New collections for new projects and your inspiration. This article presents techniques for drawing a girl, anatomy, pencil or through Photoshop

In my taste finding expedition, I’ve found myself being drawn to more complex and narrative pieces which juggle multiple elements. I’ve always loved looking for structure in whatever I’m loo…

Smooth out the resin learning curve with these TOP 10 RESIN TIPS. They cover everything that a resin beginner needs to know to get great results every time. Even the experts follow these resin tips to make sure that their resin projects work.

Here is an increase which is as invisible as any increase can well be--the sort of increase you would do in the middle of a field of stockinette, should you ever need to do such a thing. Step 1 (above): The green stitch is the next stitch on the left needle, the red stitch is the stitch under that. The blue yarn is the yarn of the current row--called the running yarn. * * *Step 2 (above): Insert the head of the right needle into the red stitch as shown. * * * Step 3 (above): Place the head of the red stitch on the left needle--arrange it untwisted, with the right arm forward. * * *Step 4 (above): With the running yarn (blue) knit the red stitch AND the green stitch. That's it. Neat, huh? --TECHknitter PS: There has been some confusion between the nearly invisible increase which ADDS a stitch to your fabric (this post above) and "knitting into the stitch below" which is a knitting trick to make a thick and puffy fabric but which does NOT ADD a stitch. It is true that both of these techniques involve the stitch below, but they are not the same thing and confusing one for the other will cause no end of problems in trying to follow a pattern! (You have been reading TECHknitting on: Invisible increases)

MAKE IT LOOK REAL! The scenic artist is responsible for painting all the scenery and sometimes that requires some skills. This page is ...

I long for an haute couture sleeve. That is, I crave a sleeve that is custom-fitted to my arm and shoulder and that works within the garment’s armscye. After years—or…

It's time to head to the beach in style, so grab your sunscreen and don't forget your cover-up! The Callisia Cover-up free sewing pattern is so versatile, there are endless ways to wear it. Full-length, with double puff bishop sleeves, it can drape beautifully over any swimsuit or a pair of jeans. This beautiful semi-sheer cotton will keep you cute and cool as you sit by the pool! Looking for fabric options with drape? While I used Mood's exclusive Ishvara's Wisdom floral cotton voile for my cover-up, try using silk chiffon or poly charmeuse for a version that will truly flow. How do you plan to style your Callisia Cover-up? Let us know!

Tightly pulled vertical smocking. Image via Trans.lu.cent» Smocking is a fabric manipulation technique that is generally created by using hand stitching to create areas of tension and release in the fabric. This results in very sculptural

The Willow, our latest free cardigan sewing pattern, can be made with a variety of fabrics to help you through late summer and into fall. This waffle knit is lightweight and nearly sheer, making it the perfect addition to your Pre-Fall wardrobe!

For this seasonal look, I paired two of Mood's free sewing patterns for an outfit that I can easily transition into winter.

I have an easy way to Gather Fabric that will give you even gathers. Even better, you will not have any broken stitches or tangled threads.

The Wandflower Blouse free sewing pattern features a simple, camisole-like silhouette with a gathered tie detail that's flattering for all.

Three zero waste patterns which explore the possibilities of embedding multiply garments in one pattern Menswear look: TWINSET: Men. Hooded jacket and t-shirt embedded zero-waste design. Garments m…

Jennifer Tandoc, an Abstract Illustrator, was born in Manila, Philippines and grew up in Los Angeles, California since 1978. She graduated from California School For the Deaf in Riverside and went to National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York, where she obtained her Associate Degree in Art and Computer Design in

