Bond Buzz, Issue #33
January 25, 2006
Free from Bond America

Welcome to another issue of Bond Buzz!

This has definitely been a year of extremes!  I just returned from the TNNA (The National Needle Arts) trade show in San Diego and was so glad I still had my Vermont coat!  And we in Vermont have been crying since November for snow (which just showed up this past week).  But whether it’s a freeze in California or (finally) snow in Vermont – both are great for indoor activities, such as creating a new jacket on your Sweater Machine or just learning a new technique, both of which are included with this Buzz.

It was SO interesting to see how many crocheters use the Ultimate Sweater Machine!  Check out the survey results for yourself. I had my suspicions (mostly because some of our crochet designers also knit – but only if it’s on the USM…..).  It looks like it’s OK to have USM/crochet combo projects in the future.

Draped Sweater for the Sweater Machine®
First the free project:  designed by our buddy, Kathy Perry (who I hooked up with at the TNNA show), this architectural jacket is made in Caron's Simply Soft® Shadows and shows off the subtle striping of this unique (and very affordable) yarn.  The back is knitted traditionally, from lower edge to neck, but the fronts are knitted side to side.  Kathy added a cable for interest and, voila, you have a super special jacket that’s wearable to work or at home.

I love the challenge of figuring out these wonderful new architectural shapes, but what I love even more is the return of the tunic!  Guess I’ve always been an 80s kind of girl – love those leggings too!  But we Sweater Machine users have a serious leg-up on the hand knitters, as knitting a tunic for us takes no time at all.  Today’s fashions are perfectly designed for machine knitters!

Fabulous Blissed Out Scarf for the Pocket Knitter™
I’d also like to welcome those of you who have a Pocket Knitter, one of Roger’s best inventions for those who don’t want to knit on 2 needles, especially kids.  It’s super-easy, fast and creates all kinds of very cool stuff.  And if you don’t have a Pocket Knitter, here’s how you can get one.

This pattern uses Caron's Bliss and Fabulous together in one super-soft scarf.

Creating I-Cord on the Sweater Machine

While some of you may know this technique, I like to be sure all the “newbies” – especially those who have just received a machine as a gift – are able to catch up with all you long-time USM knitters.

I-cord (aka Idiot Cord, most likely because we often feel like idiots with the repetitive steps of this technique) is usually associated with the Embellish-Knit! or Cool Corder (also the Magicord), but if you want to create more than a 4-stitch cord or use a yarn that’s too thick for the cording machines – or you want to knit Caron's Felt-It more loosely so it will felt better – here’s how to do it on the USM.

Uses for thicker I-cord are purse handles, drawstrings, edgings, weaving through eyelet stitches, braided rugs – the uses are endless.

For this technique, I’ve used Wintuk®, Caron’s basic 4-ply worsted, and used 5 needles.  (You can experiment with the number of needles you want to use, but I would not recommend more than 6 or 7 for the best looking cord).  I also don’t use any hem but you will need one claw weight.

Insert #3 keyplate into the carriage.

1.  Bring forward 5 needles to HP and, leaving a 6” tail, work an e-wrap from left to right.

2.  COR.  Knit slowly across.  This is important because you do not have any weight on the stitches.

3.  Attach a claw weight to the cast-on row.

4.  COL.  Raise the keyplate and slide the carriage to the right hand side of the bed.  There will be a long strand of yarn in front of your work.

5.  Slowly knit from right to left, making sure the yarn catches properly on the first needle.  You may need to push it back slightly with your finger.

6.  Repeat Steps 4 & 5 above.  The long strands across your work will begin to disappear and your work will begin to look more like finished I-cord.

7.  When you have completed the length of I-cord you want (the added advantage of just using a claw weight is you can raise it up and more easily measure the length of the I-cord while it is still on the machine), remove from machine.  You can bind off or use WY.

8. Join the cast-on ends together and you’re done!

Drop by the Bond America online store to purchase the coolest and newest way to knit without needles, the Pocket Knitter! Since you can't take your Sweater Machine with you to the doctor's office or on the road, the Pocket Knitter is a wonderful way to keep knitting without needles. Super simple to learn, knitting on the Pocket Knitter is so much fun. And the Pocket Knitter makes a wonderful gift for children who are curious about knitting, but can't quite manage the needles.

So practice your I-cord knitting and I’ll see you next month for more techniques and free patterns!

Happy Knitting!

Cari Clement
Bond America

P.S. As a subscriber to Bond-Buzz, I'd like to invite you to subscribe to the FREE e-mail newsletter—Caron Connections from Caron® International. Just visit the Caron site (http://www.caron.com) and enter your email address. It's that easy. As a subscriber to Caron Connections, you'll receive monthly emails filled with the latest inside scoop on Caron's new fashion yarns and free patterns.