Norma Sweet's Knitting Tips

8/24/01.....After I had knit several rows on a new garment, I noticed a knot in the middle of a row below. It was a fine dress yarn and I did not want that knot there. I ripped out the rows after the knot, (this is plain stockinet) and the partial row up to the knot. Freed the knot and about 5 stitches beyond the knot. Cut the knot out. This leaves about 1" or more of yarn just hanging from my knitting.

1. Set machine to make free passes each direction.
2. Set machine to knit all stitches.
3. Move machine to beginning of that half row.
4. Machine is threaded, but hold down a length of yarn to be used in joining with the old yarn.
5. Unfinished part of row is put into full hold position.
6. Machine will by-pass the finished part of the row and knit only the unfinished part of the row.
7. Return machine to normal settings.
     Tie the two loose ends together, making sure that adjoining stitches are looking normal as far as size.   Cut the two hanging ends down to about 1/2 inch. With your fingers fray those 2 ends out and just leave them.
     Because these ends are now frayed they will not show after blocking. DO NOT WORK ENDS IN. They will always show as bulk in your work.
     Once you have used this method, you will realize that with modification, you can also do it in patterned work.

7/27/01.....When transferring the heel of a stitch that is on the machine onto a needle that has been emptied, I know that in some gauges and yarns that part of the stitch is hard to get hold of. If you will, with the other hand not holding your transfer tool, pull back on the hump of the needle slightly, it will make it much easier to insert your transfer tool into that stitch to get the heel and make to move to fill up an emptied needle.
     Here again if in using your transfer tool, turn the tool so that you are inserting the end of the tool in a vertical position. This little trick will same you a lot of "groping" time. Try it!!!! You will like it!!!

6/29/01.....I often check the brushes on the under-carriage of my machine. (Brother). To help knitters, the brushes and all the wheels should spin freely when you snap them with your finger. If not, carefully remove your wheels and check for any lint or threads under them. Be sure that you put them back in the same place you removed them. The same screws go in the same holes they were taken from.
   In checking the brushes as well, if there are any bristles that are bent out of line, carefully cut with sharp scissors that bent bristle. Never pull a bristle out!!!!!!
If your wheel bristles seem too thick, it may be time to replace them. I do know that a bent bristle will cause an error in fairisle sometimes. So do check your brushes often.

6/15/01.....When you are using a difficult yarn for knitting, such as a slub type yarn, mohair, angora, etc. it really presents a problem for seaming. It is not necessary to use that yarn for seaming. Any smooth yarn, in about the same weight or even a little lighter weight, can be used for your seaming.
However it is important that when seaming, you use the ONE BAR TO ONE BAR method. Use a yarn that is in the same fiber family and it really does not have to be true matching color. Since using the bar to bar method, your seaming yarn will not show. This is true for both knit side seaming and purl side seaming.

6/08/01.....Before trying to remove the ravel cord from your work, carefully unto the last two stitches on each end. No more cut fingers!!! Your cord can be easily pulled out now.

6/01/01.....This little tip will apply to correcting a tight row or only a section of a tight row. Helps you take out a showable knot.
     Let's start with a tight spot in a row. Block your garment before you try this. Again I suggest that you practice on your swatch.   Find a spot on that row about an inch in from the start of the tightness. At this point I am assuming the tightness is only over a small area (maybe a couple of inches). Carefully cut that yarn, and carefully pull out a stitch at a time, going back to the start of the tightness. You now have a strand of unraveled yarn an inch or so long, make the last stitch to take out, leave the yarn ending on the inside of your work.
     Next step, thread a tapestry needle with a length of yarn that will redo the whole tight spot. Starting from the inside and leaving about one inch of yarn, start replacing the ripped out stitch, one stitch at a time. Keep the replaced stitch the same size as those stitches above and below. Replace stitches up to the cut stitch. Take out about another inch of the tight stitches, and continue to replace them with the new stitches. When taking out the tight stitches, cut the tail frequently so that you are only pulling a short strand of yarn out. Continue until all the tight yarn has been taken out and replaced. At the end of the old yarn cut to leave about an inch, and with the new replacing yarn also leave about an inch. Have each of the ends end on the inside of the garment. Check your replaced row to see that all of the stitches are uniform and the right size. Now carefully, without distorting the stitches, tie a square knot to join the two ends. Cut the ends to leave about 1/2 inch. With your fingers, fray out each end. DO NOT WORK THE ENDS IN. The knot will never come untied and the frayed ends will not show bulk on the right side after you have reblocked or steamed that part of your garment again.
     Long tip, but a good one. You can take out a whole row, using this method. If it is a row done in fairisle, you will be using two strands of replacing yarn. Knowing how to do this trick, you may save a garment that you might previously abandoned.

