The October Hat by Sloane Rosenthal for our Year of Hats features a provisional tubular cast on. This cast on creates a really lovely, stretchy edge that is reminiscent of a commercial or machine knit edge. I created a video showing how to work the cast on, as many people have had questions about the…
Category: All Skill Building
Sloped Bind Off
I can’t remember when I first discovered the beauty of the sloped bind off, but it was most likely when I read something by Julie Hoover or Julie Weisenberger – both exceptionally skilled designers and finishers. Once I tried it out, I was hooked, and made a pact with myself to never bind off multiple…
Invisible Cast On
We created two new Tips and Tricks for the Lucky Tweed Collection. The first, the Invisible Cast On, is used in Courtney’s Dover hat. This cast on is reminiscent of a crochet magic ring and creates a beginning that is perfect for the tops of hats, mittens, or when working socks from the toe up….
Provisional Cast On
A provisional cast-on is a way to cast on stitches using waste yarn as a temporary cast on so that it can be easily unraveled after the knitting is complete, leaving you with live stitches which you can then place on your needle. I use the crochet provisional cast on often, most frequently when working…
Increasing Within Charts
Working from charts seems to cause the most joy and consternation for knitters. We here at KW are fully on Team Chart. I would never consider knitting anything but the most straightforward and basic lace or cable pattern without a chart, and see no reason whatsoever to ever work stranded patterns without one. If something…
Knitted Cast On
A knitted cast on provides a sturdy edging, and is easy to work as well! Use a knitted cast on when you need to cast on stitches during the course of your project, such as casting on thumb stitches for a mitten. Step 1 / Make a slip knot on your left hand needle. Step…
Kitchener Stitch
Kitchener stitch is a wonderful finishing technique that connects two opposing pieces of fabric together for a seamless join. Below is a tutorial for you to reference when working this lovely finish! Please Note: For this tutorial, we are utilizing three different colors so you can clearly see both sets of stitches and the kitchener row….
Embroidering on Knitting
Embroidery is a really simple and quick way to add additional embellishment to your finished knitting. The July Mittens feature a riot of embroidery on the top of the hand, including chain stitched stems and “spider web” flowers. Below are two separate photo tutorials for working each technique! BEFORE YOU BEGIN: 1 / Embroidering on knit fabric…
Short Rows: Wrap and Turn
Short row shaping is used often in sweaters – especially those knit in the round – most commonly to raise the back neck, create a sleeve cap, lower the back hem to create the look of a shirt-tail, or a cosy shawl collar. Wrap and Turn (W+T) on the Right Side: STEP 1 / With…
Picot Edging
We all know you can bind off using a picot edging, but did you ever think to cast on using one? This unusual shawl cast on was found in an old Norwegian pattern book in a modification of a style of shawl referred to as a Norwegian school shawl. The cast on is worked by…
Latvian Braid
The Latvian Braid is a spectacular knitting technique that creates the look of a twist or rope embedded into your knitting. Unlike the Estonian (or Vikkel/Lateral) braid, the Latvian Braid is worked in a three round process and is typically worked in 2 colors. In order to function properly using two colors, it must be…
Double Decreases Across Repeats
The February Mitten features an all over leaf lace pattern worked in the round. In order to work the pattern seamlessly, there are centered double decreases that utilize stitches at the beginning and end of the round. This tutorial shows how to process the central double decrease (CDD) while still maintaining proper stitch count and maintaining…
February Mitten Lining
The February Mitten cuff is a modified leaf lace edging by Nancy Bush. Worked horizontally, the edging is joined in a circle with a 3-Needle Bind Off and the stitches are then picked up in the straight (flat) side in order to work the hand. The stitches for the outer layer and lining are both…
Sew As You Go
The Sew-As-You-Go method allows the knitter to join an edge of their fabric to live stitches to create a hem or pleat. For those of you who are machine knitters, this technique should look familiar as it is often used in machine knitting to join two pieces of fabric to create a seam, pleat, cuff,…
September Mitten Cuff
The September Mitten cuff is a very simple lace edging worked back and forth on two double pointed needles. The edging is then joined into a circle, and stitches are then picked up in the straight (flat) side in order to work the hand. As an added element, the beginning and end of the edging…
Picking Up Stitches From Waste Yarn
This technique is most commonly used when knitting thumbs on mittens or gloves using the Afterthought or Gusseted styles. It is worked by first knitting the future thumb stitches with waste yarn. Once the mitten is complete, you’ll remove the waste yarn and place the live stitches onto double pointed needles to work the thumb….