Why is stitch gauge variable between knitters? It's a mystery of knitting encompassing many factors. Widely understood to have an influence are needle size, needle composition (material), tension in yarn supplied; and this post considers all these. Yet, a factor equally important--if not more--so lies in the formation of the knit stitch itself. We'll start there. We can say there are two properties of a knit stitch: its width, and its height. In the simplest conception, width arises from the "tail" of the stitch ( red, below) and height is measured from the "head" ( blue ) to the tail. The head is formed when your needle pulls through a loop, and the tail of the stitch when you move the formed loop along your knitting needle to get at the next loop. The tail here is shown split in half, but of course, the tail of one stitch butts against the next, making one continuous, shared, width. Tail or "'tweener strands" illustrated Below is a photo-diagram of the edge of stockinette: this is a top view. The heads are not colorized, only the tails. Stockinette fabric, top view "'tweener strands" of current row colorized red As with the opening illustration, the tail is colorized red. Here, the tail is seen top-view with the purl side of the stockinette fabric in view. This little red tail connects one stitch to another along the row--in this case, the current row. Because this tail runs between stitches, we'll call it the 'tweener yarn. Why does tail yarn need a special name? As it turns out, all 'tweener yarn is tail yarn, but not all tail yarn is 'tweener yarn. As we go along in future posts, we'll need specific names for the different kinds. So, to be specific, 'tweener yarn is that particular subset of tail yarn which connects stitches aligned in the same direction. Stated otherwise, 'tweener yarn connects adjacent stitches of the same kind (knit to knit, or purl to purl) along a row, as in stockinette. (In a future post, we'll look at a different subset of tail-yarn which we'll give a different name, and that is the kind which connects different kinds of stitches: knit to purl or purl to knit. When that post goes live, there will be a link placed here.) Here is a split-screen view of stockinette fabric, as seen from the front (knit) and back (purl) fabric faces, respectively. Again, the 'tweener yarn of the current row is colorized red. The most obvious difference between the two fabric faces is that the 'tweener yarn is unevenly distributed: far more appears on the back fabric face than the front. One consequence of this unbalanced distribution is behind the reason why stockinette curls so badly (discussed here). But 'tweener yarn is also an important factor in gauge--our topic today. Stitch gauge: Differing lengths of 'tweener yarn supplied between individual stitches lead to differences in number of st/in. In other words, it is the length of this little red strand laid down between stitches, which helps account for the difference in stitch gauge between two different knitters using the same yarn and the same needles. This makes intuitive sense because more distance between the stitches = fewer stitches per inch of fabric. Row gauge: The length of the 'tweener yarn is an important factor in STITCH gauge, but not the only factor in overall gauge-- there is also ROW gauge. In my analysis, it is the height of the stitches which adds a factor for difference in row gauge, and by height, I mean how tightly each loop of yarn conforms to the size of the barrel of the needle. Once the stitch is off the needle, a stitch which lays looser around the needle barrel will lay taller in the fabric than a relatively tighter-wrapped stitch, so looser loops = taller fabric Stitch + row gauge, theory: Putting together the two factors--length of 'tweener yarn + height of stitches--theory suggests... 4 samples, 4 different styles, same yarn, same number of rows & stitches, same needles, same knitter WIDE: If you pull your yarn tight over the barrel (smaller, tighter stitches) but leave plenty of room between stitches (longer 'tweener strand) you'll have--relatively speaking--a wide-ish stitch gauge (more st/in) and a short-ish row gauge (fewer rows/in). I could get this to occur consistently by operating on the upcoming stitch very near the holding needle tip (left needle), but drawing the new stitch well back onto the working needle tip (right needle). This near-the-left-tip, far-from-right-tip method produced the "wide" swatch illustration. TALL: If your loop is loose over the barrel of the needle, but each loop is right up against the next loop (shorter 'tweener strand), then your row gauge appears relatively long (fewer rows/in) and your stitch gauge relatively narrow (more sts/in). In my experiments, this style can result from stitch formation via drawing the two needle tips apart from one another like the arms of a scissors, with significant up and down motion between the needles, but the yarn held near both needle tips. I heavily "scissored" in knitting the tall sample. An alternative way of getting the same effect is by wrapping the stitch loosely, holding it somewhat open by tensioning the working (right) needle upwards, then giving a pretty good jerk to the running yarn. TIGHT: If your 'tweener strand is short and the height of the stitch short, you're a tight knitter (more st/in and more rows/in). In my experiments this was accomplished by knitting at the tippy-toppy-tips of both needles, drawing the running yarn so tight to the barrel of the needle they would hardly slide, and, of course, by heavily tensioning the yarn at all times. LOOSE: If your 'tweener yarn is long and the height of the stitch tall, you're a loose knitter (fewer sts/in, fewer rows/in). This is how I usually knit. Therefore, to get gauge, I have learned to drop needle size, usually two US sizes smaller than what is considered "standard." For the below sample, I knit as loosely as possible, tensioned the yarn lightly, held each loop well away from the left and and right tips, drew a lot of yarn into each stitch and scissored each stitch wide open. Another view. Wide (top L) and loose swatches (bottom L) are same width, but loose swatch is longer. Tall (bottom R) and loose swatches are same height, but loose swatch is wider. All these samples were knit using the same