Wednesday Question: How Can I Tell If Stitches Are Twisted?

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more.
Here is this weeks question  From Mary in Devon, UK  - I am just trying my first  circular knitting pattern and it says ensure the stitches aren't twisted before joining in the round to knit. How can I tell if my stitches are twisted?




Answer: If your knitting stitches are twisted when you begin to work in the round, that twist will stay in the knit fabric, causing a twist in the knitting rather than producing a smooth, flat fabric.

This can be used as a design feature, but usually a twisted look is not what you want in your knitting projects. Often you won't notice that you've developed a twist in your knitting until you've knit several rounds, especially if you are working with a lot of stitches, because it's harder to see what's going on on just a few rounds if your stitches are all bunched up. The bad news is there's no way to fix a twist beyond ripping out your work and being more careful the next time.

A good trick for ensuring your stitches aren't twisted is to lay the work down on a table after you've cast on and make sure all the stitches are facing the same way without a twist before you join in the round or start knitting. You can also knit a few rounds back and forth before joining in the round; then it will be simple to see there's no twist. You'll have a short seam to sew at the end, but it's not a big deal compared to the unpleasantness of having to rip out your work when you discover a twist.

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: How To Sew Buttons Onto Knitting

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more.
Here is this weeks question  From Eileen in Ireland - What is the best way to sew buttons onto a knited cardigan?




Answer: First of all don’t use the project yarn, it’s best to use sewing thread, just about any thread fine enough for machine sewing will work. Some people will insist on polyester because it’s strongest but cotton-wrapped polyester, cotton, or even silk is probably okay. You can use buttonhole thread or upholstery thread if you’ve got it lying around, but I like to buy thread to match if I can.

Once you have the buttons and thread ready, what I like to do first is find the position for the button by closing the garment, lining up button band and buttonhole band just where I want them. Then, I mark the spot with my needle and thread by making a first stitch on the far side of the garment through the buttonhole.

I like to have my thread doubled and knotted at the far end. This makes sewing on the button faster (twice as strong with fewer passes!) and gives me an easy way to secure the first stitch, rather than having to make a knot. You instead attach the thread by looping the needle through the loop created by the doubled thread.

Slide the button into place.

Now for the sewing: Go through the back of the button band, then back up and through the button three or four times, not too tightly. Make sure to go around both "legs" of one knit stitch to help your button lie flat and avoid pulling too much on one strand of yarn; this can distend your stitch.

On the back of the button band, give your button a wide base to help it lie flat and to protect your knitted garment. If you just can't avoid tightening up, try putting a toothpick or crochet hook between button and garment, then slip it out before the next step. Bring the needle back through the garment to the space between the garment and button. Wrap the thread around the sewing, creating a shank. Now pull the needle back down through the shank and wrap it around the shank crosswise. I like to do this three or four times to assure security. Pull the thread to the back of the button band and tie a knot—again, I tend to wrap and knot a few times. Now you can snip the thread and you’re done!

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: How To Knit 1 Below

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more.
Here is this weeks question  From Maggie UK - The pattern I am using say k1b which I believe is knit 1 below.  How do you do this?




Answer: Normally you insert your right needle into the first stitch on the left needle. A new stitch is formed by pulling the working yarn through that single stitch. To knit into the stitch below, you insert your right needle into the stitch one row below this first stitch, as shown in the photo:

When you pull the working yarn through to create a new stitch, it is pulled through one row lower than normal. After the new stitch is completed, there are two strands of yarn around its base. One strand is the stitch from the "row below" and the second strand is from the stitch you normally knit into. The strand from the "row below" is lifted higher than the other stitches in its row, making an inverted "V."
When these Vs are repeated in a knitted piece, they add visual interest because the diagonal lines they create, add more depth to the piece and make it thicker and softer. When they are worked on both sides of the fabric, they can create a very deep rib. 

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: How To Join Knitted Squares?

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more.
Here is this weeks question  This is a question I was asked yesterday during a charity knit in-  How do you join knitted squares together?

Answer: 

I have been doing this for some time and i have seen quite a few ways of joining the squares, and some methods of joining them are better than others. This is the method I prefer as it is a very secure method of joining and is quite unobtrusive both visually and comfort wise.

