NFL Sweater Part 2

It took me weeks but I have reworked the NFL Sweater pattern to work on my Bond. In fact I re-created the whole sweater so that it would work on my Bond. Now, I just have to knit it and hopefully I put the pattern together correctly so that I won't have some funky sweater in the end. The pattern I worked looks pretty good on paper, but knitting it will be the true test.

I think the hardest part was finding the correct font for the Green Bay Packers. I found a website that you can download different fonts for free. So, I downloaded the font and typed it in my Patten Maker program and then flipped it. It worked out really well. I am very happy how the pattern came out. OK, off to knit.

NFL Sweater

Well, here I go making things more difficult for myself again. I got a pattern to make a NFL sweater on a Studio 700. So I know how to convert the gauge from 4.5mm to my Bond 8mm but I am trying to work out how to convert the NFL logo on the pattern. I am just racking my brain on this. Converting the sweater from one gauge to another easy. Placing the logo not so easy. I want the sweater to look the same or just about the same as the pattern. I do believe the if I placed the logo as it is graphed it will be to large for the sweater because of the gauge difference. Also I do not want it to come out misshapen. I think I will make a sample of logo just to see just how big it will be and then decided just what I want to do from there.

Puffy Paint

I have made my Mary Jane slippers but am very concerned about slip and falls. I read many people have been using Puffy paint to combat slippery yarn slippers. So what the heck I gave it a try.

There are many products on the market that can be placed on the bottom of slippers so that they will not slip, but of course they are more expensive than Puffy paint. The Tulip brand Puffy paint is on average only $1.47 a 1.25 oz tube.

I started by trying to read the directions on the bottle. WOW, I have never seen smaller print. Thinking I am smarter than the average bear, went online to the Tulip site for the directions. They only offered a very general directions on 3-d paint. I had to resort to magnifying the back of the bottle. If I did not do that I would have missed some very important information like you have to steam the paint for it to puff.

After dotting up the bottom of the slippers and waiting 4 hours for it to dry, I steamed the paint and it changed from glossy black to flat black and may have looked a little puffy but I could not really tell a difference. I really did not like the look of the dots on the bottom of my cute as a button slippers. I think it would look better if I had did some sort of pattern or image.

Well, I waited 72 hours to make sure they were dry and tried them on for the big test. I am pleased to inform you that the puffy did create a less slip surface to the bottom of my knitted slipper. Of course, this does not replace a good ole fashioned rubber sole but does work rather well. I would suggest if you are giving knitted slippers to seniors, small children or anyone that has balance issues to use some sort of rubber sole or even Grippies to help prevent falling from slick soles.

I have decided to use the Puffy paint on the slippers that I will be giving out this Christmas. Of course, I will not be giving any to anyone who has any balance issues this year. Also, I will be creating a better design on the bottom of the slipper dots just will not do.

My Baby Jane

I have been working on this slipper for months. I don't know what was wrong with me I just could not make it right. With a little help from my friends at the Incredible Sweater Machine Club on Yahoo, I was able to complete my first slipper. They have been such a help. Now, I am on to make slippers for all the ladies in my life.

Home Made Bond Super Cast on Comb

This is my home made cast on comb for my Bond USM. I went to the local hardware store and got every thing I needed.
1. Flat metal bar
2. Metal Glue
3. Paper Clips
4. wire cutters
5. Handy Mans dream DUCT TAPE

All I did to make my 130 pin cast on comb was:
cut the paper clip at the bend and with a section of my Bond spaced the paper clips out. Then you just glue them on and when dry cover with duct tape. Easy super huge cast on comb.

The Afghan I Have Put Aside

Well, it took me months to get one half of my Pirate afghan done. I have decided to place it aside for now and work on some smaller projects that I won't pull my hair out as much on. It is going to look like a pirate flag. I am making it for my dear cold Husband. He is a big pirate fan so I thought I would help him keep warm this winter with his own pirate blanky. I hope to get back to it in a month or so before it gets cold. I would not want to have a cold pirate wannabe on my hands.

