Knitting

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Learn the Right Way to Pick up Stitches for a Button Band

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picking up stitchesOne of the biggest problems knitters have when knitting sweaters is accurately picking up the right number of stitches evenly across the garment when working the button bands on a cardigan (or a neckline, for that matter).

Kelbourne Woolens has a great tutorial on their website all about how to pick up stitches in a way that makes a lot of sense. You need to know your own blocked gauge and, yes, do some math, but it’s not that difficult, and this little bit of work can make your finished garment look so much better.

It even shows you what to do when the math isn’t pretty, which is always a nice feature.

Have any tips for picking up stitches? I’d love to hear them!

[Photo via Kelbourne Woolens.]

Looking for more knitting patterns for knitted Cardigans? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

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Comments

  1. I like to pick up my stitches with a crochet hook, using a hook that’s about the same diameter as my knitting needle. I collect about 10 stitches at a time on the hook, and then slide them off the back end of the hook onto a knitting needle. If you put the hook OVER the yarn when you make the stitch, rather than under the yarn as you would for a normal crochet stitch, the new stitch will be mounted correctly on the knitting needle.

Have you read?

Knit and Felt Some Tabi Style Slippers

The felted slipper craze that began last year doesn’t seem like it’s fading away. The Sailor Slippers, often striped knit and felted slippers made with super bulky yarn, because the project of the moment late last year (check out more knit slipper options in this post all about sailor slippers) and they’re still consistently popular with knitters.

Which makes sense because they are fun and fast to knit, and seeing them go from this giant thing to something that actually fits a foot feels a little magical. 

I have always loved felting (in fact my first book was about felting knitting) and it’s always fun for me to see people rediscover this technique. 

If you’ve knit enough plain slippers to fit all the feet you know, maybe it’s time to stitch up some tabi style slippers instead. 

Maymade Knits has designed these cute tabi ballerina slippers, made with bulky yarn and felted. They’re worked flat at first and then in rounds, and are available in 10 EU sizes (the Internet tells me add 31 to your American shoe size to get your EU size). The designer says the slippers are meant to have a close fit and you should choose a size a little smaller than your foot for the ideal fit. 

The pattern includes a video tutorial along with the written pattern. 

You can grab this pattern on Ravelry. The same designer has her own version of the striped felted slipper as well, called Sarah’s Striped Slippers. These are worked in super bulky yarn and have a contrasting foot and a striped body. These are knit flat and seamed and there are 7 size options available. Check that pattern out here if you’re looking for a more traditional slipper shape. They also look roomier so you can wear them with socks if you like. 

[Photo: Maymade Knits]