Place your squares so that the direction of knit for each one is perpendicular to the next one, so one vertical and its neighbours horizontal, as below. If you're a quilter then it's like 'post and rail'.

Place your squares flat on a table, right side up and arrange the colours in a pleasing manner.

Thread a wool needle with either a long length of yarn leftover from the cast on or bind off, or join in a new length, about one and a half times the length of the section you will be stitching.

Start with a figure of 8 knot into each corner stitch, from the right side down and through then

up over to the other side and right side down and through again. Repeat this twice so that each of the 2 corners has been stitched twice.

Next you'll start joining the two selvedges, one is a garter stitch side edge and the other will be a cast on or bind off edge. If you look closely you'll see what i've done.

Matching stitch on one side by knitted row on the other, you pick up a horizontal bar from each side in turn, pull the thread all the way through for each stitch and pull the stitch firm but not tight. Choose an edge stitch or at most one knit stitch in from the edge. Sometimes you have to make a decision as to which one to choose but try to make a rule for yourself so that you always choose the same way.

When it's done right you'll find that the stitches disappear and the end result is very neat and flat, see below. I found this method a little tedious at first while i was learning it, but now i love it as the final wrap looks lovely and i know it's going to stay together for many years no matter what harsh treatment it gets.

I have been doing this for some time and i have seen quite a few ways of joining the squares, and some methods of joining them are better than others. This is the method I preferI as it is a very secure method of joining and is quite unobtrusive both visually and comfort wise.

Place your squares so that the direction of knit for each one is perpendicular to the next one, so one vertical and its neighbours horizontal, as below. If you're a quilter then it's like 'post and rail'.

Place your squares flat on a table, right side up and arrange the colours in a pleasing manner.

Thread a wool needle with either a long length of yarn leftover from the cast on or bind off, or join in a new length, about one and a half times the length of the section you will be stitching.

Start with a figure of 8 knot into each corner stitch, from the right side down and through then

up over to the other side and right side down and through again. Repeat this twice so that each of the 2 corners has been stitched twice.

Next you'll start joining the two selvedges, one is a garter stitch side edge and the other will be a cast on or bind off edge. If you look closely you'll see what i've done.

Matching stitch on one side by knitted row on the other, you pick up a horizontal bar from each side in turn, pull the thread all the way through for each stitch and pull the stitch firm but not tight. Choose an edge stitch or at most one knit stitch in from the edge. Sometimes you have to make a decision as to which one to choose but try to make a rule for yourself so that you always choose the same way.

When it's done right you'll find that the stitches disappear and the end result is very neat and flat, see below. I found this method a little tedious at first while i was learning it, but now i love it as the final wrap looks lovely and i know it's going to stay together for many years no matter what harsh treatment it gets.

These 4 squares have all been stitched together this way, can you see the stitches in the seams? No lumpy seams to rub on the child or frail elderly person who ends up with this wrap. Also the squares cannot be pulled apart without a lot of intricate effort.

Weave all the ends in on the wrong side by following the line of knit for about 8 stitches then back again to the edge. 

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: Can You Recommend a Buttonhole?

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more.
 Here is this weeks question  from Shirley. I never know which buttonhole to use can you recommend one?

Answer:  There are several options. The simplest way to knit a buttonhole is to make an eyelet: just knit 2 stitches together, then bring the yarn over the needle. On the next row, work the yarn over like a regular stitch. This makes a small hole, and it's appropriate for smallish buttons, baby clothes. It works well in a garter stitch button band, where it is concealed by the ridges of the garter stitch. 

The one-row buttonhole is a firm horizontal buttonhole that is self-edging.

 Bring yarn to the front of work. Slip one stitch purlwise, and then bring yarn to the back of work. Slip the next stitch, and then pass your previously slipped stitch over it. This makes one cast-off stitch for your buttonhole—repeat these two steps until you have cast off enough stitches for the desired width of your buttonhole. Turn your work. Using a cabled cast on, cast on as many stitches as you cast off plus one additional stitch. For example, if you previously cast off 4 stitches, you will want to cast on 5 new stitches using the cabled cast on. Turn your work. With yarn at the back of work, slip one stitch from your left needle onto your right needle, then pass the extra cast-on stitch from your right needle over it. This closes the buttonhole—make sure that you pull your yarn a bit to tighten the hole and prevent gaps. Continue your row according to your chosen stitch pattern.

