What is the deal with skeins, hanks and balls of yarn? Believe it or not, there is logic behind each of these different types of “put ups” as they are called by the spinning mills.
 
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The more people we teach to knit, the more friends we have and the better the world will be for everyone! I have my own little tricks for gathering new knitters around me and teaching them the joys of making one stitch after another.
 
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You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get started knitting. And, if you are on a tight budget, there are several ways you can continue knitting a variety of projects.
 
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Short rows add extra rows of knitting to help you shape your garment just the way you want.
 
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Decreasing is an essential part of knitting a garment that fits well.
 
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Dropped stitches cause much more anxiety than they deserve. First, they are actually very easy to fix. Second, they can help you fix other mistakes that have absolutely nothing to do with dropped stitches in their “error” persona.
 
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Vicki Square is quite a world traveler when it comes to appreciating our knitting heritage. Two of her books, Folk Bags and Folk Hats, make up an armchair tour of countries that many of us only dream of visiting. In her most recent book, Knit Kimono, Vicki shares her discovery of how beautifully the shape of kimonos provides a blank canvas for the talents of every knitter from rank beginner to long-time fiber addict.
 
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How do we develop a yarn line? Well, if you asked Bob, it would involve a large dartboard and about 200 darts. The truth is that I’ve never been very good at playing darts. The reality is a fine balance of economics and knitting enthusiasm. Much like what every knitter faces every time they choose yarn for a new project.
 
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Double-pointed needles, two-circular needles or one long circular needle? In the old days, you didn’t have the luxury of matching a knitting style to your project or your individual idiosyncracies. Now you can choose classic DPN instructions from books like Sensational Knitted Socks. Try using two circular needles using Cat Bordhi’s Socks Soar on Two Circular Needles or even just one long circular – Magic Loop, with the help of Bev Galeskas.
What are the pros and cons of each method? How do they each work? Is one method really that much easier than any other? When does your project dictate which method you should use? Hopefully, I will shed some light on the questions raised by being lucky enough to have so many options.
 
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The funny thing about knitting is how little things can make a huge difference in the ease of knitting and in the look of a finished project. One of the most under-utilized and misunderstood techniques is the simple i-cord, or idiot cord – a tube of 3 stitches that can be used on its own or applied to a garment in a variety of ways. I’ve given you a couple of examples, but if you would like to see i-cord used to its full potential you can refer to some of the projects in Elizabeth Zimmermann’s book Knitting Around. Better yet, watch the Knitting Glossary DVD where she gives no less than 15 useful ways to use this magical tube of knitting.
 
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