Tracking Needle Size and Cable Rows

Tracking Your Project Needle Size: Take a very long piece of contrasting scrap yarn and tie the exact number of knots to represent the size of your knitting needle.

If you remove your needle for use on another project, you will always know what size needle you were working with on the unfinished project.

Tracking needle size		Tracking cable rows

Learn Knitting Techniques from the Knitting Daily Shop Knitting Daily Workshop: Getting Started Knitting  Basics and Beyond with Eunny Jang WORKSHOP DVD LEARN MORE Knitting Daily TV Episode 403: Knit & Purl Magic VIDEO DOWNLOAD LEARN MORE Knitting Daily Workshop: Brioche Knitting Basics with Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark WORKSHOP DVD LEARN MORE A Step-By-Step Guide to Knitting Cables with 4 Staff Favorite Patterns eBOOK LEARN MORE

Tracking Your Cable Rows: Tie some scrap yarn with the cast-on yarn tail when working a cable.

Take the scrap yarn and flip it over the needle every four rows—it looks like a running stitch up the project. You will always know what row of the cable you're on as you only have to count four rows.

Why do it every four rows? Because so many cables are based on a multiple of four rows.

Source: Knitting Daily TV, Getting Started segments

Unknitting

Unknitting-sometimes called "tinking" ("tink" is "knit" spelled backward)—is like seeing a reverse. Slow-motion film of knitting errors as they happen. Undoing the mistake shows what went wrong, giving us the chance to learn.

Unknitting moves stitches in reverse, undoing each new stitch from the right needle and replacing the old stitch on the left. If you're at the end of a row, leave the full right needle in your right hand, exactly the opposite of what you'd do normally. If you're in the middle of a row, find your working yarn and hold the needle it's attached to in your right hand. The working yarn comes off the back of knit stitches and off the front for purls.

The following illustrations show both unknitting and unpurling; the process is basically the same for both techniques.

Figure 1. Unknit Step 2		Figure 2. Unpurl Step 2
Figure 3. Unpurl Step 3		Figure 4. Unknit Step 4

2. Place your left needle in the opening from front to back (Figures 1 and 2). This captures the stitch from the previous row without twisting it.

3. Slip this stitch from right needle to left needle. Pull the working yarn to unravel the stitch. The old stitch now sits on the left needle-one stitch has been unknitted (Figures 3 and 4).

4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until you arrive at the mistake, and then fix it!

You'll use this knitting technique all the time!

Source: Knit Fix by Lisa Karkus, Interweave Press, 2006

Blocking Basics

	Blocking Tips
	• Experiment with blocking your gauge swatch before you block an actual knitted piece. • Do not rub, twist, or wring a handknit. Doing so may distort the stitches beyond correction. • Before blocking, weave in all loose ends-the blocking process will help secure the ends in place. • It is preferable to block individual pieces before sewing them together. Blocking makes the sewing process easier and the results of blocking are more consistent when you work with a single layer of fabric. You can block a garment that has been sewed together, but the results may not be as good. • Many experts warn against blocking ribbing, which will lose its natural elasticity if blocked while stretched open. However, ribbing can be successfully blocked if you squeeze it into its most contracted state (so that all the purl stitches recede behind the knit stitches) before you apply moisture. • Allow the blocked handknit to air-dry completely before moving it.

Blocking takes your knitting from good to great. Add the finishing touches using these wet-blocking techniques.

By definition wet-blocking uses more moisture than steam-blocking, and can be used to stretch and enlarge a knitted piece (although loosely knitted pieces stretch more easily than tightly knitted ones, and any extra inches you gain in width, you may lose in length). There are three degrees of wet-blocking, depending on the amount of moisture added to the knitted fabric.

Spray-blocking is the mildest form of wet-blocking. It works equally well for all fibers—although silks and synthetics require more wetness than wool-and it allows for total control over temperature, dampness, and finished texture because you are not restricted to the temperature and amount of steam that comes out of your iron, and you can gently pat and shape the piece with your hands while you work. Pin the handknit to shape right side up on a padded surface placed away from direct sun or heat. Fill a spray bottle with cool tap water and spritz a fine, even mist over the piece. Use your hands to gently pat the moisture into the handknit, if desired, but be careful not to flatten any textured stitches.

Wet-wrapping imparts moisture deeper into the fibers and is appropriate for all types of yarn, especially cotton and acrylic, which are less resilient than wool and require more moisture penetration to reshape stitches. To wet-wrap, thoroughly soak a large bath towel in water, then put it through the spin cycle of a washing machine to remove excess moisture. Place the handknit on top of the towel, then roll the two together jelly-roll fashion. Let the bundle sit until the handknit is completely damp, overnight if necessary. Unroll the towel, remove the handknit, and pin it out to measurements on a padded surface away from direct sun or heat.

Immersion imparts moisture thoroughly through the fibers and allows complete reshaping. It is appropriate for all fiber types, and particularly ideal for heavily ribbed or cabled fabrics, or fabrics that have taken on a biased slant during knitting. It is also the method to use after washing a handknit. To immerse a handknit, turn it inside out and soak it in a basin of lukewarm water for about twenty minutes, or until thoroughly wet, gently squeezing water through the piece if necessary. Drain the water, carry the wet handknit in a bundle to the washing machine, and put it through the spin cycle (or roll it in dry towels) to remove excess moisture. Do not twist or wring the handknit. Shape the piece right side up on a padded surface, using pins (and blocking wires) as necessary.

Resources

The new and easy-to-download Knit Fix eBook puts together all the guidance novice knitters need to become independent and all the advice experienced knitters need to take their projects to the next level. Also available in a print edition

The Knitter's Companion eBook or print edition by Vicki Square

Fearless Knitting Workbook: The Step-by-Step Guide to Knitting Confidence by Jennifer E. Seiffert

Knit to be Square: Domino Designs to Knit and Felt by Vicki Square

Interweave Presents the Harmony Guides: 101 Stitches to Knit