Colors That Climb- a NEW! tutorial is available.

Posted on September 28, 2024 by Lorilee

Colors that Climb, or Vertically-Stranded Color Work, is a technique I have been teaching since 2009. It’s been my playground since learning Rovaniemi knitting in 2008, then departing from it to make it more knitter-friendly and interesting by working it into different fabrics and patterns.

In order to incorporate the contrasting colored stitches into the knitted fabric without overdoing it, and without having a yarn management problem on your hands, please follow these instructions. If you guess how to do it, you are likely to make it more difficult.

Within a few days of this writing, all of my Ravelry.com patterns that use the Colors That Climb technique will have have been updated to include a three-page tutorial. I realize not all of you can learn from me in person, so I hope this helps you accomplish something new to you.

Here is a PDF of the tutorial. Designers, feel free to link to this page for your patterns that use the Colors That Climb technique.

ColorsThatClimbTutorial-1 Download

Unchained Socks three sizes

Bold Move Skirt nine sizes

Colors That Climb Sampler

Knit the World Together ~ Knit Stars 5.0 Earlybird Enrollment is open.

Posted on April 27, 2020 by Lorilee

How are you feeling with all this extra time at home? Are you knitting more? Wishing you could be face-to-face with your friends, family and your knitting community?

The Knit Stars crew has done it again! The online workshops begin in October, but for a short time now through May 3 you can register as an earlybird at a discount.

Imagine registering for a knitting festival, and scoring a seat in ALL TEN of these amazing teachers’ classes…

Åsa Söderman
Francoise Danoy
Gayle Roehm. (I know Gayle personally, and she is a gem! Her expertise is Japanese knitting patterns and stitches.)
Gaye “GG” Glasspie
Jacqueline Cieslak
Meri Tanaka, Amirisu Magazine
Tatiana Sarasa
Tian Connaughton
Tina Tse
Yumiko Alexander

Now imagine that you OWN the classes, so you don’t have to try to retain everything you learn. You can just enjoy them on your own schedule and at your own pace, knowing you can refer to them again and again.

https://www.knitstars.com/a/4441/2hiCoD4A

Knit Stars Season 5 Earlybird tickets are now available, along with previous seasons, at the lowest price we’ve ever offered. And you can watch any previous seasons right now! You can save up to $100 by joining by May 3.

Due to the global crisis, Knit Stars is offering their lowest Earlybird pricing ever – just $179 (will go up to $229 next time it’s offered, in the fall)
Pricing on previous seasons is also $179 during this window. So if you buy Season 5 + a previous season, you’re saving $100. (My season was 3.0.)

Again, read all about it here: https://www.knitstars.com/a/4441/2hiCoD4A

On a personal note, please know how much I appreciate Knit Stars and your participation. They continue to be very generous with all their alumni, and by using the link here, they will share some of any of your purchases with me, something I really appreciate as much of my teaching has ground to a halt.

Stay safe, stay home, and enjoy this online experience.

I’m a 2018 Knit Star, part of a five-country knitting adventure!

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Lorilee

Knit Stars is an online knitting conference with interviews and lessons from twelve knitting instructors and designers from around the world.

Please read all about the online conference here.

The organizers have sure been thoughtful. The event unfolds over many days so you have time to absorb the information. You have access forever to all of the presentations. You can download a PDF of the transcripts if you can’t quite catch all of our words. You can watch when it’s convenient for you, and stop and start when it suits you.

I want to talk a little more about what I’ll be covering in my lessons. Organizer Shelley and I were talking a bit about the trouble some folks have when they are trying to learn a technique from a presenter who does not knit like they do. There’s no need to throw in the towel too quickly. In one segment I will endeavor to demystify this so we can all feel more confident about what we are seeing.

Then, for the rest of the lessons, we move to one of my favorite playgrounds, colors that climb. I’ll teach you how to introduce color to various fabrics, and how to knit in the colors as you go- this is not duplicate stitch or embroidery. I like to describe it this way. If fair isle stranded color work is painting, then climbing colors is like drawing. I want you to have that color tool in your knitting toolbox.

This year the theme of Knit Stars is Nordic knitting. In my lessons you will learn how a traditional Finnish technique got me going down this road I have been traveling since 2008.

That what I am teaching. Add eleven other instructors to the mix? That’s a party!

