One of my favorite cast ons lately is the German Twisted Cast On. (Don’t ask me why it is called “German”, maybe it originated there!)
This cast on is a variation of a long tail cast on. It is stretchier than a regular long tail cast on, so it is especially good for the top of a sock, the beginning of a mitten cuff, or a hat cuff.
If you find that your own regular long tail cast on tends to be a bit too tight (yes, you are out there!), try the German Twisted Cast On instead.
I have two ways of showing students how to do this cast on. Some people find this way of casting on a bit challenging, so take a look at these two videos which both produce the same German Twisted Cast On.
While this cast on takes a bit more time and practice, the result is worth it.
Picking up stitches on the sides of a garter or seed stitch portion of knitting is a bit different than picking up stitches along the side edges of stockinette. I like to go under only one strand of yarn between the “bumps” along the side. Garter stitch and seed stitch are essentially the same in height (rows) as they are in width (number of stitches). If you pick up every other stitch in this way, the numbers work out perfectly. When you only go under one strand, there is less bulk on the wrong side of the fabric, making this the perfect way to have flat joins for a blanket.
Picking up stitches along the cast on and bound off edges is also very easy to do. Again, using only one strand of the cast on or bound off edge helps reduce bulk in the picked up seam.
Once you get the hang of this technique, you will have SO MUCH FUN making items that require picked up stitches along the borders of garter and seed stitch!!
Such an important place in your life; and your local yarn store needs you!
You may have heard of “Small Business Saturday,” or the “Shop Small” movement, wherein we consumers are encouraged to visit and buy from local businesses. The short summary is that shopping in small local businesses not only fosters a local economy, but offers a sense of community. While this is often advertised as an antithesis to big chains, your local yarn store can benefit too!
Here is why you should support your local yarn store by purchasing goods and services through them.
Usually, your yarn store is owned by a small business entrepreneur, someone we grow to know, rely upon for advice, and upon whom we depend. That could be the only reason to buy products, but wait, there’s more!
A typical yarn store is a warm, welcoming environment for knitters to browse through yarn, needles, and accessories. It offers the knitter the chance to see colors in person, browse new publications, and best of all: TOUCH all of the beautiful, sumptuous yarns! Your store also has completed knitted items on display! This offers first-hand inspiration: you can look at completed items, try them on, or even enjoy them for their whimsical value! Most of the time, the items have been knit by someone in the store for you to experience. Another great benefit to shopping small at the local yarn store is other knitters –more inspiration! More ways to connect with some great humans!
So how does this all happen?
Well, the local yarn store does not magically run itself! (Which conjures some wonderfully imaginative ideas!) Nope, your local yarn store is managed by that dearly beloved entrepreneur we thought of earlier.
If you didn’t have a store owner that is willing to stock the shelves with available yarn, how could you check out a yarn in person? How could you touch it and experience its wonderfulness? Think about it. To make this happen, the owner has to pay cash up-front to have stock on hand for you. Next, she wants to sell the stock so she can:
Buy more yarn, needles and tools for you to enjoy and explore.
Keep paying the rent for the cute little nook where you knit in your class.
Pay the electric bill so you can see the yarn, keep warm in the cold winter months, and cool when it is hot. (Because we die-hard knitters know that the knitting never ceases!)
Pay employees to help you. After all, the owner can’t be there all the time!
Now, of course, your store cannot purchase every yarn in the universe. But there is probably a similar yarn in the store for your project.
So with the shop small mentality in mind, I personally encourage you support your local yarn store! Your patronage keeps the business running, keeps your friends coming back to class, and keeps your talented teachers and knowledgeable staff employed. I could start a soapbox about never ever using your local yarn store to peruse items, then going home only to order the items online because it is “cheaper.” That, my friends, is detrimental to your local store, and sadly equivalent to stealing valuable business and resources from the local store you call home. You know what I mean. (Steps down off soapbox…)
So, think of your local yarn store whenever you sit down with your beautiful yarn and needles, visit your local store soon and remember to KnitYourselfHappy!
I have heard a terrible rumor! Can it be true? (Whisper voice.) Some people actually stop knitting during the summer!! What? I know, unbelievable, right?
Those of us who are dedicated to knitting are horrified by this thought. Here are the two main reasons why people choose to stop knitting during the summer months. I will attempt to debunk them.
