tutorial Archives - Page 5 of 13

second sock (or sleeve) syndrome

For anyone who has ever made socks, a sweater or cardigan, this will probably sound very familiar: You’ve finished your first sock or sleeve, and it’s just great. The fit is good, the length is exactly how you like it. And then you realize you HAVE to make another one. And you really want to cast-on something new, instead of doing that thing again. That, my friends, is second sock (or sleeve) syndrome.

I’m not really into sock knitting, although I’ve made a couple of pairs in the past. But I am into a me-made wardrobe, and have been knitting quite some sweaters, tees and cardigans for myself over the years. So yes, feeling bored and stranded on sleeve-island really is a thing, and carries the risk of having a growing pile of one-sleeved sweaters (or single socks) instead of things you can actually wear. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with second sock (or sleeve) syndrome. In this post, I’ll tell you all about it!

1. Working two-at-a-time (TAAT)

This is the method I usually go for, using circular needles with a cable length of either 80 cm / 32 inches or 100 cm / 40 inches. The basic premise with this approach is to work the sleeve or sock magic loop style, but instead of putting the stitches of only 1 tube on the circular needle, you put the stitches of both tubes (or even more!) on the needle. This forces you to work one round of each tube, before you can proceed with the next round. This also has the advantage that even if there are differences in tension from round tot round, they will at least be the same for both socks or sleeves.

Of course, there are also disadvantages to the TAAT technique. For one, progress seems to go very slow when compared with working on only one sock or sleeve. Also, you’re continually adjusting the cable and juggling the balls of yarn to prevent them from tangling. For me, this really breaks the knitting flow.

That said, getting both done and exactly the same is the main reason I often do choose this option.

2. Using two circulars or sets of DPN’s and knit simultaneously

With this option, you’re working each sleeve or sock on their own needle. For this, it really doesn’t matter what your preference is for small-circumference knitting, being it DPN’s, tiny circulars, or longer circulars for travelling loop or magic loop knitting. The main take is, that each sock or sleeve is worked on individually, but that you switch back and forth between them in regular intervals. You can, for example, first work ribbing on both tubes, then the same number of plain rounds plus 1 shaping round etc. etc.

With this method, it is important to keep track of where you are, and that you end both tubes at the same point. Or, of course, keep good track of any differences to correct when starting a new knitting session.

3. Embrace the differences!

This option is, depending on design, possibly better suited for socks then for sleeves. That said, it really is a good option. The main issue with second sock (or sleeve) syndrome is the boredom associated with knitting the exact same thing again. So, if you make sure there are differences, this may be enough to keep your attention on the project.

You can think, for example, of different stitch patterns or textures. For me, self-striping or gradient yarn never fails to want to work another round to see what happens next. Alternatively, you can really embrace the differences and go for mismatched socks on purpose. This is what I did with the socks pictured below for my youngest. I used up various odds and ends of fingering weight yarn for wildly unique socks. The pattern is No-Heel Spiral Socks by La Maison Rililie.

Let me know if there are more ways with dealing with second sock (or sleeve) syndrome. I’m happy to expand on the options already mentioned!

Thanks to my Patreon supporters for bringing you this freebie! Creating quality patterns and tutorials is a lot of work and resource-intensive. However, I find it important to give you free content like this tutorial. Thanks to the generous support of my Patreon supporters, I can make it happen. Thank you, patrons! Click here to join, or click here to read more about La Visch Designs on Patreon.

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tutorial – the standard knitted bind-off

This particular bind-off is the one most knitters learn first, and with good reason: it’s a very versatile bind-off that can be used in both knit and purl variations. This makes it my go-to bind-off when a pattern instructs me to bind-off “in pattern”. That said, in this tutorial, I will focus only on the knit variation, to work this in purl, just replace all knits by purls!

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The standard knitted bind-off creates a lovely edge, that is perfect for seaming, picking up stitches or doing “pick up and knit” for further finishing. Think for example of knitting a button band for a cardigan. That said, while this bind-off has some elasticity, it can be hard to get the tension exactly right. It’s not advised to use for edges that need a lot of stretch, like the ribbing of toe-up socks. If you know you’re a tight knitter, it may be a good idea to go up a needle size when doing this bind-off. Likewise, if you’re a very loose knitter, you may want to drop down a size.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 125 Spearmint Green.

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

The standard knitted bind-off step by step

In patterns, you may see the following instruction for this bind-off:
K1, *k1, insert tip of the left-hand needle into first stitch on the right-hand needle, pass this stitch over the second stitch; repeat from * to end.
Below I’ll show you step by step how this looks like in knitting!

To start, take the piece of knitting you want to bind-off.
In this case I’m using the swatch I made for the Double Lace Rib stitch pattern.
Knit the first stitch on the left-hand needle.
Next, knit the new stitch nearest to the tip of the left-hand needle.
Insert the tip of the left-hand needle into the second stitch on the right-hand needle….
…., and pass this second stitch over the first one.
You have now bound-off a stitch!
Repeat steps 3-5 until all stitches have been bound-off.
Midway, it will look something like this:

And here also a picture of the resulting edge. Pretty, isn’t it?!