Keys to Success: Counting Rows
One of the classes we love to teach the most is a finishing class where we focus on proper blocking and seaming techniques. Over time, we have found that a large focus of the class is on all of the steps a knitter should take before the finishing process begins in order to achieve optimum results….
Japanese Short Rows
Japanese Short Rows are an alternative method of creating short row shaping if the wrap and turn method does not suit you. This technique can be used to great effect on a stockinette stitch fabric, or in places on your knitted item where you’re looking for as subtle a short row as possible. The key…
Channel Island Bind-Off
The Fisherman Gansey is a classic garment with a rich and varied history. Two excellent books on the subject, The Complete Book of Traditional Guernsey and Jersey Knitting by Rae Compton, and Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel, are ones we have in our office library and turn to often. In a traditional Gansey, you work…
Channel Island Cast-On
The Fisherman Gansey is a classic garment with a rich and varied history. Two excellent books on the subject, The Complete Book of Traditional Guernsey and Jersey Knitting by Rae Compton, and Knitting Ganseys by Beth Brown-Reinsel, are ones we have in our office library and turn to often. The Channel Island cast-on is traditionally…
Wet Blocking
There are two common ways to finish your knits: steaming and wet blocking. 99 times out of 100, we wet-block our knits, the other 1% we steam, and we never do nothing. This holds true for something as simple as a pair of garter stitch fingerless mitts, to a more complicated stranded colorwork sweater. WHY WET BLOCK? • Immersing…
Perfectly Picked Up Stitches
Many knitting patterns have you pick up a specific number of stitches for button bands or other edges/facings. This is both a generous gift from the designer – they’ve done all of those pesky calculations for you! – but also leaves the potential for a wonky button band if you did not get both the exact…
Garter Tab Cast On
The Garter Tab Cast-On: You may wonder why shawls begin with this odd little bit of knitting. It’s fussy, it’s tricky, it’s annoying. It makes NO SENSE. Yes. All these things are true. But the Garter Tab Cast-On is an important element to a well made shawl, even if you aren’t a stickler for doing things…
Working from Charts: Lace
Many of our designs utilize charts as part of the instructions. There are four types of charts featured in the collection: Knit/Purl patterning, Stranded Colorwork, Cables, and Lace. While most of the basic principles of knitting charts are the same regardless of the type of chart, we’ve broken it down into the four components. Part 4 of 4: Working…
Working from Charts: Cables
Like most of our patterns, many of the designs in the Little Things collection utilize charts as part of the instructions. There are four types of charts featured in the collection: Knit/Purl patterning, Stranded Colorwork, Cables, and Lace. While most of the basic principles of knitting charts are the same regardless of the type of chart, we’ve broken it…
Working From Charts: Colorwork
Part 2 of 4: Working from Charts: Stranded Colorwork Knitting. While most stranded knitting these days is referred to as “Fair Isle” knitting, this is actually a misnomer, as Fair Isle knitting is a very specific type of stranded colorwork originating from the island of Fair Isle. For more information on the terminology regarding the…
Working from Charts: Knit / Purl
Like most of our patterns, many of the designs in the Little Things collection utilize charts as part of the instructions. There are four types of charts featured in the collection: Knit/Purl patterning, Stranded Colorwork, Cables, and Lace. While most of the basic principles of knitting charts are the same regardless of the type of chart, we’ve…
Three Needle Bind Off
Quite a few Kelbourne Woolens patterns utilize a 3-Needle Bind-Off – it is a wonderful way to work a secure, yet not-bulky shoulder seam or finish off a cowl knit horizontally. In contrast to the kitchener stitch, the bind-off row creates a stable seam, but it is not as bulky or prone to issues as…
Tuck Stitches
Gillam features a Tuck and Cable patterning that is worked both in the round and flat. The stitch pattern is 6 rounds, with a cable every 6th round, and the tuck stitch worked every 3rd round. As a result, you will work the tuck stitch on both right side and wrong side rows after the armhole division….
Cabling Without a Cable Needle
I exclusively work cables without a cable needle for a few reasons: a) I am notorious for never having notions. I use snippets of whatever yarn I’m working with for stitch markers, I don’t think I’ve met a darning needle I’ve used more than once, and I own about 10 tape measures but only know where…
No Waste Long Tail Cast On
Today’s post is a tutorial dedicated to teaching you how to work a perfect long-tail cast-on with no threat of running out of yarn, or having excess length go to waste. When casting on a large number of stitches for the body of a sweater using the long-tail cast-on (which we recommend for its strength…