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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Name: Susan Derse
Subject: Keeping Yarn Tangle Free
Comment: Have you ever used a Yarn Bra? They are plastic mesh "tubes" available at JoAnn's and knitting supply stores. The bras keep your skein of yarn intact, as you pull out yarn from the inside of the skein. No more tangles!!

Name: yappaho
Subject: neat edges esp. for afghans
Comment: To make beautiful neat edges on an afghan, cast on 6 extra stitches. yarn forward as if to purl, slip last three stitches. next row, knit first three stitches. repeat every row and this will create a rolled edge.

Name: Lou
Subject: sticky needles
Comment: When using metal needles they sometimes get sticky. Run the needle ends through your hair against the scalp. They pick up a little grease and make your knitting quicker.

Name: Cheri
Subject: Yarn storage
Comment: Get plastic see-through garment bags: shoe or sweater sizes. The shoe sizes are great for storing a few balls of this-or-that. The sweater sizes are great if you've bought a lot of yarn for a sweater/jacket/whatever. You can give them their own shelf. I also bought a garment rack. (Yes, i have a yarn addiction!). I loved being able to SEE all my yarn. And the various textures and colors made for a great display.

Name: Marlene
Subject: Eyes on baby's items
Comment: If knitting for a baby, instead of a bead or a button for an eye, make a mini bobble or a full bobble, then baby won't be chewing on something that could cause choking if it came loose.

Name: solveig
Subject: keeping yarn neat
Comment: To keep yarn neat, especially the really slippery kinds, I buy a value pack of knee-high nylons, and slip the ball into it. There is usually a longish 'tail' so I knot that, and cut off the excess. Works great to keep the left-over yarn tidy, as well.

Name: Josie
Subject: Yarn Storage
Comment: Hi ,its me, i have commented before and here i am again....lol for ur extra yarn, u can buy a cheap, light childs toy box, then paint it with knitting needles, balls of yarn, or even ur initials.....tada! u have a nice, personalized and cheap way to store ur yarn, so that they arent all over the floor, and covering up the phone that is ringing.....lol that happened to me 3 times...lol hope that this helped....josie

Name: Loretta
Subject: Multi-size patterns
Comment: When using a multi-size pattern, I first make a copy of the pattern on a copier, then, using a hi-lighter, I hi-light all the numbers that pertain to the pattern I am knitting. In this way I can easily find the number of stitches, repeats, decreases, etc.

Name: Beverly
Subject: Keeping track of multiple patterns
Comment: I once made a sweater with three different complex cable patterns on the front (HIS idea). Of course, each cable had a different number of rows to make up the pattern. To keep track I bought a small spiral notebook and cut the pages horizonally into thirds making what amounted to three separate mini-notebooks on one spiral. I wrote each each pattern on its own mini-notebook, one row per page numbering each page with the row number. As I ended each row of knitting, I flipped all three mini-notebooks to the next page/row. When each pattern finished its repeat, I turned that mini-notebook back to page one & started it over. I never got confused or lost track of where I was in each pattern.

Name: Shirley
Subject: Keeping track of rows
Comment: I love to knit afghans, but always forget what row I'm on. To solve my problem, I type the rows in big ole bold print, triple space and then cut the rows and staple, so I have a little book and turn each page as I go. A little extra work, but no more frustration.

Name: Christina
Subject: Sewing
Comment: A good way of sewing together a sweater, blanket, etc. Crocheting them together is so much easier, faster, and has a stronger hold.

Name: Kristina
Subject: Funky Yarn
Comment: How I make my own funky yarn is I cut up little pieces of yarn and knot them on the yarn I am using.

Name: Human Being
Subject: Circular Knitting
Comment: if you're like me and don't have a clue how to join circular knitting to form a tube, try this: when you're casting on, cast on one more stitch than required and when you get to the end of the row k2tog.

Name: ContiKnitter
Subject: Preventing Tangles
Comment: When doing Fair Isle Knitting, I put one ball on one side of me, and one on the other. When you do this, your yarn will never get tangled, and will make your knitting more fun than stress.

Name: Sandra
Subject: Keeping Yarn Neat
Comment: Cut a small corner off one side of the bottom of a gallon size zip-lock storage bag just large enough to put the strand of yarn through. Place yarn in bag and run end of yarn through the hole. Close the zipper on the bag. What ever you are knitting can then also be placed in the bag through the top and stored until you are ready to continue again. This works great if you want to take your knitting with you if you have long waits in a waiting room or where ever you take knitting with you. This way, everything is in the bag.

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