How to Find Knitting Instructions

Knitting InstructionsThere are many ways to find knitting instructions when you first start out. You can purchase books, pay for classes, or look online for websites dedicated to teaching new knitters. How you choose to learn to knit depends on your budget, free time, and learning style. Some people get frustrated trying to watch someone knit while others can’t figure out the techniques without watching it being performed. With that in mind, the first thing you need to do is figure out your learning style and budget, and go from there. Will you prefer to watch someone else knit or would you rather a book?

Learn to Knit from a Friend or Teacher

Usually, first-hand lessons are the best way to learn to knit. If you have a friend, mother, or grandmother that loves to knit, see if they can teach you. Now that knitting isn’t as common, it may be difficult to find someone close to you that will teach for free. Besides, not everyone that knows how to knit is a good teacher, which can just lead to frustration for everyone involved.

If your budget allows for it, another option for learning to knit first-hand is to pay for lessons in a knitting class. Many yarn shops and local craft stores offer lessons for new and intermediate knitters for a small fee. This might be a great way to get the knitting instructions you need to help you learn the craft. If this is something you feel you can benefit from, check with the craft stores in your area and see if they offer lessons. If they don’t, they may know of an individual in the area that teaches lessons for beginners.

Knitting Instruction Books

Before the days of the internet, your only options for knitting instructions at home were to buy knitting books and learn from them. While it’s not ideal for everyone, learning to knit from books is a good way to learn on your own time in the comfort of your own home. Some books are better than others, with pictures, cool beginner patterns, and tips that not even experienced knitters know.

Some very popular knitting books include:

Knitting Instruction Books

• The Knitting Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You’ll Ever Face, Answers to Every Question You’ll Ever Ask
• Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book
• Knitting Little Luxuries
• Exercises in Knitting
• Stitch ‘N’ Bitch: The Knitters Handbook
• Knitting in Plain English

Knitting Videos

With the discovery of video hosting sites such as YouTube, learning to knit took on a whole new meaning. You no longer have to pay for expensive classes or check out books from the library to figure out new techniques. Instead, you can use YouTube videos and videos posted to knitting blogs to get the best of both worlds!

A big advantage to using a knitting video rather than paying for classes is that you can learn on your own time in your own home. You don’t have to find a baby sitter or leave your house to attend a class at a set time. Instead, you can fix a nice cup of tea or coffee and settle down in your favorite chair while you watch a video.

Another big advantage to using online videos rather than a live class is that you can rewind the video as much as you want to make sure that you understand it fully. If you’re in a class, you may feel uneasy asking your teacher to keep performing the same task when you don’t get it, but there is no reason to feel bad for rewinding a video to watch it again. You can also view techniques in slow motion on knitting videos, and many of the knitters in the videos are nice enough to add text and audio commentary so you can get as much information as possible while learning to knit.

Learning to knit is an exciting challenge that is beginning to become popular again. While it can be complicated at first, there are many ways for you to learn this hobby and excel. If you don’t have a friend or relative that can offer you lessons, you can still learn on your own. No matter how you choose to learn, there are plenty of ways to find knitting instructions to help you.

How to Convert Hand Knit Patterns into Knitting Machine Patterns

Knitting Machine PatternsThere are many benefits to using a knitting machine to create your knitted goods at home. For example, you can finish large knitting projects in a few hours rather than in a few days it would take you to hand knit the same project. While there are plenty of intimidating features to transition to when learning the knitting machine, a big advantage is that you can use some of your favorite basic hand knitting patterns for your first few projects. Basic hand knitting patterns that do not use complicated stitches, cables, or other patterns are very simple to convert to knitting machine patterns without any extra work. If you have a few basic stockinette stitch patterns that you would like to try on your new knitting machine, read on for how to knit them on a machine.

Hand Knitting Patterns vs. Knitting Machine Patterns

Most basic knitting patterns can be used on knitting machines without any converting. In fact, knitting machine patterns and hand knit patterns look almost exactly the same on the surface. You have a set amount of stitches to cast on, knit, and bind off, just like on a hand-knitting pattern. On knitting machine patterns that require several rows, or increases or decreases, you are still instructed to use stitch markers to help you count, too.

