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!

Monday, December 04, 2006Name: Abbigail

Subject: Choosing a yarn.

Comment: HOW TO CHOOSE A YARN
First think of the reason you are making the project. If it is for a baby, use light soft yarns. For Christmas use Christmasy colors, and so on and so on.
Next think of how talented you are. If you are a beginner, use a simpler yarn. If you are an old timer, you can use harder yarns.(novelty)
Finally think of who it is for. What do they like to wear? What are their hobbies? How do they spend their time? Find yarns that remind you of them. (If you are making it for yourself, just find a yarn that is your style!)

Saturday, December 02, 2006Name: Lindsay

Subject: Casting on tips

Comment: to make the first knitting row easier, try casting on a needle that is 2-3 sizes larger than what you are going to use. for example, if the pattern calls for a size 7US, cast on a size 10US. then use the size 7 to knit the first row.

Sunday, November 26, 2006Name: Bjorn

Subject: Lace knitting

Comment: If you want to knit airy lace without a pattern and aren't sure what needle size to go with, generally a needle 4-6 US sizes larger than the normal needle size for the yarn weight works well. It gives a ethereal look without huge holes if a stitch is a little irregular. So, for example, you could knit sports weight yarn lace on size US 10.5s. I knit a lace scarf in fingering weight yarn on size US 6 needles, and it turned out very nice looking.

Sunday, November 26, 2006Name: ladybug

Subject: knitters beware

Comment: Cat owner? A number of years ago i took my cat to the vet to be spayed.When i picked her up after surgery the vet told me i was a knitter.I was so surprised and asked how she knew. During surgery they found wool wrapped around the cats intestines. Could be very dangerous. So hats off to the lady that found a way to keep her cats from jumping in her wool bag. Hope this message is helpful to cat owners.

Monday, November 20, 2006Name: ros

Subject: yarns

Comment: HI from TASMANIA I am a wool addict so keep track of yarns in a book with a sample, ply, quantity, needle size reccomendation & any washing instructions, If at the end I have any left I weigh it so I can use it for toys, combine it with other yarns for snazzy garments or sundry items

Tuesday, November 07, 2006Name: Josie

Subject: Other tips

Comment: hi i have commented twice i think, but i came up with another idea......the first one is that if you are working from the inside of a skien, then you want to be careful as you continue knitting, because the skein will stretch out about 4 times as big as the original size, because the yarn on the inside is keeping the skein stable, so if you take it away,it will stretch to keep from tangling.....if this happens to you, then roll the other strand of yarn into a ball, then continue knitting....i had too do this 2 times while making a baby blanket....my 2nd tip is instead of using a bag to put your yarn, you can use an old shampoo bottle, clean it out, dry it, and then keep the top off while you knit....my last tip is if you have a walk-in closet with an extra wall or two, then you can add homemade shelves like a checkerboard pattern on the wall....hope i helped you laterz josie

Monday, November 06, 2006Name: 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!!

Thursday, November 02, 2006Name: 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.

Tuesday, October 31, 2006Name: 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.

Sunday, October 29, 2006Name: 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.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006Name: 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.

Monday, October 23, 2006Name: 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.

Monday, October 23, 2006Name: 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

Sunday, October 08, 2006Name: 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.

Sunday, October 08, 2006Name: 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.

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