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| Featured Pattern of the Week: Luscious Little Pumpkin |
        Interested in crochet? Visit our sister site: Crochet Pattern Central  | Tips 'n TricksDo you have a helpful hint or handy trick that will make any aspect of knitting easier? Share it! Post ideas on scrap yarn usages, stitch markers, color changing, maintaining your sanity while following a difficult pattern, etc. There is most probably someone out there that will benefit from your help. Need ideas yourself? Read others' comments--we all live and learn! Name: Emmy Subject: Yarn Holders Comment: I don't have much of an income, so a cheap way to keep your yarn from getting tangled, keep your to-go cup next time you eat out, and draw the yarn through the lid. Name: Emmy Subject: sturdy buttonholes Comment: After you've finished your handywork, go back with the same yarn and do a row of single crochet around the buttonhole. This will make the hole so much stronger, and it looks so much more professional! Knit (or crochet) away! Name: Emmy Subject: must have book Comment: I just recently found an awesome knit/crochet pattern book that I think every knitter just starting out should have. It's called, "One-Skein Wonders." It is such a handy thing to have; many a time have I ended up with just one (sometimes a half) a skein of yarn and just didn't know what to do with it. This book has some really nifty ideas. Enjoy! Name: M. Harmony Subject: marking stitches Comment: To mark stitches when knitting on circulars I use ordinary safety pins.You can buy them in 100 packs and are inexpensive, and to mark the beginning of a row just tie a piece of on the pin and voila! Name: Hi-Dell Subject: knitting Comment: When knitting toys or baby/childrens garments dust your hands in baby powder now and again. Stops hand getting sweaty and you end up with a lovely smell on your soft knits Name: Sharon Subject: Storage of my Tools Comment: I bought a clear plastic cosmetic bag and store my scissors, measuring tape, crochet hook for dropped stitches, and other valuable tools in it. It's easy to locate what you want because you can see through the bag! I also store small and sharp things like my tapistry needles in a prescription bottle. Name: rita mcateer Subject: left over balls of wool Comment: I do a lot of Charity Knitting. With the balls of wool left over I knit hand warmers for the elderly. Cast on 38sts - 1st Row. K2.P2 - 2nd row P2.K2 repeat for 7 inches. Cast off. Sew up side leaving enough room for the thumb. Uses up my small balls of wool and the oldies don't care about the rainbow colors as long as their hands are warm. I know I am old too. Name: Rita McAteer Subject: casting on Comment: When knitting anything, except socks, I leave a long length of wool for sewing up the sides. I roll up the wool into a ball and secure it - that was it is there when I want to sew my garment and does not get in my way when knitting. Name: Martha in Texas Subject: washing yarns Comment: I had a house fire several years ago and all of my yarn and knitting was smoked and sooty. I purchased some mesh laundry bags and placed yarns and sweaters needles and all, in this then snugged the bag up and washed on delicate in a front loading machine. No tangled yarns. I hung bags up to dry the yarns laid out the projects out flat. Picked up a sweater and started right back in no problems! Name: Karen Subject: knitting socks 2 Comment: *When knitting the leg and foot of socks, I put a little safety pin every tenth row then I only have to count the rows once. I write info for the first sock in a little journal, so the second sock, and pairs after that, I do not have to try on. *In the journal, I write info for socks I have given away too. *I knit from the top down on socks using two circular needles. I can try the sock on any time. *When you cast on and divide the stitches for a sock (circular needles), knit the tail in along with the yarn for 6 to 10 sts, leave enough tail hanging down so you see which needle is holding the first set of stitches (these are the heel stitches.) Trim the tail off after the sock is finished. Name: Karen Subject: socks 3 Comment: *Starting the second sock is the hardest part for me. The last few pairs I have set the first sock aside when I have the leg finished, then I work the second sock til the leg is finished. Then I knit one of them until the heel and gusset is finished, then pick up the second sock and work it. Almost seems like I don’t have to start another sock! *If you insist on using double pointed needles for knitting socks, ignore “knit to Needle One then…”, “after Needle Two knit….” etc. Look at your sock! Half of the stitches are the instep, the other half of the stitches are the heel. The sides, between the instep and the heel is where all the shaping is done. One row around for the decrease/shaping, one row around knit plain-round and round. I am knitting my 39th pair of socks! I rule! Name: Maddy Subject: Yarn Storing Comment: To store all my yarn i get a few huge boot shoe boxes and store them according to category : (Fun yarns, normal yarns, scraps and luxurious) Hope this helps, Maddy Name: Karen Subject: my tips Comment: You can set your knitting down in the middle of a row and know where you left off: if you're right handed, the yarn is always on the right needle. Pick up your work, turn it so the yarn is on your right and knit away. I use two circular needles to knit socks its so much easier and faster than dpns, and you can try the sock on any time without fear of losing stitches. Name: Rachel Subject: scissors Comment: I keep my scissors tied with yarn and tie it to my chair or bag. When I need them they never get lost. Name: Heather Subject: Misc Tips Comment: 1. I use empty tissue boxes to hold yarn I am using in a project, then just pull from the box opening. Keeps yarn clean & tangle free. 2. Place a dryer sheet in your yarn storage bins, keeps it smelling nice. 3. Carry your cast-on tail at the back of your work for the first row ... this automatically weaves it in. 4. Want to save a pattern to your PC from one of the sites that offer free patterns? Once you find the pattern copy the URL link and then go to: http://www.pdfonfly.com/ and select convert URL to PDF. Now you can save a copy of the PDF to your PC rather than printing it out prematurely. 5. To keep bamboo needles in top shape rub them with wax paper from time to time. This keeps them smooth and subsequently keeps yarn moving more smoothly across needles. 6. For large projects place stitch markers in intervals to keep track of how many stitches you cast on. So if it is a project where you are casting on 100 stitches place a marker every 25 stiches....this way you can double check your number of stitches throughout your project without having to count each stitch one by one. Just makes it easier to count them. Of course use a different color marker to keep track of your pattern if so needed. So, use one color to mark your stitch intervals and one color to mark your stitch pattern. 7. Using circular needles? Is the cable curling on you? Soak just the cable portion of the circular needle (not the bamboo or metal) in hot water for a few minutes. 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