The biggest visible difference on basic knitting machine patterns is that instead of seeing a needle size requirement to meet the gauge, instead you’ll see a needle range. For example, instead of seeing instructions to use size 8 knitting needles, you’ll see instructions to use a mid-range knitting machine with a setting for your stitch dial.

How to Convert to a Knitting Machine Pattern

If you don’t have a pattern to use for your first few machine projects, you can easily use some simple hand knit patterns that don’t call for cables, bubble stitches, or lace. Using a hand knit pattern on a machine is pretty simple. Like with any new hobby, it is best to start with simple projects such as washcloths, scarves, or a simple wrap. To use your hand knit patterns for your knitting machine, the process is pretty simple.

Hand Knitting Patterns

The first thing you need to do is prepare your yarn for the machine. It needs to be made in a center-pull ball so that it can feed yarn to the machine fast enough. A typical skein will not unravel fast enough for a knitting machine. Once you’ve done this step, you can put the number of stitches the pattern calls for on your machine. This step will be explained in your manual. Then you simply push the carriage back and forth until you’ve reached the desired length for your project. You cast off by running the carriage over your knitting without any yarn. Be sure at this point to hold your work up so that it doesn’t fall to the ground or unravel fro the weight.

If you are using a ribbed pattern for your project, the process will be slightly different, and require a crochet hook or latch hook to use during the process. During cast on, you will skip the purl rows and then move your carriage back and forth for the length of the purls. Once you have completed the length that needs to be purled, you can take your crochet hook or latch tool and go up the ladder chaining in the spots where the stitches are skipped.

Machine knitting is a great way to quickly produce knits in your home. Whether you want to quickly make up a bunch of scarves for holiday gifts, make winter sweaters or socks for your family, or want to start up a knitting business, a knitting machine is a great way to increase your production and create beautiful items. If you want to start machine knitting and need some patterns to get you started, try using some of your regular knitting patterns on your machine. While your more complex projects will need real knitting machine patterns, simply converting your basic knitting patterns for use on your machine can work to complete your first few projects.

Why Machine Knitting – The Essential Facts You Need To Consider

Machine KnittingWhile most knitters are dedicated to hand knitting, machine knitting is a great way to become fast efficient, and accurate in your work. The knitting hobbyist may not find much of a use for a knitting machine, but if you knit in order to make money, or make garments for your family, you may want to consider this purchase. Many large manufacturers use machines for knit fabrics, but you can also find knitting machines intended for household use. Not only will you be able to easily figure out the ins and outs of using your machine at home, but also you’ll be able to quickly create knitted goods without working day and night on each project.

Benefits of Using a Knitting Machine

Many hand knitters despise the idea of machine knitting, and consider it to be cheating. All you should know on this topic is that once you have tried it, you will know that it is not cheating! Learning the ins and outs of a knitting machine can be a lot of work, and converting your knowledge of hand knitting to machine knitting can be extremely complicated. Still, once the initial learning hurdle is passed, you’ll find that there are many benefits to knitting on a machine.

The Speed Of Creation!

The most obvious benefit to knitting with a machine is the speed at which you can finish each project. Using a machine to knit sweaters, scarves, or other goods for your family will speed up the process immensely, meaning less money spent in department stores on over-priced winter garments. This of course can also be a most useful factor to consider if you are looking at starting a knitting business or if you want to make money knitting.

No More Slipped Stitches or Crooked Cables

Not only will a knitting machine increase your efficiency, but since most machines use programmed patterns, the ACCURACY will be high as well. While knitting by hand can produce slipped stitches or a crooked cable when you aren’t paying enough attention, a machine is made to accurately complete a job and is less likely to result in noticeable mistakes in your knit fabric.

Choose a Knitting Machine

Differences Between Hand Knitting and Machine Knitting

If you’re considering making the switch from hand knitting to knitting on a machine, there are a few differences you should first become aware of. First of all, not all stitches can be created the same way on a knitting machine, and some can’t be re-created at all, or are just too tedious to be worth it.

