Christina L. Holmes - Knitting in the Fast Lane: More Than 35 Projects for All Skill Levels

Knitting in the Fast Lane Christina L. Holmes
and Mary Colucci @ 2001 CM Communications Corp. All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio or television. Every effort has been made to be accurate and complete with all the information in this book. The publisher and the authors cannot, however, be responsible for differences in knitters abilities, typographical errors, techniques, tools or conditions, or any resulting damages, mistakes or losses.

Published by 700 E. State St.
Iola, WI 54990-0001
Telephone 715-445-2214
www.krause.com Please call or write for our free catalog. Our toll-free number to place an order or obtain a free catalog is 800-258-0929 or please use our regular business telephone 715-445-2214. Library of Congress Catalog Number: 2001088099 ISBN: 0-87349-270-6 eISBN: 978-1-44021-984-9 Printed in the United States of America Creative Director: Christina L. Holmes
Technical Editor: Evie Rosen
Illustrations: Jan Wojtech Acknowledgments We would like to thank the knitting yarn companies who generously provided designs for this book, and the creative staff who worked with us on these projects: Sara Arblaster of Bernat Yarns; Margery Winter of Berroco, Inc.; Kathleen Sams of Coats & Clark; and Adina Klein of Lion Brand Yarns. Special thanks also go to Anne Chua Greenwald for knitting the Weekend Chic Rollneck Pullover in a week; and to Arlene Levine for knitting the base scarf for our Loop Trim Scarf.

Wed also like to thank long-suffering husbands Irving Greenwald and Philip Weinstein, and our patient, supportive animal friends: Marys Moustan and Christinas Shy, Mao-Me, Sir Beasley and Tony the Tiger. A big thank-you to our wonderful models: Felicia Allen, Brett Bivona, Carole Grajek, Irving Greenwald, Michael Greenwald, Rachel Greenwald, Barry Holmes, Caitlin Holmes, Daisy Holmes, Lauren Holmes, Jake Levine, Shari Levine, Zachary Levine, Lisa McLaughlin, Lauren Rudman, Jeremy Weinstein, and Dolores Zipfel. Thanks too, to Colin Campbell-Harris for his lighting expertise. Last but not least, special thanks to Evie Rosen, who has always been our favorite teacher and problem-solver, and with whose help Knitting in the Fast Lane stayed on track. More about Evie Evie Rosen is the creator of Warm Up America!, and owned the Knitting Nook, a retail specialty store in Wausau, WI, for over 30 years. Evie is a noted knitting authority who teaches extensively for associations and professional guilds and has authored more than 25 books and leaflets, including the best-selling book, The All New TeachYourself to Knit.

Rosen divides her time between teaching and traveling on behalf of Warm Up America! Evie Rosen, technical editor on this project. Table Of Contents Introduction Who has time to knit? You do! You dont have to be living in a big city to be living in the fast lane these days. Whether youre caught up in the electronic and digital wonders that have sped up our lives so much, or running non-stop juggling kids, work, and home, its easy to run out of time for the things that make you feel good. Working with the wonderful texture of yarn, being creative, and making gifts that warm the heart are important things to make time for. We feel the same way. Thats why we wanted to write a book that makes knitting a bit more manageable for the fast pace of todays lifestyle.

It combines fun, wearable, fashion-right designs with bulky yarns, or multi-stranding, and most are worked on larger needles. Or sometimes its just a small-size project. Whatever it is, we want you to be able to finish it and enjoy it within a reasonable amount of time. We dont consider ourselves expert knitters (we dont knit away while looking out the window and carrying on a conversation and think intricate intarsia designs are a snap). Basically, were average. But we really do enjoy the creativity of knitting and working with wonderful yarns.

Youll find some helpful tips weve picked up along the way on working with the yarns used here, and with the help of technical editor Evie Rosen, the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions that come up when youre on a roll at 11 p.m. and have no one to call. Weve used traffic signs to draw your attention to items you might not notice if youre reading too fast, such as needle or stitch changes, or special pattern notes. Youll find stitch instructions in the back of this book that should cover just about every stitch used in the patterns contained here, so you can have a reference guide handy instead of taking the time to look up stitches or techniques for correcting mistakes elsewhere. We hope youll find these designs fun to work and great to wear. So, put it in gear and start knitting! Christina & Mary C HAPTER S TARTING
O UT W elcome to Knitting in the Fast Lane.

This book is about projects you can realistically complete without making them your lifes work, depending on your skill level and the time you have available for knitting. Weve tried to give you an idea of the complexity of the project in our introduction to each design, but its all subjective, based on your skill level and what you like to do. Some designs are worked in one piece so theyll require fewer steps in assembling; others are worked in separate pieces because having it all on one needle would be much too heavy and bulky to work comfortably. In fact, most are worked on the larger-size needles. This book is also about having some (though not all) of the answers you need in one convenient place. We have some obvious advice for getting organized (which few of us heed until we get stuck on the roadside); answers to frequently asked questions that come up from knitters of all skill levels; and stitch instructions so you dont have to search for your basic instruction book when you want to keep going on a project.

What this book is most about, however, is having fun and being creativeat your own speed. Getting Organized Knitting is like any other journey: Youll save a lot of time by being prepared in advance for your trip. For todays fast-lane knitters this means: Choosing a do-able project (destination). If youre only comfortable travelling quickly on smooth roads, then stick to projects you feel you can finish realistically. This means choosing: Small projects with no fitting necessary and a minimum of finishing required; Bulky yarns or multi-stranding (two or more strands held together, which give you the option of combining different colors for tweedy or graduated color effects);