Tip of the week: Knitting in the Round

This is probably the simplest tip I can give you. Knitting in the round is just knitting.

You make your stitches in exactly the same way, you just go round and round in a spiral rather than back and forward in rows. But you don't put your needle in a different place or put the yarn round in a different way.

In the picture you can see the other side of my hat on a circular needle but it is just there, I am still concentrating on the next stitch on my needle and using the same flicking technique as I normally use with the yarn in my right hand.

The only thing to remember - and it is the same on circular needles or double pointed onse - when working in the round you are always knitting the right side of your work. So to make stocking stitch you knit every round and garter stitch is knit one round, purl one round.

Tip of the week: There's no shame in ripping back

OK, I'm going to say it: Some times the best thing to do is rip your knitting back.
 

I know it may seem painful, but it's true.

Sometimes a mistake can't be fixed by dropping a stitch down a couple of rows and using a crochet hook to work it back up and it may be easier (or less time consuming) to rip back a few rows. For example, if you look at the centre top of the swatch pictured above, you will see an extra column of stitches created by an accidental yarnover. In a case like this you'll never get the tension right if you just drop the extra stitch so it is best to rip back.

In the case of a wrongly crossed cable or a lace repeat that has gone askew, it may be possible to drop a few stitches down and rework them. But you need to weigh up which will be more time consuming or stressful, making this repair or ripping back and reknitting a few rows.

In these cases, rather than feeling fed up about wasted time, try and think of this as an opportunity for some more knitting, and you do like to knit, don't you? 8-)
 

Becoming a knitting evangelist

 

Hello my name is Bronagh and I'm a knitting evangelist.

 

Knitting for me has been a hobby, now it's a business that still brings me much joy, it is also something that has helped with both physical and mental health challenges. It is a medium where I can reproduce ideas that reflect the image in my head.

 

For all those reasons I love knitting and I want other people to enjoy it as much as I do. That's why my aim is to design items you'll enjoy making and using, and to help you develop confidence in the techniques you want to use.

 

What I am not is someone who came through an art school design track - I came to designing much later and have worked in many spheres including the theatre, TV production and journalism. I'm also not a willowy model type, so posing one with one of my creations is challenging but I'm trying to embrace it more.

 

Picture taken by Chiara Mac Call Photography featuring the Electric Storm shawl (using yarn from The Wool Kitchen ). 

Tip of the week: Catching a dropped stitch

If you notice a dropped stitch a couple of rows down, don't panic. If you are armed with a stitch marker and a crochet hook, all will be well.

First grab a removeable stitch marker or a safety pin and feed the stitch on to it so it doesn't unravel any more and work until you reach the point in the row where the stitch should be.

Use a crochet hook to work up the column of stitches by inserting the hook into the stitch loop and pulling the bar of the yarn though the loop. Then repeat for the next row until you reach the top.
 

If you have to bring it up several rows it may feel quite tight towards the top, especially if it is a couple of rows since you dropped the stitch but your yarn should even out in your repaired rows when you block your work.

Keep a close eye on what direction your stitch should be, ie knit or purl. I usually turn my work over so that the knit side of the stitch is facing me when I use this method for what would be a purl stitch on the right side.

You can also use this method the fix a knit stitch that should be a purl and vice versa. Consciously drop the stitch down to the mistake and use your crochet hook to work it back up correctly.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for more advice.