needles (Boye aluminum US size 5 dpn's) on the same day, by the same person (me), all 16 stitches and 20 rows, using yarn from the same ball of Patton's Roving. I chose this yarn because it has very little twist and is airy. Airy yarn like this which compresses but also fluffs up can be worked at many different gauges. Further, it is pure wool of a not-very-soft kind, and so, ultra-grabby. The only thing which varied between the samples was the height of the stitch, and the length of the tail yarn between the stitches--the 'tweener yarn. Now, theory is a very fine thing, but unless you're using an ultra-grabby yarn like mine, stitch height and 'tweener length aren't really in a fixed relationship. Looking back at the structure of the stitch, you see that a stitch is a very fluid little creature. As yarn comes off the needles it is freed to wiggle around in the continuous and interconnected web which is knitted fabric. So, yarn can get pulled from the loop of the stitch into the tweener strand, or vice versa. Via blocking, a taller stitch can simply become a wider stitch, just depending how the fabric is handled (when you block a fabric wide, it becomes shorter). Similarly, blocking can turn a wider fabric with more 'tweener yarn to become a taller fabric (blocking a fabric long makes it narrower). The more overall slack--whether in stitch height or 'tweener strand--then the more possible it is that in the blocking process, or even in just wearing the garment, the fabric can trade width for length and vice versa. In other words, whether you made the stitches tall with a short length of tweener yarn, or you left a lot of 'tweener yarn stranded between the stitches but made the stitches tight, these variables don't matter as much as the overall amount of slack increases. This factor is especially true if you are knitting in a slick yarn. In trading length for width, yarn slickness is huge. Different yarns have different amounts of friction vs. slide. The slicker the yarn, the easier the interchange between stitch height and tweener yarn length (And this is why it is so notoriously difficult to "get gauge" in alpaca, acrylic, linen or silk, those slick and frictionless yarns.) For my original cream colored samples, I chose high friction yarn which made it easy to show the relationship between stitch height and 'tweener yarn length. But if you're knitting with a slick yarn, the story is completely different. The gold samples below are worked in some kind of acrylic yarn--the ball band went missing years ago. All I know is it is super slick (so slick, in fact, I usually use this yarn for COWYAK provisional cast-on: it slides out of the work perfectly). Both samples below were made within a few minutes of one another, with the same needles (those aluminum Boye size 5's again) same yarn, same hands. I knit both samples as I usually knit, which is loosely--long 'tweener yarn as well as tall stitches. The only construction difference is a few purl bumps on one so the two samples can be told apart. After the samples were knit, I didn't wet-block because blocking has no lasting effect on acrylic. Instead, I simply tugged each sample repeatedly and strongly, in order to work the slack yarn either into the loop (tall) or into the 'tweener yarn (wide). The slick yarn simply slid around in the fabric, and here's the result stuck on a magnet board. Although both samples started off at the same size, tugging made the plain sample longer, and the bumped sample wider. Plain sample (L) tugged long, bumped sample (R) tugged wide In this next photo, I left the plain sample alone, and tugged the bumped sample tall and long. Now, both samples have the same length and width. Plain sample and bumped samples both pulled long In the last iteration, I left the bumped sample long, but tugged the plain sample wide. This final experiment shows that tugging into a wide shape is not permanent in slick yarn Plain sample (L) tugged wide, bumped sample (R) tugged long These samples demo the influence of yarn friction (or in this case, lack of friction). Given that gravity never sleeps, if I wanted to knit a sweater out of a slick yarn like this, I'd pull the swatch as long as possible, and measure gauge that way. That would better match the eventual lengthening of garment as it is worn over time. So, for alpaca, linen, cotton, acrylic, silk, and other similar fibers, consider tugging or blocking your swatches long to get the truer gauge. (And speaking of gravity, I might also add here that gravity affects ALL knitted garments to some extent, of whatever fiber they are worked. So, if you're happy with a garment's current fit, do not store it hanging, no, not even on a wide-shouldered suit hanger.) Adding hardware to the analysis, adds more complications. Needles play a role with needle size the most obvious influence. Bigger needles yield bigger loops and looser fabric, all other things held equal. However, even among knitters using the same size needles and yarn, there is significant variation in fabric produced. So, each knitter must learn by experience, her own correction from "standard." As mentioned earlier, I generally start out swatching with two or even three sizes smaller needles than are recommended as standard on the yarn ball-band. Needle material also plays a role. Grabby needles like wood or bamboo deliver more yarn per stitch; smoother needles, fewer, and this is true even when all these needles are the exact same size. Yet, it's even more complicated than that, because while needle composition does strongly affect stitch height (amount of yarn grabbed into each loop) it does not strongly affect the length of the 'tweener strand or tail: the loop is made over the grabby needle, but the tail is created mainly in the frictionless air. So if you get stitch gauge, but you feel your row gauge is too long or too short, consider a switch to needles of the same size but a different composition--smoother or grabbier--as required to correct. Finally yarn size has quite an effect. In unitary fabric (non-lace), thinner yarn gets up to fewer overall tricks because there is inherently less slack in smaller stitches knit on smaller needles. The bulkier the yarn you work with, the better will be the result if the yarn is grabby and not slick. So, if I wanted