Knitting gauge is one of the most important knitting concepts to understand. It's the difference between garments that fit and garments that are disastrously too small or too large. Someone who understands knitting gauge has a world of well-fitting sweaters, mittens, socks and more at their fingertips! In this post, we'll go over what gauge is, why it's important, and how to get it so that ... keep reading >>
Techniques
Long Tail Cast On for Beginners (Traditional Method)
The long tail cast on is a great all-purpose cast on. It's stretchy and has a neat knitted edge. Because it's generally good for all knitting projects, use the long tail cast on as your default cast on. It won't fail you. But it can be a bit tricky to do at first. So, follow the video tutorial and take it slow: clamp down, make a diamond, touch your thumb. (These terms only make sense after ... keep reading >>
How to Cast off Knitting for Total Beginners
Today you’ll learn how to cast off knitting once you’re finished your project. How exciting! At this point, you’ve got some rows of knitting under your belt. You should be very proud of yourself! You’ve used two sticks to transform a loose bundle of string into a knitted rectangle. Now it’s time to get your knitting off the needles. Cast Off Knitting Video Tutorial A cast off ... keep reading >>
How to Cast On for Total Beginners
In this post, I’ll show you how to cast on for beginners. There are many ways to cast on knitting, but this is my favourite. It's the long tail cast on using the thumb method, which is great for absolute beginner knitters. The long tail cast on is the best all-purpose cast on: it’s stretchy, but not too stretchy; it’s firm yet flexible; it lays flat and looks pretty. What’s not to love? When ... keep reading >>
5 Tips for Knitting with Double Pointed Needles
Double pointed needles are handy little beasts. In this post, we’ll cover how to knit with double pointed needles for maximum ease, neatness and… safety? Yes, safety! These five knitting tips will improve your knitting game and transform you from a competent DPN knitter to a bona fide DPN wrangler. Watch the full video below or read through the tips on your own. Let's do ... keep reading >>
How to Switch to Double Pointed Needles
If you're knitting a hat on circular needles, at some point, you'll need to switch to double pointed needles (DPNs). In this post, I'll show you two methods to transfer stitches from circulars to double pointed needles. This technique is super helpful when knitting hats and mittens. The first transfer method is the easy and long way. The second is the hard and short way (it's ... keep reading >>
How to do the German Twisted Cast On
The German twisted cast on is perfect for the brims of hats, tops of socks and cuffs of mittens. It's a flexible stretchy cast on that's very similar to the longtail cast on. An extra twist in this cast on is what gives the edge more strength and durability. Eagle-eyed knitters will notice that the German twisted cast on looks a bit different than the longtail cast on. It has a ... keep reading >>