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Frequently Asked Questions

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What do the acronyms used on the list mean?

Ample-knitters is a list that spun off from the “Big” Knit List and many of the acronyms we use here came directly from that list. Woolworks hosts a list of these commonly used acronyms. We use a few here that you won't find on that list, including “DP” for Jill Vosburg's Diamond Patch sweater, “KAL” for knit a-long (which is what happens when a bunch of us decide to make the same pattern and talk about it on-list), “CNC” for Medrith Glover's Circumnavigated Cardigan, and “MTAS” for Sidna Farley's “More Than a Sweatshirt” sweater.

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Where can I find patterns in large sizes?

See the Ample-Knitters Resource Guide at this site.

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I'm interested in free patterns. Where do I find those?

Check out the Ample-Knitters links to free patterns.

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Where do I get information about other email knitting lists?

Emily Way of WoolWorks maintains a list of Fiber-Related Internet Mailing Lists. Ron Parker of FiberNet also maintains a listing of Fiber-Related Lists.

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What are the Delta Burke patterns? Where can I get them?

These are large-size knitting patterns from Delta Burke Designs, published by Butterick, with national distribution. At last count there were eight, four from Spring/Summer 1998, and four from Fall/Winter. See the resources page for more information.

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What is the Graceful?

The “Graceful” is a poncho-like garment, or shawl, designed by Medrith Glover and Karen Yaksick. It was originally featured in Knitter's 13, which is long out-of-print, but the pattern is also available directly from Medrith Glover.

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What is the Circumnavigated Cardigan?

This is a terrific sweater designed by Medrith Glover. The sweater was originally featured in Knitters #10, and the pattern is still available directly from Medrith herself. See a picture of Ample-Knitters' list-owner Shelda Eggers' Circumnavigated Cardigan in the Ample-Knitters Gallery!

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What is the Diamond Patch Sweater? The Magical Mitered Vest?

These are patterns from lister Jill Vosburg (Just One More Row), who designs fascinating garments in modular knitting. Be sure and check out the Diamond Patch Hints collected from Ample-Knitters posts.

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What is a Ribwarmer?

A Ribwarmer is a fairly close-fitting garter stitch vest designed by Elizabeth Zimmermann. It's an ingenious design, and has captured the fancy of many knitters, several of whom have designed their own variations. The ribwarmer was published first in WoolGathering (EZ and Meg Swansen's publication), and then featured in Knitters #5 (Fall/Winter 1986). Modifications were presented in Knitter's #48 (Fall 1997). Meg revisited this vest and all its variations in Woolgathering #58 (March of 1998), and included a much longer version called the “Bea Arthur.” Woolgathering is available from Schoolhouse Press, 1-800-YOU-KNIT.

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I'm a designer (or I own a knitting shop) and have a special offer for ample-knitters. Can I post about it to the list?

Yes, you can! Commercial offers are welcome on the Ample-Knitters list if they are for products of specific interest to ample knitters. This includes kits, patterns, lots of yarn with sufficient yardage to knit a large-sized sweater, etc. Shop owners are also encouraged to answer queries to the list with the information that they stock an item a lister is seeking. If you have any doubts about the suitability of a particular offer, contact the list-owner..

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I've been told that I should only post to the list in plain text. How do I make sure my email client doesn't include html tags, signature cards, or other attachments?

HTML, signature cards, and other attachments can't be read by all email clients, and cause problems on the digests so I have the list server configured to bounce all of these posts to me. You can find information here for turning off HTML for many popular email clients.

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I meant to send a personal note to someone who posted to the list, but the next thing I knew my note showed up on the list! Why does that happen?

By default, when you reply to a message from Ample-Knitters your reply comes back to the whole list. I have it set that way so that when someone asks a question we all get the reply. I think that's the best way to keep list information flowing on the list and make it feel the most like a discussion. If you ask about how a certain pattern worked when made up in a larger size, there are probably others who also want to know. Ditto when you know of a great url where we can find x, y, or x. But this means that if you intend your reply to be personal, you must change the address to the address of the sender. This is a quick cut and paste operation in most email clients, and if you'll notice there is a little message at the bottom of each and every Ample-Knitters post that explains this andgives you the address of the person who sent the message.

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I have a great photo of a sweater I just finished! Can I post it to the list so the others can see it?

No, because the list software is configured to bounce any posts that contain attachments. They make a hash of the digest, and many people have email set-ups that do not allow binary transfers so they can't receive the attachments anyway. We do have an Ample-Knitters Gallery online, however, and you are invited to send your photos directly to me for inclusion in this gallery. Write to me for information about how best to accomplish this: the file format to use, what textual information I ask you to include, etc.

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I just heard about a really bad new virus that could wipe out all our computers! How do I let my fellow listers know?

Answer coming soon!

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What are the rules about copyright and the list?

Answer coming soon!

16.

Will I get spam because I subscribed to this list?

I sincerely hope not! As the list-owner I have taken a number of precautions to ensure the privacy of subscribers and posters to the Ample-Knitters list. Only members can post to the list, no one but the list-owner can issue the WHO command to the majordomo software to get a list of the subscribers, and I am looking into password protection for the digest archives so that only subscribers can access those archives. I think the risk is low that anyone would harvest the addresses from the digest archive, but I want to be sure we are protected. I will also never rent or sell the subscriber list for any reason. If you receive mail that you believe was sent to you because someone harvested your email address from this list, please contact me immediately.

Copyright © 2000
Shelda Eggers, Owner-Ample-Knitters
Last modified: 21 March 2005