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!

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Thursday, January 24, 2008Name: Joan B.

Subject: Remembering where you stopped

Comment: I tend to knit only while on vacations, which frequently leaves me go many months at a time before finishing a particular piece started on a previous trip. I make a small stiff note card of the over all instructions (dec. every other row each edge 10x. -- dec. every 4th row 5x,knit straight for 48 rows, etc.) poke a hole in it and tie it to the loose tail of yarn on the cast on row. As I knit I make tally marks of each step on the card. I also write the size and/or number of stiches originally cast on, the number of stiches on the needle when I stopped, and the size of needle used. It is amazing how quickly one forgets that they had to use a different size needle to get a specific gauge, or decided to knit an extra inch on the length for a tall person. Using my cards attached to the piece itself instead of making notes on the pattern page makes it easy to pick up where I left off, and not get confused if I have used a pattern more than once to make different sizes of the same pattern.

Saturday, January 19, 2008Name: mandie

Subject: stitch holder

Comment: i've found that a large safety pin works just as well for holding stitches and they're much less expensive! also, a scrap piece of yarn works in a pinch, though sometimes the tension needs to be adjusted a little afterwards... :D

Thursday, January 17, 2008Name: Princess G

Subject: Storage

Comment: Do you have millions of balls of yarn and heaps of needles and notions lying everywhere! then this might just be the tip for you!

you can buy one of those nifty scrapbooking totes.. you put everything in there and as a bonus you can wheel all your knitting accessoiries everywhere!

also if you have even more knitting that doesnt fit you can just buy a large clear storage container from your local craft store. they are great because you can fit even more stuff in them!

hope this helped all of you!

have a nice day!

xoxo Princess G

Wednesday, January 16, 2008Name: K

Subject: having enough yarn

Comment: When you need to make multiples of something, use a kitchen scale to weigh out equal portions of yarn. And if you're worried about having enough, especially for things like sleeves or socks, work in such a way that you can adjust the length as you come to the end of the allotted yarn - start sleeves at the shoulder and socks at the toe. That way you don't end up with a sleeveless sweater with matching armwarmers or toeless socks with very generous cuffs.

Saturday, January 12, 2008Name: elise

Subject: finishing patterns

Comment: I'm the worst about not finishing my projects. they all get piled up in my room, and take up a lot of space. so my advice is to finish one project before starting another. especially newbies

Saturday, January 12, 2008Name: Nancy Kittle

Subject: Markers

Comment: I find that the small colored rings they provide with electric toothbrushes to identify whose brush it is, work perfectly as markers.

Friday, January 11, 2008Name: Linda Ewen

Subject: Binding Off

Comment: I always bind off on a larger needle. For children's sweaters I use a much larger needle (sometimes a size 13 on a garment knitted with size 6). In some cases this makes the neckline a little ruffly but on children it's cute and it avoids having to add buttons. This also helps with binding off sleeves and necklines that are going to be turned under.

Monday, January 07, 2008Name: Caryl

Subject: DPN Bamboo

Comment: Free Bamboo DPN, recycle those chopsticks you get when you eat out oriental. Put the ends in a automatic pencil sharpe ner, sand and you are ready to go. You may want to cut off an inch, though I am working without this adjustment just fine. I am a newbie and wanted to start learning socks, but could not buy a set of DPN's without driving 30 miles. My wonderful husband came up with the idea after finding some in his supply cache.