{"id":14747,"date":"2018-02-22T17:17:47","date_gmt":"2018-02-22T17:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/?p=14747"},"modified":"2018-02-22T17:17:47","modified_gmt":"2018-02-22T17:17:47","slug":"knitting-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/knitting-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"Knitting Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Who said you can\u2019t teach an experienced knitter a few new tricks?\u00a0 It seems the more we knit, the more we have to learn about timesaving tips, the best finishing methods and\u00a0helpful\u00a0stitch techniques to make our favorite craft so much more enjoyable.\u00a0\u00a0Plus they can be really fun to pass on to your knitting friends.<\/p>\n

Here are our Top Ten Knitting Tricks-<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Slip Stitch Join:<\/em><\/strong>Working in the round\u00a0should be easy breezy, shouldn\u2019t it?\u00a0 No messy edges, no seams to sew, yet there is that inevitable\u00a0opening that occurs between the first and last cast on stitch.\u00a0 Sure, we can\u00a0sew in\u00a0the tail end while slipping it through the opposite edge to help smooth it out but\u00a0this\u00a0trick is so quick and effortless-<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Cast on one extra stitch. Before joining in the round, slip the first stitch from left needle onto right needle, pass the extra stitch over this first stitch and slip it back to left needle. Tighten both yarn ends and proceed to knit.<\/em><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Tightening Up Ladders:<\/em> <\/strong>Aaargh! A\u00a0pet peeve for\u00a0sock knitters who use double point needles,\u00a0ladders are enlarged spaces that can form\u00a0in the fabric as one needle switches over to the next.\u00a0\u00a0Pulling the\u00a0yarn extra tight when making the transition to the next needle\u00a0actually widens the gap.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      To correct this issue, after knitting the first stitch on the next needle, do not tighten, leave it a little loose and tighten only the second stitch.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Rounding Off Step Shaping:<\/em><\/strong> Those jagged little\u00a0cast off edges that take place along the underarm, neck or\u00a0shoulder shaping area can make it tricky to sew a smooth seam.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        When a pattern calls for a\u00a0certain number of stitches to be cast off at the beginning of a series of rows, simply knit or purl the first two stitches together.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. Casting Off Too Tightly:<\/em><\/strong> When casting off the last row\u00a0on\u00a0a project, the\u00a0tendency is to knit firmly\u00a0to\u00a0ensure a neat\u00a0edge.\u00a0 This can cause a problem\u00a0on\u00a0the neckband of a child\u2019s pullover\u00a0or across the front border of a cardigan when\u00a0there is no allowance for stretch.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          When in doubt always cast off with a larger needle.<\/em><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. Long Tail Cast On:<\/em><\/strong>How many times have you attempted\u00a0to cast on using the long tail method and either overestimated or underestimated the length of yarn required to achieve\u00a0the total number of stitches?\u00a0 Its a frustrating way to start a new project\u00a0and a time waster.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Instead of playing \u2018yarn chicken\u2019 try the two ball approach.\u00a0 Pull a length of yarn\u00a0from each ball and hold together\u00a0(or use the center pull and outside\u00a0end of one\u00a0ball), make a slip knot four to six inches in from the end.\u00a0 Now separate the two lengths to position\u00a0one\u00a0around the finger and one around the thumb.\u00a0 This way you can cast on to your heart\u2019s content and simply cut off the extra yarn as you begin the first row.\u00a0 See video tutorial here<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. Jogless Stripes: <\/em><\/strong>The problem with knitting stripes in the round is the unsightly\u00a0step\u00a0where the two colours meet.\u00a0 No matter how tightly you knit across this transition point, the\u00a0jog remains.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              This is a simple issue to resolve by first knitting\u00a0one\u00a0round in the\u00a0new colour.\u00a0 Before starting the next round, lift the\u00a0righthand side of the stitch directly below the first stitch onto the left needle.\u00a0 Knit this loop together with the first stitch<\/em>.\u00a0 See video tutorial<\/em> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

                \n
              1. The Final Hurrah:\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong>You have reached the finish line!\u00a0 Casting off the\u00a0last stitch is always a reason to celebrate.\u00a0 At the end of the row, do you make a slip knot from the last stitch to secure the\u00a0tail?\u00a0 This creates an\u00a0unnecessary knot that can be difficult to hide in the seam especially if your chosen yarn\u00a0is thick and bulky.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                A more polished way to\u00a0finish off\u00a0 the final stitch is to cut the yarn leaving a lengthy end and pull the loop upwards until the end comes through\u00a0creating\u00a0just a\u00a0single tail.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

                  \n
                1. Lifelines:<\/em><\/strong> Making a mistake\u00a0in a knitting pattern is not the end of the world but\u00a0having to rip out row after row can seem like a real setback.\u00a0 A lifeline may easily become your new best friend.\u00a0 Its just a\u00a0contrast yarn worked into the knitting in order to save the stitches directly below\u00a0the mistake which\u00a0will make them easier to pick up on the needle.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                  See\u00a0tutorial<\/em> here<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

                    \n
                  1. Colour Coded Cables:<\/em><\/strong> Following a charted pattern with many different cables and twists can be daunting to say the least.\u00a0 Each symbol so\u00a0closely resembles the\u00a0next\u00a0and precious knitting time is lost trying to decipher each one\u00a0at a glance.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                    This is where\u00a0highlighters come in handy, buy a pack with as many assorted colours as you can find.\u00a0\u00a0Enlarging the chart is the first step, and then simply colour code each symbol with the\u00a0corresponding\u00a0ones on the chart.\u00a0 Not only will you have an attractive looking\u00a0pattern, just watch\u00a0how quickly your eyes\u00a0recognize\u00a0the difference between each cable.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

                      \n
                    1. Hiding The Purl Wraps: <\/em><\/strong>Wrapping and turning has become\u00a0standard practice in\u00a0today\u2019s knitting patterns,\u00a0especially when it comes to creating shaping in collars or shawls.\u00a0\u00a0Learning the w&t technique is quite simple and well-explained in most patterns however\u00a0there is still the process of hiding the wraps on the purl row that has many\u00a0mystified.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                      See video<\/em> tutorial<\/em> here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                      Who said you can\u2019t teach an experienced knitter a few new tricks?\u00a0 It seems the more we knit, the more we have to learn about timesaving tips, the best finishing methods and\u00a0helpful\u00a0stitch techniques to make our favorite craft so much more enjoyable.\u00a0\u00a0Plus they can be really fun to pass on to your knitting friends. Here […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14747"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14748,"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14747\/revisions\/14748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diamondyarn.ca\/shop\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}