Tag: Knitting Tools

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International Sweater Fit

Making your perfect sweater tips.

When you are measuring yourself pull the measure tape around the part of your body you are measuring and leave it firm but not pulled tight, as this might make your measurements smaller than you would like in the finished fit.

Try not to fudge here as it is important to get your fit correct and if you are annoyed by the number on the tape measure now is not the time to fix that number.

When I take measurements, I have the tape measure on a piece of elastic. When I put it around the client, I ask “What do you want this measurement to be?” They would give me their fantasy number and we would laugh and then I would take the real measurements. Sometimes I would tell them what the real number was but more often those remained my secret.

Ease in a sweater is the amount of room you will have past your body measurements. There are several choices of wearing ease with added design ease and the style of sweater will often let you know the amount of ease to use.

Your own wardrobe will help you decide on the ease that is right for you. Measure a few of your sweaters and compare those measurements to your finished sweater pattern measurements.

Remember, that when you’re making a sweater, you’re going to be putting a lot of time and care into knitting your garment and you want it to be just right. You will be spending time selecting the style of sweater, time selecting the yarn and time knitting the swatch so the gauge will be correct. You want to really enjoy the finished sweater so extra care here is important. It also layers satisfaction at each step so when you are finished it will be so much more satisfying when you wear your new knit.

Because we are so international now with our computers and surfing the web, we need to know how to convert sweater sizes and yarn sizes so our results will be what we expect and we are able to do the work in the our own countries math system. Check my new eBook on How to Convert Yarn and Sizes Internationally which covers the sizes as well as the yarn.  You can find information in this book on Amazon  HERE

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How To Be A Better Knitter

Knitting has been a popular trend for the future because of the new types of yarns and improvements in the tools used to knit. New patterns and designs are for those wanting to begin up through highly advanced. Whether a hand or a machine knitter, many relaxing hours are available to the person at every level of ability as a knitter and to the wearer of the completed jacket design.

Knit garments have always been a necessary part of my clothing choices, so I really like the weather, which lets me wear my favorite item of clothing. However, during the season changes when air conditioning is turned up inside waiting rooms, sweaters remain an important part of my wardrobe almost year round.

Since there are so many new types of knits, make a list of those that are favorites for your own wardrobe. See if you can find additional new ways to wear that same style of knit jacket. Review specialty magazines, watch for sweaters on your favorite TV programs, go to movies and just observe the people that are around you and how they are wearing their knits.

It will give you great ideas when you make time to knit with new creative ideas that can allow you to enjoy your favorite sweater style just knit in a slightly different way.

There are many types of knitted garments. Sweaters, jackets, coats, shawls and capes are just a few. As a knitwear designer I see many unique garments but they do not fit on the person. There are several things that need to be taken into consideration to achieve a finished knitted item that is properly fitting the person who will wear the item.

You may want to explore the styles and lengths of the sweater designs you are considering to be sure they will look great on you. You can get proportion information for your length and accent details.  Armed with the information about your preferences, go through the steps below for amazing success with your new projects.

1. Before you begin you need to take accurate measurements. For help see the tools in the navigation bar that will assist you.

2. Determine the yarn you will use and the size needles or the machine tension that match the yarn.

3. Knit a swatch to get the feel of the yarn. For machine knitters I suggest a scarf or shawl so you will know your time has not been wasted as re-knitting when machine knits are unraveled changes the look and feel of the yarn so you do not want to use it in a new item.

*NOTE: It is necessary that you put the swatch through all of the processes you will use to care for the final item. Wash and put through the dryer on the temperatures you will use or wash and lay flat to dry. Help with blocking knits.

You may catch a major problem at this part of the process so be on the look out to see if your swatch size changes dramatically or stays close to the same. It may need something as easy as changing the wash water or dryer temperatures.

4. From the swatch, see how much the yarn might shrink.

5. Measure the pattern template you will be matching and cross check the measurements to be sure you will be right at the finished size you want before you go through all of the time of knitting the pieces.

