Tips and tricks..

A few weeks ago we asked on our facebook page for your best tips and tricks so we thought we would share some of them with you now ...

1. Count, count and count again!

2. Use stitch markers if you have a long cast on/starting chain... placing a little marker every ten or twenty stitches helps you keep on track.

3. A stacked treble is neater than a turning chain at the start of a new row.

4. Talcum Powder is great for your hands when it’s hot to stop them sticking to your work.

5. Read all the instructions before you start your project, it will definitely save you time and heart-ache if you are prepared as often the designer’s handy tips are at the end of the pattern!

6. Don’t worry if you make a mistake! There is always a way to rectify it, whether through blocking it, a discrete stitch or even felting something over the top

7. If you are easily distracted (or have things that like to distract you....”mum... where is my....” etc. then it’s useful to have a post-it note and pencil handy so you can pop the sticky note to your pattern at the point you are working on & then move it as you progress through the project.

8. Always pull the yarn from the centre of the ball and not the outside – this will help your yarn flow well and not become tangled!

9. If you are working on a pattern with a number of sizes, I always find it helpful to highlight or circle the size I am knitting for, I find it very easy to jump between sizes with your project if I don’t do this one (and then I wonder why I have the wrong amount of stitches!)

10. If you are like us, then chances are you will have numerous WIP’s on the go... I take progress shots of my work on my camera phone and have the project, the hook/needles and the yarn ball band showing in the pic so that I can identify the project if I have put it down for a few weeks or so. 

We hope you find these useful and please let us know if you have any others to add...

Take care, Caroline, Julie and Sally x