Ask The Knitbro

I'm just a dude who likes to knit, and I think you'd like it too, so I'm here to help. No question is too basic!

[mom2mannix-blog]

Reclaiming yarn from a thrift store sweater

[knitbro]

***Warning***  This is a very photo-heavy post! Since starting my blog, a few people have shown interest in learning how to recycle sweaters for the yarn.  I spent the weekend working on a tutorial..

[brainbent]

hey equius, did you know that even if you don't notice a dropped stitch until a few rows later, you don't have to rip your work back and re-knit it? you can use a crochet hook to pick up the loose loop of the dropped stitch, no matter how far it's laddered down, and work it right back up to the row you're on. even if the stitches above it have closed ranks; just pick up the ladder between stitches, and the tension will smooth out the first time you wash it. :)

cT: D —> Well

cT: D —> I will be darned

cT: D —> It took a number of tries to reproduce the action you describe, but now I can barely see the gap

cT: D —> This is e%tremely convenient information to have

cT: D —> I think I can salvage several items with this technique if Arthour will consent to cease napping on them

cT: D —> Do you have any tips for instructing companion animals to respect the knitting pile

[knitbro]

brainbent equius liked my advice :)

[kiraoona]

Did you know you can also use this technique to patch holes on knitted items?

[knitbro]

yes, good point! you'll need to sew a little to secure the reclaimed stitch at the top of the ladder, since it'll lead to a hem or seam rather than a row of live stitches, but the rest of the repair can be pretty much invisible.

[brainbent]

hey equius, did you know that even if you don't notice a dropped stitch until a few rows later, you don't have to rip your work back and re-knit it? you can use a crochet hook to pick up the loose loop of the dropped stitch, no matter how far it's laddered down, and work it right back up to the row you're on. even if the stitches above it have closed ranks; just pick up the ladder between stitches, and the tension will smooth out the first time you wash it. :)

cT: D —> Well

cT: D —> I will be darned

cT: D —> It took a number of tries to reproduce the action you describe, but now I can barely see the gap

cT: D —> This is e%tremely convenient information to have

cT: D —> I think I can salvage several items with this technique if Arthour will consent to cease napping on them

cT: D —> Do you have any tips for instructing companion animals to respect the knitting pile

[knitbro]

brainbent equius liked my advice :)

[knitbro]

So I'm trying to knit a tea basket (I found the pattern on Ravelry). On row 26 it says to cast off 8 stitches (leavng 19). Then row 27 it says to cast off another 8, leaving 11. with the 19 and 11 stitches, do I just knit those? I don't know if I can send the pattern, but it's Tea Basket Pattern #4 from Knitvana on Ravelry.

yep, just knit those! i dl’d the pattern and had a look, and that part is where you’re narrowing down for the handle. so you’re just continuing on in garter stitch, knitting every row.

[knitbro]

I an doing a gauge. How many stitches do I cast on when the pattern calls for 95 stitches

for a gauge swatch, it doesn’t really matter how many stitches the pattern calls for. you just want to cast on enough stitches that you can measure it easily. you want at least 4 inches (10 cm), but it wouldn’t hurt to go a bit bigger.

if there’s a pattern stitch going on, like ribs or cables, try to get at least one full repeat of that.

[knitbro]

I have just finished knitting the body of my first cardigan and now it is time for the button band. (Apparently) unfortunately I slipped the first stitch of each row and now do not have enough stitches to pick-up and knit as required in the pattern. What can I do?

a slipped-stitch edging gives you one edge stitch per two rows. handy for picking up from garter stitch, but a bit trickier when picking up from stockinette. you’ll need to pick up two stitches in some of those edge stitches. i recently did this on a blanket i made, and it turned out just fine, so don’t worry, everything will be cool.

ok, so you know how normally you’d pick up through both legs of the loop? in order to pick up two, pick up first through just one leg of the loop, and then through both. it shows a little bit on the front, but only a little bit, and if both pieces are the same color it won’t be noticeable at all.

[knitbro]

what does k & p as facing mean?

i’m not sure! i’d need more context. sorry, anon.

[knitbro]

Pattern confusion

Hi - I’m a beginner, working on my first project other than a scarf.  The pattern (for a cardigan with short rows in a CC that create partial stripes) says “K78 sts, work foll st by k the st and wrap at the same time, K9, w+t” What I don’t understand about this is the knit and wrap at the same time.  If I understand it correctly, I knit 78 stitches.  Then on the next stitch I wrap and knit without turning?  I’m a bit confused as to how that works.  Can you help me understand this? Thanks for any advice you can give!  

===

i’d say just wrap the yarn around the base of the stitch after you knit it, then continue on. perhaps the pattern is using the wrap later on — check to see if it instructs you to pick up the wrap on a later short row.