You should be aware that as I write this, there is introductory pricing for just two more days. If you scroll down on this link you will see a countdown clock letting you know when the introductory price expires. Save $50 while you can.

Thank you, readers. I look forward to July when the videographers will be in Seattle for filming, and to November when we all get to be together for Knit Stars. I appreciate your support and your interest in my teaching. I also want to thank The Plucky Knitter for yarn support. I will have their lovely fibers in hand for my lessons. Cheers!

third hand for stranded color work- – new product review

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Lorilee

Remember the first time you tried stranded color work? How did you decide to hold two strands of yarn? Until now your options have been two in the right hand, two in the left hand, one in each hand, or two in the left hand using one of those index finger clamps or scary wire springs.

What do you really need? A third hand of course!

It’s just what we needed. What took the industry so long to figure this out?

Apologies for the hands. Yesterday was a great gardening day in Seattle.

#STITCHESWest #FeelingCraftsy

Posted on February 20, 2018 by Lorilee

These are two hashtags to watch if you are heading to the Santa Clara Convention Center this weekend for Stitches West- #STITCHESWest #FeelingCraftsy

I’ll be teaching eight classes (phew!!) and I look forward to seeing you. I have some openings in those classes and just printed extra handouts for you in case you can make it. Check it out.

On Saturday, February 24, starting at 12:30 please come visit me in the Craftsy booth #936 and 938 for a continental knitting demo. And join the Facebook group “Knitting and Crochet Makers” to follow along with the fun. I just finished taping my fourth Craftsy class, which is still under wraps for now, but here are my other classes currently available.

Craftsy is also hosting a Craftsy Unlimited Experience with Craftsy instructors in the same booths Saturday at 4:30. I’ll still be in class but will try to pop in there for a few minutes before the evening Stitches Student Banquet.

Are you missing out on all the fun this time? Are you on the other side of the country? Then maybe you can make it to Stitches United in Hartford next month.

See you soon!

Have you checked out all that’s new at Craftsy?

Posted on January 30, 2018 by Lorilee

Click this to get to Craftsy and have a good look around at knitting classes:

New in 2018: How about a subscription? Try a free trial to Craftsy Unlimited. Click this:

something for everyone

Posted on December 30, 2017 by Lorilee

Come to Hartford for Stitches United! Whether you yourself have many stitching interests, or you have buddies you like to travel with who knit, sew, crochet, quilt, weave, dye, and more, Stitches United is where you’ll want to be. I’ll be teaching. Check it out. Click on the image to see my classes and information on the entire event:

Knit stitches that look like check-marks? It’s not your fault.

Posted on November 2, 2016 by Lorilee

Frequently I hear from knitters concerned about the appearance of their stockinette stitches. “Stitches are supposed to look like ‘Vs’. Mine look like check marks. What am I doing wrong?” they ask.

Nothing. You’re doing nothing wrong. Really! Let’s figure out why this happens.

Yarns are available in S-twist and Z-twist. Most of our commercially available yarns are S-twist yarn. If you closely examine a strand of yarn, and hold it straight up and down like this |, you notice the twist creates a slanted line in the yarn. You see either a backward slant as found in the letter “S” or a forward slant as found in the letter “Z”.

Let’s look at some S-twist yarns and swatches first. Hold a strand of that yarn askew to mimic the right leg of a knit stitch like this / and observe what happens to the twist. Those slashes line up almost straight up and down. See it? Now hold that yarn askew to mimic the left leg of a knit stitch like this \ and observe what happens to the twist. You see a more exaggerated backward slant. Imagine stacking them, and you can begin to understand the appearance of columns of knit stitches, and why the left and right legs appear different from each other.

Let’s observe this in a few different yarns.

Cascade 220

The first example above is Cascade 220. This wool yarn is an S-twist yarn made of four Z-twist plies. The ply is somewhat relaxed. The left and right legs of the stitches look quite similar. You can see the left legs stack on top of each other looking a little bit like a pole.

Primo Worsted

Above is The Plucky Knitter Primo Worsted. This merino wool/cashmere/nylon blend is also an S-twist yarn made of four Z-twist plies, but it has a tighter twist to it. The right legs of these stitches lean to the right as you’d expect. The left legs actually lean off to the left as well, but they appear not to do so, simply because of the twist. The stack of left legs look like a pole, even more so than the Cascade 220.

