Knitting Math?!

 When we were young and in school we might have thought our math classes were a bunch of bunk and not at all relevant to "real life". At least, I do know some some people who had thoughts like this.  Now, as a more mature lady, I realize that math is everywhere in life.  For an example: with knitting.

Here is what I have finally learned: any time you want a piece of knitting to be a particular size, it is critically important to knit a gauge swatch.  What this consists of is a small piece of knitting using the yarn you plan for your project and the needles you plan to use for your project.

On the YouTube podcast, Fruity Knitting, Andrea showed us some math that helps us knit garments that knit.  If you are interested in watching some inspirational knitting, fancy complex gorgeous knitting, you will want to watch these 90-minute video podcasts.  Andrew and Andrea also have a full Fruity Knitting website.

This picture comes from a different YouTube episode than the one I have referenced above.  Meg Swansen (and Elizabeth Zimmermann) was interviewed on that podcast....not Elizabeth in actuality but she was there.  She is my top knitting hero. She got me knitting again after reading her book "Knitting Without Tears".  Such a fabulous book.  I highly recommend it to all those who want to knit.

Now to the knitting math I mentioned above

Stitch gauge

Number of stitches per 4 inch swatch divided by 4 equals number of stitches per inch

Row gauge

Number of rows per 4 inch swatch divided by 4 equals number of rows per inch

Width of piece

Number of stitches divided by stitch gauge equals width of piece

Length of piece

Number of rows divided by row gauge equals length of piece

Number of stitches

Width of piece multiplied by stitch gauge equals  number of stitches 

Number of rows

Length of piece multiplied by row gauge equals number of row

Since I am in the mental processes of designing a sweater/jacket for our daughter, I keep running this math through my head!

Using the Table!

The other night I was not sleeping. Again.   Because we have a cement slab instead of a foundation and cellar for our house, when I sit in the living room my feet and legs freeze.  I am pretty sure this will change when the summer heat comes to town, but now, since last fall, I have not wanted to spend much time in the living room.

What to do, what to do?  As I was putting books into the bookcase Knit One, Knit All by Elizabeth Zimmermann came into my hands. I had purchased the book years ago because I love all things Elizabeth Zimmermann.  She was such a knitting mentor to me starting with her book Knitting Without Tears.  She is someone I will be looking up when I cross the veil after wonderful reunions with family and other dear ones.

Anyway, there is a pattern for slippers in Knit One, Knit All that kind of appealed to me.  I decided to order yarn from Schoolhouse Press which was Elizabeth's business which is now run by her daughter Meg Swansen and her grandson Cully.  When the yarn came it was bundled in skeins and needed to be turned into balls or cakes before I could use it for knitting.

The night in question I went to the workroom closet and brought out the Stanwood Yarn Winder and the knitting swift and carried them into the bedroom.  I also collected the yarn and placed that on the table as well.  Because by now it was well after 1:00 AM, I was nice enough to leave the project for daylight.

Here is a picture of the yarn winding project on the beautifully repaired table (yet another reason why I love Dear One!).

These yarn cakes are the result of the yarn winding.  If you did not know about yarn cakes, you can see clearly that yarn cakes will not likely roll around on the floor as balls of yarn do because of their flat bottom and top.  At least, when I wound balls of yarn from skeins they ALWAYS rolled around.  Unless, of course, I put the balls of yarn in a clean plastic milk bottle or other flat-bottomed container and threaded the yarn end up through the top.  That got old.

One cool tool I have around here somewhere, but which I used often in Vermont when I was sitting in my knitting rocker next to a table, was a spindle-like thing on a lazy-Susan type apparatus. It was small and just perfect to place a yarn cake on it and just start knitting.  This spool just unwound the yarn as I was knitting.  Love that thing.  My set-up here is not the same but I am sure when that item shows up I will be able to make it work again!  I just love useful tools!!!