HeathKnits

A reminder for returning to a WIP (work in progress):

The yarn that comes from the ball to the needle is leading to the last worked stitch. The last worked stitch is the stitch on the right needle tip. Double check that that needle is in the right hand before starting to knit.

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Does the pattern instructions read “bind off loosely”? Next time try the Yarn Over bind off.

It’s four simple steps.
Set up: Knit the first stitch, then

1. 1. Yarn over
   2. Lift the knit stitch over the the yarn over and off the needle.
   3. Knit the next stitch.
   4. Lift the yarn over over the the knit stitch and off the needle.

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This tip is especially for YouTube users. The frustration of waiting for the demonstrator to get to the example OR flying through the example is over.

Hover on (or tap) the video, a settings icon appears in the bottom right corner of the video box. Click on the settings icon and choose “speed”.

Now the video can be sped up or slowed down, giving the viewer a chance at a better learning experience. Try it!

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I have been asked several times this month about uneven stitches in stranded knitting and how to fix them. A certain amount of unevenness is always going to occur in stranded knitting and fortunately there is a way to get rid of them.

If you block the knitting while applying tension to it, you should come away with smooth and even stitches. Warning… this will not fix overall tight or loose stranded knitting.

See me at HeathKnits Craft Studio for help with this.

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It can happen to anyone… the late discovery of a yarn over hole. In my case, I found it after many rows of decreasing and couldn’t bear the thought of frogging so many hours of knitting. Using all of my resources (books, knitting heroes, and the internet), I found an excellent solution to share with you:

“To close a yarn over, use a piece of matching yarn, threaded in a yarn needle, to encircle the hole on the inside of the garment and gently pull it closed. Weave in and trim both the ends.” –Margaret Radcliffe

It worked like a charm and I would defy you to find the hole (from the front).

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When a pattern says to decrease (or increase) one stitch at each end of the row, the best practice is to work the decrease in one stitch from the end. This will keep the edge neat for wearing or for sewing.

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Needles require care and feeding. All needles should be washed at least on an annual basis. Use mild dish detergent and warm water for all needles (no scrubbing, just use fingers).

Metal and nickel plated needles just require drying. Wooden needles will appreciate being dried and then rubbed with wax paper for conditioning.

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The holiday season brings new projects to our needles which in some cases means we are planning to put an old project aside.

Before you put a project into hibernation, remove the needles from your work and store the live stitches on waste yarn. This will save you the trouble of frogging stretched out stitches when you return to the project in a month or a year or whenever.

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When estimating how much yarn to use in a long tail cast on, a good place to start is with 3 times the width of the garment in inches.

For example, if the pattern is 10 inches across then pull out 30 inches of yarn for your tail.

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Wait! Say that again?

If you cast on with the long tail method, then you have cast on AND knit your first row in one smooth move.

Why does this matter?

Well, it depends what your pattern calls for you to do on your first row. If you are knitting a piece in stockinette stitch, then your “first”, non-cast on row will be a purl row because you knit a row while casting on.

The easiest way to check where you are in the pattern after a long tail cast-on is to see if the designer has you starting on a RS (right side) or WS (wrong side).

After a long tail cast-on, you are ready to knit the WS.

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Why does the yarn tail get untwisted when working the long-tail cast on?

“Each time you slip the loop off your thumb, you put a half-twist in the yarn.”
—M. Radcliffe, The Knitting Answer Book

The solution is to let go of the yarn occasionally to let the natural twist return.

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