Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Tips and Help!

Mosaic Knitting: Mosaic knitting is a neat way of knitting with multiple colors without having to juggle more than one color in any row. Through a series of knitted/purled stitches and slipped stitches a multicolored design is created. This technique was largely made popular by Barbara G. Walker. You can find examples of Mosaic Knitting in her Stitch Library books as well as her book solely on Mosaic Knitting.

Resourceful Knitting: Sometimes you just don't have everything you need available when you want to knit. That's when it's good to be resourceful. Here are some things I've used in a pinch.

Chopsticks: Most knitters know the chopstick trick. Use a pencil sharpener to make the tip pointy sand them down. I will sometimes rub them with vitamin E oil after I sand them to make them a little bit smoother to work with. You can make double pointed needles for cabling. You can also put polymer clay toppers on them. This is great to do if you are going to be teaching a group of people to start knitting to help keep costs down.

Paper Clips: Can be unfolded and used as cable needles. Can also be used as yarn bobbins.

Pencils: Boys can sometimes be persuaded to knit using pencils instead of knitting needles. Makes them feel more "manly" I guess.

More Coming Soon...

17 comments:

Jean M May said...

I love the patterns that I have been making for chemo patients however have been limited by the fact that I do not know what the term ssk means in some patterns, I have never seen that term - can you help
Jean May

Jean M May said...

Could you help me define the term ssk used in some of your patterns - which by the love I really love.
Making them for chemo patients
Thank you
Jean M May

Kody May said...

SSK simply means you slip 1 stitch to the right hand needle then another, Then you insert the left hand needle in both stitches and knit them together. It is a decrease that slants the opposite way of a K2tog

Anonymous said...

Hello, for the beautiful bangle hat could you explain how to get the bangle on the yarn? Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to let you know that an alternative for the ssk (which gives exact same effect, but with minimal effort) is to simply knit 2 together through the back loops.

Anonymous said...

I am a former crocheter who recently learned to knit. I have advanced fron knit/purl washcloths to a knit/purl baby afghan. How in the heck do you rip out several rows of knitting when you have a bazillion stitches on those circular needles. Crochet sure is a whole lot easier to rip out.

Kody May said...

MJ: If you have to keep ripping out you may want to consider getting some nylon yarn and every ten or so rows you weave it through all the stitches. If the knitting goes good you just pull the slippery bugger out. If not you rip it back to that thread and you still have all your stitches. Your only other options are really unknitting which takes FOR_EV_ER. Or ripping back and picking up the stitches, which can cause even more headaches in some patterns.

Will said...

My daughter would love a sponge bob hat. She is 13, and has an adult sized head. Does the sponge bob pattern work for kids and adults? Should I increase the # of stitches..... Do you have any hints for me about the size and stitch # dilemma .
Thanks so much.
Carolyn

Kody May said...

I think you should be fine with the pattern as is. It fit me 22 years old and my niece about 13.

Anonymous said...

I've just completed the knit section of your Asminah's hat and I'm ready to do the crochet band but I've never crocheted before. I've been studying the stitches but need help with the method for attaching the yarn. Is it as simple as pulling a loop through the first stitch? how is it secured? Do you work with the right side facing you?

--Marcia

Kody May said...

I just tie a knot to the edge to attach it and then pull up a loop weaving in the end when I'm done. I work with the right side facing me and just go around til I meet back up to where I started, slip stitch to where I started. Pull yarn through the loop and weave in my ends. Good luck

Anonymous said...

Do you have any patterns for beach bags?

Anonymous said...

Hi. I love your patterns but i have a question. You have tons of graphs to put cute patterns onto your hats like the rose. How would someone go about puttin that into knitting. I'm not sure how you would carry the yarn thru the knitting.

Anonymous said...

I would like to put my korean name in hangul letters on a tam and I was wondering how you would chart that out?

Anonymous said...

I love your patterns. Thank you so much. I knit hats for charity and Cancer patients and am looking for variety and something different to give chemo patients a boost. You have helped me so much. I am now doing Sponge Bob and am stuck on casting on back loop. Could you help me with an explanation? I am an experienced knitter

Anonymous said...

Hi I love the eyelet hat but I have a question what does PR1 PR2 PR3 PR4 mean you have this before each row of stitch this confusees me and I have asked my friend Staci Perry what that meant she said she had never heard of it and said to ask the designer.

Kody May said...

It stands for Pattern row. It's reffering to the rows it takes to complete the eyelet lace pattern without regard to it being part of the hat.