I'd like to share my way of knitting more successful 2-row jogless stripes in the round. Watch the video and read the post, because both give valuable info on the topic:

First off, manage your expectations:
Knitting jogless stripes in the round is one of those age-old problems that never seems to be totally resolved. Circular knitting is actually knitting in a spiral, not a circle, making a totally jogless stripe impossible. With every tip or trick you find, there will always be something not quite right where you join the new color.

I did some research and found many different methods for use on stripes with 2+ rows per stripe. I tried a few, and settled on the simplest because it can easily be inserted into any written pattern.

The "Slip 1" method:
Knit one round with the new color, then slip (purlwise) the first stitch of the 2nd round.

Short and sweet? More like mangled and ugly:
It's so elegant, right? Just slip one stitch and all your problems go away! Hooray! And yes, I thought it worked well enough at first, but as with most things in knitting, it turns out a bit of finesse is necessary.

I started out using the "Slip 1" technique on a garment with wide stripes, and I was pretty happy. The jog was much less noticeable. Feeling empowered, I then decided to use it on a design I had been working on that involved a series of 2-row stripes. The result was much less successful. The "Slip 1" method looked worse than the jog on my narrow 2-row stripes.

With narrow 2-row stripes, the "Slip 1" technique will distort your knitting into a disgusting mess that you wish you never saw! The problem is that the stripes are too close together and the beginning of each stripe is pulled down further than normal by the previous stripe of that color. AND, since it only deals with one end of the jog, the top of the stripe still ends with a little stair-step down to the new color.

After a lot of head scratching, and really screwing up a mitten, I figured out some tips that take the "Slip 1" method to the next level.

My trick, "Tug & Twist":
It is important to always twist the two colors together at the beginning of every round. Do this by always picking-up the new color from around the back of the old color. The name of the game is tension control. When you twist the colors together like this, a twisted cord will form on the backside of your work that will help keep extra slack or extra tension in check.

As you begin the first row of the new color, take the new color of yarn in your hand and give it a bit of a tug. Tug hard enough to significantly tighten the last stitch of the previous stripe of this color. Then twist the new color together around the old color as mentioned before. Knit the first stitch of the row loosely, making sure there is plenty of slack in the “twisted cord”. The “cord” should sort of lock the shrunken stitch into place while allowing extra slack for that first loose stitch. Knit the rest of the round normally. Then slip the first stitch of the second round, as explained before. Repeat for each color change.

This should do it! Just twist at the start of each round, and tug that last stitch so it shrinks. You can adapt "tug and twist" to use on wider stripes too. Just "tug" the last stitch of the stripe after you've worked the first round or two of the new color, and remember to still "twist" before every round.

I hope you've found this helpful! Please leave a comment to tell me what you think or if you know of any other tricks to make a better “jogless” stripe.

Worsted-Knitt.net just posted my interview, so please go check it out! It was a fun interview because Lumia asked some really great questions. While you're there, you should also check out the cute hand-made stitch markers, patterns, and knitting themed t-shirts she's got for sale.

In this video post I talk about my Gowanus Shawl pattern. A great project for Memorial Day weekend! It's light and summery, and taking only 1 skein of 50g fingering weight yarn on size 9 needles, it's a cinch to make. For more info, check out my blog post, Gowanus = SuperFUN, and the Gowanus Shawl pattern page.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment below!

This is the first of a series where I plan to do a demo video for each of my new designs. In this video post, I talk about my Figurehead Shawl pattern that was recently published in Knitscene Magazine, Summer 2011 issue. I discuss my inspiration, yarn, design elements and show what it looks like on a real person.

I hope you enjoy! Please leave some comments below to tell me what you think.

links:

Buy the magazine with Figurehead Shawl $7.99

Knitscene Magazine's website

I'm so beyond delighted to announce the debut of my new pattern, the Figurehead Shawl, in the new KnitScene Summer 2011 magazine! I'm extra excited because it's the first pattern I've gotten published in a magazine. Whoo hoo!

The pattern is a small summery shawl style scarf featuring a [totally knitted] scalloped edge and a cute little button to make sure it stays put. It's great if you need just a little extra layer on a breezy summer afternoon. The striped  pattern is so easy and adds a handsome touch to the simple garter stitch texture. I love it because not only is it super cute, but also because I know it won't slip off my neck, which makes it the perfect little scarf to wear while riding my bike.

Did I sell you all on it yet? Yes! Now giddy-up! Go buy that magazine and knit, knit, KNIT!

[caption id="attachment_524" align="alignnone" width="468" caption="The pages of the magazine splayed out for all you internetters to see. Also, check out my orchid in the back. I kept that thing around for 2 years and it finally bloomed again!"][/caption]

It was such a surreal experience to see something that I made on a model with my name next to it in a magazine. The pictures look so good too! They didn't get a picture showing the button, which is my favorite part of the pattern, but you can see it here.

The magazine hit the shelves a week ago. I've already started seeing some project pictures pop up on the pattern's Ravelry page, which is always a delight. Keep up the good work everyone!

FYI, you can purchase the magazine online or just about anywhere that sells knitting magazines (like a craft store or Barnes & Noble).

