on.
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. I guess I just need to do it. Like with learning anything it’s a process that requires perseverance. And lots of patience! What did they used to say? Where there’s a will there’s a way? I’ve been told in the past that I’m stubborn 😁. Guess it’s time to put some of that gift to work. Again. Thank you.
There are lots of ways to become more efficient at knitting in your existing style. It is worth learning both English and Continental knitting, but there is nothing more inherently better about Continental. I would suggest watching videos of lots of different knitting styles. There isn't one way of knitting English nor one way of knitting Continental. You may find that certain methods work better for you than others, because there is more to it than just what hand you hold the yarn in. The way you hold the needles will make a difference, and that is rarely mentioned by people demonstrating their style (mostly because they aren't aware of what they're doing and/or aren't aware that how they hold the needles makes a difference.)
@@RoxanneRichardson thank you!! I never thought of considering how I hold the needles. I just find knitting so very fascinating! There are so many beautiful patterns and yarns. My left brain loves the mathematical side of knitting!! I would love to learn from someone who is an amazing knitter. My family crocheted and I learned that from them but with knitting I’ve been in my own.
Your sweater turned out so nice. I will check out the sheep link. I love seeing them. I did manage to finish all my UFOs this Feb. yay. Sad I won’t be able to catch you live Sunday. Hope there will be a way to see it later.
Apologies if someone else has suggested this yarn producer! John Arbon Textiles www.jarbon.com which is a small yarn mill in Devon UK produces worsted spun Zwartbles yarn. They make a 4ply (fingering) and a DK weight yarn in several natural shades. Only the darkest is pure Zartbles, the others are blended with Exmoor wool in various quantities to obtain the lighter colours. I have a cardigan I knitted in the mid-grey Zwartbles blend. It's a beautiful yarn somewhat robust and toothy, but as you say so warm to wear. Hope this helps!
Love your finished sweater. Brunswick yarn sold fabric that matched their yarn in the 1960s, I do not know when they started or stopped. I would have to check my pattern books and the newspaper archives. Great schematic.
I really appreciate your approach to knitting and the product of that process. There are several knitting groups on FaceBook that I follow. Often someone will ask about a dropped stitch or a pattern irregularity and I try to take my interpretation of your knitting philosophy to the poster: this is fabric, if you like it then it’s OK, if you want to tink it and start over you are learning something, etc. Finish it February was only marginally successful this year. Next year, maybe. And there’s always March on March.
After seeing that knitting competition video awhile back, I timed myself. I think I averaged a stitch a second, longer for purl stitches. Ironically, I feel like I purl much faster than I knit, but I must stop more often to pull yarn or slide stiches up the needle.
@@RoxanneRichardson You're a continental knitter, aren't you?? Just know that I can't sustain that pace for hours on end. It's a sprint. I think I knit 100 stitches and purled back. More important than speed is love of project. When I'm getting the results I want, the whole project seems to move along and spark joy.
I found that schematic fascinating. To me it is a bit daunting to design your own knitwear, but I am intrigued by how it can be done. Do you ever make a full size paper pattern of, say, the back (or any other piece) and then "try it on"? If you do, do you use old sewing pattern paper?
I have done a full size schematic, before, but I have never done a mock up. It's pretty easy to generate your own knitter's graph paper with boxes to match your stitch and row gauge proportions, and then just tape several sheets together. It just depends on what it is I'm trying to do with the schematic -- create a scale model based on inches, or create something that helps me plan stitch layout in the context of the full size piece. These days, I usually plan stitch layout using StitchMastery.
Could you put explicit instructions for how to access the Q&A in the show description? I'm not sure what it means that It's on your channel. (Thank you!)
You should be able to see it posted as a scheduled livestream on my channel (and in your subscription feed). You can click on SET REMINDER to be alerted before the livesteam starts, or you can set your notifications to ALL and you'll be notified shortly before it starts, assuming you have the app running on your device, or are sitting at your computer. You watch it like any video. There will be a live chat during the live stream where you can ask questions.