The two-row buttonhole makes a slit like opening, suitable for larger buttons  but it is loose and you may want to edge it with a buttonhole stitch to reinforce its weak corners and keep it from stretching excessively.

On the first row, cast off enough stitches for the desired width of your buttonhole. The two-row buttonhole is easier to make than the one-row buttonhole, but it is looser and you may want to edge it with a buttonhole stitch to reinforce its weak corners and keep it from stretching excessively.
 On the next row, cast on the same number of cast off stitches from the previous row to create the top edge of the buttonhole.
Using a buttonhole stitch*, stitch your way around the buttonhole. This will stabilize the buttonhole and keep its edges neat.

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: What Is Duplicate Stitch?

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more.
 Here is this weeks question  from Lilian Marshall. What is duplicate stitch?

Answer:  Duplicate stitch, also called Swiss darning, allows you to go back over your knitted stitches with a different colour. When you do duplicate stitch carefully, you can’t even tell that the stitches weren’t knit in the contrasting color (at least, not without scrutiny). The basic concept of Duplicate Stitch is in its name. You sew over your finished knitting with a contrast colour, "duplicating" the original knit stitches. It's much easier than fair-isling or intarsia.

 

To work duplicate stitch, you need a finished piece in stockinette stitch, a good yarn needle, and some contrasting yarn of the same weight as the knitted piece.

If you want to plan out your strategy, a good method is to mark the stitches you're going to "duplicate" with an erasable fabric pen. Otherwise, you can just wing it...

Bring your needle from the back of the work to the front through the bottom point of a stitch, or a "V". (Leave a generous tail in the back so you can weave it in at the end.)

Next, thread the needle across the stitch ABOVE the one you are dupicating.

And then insert the needle back into the bottom of the "V", the same place where you began. One stitch duplicated! 

 

 Do the same thing for the next stitch. Start at its bottom point, sew across the stitch above it, and back down your starting place.

If you want to duplicate vertically adjacent stitches, you'll have to sew under both the original stitch and the duplicate stitch. That's ok.

Keep going until you're done.

 Have Fun!!

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question : How To Felt

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more. Here is this weeks question. Just recently I've had many questions about Felting so I hope this will answer everyones questions with regards to this subject.





Answer: Felting is a fun, easy technique with great results!

Felting a knitted piece makes it SHRINK. Therefore, the piece you knit will be much bigger than your felted piece will actually turn out to be. How much it shrinks depends since there are so many factors that go into it –

how hot your water is,

how hard your water is,

how much it is agitated,

the amount and kind of soap you use,

The colour of yarn (darker colours felt quicker than lighter colours), and so on.

You can felt your piece a little or a lot. If you felt it just a little (maybe by taking it out of your machine after half a cycle), you will still have stitch definition. If you felt it more, you won't.

Just about any knitted object can be felted, from flat pieces like coasters and afghan squares to bags, belts, hats, home accessories such as scatter cushions and more. But felting can be a little mysterious and intimidating to those who have never done it before.

The Seps to follow are:

1.Wash in hot water with soap, soap actually speeds up the felting process and felting can often be improved by adding baking soda or washing soda to the water also washing felted things with other laundry can speed up the process because agitation is another important element for the felting. Take the knitted piece and place it in a mesh wash bag. You can also use a zippered pillow case, and some people prefer to just put the piece itself in the washer. I personally like to use a bag because when the piece felts, the process does leave some residual remnants of yarn in the washing machine. The bag helps keep them contained and easily cleaned up. 

There are two schools of thought about agitation - some like to just use the wash cycle agitation, but some people like to add elements to help the agitation. (i.e. tennis balls, an old pair of jeans, tennis shoes, etc.) I have tried both methods, and in most cases, I choose not to use any additional materials, but rather just used the heavy wash cycle on my washing machine. 

The settings on your washing machine should be the following: 

Water level - the lowest setting 

Water Temperature: Hot 

Speed: Heavy 

This process could take up to 20-25 minutes to complete. Check frequently and keep turning back the wash cycle on your washing machine to continue felting.

