Tips, tools, tricks
Finished
January 5, 2013
January 5, 2013

Tips, tools, tricks

Project info
Knitting
Needles & yarn
Notes

NEEDLE JOIN using a blunt or sharp tapestry or embroidery needle.

This is a very quick cheat’s version of the Braided join.
Hardly any yarn is used, so it makes your skeins go further, or uses up every last scrap !
Gives a strong join, no ends to weave in at the finish of a multicoloured project. Although it means you’ll be working with double thickness yarn when knitting/crocheting the joined area, this is hardly noticeable unless it’s underfoot on a smooth st.st. sock sole, or in an area on a sweater that’ll be in full view.
The 2-coloured bit of yarn is visible in the FO, but only if you look closely.
Can also be used to join a new skein/scrap of the same colour !

Pics :

Thread blue through needle.

Poke needle through yellow yarn, about 2” = 5 cm. from the end of the yellow strand, going up and down, under and over the plies like you’d do a running stitch in embroidery. You’ll see the twisted yellow plies form a row of x x x x’s on the needle.

Pull blue through yellow yarn, all the way through. Remove needle.

Pull blue yarn back until there’s only the tip poking out, and the yellow x’s show over the blue, all spread out.

Poke needle through blue yarn, close to where the yellow x’s end, and do the running stitch again. If your yarn is loosely plied, you may have to twist it tighter to get the blue x’s on the needle.

Now put the yellow end through the needle’s eye.

Pull through, remove needle.

Spread x’s out again. Done !

Last pic = join under tension - it’s not coming apart !

Works for single ply yarns too, just add twist to get the x’s. If your yarn will felt, you can do a needle join, then spit-felt it to tighten it and make it stronger.


If you want to take the extra time and effort, you can thin out the end that is threaded through the yarn, to do this you first do a few x’s with the full thickness end, pull through a longer length, remove needle, split the yarn end and do more x’s with 2/3 thickness, pull through, remove needle and split again, do remaining x’s with 1/3 thickness. Repeat with other yarn end. You’ll be threading that needle 6 times per join instead of two, so it’s no longer quick !
Leave the split-off ends hanging from the wrong side of your work and clip them after washing/blocking.



If you want to be extra-sure in a loosely worked piece that’s going to be washed in a machine, or with a more slick (cotton, linen or Superwash) yarn, just take a longer length end each side that you work the x’s through, so there’s a longer joined area that’ll be anchored more in the knit/crocheted stitches. Helps if you use a sharp needle and pierce the yarn fibers.
Or use the join below with matching sewing thread.



SLIPPERY YARN JOIN

For slippery shiny silk or rayon/viscose the needle join won’t work.
Find sewing thread in a matching colour, overlap the yarn ends 1 1/2 “= 4 cm at least, and sew them together with a lot of small stitches and a sharp thin needle. Leave any ends hanging on wrong side and clip after washing/blocking, that way you’re sure they don’t poke out on the right side.



Braided Join phototut in this post


twisting plies join tut posted by penelopesweaving



tricksy blog table of Yarn weights: terminology and US vs UK standards.

post about combining strands to get specific weight

Also :

1 strand of laceweight + 1 strand of fingering weight = sportweight
2 strands of fingering weight = DK weight
1 strand of fingering weight +1 strand of sport weight = worsted weight
2 strands of sportweight = Heavy worsted or Aran weight
1 strand of sportweight + 1 strand of Dk weight = Bulky weight
2 strands dk= chunky weight
.
.

2 strands Lace = Fingering
1 strand Lace + 1 strand Fingering = Sport weight
2 strands Fingering = DK weight (or Worsted ?)
1 strand Fingering + 1 strand Sport =Worsted
2 strands Sport = heavy Worsted weight or Aran
1 strand Sport + 1 strand DK = Bulky

(but check WPI and/or add up the plies of the combined yarn strands to make sure)


Math FU I got from Raiderfan46
MATH FU that I’ve gathered from other Ravelers:
Double strand equivalents:
2 strands lace = fingering,
1 strand lace and fingering = sport
2 strands fingering = dk
2 strands sport = worsted
2 strands dk = bulky
2 strands worsted = super bulky or thicker
The table should say “more or less” because there are variations but it’s a good guideline.

Here’s what the book, Hip Knit Hats, says:
2 fingering= SPORT
2 sport OR 1 sport+2 fingering= WORSTED
3 sport OR 1 sport+1 worsted=HEAVY WORSTED
1 worsted + 1 heavy worsted OR 1 worsted+ 2-3 sport=CHUNKY
3 worsted OR 1 worsted+1chunky=BULKY

The “formula” I use to figure gauge when combining yarns is to add the gauge of each yarn together, then divide by 3 (always by 3, regardless of how many yarns you’re combining). For example, if you’re combining a fingering weight with a gauge of 7spi and a dk weight with a gauge of 5.5spi, you’d end up with 4.17spi, which would be an aran/heavy worsted weight (7+5.5=12.5, then 12.5/3=4.17spi). Works every time

-WoolFestival WPI chart and estimate of yardage needed for a sweater


TechKnitter’s thoughts on Gauge/Ease/Fit for sweaters



-Regia Sockentabelle giving foot lengths and st. counts for EU sizes in 3ply, 4ply, 6ply and 8ply or
LightFingering, Fingering, Sport/DK and DK/Worsted


-Trick for measuring (your own or recipient’s) hand to find out sock size in LadyJhia’s post :

There is an old fashioned trick that you can use to get an idea. Take a tape measure, have her make a fist, and measure around her fist being sure the tape goes across the knuckles. That will tell you the total overall foot length. To work out how long to make the toe/heel sections, measure the side where the thumb is, from the bottom of the thumb to the top of the knuckle closest to the wrist (that portion you are measuring looks like a triangle). That is how the more experienced clerks in baby/childrens stores used to measure for new socks. It always works, unless the person has some kind of genetic or accident-based variations.


