Knitting – Dos and Don’ts

Knitting can be fun and relaxing. Some people do knitting as a hobby while others knit to be practical by making their own clothing and others knit as a form of income; selling the items they knit. Like anything else there are many dos and don’ts to the art of knitting, so start out on the right foot.

First you need to take a form of inventory of your knitting project. Look at the yarn you are using, is it the right yarn? Not all yarns are created equal. You will also need a proper needle; there are many different sizes and threads of needles which are required for various projects. Also the most important thing, do you have the instructions? Yes there are instructions for most articles of clothing or items you are about to knit. Most people forget this and simply assume they can knit anything by simply looking at it. While some people are indeed that good, it is a good idea to keep your knitting pattern nearby for reference.

Now that you have that entire list of points ready find a spot that is secure, stable and most of all quiet. Knitting can take some serious mental concentration. Patten details can be tricky and they can change up on you at the last minute so pay attention to that. Remember your size ratio, sometimes people follow instructions but do not adjust the amount of yarn they need and knit their pattern a bit too small or sometimes a bit over sized. Also leave a bit of slack at the end and beginning of your knitted item. This way you can tie off the yarn or secure it so it will not unravel.

Do not knit multiple items at once. This is a common mistake which people take on themselves. If you have multiple knitting projects going on at once you can confuse your patterns and mix yarns and materials. We’re just beginning to knit here so hang on before you want to try and mass produce patterns. So finish a project and move on to the next one. Also when you are working on multiple patterns sometimes you may run through all your material by underestimating how much you had to begin with. Keep in mind not to get frustrated, sometimes you won’t have the outcome you desire. If this is the case, relax and try again. Practice does indeed make perfect.

Mark Gregory is writing on behalf of Cocoon Knit; who sell Yarn for knitting and Knitting Yarn.