Plating on Brother machine with Tammy Noble

It's been a while since I have been able to catch up with the Spring City Knitters' blog. Frankly like most people, life gets in the way due to changes. And like most people, the Spring City Knitters have been experiencing changes. Instead of meeting at Knit and Sew in Spring City, PA, we have been meeting at the Lower Providence Community Library in Eagleville, PA. For some club members like myself, the new meeting place is closer to my home. For others not going to the Knit and Sew store, is a disappointment since they love to shop.

Anyway, at the meeting held this past Saturday, May 30th, 2009, plating was demonstrated by our leader, Tammy Noble. Everyone at the meeting was quite impressed with the plated knitted jacket shown by Tammy. The white woolray yarn with a plated metallic yarn front zippered jacket with its dark green woolray yarn with a plated metallic yarn for the sleeves, back, and neckband was gorgeous.

The primary points of the plating demonstration were:

1. Plating can create a non-itchy fabric when knitted with a metallic yarn. Many people including me find having a metallic yarn next to one's skin itchy. Plating keeps the metallic yarn on the face of the fabric and away from the skin.

2. Plating can create a uniform fabric. Normally when two yarns are knitted at the same time they create an random stripe. Plating permits each yarn to stay in its place while knitting.

3. Plating creates a firmer fabric. When two yarns are knitted at the same time the resultant fabric is stable and firmer than it would be if it were created with one yarn.

4. A plated fabric can be knitted with as a stockinette stitch, tuck stitch or a slip stitch. Unfortunately a fairisle stitch is not possible.

A suggestion for keeping the main yarn and the plated yarn from crossing is to use a rubberband across the carriage. As a special treat, we have upload a video of the plating demonstration given at our meeting. Hope you will enjoy the video. Should anyone have any questions, just let me know. My email addy is donmarie@fast.net.

If you would like more information about our club, I would love to hear from you. Our next meeting will be at the Lower Providence Community Library, Eagleville, PA from 10AM to noon, 2nd Floor. The demonstration about "buttonhole bands" will be on the LK 150 machine.

Hope to hear from you.

Regards,

Donna