The number 1 reason people give is: “It’s too hot to knit.” Well, yes, it is definitely too hot to knit a wool blanket at the beach. I usually don’t knit anything that has to rest on my lap. This is the killer. While that baby blanket may seem small, at some point, the knitting will hit your lap and then you are doomed. Yes, that is hot, hot, hot. If there is a baby shower coming up or you must get that blanket done before your little one goes off to college, try resting the blanket on a table. This makes a world of difference. I usually knit smaller items like
when it is too hot to knit the giant wool sweater.
And… speaking of wool. Non-knitters might think that working with wool on a small project is hot. Not the case! As knitters know, wool has the wonderful capability of wicking moisture away from the skin. It takes a lot to soak wool. I also love to work with cotton, bamboo, linen, hemp and silk, none of which I would call warm. Since I am a (complete) yarn “snob”, I rarely work with 100% acrylic yarn, and that is the yarn I consider to be the hottest of all hot-feeling fibers on the face of the Earth. Talk about sweaty!
The second reason a person might say that they don’t knit in the summer is because they are too busy. What? So, there you are, on the plane or in the car going to your vacation spot, lake, family gathering. Knit away! The plane and the car (passengers only, please) are the two most wonderful places to knit. Many people think that you can’t take knitting needles on a plane, but I always do. The only time I have heard of people having problems with knitting needles on a plane is traveling in countries other than the US. I fly within the US and I have never had a problem.
Having a cocktail or glass of wine on the front porch? Knit! Summer concerts in the park deserve a knitting project. Waiting or watching the young ones at various summer sports or swimming lessons can be a bonus opportunity to knit. Get into the habit of having a small, easy project close by so you can chat and knit at the same time. Ok, so you might not be working on your favorite lace shawl, but what about a hat for a charity, a new baby, or as Christmas and birthday gifts?
The moral of this story? You can guess. Don’t Stop Knitting in the Summer! Just don’t.
“I love to weave in ends!” said no knitter ever. As knitters, we love to start a new project, work it, and finish it. Not every knitter, however, loves to weave in the ends when it is done.
As in many aspects of knitting, I have my own self-imposed “rules” regarding ends.
1. Always leave plenty of yarn at any possible seam area, and leave at least 4-6″ worth of yarn in join areas. Remember, you are not “wasting” yarn here, this is actually useful!
2. Do not weave in ends prematurely. If you need to take out any portion of the work, having the ends already woven in makes this task a pain. Seaming is much easier to do before the ends are woven in.
3. Choose the best method of weaving with consideration to the project and where the weave is in the knitting.
Now, there are many ways to weave ends in knitting. Here is the ultimate goal: hide the ends and make it look good. For most seaming, use a blunt tipped tapestry needle. To split the fibers on fine yarns, a sharp tipped tapestry needle is useful. When you have an extremely thick yarn, you may want to split the yarn into more than one strand as this reduces extra bulk in an area. In the back of my mind, I have synonyms for weaving: entwine, incorporate, intertwine, sew, splice, interlace, interlink, merge, move in and out, whip through.
Whenever there is a seam handy, weave ends into the seam.
Weaving under purl bumps diagonally is a fine, easy, all-purpose weave.
Weaving ends horizontally is also an easy method.
Take care when weaving vertically as this method has a tendency to show through to the right side.
Duplicate stitch weaving is the best for items that are reversible or where the weaving might show otherwise, for instance a very fine gauge and yarn. While a bit trickier than other ways of weaving in ends, it mimics the knit stitch exactly and comes close to being invisible. This is the ultimate.
If you have a lot of ends to weave in, do it while chatting with friends or family to make it seem like less of a chore.
So there you have it! Not so bad, after all. Now go weave in some ends while you are all fired up about it!
There are many ways we can improve our knitting enjoyment when we have just a quick minute to pick up our project. These five tips are designed to help us have more fun and success every time we get the chance to knit.
Tips for Knitting Success
Write it down.
One of the most frustrating things for me as a knitter is having to figure out where I am in my project every time I pick it up. What a drag. I would rather be clicking away with my needles than struggling with the pattern. Taking notes while knitting allows us to be able to pick up any UFO (unfinished object) and quickly find our place. This can save precious time when it comes to grabbing a minute while in a waiting room or other opportunities to get our needles moving. (Notice, I said waiting is an opportunity!)
