Every knitter loves to “Look at their work”.
The beautiful stitches of your labor.
What you really need to do is to Learn to look at your work as you knit.
When I was still a novice knitter, I would get frustrated at dropped stitches and other mistakes I made. I would always go back to crocheting, being much happier at the fact that I was able to just rip to the error and pick up my work again without sweat. With knitting I just didn’t know what to do until I learned to Look at my stitches.
The first step is to see your “knits” and your “purls” and to know what they look like. This also means to learn to know when they are wrong. Is the knit suppose to be a purl? Is the stitch twisted? Should you rip your work to start the section over?
You should not be afraid to rip out numerous rows, if needed.
When you see a mistake and you have decided it is not an error you want to live with. It is time to rip. I remember my first tentative ripping. I was on my hands and knees on the wood floor in an area with lots of natural light. I gently ripped one row after another. Then even more gingerly I would slide them back on the needles being careful to put them on without twisting them.
If you do not want to tackle this on your own, go to your local knit shop. There is always someone there who is glad to help you. The horror in someone’s eyes when you rip their hard work off the needles that then is replaced by pure delight as they see how easily it goes back on the needle, is the joy of helping a fellow knitter.
Then comes the thrill when you first learn to drop a stitch, run it down several rows and with a crochet hook, correct the stitch, then run your knitted stitches back up to your needle. This neat little trick can save you hours of time and let your work remain neat and correct and your pattern stitch still looking beautiful.
Cables were the next for me to be able to correct. Actually seeing the way they slant to the right when you hold the stitches on the cable needle to the back or slant to left when they are held in front. (I still use the help of: right and rear, left and front.) Next I learned to see the movement of cables. I learned to see how the purl stitches were held in back and the knit stitches in the front to create a move. Looking at your work also help to tell you what is next in the pattern stitch.
Learning “How” the stitches work helps you to learn to see incorrect stitches and help you figure out how to correct them. Being able to rip out a cable in one area without ripping out numerous rows and correct them back, not only saves time, but is a fantastic thrill to accomplish and a big relief when finally corrected.
Patterned stitches and especially lace can be particularly difficult. But, to once again, Learn to see the patterns the stitches make and what stitch is made on top another stitch and you will save yourself from making errors. You will Learn to tell when you are a stitch off. You will Learn when you have an extra yarn over or need to add one to the row bellow. If the lace is too complicated for sectioned repair…….well that is what a Life Line is all about.
The biggest thrill so far? Correcting a slipped first stitch. I love the look of a neat edge that has the first stitch of every row slipped. It is terrible to be rows along and see one row that was forgotten to be slipped. It now can be corrected and back to looking neat.
Looking at your work can save you time and anguish.
Here's to Looking at Beautiful Stitches!
Nancy
The beautiful stitches of your labor.
What you really need to do is to Learn to look at your work as you knit.
When I was still a novice knitter, I would get frustrated at dropped stitches and other mistakes I made. I would always go back to crocheting, being much happier at the fact that I was able to just rip to the error and pick up my work again without sweat. With knitting I just didn’t know what to do until I learned to Look at my stitches.
The first step is to see your “knits” and your “purls” and to know what they look like. This also means to learn to know when they are wrong. Is the knit suppose to be a purl? Is the stitch twisted? Should you rip your work to start the section over?
You should not be afraid to rip out numerous rows, if needed.
When you see a mistake and you have decided it is not an error you want to live with. It is time to rip. I remember my first tentative ripping. I was on my hands and knees on the wood floor in an area with lots of natural light. I gently ripped one row after another. Then even more gingerly I would slide them back on the needles being careful to put them on without twisting them.
If you do not want to tackle this on your own, go to your local knit shop. There is always someone there who is glad to help you. The horror in someone’s eyes when you rip their hard work off the needles that then is replaced by pure delight as they see how easily it goes back on the needle, is the joy of helping a fellow knitter.
Then comes the thrill when you first learn to drop a stitch, run it down several rows and with a crochet hook, correct the stitch, then run your knitted stitches back up to your needle. This neat little trick can save you hours of time and let your work remain neat and correct and your pattern stitch still looking beautiful.
Cables were the next for me to be able to correct. Actually seeing the way they slant to the right when you hold the stitches on the cable needle to the back or slant to left when they are held in front. (I still use the help of: right and rear, left and front.) Next I learned to see the movement of cables. I learned to see how the purl stitches were held in back and the knit stitches in the front to create a move. Looking at your work also help to tell you what is next in the pattern stitch.
Learning “How” the stitches work helps you to learn to see incorrect stitches and help you figure out how to correct them. Being able to rip out a cable in one area without ripping out numerous rows and correct them back, not only saves time, but is a fantastic thrill to accomplish and a big relief when finally corrected.
Patterned stitches and especially lace can be particularly difficult. But, to once again, Learn to see the patterns the stitches make and what stitch is made on top another stitch and you will save yourself from making errors. You will Learn to tell when you are a stitch off. You will Learn when you have an extra yarn over or need to add one to the row bellow. If the lace is too complicated for sectioned repair…….well that is what a Life Line is all about.
The biggest thrill so far? Correcting a slipped first stitch. I love the look of a neat edge that has the first stitch of every row slipped. It is terrible to be rows along and see one row that was forgotten to be slipped. It now can be corrected and back to looking neat.
Looking at your work can save you time and anguish.
Here's to Looking at Beautiful Stitches!
Nancy