Gauge Differences

Another big difference in knitting with a machine is the gauge. Since knitting machines feature needles that are locked in place, you can’t just change their position or size to meet a different gauge. Instead, you have to create several gauge swatches before you can even consider knitting something sized on your machine. To find the proper gauge on a machine-knit gauge swatch, you have to first take it off the machine, roll it up, tug on it from top to bottom, and then let it set overnight to get an accurate size.

With a knitting machine, there is a lot more work in the preparation, but once you have gotten accustomed to your machine and how it works, the overall production will be much faster.

How to Choose a Knitting Machine

The most important aspect of choosing a knitting machine is to know what size yarn you prefer. Since the needles are locked into place, you can’t change them out with larger sizes for different yarns. It doesn’t really matter what projects you want to use your machine for, or what types of fiber you like best. Consider going into your local yarn store and saying “I want needles that knit wool.” That doesn’t make much sense, does it? It’s the same concept for a knitting machine. Rather than knowing what type of fiber you like, you need to know what size you like, so that you can choose a machine equipped to handle your yarn.

Making the switch from hand knitting to a knitting machine can take a bit of time. However, if you are looking at selling knitting or you’ve decided you need to become much more efficient for one reason or another, it can be worth the time needed to make the switch. If you find yourself wanting to produce your knitting faster than your hands can move, then you should be considering machine knitting as your newest hobby.

Why You Must Subscribe To Knitting Magazines (and the best ones)

Creative Knitting MagazineKnitting magazines are a great way to learn more about the world of knitting. Like any other magazines focused on crafting, there are a variety of topics covered that are of special interest to knitters. Regardless of your experience level with knitting or other fiber crafts, reading magazines about the craft can inspire and teach you. You can find information in these magazines that you’ve never learned, such as tips and tricks, brand new patterns, fun new product reviews, and many more. If you’ve never subscribed to a magazine dedicated to knitters, you may want to consider adding one or two to your monthly reading list, just for fun.

Why Knitters Love Magazines

If you’ve never perused a magazine for knitters before, you don’t know what you’re missing. Whether you are a brand new knitter or have been knitting for years, there is something for everyone in these magazines. Some benefits to reading these magazines include:

• Find out about new yarns
• Find new beginner and advanced knitting patterns
• Find specific knitting machine patterns
• Read about knitting designers
• Read articles about other fiber arts such as spinning or dying
• Find businesses that sell interesting findings such as buttons, zippers, appliqués, and other fun additions to knitting.

In addition to finding this information, most of these magazines come out either monthly or seasonally, so you’ll get plenty of new information throughout the year. As with fashion magazines, craft magazines, or even store catalogues, knitting magazines focus on seasonal appropriate themes. This means that around the holidays you may find patterns for knitting Christmas stockings or a tree skirt. In the summer you might find some cool projects you never thought to knit during the summer, or you may get a sneak peak at fall trends. There are so many fun things to read about in these magazines; you’ll find plenty of inspiration for your next project there.

Vogue KnittingThe Most Popular Knitting Magazines…

If you go to your local craft store or yarn store, you’ll probably find yourself bombarded with a large variety of fiber arts magazines. It may be hard to decide which magazine you want to try. When you’re in doubt about it, the best bet is to pick up one of the top sellers. Some top selling magazines for knitters are Creative Knitting Magazine, Vogue Knitting, and Knit ‘n’ Style. These magazines have proven themselves time and time again to have the best articles, patterns, information, and advertisements according to seasoned knitters. Perhaps picking up one of these magazines would be a great place to start!

Creative Knitting Magazine is one of the most popular magazines among knitters. Their tagline “Knits with a Timeless Twist,” describes their content perfectly. In this magazine, you will find creative knitting patterns, tutorials, tips and tricks, and seasonal projects in each issue.

Vogue Knitting, another popular magazine among yarn addicts boasts a 30 year reputation among knitters. Their loyal followers love the free patterns, discount codes, how-to’s, and product previews available between the covers.

Knit ‘n’ Style, which claims to be “Real Fashion for Real Knitters,” is not your grandma’s magazine. If you pick up this magazine at the newsstand, you’ll find some great information on hand-dyed yarns and even articles discussing yarn bombing and offering inspiration on the subject! They also have both knit and crochet patterns to offer to a variety of readers. If you’re a young knitter looking for more unique content, this magazine is the one for you.

