Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Update from a Lower48 Contingent

Hi TEAM ALASKA!
I'm lovin' all your updates and pictures!

The Beau Sweater is coming along well. (Pictures will come soon! I promise!) I have the front and the back done. And am working on the sleeves. I'm knitting both sleeves at once. This is a new strategy for me, but I'm hoping by only having to do the sleeves once I won't get burnt out as fast. Do others of you do both sleeves at once? (two sleeves using two skeins on one needle) My goal is to finish the sleeves by Thursday night. ...must knit faster...

On another note - today I got "Needled to death" from the library. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Go TEAM ALASKA Go!!!

5 comments:

Ketchikan Choc said...

I knit both sleeves at the same time and find it quite helpful. I use circular needles so that the weight of the 2 sleeves falls into my lap. I also knit the front and back at the same time if I am not knitting the body as one piece. (I don't mean that I knit the sleeves at the same time as the body at the same time, not sure how to reword the previous sentence to make that clear.)

Choc

Linda in Anchorage said...

Choc, Glad to hear that you're so close to being done, although sorry to hear that you're having to "wes" the side seams. When making two sleeves at one time, do you use the two needle technique that some people use for socks and mittens? Or do you use one needle, two balls of yarn, and knit one sleeve inside the other? I've never knit two sleeves at once, but would like to try it.

Linda in Anchorage said...

Erin, I meant to include your name with Choc's in my comment, but pushed the button too soon. I'm interested in hearing about how you knit two sleeves at the sametime, too.
Linda

Erin Gratz said...

This is my first time knitting the sleeves together. So, I'm just using straight needles, with two skeins of yarn. As I started the sleeves, I thought about the possibility of also working the front and the back of a sweater at the same time as one another (sans sleeves). Thanks for sharing your technique Choc. It gives me inspiration to try a new tactic on the next sweater. I am finding that I really am liking knitting both of the sleeves together - in my mind I know that as soon as I am done with one, I've actually finished both!!! Luckily, I have it easy since with the pattern I am working on the sleeves are identical to one another. Otherwise, I'd have to remember to do them backwards. . .or something.

Cheers!

Ketchikan Choc said...

archeoharp,

I don't do anything complicated when I knit both sleeves at the same time or the back and front at the same time. I do as erin does and use a different skein of yarn for each sleeve, knit a row on each sleeve and then purl a row on each sleeve. Going back and forth. Instead of doing this on straight needles I do it on circular needles, not going around in circles, but back and forth. The circular needles don't stick out and bother others when I knit on a plane or when I am at meetings or training sessions. And whatever I am knitting sits in my lap so my arms don't get tired. I hope this explanation makes more sense than the earlier one.

Choc