6. With this information you can have more assurance that your finished knit will be worth your energy.

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Help For Passap Knitters

Many people have asked me to create a new series for the very beginners so I have done that to get you off to a smooth start.

Hover over Passap in the navigation bar. You will see E 6000, Passap Vario and Basic Passap for Beginners. It will help those who have DM80’s as well.

You will also see Individual videos for both the E 6000 and the Vario and Vario Trims.

This information is not covered anywhere else and is my experience and is based on years of application and teaching of these tips. I know that it can assist you in making an easier start to knitting with this fabulous tool.

I was determined to learn this system so persisted in trying everything I could find or get my hands on to learn it. If I had had this information when I started, it would have saved me hours of frustration, a lot of time and a lot of money. I am hoping that it will get you off to a much easier beginning.

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Knitting Needles, Looms, and Machines For Beginners

Knitting without needles

Do you want to knit but can’t quit get the hang of working with two needles? I do understand trying to hold two needles and work the yarn at the same time can be a bit confusing and awkward. But don’t give up, there is still a couple of ways you can produce beautiful knitting items with out even picking up a pair of knitting needles.

You don’t have to know a thing about how to knit to begin knitting with either the knitting machines or the knitting looms. Also you can make just about anything on the looms and knitting machines that you can make with the needles.

Round loom knitting

The looms are great for beginners with no experience and a small budget. Also the looms are portable, they fit in a bag and you can knit with them anyplace.

Knitting machines

The machines are more complex and can often be costly to begin with. But not all machines are expensive; so do check into them, if that is what you really are interested in. Machines are great for a small home based business. You can make items up quickly and professionally.

Once you start this hobby or business, you are always looking for knitting yarn and patterns. Yes, even at yard sales, thrift stores or retail stores, if there is yarn you will find it. Patterns for all three types of knitting come in beginner or basic to intricate or very experienced.

Dog sweaters are fun to make and can be as easy or as complex as you want. Why not make a matching hat for yourself or the pet owner? These also make great items for selling. Whether done by hand, on a loom or on a machine, I love it all.

Knitting gifts for special needs

There are beautiful baby sets, blankets, sweaters, booties and hats that are ideal gifts for baby showers. Remember nothing says, I care like a stunning handmade gift.

As the budgets get tight in these days it is wonderful to be able to create gifts for birthdays and Christmas. These are gifts that can be made with the recipients favorite color or any special needs in mind. A hand knitted sweater is perfect gift for people that have unusually long or short arms. They can not buy sweaters that fit in any store; you can make them just right by adding or decreasing rows on the sleeves pattern.

Yes, once you know how to knit you can adjust patterns to fit all your friends and family. Do not just give up on knitting if the two needles seem too confusing. All hope is not gone; you still have the looms and knitting machines to try.

Lets have some fun, creating, learning or sharing these great fiber arts. Whether for personal use, gift giving, charity, or earning some extra income, yes, you can learn to machine knit.

 

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Creating a Schedule For Your Knitting

Whether you’ve been knitting for a long time now or you’re completely new to knitting, one thing that can really help focus your efforts and make things less stressful is to create a basic schedule. This way, you know what you’ll be knitting ahead of time, or at least have a basic idea.

Many knitters create their schedule by days of the week, Monday Mindbenders, Tuesday Teasers, etcetera. You get the idea. We’re going to create a sample schedule for knitting. Let’s start our week on Monday and go from there.

Monday Machine Knitting: On this day, you could write about the differences between machine knitting versus hand knitting, pros, cons, patterns, and so forth. Some great tutorial topics would be how to convert a hand-knitting pattern into a machine-knitting pattern and how to work in rounds on a knitting machine. There are also a lot of one-day projects out there for machine knitting, like making a sweater in one day. You could review different machine knitting patterns, projects, and accessories.

Tuesday Twos: Get it? Knit one, purl two? Okay, so maybe I’m not as witty as I think I am, but you get the idea. You’re looking for a daily project that you can easily knit. This could be patterns, whatever comes up when you’re knitting.

