Helpful Knitting Tips

Seven Tips To Make Knitting Easier and More Fun!

I am the laziest, most laid-back knitter on the planet, which is why I do most or all of the following when I'm working on a project. I want to enjoy my knitting time, not stress out over it. Do everything you can to make your knitting life easier!

  1. Make a copy of your pattern so you can mark it up and highlight or circle the numbers for the size you're working on.
  2. Enlarge charts or instructions to make them easier to read.
  3. I often re-write patterns on the computer in a way that makes more sense to me.
  4. Keep a knitting journal – as fancy as a gorgeous leather notebook or as simple as a post-it note. Write down the date you knitted a project, what size you made, what yarn you used, how much, what needle, and any comments or corrections for your future self. (I've knit sweaters from the same yarn and same pattern for my son half a dozen times and had to do a gauge swatch the first three times because I never wrote down what needle I used – learn from my mistakes!!)
  5. Office supplies can be a knitter's best friend. Three ring binders are great for holding single patterns; I go through dozens of page protectors in a year; paper clips can be used as stitch markers or to mark right side/wrong side; post-it notes are great for keeping track of what row you're on or marking your place in a chart. Calculators are great for figuring out substitute yardage, gauge, decreases, all that kind of fun stuff.
  6. Keep a pen and paper handy in your knitting bag so you can jot down things as they occur to you.
  7. When you get stuck on a project, by all means head out to your local yarn store and ask the friendly person there to help you. Here's a secret: solving problems is the most interesting part of their job, so don't hesitate or think you're bothering them.

Fixing A Hole in the Heel of Toe-Up Socks

After finishing the Hourglass Heel on these toe-up socks, I occasionally find I have a hole at one corner. This is due to the short-rows of the heel, and I'm not 100% sure how to prevent it. I do know a trick to correct it, if it happens. Here's how:

  1. After finishing the Heel, knit one round plain. This will show you where the hole is.
  2. Knit over to where the hole is. With your Right-Hand Needle pick up a strand of yarn from the knitted fabric below the hole.
    Place this strand on the Left-Hand Needle.

Now knit the strand together with the next stitch. This pulls the fabric up and closes the hole. Sometimes I need to do it again on the next round. Don't fret about the right or wrong place to pick up the strand – experiment and you'll find a good one. There's no right or wrong. The important thing is that this will close the hole.

How to Work a Single Crochet Edging

A single crochet edging is an attractive finishing touch to many knitted items. Here is the Crochet Guild of America's instructions for single crochet.

Remember, you will always be working your single crochet edging with the outside of the knitted piece facing you, moving from right to left.

The only differences for edging an already-knitted piece as opposed to crocheting something in single crochet are:

  1. You will start with a slipknot (or any knot) on your hook
  2. You will be inserting your hook into the edge of the knitted piece instead of into a crocheted chain