Lisa Myers - Knit So Fine: Designs with Skinny Yarn

Lisa R. Myers,

Laura Grutzeck,

and Carol Sulcoski

To the knitters out there who are always willing to take the next step. L.R.M.

To my grandmother and my Tante Frieda; I am proud to knit like you. L.G.

To my beloved children, James, Nick, and Grace, in appreciation for all the times they heard Just let Mommy finish one more row. C.S.

To accomplish a book containing over twenty items knitted at small gauges in less than a year was no small feat, and we are deeply grateful to all those who helped make it possible, including: our editors, Ann Budd and Tricia Waddell, for their patience and good humor; our eagle-eyed technical editor, Donna Druchunas; Rebecca Campbell, for her enthusiasm in managing the book; Joe Coca for the beautiful photography. Wed also like to thank the customers and staff members of Rosies Yarn Cellar, current and past, who showed us their encouragement and support, and our test knitters, who were accommodating and patient above and beyond the call of duty: Shea Cronley, Emily Gavin, Wendy Goldstein, Suzanne Litke, Mindy Soucek, Dorlynn Starn, Karen R. Walter, Judy Wise.

LISA | I would like to thank Judith Shangold, for bearing with one more disruption, and my family, for recognizing that one persons hobby is another persons job.

LAURA | In addition, I would like to thank my family for their encouragement, my husband, Chris, for always believing in me, and my friend Anne for always listening.

CAROL | I would like to thank my parents for their unstinting confidence that I could do whatever I set my mind to do (even if it meant abandoning that expensive legal education); Molly and Pat for their years of devoted friendship; Mindy, for going above and beyond the call of duty; the Wolvies (including Kathy), who always make me laugh; the many wonderful people whom Ive met through the real world and online knitting community (you know who you are); Dr. S and his staff for their compassion in helping me get my life back; and for my family, Tom, James, Nick, Grace, and Charcoal.

The Projects

Skinny yarns get a really bad rap. knitters have somehow gotten the idea that theyre slow, fussy, or old-fashioned. Were here to prove otherwise. Thin yarns offer a world of possibilities; in fact, they can do anything a thick yarn can do and moreand often, they do it better. Projects knitted with thin yarns can be quick, easy, daring, or boldthough its certainly true that they can be elaborate, refined, or demure. The projects in this book are designed to disprove the myths you may have heard about fine yarns and to show you things you havent imagined.

Well start our journey by educating you about fine yarns: what they are, the many advantages of knitting with fine yarns, and tips and techniques to make the process more enjoyable. Then well show you some patterns: patterns that are contemporary and stylish and demonstrate some of the wonderful uses of fine yarns. To make it even easier to dive in, weve grouped the patterns into four sections, depending on the kind of project youre looking for:

SIMPLICITY includes patterns that are particularly accessible to knitters who dont have a lot of experience with fine yarns; its the perfect way to get accustomed to working with thin needles and skinny yarns.

SPEED debunks the myth that projects in fine yarns take forever to finish. Well give you some small projects that you can finish quickly for a satisfying sense of accomplishment. Well also show you how to use fine yarns in different waysdouble-stranding or knitting at looser gaugesfor times when speed is important.

STYLE showcases some of the contemporary and fashionable ways to use fine yarnsno potato-sack garments here.

SHINE contains boundary-busting possibilities and more advanced projects to get your creative juices flowing, including lace, traveling stitches, and cables.

Throughout the book, weve included sidebars to help you through unfamiliar techniques and design challenges and to point you toward areas you may want to explore in greater depth on your own.

So cast aside those misconceptions, abandon those preconceived notions, and allow us to bust some myths. Its time to get the skinny on fine yarns.

What is a Fine Yarn?

For purposes of this book, a fine yarn is any yarn that knits at a gauge finer than worsted weight (i.e., yarns that knit up at 5, 6, 7 or more stitches per inch, or yarns that are classified by the Craft Yarn Council in categories 3, 2, 1, or 0). Admittedly, this is an arbitrary way to look at it, but our experience is that most knitters draw a conceptual line between worsted-weight yarns (i.e., yarns that knit up at 4 to 5 stitches to the inch) and thinner yarns. Weve tried to use a variety of yarn weights within the category of fine yarns so youll have ample opportunity to experiment with a variety of skinny yarns.

Weve said it before, and well say it again: Skinny yarns are underappreciated and underused. That bugs us, especially since some of our favorite yarnssome of the most luxurious and beautiful yarns, yarns that caress your hands as you knit with them, yarns that are handdyed in glorious colors, yarns that people wait in line for hours at fiber festivals to purchaseare thin yarns.

The three of us have logged some serious time working in a knitting shop. And one of the things we see over and over again is a mistrust of fine-gauge yarns. Weve watched customers pick up a gorgeous skein of handdyed yarn, ask what weight the yarn is, then put the yarn back on the shelf like a pinless hand grenade when they hear fingering weight. Weve seen knitters drool over a particular pattern but balk when they find out that the pattern is written at a gauge of 6 or 7 stitches per inch. Weve even heard someone who has been knitting for thirty years tell us that shes never used a yarn finer than worsted weight.