The next installation of our "While We Stitch Away" re-cap is from June of 2020 and is filled with knitting resources, tips and hacks!
June 4th - Our Favorite Ravelry Tips
Here are some of our favorite tips for using this amazing tool:
Advanced Pattern Search: We use this all of the time at the shop. This tutorial will help you find a pattern that you might have forgotten the name of or help you narrow down the pattern search for your next knit.
How to use you Ravelry Library: Did you know that you can use your Ravelry account to keep track of the patterns you have purchased over time?
Finding help on a pattern: You can contact the designer or see what others have done to modify or remedy an issue with a pattern.
How to add your completed projects to Ravlery: Show off you patterns on Ravelry! Take photos, write notes on your modifications, needles sizes and any issues found in the pattern. You may be helping another knitter!
Here are some of our favorite tips for using this amazing tool:
Advanced Pattern Search: We use this all of the time at the shop. This tutorial will help you find a pattern that you might have forgotten the name of or help you narrow down the pattern search for your next knit.
How to use you Ravelry Library: Did you know that you can use your Ravelry account to keep track of the patterns you have purchased over time?
Finding help on a pattern: You can contact the designer or see what others have done to modify or remedy an issue with a pattern.
How to add your completed projects to Ravlery: Show off you patterns on Ravelry! Take photos, write notes on your modifications, needles sizes and any issues found in the pattern. You may be helping another knitter!
June 11th - Knitting Resources
As many of you know, we are a flagship store for Brooklyn Tweed . You may be familiar with the yarn after shopping at Monarch, but did you know they also have some excellent resources for knitters? Brooklyn Tweed's "Learn How to Knit Well" features a "Foundations" series of blog posts and specific technique videos. These are a great resource for knitters of all levels! If you want to learn something new, or brush up on a technique you have not used in a while, these will be a great help to you.
Brooklyn Tweed Knitting Resources
As many of you know, we are a flagship store for Brooklyn Tweed . You may be familiar with the yarn after shopping at Monarch, but did you know they also have some excellent resources for knitters? Brooklyn Tweed's "Learn How to Knit Well" features a "Foundations" series of blog posts and specific technique videos. These are a great resource for knitters of all levels! If you want to learn something new, or brush up on a technique you have not used in a while, these will be a great help to you.
Brooklyn Tweed Knitting Resources
June 18th - Our Favorite Knitting Hacks
- Did you know that a dollar bill is 6-inches long? Also the tip of you finger to your first knuckle is usually about 1 inch. In a pinch you can measure your knitting!
- When traveling, email yourself copy of your pattern or use your phone to take a picture of it. If you lose your pattern or leave it behind, no worries, your pattern is always with you!
- Keep a stitch fixer in your wallet or handbag. If you don't have your tool bag with you, you can always pick up a stitch or correct a mistake.
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Worried you will run out of yarn during your long tail cast on we have two solutions:
- If you have a large number of stitches to cast on and you have a center pull ball, try this tip. No counting necessary!
- One wrap around your needle equals about one stitch. Wrap your yarn around the needle 25 times and use that to estimate your cast on. 25, 50, 75. 100 etc.
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Hate weaving in ends?
- If you are using 100% animal fiber (no cotton, linen or superwash) try split splicing!
- Try Stephen West's Weavin' Stephen technique! I am using this on my Nyx Shawl.
- Don't have a cable needle use a dpn or learn to cable without a cable needle!
- If you don't have stitch stoppers with you and you are afraid your stitches will fall of your needles, use a cork!
- We love highlighter tape to keep track of patterns and charts, but, if you don't have any with you, use washi tape or post it notes. (Just be careful, post it notes lose their tackiness fairly quickly.)
- Don't have a stitch marker with you? Use a piece of yarn tied in a small loop, cut a piece of a plastic straw and, while not ideal, a paper clip will work.
- When knitting a sweater, pull about 6 inches of waste yarn through your knitting when beginning the armhole shaping and leave it, then use it to measure the depth of the armhole, not the empty space.
June 25th - Gauge... it matters!
Since reopening we have had a quite a number of people call, email or drop by with questions about gauge. Does it matter? How do I measure it? and Why can't I get gauge?
We have gathered some resources for you to read and/or watch to help you understand how to create a proper gauge swatch:
Brooklyn Tweed has excellent articles: Karen Templer at Fringe writes about how she accounts for gauge differences.
Very Pink Knits has 3 great videos:
Since reopening we have had a quite a number of people call, email or drop by with questions about gauge. Does it matter? How do I measure it? and Why can't I get gauge?
We have gathered some resources for you to read and/or watch to help you understand how to create a proper gauge swatch:
Brooklyn Tweed has excellent articles: Karen Templer at Fringe writes about how she accounts for gauge differences.
Very Pink Knits has 3 great videos: