FREE PATTERNS | FREE CHARTS | MACHINE KNITTING
BOOK/PATTERN REVIEWS | MEMBER'S GALLERY
MEMBER OF THE MONTH| TIPS & TRICKS | TUTORIALS
 CONTESTS | DONATION LIST | LINKS | CONTACT US | HOME

TIPS & TRICKS
Do you know of a trick or have any purls of wisdom you would like to share with fellow knitters? Don't wait, tell us about your trick and see your post on this site!

Convert Hand Knit To Machine Knit
Intarsia Instructions
Learning Intarsia
Conversion Chart for Knitting Needles
Entrelac Knitting
More Entrelac Knitting
Tips on Common Mistakes
Short Row Wrapping
Knitting Needle/Tension Sizes
Basic Yarn Info
Knitting Backwards
Cables
Knitting in the Round
Several colors of yarn
Button Holes
Edges
Entrelac at a different angle
Elizabeth Bennett's Sock Knitting Program

More Intarsia Knitting
Basic Knitting Instructions
Size Chart for Children
Knitting Tips
Blocking
More Hints and Tips
Stitch Gauge
Casting On
Casting Off
Holding Yarn and Needles
Basic Stitches
Increasing
Decreasing
Finishing Techniques
Seams
Thoughts on when a design is original by Janet Rehfeldt

How to do short rows by Lorraine
Here is how I do short-rowing. Keep the yarn to the back of the work ( to the Purl side) and slip the next stitch as if to purl.Now bring your yarn to the front (Knit side). Move the slipped stitch back onto the left needle. Turn your work around. Now put the yarn to the opposite side (Purl side) and work the next row.


Picking up stitches for neckband and buttonband by Susan K. in MA
Some of you more experienced knitters may laugh at me when you read this but, believe me, this was a revelation to me just a few weeks ago. I always had problems when it came to picking up stitches for a neckband or the button band for a cardigan. Typically, these elements of a garment are done in a K1 P1 ribbing. I used to diligently pick up exactly the number of stitches stated in the pattern but somehow I'd end up with a wavy or floppy button band. Sound familiar? Then one day it dawned on me. I need to find out what *my* gauge is for K1 P1 ribbing. I knit a swatch, measured my stiches per inch, then multiplied the length of the button band by my stitch gauge and picked up that number of stitches. Voila! No more wavy button bands or floppy collars. Here's an example to make it more clear: Imagine you're making a child's cardigan. The pattern tells you to pick up 57 stitches and the schematic shows that the button band needs to be 11 inches long. Even if you're using the needle size recommended in the pattern, you need to knit a gauge swatch in K1 P1 rib. For this example, imagine your stitch gauge is 4.5 stitches per inch. 11 * 4.5 = 49.5 But you can't pick up a half stitch. Now what? In this case, I would pick up 49 stitches even though K1 P1 is a 2 stitch pattern repeat. For aesthetic reasons, you probably want the stitches at each end of the button band to be the same. In order to do that you'll need an odd number of stitches. For a neckband, I'd pick up an even number of stitches to make sure that I don't have two knit or two purl stitches right next to each other.

Knitting with two circular needles submitted by Diana McDonald

Knitting With Two Circulars For knitting on two circulars, divide your stitches onto two needles. Slide the stitches with the last cast on or knit stitch (the one with working yarn coming from it) onto the flexible portion of needle (needle #2). Slide stitches to tip of other needle (needle #1) in preparation to knit. Fold knitting in half so working yarn on needle #2 is opposite tip of needle #1. (This folding in half is only6 required when starting out. After the first round you will be knitting in a circle.) With the opposite end of needle #1, knit across stitches on needle #1. Working yarn for the first stitch will be coming from last stitch on opposite needle. (Following stitches are knit in the same manner as when knitting flat using a circular needle.) When the stitches on needle #1 (any number from 2 to ?????) have been knit, slide them to the flexible portion of the needle. Turn your knitting and slide the stitches on needle #2 to the tip, and with the opposite end of needle #2 (you are knitting onto the same needle you are knitting off) knit across the stitches on needle #2. Your working yarn for the first stitch will always be coming from the opposite needle. Snug your first stitch up next to the flexible portion of the opposite needle, but be careful not to pull it too tight. Quite often knitters using two circulars will get a tight ladder instead of a loose ladder that some double point knitters have. The stitches on needle #1 are always on needle #1 and the stitches on needle #2 are always on needle #2. If you end up after knitting across with an empty needle dropping to the floor, you have not been knitting onto the same needle you were knitting off!!!



Copyright © Knitting4Children 1999
*All Rights Reserved