Hi Roxanne. Thanks for your inspiring messages. On a previous Friday you mentioned the U Wisconsin Home Textiles Conference in March. I’d like to enroll but can’t find a registration portal or more specific information, just the original call for proposals. Any ideas? Thx!
Cool construction on that sweater. 2 questions/thoughts: a) I'm guessing the button band/yoke continues on the smaller needle and in rib. Looking at the photo, there is a V-neck. Is that formed purely through the gauge, or is it possible that the decrease rate in the ribbing creates a different angle of decrease, too? b) Are more rows knit in the gauge section to achieve the needed height of the piece? (I'm imagining ways one could knit it all together without seams using 2 circular needles of different sizes. Clearly more trouble than just seaming it, but it's interesting to think about.) ALSO - I love that Zwartbles sweater. Nice job on that design!
Yes, the band/yoke is knit on the smaller needle, which is why the sts are put on hold when the switch is made to the stockinette portion. The stitch counts and row counts appear to be equivalent for the sts lost in the body and sts gained in the yoke. The band starts increasing when it is the same length as the body, when "slightly stretched.". I imagine the contraction of the rib helps to move the band selvedge to help form the V, but also, the neck being in the way pushes it to the side as well. The yoke appears to ride slightly up on the side of the neck. I have thought a bit about how it could be knit seamlessly, in a couple of ways, or at least how I can make the yoke increases and seaming more tolerable, possibly with short rows.
That natural black sweater is just absolutely stunning!~ I love the texture, and the richness and depth of color. That is absolutely something I would want to make!
I visited what was generally known locally as "St Andrews by the sea" many times while visiting my grandparents who lived about a buggy ride away. To them, subsistence farmers trying to feed and clothe a family during the depths of the Great Depression, St Andrews was the place where rich out of towners came to have pleasant vacations where they could play at the rustic, rural life while staying at luxurious hotels. The guest list included ex-presidents and rich folk from a Toronto. The latter, according to my mother who worked a waitress at a resort one summer, were notoriously bad tippers.
I bought wool at the shop there in the 1970s for a sweater for my husband. It seemed, at the time, to be focused on serving the tourists/visitors rather than the locals. It was a lively shop in a lovely town that was in general upmarket to the surrounding grinding poverty that had come with the Depression.
The Canadian maritime provinces are incredibly beautiful and no town seems without an history. When we can once again travel I would recommend them as places of great food, incredible history and wonderful people.
Hi I am a New Brunswick neighbour from Sussex. More than a buggy ride lol but we live a beautiful part of the world 🙂
@@lynnmcrae6659 my mom'family goes black generations on that land. It grabs your heart. And I think many Canadians are not aware of the crushing impact of the Depression or the incredible efforts of Maritimes in WWII.
Hi. Another New Brunswicker here from Rexton area (a longer buggy ride, for sure!). I love to visit St. Andrews. The setting is beautiful and the history of the area is interesting. Try to visit Ministers Island. I remember visiting the Cottage Crafts shop in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s. I had some sweater pattern books from them. Wasn’t the yarn supplied by Briggs and Little? Sample cards looked awfully similar.
@@margaretyoung2303 my family as well we were loyalists. 🤗
Huge thanks for this very educational video. I can't wait to include this fabulous yoke into a modern cardigan.
Really enjoyed the schematic walk through
And great tidbits - off to click on some of your many links :)
Thanks again Roxanne. I just love the way you pay tribute to women's lives and their history.
I have lived in New Brunswick my whole life and I lived in Saint Andrews by the Sea for a year for college. Its a beautiful place and I quite often would stop into the Cottage Craft shop just to brows. They always had skeins of yarn tied to ropes like tassels that hung between posts outside the shop and it is very near to the wharf. It was just a beautiful place to be. The book is quite interesting too if you enjoy history (as I know you do ;) ).
Mrs Smith from the Northern Territory was the winner of the speed knitting competition.
You beat me to it by less than a minute.
It's so ironic that she won, considering she.lives in the desert 😆
You finished your sweater! What I see it looks great.
