In my therapy session recently, I said, “there are no shortcuts in knitting. You have to make every stitch.” Of course that is basically true of everything in life, but it seemed something I should explore more deeply — which means I’ve been thinking about it in my free time. What? No Shortcuts? Can you…
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A Deeper Look. More to Love in Action Charts
There is more to love in Action Charts, but for some knitters they are just too different to comprehend at first glance. Last week I posted about Action Charts, but at over 800 words I felt I needed to continue in another post to give this topic the best explanation. Symbols and Why I Have…
Look of Love: You’ll Heart Action Charts
I’ve been making a lot of Action charts lately, and as I’ve been doing it I’ve made some notes on things to mention about the look of Action charts. A Look at Action Charts If you want to know why I do this, please read this. If this method of charting doesn’t work for you,…
Garter Stitch Flat, or Stockinette ITR
Garter stitch is the first stitch we learn–just knit, knit, knit. As a result we often can hardly wait to do something else. You may be like me in that you came back to garter stitch after a few years, and kind of got excited by it, but were a little embarrassed because it is…
Relationship Formula for Non-Math-y Knitters
The relationship formula is called other things, but I think if you aren’t a math person, it is better to describe what it is doing. I use it a lot: figuring new stitch counts, finding size relationship numbers, calculating yardage, weight, or other measurements. I use it so much I should have a spreadsheet for…
Using the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible
The stitch patterns in The Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible book are incredible, although mostly not completely unique. If you like charted knitting patterns I think this would be $16.95 you shouldn’t hesitate to spend. If you need written instructions, you are going to be challenged. This isn’t insurmountable. but you will need to fully digest…
Double Decreases and Increases Distort Fabric
Double decreases and increases and how they distort fabric sounds pretty ominous, doesn’t it? These decreases and increases are often used in knitting for texture and surface interest. They are used to create the undulations in lace, and they can do other wonderful shaping things as well. I’ve been working on a Eventide, a sweater…
Binding Off Within a Row
How can the instruction for binding off within a row be made clearer to the knitter? I’ve found a way that works for me. I need to have every stitch accounted for in the instruction, but when you are binding off within a row, some stitches have a dual role. Why There is Confusion When…
Picking Up Stitches Is A Big Topic!
When I looked to see if I’d written a Picking Up Stitches blog post, I didn’t find one. My response is a little “where do you start” and “it is no wonder this is so unclear”. But my knitting friend Bonnie asked me about it and although I answered her directly, I think it is something…
Smooth Ears On Your Go High Hat
If you haven’t seen Penny Shima‘s Go High Hats, you can see photos here, and on her project pages (version 5, version 4, version 1. She took the idea of a pussycat hat literally. This led to a small modification in the bind off, which gives the nice smooth ears of a real kitty. When you…
Searches for Techniques & Information
I can see the searches for techniques and information made on my website–but not in real time, so I can’t help with actual searches. I thought it would be fun to do a post on technique and information searches I’ve noticed in the past month. Information Searches vs Technique Searches Information searches are less likely to yield quality results…
Returning Stitches to Needle
I did a search on returning stitches to needle on my website and I was surprised that (1) there wasn’t a post on it and (2) how often I use it. I often use the phrase “return stitches from stitch holder or waste yarn” sometime after I have instructed the knitter to place stitches on a…
