Knitting Tips & Tricks

Do you get extra fabric that likes to bunch at the underarm? Back when we first talked about this new series on adjusting patterns and how to get a great fit, excess fabric at the underarm was one of the issues we got a lot of comments on, so today we're going to look at reasons we get excess fabric and some things we can do to try to fix it.

I know, could I have picked a cornier title?! The thing is, corny or not, the success of a new cast-on often lies in a small square of fabric you create before you even cast on your lovely new WIP.

For years I didn't swatch correctly, and I think that was probably because I didn't enjoy doing it. It was the thing I had to do before I got to cast on my new fun project and it took up precious yarn. I just wanted to be able to get on with knitting the actual pattern, and I know a lot of other knitters feel the same way. But after numerous ill-fitting FO's laying unworn in the wardrobe, I finally took the time to knit usable, reliable swatches, and you know what, now I enjoy it!

Over the past few weeks, we've been looking at adjusting patterns, and the first step is to work out what you need to adjust and where that adjustment will be made. For those posts, we used a simple stockinette sweater as an example, but what happens when you're knitting something with a stitch pattern?

Welcome back to part two of adjusting length in a knitting pattern! In part one, we chatted about why you would want to adjust the length of the project you are knitting and how to identify the areas you need to adjust. We then went on to look at exactly how to calculate those adjustments to ensure you get the length you are looking for. If you missed that first post, you might want to go and read that first before diving into this one, and you can do that here.

Welcome to our first post where we look at altering patterns to fit your body. Today's post is all about adding or removing length - Why you would want to do it, and more importantly, exactly how you calculate it. When it comes to making pattern adjustments, adding and removing length is probably the most straightforward one to deal with, but it doesn't mean there aren't things to keep in mind.

Hello lovelies! After Claire's awesome blog post on ease a few weeks ago, I (Hanna Lisa) am back here today with a second post that'll hopefully help you to make knitted things that you'll love to wear and keep for a long, long time - today, we'll talk about Gauge! When I first started knitting, I didn't even know a concept like 'gauge' existed. I thought if I just bought the same yarn the pattern called for and the same needle size, I would end up with a sweater (because that was my first project!) that would fit exactly to the measurements of the size I chose. Turns out ‚ that's not the case.