5/18/01.....Many machine knitters by-pass using the purl side of a garment because to them, a lack of knowledge on seaming neatly. It is again done on a 1 row basis, going up the garment 1 stitch in from the edge. You will be picking up THE UPSIDE DOWN U between the first stitch and the second stitch. There are times even when maybe you have used a tuck stitch pattern, that you will go up the center of the SECOND stitch in from the edge. This is also another choice of seaming fairisle patterns.
     If you are really not so sure of seaming and keeping the rows even, you might try putting in outside markers every 20 or 30 rows on each piece. Then matching these markers makes seaming easier. This is very important in seaming dark colors, irregular surface yarns, fuzzy yarns, or any pattern that is hard to follow.
     Hope this tip will help some overcome a tedious and sometimes difficult task.

5/01/01.....I am so glad to see bust darts being used again by some knitters. Be sure that the measurements that you have taken for the horizontal length for the dart lets the shaping stop at the fullest part of the bust. It will be well behind to point of the bust. The vertical point of the dart is measured from the shoulder point at the neck edge down.
     Short rowing is usually done, but if it is in pattern then an open dart is done and seamed afterwards. Each uses short rowing. Short rowing on a 2 row basis is the method most used, however, short rowing on a 1 row basis makes the least noticeable shaping.
     To do the actual knitting you must remember that after you have done your shaping, return your row counter to the row on which you started your dart. Then continue to the underarm.
     If you have used an open dart, you can bind that dart line off, or take it off on waste. It will be seamed to the line that you have cast on after the open dart.
     A French dart line is a bit more complicated but is not that hard to do. It is not used that much. Princess lines are used more for this style of dart.
     Darts, how to measure and how to knit, are shown in CHARTRITE and THAT FINAL TOUCH by NorBon.

4/13/01.....Here is how to fold your sweaters so that you don't get wrinkles:
Lay your sweater down totally flat with the front face down. Fold the whole sleeve straight across the back shoulder, one on top of the other. Then fold the bottom half of the sweater up over the sleeves. Now lay the whole folded garment in a drawer, or shelf. When you are ready to wear again, it is almost totally wrinkle free. I have shelves that I lay my sweaters on, and I may have them as much as 10 garments high. If the sweater has a collar, be sure to straighten out first.

4/07/01.....When setting up your machine for working, after you have set your needles into working position, run your carriage across those needles slowly with the carriage to knit all needles. Your needles now will all have open latches, making it easier for you to re-hang, cast on, etc. Just a time saver

3/30/01.....I have been knitting again, and as usual, have done some things that a lot of knitters do not know or have perhaps have forgotten. I have been re-hanging to top of a sleeve to a straight armhole.
The top of the sleeve is, of course, on waste yarn. In the method of knitting that I do, the sleeve piece has already been blocked to measure, as well as the body pieces. The shoulders have been joined as well. The simple trick (and this silly tip) is to put the point of your one eye transfer tool in that tiny space, and the point is being used vertically and nor horizontally. Makes re-hanging any piece much faster and certainly easier.

1/26/01.....When you are getting ready to set up your machine for knitting, carefully
and slowly move your carriage in a full knitting position, across the needles that you will be using. Your machine will open all the latches and align the needles in full work position. Use this method if you are getting ready to re-hang a garment piece.

10/06/00.....When you are making transfers, either one stitch or more (2) after you have made the transfer, instead of moving the position of your hand on the transfer tool, simply pull the needle slightly toward you and just give a slight twist to the wrist and the stitch has been transferred.
I have seen too many knitters take the hand holding the transfer tool, move the hand, tip the tool up and away from you, to make the transfer. Too much wasted energy, and too much chance of splitting the yarn.. This wrist twist does take a little practice, but you will soon realize how easy it is.

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