to work a garment in alpaca or silk or a synthetic (slick) yarn, I'd choose a pattern calling for a lighter weight yarn, so there would be less yarn to wiggle around in the first place. For a bulky garment, I'd choose a grabby yarn, giving gravity a bigger challenge to dragging the garment long. In lace fabric knit with a lightweight yarn, the situation is exactly reversed because lace has inherently loose gauge due to its open nature. The yarn-overs in lace would tend to slide into the fabric and disappear if knit in a slick yarn. A grabby yarn holds the lace pattern much better. For that reason, yarn with a mohair content is a dream for lace--the "halo" of mohair fibers are like tentacles holding open the yo's. Shetland-type wools are a popular choice for lace for the same reason: they aren't at all slick and hold the lace pattern with little slide. Changing your gauge I think that changing your gauge by changing the motion of your hands is one of the hardest things to do in all of knitting. The way that your hands form the loops--whether tall or tight to the needle--becomes an automatic process after just a short time knitting. Similarly, the amount of yarn your hands play out between stitches--the length of the 'tweener yarn--also becomes automatic. I don't say it can't be done--it can, and I have known knitters who did. So, if you want to try, it helps that you know what factors to look for: the height of the stitches, the length of the 'tweener yarn, and how you got to those factors. As per above, these include how far the loop is from the tips of each needle at the time of stitch formation, the tension on the running yarn, whether your needles "scissor" the stitches wide open at the time of formation, and (especially for English-style knitters, perhaps) whether you give the running yarn a jerk after each stitch is seated on the right (holding) needle. If you absolutely want to have a whole fresh start which corrects the "automatic" tendencies of your hands, consider experimenting with a different style of knitting. If you knit English, try continental. If you knit continental, try English-style. I expect that even with this fairly nuclear-type option, though, your hands will soon develop habits in this alternate style--new and different habits, but equally automatic after a short time. An easier and more accessible way to change your gauge is to mess around with the interplay between the other factors identified in this post. If your swatches always lie, consider swatching and working your next project in a grabbier yarn--rustic wool, for one example, stays put once knit. Among synthetics, something with bumps, slubs, or other heavy texture would also have a better chance of staying truer to swatch gauge. If determined to work in a slick fiber, then, as stated above, a swatch tugged or blocked long is a more accurate approximation of the final result (and the longer the garment is, the more true this is). If your final garment doesn't fit the way you would like, consider extreme blocking--remember than blocking can usually get fabric to trade height for width, at least somewhat. BTW? A high-end dry-cleaner can help with this too: they have commercial fabric-processing machines you simply don't have at home, especially steaming equipment. Match yarn to project: in non-lace projects, save slick fibers for thinner yarns knit on smaller needles to reduce overall slack; prefer grabby yarns for heavier yarns to increase friction and decrease sliding around. In lace, the situation is reversed: although lace is typically knit with thin yarn, grabby yarns give the best result in holding the holes of lace patterns open. As far as stitch and row gauge go... If you get stitch gauge but your row gauge is too short (not enough rows) consider swatching with the same size needle, but a grabbier material like wood or bamboo, to drag more yarn into the height of each loop. If you get stitch gauge, but your row gauge is too long (too many rows) consider swatching with a slicker needle--non-coated metal of some kind, perhaps anodized aluminum. If you get row gauge but not stitch gauge, consider changing needle size until your stitch gauge is correct, and then switching up your row gauge by changing needle material as above Or maybe, just don't worry too much about row gauge in the first place. See, for top-down or bottom-up garments (which is most of them) row gauge is less important than stitch gauge, because you can always alter the pattern by adding or subtracting a few rows. You can usually even fudge sleeve caps this way, too, after a few runs at it. For side-to-side sweaters, though, row gauge is important! 'til next time --TK ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Thanks to everyone who posted in an old 2008 Ravelry thread which really got my gears turning in thinking about gauge so many years ago, with a special thank you to Beanmama who started that thread, eightoclock who really ran with it and yarnspinner who dropped a crucial hint. The essential swatches Many thanks also to the various knitters, who, over the years, contributed research swatches, labeled as to yarn & needle size and composition. DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE (related links): .Circular gauge swatches knit flat (back and forth on two needles)(February 4, 2011) .Gauge--a cautionary tale (August 3, 2007) .Gauge, ease and fashion--or "why doesn't my sweater fit?" (January 23, 2007) .Gauge swatches, keeping track with knots (May 28, 2007) .Gauge-less gauge swatches or "dating tips for knitters" (February 6, 2007) .Knitting needles, different points (December 12, 2006) .Knitting needles and loop size: the stitch and the needle it rode in on(February 2, 2007) .Tightening garments after they are made: inisible afterthought smocking: a useful (and mysterious!) trick (September 6, 2014) .My hat is too loose... (May 12, 2011) .My sweater is too wide... (May 6, 2011) .My sweater is too tight under the arms, or at the chest/bust--the magic of gussets (May 9, 2011) .Uneven knitting part 1:how to tame knit and purl at different tensions (February 22, 2007) .Uneven knitting part 2: bunching, big stitches and lumpy fabric--the problem of too-long runs (January 12, 2010) .Why block hand knits? Here's why--and how! (March 13, 2008)

