Here are a few tips to prevent the dreaded repetitive stress syndrome often plaguing knitters:

1. Use circular needles(even when knitting flat pieces) as the weight of the fabric will sit in your lap as opposed to the straight needle which you are struggling to hold up.

2. Change projects and needle sizes often; both will change your biomechanics

3. THE SECOND that you feel fatigue or discomfort, stop for at least 15-30 minutes

Love the magnificent and vivid colors that are unique to hand dyed yarns but don’t like the pooling effect? Work two balls at a time, carrying up the side of your work, switching every two rows.

When striping your garment using more than one ball of yarn, carry the colors not used up the side of the garment by draping the one not used gently over the working yarn every 2-4 rows. Do not tug; this will cause puckering.

When examining a label on a ball of yarn, don’t believe everything you read

• It may be interesting and fun to try several different needle sizes rather than the one recommended by the manufacturer
• You can always ask your favorite yarn store owner for advice.  We’ve knit with just about every skein in the store!

When knitting many stitches  in the round, it is often safest to work two rows back and forth before joining to prevent twisting your stitches on your first round.

When binding off stitches for a neckline, to avoid the appearance of “steps”, slip the first stitch that you are binding off.

Want to knit for Spring but are afraid that light weight yarns mean tiny needles and hundreds of stitches?

Fear no more. Choose a chunky ribbon that can be worked on huge needles. Many of these yarns feel as light as air, and wont make you sweat if worked loosely enough. Remember: Summer projects are faster and more economical because they can be short sleeved or sleeveless!

Thinking of knitting a scarf for your holiday gift?  Remember that if you knit one row; purl one row ( stockinette stitch), your fabric will curl like a sausage.  Be sure to pick a stitch pattern that doesn’t roll. 

(come to Gotta Knit for free scarf patterns with Yarn purchase)

With the holiday season upon us, one might ask “does it pay to knit my gifts?”

Using dollar cost averaging, let’s compare two entertaining pursuits:

average cost of a movie ticket : $11 over 2 hours or $5.50 per hour

average cost of knitting a sweater: $100.00 over 50 hours or $2.00 per hour

Cost of seeing a loved one wear what we make: PRICELESS !

Life is too short to knit with  crummy yarn!! 

We’ve told you  how to cast on more loosely(see Laura’s purl of wisdom for August).  Now here’s some help  binding off with just the right amont of tension:

1st: knit two stitches

2nd: place the second stitch back on your left hand needle, drawing up an elongated loop( the tension of your bound off stitch will be controlled by the size of this loop)

3rd: knit thru the back of both of these stitches (k2tog tbl)     

Never sew in your ends until you’ve tried your garment on. 

Never do finishing in low light, in front of the TV, or at night.  Come on now, you’ve come so far; this is not the time to get sloppy! 

When picking up stitches around the neck of your garment, use a needle that is one or two sizes smaller than that used for the body.

Having trouble casting on with just the right amount of tension? Most of you will be too tight. So, to cast on more loosely, try using a needle that is two sizes larger than the one you will need to work the first row of your pattern.

Unless your pattern states otherwise, always begin your first row(after the cast on) on the wrong side. This will create a more attractive foundation for your work.

When changing colors in one piece, always start your new ball of yarn on the right side of the work. This will prevent “bleeding”