craft smarter
Ideas Galore We've collected a bunch of our favorite posts on organizing. They apply to both yarn storage and other places too - your kitchen, bedroom or bathroom. Storage Ideas - Papers, paint, washi tape and lots of others. Even if it's not …
Picking colors and knitting evenly are two important things when it comes to stranded knitting. Fortunately, we have you covered on both. Picking colors There are lots of ways to pick colors. We all have colors we like. It's widely known …
It's the start of the new year. A perfect time to think about organizing your stash. Here are a few posts to get your creative juices flowing. Yarn Storage System Destash - ideas for how to get things out that you no longer …
We did a tutorial on the Bubble Stitch on Wednesday, but we thought a review of some different color options for the Pastilles hat would be good too. Here's the original. It's very pretty (she who LOVES all things pink says). And I love the fact …
The Pastilles Hat uses the Bubble Stitch. It's a great way to get a second color in your knitting without stranded knitting. That's right - you don't use more than one color per row! This ingenious little stitch shouldn't scare you off though. …
Slipping the first stitch on a shawl or scarf tidies up the edge nicely. There's less yarn there to get all weird and floppy. Whether it's needed or not can also can depend on the finishing you're going to do and the yarn you're using. Stretching …
Anyone who knows me knows that I love lifted increases. I probably use them more than any other increase - even the typical kfb (knit into the front and back). Why I love this increase I use this increase a lot, and with good reason: it's …
Thumb gussets shouldn't be scary. They're basically increases and then holding those stitches for later. Any time knitting creates an unusual shape it can be scary - but it shouldn't. A thumb gusset is a simple way to create some nice shaping …
Many of you said you were uncomfortable about having to roll a die for the AOE socks. This seems like an easy concern to overcome so we wanted to talk about it here today. Dice Rolling is Easy Rolling the dice is just a way to randomize the …
Lots of patterns use a provisional cast on. Going back, picking up stitches and working in the opposite direction is a skill all knitters need to have in their arsenal. Here's my favorite way to do this cast on - using a crochet hook. Step …
Tutorial: Provisional Cast On (crochet hook method)Read More
I won't start out by arguing whether you should use charts in your knitting. You know if charts sync up with your way of thinking. If you want some help with charts - or if you just want a refresher - continue reading. Charts give you a way to …
Yarn overs are great for decorative increases or creating eyelets (or when you make one by mistake). Sometimes, it can be confusing depending on if it comes between knit or purl stitches (or both). It's not that difficult though, just read …
Last week we focused on joins - covering the traditional join, Russian join, Magic Knot and Hunter's Bend. Many of you commented that your favorite join was splicing. Why splicing This took me by surprise at first, but as I thought about …
Adding ruffles to a project can add a little (or a lot) of frill to an otherwise plain piece. Or, it can add another layer of decoration to an already ornate piece. A great side benefit is that you automatically get extra fabric and don't have to …
Slipped stitches add great texture and fun patterning. You should keep in mind that slipped stitch patterns tend to grow more slowly in height. A few things to keep in mind with slipped stitches: the row is made up of fewer new stitches; …
