A.R.A.N. PROJECT

 
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 11:11:49 -0500 
To: Multiple recipients of list  
Subject: Knit: Reversing your knitting direction, Aran sleeve pattern,
Mistake contest

Good morning all

Yesterday brought some interesting mail from The Network...2 more
steek-minded knitters, 3 (count 'em) who want to "audit" the course
(honestly, you are all so funny:), great suggestions on how to shape the
raglan with a tidy cable running its' length (hi, Isobel) and lots and
lots of kind words for...MOI!  Makes me wish we could do this forever.
Right now we are 54 knitters strong and picking up tag-alongs as the
digests are FINALLY read. Someone would like these posts to be collected.
Would anyone like to volunteer to archive what's going on and send stuff
to latecomers? 

I have visions while lying in bed, of nice fat wools being knit on sofa
ends and comfy chairs and at desks at work and in front of computer
screens and at ballgames (and in the car while driving to said ballgames)
and at In-Law dinners where you have to shut up and put up...where else
are you knitting This Aran? 

Ok, enough rambling...we are off to work...

Wrapping a stitch to reverse the direction of your knitting: 

For those of you who have made your twisted rib and don't want it to show
on the outside: push your knitting through the center of your circle. Now,
find the working yarn and hold your work so that your needle(s)  mimics
the plane of your dinner plate (we are all familiar with that position, I
am sure) and the yarn is coming from the LEFT needle and your point of
knitting is at 6 o'clock on the dinner plate...slip the first stitch on
the right point to the left needle, put your working yarn between the two
needles to the opposite side of the work (if it starts out at the front,
move it to the back...if it starts out at the back...move it to the
front), slip the first stitch on the left point back to the right
point...VOILA...your working yarn now scoots out from beyond the stitch on
the right needle (where it should be to work with).  When you work the
first stitch on the left needle properly, you may have to move the yarn
one more time through the needles to get it to the back or front and
that's OK. 

MY pattern choices for the sleeve are as follows:

I am a devotee of double moss stitch, or double seed stitch. I know there
must be a difference...details always bog me down (as you will discover as
we knit together), and I would appreciate a lesson here.  At any rate...I
would like to have the entire underpart of the sleeve made in this stitch. 
This lovely knitting pattern is the majority of the Guernsey on page 252,
of Vogue Knitting, (the hardcover). I'd like to also use another stitch
from said book...the enormous cable that is on the Aran sweater on page
256.  I will look up the traditional name of this cable tomorrow and post
it to you (if I can find it!). At any rate, there are wonderful charts
after the patterns in the book - on page 269 - that makes following this
simple... 

the sleeve "background stitch" is Double Seed Stitch:

Rounds 1 and 2: *K2,P2* repeat around
Rounds 3 and 4: *P2,K2* repeat around

These 4 rounds are repeated to make the pattern

While that is going on, we need to build the cable, which is worked over
34 sts. 12 rounds works one complete pattern. 

At this point, I highly recommend that you get out your graph paper.  If
you are fortunate enough to have (or can borrow) the above book, you will
find the chart all done for you and you need only copy it BY HAND onto
your graph paper.  I think it is important to experience the pattern as
you write out the symbols on the graph paper before you attempt to knit
it. 

here is the key for the chart-type pattern I am sending over e-mail (what
a challenge!)..I hope it works

- means purl
[ means knit
6 rc means 6 Stitch Right Cable 
6 lc   means 6 Stitch Left Cable 
//// means 4 Stitch Right Purl Cross
\\\\ means 4 Stitch Left Purl Cross


6-St Left Cable: Sl 3 sts to cn(cable needle) and hold to front of work,
K3,K3 from cn. 

6-st Right Cable: Sl 3 sts to cn and hold to back of work, K3,K3 sts from
cn. 

4-st Left Purl Cross: Sl 3 sts to cn and hold to front of work, P1,K3 from
cn. 

4-st Right Purl Cross: Sl 1 st to cn and hold to back of work, K3, P1 from
cn. 

You should write out the cable pattern on graph paper now. if you can't
find symbols for the cables and twists (and there are symbol charts in
Knitter's Magazine and of course Vogue Knitting, and lots of knitting
reference books) just make your own up. Remember, if the directions say
to work something over 6 sts...then make your symbol over 6 sts! 

Leave some room on either side of your cable pattern, and chart out 6 or 8
sts of the Double Seed Stitch on EITHER side of the cable, as that is how
you will be approaching and leaving the cable pattern as you knit.  When
you chart the Double Seed Stitch, have the last two sts before the cable
and the first two sts after the cable as a "K2" on Round 1. 

Anyknitter's Revolving Aran Network CABLE (34 sts)

----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----  12
---////\\\\--////\\\\--////\\\\---  11
---[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[---  10
--////--\\\\////--\\\\////--\\\\--   9
--[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[--   8
--[[[----6   lc----6   lc----[[[--   7
--[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[--   6
--\\\\--////\\\\--////\\\\--////--   5
---[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[---   4
---\\\\////--\\\\////--\\\\////---   3
----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----   2
----6   rc----6   rc----6   rc----   1 (Round)

I am taking the liberty of placing markers so you can see where the
pattern changes...* means marker. So, if we put the two patterns together
on graph paper, we'll have what's below: 

A.R.A.N. Sleeve Chart (remember: the Double Seed Stitch is only partially
                       represented in this chart.)

