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!

Sunday, October 05, 2008Name: aileen

Subject: hats

Comment: it is easier for me to knit a hat starting with circular needles in stead of switching to them in the second or third row

Saturday, October 04, 2008Name: Sarah C 11

Subject: socks

Comment: When you are knitting socks, its easier for me to use two circular needles instead of all those double pointed needles. it has worked for me, and it will work for you. Tip: my favorite pattern here is "back to basic socks". its found by the regular sock patterns. have fun :)

Saturday, October 04, 2008Name: lobo

Subject: tangled yarn

Comment: to keep your yarn from tangling before you start knitting re-ball the yarn into a sphere

Friday, October 03, 2008Name: Juanita E. Kelly

Subject: buttons on sweaters

Comment: When sewing buttons on children's sweaters after knitting them I use a medium size button on top and a small button on the underside to secure it. I also sew the button over a toothpick and when finished sewing I remove the toothpick and wrap the thread around underneath the button about three times before fastening it off. I have never replaced a button on anything after doing this! I also make a "hang-up" loop just inside the back of the neck of the same yarn.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008Name: Phalicia, 19

Subject: Scarves....

Comment: I knit my fiance a scarf a couple years ago on size 8 needles using worsted weight yarn, and it took forever! I striped 2 colors, spaced evenly, but the scarf still stretched out, making the stripes uneven. Now I'm making a scarf for my sister and I found that knitting the same pattern on size 10.5 needles makes the scarf wider and the whole process go much faster! The finished scarf is just as stretchy and just as warm.

Monday, September 22, 2008Name: creamcake uk

Subject: knit-on-the-round

Comment: I have been addicted to knitting for nearly 50 years, and do so on the bus. I use a circular needle to knit each piece and can continue until just before the bus stops, when I just roll the garment around the needles and there are no accidents to myself or others from the needles sticking out of a bag

Monday, September 22, 2008Name: creamcake uk

Subject: ANOTHER way to count rows

Comment: Before I begin to knit a garment, I thread a blunt needle with a length of alternative colour yarn. This is threaded horizontally between two stitches on every tenth row at a suitable place in the work

Saturday, September 20, 2008Name: Heather

Subject: Intarsia

Comment: This is the best trick for joining in a different yarn colour and not ending up with a loose stitch: hang the end of the new yarn down the front of the work (when doing a knit row.) Keep the working yarn at the back and carry on knitting. Later, you can pull the joined yarn end through to the back and finish it off. For years, I started the new yarn at the back and ended up with a loose stitch. Not now. Simple and it works for me.

Thursday, September 18, 2008Name: Norma

Subject: blocking clothes

Comment: If you are knitting many items for the same person get a seamstress's fitting form. It works perfectly for a perfect fit and is easy to size to what you need.

Thursday, September 11, 2008Name: Sue Torsberg

Subject: repeating rows

Comment: Row counters just don't work for me. I copy or print individual rows on index cards: one row on each card; then number the cards. [Yes, it takes a bit of time.] As I knit, I keep the row I am knitting or about to knit as the top card. Paper clip or rubber band the cards; I can stop any time and know right where to begin.

Tuesday, September 09, 2008Name: Daniel in NY age 39

Subject: keep going

Comment: I find that when I put a project down for too long, I completely forget what I was doing! Even a simple scarf with a 3k, 3p pattern! For some reason I had an extra stitch at the beginning and end of each row. I started by doing a stockinette stich, but when I picked the project back up months later, started doing a garter stitch on the ends and it doesn't look as good. And I went too far to redo it.

Sunday, September 07, 2008Name: shani morris

Subject: row counter

Comment: I found a nifty little device from Staples, called a tally counter, for under a fiver. I find this much easier than using the traditional row counters you place on the needle. All you need to do is press the button and hey presto. It is four digits long so can count up to 9999 rows!

Friday, August 29, 2008Name: mafanwy

Subject: sewing up

Comment: I hate sewing up knitting so I sew the seams by machine using matching color thread, it works a treat and the seams lay flat, adjust the tension just a little and lengthen the stitch length on a practice piece and see how you like it. Makes a much nicer seam on shoulders and doing armholes. Pin article before you start stitching.

Friday, August 29, 2008Name: bianca

Subject: knitting v.s. pearling (purling)

Comment: Knitting is faster than pearling (purling), but there are less holes when u pearl.

Thursday, August 28, 2008Name: Samuel, age13

Subject: speed

Comment: ive noticed that it easier to knit faster if there is noise like tv radio somthing instead of being in a quiet room.

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