There are many great knitting magazines available today. If these three don’t capture your interest, there are plenty of other options available. Perhaps you should try picking up one with an interesting cover and see how you like it!

Knitting is a craft that you can easily dive into and want to learn more about. If you love knitting and want some new inspiration for your next project, you may just find it in a new magazine. You can find tutorials, free patterns, knitting accessories, and information on a variety of fiber-related topics by simply opening the cover to one of these magazines. If you haven’t checked out a knitting magazine yet, you should consider it.

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How to Use Knitting Fabrics

Knitting FabricsKnitting fabrics are a great alternative to woven fabrics, especially when making winter clothes and accessories. While you can create hats, sweaters, socks, and other knit goods by knitting them on needles, many companies use knit fabrics and sew up the clothing instead. Regardless of how the garment is made, it basically looks the same, and these garments are very popular for a variety of goods. If you have seen some great knit fabrics in the store that capture your attention, maybe you want to know what you can make with them, or maybe you want to know how to use them. Either way, continue reading for plenty of ideas and instructions on using these fabrics.

Garments Made with Knitting Fabrics

There are many garments that work really well made with knit fabrics. Some advantages to using knit fabric in your garments include:

• Better drape
• More stretch in the fabric
• Better resistance to tearing
How to Knit IncreasesUse Knitting Fabrics

If you’re considering using a fabric that is knit to complete a project, some garments that are ideal include sweaters, scarves, hats, slippers, leg warmers, socks, ear warmers, mittens, and just about anything else that could also be made with knitting.

While knit fabrics are usually made out of wool, they can also be made out of cotton, acrylic, bamboo, or a blend of several types of fiber. Each type of fiber will result in a different look, making them ideal for different types of projects. However, due to the thickness and warmth of most knit fabric, it is best used for garments to be worn in cooler weather. The only real exception to this is if the fabric is made from a thin cotton fiber, it may be breathable enough for warmer weather. It is all a personal preference.

How to Use Knitting Fabric

If you’ve bought fabric that’s already knit in a store and you are unsure how to use it, that’s understandable. After all, it’s pretty common knowledge that if you cut a garment that has been knit, it will unravel pretty quickly. However, the difference between machine made knit fabric and knitting done by hand is that the machine made knit fabric is made with a different strand of yarn for each needle, which makes it much harder to unravel than traditional knitting.

So, knowing that it is less likely to unravel, you can easily cut through commercial knitting fabric and sew it into a garment without worrying. The only thing to take into consideration when doing this is the thickness of the fabric. You need to make sure that your sewing machine and thread are adequate to form a strong enough seam in your work that it doesn’t snap easily.

How to Make Your Own Fabric

Many DIY crafters prefer to make things themselves rather than buying it in a store. If you want to make knit garments without purchasing fabric from the craft store, you can make it yourself.

Creating knit fabric can be as simple as casting on your stitches and knitting on regular knitting needles. It will take considerably more time to do it this way, but it is possible.

Another option if you don’t want to learn to knit is to purchase a knitting machine made for individual use. These are not as big or expensive as the knitting machines used by big companies. There is a learning curve but once you’ve figured it out, you’ll be able to make your own knitting fabric in no time at all.

Knit goods are all the rage these days. Everyone wants a nice knit sweater or hat. However, hand-knit goods can be costly, and not everyone has the budget for these items. If you want a sweater or other garment that has that nice knit look without breaking the bank, consider making something yourself the old fashioned way. If you don’t know how to knit, or don’t have the time to learn, you can also consider using fabric from the store and a sewing machine. With commercial knitting fabric, you can save time, money, and frustration. The best part is that the end result will still be a beautiful knit garment that you made yourself!

