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Category: advice
Best Free Meditative Knitting Patterns
It's a hectic time of year and with that can come a lot of stress and anxiety. We know how beneficial knitting (and crafting) can be to lower anxiety, so we wanted to share our favorite meditative knitting patterns with you. These are simple rhythmic knitting patterns that once started become a carefree, mindful practice… Continue reading Best Free Meditative Knitting Patterns
Happy Harvest Knit-along: Let’s Swatch!
The Happy Harvest Knit-along starts this Saturday, September 14, and while we anxiously wait for knitting kick-off, let's talk about getting ready for the fun to start. One thing that I try to do every time I start a new pattern is to highlight the numbers I need to know for my size—that way I… Continue reading Happy Harvest Knit-along: Let’s Swatch!
The Great Swatch Experiment
You probably know that we're big fans of swatching here at Berroco, but maybe you don't understand why. What's the big deal? "Swatches always lie," right? Who has time to swatch, just get to the fun part! But believe it or not, swatching is an integral part to knitting and crochet projects that have to… Continue reading The Great Swatch Experiment
Ask Amy: How does a side-to-side sweater work?
Have you ever knit a sweater from sleeve to sleeve? This type of garment construction is really interesting and allows for some clever details, such as the lace panel that forms the top of the sleeves and shoulders in Diane, a free knitting pattern. For Diane, you cast on at one sleeve edge, work the twisted… Continue reading Ask Amy: How does a side-to-side sweater work?
Ask Amy: Can I use circular needles instead of straight needles?
In some patterns, when a project is worked flat (such as a scarf or perhaps a garment that's worked in pieces and seamed, like Beleza shown above), the required tools section may list straight needles. But as many of you know, you can use circular needles to work flat pieces. We've been asked about using… Continue reading Ask Amy: Can I use circular needles instead of straight needles?
Ask Amy: What does “Work Even in Pattern” mean?
Knitting or crochet patterns can get kind of confusing if the designer writes the same direction over and over again, so sometimes we use the phrase "work even" to keep the pattern instructions as simple as possible. But what exactly does that mean?Simply put, "work even" is a short-hand way of seeing "just keep doing… Continue reading Ask Amy: What does “Work Even in Pattern” mean?
How to Knit a Sweater from the Bottom Up: Adding Waist Shaping
Traditionally, Lopi sweaters are straight up and down through the body, with no waist shaping to nip in just a bit at the smallest part of a body. Some designers are adding just a bit of waist shaping—you can find very gentle shaping in Ysolda Teague's Strokkur pattern (shown above), for example. If you are… Continue reading How to Knit a Sweater from the Bottom Up: Adding Waist Shaping
Knitting: Getting started
I am a self-taught knitter, having learned from a book. If you, like me, prefer to learn from a book, I highly recommend a trip to the local library. Take as many books as you can, because they will all explain things a little differently, and sometimes a side-by-side comparison of the same basic instructions… Continue reading Knitting: Getting started
Choosing a Size for Seamless Raglan Sweaters
Are you joining us for the Berroco Portfolio 4 knit-along? I'll be there, and I'm knitting Allison Jane's Isthmus Pullover. I've already done a swatch (we encourage you to knit your swatch before the knit-along starts), and now I'm at the point of choosing which size I'm going to knit. Isthmus is a top-down sweater… Continue reading Choosing a Size for Seamless Raglan Sweaters