I love casual Friday it’s alway filled with so much information 🥰. Was great to see your creative process and your jumper is gorgeous 🥰
Thanks so much 😊
your way of explaining things is just excellent...straightforward and easy to understand! thank you so much for your hard work
You're very welcome!
Your Zwartbles sweater looks amazing! I love how it took you down a path of learning about yarn construction - and thank you for bringing us along with you!
The sweater looks great. The schematic demo was great. I also enjoyed the links you left for us. I always learn something from you. Thank you 😊
I just purchased some Brooklyn Tweed Shelter which is woolen spun to make a sweater. It will be interesting to see if I notice a difference from the other yarns I've used. And thank you for posting today.
Wearing my Criss Cross shawl today. Great presentation. Always learning something new from you.
Enjoy your videos so much! At some time, please consider doing an instruction video on upper arm alterations. The sweater pattern schematic measurements for upper arms are always too small for my abundant arms. I would like to understand how to add inches for different construction types: drop shoulder, yoke, and raglan and then, how to adjust the body of the sweater to handle those extra inches. Thanks.
I love your videos!! I have been knitting for awhile but still feel like a beginner. I really want to switch from English to continental knitting. I knit very slowly. Please keep posting videos. I appreciate them!!
I hope this is a bit of encouragement: the Central Maryland Knitting Guild has some of the most knowledgeable and experienced knitters I’ve been privileged to meet. Before Covid we had an in person class on brioche. I expected to be only inexperienced knitter in this class, but several of the most talented knitters were there claiming they could never figure out the process. Moral: we are all novices at something and knitting is not a competition. Second: after knitting English style for more than 40 years, I decided to learn Continental - so, I made a lap robe for my husband who loved getting anything hand knit and wasn’t critical. Moral: knit for someone who appreciates the effort more than the product. Knit on.
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. I guess I just need to do it. Like with learning anything it’s a process that requires perseverance. And lots of patience! What did they used to say? Where there’s a will there’s a way? I’ve been told in the past that I’m stubborn 😁. Guess it’s time to put some of that gift to work. Again. Thank you.
There are lots of ways to become more efficient at knitting in your existing style. It is worth learning both English and Continental knitting, but there is nothing more inherently better about Continental. I would suggest watching videos of lots of different knitting styles. There isn't one way of knitting English nor one way of knitting Continental. You may find that certain methods work better for you than others, because there is more to it than just what hand you hold the yarn in. The way you hold the needles will make a difference, and that is rarely mentioned by people demonstrating their style (mostly because they aren't aware of what they're doing and/or aren't aware that how they hold the needles makes a difference.)
@@RoxanneRichardson thank you!! I never thought of considering how I hold the needles. I just find knitting so very fascinating! There are so many beautiful patterns and yarns. My left brain loves the mathematical side of knitting!! I would love to learn from someone who is an amazing knitter. My family crocheted and I learned that from them but with knitting I’ve been in my own.
Your sweater turned out so nice. I will check out the sheep link. I love seeing them. I did manage to finish all my UFOs this Feb. yay. Sad I won’t be able to catch you live Sunday. Hope there will be a way to see it later.
Apologies if someone else has suggested this yarn producer! John Arbon Textiles www.jarbon.com which is a small yarn mill in Devon UK produces worsted spun Zwartbles yarn. They make a 4ply (fingering) and a DK weight yarn in several natural shades. Only the darkest is pure Zartbles, the others are blended with Exmoor wool in various quantities to obtain the lighter colours. I have a cardigan I knitted in the mid-grey Zwartbles blend. It's a beautiful yarn somewhat robust and toothy, but as you say so warm to wear. Hope this helps!
Yes, lovely.
Interesting as always, Roxanne. I’ll be sending a copy of the Helen Grace Mowatt book to a New Brunswick friend. Thanks!
Fun and very educational. I would have never thought of that yoke construction. Happy knitting.
Love your finished sweater. Brunswick yarn sold fabric that matched their yarn in the 1960s, I do not know when they started or stopped. I would have to check my pattern books and the newspaper archives. Great schematic.
