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Tutorial - January 15, 2021

How to: Choose Colors for Knitting Projects

With over 7 million colors visible to the human eye, sometimes settling on even three of them for a knitting project can seem overwhelming. Many times knitters will only choose the colors that the sample project was designed in since even taking a small step into color choosing can seem calamitous. But never fear! With a little journey through color theory and a few simple guidelines, choosing the colors for your next three-shade project will be easy and fun! The Color Wheel & How Your Yarn Fits In Above is a color wheel; this is an organizational tool for the color...

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Tutorial - November 19, 2020

How to make a Mug Cozy out of a Swatch

Swatching is a necessary step in creating a knitted garment that fits, but not everyone likes to swatch, and many knitters consider it a frustrating use of time. But what if there was an excellent use for that swatch after the garment it is informing is finished? By applying I-cord to a simple rectangular swatch, you can transform it into a mug cozy that is perfect for gifting this holiday season. When selecting the swatch to make a mug cozy out of, you might want to have a standard mug handy to measure against. Typically, a cozy extends most...

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Tutorial - November 16, 2020

How to work Knitted Bow Knots

Worked by creating yarn-overs that are dropped on the following row and then knotted into bows this technique is unique in that it happens on top of the work instead of within the stitch pattern itself. A perfect addition to knits that need an extra special embellishment these tiny bows would look darling on the brim of a baby hat, the top of a knit stocking, or sprinkled in amongst some simple lace on a shawl. How to Work Them For this sample I worked 1 bow knot every 5 stitches, over 24 stitches. A note on placement: each bow...

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Tutorial - October 06, 2020

How to: Circular Cast-on

A circular cast-on is a very useful method for beginning a center-out shawl, top-down hat or toe-up sock. Stitches are cast on around a loop of the active yarn that is later tightened up to create a beautiful rosebud center. When finished, this cast-on looks exactly like a cut and sewn-through bind-off -- cutting the active yarn, threading it through the remaining stitches and pulling tight. How to Work It Begin by looping the active yarn to the left, down and around. The tail should be to the right and the yarn crosses with the active end over top of...

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Tutorial - September 22, 2020

How to: Knit in the Round on Two Circular Needles

Knitting in the round is a useful skill that is excellent for hats, mittens, socks and pullovers. It negates the need for seaming as the item is worked in a continuous spiral from the cast-on upward. Special needles are needed since this type of knitting cannot be worked on a pair of straight needles. For small-circumference knitting (like hats, mittens and socks) knitters have traditionally turned to double-point needles -- a set of four or five shorter needles with points on both ends. These needles are the oldest type of knitting needle and are still widely used today. However, with...

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