2.Rinse in cool water this "locks" the fibers in place. Be careful not to let the piece spin too long, or it will get permanent creases set into it. The spin cycle is mainly to help get most of the liquid out of the piece.

3.Air dry ,If you are making a piece that needs to be to a particular shape ( a rectangle piece for a bag), it is likely be lopsided when it comes out of the washer. BEFORE you let it dry adjust it to the right shape (remember: once felted, there's no changing it back) or pin it into shape on a blocking board or terry cloth towel and let it dry there.

Be sure to follow any specific felting instructions for the piece you are making, and check your piece a few times during your felting process to make sure you are getting the desired results.

Since felting “fuses” the fibers together, you can cut it!, if your piece is truly felted, it won’t unravel. That means you can cut into the bottom to make a cute fringe, you can cut strips of felted fabric and plait them there's no end of things you can do!

Mixing yarns is really fun with felting. Try mixing fun fur and Wool, wait till you see the results! because the fun fur won’t felt you get wicked furry effects! You can try lots of other yarn comdnations to see what looks coolest – remember, only the wool will felt, so you can create great textural differences with mixing.

There’s no limit to this craft, so play around and let your imagination go wild!

Have Fun!!

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: What Is 3 Needle Cast Off.

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more. Here is this weeks questions posed by Ellen from Nottigham, England.
 Question : Can you explain the 3 needle cast off please?



Answer: The three-needle cast off / bind off is a handy way to get live stitches off of two needles at once, making an edge that's automatically stitched together. It's a great choice for the toes of socks, the tops of hats, the top of a doll's head, or anywhere else you have stitches on two needles and want to bind off and seam the edge at the same time such as the Pink wave scarf .

In order for the three-needle bind off to work, you have to have the same number of stitches on each of two double-pointed or circular needles.

With wrongsides facing, and points of both needles pointing to the right,

use spare needle to * knit the first st from the front

needle together with the first st from the back needle.

Knit the next st from each needle in the same manner, then bind off 1 st. Repeat from * until all sts have been bound off. Fasten off last st. Weave in yarn ends.

Easy!

Have fun, and happy knitting!

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: How To Keep Track Of Where You Are In A Knitting Pattern.

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more. Here is this weeks questions posed by Jayne Stewart from Edinburgh.
 Question : How Do I Keep Track of Where I am in a Lace Pattern or Chart?





Answer: There are many different ways to keep track of where you are in a lace pattern or graphical knitting chart, but they mostly boil down to somehow blocking off the rows you aren't working on or physically showing yourself which row you should be working on.

If you're working with a pattern you've found online, print it out or write out the instructions. If you're working from a book, it will be easier to keep track of your pattern if you make a photocopy. 

You can use a magnetized board (these can be found in the cross stitch section of craft stores) and use a long, straight magnet to "underline" the row you're currently working on.

If you're working from a chart and won't have to work these instructions again, you can highlight each row as you knit it (or before you start) so you always know where you are.

A less fancy version that can also be done in a book is to use a Post-it note to show you which line or row you're on. If you're easily distracted, you can cover up both the rows or instructions above and below the row you're working on so that you can only see the row you should be focused on.

Some knitters prefer to be able to see the rows they've worked before so they can ensure the row they're working on is lining up with the previous knitting. Others like to see the part of the instructions or chart that they haven't worked yet, to give them a better idea of where they're going. Try both methods (as well as blocking off everything but the row you're on) to see what works best for you.

Remember, too, that you need to be consistent about when you move your marker to the next row. Will you change as soon as you finish the previous row or wait until you're actually starting the next row? This may not sound like a significant difference, but it is if you set your knitting aside for a day or two and can't remember if you worked the row you're seeing the instructions for or if you need to work that row.

If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog. 

Wednesday Question: What Is Blocking?

All knitters have questions about the best way to do things, why different things happen while they are knitting, how to fix knitting mistakes and more. Here is this weeks questions posed by Ineka in Holland.
 Question : The pattern I am following at the moment says that when finished all pieces need to be blocked, what is meant by blocking and is it really necessary?





