How-Tos

Learn to knit quickly and with more flawless results. Make the most of your precious knitting time using these tips:

  • Knit sleeveless or short-sleeved projects. This cuts the knitting time by 1/3 or more, and saves yarn to boot.
  • Choose slim tailored designs. Baggy sweaters mean more stitches to knit. Tight sweaters save yarn!
  • Knit for yourself to save time and reap rewards. This way, you always have easy access to your fit model. Waiting to fit on the intended recipient can add weeks, even months to your completion time.
  • Knit for kids. They’re smaller.
  • Knit for pets. They don’t require sleeves or pockets.
  • Knit continental style, for higher top speeds. The speed knitting world record-holder, Miriam Tegels knits continental style. In continental knitting, the yarn is usually carried in the left hand, so it is a natural for left-handed people. In my opinion, continental should be the first method taught to every knitter, regardless of which hand is dominant.
  • Knit tubes on circular needles whenever you can to save time turning the work and purling.
  • When working tubes, take advantage of a modular knitting needle kit like Boye Needle Master or Denise and use a smaller needle on the left so that the stitches slip off the needle more easily. You can also buy Addi turbos that are made this way, but I find the kits to be more cost effective. Take care when you put down your needles, though. The stitches will slip right off the left needle without any help from you.
  • Avoid yarns finer than DK weight, especially if the project is large. Bulkier yarns mean fewer stitches which lead to faster results.
  • Use a knitting swift. You can wind hanks into balls much more quickly with an umbrella yarn swift and ball winder. You’ll never again need help holding the yarn while you wind it.
  • When fixing major mistakes in your knitted piece, separate the good work from the bad and graft it back together after correcting the problem. Also consider unravelling down several stitches for a few inches to fix increases or details in the wrong spot. If you can accomplish the fix with a little surgery, you will save ripping and re-knitting all those perfectly good stitches knit after the mistake.
  • When working cables, dispense with the cable needle. My video on YouTube shows how to do this technique step-by-step. It only wastes time and doesn’t add much to the result, unless working in a very slippery yarn. Simply move the right needle in front or behind and insert it into the stitches to be crossed while they are still on the needle. Then slip the left needle out of all the cable stitches briefly then use it to pick up the loose stitches behind or in front to complete the crossover. Pass the sts back to the left needle and knit the the cable. It feels like you’re cheating. What a thrill, huh?

I’ve been knitting since 1978. Early projects were plagued by poor quality tools and yarns. If you’re serious about knitting, having fun knitting, or getting your knitting freak on, then check out the tools I’ve discovered that save time and frustration with common knitting activities.

Boye Needle Master

I’ve only had my Boye interchangeable knitting needle set for 12 years, but I still reach first for my Denise kit. The plastic cables in mom’s 40 year old Boye Needle Master kit are brittle 40 years later, but their new kit is made with metal points and nylon cables in sizes 2-15 US. Replacement parts are available from Boye. Knitters I know who’ve used both sets seem not to prefer this one, although some do have a preference for metal. The joins are threaded like a screw and tend to come loose with fervent knitting.

Denise plastic knitting needle set

My first set of Denise interchangeable needles are still going strong 22 years later, with only a little gap at one joint. I’m sure the new set is even better, but I haven’t had an opportunity to try it yet. The Denise set is widely available online and includes needle sizes 5-15 US. As you can see from this picture, a couple of pair had a project on them, so they couldn’t pose for this shot. This poor little case is brittle and sun stained. But I still have all the pieces 22 years later! More than I can say for the Boye set. The Denise tips twist on with a quarter turn (rather than threads on the Boye kit) and I can’t recall one of them ever coming loose. Results of a recent non-scientific poll of the knitlist showed a marked preference for the Denise kit.

full spectrum lighting

If you are selecting colors, natural daylight or full spectrum lighting is essential. It also helps to keep you in good spirits!

notched yarn cutter

This little number will snicker-snack through any yarn in a heartbeat. It’s an essential for any knitter’s bag that will probably even make it through airport security.

quality steam iron

I rarely block, but occasionally, a burst of steam is just what’s needed to smooth out stitch inconsistencies or a seam that’s just been stitched. Never press your knitting by actually placing the weight of the iron on top of the knitting, but rather, hover the iron over the piece while steaming generously. Pressing will cause the stitches to flatten and lose definition. For cable or texture patterns, steam only lightly, and define the cables and patterns with your fingers as it cools. If your knitting has any nylon fiber content at all, it should absolutely not be steamed. In some yarns, nylon may have been used as the core or binding thread, in which case your knitted piece will fall apart when the nylon melts.

retractable tape measure

This indispensable item fits neatly into any knitting bag. I actually carry one in my purse to check if clothing at the store will fit based on its measurements. Having a measuring tape instead of a flat measure means you can also use it to measure yourself or anything else that is curvy. The retractable button means it will never be tangled in your bag.