Wednesday WIPs: If you’re wondering WIP stands for work(s) in progress. So, sticking with our knitting example this would be whatever projects you are currently working on. Share pictures, talk about mistakes you might have made while going through the pattern, share a tip about the project.

Thursday Threads: Product reviews could go on this day. Talk about that awesome luxurious new wool you just bought, or the shiny new needles.

Friday Free Patterns: Here is another opportunity to talk about products that you’re using and the free patterns that you’ve found on the internet. The nice thing about free patterns is that they free us up to splurge a little more on the supplies.

Even better if you create your own patterns and share them with your readers. You’ll find yourself with a following of fans in no time at all.

Saturday Scarves and Socks: Everyone always seems to be knitting one or the other at any given moment.

Sunday Wild Cards: I like to leave Sunday as a wild card day where I might or might not knit.

 

 

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Knitting Stitches: 5 Most Popular Knitting Stitch Types

Welcome to the wonderful world of knitting! Even if you’ve been here for a while, there is always something new about this most fascinating craft!

Let me start by introducing you to the five stitch types that I believe are at the very heart of knitting!

Learning to knit, you know, is nothing more than learning different knitting stitch types.

Wherever I roam on the Web, many of the same questions arise. Over and over again, I come across forums and discussions with the same types of concerns.

In this article, I will attempt to explain some of the basic knitting stitches and everything they encompass.

I will talk about ‘the knit stitch’, ‘the purl stitch’, ‘knit 2 together’, ‘yarn-over’, and the ‘stockinette stitch’.

These five stitches, I believe, form the very foundation of knitting. Learn, and perfect, each one of these, and you will be well on your way to becoming an expert in knitting!

All other patterns emerge from these few stitches. So, let’s begin!

‘The Knit Stitch’. Have you ever looked at something knitted? I mean, really looked? If you have, you will see one side of the knitting looks different from the other.

Knitting follows structures. The knit stitch is formed by making loops which interweave with one another; one after another.

The knit stitch will resemble little “v” patterns when viewed from the knit side of a pattern.

To form a “knit stitch” you use one needle to pull a loop of yarn through the existing stitch on the other needle. (You can knit with more than two needles, but that’s a discussion for another day.)

Holding both needles in your hands, insert the right needle, from “front to back” into the first stitch on the left needle. Keeping the yarn at the back, bring it “over” the tip of the needle, counterclockwise. Pull the yarn down, and catch it with the right needle.

Slip the “old” stitch off the left needle and you have a new stitch on the right needle! A knit stitch!

Many times you will be told the knit stitch is the “right side” or RS of your work. But, once in a while, it will be the “wrong side” or WS.

Either way, it’s good to know those two abbreviations.

‘The Purl Stitch’. The purl stitch will resemble what looks like “brick-face” when viewed from the purl side of a pattern.

Unlike the knit stitch, with the purl stitch, you hold the yarn to the “front” of your knitting.

Insert the right needle from “back to front” into the first stitch on the left needle. With your right index finger, wrap yarn counterclockwise around and down the right needle.

Draw the right needle and yarn backwards through the “old” stitch. Slip off the old stitch. A new stitch forms. A purl stitch!

‘Knit 2 Together.’ Now, this is easy! Just knit two together! Insert the right needle into the second stitch from the tip of the left needle, making sure to “catch” the first stitch with it.

Bring your yarn over and up, then down, catch your yarn, slip the old stitches off, and you have a new stitch in their place.

You will have only one new stitch from two. Knitting two together is often used to decrease stitches or to create an open-work pattern.

‘Yarn-over’. Adding a yarn-over, or YO, is also used when creating open-work designs. To do a yarn-over after a knit stitch, just bring your yarn across your work from the back to the front. Then, knit the next stitch.

You will see an extra “stitch” on the row. When you come to that stitch in your next row of knitting, it will not look anchored like the others. That’s because you put it there, all of itself.