What to Find in a Knitting Kit

Beginners Knitting KitsThere are many different types of knitting kits available on the market today, to suit many different purposes. You may be wondering why you might need one, and if you’ve been knitting for a number of years, you probably don’t. However, while many of these kits are intended for newer knitters, there are sets available for everyone. Whether you are learning the craft for the first time, getting ready for a big trip, or picking up a gift for a crafty friend of yours, there are many reasons to purchase a knitting kit. Depending on what you’re looking for, you can find the kit to meet your needs at most craft stores or online. Here are some of the most common kits that can be found in stores.

Beginners Knitting Kits

There are many kits available for beginning knitters. These are designed for people who haven’t bought any needles, yarn, or patterns, and don’t know what to buy. Usually there is a pattern for a beginners knitting project included as well, so these make a great gift for a crafty friend that’s expressed an interest in knitting. It’s also a great purchase if you want to learn to knit and don’t have anyone to teach you and show you what to buy! These kits may include some of the following:

• Balls of yarn
• Simple pattern and instructions
• Knitting needles
• Project bag

Luxury Needle Kits

While an experienced knitter will most likely have every size needle that they possibly need, there are also luxury needle kits available. These kits include all of the most common sizes of needles all in one medium. You can find them in expensive materials, with ergonomic handles, or fancy carrying cases. These kits make great gifts for a knitting friend, of for a knitter that just wants a nice upgrade.

Knitting To-Go

The best thing about knitting is that it gives you something to do instead of just sit still. This makes it a great craft for long plane rides, but the rules on planes are so strict these days that it’s hard to know what is allowed in your carry on and what isn’t. If you purchase a knitting travel kit that is TSA approved, you can rest assured that it will be allowed on the plane, offering you something productive to do during your flight.

best thing about knitting

These travel knitting kits include:

• Small tape measure
• Stitch markers
• Thread cutter or point protected scissors
• Crochet hook
• Darning needle

With one of these travel kits, you just need to add your set of needles and a skein of yarn and you’ll be all set to knit on the plane.

Knitting Loom Kits

Knitting looms are another popular knitting craft, especially with children and new knitters. Many people never learn to knit with needles because they enjoy knitting looms so much. In fact, if you have enough practice, you can make just about anything on a knitting loom that you can with needles. Many knitters even claim that it is much faster than knitting on needles. If you want to try your hand at knitting on a loom, you won’t have a hard time finding a kit with everything you need to start.

Knitting loom kits come in different types. You may be looking for a loom kit that has all of the basic looms you will need to finish a variety of projects. However, maybe you just want to try one project and see how you like it. In that case you’ll want to find a learning kit that includes a loom, instructions, a simple pattern, and possibly some yarn. If it doesn’t have yarn included, don’t fret. Usually these kits are located very close to the yarn section in most craft stores!

Knitting is a very social and relaxing activity. Whether you are just learning the craft yourself or you are hoping to get a friend interested, there are knitting kits to fit every need! Experienced knitters may be interested in a kit of high-end knitting needles and accessories; new knitters might just want the materials they need to finish their first project. Whatever knitting need you have, you can find a kit for you. Check your local craft store or yarn shop today to see what kinds of knitting kits they offer that might interest you.

My Favorite Websites for Knitting Help

Knitting helpWhile knitting is an age-old craft, there are many people today that struggle to find reliable knitting help when they first start out. Even if you know someone personally that can knit, not everyone has the ability to successfully teach the skill to a new knitter! Luckily, we live in a day and age where everything we need can be found on the internet. If you find yourself struggling through knitting techniques, there are plenty of websites available that offer a wide array of knitting help. Read on to find out some of my favorite knitting websites offering help for new and experienced knitters alike.

Top Knitting Websites to Add to Your Favorites

Today there are so many options when it comes to anything on the internet. There is no shortage of websites offering knitting help, but some websites are better than others when it comes to teaching new techniques. There are some very popular sites that have been around for a long time and have a loyal following. These websites are a great place to start for dependable knitting help.

One of the most popular knitting websites available is knittinghelp.com. On this website, you can find help in the form of video tutorials, community forums, advanced tutorials, free patterns, and a great knitting glossary. There is something for knitters of every skill level on this website, which makes it a popular stop for many knitters.

Another popular website that offers help for both crocheting and knitting is knitwitch.com. This website is famous for their great video tutorials on YouTube and their unique patterns. You can even buy knitting supplies here, which makes it a one-stop-shop for everything related to knitting and crocheting.

