It may be we're using different terms to describe the same thing, or not....

I just get riled when `how to cast on' instructions blithely assure a new knitter that `the longtail always makes the first row, so you start your pattern on the next row'. That just isn't true, and causes a lot of confusion in beginners. A cast on is a cast on, and not a `cast on plus one row'. Everyone should try different methods and see what each type of cast on produces, then decide for themselves whether they should do another row, start in with the pattern, or do it another way. Knitting is very individual and nothing should be so specific that people feel they're doing something wrong.

sue

I can see how that would irritate you.  It is really much better to explain that the long-tail cast-on has a knit side and a purl side, and let the knitter decide what to do from there.  I suppose the "plus one row" is merely more advanced knitters' shorthand for the effect.

Structurally, however, I must say that at least my long tail cast-on *is* a backwards loop cast-on that has been turned and purled tbl to the end.  It's neater and tighter, but the path of the loops is identical.  It's like the difference between a ssk and a sl1, k1, psso.  Made differently but the end result has the yarn in the same relationship.

In aid of this, I've got a picture of myself forming a stitch in long tail cast on, and also myself forming a backwards loop.  Monste Stanley has it labeled the twisted loop method and advocates working through the front of the stitch to give the twist in the foundation row.  I prefer working it through the back of the stitch, however, which should clarify why they turn up the same edge if I purl back the first row.  The long-tail is still a firmer edge and tends to be neater, of course.  The gauge difference between the loops does affect how the edge behaves.

Well, gauge will make a huge difference with lace, since such a large range of gauges can look good.  Also, how open the lace design is.  Yarn overs use less yarn than regular stitches.  The piece I'm currently working on has lots of solid areas, so it'll use more yarn.  And finished shape will matter too.  A triangular shawl is still working off of the base shape of a square, so it can require a lot more yarn than a rectangular stole which can lose width in order to increase length, and still look good.


The first picture is the very start of the shawl I'm working on now (I've just got to finish the edging, but I've gotten distracted with other projects) using hpy laceweight singles, and the second picture is the scarf version using a dk weight yarn, and a tighter gauge (relative to the yarn).  It's triangular and I find 72" is just a bit too small for the finished width of a triangular shawl.  I won't actually know how big this is until I block it, but I can already tell it's too small.


This one was made with about 3/4 of a hank of the laceweight singles and it's 70" wide.  Since it's a more open design, I might have been able to get up to 78" and a more decent shawl size with just one ball.  But for the pattern I'm working on now, I think I'd need at least another 400yds to make it a respectable width.

That was it.  Cut into several pieces and two T-connectors, and rather a lot of left over pipe.

Plenty of people work with their pieces inside out.  It's especially common with stranded colorwork since having the floats on the outside of the piece means they have a little bit further to go, which makes it easer to have loose tension on the floats.  The key is to know what you're doing so it's a choice rather than something which may limit you later.

Also, the distinction which I think you've figured out is that although you're working the piece so the finished fabric is inside out, you're not actually working the piece from the back.  In other words, if the intended final result is stockinette, you're not actually working reverse stockinette and then turning it around later.  This comes from working the far needles instead of the near needles.  If you were to work an inside out sock on the near needles, then you would be working the actual inside of the sock, in the case of stockinette, the purl side.

If you are working on the near needles and the sock is progressing upwards from the needle rather than dangling, I would look carefully at how you are actually working the piece.  When the outside of the sock is stockinette, are you purling?  I frankly can't imagine how you'd end up with a stockinette out sock progressing up from the needles without purling instead of knitting.

Using your own picture, with a few modifications:

There's no need to push the needles through the work to turn a piece over on the needles.  Instead, push the work through the needles and then follow it with the yarn.  HOWEVER, once you do so, you can't work on the far set of needles anymore, you MUST rotate the piece around so the working needles become the near set, with the fabric still dangling from the needles.  Otherwise, you'll have turned, leading in this case to purling and a small hole forming at the turn.  If you're doing what I think you're doing when the sock forms "upwards" you're still turning and purling, with the resultant hole occurring at the turn.

(edited for a bit of clarity)

given the slight distortion of the background stitches at the bottom and top edges of the closed curves bordering the piece, I still say closed ring cables.  I used them for this piece, so you can see what I mean:

I haven't had occasion to recycle yarn, but I wind hanks for dyeing, and I use a home-made niddy noddy made from PVC tubing. 

heh, I haven't taken a picture of my stash in about 3 years.  This was it then:


I've used some of it, but I've also gotten a lot more in the meantime.

No, there's no way to make a cable sideways from the direction you're knitting in, you have to do it before or after the other part of the piece.  It's not hard, though.

depends on the knitter's speed, the complexity of the pattern (ribbing is easy for some, and hard for others), the gauge of the yarn and needles and the size of the hat (for obvious reasons).  I'm an averge-fast knitter, and with worsted weight yarn on US#7s it takes me about 2 days to make a large hat like this, including all finishing:

before and after.  Wool/silk blend, only partially felted.

well, at least it's still insanely soft. *sigh*