I love this time of year as the earth wakes up from Her slumber and slowly colors the landscape in greenery and floral decorations.
This tree is a new visitor to our little slice of heaven. She deviated from her dictated area and grew on our side of the fence and I feel blessed to have her here. I get to view the blooming and new growth as I wash the dishes and that really makes me happy.
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| remembering my childhood home |
Growing up we were blessed with beautiful pink cherry trees that lined our streets with the majesty of the sakura. There is a reason that we were gifted so many of these magical trees to adorn the tidal basin; they bring joy and invite in beauty. After the coldness of winter, these amazing blooms usher in hope, laughter, and joy.
So, having a kinda cousin to those memories is really a special blessing for me.
Speaking of beginnings...
I had a new knitter ask about some tips and tricks that would help a beginner.
So here are some things that I wish I had known when I started knitting that I try and always share with my students.
Casting On
Usually, the way you learn to cast on is how your first teacher taught you. My Mom was my teacher and she taught me a way to cast on that I rarely see anyone do so I always have three ways to share with students so they can pick the one that resonates with them the most.
The cast-on sets the base for the fabric, it is your first row and the framework for all the stitches to come.
Some fabrics need more give and others can make do with whatever you throw at them. Anything drapey like lace will need more give from the cast on.
The three cast-on methods that I usually teach are.
- The long tail
- The cable
- The crochet
The Long Tail
This is a stretchy kind of cast-on that is perfect for beginning projects like scarves.
The downside to this cast-on is that you never know how much of a tail to have. This can be mitigated by wrapping the yarn around the needle for the number of stitches you have. This will be close to the amount of yarn you will need to cast on with.
I have seen it done many ways but I still cast on the way my Mom taught me all those years ago.
The Cable
The cable cast-on is my go-to cast-on for most things because it is very stretchy. I also like the fact that you cast on from your tail end on so you don't have to worry about the tail like you do in the long tail.
The Crochet
This is a great way for crocheters to take a leap into their first knitting projects, it is also a fabulous cast on and has a decent stretch.
Crochet is a sibling yarn craft to knitting and can be vital to fixing dropped stitches, can be creative and fun as it adds embellishments and edgings (I 💖 picot) and as I have mentioned here, it can be used to start a beautiful foundation to your fabric.
The First Row
There are a bunch of things that one has to keep in mind when knitting their first row and this is only a small sampling of possibilities:
- tension
- yarn placement
- extra stitches and/or holes
- marking sides
- lifeline (you won't need this on the first row but it is good to know about)
Tension
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| the circle shows where I abandoned tension all together in my first double knitting piece from 2008 |
Tension is the amount of snugness that you have to put onto each stitch to keep them all uniform. If you pull too tightly it will evident in your stitches. If you knit loose then your stitches will follow suit. I have seen all types of knitters. I saw someone knit so tightly they broke a bamboo needle and I witnessed someone knit so loosely her stitches would fall off the needle all the time.
But that is okay. Good tension comes with time and practice. You talk to most of the people who are knitting their first scarf and they will have relaxed towards the end and found their stride, the tension of the fabric will reflect this.
Your first project is a badge of pride it shows how much you have improved and become one with your craft.
Yarn Placement
The working yarn is a very important component in knitting. When you knit the working yarn is usually in the back and when you purl, the working yarn is usually in the front.
When you are going back and forth between the two like we talked about last time when making ribbing, you have to move the yarn with your stitches otherwise you can get unintentional holes in your fabric.
Extra Stitches and/or Holes
Holes - So we have already talked about holes in your fabric from holding the yarn in front when making a knit stitch. If it only happens once and a while you can just drop the yarn over (this is what an intentional hole is called) off of the needle and the fabric will absorb the extra yarn.
Another way I have seen extra stitches form is from the first stitch of the row as shown above. You can see how the first two stitches look different from the stitches next to them. This is because this first stitch has the working yarn pulled backward which then creates what looks like two stitches.
Extra Stitches - Instead of ripping out your row if you find an extra stitch, you can just knit two stitches together somewhere in the center of the row and you will be back to your cast on number.
When your amount is in doubt, the knit two together decrease can save a lot of grief.
Marker on the Right Side
Knowing the right side of knitting from the wrong side of your work can be really important at times. If both sides are knit this is not a real problem because both sides are identical. Later on, though this little trick can be super helpful. Place a marker on the right side of your work so that you always know which side is the right side.
Later on, you will learn to read your knitting and this won't be so necessary unless you are working on something that looks similar on both sides, yet each side is different like two-color brioche or double knitting. Sometimes I just find myself forgetting the simplest things and this trick has saved me more than once.
One of my knitting friends let me know today that this trick really helped her and reinforced it being on my list.
Lifelines
This is an example of a lifeline. Like the name implies, this method of proactive knitting helps to keep your rows intact; like the “save” function in a program. A lifeline is made when you use a blunt tapestry needle to carefully thread a piece of yarn that contrasts with your knitting, through the centers of the stitches as they present themselves on the needle.
Note: avoid going through any markers or splitting any stitches when you do this.
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| a lifeline adapts to your fabric |
Then, should the need arise, you can remove your needles from your knitting at any time and rip back to that line, reload your stitches back onto the needle, and start knitting again.
Lifelines can provide an added sense of security when knitting, giving you a safe place to go back to. They can be added and moved as new rows are correctly completed. They can also let you try to add mods to a pattern that isn’t working without losing your work.
The only drawback is you must use them before you need them. Some feel that they take too much time and effort, but in my experience, even as a more advanced knitter, I find the time to put them in is more than worth it when it spares me hours of re-knitting a project.
Bright blessings and happy crafting!
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If you have any questions or comments on this or any of my other tutorials, please leave me a comment.
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Safe socially-distanced hugs 🤗
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Sending love and light to everyone being affected by this virus.
May you be safe.
May your loved ones be safe.
🙏
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Sending love and light to everyone facing discrimination, hate, prejudice, inequality, or racism.
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