knitting tips

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Free knitting tips and tricks, learn how to knit and knitting techniques

differences in wool
Alpaca referred to a "the poor man's cashmere," and it is in many ways -- it's more soft and warm than basic wool, and it's got a nice heathery look that mimics some cashmeres.
It also tends to shed like crazy, and those hairs fly off almost as much as mohair. That leads to fuzz all over your clothes and pilling under the arms (although, of course, different brands and blends have different results). It also tends to stretch, unless knitted tightly. And when knitted very tightly, it's too warm to wear indoors.
Alpaca is 4-5 times warmer then wool, something to consider, when knitting alpaca go at least one full point of a needle down. Let's say from a 5 to a 4. Alpaca tends to stretch out even when knit tightly. Alpaca knits beautifully, has almost no memory, drapes well, but does not retain three dimensional designs well

Prefer an Alpaca-Wool blend. One gets the best of two worlds; the softness and sheen of the Alpaca and the resilience of wool.
An alpaca-silk blend will starts growing somewhat out of shape. After repeated washing it will become looser and about half an inch longer
Sportweight (Alpaca Sport) made a beautiful, bouncy, lacy fabric when knit on size 4 needles in a fairly close lace pattern.

yarn wool yarn cotton yarn knitting yarn crochet yarn cashmere yarn merino yarn blended yarn novelty yarn luxury yarn

If you just want to go down a size, the easiest and least troublesome way is to reduce 1 size of your needle size. Larger is the opposite way.

Standard sizes seam to bear little relation to your own situation. If you are slim, for example, standard patterns sizes assume you will be short, or at least not tall.
Larger people will be tall and have longer arms.
If you want to remove length from your sleeve, remember that reducing the body width of a drop shouldered garment automatically reduces the sleeve length.
Don't forget to increase more rapidly than indicated in the pattern and the neck and wrists will need altering as well.
Tall people has to remove width from the sleeves.
Cast on fewer stitches, to remove cms from the finished width of the sleeve.

Tweed look; by simply knitting with a strand of black and a strand of white held together in seed stitch

Purl side decreases
slip slip purl thru back of loops
 (p2tog through the back loop ),
 It's a little awkward at first, but once you get the hang of it, it works well and I think works great as
the opposite slant of p2tog  to match up with ssk;  and p2tog to match up with k2tog

Another way of decreasing at the end of purl rows to match a ssk on the front side is:
Purl until 3 stitches remain on the left needle. Purl the following stitch, slip it back onto the left needle, pull the second stitch off the left needle OVER the stitch just purled and let it slip off the needle. Slip the stitch back onto the right needle and do the last stitch (edge stitch) as established.

Look at all knitting stitches with illustrations for explanations of the stitches

Many sweater patterns with ribbing just have you do knit 2, p2 ribbing
Where you start with knit 2 and end with purl 2. Always cast on a multiple of 4 plus 2 so you start and end with knit 2 on each piece. That way when you seam it up you have 1 knit 1 st on each piece in the seam but it leaves a continuous knit2, purl2 ribbing.

I always short-row my shoulder-shaping so I can use a 3-needle bind-off for my shoulder join. I like it better than a grafted seam as it seems to add stability to the garment.

When knitting a complicated repeat pattern, place markers right away. Mistakes are easily found between markers, saving time, ripping and total frustration. The markers can always be removed, which is easier than starting over!

Paper clips are the perfect markers for knitting projects. They come in many colors and sizes for all sorts of projects, and they can be placed on the needle or on a stitch, whatever your need. There's all sorts of materials and shapes available; they're everywhere and they're cheap, too!

When teaching to knit, use a poem. I know this is a tried and true, but it will be remembered much better.  Under the fence, around the sheep, bring them through, and off he leaps.

If your yarn starts to drag over your knitting needles and crochet hooks, rub the empty needle/hook through your hair several times, close to the scalp. The natural oils in your hair will make the needles just glide along. This was taught me by my knitting teacher. ( some 40 years ago )

Shaping that has been worked one or two stitches in from an edge will have a clear line to follow when picking up stitches for the neck band.

To knit a neck with no seams or openings, use double pointed needles in the appropriate size and join both shoulder seams before working the band.

A V-neck has two edges, the horizontal stitches across the back of the neck and the diagonal sides of the neck, which slant at different angles depending on the number of rows between shaping's. The rows on these edges are longer in height than the rows of a right angle edge. All horizontal stitches will be worked/knitted.