Another very informative podcast, loved the cardigan schematic, and useful links.Thanks
Beautiful sweater 🙂
Thank you! 😊
Great video. So interesting! I got so much from the detailed drawing showing how gauge impacts the garment. Thank you very much.
I really appreciate your approach to knitting and the product of that process. There are several knitting groups on FaceBook that I follow. Often someone will ask about a dropped stitch or a pattern irregularity and I try to take my interpretation of your knitting philosophy to the poster: this is fabric, if you like it then it’s OK, if you want to tink it and start over you are learning something, etc. Finish it February was only marginally successful this year. Next year, maybe. And there’s always March on March.
On eBay, once you find your search terms, you can save the search in eBay and get notifications when something comes up in that search.
After seeing that knitting competition video awhile back, I timed myself. I think I averaged a stitch a second, longer for purl stitches. Ironically, I feel like I purl much faster than I knit, but I must stop more often to pull yarn or slide stiches up the needle.
You're faster than I am! :-)
@@RoxanneRichardson You're a continental knitter, aren't you?? Just know that I can't sustain that pace for hours on end. It's a sprint. I think I knit 100 stitches and purled back. More important than speed is love of project. When I'm getting the results I want, the whole project seems to move along and spark joy.
Would love a video about breads and yarn construction!
I've done several videos on yarn construction in the past few months. You can find them in the Yarn playlist on my channel.
And the winner was... Mrs. Mary Smith from Alice Springs!
I found that schematic fascinating. To me it is a bit daunting to design your own knitwear, but I am intrigued by how it can be done. Do you ever make a full size paper pattern of, say, the back (or any other piece) and then "try it on"? If you do, do you use old sewing pattern paper?
I have done a full size schematic, before, but I have never done a mock up. It's pretty easy to generate your own knitter's graph paper with boxes to match your stitch and row gauge proportions, and then just tape several sheets together. It just depends on what it is I'm trying to do with the schematic -- create a scale model based on inches, or create something that helps me plan stitch layout in the context of the full size piece. These days, I usually plan stitch layout using StitchMastery.
Could you put explicit instructions for how to access the Q&A in the show description? I'm not sure what it means that It's on your channel. (Thank you!)
You should be able to see it posted as a scheduled livestream on my channel (and in your subscription feed). You can click on SET REMINDER to be alerted before the livesteam starts, or you can set your notifications to ALL and you'll be notified shortly before it starts, assuming you have the app running on your device, or are sitting at your computer. You watch it like any video. There will be a live chat during the live stream where you can ask questions.
Hi Roxanne. Thanks for your inspiring messages. On a previous Friday you mentioned the U Wisconsin Home Textiles Conference in March. I’d like to enroll but can’t find a registration portal or more specific information, just the original call for proposals. Any ideas? Thx!
I messaged Dr Moskowitz, who is running the event, when registration would open, and she said early this week.
Thank you
❤
Cool construction on that sweater. 2 questions/thoughts: a) I'm guessing the button band/yoke continues on the smaller needle and in rib. Looking at the photo, there is a V-neck. Is that formed purely through the gauge, or is it possible that the decrease rate in the ribbing creates a different angle of decrease, too? b) Are more rows knit in the gauge section to achieve the needed height of the piece? (I'm imagining ways one could knit it all together without seams using 2 circular needles of different sizes. Clearly more trouble than just seaming it, but it's interesting to think about.) ALSO - I love that Zwartbles sweater. Nice job on that design!
Yes, the band/yoke is knit on the smaller needle, which is why the sts are put on hold when the switch is made to the stockinette portion. The stitch counts and row counts appear to be equivalent for the sts lost in the body and sts gained in the yoke. The band starts increasing when it is the same length as the body, when "slightly stretched.". I imagine the contraction of the rib helps to move the band selvedge to help form the V, but also, the neck being in the way pushes it to the side as well. The yoke appears to ride slightly up on the side of the neck. I have thought a bit about how it could be knit seamlessly, in a couple of ways, or at least how I can make the yoke increases and seaming more tolerable, possibly with short rows.