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, July 12, 2009Name: conny van

Subject: knitting

Comment: When you start a sweater for cuffs I knit 1 purl and 1 knit but instead of knitting the knit stitch in the front I knit in the back of the stitch this way it looks nicer.

Sunday, June 28, 2009Name: Emma

Subject: Wrong Way Knitting = Less Yarn

Comment: I recently found out that I learned to knit the wrong way, but I end up using less yarn in my projects, and the stitches still look exactly the same. All I do is wrap my yarn around the needle counterclockwise instead of clockwise.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009Name: Alison

Subject: Cable

Comment: I was recently on the go and misplaced my cable needle midproject. Since I wanted to be able to continue, I found that a bent paperclip works well in this type of situation since they are cheap and easy to bend to whatever shape needed.

Monday, June 22, 2009Name: Cindy

Subject: Knitting needle storage

Comment: I buy needles wherever I see them (garbage sales, Salvation Army, anywhere cheap!), so I have tons of them, but could never find the second needle in all the mess. I was keeping them in a cake pan, but now have them in three tall vases so I can see the size of everything at a glance. I have the 10" ones in a smaller vase, and the longer ones in two vases, with the largest ones in a vase by themselves.

Sunday, June 21, 2009Name: Cat

Subject: stitch counter

Comment: i mainly use circulars, which makes using stitch counters difficult. i make my own stitch markers with beads and wire, so i took one of the cheap stitch counters that slide on straight needles and turned it into a marker. that way it can double as and eor marker different from my others.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009Name: Emmy

Subject: Yarn Holders

Comment: I don't have much of an income, so a cheap way to keep your yarn from getting tangled, keep your to-go cup next time you eat out, and draw the yarn through the lid.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009Name: Emmy

Subject: sturdy buttonholes

Comment: After you've finished your handywork, go back with the same yarn and do a row of single crochet around the buttonhole. This will make the hole so much stronger, and it looks so much more professional!

Knit (or crochet) away!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009Name: Emmy

Subject: must have book

Comment: I just recently found an awesome knit/crochet pattern book that I think every knitter just starting out should have. It's called, "One-Skein Wonders." It is such a handy thing to have; many a time have I ended up with just one (sometimes a half) a skein of yarn and just didn't know what to do with it. This book has some really nifty ideas. Enjoy!

Sunday, June 14, 2009Name: M. Harmony

Subject: marking stitches

Comment: To mark stitches when knitting on circulars I use ordinary safety pins.You can buy them in 100 packs and are inexpensive, and to mark the beginning of a row just tie a piece of on the pin and voila!

Saturday, June 13, 2009Name: Hi-Dell

Subject: knitting

Comment: When knitting toys or baby/childrens garments dust your hands in baby powder now and again. Stops hand getting sweaty and you end up with a lovely smell on your soft knits

Saturday, June 13, 2009Name: Sharon

Subject: Storage of my Tools

Comment: I bought a clear plastic cosmetic bag and store my scissors, measuring tape, crochet hook for dropped stitches, and other valuable tools in it. It's easy to locate what you want because you can see through the bag! I also store small and sharp things like my tapistry needles in a prescription bottle.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009Name: rita mcateer

Subject: left over balls of wool

Comment: I do a lot of Charity Knitting. With the balls of wool left over I knit hand warmers for the elderly. Cast on 38sts - 1st Row. K2.P2 - 2nd row P2.K2 repeat for 7 inches. Cast off. Sew up side leaving enough room for the thumb. Uses up my small balls of wool and the oldies don't care about the rainbow colors as long as their hands are warm. I know I am old too.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009Name: Rita McAteer

Subject: casting on

Comment: When knitting anything, except socks, I leave a long length of wool for sewing up the sides. I roll up the wool into a ball and secure it - that was it is there when I want to sew my garment and does not get in my way when knitting.

Monday, June 08, 2009Name: Martha in Texas

Subject: washing yarns

Comment: I had a house fire several years ago and all of my yarn and knitting was smoked and sooty. I purchased some mesh laundry bags and placed yarns and sweaters needles and all, in this then snugged the bag up and washed on delicate in a front loading machine. No tangled yarns. I hung bags up to dry the yarns laid out the projects out flat. Picked up a sweater and started right back in no problems!

Monday, June 01, 2009Name: Karen

Subject: knitting socks 2

Comment: *When knitting the leg and foot of socks, I put a little safety pin every tenth row then I only have to count the rows once. I write info for the first sock in a little journal, so the second sock, and pairs after that, I do not have to try on.
*In the journal, I write info for socks I have given away too.
*I knit from the top down on socks using two circular needles. I can try the sock on any time.
*When you cast on and divide the stitches for a sock (circular needles), knit the tail in along with the yarn for 6 to 10 sts, leave enough tail hanging down so you see which needle is holding the first set of stitches (these are the heel stitches.) Trim the tail off after the sock is finished.

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