Picking up stitches along round neck side

The ratio of 3 stitches to 4 rows is used on a right angle row edge.
If the V has been shaped by being decreased on every 4th or 6th row, pick up 4 stitches for every 5 rows along the edge.

A V-neck that has been shaped on every 2nd row or every row, will have a sharply diagonal edge. Pick up 5 stitches to every 6 rows and work the band. If it doesn’t sit flat, pick up 1 stitch for every row.

Using a smaller needle for the band means that the width of the stitches is less. Pick up 1 stitch for every row and the neck will sit flat. Sometimes there will need to be extra stitches in the band.

Neck side Ribbing. Start every row with; Purl 1. This works much easier and neat too, when finished you can not see where the new row started.

Weave your ends at the back of your work, through the stitches, zig zag way, this way they will be invisible. Check first before doing this, if everything is fitting well. Otherwise you have trouble finding the ends again.
Before putting your knitted sweater in the centrifuge, protect it with a pillow slope.
Tips from Willy van der Veen

* Slip the last stitch of each row purlwise then knitting the first stitch of each row through the back of the loop. This makes a nice slip-stitched edge that seams up very quickly with a backstitch seam.
* Or use a garter selvedge (knit first and last st of each row) which gives a nicer edge for mattress stitch seaming.
* Or slip the first stitch of every row.

Difficult pattern ??

You need 1 flip-over photo album.
I put the directions for a pattern onto a card.
One card for each row. 
Once I finish a row, I flip the card.  That way I know what row I am on and it is easier to read the cards than the directions.

Kitchener (or grafting) stitch for stockinette
Grafting is done with the 2 wrong sides together, right side of work facing you. Thread a blunt pointed darning needle (DN) with knitting yarn. Put the same number of stitches on two Knitting Needles = KN,  pointing in the same direction (with Front Needle = FN closer to you, and Back Needle = BN further from you).

1. Pass DN through first st. in FN as if to purl. Pull up yarn, but leave st. on the KN.
2. Pass DN through first st. on BN as if to knit and pull up yarn, but leave the st. on the KN.
3. Pass DN through first st. on FN for the second time as if to knit, slipping the st. off the KN.
4. Pass DN through the second st. on the FN as if to purl, leaving the st. on the KN. Pull up yarn.
5. Pass DN through the first st. on the BN as if to purl, slipping the st. off the needle. Pull up yarn.
6. Pass DN through the second st. on the BN as if to knit, leaving the st. on the KN. Pull up yarn.
Repeat steps 3 through 6 until all stitches are used. Weave in ends.
Grafting will look exactly like the knitted fabric.

Sweater; knit the desired length to the shoulder and place the stitches on holders or on waist yarn as follows: 1/3 for right shoulder, 1/3 for neckline, 1/3 for left shoulder.

Double knitting has two right sides of contrasting colors. The stitches are in pairs; 1 Knit and 1 Purl.
Try to think as the Knit stitches in red and the Purl stitches in white.
The Knit stitches in a row make up one layer (red) and all the purl stitches make the other layer (white).
Both layers are stockinette on the outside ; the purl sides are on the inside.
There are two methods for double knitting:

The first method allows you to work both layers of your work at the same time.
Holding one color of yarn in each hand, like knitting for two-color knitting in stranded knitting.
Hold the main color (red) in one ( right ) hand and the contrasting color (white) in the other ( left )hand.
*Knit the first stitch with red as normal, bring both yarns to the front, purl the second stitch with white, bring both yarns to the back*;
Repeat between * and * across the row. This will give you knit work with a red layer and a white layer.
You may also knit with both colors in one hand, if you prefer this.
Most important is; to bring both yarns forward when purling, and both yarns back, when knitting.

The other method is when you knit the stitches for one layer ( row 1 ) and slip the stitches for the other layer ( row 2 ).
row 1; Knit the Knit stitches and with yarn in front , slip the Purl stitches
row 2; Knit the stitches you slipped in the previous row and slip, with yarn in front, the stitches you knitted in the previous row. You have to knit each row, 2 times, so this works very slow.

The easiest buttonhole is still; YO, k2tog,
this produces a round buttonhole; one-row makes a horizontal one.

One row buttonhole.
1. Plan to work your buttonhole on a right side row.
Work in your buttonband pattern to the buttonhole, bring yarn to the front and slip a stitch as if to purl.
Bring yarn to back and drop it there. *Slip next stitch as if to purl. Pass the first slipped stitch over it.
One stitch is bound off. Repeat from * three more times - four stitches are bound off.
(Number of stitches to bind off depends on your gauge and the size of a button.)
Slip the last bound off stitch to the left hand needle and turn your work.

