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!

Wednesday, June 13, 2007Name: Ty

Subject: Quick hats

Comment: a nice way to get a quick quota of hats is to make them on some really big needles, and since i am an advanced beginner teen, and sell hats custom order i like the patterns i modify

Sunday, June 10, 2007Name: animal crazy

Subject: Counting

Comment: I love using row counters! But, I never could remember if the # on the row counter was the row I just did or the next one. So I cut out a small piece of paper, and wrote last row done. Then taped it to the row counter, and I haven't lost track of a row since!

PS (You could put NEXT ROW TO DO or something like that.)

Friday, June 08, 2007Name: Josie

Subject: more tips

Comment: hi i'm now 13 but i have posted comments here before....if you are on a deadline for a project, or if u have missed a deadline (both of which i am experiencing lol) then you need to take a whole day to yourself, maybe by a pool, a lake, in your bedroom, whereever you can get some peace and quiet to just knit...bring all your deadline or overdeadline projects, and that one project that you are just making cuz u want to....knit for 10 min on the project with a closer deadline, then 10 min on the w/e project and then 10 min on the farther away deadline...continue to do this for about and hour or so, then take a 10 min break then continue...this really helps to get some of your projects made and it lets you work on the project or projects that you are just making them b/c you can...if u are making a baby blanket, make it simple....no big cables and fancy seed stitch...cast on 100 or so stitches (for size 13 yarn and 11 needles, i only needed 70 to make the b.b. long enough up and down not side to side like normal)..i am making socks on 2 needles (i love www.knitty.com) a baby blanket and a teddy bear, and i have done this quite a few times....hope this helps someone...laterzz
Happy KNITTING!!!
Josieeee

Thursday, May 31, 2007Name: Bethany

Subject: Storing Yarn

Comment: I have many storage places for my yarn, but one of my favorites is in the big zippered bags that comforters or mattress pads come in. The bags have gussetted sides, so a skein of yarn fits just right. And the bags are clear, which makes it easy to see which yarns are in which bags. I've got 6 or so of these bags, and have the yarn categorized by type.

Saturday, May 26, 2007Name: knittin dolly

Subject: neat edges

Comment: always slip the first stitch on every row and you will get nice neat edges and is easier to sew up as well

Wednesday, May 23, 2007Name: Nancy

Subject: garter st and st st

Comment: I can NEVER remember which way is which when knitting garter stitch and stockinette stitch. The only thing I've come up with to help me remember is:

Knit Every Row with gartER stitch.

AlternaTE [between K and P] every row with stockinetTE stitch.

Hope this helps someone else as well!
Happy knitting!!

Tuesday, May 22, 2007Name: Samantha

Subject: Baby Blankets

Comment: I find that because I am only 12, and I like to knit my mom said, do it the easy way, in which case just do a simple small, blanket and personalize it according to what it's for.

Friday, May 18, 2007Name: Carly

Subject: Keeping Track of Rows

Comment: I have tons of stray earrings floating around the house, so I use them to mark the row I'm working on. I usually just print my patterns off the internet and stick my earring through the paper by the row I'm working on. If I lose the earring, I can always see where the holes have been punched and grab another one.

Friday, May 18, 2007Name: Carly

Subject: Holding Your Needles

Comment: I'm so relieved I'm not the only one that holds my left needle vertically. My husband calls my belly-button my "needle-holder" because I hold my left needle vertically with the top in my belly button. I actually thought I wasn't going to be able to master circulat needles because of this but for some reason I can do it. But I can't knit with straight needles without supporting the left one with my stomach. I think it's great to hear that so many people hold their needles differently.

Friday, May 11, 2007Name: Lyddie

Subject: Re: Alison Hiscock's style knitting

Comment: I hold my left needle like that too, sometimes. I hold it vertically, and I usually pinch it with the my right hand as I work with my right hand. I think they call this right-hand doing all the work and the left needle being wedged against your underarm or leg "German" or "ambulatory [as in walking or traveling]." I used to know how to do another holding style (about 20 years), but can't recall anymore. This way now works for me.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007Name: Sonja Milbourn

Subject: Stitch Counters

Comment: I'm brand new to knitting, but am so glad that I found these nifty little stitch counters early on!!!

Saturday, May 05, 2007Name: Jenny

Subject: Patterns

Comment: I type the patterns I really like in excell then print them to fit on a four by five note card. That way I can have a small "photo album" in my bag with all my favorite projects. I also laminate them so that a wet-erase marker can check off the rows!!

Sunday, April 29, 2007Name: Fran

Subject: Storing MILES of yarn

Comment: I sorted my yarn skeins by color families, putting each color family into a large vacuum storage bag. (Blues, greens, reds, etc.) I sucked out the air, and stacked them on a high shelf in the garage.
A couple of long bungee cords around the edge of the shelf are pulled up to two strong hooks on the wall to keep everything in place.
Works great for me, as I live in a mobile home with limited space for hobby stuff. They are water, light and bug-proof and easily acessible with the stepladder.

Sunday, April 29, 2007Name: Rosie

Subject: Cast on edge too tight?

Comment: Remember this: if your cast on is too tight, you need to make more space Between stitches; you do NOT need to make bigger stitches. Casting on over a larger needle, or two needles, only makes the caston loopier not looser. So, when you slide a newly caston stitch onto the needle, [1] Don't pull it tight and up close to the stitch before it. [2]Leave a bit of space Between stitches, and hold that space with your finger while making the next stitch. This will give you a much more elastic cast on and keep you from having such a tight line at the cast on edge.

Friday, April 27, 2007Name: Alison

Subject: Dropped stitches

Comment: As an 'advanced beginner' I sometimes have problems especially on DPN's with dropping stitches and picking them up again.

I find these help:
1) Carry a smaller size needle than the ones you are using - a size or two smaller is fine, and a DPN ideal. It is much easier to pick up dropped stitches with a smaller needle. (once they are picked up knit the stitches on to the correct needles)
2) Carry a crochet hook with you, also smaller than the needles you are using. If you need to pick up a stitch that has 'run' down a few rows, this makes it much easier.
3) When knitting stockinette, it's much easier to pick up dropped stitches that have 'run' down a few rows, if you have the 'right' or knit side of the work facing you. It is then easier to use the crochet hook and pick up the stich row by row, weaving it in until you reach the top.

Tip 1, I got from my mother, tip 2 from a knitting website - (I can't remember which), and tip 3 I discovered for myself.

Notice: If you want to send me (the webmistress) a "thank you" using this form, that is fine (I appreciate it). However, I may not be posting it publicly for all to see, and I have no way of responding without knowing your email address.

Name Provide Your Name Subject Subject of Your Testimonial Comment What is your tip or trick? Type In the Letters/Numbers Submit

Notice: By submitting your content, you are agreeing to have it displayed on this page. I retain the right to edit and/or refuse unsuitable content. (Unsuitable content includes questions and help requests.) All submissions are checked before being published.