Increasing, at its most basic, is simply adding another stitch to the total number on your needle. The potential problem is that there are many different techniques for knitting increases, which can make it seem very confusing! In Berroco patterns, we tend to leave the choice of increase up to the knitter in most cases… Continue reading Ask Amanda: What type of increase should I use?
Category: advice
Ask Amanda: How do I rip out my knitting?
Nobody likes to do it. It can be one of the most depressing and unpleasant parts of a knitting project. But sometimes, you have to rip out your knitting. At its most basic, ripping out is very easy. You just pull the needle out from inside your stitches and start unraveling the yarn. If you… Continue reading Ask Amanda: How do I rip out my knitting?
Ask Amanda: What does wyif mean?
Some knitting abbreviations seem pretty straightforward, like how K stands for “knit” and P stands for “purl,” but when multiple letters get involved, sometimes things get murky. Some of the leading offenders? Knitting terms like wyif and its equally sneaky cousin, wyib. To make matters worse, even after a knitter has deciphered what these terms… Continue reading Ask Amanda: What does wyif mean?
Ask Amanda: How do I pick up stitches?
One summer when I was in high school, I knitted a little cotton vest to use in a yarn shop display. To complete it, I had to pick up stitches and work the edging in a contrasting color. I wasn’t very familiar with picking up stitches, but I understood the basic concept. I sat at… Continue reading Ask Amanda: How do I pick up stitches?
Norah’s Knits: Making Sweaters that Fit
Deciding what size sweater to make for yourself can be more than confusing. Some sweaters look good tight, some loose, some looser in places and tighter in others. The best looking fit depends on a combination of your personal style, current sweater fashion and your height and shape. Really nobody can decide on the best… Continue reading Norah’s Knits: Making Sweaters that Fit
Ask Amanda: How do I fasten off at the top of a hat?
When I first started knitting, I made only scarves and I never used a pattern. In an effort to expand my knitting horizons, my mom bought me a pattern for a hat, along with the recommended yarn. It was a pretty simple pattern so it wasn’t too hard to decipher, until I got to the… Continue reading Ask Amanda: How do I fasten off at the top of a hat?
Ask Amanda: What’s a dye lot?
Back when I was still a new knitter, I came across a gorgeous hank of alpaca in a really pretty color. I knew it would make a beautiful sweater, but there was only one hank of the color I liked on the yarn shop’s shelf. When I took it up to the counter to ask… Continue reading Ask Amanda: What’s a dye lot?
Ask Amanda: What’s the best way to measure my knitting?
One of my first design projects was a tank top knit with a beautiful blue bamboo yarn. I happily planned out the design, then knitted it. Once it was finally finished, I could hardly wait to try it on, but when I took a look in the mirror, I noticed that the armholes went down… Continue reading Ask Amanda: What’s the best way to measure my knitting?
Ask Amanda: How do I count my rows?
Counting rows in knitting can be a tricky business. I had a lot of trouble learning to do it accurately - I’d routinely count the number of rows over and over, ending up with different numbers every time! Learning to count rows will make any knitting project easier (Hami, the tank top pictured, is a… Continue reading Ask Amanda: How do I count my rows?
Ask Amanda: Which side of my knitting is the right side?
Remember what it was like before you learned how to read? Every time I wanted to know what something said, I’d have to ask my mom or dad. Letters looked like weird scribbles, and I was always in awe of older kids and their almost magical ability to decipher writing. In the same way learning… Continue reading Ask Amanda: Which side of my knitting is the right side?
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