Ravelry.com is another great knit and crochet community. Membership is completely free, although some of the patterns available on the site are for purchase. These patterns are designed and published by members of the community, which means that when you purchase patterns on Ravelry, you are supporting another member of their community. This site also boasts an extremely tight-knit community with groups designed to help just about everyone. Some examples of the groups you can find on Ravelry include:

• Groups for knitting help
• Groups for knitters with children
• Groups for pattern designers
• Groups for beginners
• Groups for self-taught knitters

General knitting Tips

Ravelry is another website that has everything a knitter may need. You can ask advice, make friends with fellow knitters, find the perfect pattern, browse and buy yarn or other knitting and crocheting supplies, or even purchase novelty items such as coffee mugs, project bags, sweaters, and other products designed by members of the community.

Find Knitting Help in Your Community

If you don’t like the idea of getting help with your knitting online, you may have some options right in your community. There are many knitters that advertise that they can teach lessons that you may want to look into. However, going with a professional knitting teacher, you’ll have to expect to pay out of pocket to learn their tricks and tips. Some options that may be available in your community may include:

• Knitting groups that meet on a weekly or bi-weekly basis
• Knitting classes offered through your local yarn or craft store
• Knitting lessons offered by individuals

These are all options available locally for those looking for knitting help. However, if you aren’t willing to pay for your lessons, you will most likely have to deal with unpredictable results.

If you want to learn to knit on your own time without spending a lot of money, your best bet is to learn through one of these online websites. Experienced knitters hoping to help others develop their crafts run these sites, which means that you’ll get advice from others that started out where you are now. Everyone teaching on these websites started out not knowing how to hold their needles, either, so they are a great place to start. There are plenty of online options available for knitting help, but the three websites listed here in this article have all been around for a very long time and have a large, loyal following. Online tutorials and videos are a great place to start for knitting help, whether you are a beginner or have been knitting for a long time.

Knitting for Charity: Organizations that Help the Less Fortunate

Knitting for CharityKnitting for charity is a great way that many knitters have found to give back with their time. Some knitters love to create items for themselves or their families, which is rewarding in its own way. However, there are some knitters with the urge to go above and beyond with their stitching and have begun knitting for charity. These knitters have found organizations that support causes close to their hearts and have chosen to help out in a substantial way. No matter what your skill level is, knitting for charity can be a great way to help others in need with your craft. The first step is deciding whom you want to help.

Why Choose Knitting for Charity

While it is fun and rewarding to use your knitting as a way to create clothing and accessories for yourself, your friends, and your family, it is even more rewarding to know that your stitches have helped an individual in need. That need can be emotional, physical, or financial, but either way, by knitting for charity, you have helped someone that needed it greatly.

Depending on the organization you choose, you could donate items to a great number of people in need, including:

• Patients undergoing chemo treatments and suffering hair loss.
• Siblings of a new baby that need to feel special again.
• Soldiers deployed to the Middle East.
• Patients recovering in hospitals from long illnesses.
• Babies born too soon.
• Children and families in third-world countries.
• Veterans disabled in combat.
• Senior citizens in homes or hospitals.
• Families suffering the loss of a loved one.

There are many reasons to donate your knit goods to charity. You could be warming the head or the heart of a great number of people, whether they just suffered a great loss or are battling an illness or injury. There are even charities that donate goods to the homeless people in each city so that they have hats, mittens, and scarves during the winter. There are organizations for just about every cause you might want to support, so the next step is choosing where to send your goods.