My mom taught me a nifty trick years ago: learn the specific measurement of a body part, (preferably something that you have out all the time, like your hand) since you will always have it with you. For example, my outstretched hand is exactly 8 inches long from thumb to pinkie. Conveniently, 3 of these make 2 feet.

sewing machine

As traumatic as it sounds to most knitters who don’t sew (and to many who do), sometimes putting your knitting down on the sewing machine is the best thing you can do for it. This technique enables you to knit more rows in the round and then cut open the finished work (steeking) to insert a front placket, armhole or etc. Just keep in mind that cutting into the knitting fully commits you to that design, since rejoining yarns ends once a row is no fun to do with the remnants.

umbrella knitting swift and ball winder

You know you are a hard-core knitter when you own the ball winder and umbrella yarn swift and use them all the time. Using the swift sure beats asking anyone else to hold yarn, and the ball winder does a much neater job than I ever could. If you tend to wind balls too tightly by hand, this will help you tension better. I’ve also noticed that some yarns are available in larger hanks, or at better prices when they are not pre-wound. I asked for these items at the holidays two years ago, and the savings of time and money alone make them gifts that keep on giving.

Mattress stitch is the perfect seam for sewing together two pieces of knitted stockinette fabric at the selvedges. This seam done properly may add needed structure to your knits.

Thread a darning needle with the same yarn used to knit the project. If the yarn is very thick, peel one ply off and use this in your needle for a less bulky seam. Although the sewing yarn will be hidden by the seam, it can show when stretched, so a closely matching yarn is best.

The step-by-step instructions shown in the Mattress Stitch gallery (below) are done at the edge stitch, which leaves a minimal inner seam and saves yarn. It is more commonly shown done one stitch away from the edge, which makes a more substantial inner seam.

Use Kitchener stitch any time you need to join two rows of knitted loops together, most commonly at shoulder and pocket seams. Kitchener stitch done correctly looks like just another row of knitting and is as perfectly elastic as your knitted fabric.

Leave the stitches on the needles with points toward where you plan to begin. Rearrange the stitches on the needles if necessary, since you will need to slip the worked stitches of the needles one by one. Check the sewing yarn to be sure it has the same amount of twist as the yarn still on the ball, for the most invisible seam.

You will be sewing with the yarn in an S; just as it was knitted, it will now be sewn. Follow the shadow of the yarns in rows above and below, and the way will be clear. Pictures are more useful than words here, so go see the demo!

And remember, practice makes perfect. So if you’re about to seam an heirloom, go practice the stitch with some swatches first. If you overwork the sewing yarn, the kitchener row may lose its invisible quality, so a dry run is warranted.

Here’s a demonstration of splicing yarn, one key to a quality end product. Short of unplied yarn, the fewer plies and more natural the fiber, the more invisible the splice. When you knit the spliced bits into your work, they will be almost unnoticeable, especially as compared to tying a knot or knitting both strands of yarn together which produces a lump in the knitting. Splicing is next to godliness.

First untwist the plies for 3-6 inches. Then take one ply from each strand and twist them around each other like plies of rope, leaving the remaining ply dangling. Use both hands. Tie the loose ends together loosely. Smooth the yarn before knitting.

Tie the short ends of each remaining ply together loosely. Now the next ball is ready to be knitted invisibly into your work. While you knit, weave in the remaining ply by passing it behind the knitting yarn as you knit each stitch.

Simply put, to knit on the bias is to knit diagonally, rather than straight up and down or side to side. Interesting style lines and drape can be accomplished by knitting on the bias, as well as distributing color differently if you are using a space-dyed yarn. The eye is often amused to see a traditional texture set at a slant. The torso and front of the Elfin Goth is all knit on the bias.