2. Cast on five stitches with modified cable cast on: * with yarn in front insert right hand needle
(or crochet hook) between first and second stitches on the left-hand needle from back to front and
pull a loop; twist this loop and put it on left hand needle. Repeat from * four more times; turn the work.
Five stitches are cast on. (You have to cast on number of stitches bound off in previous step plus one.)
Turn your work.

3. For tight buttonhole:
With yarn in back, slip as if to purl the first stitch from the left hand needle to right hand needle and pass
the extra cast on stitch over it. Give your yarn a good tug to tighten this stitch.
Now work to the end of the row in your buttonband pattern. Turn around and continue in pattern.

3a. For relaxed buttonhole:
Slip last cast on stitch from right hand needle to left hand needle and tighten this stitch;
knit two stitches together. Now work to the end of the row in your buttonband pattern.
Turn around and continue in pattern.

Three -row buttonhole.
Plan to work this buttonhole on the right side row.

Row 1. Work to the desired location of buttonhole; yarn over twice; then knit or purl
(as required to keep continuity of buttonband pattern; you will need to pay attention to the second stitch
on your left hand needle and knit or purl 2 together according to it) two stitches together;
continue to the end of row.

Row 2. Work to the yarn over; knit first yarn over; drop the second one and continue across the row.

Row 3. Work to buttonhole; knit one stitch through the hole and drop the stitch knitted through
the yarn over on the previous row from the needle; continue across the row.

This buttonhole looks the best on rib buttonband.
It is better to plan it so that yarn over comes right after knit stitch in k1, p1 rib;
or between two purl stitches in k2, p2 rib.   KBTH Faina

Are you knitting with bulky yarn, believe it or not, try NO buttonholes.
The buttons, unless huge, should fit right through the knitting.
If necessary you can split the wool (or use matching needlepoint wool) and embroider some
stitches to hold open the exact place where the "hole" is created.

IN ALL CASES, the most important thing--- MAKE SWATCH BUTTONHOLES!
Make more than just ONE, try a few and see which one works best for your yarn/ribbing or
buttonband stitch.  KBTH Carol
 

Catching the floats over a longer distance won't fix tight Fair Isle.
The float isn't too tight because it's over an insufficient number of stitches.
It's too tight because it's inadvertently pulled tight.
Adjusting the needle size, and being mindful of letting the floats be loose are the fix.

Use a size or two larger needle, and your color-stranded section will lie flat.

Knitting gauge—the number of stitches and rows per inch—determines the size of the garment you are making. Every knitting pattern states the gauge, or “tension,” on which the sizing is based.

For successful results, it is essential to test your knitting against this measurement before you start a project.
Make a test swatch at least 4"/10cm square, using the yarn and needle size called for in the pattern. Then measure your swatch using a ruler or knit gauge tool.

If the number of stitches and rows do not match the pattern’s gauge, you must change your needle size or choose another pattern.

An easy rule to follow is:
TO GET FEWER STITCHES TO THE INCH/CM, USE A LARGER NEEDLE; TO GET MORE STITCHES TO THE INCH/CM, USE A SMALLER NEEDLE.

Try different needle sizes until you get the proper gauge.

HAND WASHING
Wash in lukewarm water and a little specific detergent. Allow to soak for several minutes then dip the garment repeatedly holding by the shoulders. Rinse very thoroughly without wringing. Spread the garment out to dry. Do not hang.
MACHINE WASHING
Check that the garment can be machine washed. No pre-washing. Set on wool or pure virgin wool cycle at 40°. Use a specific detergent. Dry flat. Do not use bleach or enzymatic/ biological detergents for wool and mixed wool.
IRONING
Recommended temperature is 150° using vapour of steam iron. Skimming over the garment with the vapour of the steam iron, you will also “regenerate” the fibers.
Treat stains specifically, if in doubt decide for professional treatment.

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If you visit my website again, and want to look at a page on my website, you get the old page, from your own cache, saved on your own computer, instead of the latest on the internet

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Knitting yarns length and grams
450 m / 50 grams = 2 ply weight
225 m/  50 grams = 4 ply weight
150 m/  50 grams = sport weight
115 m/  50 grams = worsted weight
  90 m/  50 grams = bulky weight
  75 m/  50 grams = jumbo weight