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Garter Stitch, Cringe or Crave - Episode 2

I launch into the Canadian Guild of Knitters Level One Accreditation Program with some musings on knitting, casting on, and garter stitch. I let you know what’s on my needles too.

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Email: stitchstud (at) gmail (dot) com

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14 Responses to “Garter Stitch, Cringe or Crave - Episode 2”

  1. Hello from Miami! Your podcast is great (Lime & Violet gave you a shout out, so I thought I’d come on over & check it out!) - keep up the good work! I wanted to quickly comment that I think the cast on you refer to when you’re speaking about inserting the needle between two stitches, knitting and leaving the stitch on the right hand needle, twisting it and placing it on the left hand needle to create a new stitch is the cable cast on. It’s stretchier than long tail (which makes it great for casting on sock cuffs) and you don’t have to guess so much at how much yarn you’ll need for a particular number of stitches to cast on, so you don’t waste that beautiful (pricey) yarn! Looking forward to your next show!

    Sarah Walker said this on May 18th, 2007 at 6:17 am

  2. Listening to “Garter Stitch” as I type this. I too, heard about your podcast from Lime & Violet. I agree with Sarah that the cast-on you mentioned is the cable cast-on. When knitting socks, I usually do the long-tail cast-on, however I have used the German twisted cast-on. I’ve also used the double strand cast-on. Most of my socks have been cuff-down, but am intrigued with doing a toe-up using the Magic Cast-on technique that’s been discussed on the socknitter list recently.

    Keep on knitting!

    Patricia Harper said this on May 18th, 2007 at 9:06 pm

  3. Just voted for the garter stitch..sorry I hadn’t known about the poll earlier. Also forgot to tell you where I’m typing from. Carencro LA, USA.

    Patricia Harper said this on May 18th, 2007 at 9:15 pm

  4. Thanks so much for a really interesting podcast. I was intrigued by the idea of a certification programme to learn knitting. I had never heard of this idea before. (I am writing this from the County of Cheshire right in the centre of the United Kingdom.) It sounds a good way of learning techniques which may, or may not be of use in future projects. To answer your other question - why do I knit? I knit partly because I love the colours and texture of the knitting yarns available, but also because I have this compulsion to create - having a number of projects on the go at any one time. I must admit that I do not just knit, I stitch in a variety of different ways - hand embroidery, free machine embroidery, quilting and making clothes, bags, etc. Soon I shall be starting my very first pair of socks. I have been knitting on and off for over forty years, but never tackled these before. Oh, I have voted on the garter stitch poll too.

    Mandy said this on May 20th, 2007 at 9:47 am

  5. I knit because I have always done *something* and knitting is the best fit right now. When I was a kid, I mostly crocheted, with a little bit of knitting, then I got into counted cross stitch, hardanger, and drawn thread embroidery. Eventually into quilting, soapmaking, lampwork beads, and stained glass. When I had small kids of my own, the detailed needlework didn’t fit with the snippets of time I found to work on my projects, the quilting wasn’t portable enough, and the stained glass just needed to go away for a while. So I picked the knitting needles back up again and have been happily knitting ever since, with no end in sight. My brother-in-law once said, “Do you think you’ll implode if you sit with your hands still for five minutes? Oh, I guess it’s never happened, so no one will ever know!” :-)

    Thanks for the podcast. You’re off to a fantastic start!

    Live and Let Learn! said this on May 20th, 2007 at 7:39 pm

  6. I came here from David’s ‘Sticks and String’ Podcast and so far, so good. It’s interesting to hear the Canadian Guild’s certification course- we have a similar thing in Australia run by the Knitter’s Guild of NSW: http://www.knittersguildnsw.org.au/professional.php

    Why do I knit? Because my fingers want to. Thanks for an interesting podcast and I will vote on the Garter stitch poll.

    Kate said this on May 20th, 2007 at 9:03 pm

  7. Hello from Elizabeth, NJ USA! I did vote on this: I think you have a pretty interesting podcast and a REALLY good closing. I love it! I came to you via this week’s Sticks and String podcast… He gave you a shout out, too.

    I love the garter stitch because it’s a non-thinking way of knitting. I just completed a log cabin blanket with garter and my next one will be done in the moss stitch which I heard was a variation of the garter. I love to let my thoughts wander when I knit, and this is why I love this kind of knitting… I am loitering productively…. Ha! Recently, I’ve gotten into making dishcloths, but it’s all about keeping your place in the pattern so I only do that at home.

    I love to knit because I have a strong desire to create. I’ve been involved with lots of different crafts, but knitting also holds a sweet place in my heart for my grandmother. I often think of her while doing it and wish I had pursued it while she was alive. Another reason I love to knit is that I love to learn new things and this art has so many paths to follow you could never truly get bored. I have a felting project in the wash as I write.