Choose Knitting for Charity

Organizations for Different Charities

No matter who you want to help, you can find an organization to send your knit goods to. Some great organizations that are always looking for hand made donations include:
• Afghans for Afghans: sends hand-knit and hand-crocheted blankets and garments to the people of Afghanistan.
• Chemo Caps: sends caps made from knitters all over to patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments and suffering hair loss.
• Cubs for Kids: creating gifts for less fortunate children to cherish forever.
• Forever Warm: provides parents of stillborn babies a blanket for photos and burials, or to keep as a keepsake to remember their child.
• Hats for Homeless: collects hats, scarves, and gloves throughout the year to donate to the homeless in New York.
• Heartmade Blessings: sends hand-crafted items to people suffering loss or tragedy to remind them that people care.
• Knit with Love: provides scarves, caps, and other knitting clothing for people in need.
• Knit4charities: donates knit and crochet goods to homeless people, shelters, hospitals, animal shelters, old folks homes, cancer patients, and anyone else who needs it.
• Knots-of-Love: donating hand-knit and hand-crocheted hats to those battling cancer or other life-threatening illnesses.
• Project Linus: distributes handmade blankets to children in need everywhere.
• Socks for Soldiers: sends gifts of love to deployed soldiers.
• Warm Up America: creates blankets for those in need.

There are many more organizations to choose from if you do not find the organization that suits you in this list. Many communities have their own organizations that send hand made items to those in need. You can also choose to send your items directly to those in need by donating to hospitals, homes, or soldiers that you know personally.

By knitting for charities, you can share a piece of warmth with those in need. Whether you want to knit for the homeless, the ill, the suffering, or the lonely, there are countless ways to knit for charities around the world. By donating to those in need, you can use your knitting for a better cause, while still saving time to knit for yourself and your friends in the process. Knitting for charity doesn’t take a lot of time, but it does take a lot of caring.

Advanced Knitting Techniques for Experienced Knitters

Advanced Knitting TechniquesOnce you’ve been knitting for a while, you’ll find that the basic knitting techniques are second nature. If you’re wondering whether you’re ready for advanced knitting techniques, you probably are. Once you’ve begun searching out patterns written for more experienced knitters or changing up a more basic pattern, you’ll know you’re ready. This is how you know you’ve become an advanced knitter. At this point you’ll be ready for some more advanced knitting techniques to expand your knitting repertoire. Some fun advanced knitting techniques to try include knitting cables, lace or knitting with double pointed needles.

Knitting Cables

Cable knitting is the technique of crossing one group of stitches over another on your needles. Cabling creates the twisting rows and knots that you see on many knit goods like sweaters because they are so popular. Standard row cables are the most popular style, with a single column of twisting stitches.

Cables are knit with a cabling needle in addition to your standard knitting needles. You use the cabling needle to suspend the stitches, which can be any amount that you like, and knit the same amount of stitches off your left hand needle before returning the suspended stitches to your left hand needle to knit. This creates the twisted design that is so well recognized in knitting.

Knitting with Double Pointed Needles

Many knitters consider using double pointed needles an advanced knitting technique. These needles are used for knitting in the round but since circular needles are so much easier to use, they are more popular among beginners. However, once you’ve been knitting for a while you may realize that there are many circular patterns you want to try that are too small for circular needles, such as newborn baby hats or skinny tubes. For these projects, you will want to use double pointed needles.

Double pointed needles, or DPNs, are needles used for creating circles without the plastic cord that holds the stitches. These needles are shorter than standard knitting needles and have points on both ends rather than on just one end. They come in sets of four or five, which are all used in the course of knitting in the round.

Knitting Lace

Knitting Lace

Knitting lace is considered one of the most advanced knitting techniques around, due to it’s complexity and attention to detail. Most knitters consider knitting lace to be the ultimate goal to show off their skill, because this transcends the typical knitting techniques and becomes a form of art. True lace is a piece that is reversible, and where the holes are separated by only one strand of yarn and no more. However, there are many ways to create a lacey pattern in your knitting without it being true lace. The biggest aspect of lace knitting, and the part that makes it so difficult, is the holes. Since woven fabric is not made to have holes in it, this makes lace a very advanced technique because you not only have to have the artistic eye to create a lace pattern, but you have to have the ability to create the holes and stitches in a functional and aesthetic way.

