provisional cast on using a crochet chain

Posted on July 1, 2019July 1, 2019 by Peg

Purpose of a provisional cast on For most knitting you want a firm edge that will not unravel. Most cast ons give you just that. However, there are two reasons why you might want to have 'live' stitches at the bottom of your knitting: if you want to knit down,...More

grafting for garter stitch (kitchener stitch)

Posted on May 26, 2019May 26, 2019 by Peg

Grafting can be defined as: seaming together two knitted edges where the stitches are 'live'. That means that the two sets of stitches to be seamed are still on the needles. The other name for this type of seaming is 'Kitchener stitch garter grafting'. We'll show you how to do...More

lace knitting tips and tricks

Posted on October 14, 2017April 29, 2019 by Peg

Lace knitting is not my natural place to be. Give me stocking stitch any day: mindless miles and miles of it while watching TV. It's nice stuff but it doesn't earn you chops as a knitter. There is nothing quite so satisfactory as completing a beautiful lace project: a shawl...More

old shale stitch

Posted on September 17, 2017April 29, 2019 by Peg

Old shale is a great way to introduce yourself to lace knitting. It's a simple four row repeat with a single pattern row. It's easy to memorize and the result is spectacular. Old shale is a common stitch used in the Shetland Islands for knitting a border on a hap shawl....More

cable cast on – how to do it

Posted on January 26, 2017April 29, 2019 by Peg

cable cast on is my go-to CO Particularly for beginners, the cable cast on is my weapon of choice. It's simple to learn and applicable to both stating a piece of knitting and adding stitches in the middle of your work. The easy two needle mittens pattern uses both of...More

yarn weight symbols explained

Posted on October 23, 2016April 29, 2019 by Peg

Are you wondering about those yarn weight symbols you see in patterns? That's the little yarn skein with the number on it as shown in the table below. The yarn weight symbols help you figure out a good yarn to use in a project, particularly if you can't find the...More

intarsia knitting

Posted on September 9, 2016April 29, 2019 by Peg

what is intarsia knitting? Intarsia knitting is a knitting technique where you insert a picture or motif into your knitting using one or more colours. Intarsia knitting is a technique primarily for flat knitting. It should not be confused with its cousin, fair isle, which can be worked in the...More

stranded knitting

Posted on September 8, 2016April 29, 2019 by Peg

Stranding is often used with "intarsia" knitting. But there is a difference. Intarsia, the knitting of pictures or motifs, is usually done in the flat. Stranding applies to both intarsia and fair isle type knitting. Think of fair isle as a pattern that repeats all across a row or round...More

TRICKS WITH STICKS

Community, patterns, tricks for beginning and intermediate knitters.