[knitbro]

Can you advise me, how long do you think it would take to hand knit a "sock monkey" toy doll thats about 30cm or 12 inches tall?

hm, i have no clue, i’ve never done it. also, it depends a lot on how fast you knit, how small the stitches are (and thus how many of them there are), how much detail the pattern has, etc.

any readers want to weigh in?

[knitbro]

I've been learning to knit using the resources on your blog for a few days, and have gotten a good handle on knitting, so I thought I'd fancy it up. I wanted to try the thin stripes example at the bottom of post/22146900293 with the multicolored yarn I bought, but I'm baffled about how and when to incorporate the second color. How do I initially attach it so I can begin knitting it on top of the first color? I tried sussing it out myself, and made a mess of it immediately. Please help?

the post: http://knitbro.tumblr.com/post/22146900293/how-do-i-scarf-basic-knitting-instructions

joining the second color is a bit different for that project than it would be if you were done with the first color, i dig. a lot of the techniques out there assume you’re cutting the first color, so they’re not much use here.

but the good news is, you don’t have to do anything special. you could just start knitting with the second color, leaving a bit of a tail, and when you come back to it be careful not to pull that first stitch too big — tug the tail to tighten it up so it matches the other stitches — and then when you’ve gone some distance past it (or when you’re done) sew the tail in to secure it.

if having that loose stitch slopping around bothers you, you can do what i usually do in these cases: make the tail a bit longer, and knit the second stitch with the tail. that secures it a little better while you’re working. you can even alternate stitches with the tail and the working yarn for a few more stitches if you want it even more secure.

[knitbro]

needachildspattern cap i can not get the decreasing right please go threw like i was a fifth grader ex 80 st ribbing 6

i’m having trouble deciphering your question, anon. i think you’re telling me you need an easy pattern for a child’s cap? i did a ravelry pattern search for you, and here are a bunch of free hat patterns rated ‘easy’.

i can help more if you give me more details about what you’re having trouble with.

[knitbro]

I seriously can NOT knit a rib stitch. I have no idea what i'm doing wrong i've watched every youtube tutorial and I just end up with a load of knots

i don’t know what you’re doing wrong either, can you give me more details? i can’t visualize ‘a load of knots’, not in a troubleshooting sense. i bet i could totally help if you submit a photo, though.

otherwise, the only advice i can give is: work on reading your stitches. get to know what your knits and your purls look like, so you can tell them apart. practice checking the row below to see what you’ve got, and do the same thing on top of it.

[myalterknits]

Are you picking up your yarn and moving it back and forth between your knit stitches and purl stitches? Because I remember having my yarn loop around my cast on, when I didn’t pick it up between knits and purls.

[knitbro]

ah, a good theory, thanks. reckon that could be it?

[knitbro]

I seriously can NOT knit a rib stitch. I have no idea what i'm doing wrong i've watched every youtube tutorial and I just end up with a load of knots

i don’t know what you’re doing wrong either, can you give me more details? i can’t visualize ‘a load of knots’, not in a troubleshooting sense. i bet i could totally help if you submit a photo, though.

otherwise, the only advice i can give is: work on reading your stitches. get to know what your knits and your purls look like, so you can tell them apart. practice checking the row below to see what you’ve got, and do the same thing on top of it.

[knitbro]

Hello! I found this blog through your other tumblr, and I was wondering if you knew of a pattern for the gray turtleneck cabled sweater you reblogged here (minus parentheses): jumpingjacktrash(.)tumblr(.)com/image/85339182609 I have reverse-image searched but can't find it anywhere, but someone else may have more google skills than me. Thanks for running such a helpful blog!

here’s the link in clickable form. sorry, no, i found that on a fashion blog, i doubt a pattern exists. that’s the case with most of the stuff i tag ‘inspiration’. someday i might reverse-engineer it, though. :D

[knitbro]

Just wanted to pop in and say that wrapping can also refer to wrapping the yarn around already knitted stitches and not around the needle. Some patterns will say something like "wrap & turn" that is not the same as a yarnover. Since you can't be sure why the anon was asking, I think it's an important clarification to make. :)

ah yes, that’s a good point. there are also some patterns that involve wrapping stitches for a bunched effect.

[knitbro]

Why when my knitting is very even, the stitches at the beginning and end of rows are loose

probably because you loosen or release the yarn when you’re turning the work. it’s not a problem, those stitches will even out with use and washing. if you want a tidier look, though, consider trying a slipped-stitch edge.

[knitbro]

Did a 4" knit only in white and now switching to turquoise and doing seed stitch. Blanket. But but first row of seed I am seeing the white yarn and looks odd. Is this correct?

that’s a thing that happens when you do purl stitches right after changing color. for a smoother transition, do a row of knit with the new color before switching to seed stitch. :)