Welcome back to the Learn to Machine Sew course for beginners, in which I teach the basics of machine sewing, with a technical lesson and a useful tutorial for each technique. It's been a few months since our last lesson, so if you need to brush up on some basics, check out the course syllabus.

“Ashleigh, your last post about needing at technical editor just wasn’t gritty enough” “I know I need a technical editor, but now what? “How do I actually find an editor that I like and trust?” I get it. I got a lot of feedback that one of my last posts just wasn’t good enough. The whole purpose of this blog and site i

last night at my art group we experimented with dyeing silk velvet. we mixed up 16 colors and dipped our little squares over and over again~ rinsing, mixing, dipping, squeezing, did i say dripping? we all wore gloves {except Deb who has a blue left hand this morning} and aprons and our old clothes. this morning the squares were all dry, lined up on my kitchen counter. the silk velvet is so luxurious and takes the color beautifully! we had a wonderful time. now i just get to dream up something to make with all this gorgeous color. velvet strawberry pincushions are definitely on the list. as well as some soft little bunny ears. the silk velvet is actually made out of silk and rayon. my favorite pieces were the ones where the silk dyed one color and the rayon dyed another. the mix of the two colors looks just like a piece of perfectly aged vintage silk velvet. i found an old silk drawstring beaded purse once that was falling apart, i bought it just for the vintage velvet and have been hooked ever since... this photo shows the two tone color effect where the velvet has been folded in half and rolled up. notice the top left lavender piece that has a definite blue base color. fabulous! happy weekend, julie

I don't know about you, but my Fall wardrobe wouldn't be complete without a beautiful classic tweed piece. Luckily, Mood Fabrics always has us covered! For this project, I used one of Mood's multi-faceted metallic tweeds that's highlighted with shimmering threads and multi-colored yarns. As always, a great way to showcase such an intricate fabric is to use a simple silhouette like our Aspen Skirt free sewing pattern.

