|
STANDARD YARN WEIGHTS
|
WEIGHT |
SUGGESTED NEEDLE SIZE |
GAUGE PER 4" |
|
Fingering
Baby
4 Ply |
US 0-3 |
28-32 sts |
|
Sportweight
5 Ply |
US 3-6 |
24 sts |
|
DK (Double Knit)
8 Ply |
US 4-6 |
22 sts |
|
Worsted
10 Ply |
US 6-9 |
20 sts |
|
Heavy Worsted
Aran
12 Ply |
US 8-10 |
16-18 sts |
|
Bulky
Chunky |
US 10-11 |
12-14 sts |
|
Super Bulky |
US 13-19 |
6-10 sts |
Messy circular needles? Do your longer circular needles look more like curly pasta than a simple circle? Stop fighting with them by dropping them in a pot of boiling water for a few minutes. The needles will immediately relax; and so will you when working with them.
Twisted stitches? More twisted stitches come to mind when working with circular needles and joining yarn. Next time try knitting the first one or two rows flat after casting on and then join your work. You can use the tail of yarn to seam up those few rows once the project is completed.
Shedding yarn? Working with mohair or angora? Try putting the yarn in the freezer about an hour before knitting. This will greatly reduce the shedding.
Another left-over yarn tip: Colorful, striped hats make great gifts and you can use up your left-over yarn. Use a simple knit-in-the-round pattern and keep changing the yarns when they are finished. It’s a good idea to try to use yarns of the same type and weight.
Lining up buttons with holes: When knitting the button band, put a marker or use a reverse stitch where the center of the button hole should be. It will save you a lot of time and measurement when you sew on the buttons.
Bobbins or small ball of yarn getting tangled? When knitting in Intarsia, just leave an arm’s length of each color and let it hand down behind your work. When you’re ready for a certain color, it will be easy to simply pull it free from the others.
Have leftover yarn? With all the odds and ends you have stashed away on a shelf or in your knitting bag, it’s time to do something with them. Why not use your leftovers and knit a scarf or afghan for charity?
Knit a "memories" patchwork quilt. Knit a square from leftover yarn and over time assemble an afghan. It's a great way to use extra yarn and hold on to the memories.
Have to unravel your knitting to correct a mistake? Placing the stitches back on to the needle without twisting them can be difficult. Instead of turning the stitches around by hand as you knit and potentially stretching out the stitches, simply knit into the back of the reversed stitches.
Need a quick pom-pom but don't have a pom-pom maker? Use a credit card and wrap the yarn around the card to your preferred thickness. Thread a new piece of yarn through the wraps and tie it tightly with a knot. Remove the wraps and cut and now you have a pom-pom.
Using a new skein of yarn? Begin a new ball of yarn at the edge of your knitting where a seam will be sewn. Leave about six inches of yarn hanging down from each of the skeins. Continue knitting across the row and when you're done, pull up any looseness where the ends are hanging down. After seaming, weave the ends into the seam. Finally, trim off the remaining yarn.
Want neat edges? Always slip the last stitch off as if to knit, and always purl the first stitch of the next row, regardless of what the pattern calls for. That way your knitting always has a pretty edge to either stand alone, or to make the sewing together of pieces a snap!
Working with several colors of yarn together can result in a tangled mess. By making holes in the top of a shoe box and threading each yarn color through a separate hole, you can keep the yarns apart. Tape the lid on and your problem is solved.
Using a hand-wound ball of yarn? Does it roll all around the floor if you pull on it? Try this: cut the bottom off a plastic soda pop bottle. Put the yarn into the bottom half, thread the loose end of the yarn through the neck opening. Place the top part of the bottle back into the bottom part. To help it fit cut a small slit in the bottom of the top part. If necessary, gently tape the bottle to keep it closed. The bottles can be used to hold skeins of yarn as well as balls and since they come in various sizes, use them for different size skeins or balls.
Threading beads onto yarn can be a very difficult and time-consuming procedure since the yarn usually becomes frayed and separates with use. By applying clear nail polish to the end of the yarn it will provide a nice tip for threading the beads.
Counting stitches has never been the most enjoyable part of knitting especially when the instructions tell you to cast on hundreds of them. Using stitch markers during the casting-on process can make it much easier. Place a stitch marker on the needle after every 20 stitches and then you just need to count the markers.
Following a pattern can be confusing. Place the pattern inside a plastic sheet protector and use highlighters to mark off what you’ve completed. The pattern won’t be marked up and the plastic sheet protector can be wiped off with a damp paper towel. Best of all, the pattern is reusable.
Knitting a repeating pattern without a counter? Simply use one die from a pair of dice to keep you on target. Just rotate the die each time you finish a row.
Hope these little tidbits were helpful! | 
) 