Consider this scenario: There I am, joyfully knitting away on a baby blanket. The phone rings. A friend has found a fabulous pattern for a summer sweater and I need to look it up on Ravelry NOW! Then, I get to go to my local yarn store, buy some yarn and start a new project. The baby blanket can wait for a day or two. I know exactly where I am in the 24 row lace pattern. (Of course I do!) Two weeks, or 3 months or 4 years go by before I find that blanket at the bottom of my bin of unfinished knitting projects. OK, you see my point. Write it. Write everything.
Some details that come to mind immediately when I think of things to get down on paper are:
Name of the yarn. The label is long gone. Now what? I don’t know the fiber, the washing instructions or the suggested needle size or gauge. I can go to my notes and check. It is helpful to save a label, tie a piece of the yarn to it and tape it to the notes.
Needle size, gauge that I got and the stitch pattern I used to get that gauge. For instance, “Size 8 needle, 4.5 stitches per inch in seed stitch.”
Notes about the pattern. What is the name of the pattern and where did it come from? Is it from a book I own or from Ravelry?
What size am I making? Not all patterns are created equal for size and gauge. Never ever simply assume you are making a “medium”.
Photocopy personal patterns so you can write notes on them.
This is a key point in many ways. When you have a second copy for yourself, you don’t have to mess up your original copy when you write notes all over it!
Working directly from a book, magazine or booklet means flipping the pages constantly. You can make the pattern darker or enlarge it for easier reading. Using a tablet or phone is not recommended for ease of use; one needs to scribble. You may want to use the same pattern again. Starting with a fresh copy is so much better.
A word here about copying patterns. Never copy a pattern for someone else that is for sale. You are taking money from the designer every time you do this, and it is a violation of copyright law. Stealing is wrong.
Have your own equipment.
I have decided to make a baby hat. I don’t own a size 6 16″ circular needle. I call my friend, drive 17 miles over to her house to borrow it. “Do you need a stitch marker?”, she asks. Of course I do. So the cycle begins. You borrowed a needle. 14 hats later, you are still using that same needle. Your friend is too embarrassed to call you to get it back because now she wants to make a hat. “I don’t think I borrowed a needle from you! I am sure I would have returned it by now!” Whether it is a needle, markers, scissors, needle gauge, etc, you need to have the proper items with you to knit. I even have an extra set of these items in a container to take out to my patio. In the middle of a difficult cable crossing I don’t want to have to get up and find a cable needle. Be self sufficient and get your supplies together.
Make your gauge swatch in several different needle sizes. Keep the swatch for reference.
Make a tag and put it on your swatch. Needle size, yarn, gauge, etc. If I remember, I put knots in the ends of the swatch for the needle size I am using. 8 knots= Size 8 needle. Keep the swatch forever. No, you are not “wasting” yarn. This is the best use of your yarn! Put all of your swatches in a container together. If you need that little bit of extra yarn at the very end of your project, you have it. What if the knitted item needs a repair in a few years? You have the yarn. Labeled. Good job.
Write it down.
Wait. What? I thought this was the first tip up above! Yes, yes it was. It is also the last tip. You can see how this is a topic that is very close to my knitting heart. What row am I on, what piece of the sweater is this, what on earth is this garment? “I know I will remember everything about this project when I put it down for just a minute…” (or a week, or 2 months or three years…)
Supplies for knitting:
Blunt tip tapestry needle
Round stitch markers
Plastic safety pin style markers
Tape measure
Needle gauge sizer
Scissors
Crochet hook
Pencil or pen
Paper or notebook
Okay, now you have subscribed, saved, bookmarked, etc. As a fun bonus, see how to make a pom pom!
Usually, your yarn store is owned by a small business entrepreneur, someone we grow to know, rely upon for advice, and upon whom we depend. That could be the only reason to buy products, but wait, there’s more!
It is helpful to save a label, tie a piece of the yarn to it and tape it to the notes.
Needle size, yarn, gauge, etc. If I remember, I put knots in the ends of the swatch for the needle size I am using. 8 knots= Size 8 needle. Keep the swatch forever. No, you are not “wasting” yarn. This is the best use of your yarn! Put all of your swatches in a container together. If you need that little bit of extra yarn at the very end of your project, you have it. What if the knitted item needs a repair in a few years? You have the yarn. Labeled. Good job.