In order to create lace in your knitting, you need to combine a series of yarn-overs and decreases in a way that creates a design of stitches and holes in your piece. Some popular lace motifs include:

• Leaves
• Flowers
• Ferns
• Rosettes
• Diamonds

Once you’ve learned enough about knitting to go beyond the basic knitting techniques, you may want to begin to expand your repertoire. By doing this you can continue to broaden your knowledge of the craft and keep pushing your skills. Since many knitters are striving to challenge themselves daily, they are excited to learn about new techniques to try. You can try your hand at these advanced knitting techniques to start with, or you may just find a technique in a pattern that you’ve never heard of and decide to try it. That is how most knitters learn about new techniques to try. Don’t second-guess yourself when it comes to knitting. Once you have mastered the basic stitches and decided to change things up, you’ll know that you are ready for the more advanced knitting techniques.

The Beginners Knitting Glossary

Knitting GlossaryMost knitting patterns use a lot of abbreviations and phrases that only experienced knitters will know. As a beginner knitter, it can be extremely helpful to have a knitting glossary handy to help you read your first few patterns. You shouldn’t need to keep a glossary on hand for too long, since the abbreviations are pretty simple, but it is helpful while you get used to the common knitting terminology. There are countless abbreviations and knitting phrases used in knitting patterns, but as a beginner you will only need to know the most common ones.

Knitting Glossary of Common Abbreviations

While some knitting patterns include a knitting glossary for those new to reading patterns, not all designers think to include one. If you have avoided reading patterns because of the abbreviations in the past, you can now refer to this knitting glossary when you are confused and you’ll be able to complete basic patterns.

Here are some of the most common abbreviations you need to know to read a knitting pattern.

• CO: Cast on
• BO: Bind off
• Beg: Beginning
• CA: Color A
• CB: Color B
• CC: Contrasting color
• MC: Main color
• Ch: Chain (using crochet hook)
• CN: Cable needle
• Cont: Continue
• Dec: Decrease
• DPN’s: Double pointed Needles
• G st: Garter stitch
• Inc: Increases
• K: Knit

read a knitting pattern
• K-wise: Knit wise. (Insert right hand needle into loop as if to knit)
• P-wise: Purl wise. (Insert right hand needle into loop as if to purl)
• RH: Right hand
• LH: Left hand
• K2Tog: Knit 2 together (Decrease)
• P2Tog: Purl 2 together (Decrease)
• M1: Make 1 (Popular increase)
• PM: Place marker
• Rep: Repeat
• Rib: Ribbed Stitch
• YO: Yarn over
• WS: Wrong side
• RS: Right Side

Common Knitting Phrases

Knitting patterns are full of phrases that common people wouldn’t understand. Even if you’ve taught yourself how to knit and never use patterns, you may not know what these phrases and abbreviations mean. Here are some of the most common knitting phrases explained.

• Knit-wise: when you are instructed to insert your needle knit-wise, this means to insert your right hand needle into the first loop on your left hand needle as if you were going to knit. This means that you insert your needle from front to back and left to right.
• Purl-wise: when you are instructed to insert your needle purl-wise, this means that you insert your right hand needle into the first loop on your left hand needle as if you were going to purl. This means that you insert your needle from back to front and right to left.
• Knit 2 Together: Knit 2 together is pretty self explanatory, in that you simply put your right hand needle knit-wise into the first 2 loops on your left hand needle at the same time and perform a knit stitch. This turns 2 stitches into 1.
• Purl 2 Together: Purl 2 together is also pretty self explanatory, in that you insert your right hand needle purl-wise into the first 2 loops on your left hand needle at the same time and perform a purl stitch, so that you turn 2 stitches into 1 purl stitch.
• Make 1: Make 1 is the act of creating a knit stitch where there was no stitch before. To make one, use your left hand needle and grab the bar in between the stitches from front to back. You can then knit with your right hand through the back loop.

This knitting glossary is a basic place to begin. It doesn’t contain every single abbreviation that can be found in knitting patterns; but it does include the most common ones to give you the basic knowledge needed to read your first patterns. Knowing the common knitting phrases and abbreviations can make reading knitting patterns much easier. If you’ve been intimidated to try out knitting patterns because of all of the abbreviations and strange phrases, you have nothing left to fear. By knowing what these abbreviations mean, you’ll be able to move forward with the confidence needed to complete even intricate tasks. If you simply refer to this knitting glossary whenever you come across a new term you’ll have no problems completing a pattern.