Knitting Tips from Judy at the Knitting Closet

Knitting Tips

Hello Everyone,

These days yarns are available in just about any type of material, wool, cotton, soy, corn, alpaca, llama, you name it. Often a person buys a yarn or pattern that has all the information as to needle size, gauge, laundry care, yardage, and ball or skein weight for that particular yarn. But, what they don’t tell you could fill volumes! How much does it stretch when you knit with it? Does it bias? What is its type (worsted weight, lace weight, bulky weight, etc? Can you mix this yarn with another similar yarn? These are the things that are so important, but unless you have lots of knitting experience like us old timers, you will learn the hard way.

Here are a few knitting tips I thought you might be able to use:

  • First of all, and you’ve heard this many times - BE SURE TO KNIT A TEST SWATCH on any yarn you decide to use. Your knitting will most likely be different than the author of the pattern. If you don’t knit a test swatch, you stand a good chance to run out of yarn before you finish garment, or it may not even fit you when you are done.
  • Crochet - you use about 1/3 more yarn than a knitter. Plan on it when you are figuring your yarn needs or when converting a knitting pattern to crochet.
  • Keep all the bands of the yarn when you knit a garment. The information will probably come in handy later. Also, it is a good idea to keep a knitting ledger or scrapbook with all the bands and other information on that garment in it. It will probably serve you at least once at a later time.
  • Don’t mix yarns of different types! If you are using natural fibers, don’t mix it with an acrylic or you could have a strange looking garment. Also, if you are knitting with 100% anything, don’t try to add any mixture (50/50 or anything else) of any other yarn. Yarns will stretch at different rates and you will be able to see the difference in your garment.
  • Acrylics stretch. They offer the best in easy care fabrics, but they stretch and that sweater pattern you knitted last year with wool, won’t fit this year if you knit another one this year with acrylic yarn.
  • When felting, there is a general rule that says you can’t use any yarn that has a non-natural fiber in it such as nylon or acrylic. It won’t felt.
  • When selecting your yarn, ask the store owner or helper how it knits. Chances are she (or he) has probably knit something with it (I know we always knit with our yarns) and they can usually tell you first hand of any quirks with that yarn. Also, they can tell you such things as, is it hyper-allergenic or, can it be used for sweater material, even is it a good sock material?. And the best questions of all,,, Would you recommend using it for the project I plan to knit, or Is there something better?
  • If you are knitting for a baby, be sure to use a yarn that will make an easy care fabric. Here acrylics and nylons really are truly best. They are soft and warm and best of all, mom can throw them in the washer and dryer . Not so with cotton or natural fibers which can shrink or bias when washed. They often need to be dry cleaned. I’ve had a couple of babies and grand-babies and believe me, anything that was not washer and dryer friendly did not get used very often.
  • Last but not least, Yarn and needle size is very important. Be sure to check the pattern for knitting gauge as related to needle size. And MAKE A SWATCH – this is so important. Sometimes even a variation in needles of the same gauge can throw your project off size. You many need to adjust your needle size or machine settings to get the gauge called for in your pattern.

Below are a few special products and ideas that I feel are worth mentioning, please take a moment to look at them.

CHRISTMAS STOCKING KITS: Many knitters start their Christmas knitting early. Be sure to check out our selection of Christmas stocking kits and don’t forget, we offer finished stockings too.

TAMM 3-PLY YARN (on cones) for machine (or hand) knitters. This is a sport weight three ply yarn that has lots of great colors and great yardage. There is enough yarn on one cone to knit a man’s medium/large size sweater (about 2300 yards - approx 1 lb). These yarns are not just for machine knitters, they work well as a hand knitting yarn too and are very economical to use.

ANN NORLING PATTERNS AND KITS:  Great patterns that are written so you can use up those leftover yarns – a specialty with Ann Norling. We have Ann Norling Patterns for making Hats, sweaters, jackets and many other garments from wee kids to adults. Be sure to take a look at these. Plus, we offer many of the Ann Norling Patterns for Christmas stockings, in ready to knit kits too.

KNITTING MACHINE TRAINING VIDEOS:  Mostly for new machine knitters these videos can also be a great refresher for those of us who may have set machine knitting aside while we worked outside the home or raised our families. Nothing beats visual operating instructions when it comes to machine knitting. There are a lot of first time machine owners who want to learn the basics of how to use their knitting machine and would like a “show me” video - this is the next best thing to having a personal tutor! And the price makes them VERY affordable. Call us for more information.

MULTI-LINGUAL KITS & CRAFTS:  Some Dimensions kits provide instructions in various languages (language varies by kit), these are made for the knitter, Crochet, Cross Stitch, Crafter or Needle Arts person whose native language may not be English. These can make a really nice gift!

CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS: We sell kits, patterns AND finished stockings. We have many special Christmas Stockings you won’t find anywhere else. Many are offered as a finished stocking – ready for hanging. They may be a reminder of a child’s favorite toy or an everyday item such as a tractor or Hobby Horse that can make a nice seasonal gift – one that will work for the whole season (and every year after) instead of just a day or two. We have many of the traditional stockings as well – finished and ready to hang – at unbelievably low prices. A great holiday memento that will become a family heirloom.

KNITTING MACHINE MANUALS: Most of our knitting machine manuals are available via E-Transfer. This keeps prices low and there is no shipping involved! You can order them today and be using them tonight.

Please remember, we are here to help you; whether it be for hand knitting, machine knitting, or crochet. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments.  We hope to hear from you soon.

Happy Knitting & Crafting,

Judy
The Knitting Closet