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!

Thursday, December 08, 2011Name: Tracy

Subject: ripping angora

Comment: angora fibers fuse so itz hard to rip out rows... so pop the work in a ziplock bag and stick it in the freezer overnite and itl be so much easier lol

Wednesday, December 07, 2011Name: Angela

Subject: Needle Holder

Comment: I bought a cardboard wine round gift box for my long knitting needles. Joann's has a great selection and they are decorated beautifully. The price is about $6 and I believe that I paid less with one of their mail coupons. They all have a braided cord attached to the lid to prevent the lid from getting lost. So far, I have over 15 pairs inside and this hasn't even taken up half the space. Plus, it looks great sitting out.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011Name: Angela

Subject: Accessories Containers

Comment: I found the plastic baby food containers that baby food now comes in at the grocery store are great for holding stitch holders, needle covers, tapestry needles, or anything just small and easy to lose. If you know someone who has a baby old enough to eat baby food, ask her if she would save you a few of these little containers. They are perfect for our knitting notions.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011Name: Angela

Subject: Yarn Storage

Comment: I have been purchasing the Ziploc bags in the 2.5 or 5 gallon sizes to store my extra yarn. I am able to get 5 skeins in my 2.5 gallon bags. In the 5 gallon bags usually I can get 10 skeins. I stack them in my closet on top of each other to keep them out of sight. I love those ziploc bags. You can use the store brand and save some money but I have never been able to find the really large ones in a store brand.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011Name: Beverly

Subject: Stitch Markers

Comment: I have used scraps of yarn as stitch markers in the past, but occasionally they can be a bit fiddly. A friend of mine told me that she uses rings snipped from straws as stitch markers. You can make them as thick or thin as you like. It works like a charm and if I lose some, who cares!

Happy creativity everyone!

Monday, December 05, 2011Name: bfillo

Subject: gauge swatches

Comment: Gauge is important if you want your work to fit a person or come up to the pattern measurements. Make a test pattern square. It tells you about the yarn and your gauge in the yarn. It enables you to substitute yarn if you want. Knitting is a passion and the finished product should be as well made as possible. Keep knitting. I have been knitting for over 60 years and still find it fascinating.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011Name: ruthanne

Subject: larger needle for casting on

Comment: When casting on stitches for a baby's sleeve I always use a size larger so that it is easy for the mother to put the arm into the sleeve, then I change to the smaller needles to continue the ribbing..

Sunday, November 27, 2011Name: Just Judith

Subject: Uncurl those pesky Circular Needles

Comment: This worked!

1. Stretch out the cable on your ironing board on top of a folded thick bath towel.
2. Anchor the inside join of each end (as close as possible) with a clothes pin or a bulldog clip or whatever you have on hand (fiddly but effective).
3. Set your iron on a very low heat setting.
4. Place a multi-folded thick hand towel or multi-folded cushy dish towel over the unruly stretched cable (remember you are applying heat to plastic).
5. Lightly press on the thick folded towel over the cable (from inside join to inside join - this is important as I discovered since the untreated portion will have a curly memory and you end up having to redo the process).
6. Lift the towel for a peek and you will see that stretched cable now appears to have magically straightened out.
7. Place a couple of heavy books on the length of the cable and let it rest for about an hour.
And, voila! A manageable cable! Happy days!

Sunday, November 27, 2011Name: KnitAddict

Subject: knots in your knits

Comment: When changing color alot of people don't like to tie a knot in the two ends that are left in the wrong side of the work, but at the same time, when you get to the beginning of a round or the first stitch in the new color, it can make that first stitch stretch out from the tail that it not tied. Instead of knotting the two ends, just put them together and make a slip knot until the project is finished and you're ready to sew in your ends. this way the ends are anchored, but you don't have a permenant knot in your work

Wednesday, November 23, 2011Name: Hayden

Subject: How I keep my cat from ruining my projects

Comment: I was really mad at my cat one day when she played with my yarn and ripped my work right off the needles, so i made a small (2" x 2") swatch in garter stitch and tied it to my doorknob for her to play with, that keeps her busy and away from my work :)

Monday, November 21, 2011Name: lucy

Subject: spare needles

Comment: I have found that while knitting small objects instead of putting stitches onto a spare needle I can use a paperclip instead! Just hook them on and they will be so much more easy to work around.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011Name: Anonymous

Subject: Yarn Scraps

Comment: Let's Face it--there are going to be yarn scraps that are too small to make anything out of. Does that mean that they have to be thrown away? Not at all!
An eco-friendly way to dispose of yarn scraps does exist. Cut any long pieces into about 8" strands. Keep all yarn scraps in a zip-lock bag. In the spring, put them outside on tree branches, deck railings, or in suet baskets. Birds will take them to line their nests with.
I hope you never throw yarn away again!

Sunday, November 13, 2011Name: K Amber Miller, Empress of Yarn

Subject: Picking Them Up..

Comment: I cannot for the life of me pick up stitches with a knitting needle. Instead of bemoaning my failure, however, I've found that a crochet hook roughly the same diameter as the working knit-needle works just fine. I can pick up several stitches at a time on the hook (generally in easy to remember intervals, like 5 or 10) and then transfer them onto my working [knitting] needle.

Keep the Faith, friends!

Friday, November 11, 2011Name: Sue

Subject: knitting project on the go

Comment: i found that buying zip-loc bags at the dollar store are great, I put in my ball of wool, when sealing up, I leave a tiny end open for loose knitting, wool stay clean and is you have something wet in your knitting bag, wool and project stay clean.

Wednesday, November 09, 2011Name: Dawn

Subject: left over wool

Comment: Having knitted many many scarves in the eyelash/boa wool I found I had 1/2 to 1/3 of a ball left and so I started knitting matching phone covers!
Cast on about 18 stitches leaving a long tail
rib for 6 rows
garter to desired length,
rib 6 rows,
cast off leaving a long tail and sew sides together using the tails.
There! you have a protective cover for your phone and its far easier to find in the bottom of your bag, makes a great stocking filler

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