Literally. The picking up, I mean. Last week I showed you how to shape a neckline, this week let’s finish up with picking up the stitches around said neckline. When I do that, I usually take a knitting needle 0.5 mm (or a size in US measurements) smaller than what I used to knit before. I find it makes for a tidy edging. I start picking up at the right shoulder seam (which is just…
Continue readingContinuing with my quest to bring you useful knitting tips and tricks I have thought about what to show you next. Considering what I had knit lately and what is going on in the store, I realized it might be good to give you a brush up on how to shape a neckline on a garment. This task is, as many others, not really difficult. However, there are a few pointers I can give you…
Continue readingIt is always a pleasure to finish a project. However, as I have said before, you are not finished until you have finished. When the knitting is done, there is always more to do. And don’t I know it! Most of the time there are straightforward methods to make your project look great, other times you’ll sit there and be stumped because you don’t really know what to do and how the hell are you…
Continue readingAs you might have figured out at this point (after reading posts like this one, this one or this one here) I do love my long-tail cast-on. It is pretty, it is versatile (though not for everything, as you can see well enough here), gives you a stretchy edge and it is really not that difficult to learn. I bet once you know how to do it you won’t go back. You would think by…
Continue readingWhen I started knitting sweaters, my Mother insisted on knitting a ribbed cuff – and I had to use a smaller needle for the rib to make it nice and tidy. It was the 80’s and even then I rebelled against the “you have to knit like that”. When I proposed to just start knitting to have the Stockinette Stitch roll a bit (a cool, edgy look, I thought then) my Mother was appalled and…
Continue readingI wager our Great-Grandmothers would feel right at home at Espace Tricot when it comes to the put up of the yarns. Most of our yarns come in hanks and need to be wound into balls before knitting. I have met one or two knitters who were using the yarn straight from the hank without winding, however, this is not something I would recommend! Usually you end up with a big tangled mess that takes…
Continue readingEver rode shotgun with a map in your lap and tried to navigate the driver through the unknown city you are in? I have plenty of times. Ever felt like that with your knitting pattern? I have plenty of times also (especially after I started reading patterns written in English), though I have usually managed to find my way. Today we are learning about the difference between left and right. Yes, you heard me. To…
Continue readingNo, not me. My knitting! Ever since we received a shipment of Schoppel Wolle’s Gradient I had the urge to knit with it. Made of 100% merino it is super soft and I do love the colour changes. As the name implies, they change gradually, so there is no abrupt end between two shades. I couldn’t see myself knitting another cowl or scarf (honestly, my mind is in Spring, though my wardrobe is not) so…
Continue reading*I know. Never say never. There is one question I get asked over and over. “Which is the best way to cast on?” I don’t think that there is the ‘best’ way to cast on, having said that, my preferred method of casting on is the long-tail cast on. It gives you a nice edge, it is stretchy, it does not look sloppy like other methods sometimes do. There is a small – or rather:…
Continue readingThere are many, many knitting patterns out there. So are yarns. We cannot carry all of them. However, we are pretty good at finding substitutes. For some patterns it is easier (worsted weight anyone? we have lots!) for others we have to be on our toes and think around the corner. In most cases we do find a yarn that pleases and fits any bill. I think it is a good idea to tell you…
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