Answer: Blocking is a method of stretching and shaping a finished knitted piece to reach the dimensions suggested in the pattern, to make two pieces that need to match the same size, or to make your stitches look nicer and more even. Lace almost always needs to be blocked to "open up" the design so all those beautiful holes and patterns show in their true glory.

Before Blocking                                             After Blocking

There are three main methods of blocking: wet blocking, steam blocking and spray blocking.

Wet Blocking

Wet blocking knitting is an appropriate method for blocking man-made fibers, novelty yarns (except for some very delicate novelties that may fall apart when wet—check the label for care instructions and don't wet anything that says it shouldn't be wet) and some wools and wool blends if done carefully (remember heat and agitation can cause wool to felt).
Dampen the knitted piece so that it is wet but not dripping. Spread the piece out on a towel, sheet or clean garbage bag (the bag won't absorb water, allowing the piece to dry faster) on the floor or a spare bed where it can sit undisturbed long enough to dry.
Gently stretch the piece as needed to meet your blocking goals. If you're trying to get a piece to the size or shape the pattern recommended, you might need a ruler, tape measure or yard stick to help you out.

Use rust-proof safety pins, straight pins or T-pins to hold the knitted piece to the towel or sheet. As the piece dries, it will retain the shape that you gave it.

Steam Blocking

Steam blocking is a similar process to wet blocking, only you use steam to relax the fibers instead of water. This is the best process for fibers that shouldn't get wet, as well as for cottons, which tend to completely lose their shape when wet. It shouldn't be used on man-made fibers, because heat and steam tend to destroy them and make a mess of all your hard work.
Different knitters use different techniques when it comes to steam blocking. Some people stretch and pin their work to the desired shape before steaming, using the steam to help set the new shape. Others steam first and then pin, allowing the steam to relax the fibers and make it more pliable.
The method you use may depend largely on the flexibility of the knitting. If you can get it into shape without the steam, pin first. If not, steam and then pin.
The steaming method involves slightly dampening a clean sheet or other piece of fabric and placing it over the knitting. Use a hot iron to press very lightly on the sheet. Don't press like you are actually ironing, you're just pushing the steam through the sheet and into the knitting. Continue this process until the sheet is dry.

You can also steam block without a protective layer of fabric. Just set your iron on steam and wave the iron slowly over the knitting, being careful not to touch the work with the iron. Then pin if necessary and leave to dry.

Spray Blocking

Spray blocking is the most gentle blocking process and is great for expensive and delicate fibers like silk and cashmere. It's a good method to use when you aren't sure what kind of yarn you're dealing with.
All you need to do is pin the piece to the desired dimensions and lightly spritz the finished piece with water from a spay bottle. Get it damp enough to relax the fibers, but not soaking wet. Allow to dry and you're done.

Blocking Tools

There are tools especially made for blocking knitting, which you may or may not find useful. Blocking boards are made of heat-resistant materials and often have grids printed on them so you can easily measure your pieces. They can be pinned into and usually fold for storage.

T-pins are often recommended for use when blocking knitting. They are like regular straight pins except the head is shaped like a T. They a long and easy to work with, and also rust-proof so you don't have to worry about leaving them in your knitting while it dries.

For blocking lace and other large projects, you can purchase blocking wires, which are flexible metal wires that can help you block curves or the sides of a large project. The wires can be woven in and out of the project and reinforced with straight pins if necessary.

When i first started knitting I ignored the instruction "block garment pieces before seaming" because I didn't see the value or the point of it. It wasn't until I had been knitting a while and wanted to even out my stockinette stitch that I learned how to block. That and, no matter what I did, even if the pieces measured so that the armhole fit, it always was uncomfortable, the fabric  pulling strangely because I have a bust. Blocking makes your life so much easier. You shape the pieces into the way you want them to live.  It makes your knitting more even and sets the stitches. And you can fix a lot of boo-boos that way. So the answer to the second part of the question is YES! it is necessary.

Blocking knitting does not have to be an ordeal and you should be happy to know that the time you spent on it will be rewarded when you have a much better-looking garment to enjoy.


If you have a knitting question for Knitting Galore, please email it to : dbjones5559@hotmail.co.uk  or  Please  post it as a comment here.  All questions will be answered, and many are selected and answered each wednesday here on the Blog.