When knitting on the bias, there are a few ways to approach it. It is a question of where you plan to place the increases and the decreases. If you plan a symmetrical garment (like the Elfin Goth) , you will want to place the increases at the side seams and their matching decreases at the center seams or vice versa, so the fabric will slant to each side with a V or upside-down V at the center seams. If the item will be asymmetric, put the increases at one edge, and the matching decreases at the opposite edge to make the fabric slant to one side.

Ever knit a garment too short? Well, so long as you’ve got more of the yarn, it’s a simple matter to patiently unravel the cast on row and pick up the stitches, then knit from the top down.

This also works when you hate the rib trim you’ve knit and want to knit something more tailored. However, These techniques are not recommended for complicated stitch patterns, especially anything with a bias effect.

For all fabrics knit from the top

Fabrics knit from the top are the easiest to deal with. Simply rip out the bind off row and continue ripping until desired length is reached.

Use a circular knitting needle to pick up the upside down loops that remain. Knit these stitches to the more flattering length you want and finish as you wish with ribbing, seed or garter stitch band to prevent hem roll.

For stockinette fabric knit from the bottom

Stockinette stitch with no increases or decreases will be easiest to unravel and add on invisibly. Start by locating the beginning of the yarn. Use a knitting or darning needle to unravel to the point where the slip knot was made. Then unravel the cast on row one stitch at a time. Once you’ve done that, you will be able to simply rip out as much of the knitting as needed.

If there were any decreases in the knitting, you will need to stop and pull the yarn through before you can continue ripping. If this is the case, do not wind the yarn into a ball, since you can’t pull the yarn through with the ball intact.

Use a circular knitting needle to pick up the upside down loops that remain. Knit these stitches to the more flattering length you want and finish as you wish with ribbing, seed or garter stitch band to prevent hem roll.

For textured fabrics

If the fabric you want to rip is ribbing, or any other fabric the combines knit and purl stitches, cables, increases, decreases or lace, you’ll prefer this method.

Decide how much you plan to unravel and snip the yarn on that row. Use a circular needle to pick up one loop for each stitch as you unravel the cut end of the yarn. Be sure to keep your stitch count the same or you may make the situation worse than it was before you started.

For ribbing

Ribbing is irritating to unravel, and must be done one stitch at a time. When you pick up the loops and add on more ribbing, there will be a 1/2 stitch jog that will show what you’ve done.

These mirrored increases are very subtle. They create a distinctive line, like half of a slipped stitch. I love to use a raised increase a few stitches before the end of every row to help the selvedge hug a curve, as in the photo to the left.

This is especially effective at shoulder, hood, and hat shaping. When combined with four or more ribbed stitches at the selvedge, it is even more trim looking.

If you rearrange the stitch tension after knitting, they almost completely disappear. This is almost the only increase I use.

RLI = Right lifted increase: Lift first leg of st below the next st onto needle and knit this stitch.

LLI = Left lifted increase: Lift last leg below last knitted st onto needle and knit this stitch.

Paired SSK and K2tog will draw the fabric in to mirror the swelling effect of the paired increases.

Domiknitrix, how do you find the time?

Yes, I do have a full-time job, and it’s not one where I can sit and knit all day long. Far from it.

But, there are a few things that I am NOT doing that give me more time for knitting:

  • going to the gym – I save transit time and membership fees by walking to work. Just don’t stop exercising or your sleeveless tops will go to waste.
  • other crafts – I would rather truly excel at one thing than be mediocre at many. So I knit and design knitwear, and I sew and design clothes, and that’s plenty.

And some things I AM doing:

  • ordering take out and food delivery when the Muse is in town – be sure to file lots of menus and rotate
  • avoiding projects I know will bog me down – if I’m annoyed knitting the swatch, that’s a sign I won’t have much fun with the project.
  • allowing myself to enjoy ‘lost’ knitting weekends – When asked, say anything but “I knitted all weekend.” Try instead: “I created this amazing …”

And there are some things I do during the knitting that enable me to finish more quickly, with a more flawless result:

  • I knit continental style, for higher top speeds.
  • I knit tubes on circular needles whenever I can to save time turning the work and purling.
  • I avoid yarns finer than DK weight. Worsted or bulky are preferred for faster completed results.
  • When working cables, I dispense with the cable needle. I find it only wastes time and does not add to the result, unless I am working in a very slippery yarn.
  • I knit a lot of sleeveless or short-sleeved projects. This cuts the knitting time by 1/3 or more.
  • I knit for myself to save time. This way, I always have easy access to my fit model. I hate to wait to fit it on the intended recipient.