Floret

This “pole” effect is even more accentuated in yarn with numerous plies. The Berroco Floret above is a blend of acrylic and cotton. This S-twist yarn is made from five Z-twist plies, and each of those Z-twist plies is in turn made of two S-twist plies. Wow! That’s alotta plies.

Creative Focus Bulky

Now let’s look at a couple of Z-twist yarns. First up is Rowan Creative Focus Bulky, a loose, single ply Z-twist yarn in a wool/alpaca blend. Notice that in this case the “pole” effect occurs on the right legs of the stitches. Interesting, isn’t it?

Silk Garden

At first glance this Noro Silk Garden yarn looks like single ply, but on closer examination it is a loose Z-twist yarn made from two loose S-twist plies. Can you find the slight “pole” effect again on the right legs?

Lima

Finally we have yarn that is neither S nor Z. This is Rowan’s Lima. This yarn is a crocheted chain of very fine alpaca. Its left and right legs looks nearly identical because there is not any twist to the yarn.

Hopefully this clears up a mystery for you. The next time you peruse a knitting magazine or observe your own hand-knits, notice how different yarns behave differently. Accept this as a feature of the yarn and make your yarn selections appropriately. Mostly, accept that there is nothing wrong.

things our mothers made

Posted on March 8, 2016 by Lorilee

Once in a while my knitting group gets together and has a themed party. For example, last year we gathered to overdye our previous yarn purchases in the colorway “What-the-hell-was-I-thinking?” – you know the color. Those with expertise share it, and we all benefit.

Our most recent gathering was themed “Things our mothers (or fathers, aunts, uncles…) made.” It was a time for meaningful, and sometimes silly, memories. We all share an appreciation for the memories of our family members making things, and we are glad that as makers of things, we continue the tradition.

Michale’s doll clothes.

April’s sweater, quilt, and wire jewelry.

Arlene’s crocheted coat her mom made, lined of course.

We also enjoyed this spectacular view of the day’s changing weather over Lake Washington.

Arlene’s crocheted piece. We were not sure if it was a bed or table cover, but its border went round all four sides, so we think tablecloth.

April’s sweater (above) and quilt (below).

Pat, wearing her own newly finished sweater, and holding an afghan. Her mom taught her to knit left handed and how to rip and fix mistakes. Mac the cat was on the lookout for loose ends.

Carolyn’s wicked sharp can opener and crocheted hanger.

Michale’s mom’s painted ceramic duck, with a broken and re-glued neck (above). Her quilt is below.

Arlene and Carolyn holding Michale’s doll dresses with lined bodices.

Jacqueline’s granny square blanket and Kaffe Fassett vest.

Mary’s crewel embroidery was so charming! And below is a doll made from grandma’s embroidered pillow cases.

My mom made my sweater for me when I was in high school, and it was similar to one Arlene had purchased years back.

And I made friends with Mac.

Susan was not able to share as her treasures are all in a moving pod, but she did offer sound advice. We need to record these stories, pen to paper, and store them with the treasures so future family members can know their value.

sewing on buttons

Posted on April 11, 2015 by Lorilee

This cardigan gets nine buttons. A tenth is sewn inside for insurance against future loss. I want them done right so they don’t pull on the button band. I’m ready with buttons for the public side, clear buttons for the inside, sewing needles that fit through the button holes, a nice sharp scissors that will do double duty later, and yarn to sew with (I’ve split my four-ply in half).

I like to use safety pins to work out the button placement first. See where the pin goes in and out of the fabric? That’s where I aim my sewing needle.

If I were to snug these layers as I sewed, there would not be enough room for the bottoned-on layer to exist without getting squished, so I use a little lazy trick.

My scissor handles get closed around the button to preserve some space to make a shank.

Now I sew on the button through all the layers.

Remove the scissors. Wind yarn around to make a shank. Darn in ends. Repeat.

Ready for the next one.

(This design uses vertically stranded color work for contrasting lines of bobbles in a lace cardigan. I am still writing the pattern and working out the sizes. It will be called “Skagit Valley” cardigan when it is ready for public consumption. I love the way the yoke and neck worked out, but I am not letting you see that yet.)

Lorilee Beltman

knitting enabler since 2005, pickleball coach since 2023