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| Featured Pattern of the Week: Strawberry Booties |
        Interested in crochet? Visit our sister site: Crochet Pattern Central  | Tips 'n TricksDo you have a helpful hint or handy trick that will make any aspect of knitting easier? Share it! Post ideas on scrap yarn usages, stitch markers, color changing, maintaining your sanity while following a difficult pattern, etc. There is most probably someone out there that will benefit from your help. Need ideas yourself? Read others' comments--we all live and learn! Name: Mary Subject: CO mock turtle necks Comment: Pull a good 12 inches of yarn from the skein and then start casting on. That first 12 inches can later serve as the yarn to tack down the collar, thus saving another bumpy knot from being tied down in the collar area of the work. Name: Maryland Subject: double pointed needles size 0 & smaller Comment: When knitting lace with small needles I use ear ring backings that you pinch and slide on to keep my work from falling off, and to avoid getting stuck with outer ends. Name: Elise Subject: row tracking Comment: I've found it helpful to twist a wired twisty tie (the kind that is included in boxes of baggies) around the end of my right hand needle after I cast on and before I start to knit. That way, if the twisty-tie needle is in my right hand, I know I'm on an odd-numbered row. Name: Suzy Subject: Neat edges Comment: When ever I knit, I ALWAYS slip the last stitch off as if to knit, and always purl the first stitch of the next row, regardless of what the pattern calls for. That way your knitting always has a pretty edge to either stand alone, or to make the sewing together of pieces a snap! Name: Cathy Subject: Taming the ball of wool Comment: Have you ever knit with a hand-wound ball of yarn or wool? The ball rolls all over the place ever time you give it a pull. Try this: cut the bottom 2-4" off a plastic soda bottle, place the yarn into the top half, threading the loose end through the neck. Slide the top part of the bottle back into the inside of the bottom part. Cut a small 1" slit in the top to help it fit. Lightly tape the bottle closed. You can use the bottle cap to hold the yarn when you're not knitting. I use this method for holding skeins of yarn as well as balls. It keeps them neat in my bag. Plastic soda bottles come in lots of sizes; use the smaller sizes for little hand-wound balls and the 2-liter size for large skeins. Name: Kristina Subject: Markers Comment: I am new to the knitting scene. When a pattern that was knitted in the round called for a marker I kind of had an idea of what one was, but I didn't possess one at the time so I just used one of the small hoop earings I was currently wearing. I'm always wearing hoop earings so I have markers where ever I go. Name: Darrell Subject: finishing Comment: When finishing up and you have too short a tail to weave into garment, weave the empty darning needle as if it were already threaded and then put short yarn in eye and finish pulling it through. Name: kellie Subject: markers Comment: On a trip I was knitting and forgot my markers so I used my sissors to cut a drinking straw to make a marker. Now I keep several different colored straws in my car just in case. Name: Linda Subject: Twisted Cord Comment: When I make a sweater or something that calls for a twisted cord, this is what I do and it makes a wonderful and very professional looking cord. I cut three long lengths of yarn (you need long lengths because it decreases as it is twisted), then I tie one end to a door handle, kitchen cupboard handle or chair back. I tie the other end to one beater on my electric mixer. You must stand back so the yarn is at its full length. I turn the mixer on high and let it twist until the yarn is tight. Then I bring one end to the other and it twists itself together. Each end is tied with a knot and you have a great twisted cord. It it wonderful for baby sacques, hats and booties and anything else where a cord is required. Name: Ami Clipfell Subject: joining to knit-in-the-round Comment: I also work a few rows before joining, (like Joan suggested below), but I also CO one extra stitch. If I am ribbing, I make the first and last stitch purl sts. Then when joining, I purl the first and last together. The join does not show as much if it is in purl. Name: Susan Subject: blocking knitted garments Comment: Cardboard folding cutting boards intended for use to cut sewing patterns has proven to be an invaluable tool when blocking knitted garments. The measurements are accurate and the knitted garment stays put. Garment will also dry and block much faster. Name: LaVina R Daracunas Subject: making stocking caps Comment: I use a circular needle that is short enough to hold the decreased stitches at the top of the cap: for example, with 4 ply yarn and size 10 1/2 (USA) needle that is circular and about 10 inches long (maybe shorter) I cast on 100 stitches and working in rounds, knit 2, purl 2 for about 8 inches; decrease by purl 2 together, knit 2 for about 8 rows; decrease by knit 2 together, purl 1; knit 1, purl 1 for 4 rows; knit 1, knit 2 together around. you should have about 25 stitches left. Cut yarn and thread through yarn needle and remove stitches from circular needle with yarn needle from the left point, cinch up and fasten off on the inside of the hat. You have no seams to sew. Just the ends from the beginning and ending to tuck in. I have made hundreds of stocking caps in this manner. You can also use this with smaller needles and yarn weights. I found circular knitting needles that are 6 inches long which work great for the baby caps and preemie caps. Name: Eva Hayes Subject: Unknitting rows Comment: For difficult patterns or textured yarns I thread a sewing needle with contrasting color yarn, catch all the stitches,leaving the colored yarn in the knitting. I do this every 10 rows or so. To correct a mistake, I undo knitting to the colored yarn..Found this on internet somewhere. Name: Paula Jo Merrill Subject: Counting stitches Comment: I put a marker after every 1 or 2 pattern repeats, depending on the lenght of the repeat. Place a marker every 10-20 sts on a non-repeating pattern such as stokinette. This makes it much easier to find the dropped or added stitch when the count comes out wrong, especially when using the new textured or eyelash type yarns. Name: ROSEMARY MALATESTA Subject: Finishing Hats Comment: I find that I can close the top of a hat tighter if I leave a long enough length of yarn at the end to pull the remaining stitches closed with a double thickness of yarn. Also I leave a long enough tail of yarn at both ends so that I can sew the back seam halfway from both ends to the middle so there are no visible tails to weave in at the cuff. Select a Page << Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 Next >> Share your own hints by filling in the form below... |
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