This weekend I went with my darling mother to the SOFA (sculpture objects & functional art) show at the Park Avenue Armory on 67th Street. I REALLY enjoyed this show. There were so many things that were right up my alley! In addition to painting, I've always had a keen interest in ceramics and pottery. In art school I had a dual concentration on both, but didn't really pursue the pottery thing after college. Honestly I was only OK at it, and painting was clearly my strong suit, but still there was always something about clay that just made my heart sing :)

Here are some pictures of some of my favorite work from the show.

I absolutely loved these ceramic faces by Johan Thunell. If you look closely (they are smaller than you'd think, maybe 6" tall), you'll see that he's only glazed the teeth and eyes, giving these pieces a creepy, yet charming glimmer of life.

This piece, by Marian Bijlenga, was another favorite of mine. It spoke to my inner textile artist I think. I've made several forays into the field, but have never really found my voice. I think there's still a future there though.

Left: a beaded heart by Jan Huling, who we met at the show and is a charming woman. Right: a collection of enchanting dolls by Charla Khanna.

Left, back: some striking pots by Per Weiss. I'm always impressed by giant pots! The  figurative work in both pictures is by Lars Calmer. There's something I really liked about these. They reminded me of some of my artist friends from Oklahoma.

This super realistic box of money by Randall Rosenthal was carved from a single block of wood!

Another notable artist was Joan Rasmussen who had some really fascinating little dolls made from ceramics and found objects. I also really enjoyed the intricate baskets displayed at the Tai Gallery booth.

They reminded me of the cover to my high school calculus book (left). The piece on the right, by Honda Syoryu, is representative of the work I saw. Do you see what I mean?

[caption id="attachment_489" align="alignleft" width="260" caption="The Snood for Good!"][/caption]

Just a quick note today. I've been ULTRA busy lately (tell you why soon), but it's about time I post about my fundraiser for relief efforts in Japan. It was such a huge success! Thanks to everyone who bought my "Caring Cowl" pattern, I was able to donate $200 to the American Red Cross. I also want to thank everyone who re-blogged, tweeted, and posted on facebook and Ravelry about the pattern. Every time that happened I had a bump in sales and I really appreciated your help in spreading the word. You're the best!

This was such a great experience that I've decided to continue selling the pattern, donating the profits to charity. Thanks again everyone! I'll be sure to keep you posted about future donations.

[caption id="attachment468" align="alignnone" width="480" caption="Snood for Good"]<img class="size-full wp-image-468" title="53219694436fb1b4b3a1z" src="https://knitdarling.s3.amazonaws.com/attachments/266/blog/53219694436fb1b4b3a1_z.jpg" />[/caption]

I just got back from Austin, TX where my husband  attended the SXSW interactive confrence. I had a really great time down there. It was so nice to get a taste of some springtime weather and bask in the sun a bit. When I say "bask" I really mean sit outside under an umbrella with 70 spf sunscreen, a dos equis, and of course my knitting. By the way, I only managed to get a sunburn on the tops of my hands and on the part of my hair (very proud of that).

While I was there, I was able to sneak in to the conference to see one of the very last speakers, Blake Mycoskie, who is the founder of Toms shoes. He told us all about the story of how he started Toms in a very moving and inspiring speech. His message was powerful and he challenged everyone in the audience to incorporate giving into whatever they do. He suggested that companies could donate more than just money by having a volunteer day for their employees.

My first thought was, "This is an amazing idea and I wish my employer could hear this speech." It seems highly unlikely that this would ever happen in the place I work. My next thought, which now seems surprisingly out of order, was, "Hey, I've got my own tiny business! How can I use my little pattern shop to impact the world? What can I do to help the people in Japan?"

BRAIN FLASH! (as my adorable mother would say) I've been sitting on a new knitting pattern for a cowl / snood thing for a bit. I've been unsure as to whether I should put it up for free, or if I should try to sell it. It's a very simple pattern, but I think it has a great look to it which is worth something. It's the perfect pattern to sell as a fundraiser! So today, even though it may be a bit late, I am posting my pattern for the "Caring Cowl" for sale for $3.00 US here on KnitDarling and on Ravelry.com. In two weeks I will donate all the profits to the Red Cross. Depending on how well this goes over, I'd like to extend the time or switch to a different charity on a rotating basis. I'm open to suggestion on that subject.

I encourage everyone who reads this to please buy a pattern for themselves or as a gift for a friend. The cowl is super hip (all the cool kids are wearing them in Brooklyn), and simple enough for a beginner. Thanks to everyone for their support!

Working from home yesterday was particularly fabulous. I got to trim a bedskirt with miles of super girly pink feather boa. My tiny apartment was absolutely covered in little pink feathers. My poor husband was a great sport about it, bless his heart, and got this pic of me hamming it up. It reminds me of working at Hancock Fabrics in college. When there weren't any customers in the store boredom would make us clerks kind of silly. I used to love putting on a couple of boas, donning a tiara from the bridal section and prancing around. That was a fun job. I got to work with so many interesting, neat people.

Also this fabulous box jammed full of Berroco Ultra Alpaca yarn arrived in the mail! I can't tell you what it's going to be, but isn't this yarn just so yummy!

I was surprised and honored to be chosen as the University of Oklahoma School of Art's "featured alumni" for the spring semester. Check it out here. It was fun to take a stroll down memory lane and think about my college experience at OU.

Answering questions about my past and my plans for the future was harder than I thought it would be. I'm really more of a "right now" kind of person, if that makes sense. It was good to focus on my path though and in the end it was a positive and motivating exercise.