Tips & Techniques

Gauge / Tension Swatches

If you are a new or infrequent knitter don't skimp on the size of your tension swatch. Your tension is likely to change as you relax and get into your stride. It's well worth knitting a larger swatch to be sure of your tension than finding your project is the wrong size because your tension has changed. I also check my tension again after a few centimetres of my project.

Uneven Tension /Gauge: Rowing Out

If your stocking stitch is uneven and has a stripy appearance on the reverse, as shown in the photo, then you are suffering from 'rowing out'. This is caused by a difference in tension between your knit stitches and your purl stitches.

Ideally a swatch of all knit stitches should have an identical tension to a swatch of all purl stitches. Try knitting a couple of tension squares, 1 all knit stitches and 1 all purl, to work out which is the looser stitch. You can then either tighten up or relax your knit or purl stitches to even up the tension.

The knitting in the photo was an early Knitting Brain attempt at learning continental style knitting. If you have a persistent problem with uneven tension then it may be worth trying a different knitting style.

Left handed knitters may well find it easier to control the tension with continental style knitting where the yarn held in the left hand.

As a right handed knitter I can now knit continental style but I've developed a slightly different style to the one usually taught. It took me a little while to develop an even tension, so if you're a new knitter, don't despair, practice makes perfect.

Casting On

If you tend to cast on too tightly, cast on with a slightly bigger needle before using the correct size to knit the first row. Make sure you put the larger knitting needles away so you don't accidently carry on knitting with odd needles.

Problems with Long Tail Cast On

There are 3 main problems with the long tail cast on: tail too short, stitches too tight or uneven stitches.

Personally I often substitute the long tail cast on with the cable cast. Just remember that the long tail cast on in effect gives you a cast on row plus a knit row.

If you stick with the long tail method, try casting on with your 2 knitting needles held together, this should reduce problems with tension or uneven stitches.

To estimate the tail length, cast on 10 stitches, then unravel and measure the length of tail yarn used. (Make sure the tail is always around your thumb as you cast on.) Multiply this up for the number of stitches you need to cast on, add a bit extra to make sure and so you can weave in the end of the yarn when finishing the project.

Joining Circular Knitting

Method 1

Cast on the required number of stitches.

Make sure the stitches aren't twisted around the needle i.e the bottom of all the stitches should be on the inside of the circle made by your needle. This is often easier check by putting your knitting on a flat surface.

Ensure the working yarn is attached to the right hand needle place a marker on the right hand needle to indicate the beginning of the round.

Join your circular knitting by simply knitting into the stitch nearest the tip of the left hand needle. Make sure this first stitch is fairly tight by pulling gently on the working yarn.

Method 2

Cast on 1 more stitch than you require.

Ensure the stitches aren't twisted i.e the bottom of all your stitches should be on the inside of the circle made by your needle. This is often easier check when your knitting is on a flat surface.

Transfer the last cast on stitch to the left needle, so the first and last cast on stitches are together at the end of the left needle and place a marker to indicate the beginning of the round, as shown in the first photo.

Join your knitting for working in the round by holding the yarn tail and the working yarn together and knitting the first and last stitch together, as shown in the second photo.

You will now have the correct number of stitches.

Make sure you treat this double stranded stitch as a single stitch when starting your second round.

Method 3

Cast on the required number of stitches. Ensure the stitches aren't twisted and the working yarn is coming from the right hand needle.

The first and last cast on stitches need to swap places. Slip the end stitch from the left needle onto the right needle, then slip the last cast on stitch, the one with the working yarn attached, to the left needle. Pull gently on the working yarn to ensure the tension is OK. Place marker on the right hand needle to indicate the beginning of the round and start knitting.

Steaming Knitted Hats into Shape

If stuffing the hat with tea towels and wafting your steam iron over it doesn't work you may need to take more drastic action.

You can place your hat on an upturned sieve, coax it into shape and then steam over a gently simmering pan of water.

This is the technique I used when making the snail hats featured on the knitting projects page.

Casting Off

If your cast off stitches are usually too tight try using a larger size needle for the cast off row.

Blocking

Make sure you use rust proof pins when blocking, getting rust marks out of your knitting is a real nightmare.