Tuesday 11 September 2012

Tips for knitters

A little bit ago I received a lovely gift from my friend Ana. She was so so sweet to send me a card to congratulate me on my new blog and this gift.


The book is collection of pieces of advise from experienced knitters, show owners and designers. It is a lovely read and has inspired me to create new things following these advises. You can find the book here.


I randomly selected some bits to share with you, note these are not quotes from the book but what I have learnt from it, which will most likely be affected by my own experiences.

Use a life line - mark a point, specially when knitting lace or complex patterns, where you are happy that your work is perfect, and keep resetting it as you go. So when you make a mistake, up to the life line is the most that you will need to unpick! handy eh!

Gauge swatch - I am all up for getting quickly into the project and sometimes I decide not (or I forget) to make a gauge swatch. The book if full of quotes from experienced knitters explaining how to make one, why you need it, and what happens if you do not get it as required in the pattern. After reading this I promise I will make one before my next project.

Joining yarns - I didn't know there were so many methods to join yarn. I always used knots as my lovely granny did. Just because I love them in the inside, they tell me the story of how I made the garment. But in some projects, you don't want to see (or feel) the knot. So what to do? Russian joints, moistening the ends, spit joints... so many to choose from!

And my favourite bit (or the one I will use the most) fixing mistakes. The book shows you how to fix drop stitches and how to rip back without loosing any further stitches. Useful eh? And the loveliest piece of information, Tinking and Lurping, it is just the backward spelling of knitting and purling, to explain which type of stitch you are unpicking! So cute!


I just absolutely love the book, and my friend for giving it to me, she is the sweetest! Did I mention the book is really small as well? So this one is going to be kept in my knitting bag! So I can read every now and again when I am carrying my knitting, and have it handy when I desperately need its advice.

Nati xx

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