Tips 'n Tricks

Do 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!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010Name: knittingjoy

Subject: teaching others how to knit

Comment: My friends had a hard time learning how to hold their needles so I finally thought of a better way to explain it. Get them hyped and tell them to just pretend they are rockstar drummers and to hold their needles like drumsticks. Knit on!

Sunday, November 28, 2010Name: Healthy Addiction

Subject: teaching cast on

Comment: When teaching people to cast on using long tail cast on I get them to use 2 colours main colour and scrap colour tied together. If they see the scrap colour on the needle they know they have done somethng wrong. This worked great when I taught several kids at a time:)

Sunday, November 28, 2010Name: faith

Subject: i love iy

Comment: im 11 and i knit like a maniac
im doign a chrismas craft far so far i made 17 scarfs and 5 head bands

Thursday, November 25, 2010Name: Karen

Subject: 'old people'

Comment: This is my first time to read all these intersting and helpful tips and I'm getting a chuckle with the discussion about advice from old people. I was wondering who falls in the category of old. I'm 62 and I'm a knitting beginner. I've used the tip about copying and pasting tips in a word doc. so that I can remember them without reading back through all of these great ideas (some are greek to me) :)

Friday, November 19, 2010Name: Cindy M

Subject: Eliminate thumb gores in mittens

Comment: I save a lot of time by not knitting thumb gores for mittens. I knit the piece straight until the opening for the thumbs, knit 1 stitch and knit the next few thumb stitches, according to what your pattern calls for, in a contrast yarn. I slip these contrast stitches back onto the left needle and knit them again in the main color. You'll have a line of contrast stripe. When you go back to knit the thumb, you'll carefully pick these contrast stitches out, place them on double points and knit the thumb. You'll eliminate the bulky line inside the thumb of picked up stitches and it will look smoother. This makes a right and left mitten. For the left one, you'll knit to the required thumb stitches plus one stitch, knit the stitches in contrast yarn, place them back on the left needle, knit in the main color, and knit one stitch. No stitch holders to get in the way.

Sunday, November 14, 2010Name: Cindy M

Subject: Stitch holders

Comment: Bobby pins work great for holding thumb stitches when making mittens. They don't get in the way and the grooves in them keep the stitches from falling off. I discovered this by accident when I was knitting away from home, forgot my contrast yarn to hold them, and had to improvise. I think this would work with gloves stitches, too. I'm going to try that next.

Saturday, October 23, 2010Name: Harriet

Subject: DPN

Comment: You can make a set of DPN from chinese chop sticks. Just put the ends of the chop sticks in the pencil sharpner and make points on both end. You now have made DPN.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010Name: Oldknitter

Subject: Rolled hem.

Comment: Rolled hems on sleeve cuffs and bottom of baby jackets look especially sweet with a little rolled hem (approx. 6 rows of stockinette stitch prior to knitting the usual bands)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010Name: Peggy

Subject: knitting

Comment: Can't believe I never knew this sight was available.I read every single entry. Would like to add-Don't push your needles into your yarn it could split the yarn. Put a safty pin in wrong side of piece. Cut the corner off an evnelope to place over scissor tips. To twist cords tie double length (or as many strands as you need) to a handle or use a clip board making a knot about 2" so cords will not unravel when cut off handle, Tie other end to a pencil and twist till you are happy with your cord.

Sunday, October 17, 2010Name: adele

Subject: markers

Comment: Being a greatgrandmother with sometimes stiff hands knitting every day keeps them flexible, the hard plastic markers annoy me, I have bought a bag of hair ties at the dollar store, now my knitting is pretty and they don't bother my hands. I use different colors for every 10 numbers, pink for ten, green for 20 and so on, stick with the same color number so you don't get mixed up. Sure get lots of attention in the DRs office. Will send something to help in a bit.

Thursday, October 14, 2010Name: Micki

Subject: storage

Comment: I hated looking for the small knitting accessories always in the bottom of the knitting bag, so I took one of my husbands new fishing cases for lures. It works great for stitch markers, sewing needles, tape measure, yarn holders and such.

Wednesday, October 06, 2010Name: a

Subject: Cables

Comment: When doing cables, I hold my stitches in a big fat safety pin instead of on a cable needle. I find that they slip off of the holding needles but the safety pin corrals them nicely until I am ready to work with them.

Thursday, September 23, 2010Name: Teresa

Subject: Storage

Comment: I use totes or cosmetic bags from promo's that you get from name brand cosmetic counters for carrying my knit projects. The smaller type cosmetic bags are used to carry circular needles,stitch markers, scissors etc. If it's one of those square shaped ones, then I use it as a yarn dispenser rather than buying those from LYS.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010Name: Eddie Gray

Subject: Yarn Bras

Comment: Instead of buying yarn bras that are thick, I use the little bags that cherry tomatoes come in. Just cut off the top label and you have a yarn bra that is very flexible and does not snag your yarn

Monday, September 20, 2010Name: fatoldladyinpjs

Subject: circular needles

Comment: I use circular needles for everything and save money by not having to buy so many different kinds. You can knit back and forth with them like straight needles. You can use them in place of double points using the magic loop method. You don't have long needles poking everybody and getting in the way. I'm not hunting for a lost needle down in the couch cushions anymore.

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