How to: Magic Loop

     The magic loop is a method of knitting something that is small in the round on a large circular needle. This is VERY helpful when you want to make a hat or a sock, but all of the cables on your circular needles are just too large for your project.

     To begin, you will need a circular needle about 20" long or so.

     Cast on a number of stitches that is divisible by two. I did twenty.

     Carefully slide all of the cast on stitches to the middle of your cable.

     Divide your stitches into two halves. You can place a marker in between the two stitches in the middle, if you like.

     Grab the cable and pull it through the gap between both halves where you placed the stitch marker.

     Slide the stitches you cast on first onto your left-hand needle, leaving the other stitches on the cable.

     Knit all of the stitches on the left-hand needle.

     It should look like this.

     Slide the stitches that are on the cable onto the left-hand needle.

     Now slide all of the stitches from the right-hand needle onto the cable.

     Knit all of the stitches off of the left-hand needle and you have finished one round! After several rounds, your work should look like this.

     Watch this video for clarification: Knitting in the Round - Magic Loop - YouTube

How to Change Colors: Tunisian Crochet

    Tunisian colorwork is very different from crocheted intarsia. It is slightly more complicated, but is fairly easy once you get the gist. You can follow charts exactly the same as you would normally and get a completely different look! 

     This is the chart I followed:

Here is my swatch:

     To begin, crochet up to the point that you wish to change colors.

     Insert your afghan hook into the stitch where you intend to change colors.

Grab your new color of yarn and make a long tail (preferably 2 or 3 inches long).

     Holding the tail at the back of your work, wrap the yarn around your hook and pull it through the stitch.

     Your stitch will look like this (except your tail will be in the back of your work, I pulled mine to the front to show its length).

     Continue changing colors as necessary across the forward pass until it is time to make a return pass.

     Do the return pass as you normally would, up to the point that the color of the vertical loops change. Then, wrap the two yarns around each other like you would with knitted intarsia (you will have to scroll down for the knitting instructions).

     Yarn over with your new color and continue the return pass, pulling the yarn through two loops at a time.

     If you would like to crochet a pattern that uses this technique, go to:Modern Leaf Afghan, Tulip Patch Afghan, One Ring to Rule Them All, and One Ring to Find Them

Feather Fluff

     Today, I have finished my second sweater! I have been working on it since about August tenth and, 50,133 stitches later, I am done! 

     Looking at all of the cables on it, you would think that it would be pretty difficult to knit, but really, it is a very simple pattern that is easy to memorize. 

     I absolutely love the yarn that I used (which is Caron Simply Soft Paints in Peacock Feather)! My only complaint about it is that it is HEAVY. The weight of the sweater, however, is not going to deter me from wearing it this winter!

     If you would like to make this sweater, go to: projects.hobbylobby.com/media/hl-689281.pdf for the free pattern!