-’Rule of Knuckle’ where to start decreasing for a hat, based on measuring the recipient’s hand against their head, from maryskid’s post :

The general rule I follow is to measure the distance from the hat wearer’s wrist to their first knuckle from the fingertip of the index finger for the body of the hat, then start the decreases.

Photos in post 227 and 228





-Oftroy’s Golden Apples page with several CO methods

-provisional CO crocheted around your needle, unzips easily.

-YouTube video of provisional CO over the cable of a circ.

-page for a knitfreedom video course, shows types of bind-offs and their names (find instructions via Google/YouTube)

-ditto cast-on methods illustrated and named

-list of free tutorials on the knitfreedom site here

-knit buttonholes grafted beautifully in a doubled band, uses waste yarn


AUGH MOTHS ? read this :
Juniper Moon Farm (120F = 49 Celsius)
The Zen of Making’s saga
study on microwaving

diatomaceous earth wiki (click sidebar menu for info in your language)




Felting in the tumble dryer :
use 400 rpm spin cycle on washing machine so item is still pretty wet. (Faster spin cycles will leave creases).
Place the item in a pillowcase, tie it shut OR use a roomy mesh lingerie bag and zip/tie it shut.
You can stuff 3-D items with washcloths to give them shape. Inside bags, put a piece of sheeting fabric between the layers and loosely baste on each corner to keep the wool layers from sticking together.
Tumble dry on high heat with laundry (jeans, towels) to provide agitation.
Check periodically to see how the felting progresses, re-wet if necessary, shape. Stuffing and fabric can be taken out when felting is well underway.
If more felting is needed, wet item again and toss it in the dryer with the next load of laundry TB dried.

For slippers : after being tumble dried, place on your feet while partially felted but still damp (or re-wet them), can be ‘rescued’ by stretching them wet if they felted a bit small, wear them until fully dried : they will mould to the shape of your foot.



Sybil R’s blog here explaining some steps in her fingerless gloves

TECHknitter’s blog, click ‘revised unified index’ for A-Z of topics

Techknitter’s seamless 3-in-1 CO for in-the-round, no jog

list of stretchy bind-off techniques

i-cord method of knitting mitt thumbs or glove fingers


-Laddered Jaquard method of stranded knitting, catching the floats in a separate layer explained in magicneedles’ project


phototutorial of placing beads in crochet in my Vlad project here

burn test for fiber content of mystery yarns

getting a zipper pull onto a zipper

sew upcycled zippered pouch from wrappers

want to learn this German purling

translate knitting terms
and here too

Resources Page for translating patterns in the Excuse Me ?! Group

site with database of vintage yarns vintageknits.com

eye excercises

tie hanks for dyeing on dyeyouryarn.com


tutorial for dyeing a long gradient

let dry, wind with dyed part in the middle and repeat for a two-way gradient



NL and BE shops for ami supplies


Tomofholland darning tutorials

more at his site

entire Encyclopedia of Needlework by Thérèse de Dillmont online here, see Mending

vintage sewing machine buying tips

if yarn value non-EU over 22 EUR, calculate 21% plus hefty handling costs for import to Netherlands


Watermellish embellishing tut

crochet small pompoms TB felted

Fleegle’s jogless stripes

Dee’s no-twist circular knitting CO join in-the-round helper-tool to make, her version 2.0 photo tutorial using bought headband elastic-ribbon.

amigurumi embroidered hair tut, doll hair

transfer printout to fabric/wood/metal with acetone or paint thinner (read the comments)

DIY teatowels from making a teatowel thread , see also pics of make/buy in LSG swap 2012 thread, 2013 ditto

-click ‘inspiration’ tab here


Zipper join for crocheted squares


join in sc for many loose hexi’s or blanket squares here


-webshop 15 P&P to NL


-Lori’s Twisty Bind-Off video, Continental. (She has uploaded a throwing/English knitting one too)


-stranded Continental with both colours on left hand


Elizzza’s nadelspiel.com video of FLAT stranded knitting Continental, catching the floats every 2nd st.



-unraveling tutorial


online tool Gradient Maker for striping


online tool Mosaic Knitting Pattern Generator

craftyarncouncil sizing measuring tips, see also menu bar for lots more detailed info


Forum post in French on wardrobe/mending discussion in Tricote and Co Group. Also post 773

Look up Boro mending Japanese darning.



Grumperina’s tutorial for cabling without a cable needle



Grumperina’s tips on setting in a zipper

Ditto Bonne Marie Burns aka ChicKnits’ tut

Ditto Claudia’s Blog

Ditto frogknitting’s method of prepping the zipper with a crochet chain

Ditto TechKnitter’s the no-sewing-way

Ditto Eunny Jang’s video showing TechKnitter’s no-sewing-way here


seaming : Craftsy phototut on setting in sleeves

Interweave page on setting in sleeves

YouTube videos setting in sleeves here and here


Knitty article on weaving in ends in different types of knit fabric.



Another site explaining how to convert Nm numbers to familiar yarnweights


Brioche knitting tips on AntyHelenInspires profile

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Finished
January 5, 2013
January 5, 2013
 
About this pattern
Personal pattern (not in Ravelry)
  • Project created: January 5, 2013
  • Finished: January 5, 2013
  • Updated: October 11, 2024