Knitting & Crochet: Page 2

Sometimes you just don't know how many stitches to cast on for a scarf, so here's the perfect solution. Just cast on a few stitches and increase until you have the width that you want for your scarf.

Knitted balls can be used for all sorts of projects. The obvious is a Christmas ornament, but knitted balls can also be the basis for knitting toys or snowmen. And of course, they can be used simply as balls which make a lovely gift for a baby. They can be all one color, striped or patterned. To get started, follow the directions below for a one-color knitted ball. You will need to know how to knit on double-pointed needles, so if you need help with that, check out my other article.

Adding color on a circular needle is done exactly the same way as on a straight needle, no matter if it is at the beginning of a row, in the middle of a row (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbo4sov1gU4), or even fair isle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ9OWatSqKA),..  Don't be afraid to add color. It adds another element to your project. Here's a picture of a colorful hat I knit by using only two colors.

Once you have mastered the technique of knitting something in one color, you will want to go to the next step, which is learning how to add color to your knitting. You might want to knit stripes or knit something with two colors. It isn't as difficult as you might think, and once you've done it a few times you will wonder why you never attempted it before.

The mistake rib stitch is very beautiful and very easy to do. The mistake rib stitch is a multiple of 4+3. Watch the video demonstration on knitting the mistake rib stitch below for a step by step demonstration.

Most of the time you will increase on Knit stitches. You can see my article on that here. However, there will be times when you will need to know how to increase on a Purl stitch. Here's how:

These lovely scarves have different names. I call it the Spiral Ruffle Scarf. It's easy to make and looks great in either a fine or a medium weight yarn. I made mine with softball cotton yarn and size 8 needles. Here are the videos and written directions:

This sweet little knitted heart cushion is easy to create and makes a lovely gift. It can also be used as a sachet. Here are the directions.

Sometimes your yarn might be too thin. In that case, it's easy to use two strands of yarn to achieve the thickness you want. There will be other times when you want to add more color to your project. In that case, use two strands of different colored yarn.

Usually you decrease on Knit rows, but there will be times when your patterns tells you to decrease on a Purl row. It's easy to do and here's how.

For the holiday season, a great knitting project is a snowflake design. It's perfect for handmade Christmas gifts. You can knit just one, or a row of them, or use them as full pattern on a sweater or blanket—or whatever project you choose.

For the knitted purses pictured above, as well as other knitted items requiring a drawstring, like a cinch sack, you will need to know how to crochet the drawstring cord. Watch the video for instructions, and check out the brief steps below.

Sometimes you will want to add fringe to your knitted scarves. Follow the steps below for an easy way to make fringe.

Many knitters have trouble when knitting on double-pointed needles. They get ladders (or holes) when they switch needles. There's an easy way to eliminate those ladders. Follow the steps below and your troubles will be gone.

Once you have learned how to do ribbing on double-pointed needles, you will have to learn how to bind off on double-pointed needles. It's really quite easy. Just follow the steps below.

Binding off on a circular needle is as easy as binding off on a straight needle.

Binding off on double-pointed needles is the same as binding off on a straight needle. The difference is is that you have to be very careful as you work on each needle.

Adding color on circular needles is as easy, if not easier than adding color on a straight needle.  You can use this method for knitting stripes or simply just changing from one color to another.

Sometimes your instructions will include having to CAST ON AT THE BEGINNING OF A ROW.

There will be times when you will want to add FRINGE to your work.  Scarves, blankets, shawls, etc., sometimes look better with FRINGE added.

Potholders are a good way to practice stitches and they make great gifts.  Here's a nice seed and garter stitch potholder to make.  You need to know only two stitches for this project - the GARTER STITCH  and the SEED STITCH. Photo below is my potholder  in progress.  The white thread down the middle is my stitch marker.

Once you know how to CAST ON and do the KNIT STITCH you are ready to start a project.

There will be times when you've finished a project, such as a scarf, that you've already bound off, when you will realize it's not quite as long as you want it to be.  You will have to unravel the bound off row, add more yarn, and then start knitting again.

Here's a lovely way to brighten up your table for a dinner party or a lovely gift to give to someone else.   Knit a FLOWER NAPKINRING.

