Casting Off: Using a Darning/Tapestry Needle
You can cast off your knitting using a darning or tapestry needle. Method 1 uses a quick running stitch which is good for swatches although a the edge is a little uneven. Method 2 uses a back stitch which is slower but gives a neater finish.
Review of 5 low-priced manual wool winders
Wool winders are an important tool for machine knitters of fine industrial yarn. I have acquired five wool winders of the past couple of years. I thought it was time to compare and report on their performance for knitting with fine yarn.
Twisting Stacks for Machine Knitting with Fine Yarn
If you are machine knitting with fine yarn a twisting stack that enables you to loosely twist up 2 or 3 strands of yarn is a very useful item to buy or make.
Machine Knitting with Fine Yarn (winders & home-made hats)
Wool winders and twisting stacks can make it easier for a machine knitter to knit with multiple strands of fine yarn.
Lidl (shoe) Yarn Organiser for Storing Yarn
I bought a cheap Lidl shoe carousel from my local store and then successfully used it to store coned yarn from my stash. A yarnaholic always needs good yarn organisation ideas.
Coned Yarn on Sale! I succumbed!
Happiness is getting new yarn at sale prices. I am ready for any second wave. I have LOTS of yarn to knit with.
I think I am a Yarnaholic!!
You know you are an yarnaholic when you build up a large stash of yarn but can't bear to actually knit with any of it. And you still have the urge to get MORE yarn. You never can have enough.
Should I buy a Knitting Machine off eBay?
Buying a knitting machine off eBay could be risky. Bargains often turn out to be nightmares. However, if you bid wisely then you could find a suitable machine at a good price. This post describes how to do this.
Creating Knitted Swatches (or samplers)
Knitted swatches (or samplers) are smallish pieces of knitting that provide an example of your knitting. They are very simple to create and are a perfect starting point for a beginner. It is quite fun to see all the different things you can do. . Test that your machine etc works correctly Ideal for beginners to practice new techniques and shapes. Show what your yarn will look like at different tensions Compare different types of yarn Experiment with different colours and stitch patterns to get inspiration Create a library of swatches that you can refer to for future garments Produce ideas that you can show to your clients . Swatches…
Practice makes perfect
As a beginner to machine knitting, you should start making simple samplers that will help you to learn the basic techniques. You can have fun trying out different yarns and stitch patterns. This section will show you how to do the basic techniques for machine knitting.