--]]-- *  ----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----  *  --[[--       12
--[[-- *  ---////\\\\--////\\\\--////\\\\---  *  --[[--       11
[[--[[ *  ---[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[---  *  [[--[[       10
[[--[[ *  --////--\\\\////--\\\\////--\\\\--  *  [[--[[        9
--[[-- *  --[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[--  *  --[[--        8
--[[-- *  --[[[----6   lc----6   lc----[[[--  *  --[[--        7
[[--[[ *  --[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[--  *  [[--[[        6
[[--[[ *  --\\\\--////\\\\--////\\\\--////--  *  [[--[[        5
--[[-- *  ---[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[--[[[---  *  --[[--        4
--[[-- *  ---\\\\////--\\\\////--\\\\////---  *  --[[--        3
[[--[  *  ----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----[[[[[[----  *  [[--[[        2
[[--[[ *  ----6   rc----6   rc----6   rc----  *  [[--[[        1 (Round)

You always read the chart from the bottom right corner...you will have a
marker to tell you where you are. The pattern builds round by round,
starting at the bottom right and working up each round, but always
starting with the stitch on the right side of the chart. 

Those of you who have NEVER done a cable...cast on 46 sts on a circular
needle. Work the Aran Sleeve Chart exactly as written, but not back and
forth. At the end of each row, slide your stitches to the other point of
your circular needle, pull out 12" of yarn and let it dangle behind your
work, and work across the chart again, on the right side of your knitting
starting with Round 2 at the bottom right corner. Continue in this manner
until you have worked the 12 rounds, and have figured out the cables and
the crossings. Your edge stitches will be loose and unsightly...but you
are learning so pay no mind! 

I apologize for the length of this post...so many knitters are eager to
start that I felt compelled to put ALL sleeve info down so they can begin,
and the newbies need all the extra explanations BEFORE they can get going. 

IF YOU ARE LOST at anytime, drop me a note and I will help.  It may be a
few days before I can get back to you as I am employed this weekend
demonstrating spinning, but I WILL get back to you. In the interim,
perhaps another kind soul would offer to help through the list? After all,
we don't want anyone to get discouraged. 

Sleeve Stitch Math: We did the cuff on 50 (44) sts. We will need to have
the 34 sts of the pattern PLUS the 6 sts generally added to sleeve numbers
in percentage sweaters PLUS around 10 for the cable shrinkage (which, if
you notice, occurs in the first round!).  So...since that equals 50
already and we need a LITTLE flair to the base of the sleeve, I would
suggest adding about 8 or 10.

Our number of around 60 needs to meet some requirements...In order for the
Double Seed Stitch to fit evenly around the sleeve, nestling the cable, it
needs to be a multiple of 4 plus 2...so 60 minus the cable(32) = 28 which
is equally divided by four, so that won't do.  How about working on 58
sts?...58 minus the cable (32) = 26 which is 4x6 PLUS the extra 2 sts we
need. OK

So, in the next round of your sleeve...Pick up your 16" circular #8
needle, increase to 58 sts evenly spaced (how about 50/8 = after every 6th
st with 2 sts left over at the end of the round).  Slip marker and start
with Stitch #1, Round 1, of the original cable pattern.  That will become
your Beginning Of The Round. Keep a second marker in place after the end
of the cable pattern (between stitches 32 and 33). 

If you started with 44 sts on your cuff, add 10 (increases: add one stitch
after every fourth one, knitting the last 4 sts of the round with out an
increase)...that's 54-32=22, which meets our criteria. 

Work 4 Rounds of the A.R.A.N. Sleeve and we'll tackle increasing next
week. 

WHOVER FINDS A MATH OR GRAPHING MISTAKE IN THIS POST WINS A PRIZE...the
first (few?) will receive something special in the mail....... 

Claudia knitting at Countrywool overlooking Blue Hill in the Hudson Valley
of NY State in the USA
Countrywool@berk.com
*****
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 12:02:39 -0500
To: Multiple recipients of list 
Subject: KNIT: A.R.A.N. Sleeve corrections (we have a winner!)

Hi all

It is now past noon and the winner is...Esther. It took her exactly 10
minutes after I posted the list to find the mistake, and so the corrected
pattern is below. 

CORRECTED SLEEVE PATTERN FOR A.R.A.N. SWEATER

Sleeve Stitch Math: We did the cuff on 50 (44) sts. We will need to have
the 34 sts of the pattern PLUS the 6 sts generally added to sleeve numbers
in percentage sweaters PLUS around 10 for the cable shrinkage (which, if
you notice, occurs in the first round!).  So...since that equals 50
already and we need a LITTLE flair to the base of the sleeve, I would
suggest adding about 8 or 10.

Our number of around 60 needs to meet some requirements...In order for the
Double Seed Stitch to fit evenly around the sleeve, nestling the cable, it
needs to be a multiple of 4 plus 2...so 60 minus the cable(34) = 26 which
is divided by four leaving 2 extra. OK

So, in the next round of your sleeve...Pick up your 16" circular #8
needle, increase to 60 sts evenly spaced (how about 50/10= increase after
every 5th st). You can work the first round of the sleeve in all K
sts...BEFORE starting the patterning...sometimes easier and better looking
(some knitters even like working the first round in all purl sts). Slip
marker and start with Stitch #1, Round 1, of the original cable pattern.
That will become your Beginning Of The Round. Keep a second marker in
place after the end of the cable pattern (between stitches 34 and 35) 

If you started with 44 sts on your cuff, add 12 (increases: add one stitch
after every third one, knitting the last 8 sts of the round with out an
increase)...that's 56-34=22, which meets our criteria.

So, the contest is over before it began...UNLESS there is another mistake
somewhere... 

Claudia knitting at Countrywool overlooking Blue Hill in the Hudson Valley
of NY State in the USA
Countrywool@berk.com