This is a very nice HEADBAND that can be used plain or decorated with a FLOWER. I made mine wide (4 1/2 inches), but you can make yours as wide or narrow as you want.

Normally when you PURL you insert the needle into the FRONT of the stitch.

You'll be so glad to know how to KNIT THIS LITTLE PURSE.  You'll want to make one for everyone you know.  You can start and finish it in a little over an hour.  You can knit it all one color and embellish it with buttons (see photo below) or you can make stripes (as on the video below) or use two colors (as on the photo above).  You can make it in a flat stockinette stitch or something more interesting like the Raspberry Stitch.  Do what you want and just have fun.

Conquer a brand new loom stitch! This video is the first to demonstrate the the triple knit stitch on a loom. Create beuatiful works of woolen art by following the instructions in this video. Learn how to knit the triple knit stitch on a loom and take your knitting to a whole new level.

Visible jogs become frequent when you don't know the secret to knitting the perfect stripe. But just because it's a secret, doesn't mean it isn't easy to do! In this video demonstration, Judy shows you the secret to knitting jogless stripes. Basically, you knit the first row of color the way you normally would, then slip the marker off when you get around to the end. Next, instead of knitting the next stitch how you normally would, you just slip it off and then start knitting all the way around...

Fingerless mitts are all the rage. They can be fancy or simple, long or short. This article will show you how to make a simple pair of fingerless mitts—for men or women. By adding more colors in stripes or other patterns, you can make them more interesting. You can also add to the length to make them longer.

A keyhole is a great way of adding decorative effect to your knitting projects, and master knitter Judy Topaz is going to show you how it's done on a striped scarf. Adding a keyhole is more complicated than just knitting a basic scarf, but follow along to the video and you shouldn't have any problems.

Knowing how to knit a picot hem is a good technique to learn.  Usually, at the bottom of a garment you will have a ribbed edge.  A picot hem, as pictured below, is a nice alternative.  It's quite easy and here's how to do it.

There are so many different ways to cast on knitting.  I have my own favorite.  It's the way I learned when I first started knitting.  My way is called TWO NEEDLE CAST ON.  I like this 2 needle method because you don't have to guess how much you need to measure out a length of yarn at the beginning.  I also think it makes a tighter and straighter edge.

There are different kinds of knitting needles to choose from for different projects.  You will find wooden, plastic or aluminum in different lengths and shapes.  There are straight, circular or double pointed.

There are two basic stitches in knitting.  One is the KNIT STITCH, the other is the PURL STITCH. The GARTER STITCH itself is quite simple.  You knit every stitch on every row of your knitting.  It's the first stitch one learns in knitting.  It's the easiest of all the knitting stitches and one that you can use for many projects.  It's an especially good stitch for knitting something when you want both sides of the work to look the same.

There are two basic stitches in knitting.  One is the Knit Stitch.  The other is the Purl Stitch.  All knitting patterns are based on these stitches, so you'll want to know how to do both of them.  The Knit side of your work is generally called the Front or Right side, whereas the Purl side is generally called the Back or Wrong side.  This is important to remember when you're following a pattern.

You've come to the end of your work and are ready to BIND OFF, but you're on a PURL row.  What to do? You've learned how to BIND OFF on a knit stitch, but this is something new. Usually you will do the BIND OFF stitch on a knit row, but now your pattern is telling you to BIND OFF on a Purl row. Sometimes, like in ribbing, you will need to do both. If you've never bound off purling here are the instructions to follow.

The two basic stitches in knitting are the Knit Stitch and the Purl Stitch. Once you know how to do both of them you can put them together to make RIBBING.   RIBBING is usually, but not always, used at the bottom of a garment, as well as at the cuffs and at the neck. It's also a good stitch to use when you want both sides of the fabric to look the same like for a scarf or a blanket.  RIBBING is usually K2 P2 (knit 2 stitches, purl 2 stitches) but it could be K1 K1 (knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch)...

When you make an actual garment you will have to know how to decrease and increase stitches.  For this article we'll deal with just the decrease.

Some people think that knitting is difficult, but it really isn't. All knitting is actually based on only  two simple stitches, the knit stitch and the purl stitch. The Stockinette Stitch is the most common of all the Knitting Stitches. It's very simple.