Bag of Knowledge - Blog 6
Q6 What is
your best trick and or tip when knitting or crocheting?
My favourite trick for both knitting
and crocheting is the use of stitch markers. I use them to mark beginning and
end of repeats, stitch counts and when crocheting they become my tool to hold
my stitch so it doesn’t pull out. I’ve even used stitch markers as row
counters. They are indispensable and have a million uses.
When
crocheting in the round (solid squares or circles), make only 2 ch for the
beginning of the round and end the round with a slipstitch in the 1st real dc,
skipping the starting ch 2. That will close the gap formed between the last dc
and the starting ch 2. Remember that in the next round the last dc will be IN
the ss of the previous round to keep the correct stitch count. This will result
in the starting ch moving to the left with one st every consecutive round and
not stacking on top of each other with an untidy gap to the right of it.
JuaKnits - the best tip I can share is the one I was given in my first knitting class with
Marita Steyn from Beyond Knitting. The Golden Rule - For the neatest edges on
your knitting. Knit the first stitch through the back loop and slip the last
stitch purlwise with yarn in front. Best tip ever, I apply it to most of my
knit projects!!
While
teaching or presenting workshops, the most important tip I can give is to relax,
read the pattern step for step while knitting or crocheting it to see the
result. Mistakes will creep in, but take it slow so you get a feel for the
pattern and how it develops. Reading a pattern is not baking from a recipe
where reading through to the end will help you, if anything it will confuse and
baffle you. If you follow this simple
tip you will quickly discover that you will be able to confidently recognise
where you went wrong and be able to get it right and once you do that you will
feel a huge sense of accomplishment and well-deserved pride!
Nothing
comes close to a magic circle, I love how neat your beanies are or any circle for
that matter when using a magic circle.
≈ Surene Palvie, the photographer behind Nova Photography
and amazing colour collaborator and
crafter
My best
tip for crochet or knitting, is to enjoy it. Often times we hurry towards the
finish line and we forget to enjoy every stitch on the journey there. Life is
so rushed in the times that we live in. We need to slow down. We need to
embrace our solitude when we knit or crochet. And we need to enjoy it. If you
don’t slow down, your crafting therapy will become just one more stressor in
your life. I have slowed down on purpose two years ago. I don’t cry when there
is a mistake, I frog and enjoy working it up again. I give it my best, so that
I will wear or use whatever I am making, with pride. Rushing towards the end
steals the joy of crafting, and often times the project isn’t really worn or
used with pride, simply because there are no sweet memories about the making
thereof. Slow down. Focus on the feeling of the yarn in your hand. Focus on
your rhythm. Focus on the colour. Focus on the stitches. Focus on yourself and
the time alone. Slow down. That is my top tip for you.
Hilda’s tip (almost prophetic) can be applied to many areas of our lives –
especially right now. During this Covid-19 pandemic, you will probably have to
slow down, and for many that may be a foreign concept, but just breathe and do
your part wherever you are. This is a
new and strange time in the world, don’t allow social distancing to isolate you
entirely, share your WIP’s, completed projects and ideas you would like to
tackle with your friends and social groups. Encourage each other, be kind,
check how the elderly in your circles are doing and stay positive. Much Love
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