Tag: knitting

The “Right” Way to Knit
Knitting Blog

The “Right” Way to Knit

Martha4 Comments

Sometimes I hear about the “right way to knit”.

Aargh. Is there really such a thing?

Imagine a scenario:

There you are, innocently knitting away, sitting on the (plane, train, subway, bus), or in the (waiting room, terminal, park, knitting store). And it happens. Someone says, “You’re (knitting, purling, holding the needles, holding the yarn), wrong.” This statement is usually followed up with additional helpful comments such as, “That’s not (how I do it, how I was taught, how my mom, grandma, aunt, did it).” We love those people. We have to love them, because they are our fellow humans. But, we don’t have to LIKE them!

Thoughts flash through our minds, some of them not so polite: “Who are you?” “Why are you speaking to me?” But, after all, this is knitting, and we share. And take turns. And be polite. Continue reading “The “Right” Way to Knit” →

It really IS all about the gauge.
Knitting Blog

It really IS all about the gauge.

MarthaLeave a comment

It is all about the gauge.

There, I said it. How many times have I said this?

Countless. Uncountable. I can’t count the number because it is vast. Like “infinity and beyond”!

For those of you who don’t know, the “gauge swatch” is a sample of knitting that is at least a 4” by 4” in size. The bigger swatch the better your garment will fit. Think of taking a poll. The more people you poll, the more accurate your results. Polling 100 people will get more accurate results than polling 10. The exact same thing applies to making a gauge swatch. A tiny gauge swatch of ten stitches knit in stockinette stitch for seven rows is NOT an accurate representation of the numbers. Continue reading “It really IS all about the gauge.” →

My “Rules” for Decreasing
Knitting Blog

My “Rules” for Decreasing

MarthaLeave a comment

Rules for knitting. More like guidelines, actually!

Aaaah…The pattern says: “Dec ea end EO RS row 4x”.

What to do?

First, decipher the instructions:

Dec=Decrease

Ea= each

EO= Every other

RS= Right Side (This is the PUBLIC side of the item.)

4x= Four times (remember algebra?)

So, you might assume that you are going to decrease on each end (the beginning and end of a row) every other right side row four times.

Now what?

Here is where you have some major decisions to make about your decreases. Oh, sorry, not MAJOR, you know, just “thinking ahead” kinds of decisions. Continue reading “My “Rules” for Decreasing” →

“To Stash or Not to Stash…”
Knitting Blog

“To Stash or Not to Stash…”

Martha2 Comments

You have a lot of yarn…

I know quite a number of knitters. Most knitters revel in having so much yarn, they probably won’t be able to use it all in their lifetime. Some people really worry about how much yarn they have. “Am I a hoarder?”, “Is there something wrong with me?”, “What if someone finds out how much yarn I have?”, “What would (insert person here) think if they knew?”

In my world, you can never have too much yarn. One of my mottos is “When in doubt, buy more yarn.” Why not? I am sure there are other things that take up a lot more room than yarn. There are far more things in life to feel guilty about than that poor bag of yarn that you HAD to have because it was a gorgeous color, soft as a kitten, and you couldn’t stop yourself. Even if you don’t have a project for said yarn yet, does the mere thought of that yarn make you happy? Go on, go look at it now. Of COURSE you still love it. Why worry about what you will make of it and when? Maybe you are looking for the perfect project. Maybe you are “saving” it. Whatever the reason, you need to get over your yarn guilt now. Just knowing that you have that yarn should make you excited to knit. Continue reading ““To Stash or Not to Stash…”” →