    I am also intrigued by the idea of recycling sweaters and plastic bags. I have not attempted the plastic bags yet, but I sure have plenty of them around to start. I want to make recycled shopping bags that I can reuse and leave in the car. Here is a link to a picture and starting point. Tons of ideas on the web.

    http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://virtuallydesigned.com/psp/blogimages/bagofbags.jpg&imgrefurl=http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm%3Ffuseaction%3Dblog.listAll%26friendID%3D110064916%26startID%3D255759776%26StartPostedDate%3D2007-04-20%252013:08:00%26next%3D1%26page%3D2%26Mytoken%3DC58049B8-DAF5-4D8C-830600514C37CFB051520319&h=300&w=304&sz=32&hl=en&start=13&sig2=djTTYMpXiS_kWIuAMQ0cpg&um=1&tbnid=9vWtcrm_DSXsHM:&tbnh=114&tbnw=116&ei=Jc5RRqTSK6DAhQSWxZC4DA&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dknitted%2Bcrocheted%2Bplastic%2Bbags%26svnum%3D10%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den

    pax, Debbie

    Debbie Kosiarski said this on May 21st, 2007 at 11:57 am

  8. hello. i am a 15 year old girl from a somewhat small town in indiana. i have been knitting for about 2 years. i just very recently discovered knitting podcasts and podcasts in general. i like to listen to them while i’m knitting and also just when i’m want to relax after a bad or long day at school. i love that guys are taking a stand in knitting and are letting their voices be heard.

    on a lot of these podcasts (i have downloaded pretty much everyone that exsists or did exsist) they talk about socks. i really want to knit socks but i don’t know whether to use dpns or circs. could you help??? i like your podcast and hope they continue!!

    *abby*

    abby case said this on May 21st, 2007 at 9:18 pm

  9. I’m enjoying your show, and am now seriously thinking about doing the Master Knitter program, too! Thanks again for submitting your answer to the Ultimate Question - it is on Christa Knits Episode Six, which I’ve just posted!

    Christa Giles said this on May 22nd, 2007 at 3:55 am

  10. I just discovered your podcast. Great job! It’s so nice to hear a guy’s perspective on knitting. I’m really enjoying your talks about going through the master knitter programs. I voted in the garter stitch pole. I’m not a fan of garter stitch. Not because of the repetitiveness of doing just knit stitch (I LOVE knitting plain socks which are nearly all knit stitches). But I don’t like the look or feel of garter stitch. It has it’s place, though. I like garter stitch for felted items since it produces a nice thick fabric. Thanks for taking the time to podcast! I’ll be listening for your next show.

    Lisa said this on May 24th, 2007 at 9:50 am

  11. I had read about these last summer. Knitting and spinning are perfect expressions of all five love languages.

    Allena said this on May 27th, 2007 at 9:07 pm

  12. Why do I knit? I started knitting in order to make my boyfriend a Christmas present. But I have always wanted to do something creative, but I’m not musically inclined, I can’t draw, etc., so when I found knitting I found a way I can express myself. And I love making things for people, and seeing their faces and how much they appreciate my work. It’s a way for me to show the people I care about how much I love them by not only giving a nice gift, but also using my time and talent and love to make the gift.

    Andrea said this on May 29th, 2007 at 7:10 pm

  13. Hi there! I just started listening to your podcast today after hearing about it a few weeks ago courtesy of Cast On. Good job! I got as far as the episode on garter stitch today.

    But you know what? After you described the knitting technique you mostly use, I was excited! That’s pretty much me! Only I use circulars exclusively, even for flat knitting, to ever avoid having the stitches fall off my needle as I drop the needle to wrap. It only falls out occasionally when there are only two or three stitches left on the left needle. My stitches are fairly consistent too, but I doubt I’d pass muster with the TKGA. T did notice today after listening to you describe your technique that I don’t always drop the yarn… sometimes I hold it a little with the second and third fingers of my left hand and I sort of flick it forward with my right when switching back and forth when it’s time to purl. (I’m currently working on a blanket in mistake rib stitch so there’s lots of going back and forth between knitting and purling.)

    Anyway, I’m enjoying your show so far. Keep up the good work!!

    TrishD in MD said this on June 17th, 2007 at 8:08 pm

  14. Sir: A bit late to the party, but I only JUST discovered your blog. Had to ring in on the Garter-stitch thing. Everyone does seem to love it, but I find it…ugly. I try to avoid it whenever I can, simply because I don’t enjoy its monotonous little horizontal ocean waves. However, garter stitch worked in a design lengthwise…such as in a cardigan or sweater…I do like. It seems to flow into the design and enhance the wearer! I was very frustrated when first starting knitting that the garter stitch was king, and I couldn’t wait to achieve a stockinette. (After a couple of years, I finally can produce a higher quality of stockinette fabric that pleases me. I’m fussy about how it looks, and I must have evenness in my stitches–more than most other women I encounter, who are just happy they’re making something). Also, you are right on about using purl in a reversed fashion to create some texture interest. I used Berocco Suede (just one ball for experimenting with, ’cause it’s ridiculously expensive and low yardage), and did a long, thin experiment with garter and reverse purl treatment. It looked cool, actually, like a…Navajo blanket or similar. It would make a nice runner in a dollhouse, I guess. The fact it was the Suede stuff helped too, because it has very appealing visual qualities (although it’s still idiotically expensive and low-yardage), but the fact that I liked the result made me appreciate the possibilities of garter stitch and its ilk. By the way, I believe the reverse treatment is called “welting”…got that from the famous Mary Thomas book. Knit on!!

    Gail Gary said this on December 8th, 2007 at 8:44 pm

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