Knit it like you would knit any stitch. As you go, you will see that yarn-overs create “holes” or openwork designs in your knitting.

‘Stockinette Stitch’. This stitch is knitting’s most common. All it consists of is knitting one row, then purling the next, and so on, and so on.

The stockinette stitch is exactly where every knitter should begin. And stick with it until you know your stitches well!

So there you have it! *5* most popular knitting stitch types!

Get knitting!

Copyright 2006 Alice Seidel

 

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Know These Important Things Before You Learn How To Knit

Did you ever enjoy texture of yarns in your hand or wondering how that interesting color pattern was created in your favorite sweater? Then you will surely have fun learning the art of knitting. Knitting is one of several ways to turn thread or yarn into cloth-weaving and crochet. It’s all about creativity.

The Introductory Steps of Knitting

Unlike woven fabric, knitted fabric consists entirely of horizontal parallel rows of knit stitches created by yarn. The rows are joined to each other by interlocking loops in which a short loop of one row of yarn is wrapped over the stitch of another row. Knitting can be done either by hand, described below, or by machine. What makes knitting even more exciting is the fact that this art can be easily learned.

In practice, hand knitting is usually begun by forming a base series of twisted loops of yarn on a needle. This is called a Cast On. A second knitting needle is then used to reach through each loop in succession in order to catch a bit of yarn and pull a length back through the loop. This forms a new stitch. Work can proceed in the round (circular knitting) or by going back and forth in rows. Knitting can also be done by machines, which use a different mechanical system to produce nearly identical results.

Knitting Styles: There are two basic styles of knitting; English and Continental. The difference between the two is in how you hold the yarn. In the English method the yarn is held in the right hand. In continental knitting, the yarn is held in the left hand. Whatever your natural hand-preference, you should be able to master either method because the nature of knitting is basically ambidextrous.

The two basic stitches are knit or plain and purl or wrong. These two nominal stitches are actually identical, however, being the stitch and reverse of the same stitch. It is the variations and combinations of these two stitches that create all the different stitch patterns which are possible in knitting. Typically, a knit stitch is formed by inserting the needle in the front of the loop from a left-to-right perspective and pulling a loop of yarn through to form a new loop, while a purl stitch is formed by inserting the needle in the front of the loop from a right-to-left perspective.

A piece of knitting begins with the process of casting on, which involves the initial creation of the stitches on the needle. Casting on is the first step in knitting These stitches become the first row of stitches and one edge of your work, usually the bottom or hem.

Different methods of cast on are used for different effects; one may be stretchy enough for lace, while another provides a decorative edging. Provisional cast on is used when the knitting will continue in both directions from the cast on.

The body of a knitted piece may include plain stitches or a number of colors and textured patterns. The number of active stitches remains the same as when cast on unless stitches are added -an increase or removed- a decrease to shape the item.

Patterns to Knit: There are lots of people who sit at home and publish great knitting patterns from home. Since over the years they have collected and modified many knitting patterns. They make a great income by selling/publishing the patterns on the internet. Once you have enough practice, even you could make some online income.

Many patterns can be made by using knit and purl stitches in various combinations. If only knits or only purls are used when working back and forth in rows, the result is called garter stitch.

Alternating rows of knits and purls result in stockinette stitch, also known as stocking or jersey stitch, the stitch most often used in commercial garments such as sweaters. Different combinations of stitches can be used to form ribbing, cables, or other textures.

Once the knitted piece is finished, the remaining live stitches are cast off. Casting or binding off loops the stitches across each other so they can be removed from the needle without unraveling the item. Although the mechanics are different from casting on, there are a similar variety of methods and choices to be made. Of the various methods the most versatile are the Plain Bind-off and the Suspended Bind-off.

Knitted garments are most commonly made in pieces, where individual sections of the garment are knit separately and then sewn together once all the pieces have been completed. Seamless knitting, where a whole garment is knit as a single piece is also possible. Smaller items, such as socks and hats are usually knit in one piece on double pointed needles.

You can explore and see which items you enjoy knitting most.

 

 

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