Channel classic, yet mysterious preppy style with Mood's guide to both dark and light academia, as well as the best free sewing patterns!

Made here in a rib knit, the Almond Bodysuit free sewing patternis fit for anything from yoga to lifting and can be made in a variety of knit.

This season's athletic wear is all about being seen and making a statement. Colorblocking and two-toned color pallets are right on trend! The June Bralette

Corsets have been around for centuries, and while they have long been in fashion, their popularity has ebbed and flowed throughout recent decades. Now they

Channel classic, yet mysterious preppy style with Mood's guide to both dark and light academia, as well as the best free sewing patterns!

Everything is constantly going in and out of style, but one thing I thought I'd had enough of was '80s puff sleeves. That is, until The Serissa Top free sewing pattern came into my life. With adorable throwback sleeves and an easy wrap around silhouette, this shirt is one of the most versatile patterns I've worked with. Keep it styled with a lustrous fabric and gorgeous applique for an outfit that can travel from day into evening, or try a geometric lace and fringe for the cutest new addition to your festival wardrobe!

Gathering fabric is beautiful, but it is also time-consuming. In this article, you will learn the easiest and fastest way to gather fabric. Any kind of it!

Need a refresher on the different types of seams at your disposal? Or maybe you’re starting out and doing research to better acquaint yourself with your

With a glimpse of some semi warmer weather, it’s making me think of spring; and when I think of spring, I'm ready to start bringing out the bold prints!

Accentuating your waist is nothing new in fashion, but this technique is getting a new twist as comfy clothing trends continue to rise. We're seeing

Have you fallen in love with a pattern, only to find that it doesn’t come in your size? A few ladies told me that Itch to Stitch’s patterns don’t come in their sizes – some are smaller and some are larger than the measurements. Perhaps you have a tween who is not quite big enough to […]

The Peony blouse free sewing pattern is a quick and easy sewing project allowing you to add a fabulous top to your wardrobe in no time. With a surplice neckline, full sleeves and banded bottom, it provides volume while sinching in your waist for a flattering fit.

So... I technically drew this 3 years ago but forgot to post it. I think I was going to clean up the end and make a nice recap, but I ran out of steam and then just left it as a wip for years. I got…

This is a 11x17 graph paper template for you to download, in tabloid and landscape pdfs. There are also 8.5 x 11 letter tabloid and landscape pdfs.

- You can check our tutorial here - A collection of sketchy style architectural brushes made for Procreate. File Type: Brush Set File Size: 27 MBFormat: BRUSHSET  Technical details: All brushes are recolorable. You can easily change colors in Procreate. Software compatibility: Procreate 5.2.7 or newer for iPad (Please note that these brushes are made only for Procreate. The .brushset extension does not have any compatibility with Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator.)Content: 90 Architectural Brushes for Procreate  About Procreate Brushsets: People, furniture, plants and other scale brushes are mostly used by architects, designers and artists. Texture, pattern brushes are mostly used in architectural illustrations. Tags: procreate architecture, tree, vegetation, procreate, brush, landscape, foliage, flower, plant, grass, texture, brushset, grid, furniture, people, housing, residential, interior,interior design, plan, elevation, stamp brush, Swatch, living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, outdoor, indoor, trees, plants, patterns, floor pattern, paper texture, chair, table, fridge, coffee table, couch, lighting, seating, lamp, sofa, armchair, vase, decorations, fillers, housing collection

TIME, KIDS, BROOM STICKS, RESHUFFLING… all these things inevitably end up in bruised and battered furniture. But fret-not! BetterMoves has a quick and easy, not to mention inexpensive,…