Hand Knit to Machine Knit Conversion Intarsia

Everywhere on the internet you can find how you can convert the gauge of a hand knit pattern to a machine knit pattern. I hear more on how does one convert the intarsia part. So, I found a dishcloth pattern I liked and worked it out. It took me forever but here is an example on how that works.
A hand knit pattern starts with right side of fabric facing you and then it is turned at the end of the row so the wrong side of fabric will be facing you. So, in hand knit instructions you are flip flopping back and forth on which side of the fabric you are working with.
In machine knit, only the pearl side or the wrong side of the fabric is facing at all times. Therefore, hand knit patterns have to be converted for machine knit.

For our example we will be working a dishcloth so tension or gauge will not be needed.

The pattern we will be using is called Beagle and is from the wonderful people at Knitwits Heaven. They have wonderful, creative patterns at their site. You will be able to find them at http://www.knitwits-heaven.com/ . The pattern is a free pattern on their site but they also have patterns that they sell that are just fantastic.

This first part we will be converting the first 10 rows.




This is the Hand Knit version. Picture from Knitwits Heaven.

The pattern reads as follows:
Materials: 1 ball of Worsted Weight Cotton Yarn
Size 4.5 knitting needles

Cast on 47 sts
Rows 1-4: (k1, p1) across to last stitch, k1.
Row 5: k1, p1, k43, p1, k1.
Row 6: k1, p1, k1, p41, k1, p1, k1.
Row 7: k1, p1, k11, p17, k15, p1, k1.
Row 8: k1, p1, k1, p13, k1, p12, k1, p2, k1, p1, k3, p7, k1, p1, k1.
Row 9: k1, p1, k7, (p1, k2) 3x, p1, k11, p1, k14, p1, k1.
Row 10: k1, p1, k1, (p14, k2) 2x, p2, k1, p6, k1, p1, k1.

Pasted from <http://www.knitwits-heaven.com/beagle_washcloth.htm>

Conversion to Machine knit
This pattern is worked from the bottom up so the conversion will be from the bottom up and is only two different stitches knit and purl. When converting the first row will remain the same working the needle bed from left to right. The second row gets a little tricky. Where is says a knit you convert it to a purl and where it says a purl you convert it to a knit and you work the bed from right to left while still reading the row from left to right.
Here is an example:
Hand knit
Row 1: k1, p3, k1
Machine knit conversion
Row 1: k1, p3, k1 work needle bed from left to right
Hand knit
Row 2: k3, p4, k6
Machine knit conversion
Row 2: p3, k4, p6 and working needle bed from right to left.
Graphed Row 1 being the bottom row will look like this:
k=o p=x
Xxxxxxooooxxx
oxxxo

Materials: 1 skein 2.5 oz Peaches & Crème color light blue
Bond Tension: Keyplate 2.5

E-wrap cast on 47 sts
Row 1: k1, p1 working needle bed from left to right across row, COL
Row 2: p1, k1 working needle bed from right to left across row, COR
Row 3: k1, p1 working needle bed from left to right across row, COL
Row 4: p1, k1 working needle bed from right to left across row, COR

Graphed it should look like this:
X = sts to purl, blank = sts in knit
Remember Row 1 is the bottom row and Row 4 is the top row.




Row 5: k1, p1, k43 , p1, k1 working needle bed from left to right across row, COL
Row 6: p1, k1, p1, k41, p1, k1, p1 working needle bed from right to left across row, COR
Row 7: k1, p1, k11, p17, k15, p1, k1 working needle bed from left to right across row, COL
Row 8: p1, k1, p1, k13, p1, k12, p1, k2, p1, k1, p3, k7, p1, k1, p1
working needle bed from right to left across row, COR

Graphed Rows 5 to 8. Row 5 being the bottom row.

Row 9: k1, p1, k7, (p1, k2) 3x, p1, k11, p1, k14, p1, k1 working needle bed from left to right across row, COL
Row 10: p1, k1, p1, (k14, p2) 2x, k2, p1, k6, p1, k1, p1 working needle bed from right to left across row, COR

Graphed all 10 rows. Row 1 at the bottom row 10 at the top.



Converting Hand Knit to Machine Knit maybe tedious but well worth it. Wonderful new patterns will open up for you. I encourage everyone to visit Knitwits Heaven. They have wonderful patterns that many people will enjoy.

Here is the whole pattern graphed. http://www.knitwits-heaven.com/


This is the one I made on my Bond USM