The Standard Knitted Bind-Off - the result

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tutorial – working a k2tog tbl

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to work the k2tog tbl decrease. The abbreviation stands for “knit 2 stitches together through the back loop”. Basically, it’s the twisted version of the k2tog decrease. However, while the k2tog is a right-leaning decrease, k2tog tbl is a left-leaning decrease. It’s similar in appearance to the skp and ssk decreases.

Knitting the k2tog tbl decrease step by step

First, take your project and work to the spot indicated in your pattern, where the decrease is supposed to be made.
In this case, I’m working a stitch pattern in which I have to work a k2tog tbl directly after a YO, over the 2 stitches near the tip of the left-hand needle.
Next, insert the tip of the right-hand needle into the first 2 stitches at the same time as if to knit through the back loop of these stitches.
This can be a tad hard to get right, I find it helps to pull the fabric down a bit.
Wrap the yarn around the needle…
…, and pull it through the stitches you inserted the right-hand needle in.
To finish the decrease, slip the original stitches of the left-hand needle.

And this is how to work the k2tog tbl decrease!

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tutorial – the cable cast-on

The cable cast-on is a cast-on very similar to the knitted on cast-on. It is worked similarly and creates a clean, and sturdy edge. It is, however, more firm and less stretchy; a very good choice for edges that benefit from that stability and don’t need any stretch. Take for example edges from which stitches are picked up and knit. For this reason, I personally wouldn’t use it for a knitting project that would be blocked heavily. For most other applications, though, it makes a very nice decorative edge. Think for example of edges of non-lace blankets.

This particular method is also great for the beginner knitter because it is basically the knit stitch that is used to cast on. In this post, I’ll show you how to do it!

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 125 Spearmint Green.

Knitting needles: This is a pair of straights that I picked up at the second-hand store when I started knitting, brand unknown.

The cable cast-on step by step

Make a slip knot and place it on your needle.
This forms the first stitch, make sure to leave enough on the tail of the yarn to weave in later. It is also possible not to use a slip knot and just loop the yarn around the needle for your first stitch, thus avoiding the knot in the corner of your work. For the sake of this tutorial, however, I’m going with the slip knot version.
Take your second needle and insert the tip into the stitch with the needle under your main needle.
Insert at an angle, so your needles cross as pictured.
Hold the crossed needles together, take the yarn connected to your ball and wrap it around the bottom needle: go around, and then over.
Depending on your knitting style, this can be done with either your left or your right hand. The end result is however always the yarn wrapped around the needle as pictured.
Take the bottom needle and bring it back through the stitch, pulling the yarn with it in a loop.
Now transfer the new loop from the bottom needle to the other needle and tighten the yarn.
You have now cast on a stitch!
Take your second needle and insert the tip in between the 2 stitches closest to the tip of the main needle.
In this step, we’re deviating from the knitted-on cast-on.
Wrap the yarn around the needle….
… and pull it through the stitch.
To finish adding the new stitch, place it on the main needle.
Repeat steps 6-9 until you have reached the desired amount of stitches on your needle.
This is how it looks from the RS of the work, after a couple rows have been worked in garter stitch.
And the result from the WS:

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tutorial – preventing the hump in a top-down crescent

Preventing the hump in top-down crescents

Crescent or sickle-shaped scarves/shawls are very popular and rightly so: because of their special shape, they stay better draped over the shoulders than traditional triangular scarves. I have designed and made several, take for example Art-Deco and Sunglow Forest as shown below.

The one thing that these shawls haven’t, is a well-know issue with this shawl shape: The Dreaded Hump.

In this tutorial I’ll show you how to construct a crescent-shaped shawl, without this “hump”.

Top-down crescent shawl construction

Before we go into details, it’s good to get clear what particular construction method I’m using. There are various ways to construct a crescent-shaped shawl. Some are worked from the bottom-up, some from the top-down, some with short rows and some without.

Here, in this tutorial I focus on the top-down construction in which increases are worked on both right side and wrong side rows. The stitch count is increased by 4 stitches at the edges on right-side rows and by 2 on wrong-side rows.

In order to know how to prevent the hump, we first must know why it appears in the first place. Take a look at the picture below:

Regular top-down crescent - including tension arrows

The fast increase ratio, located at the edges only, creates tension in the piece and pushes the fabric into a “hump” at the center edge. In other words: The increases at the outer edges, force the edges outwards. However, the bottom edge of the work only has so much give, ultimately pushing the center upwards creating a hump.

The solution to prevent the hump

The solution: creating more slack in the bottom edge of the shawl, to prevent the tension from pushing the work upwards! Like this:

Adjusted top-down crescent, including tension arrows

The secret: Strategically placing increases in the center of the shawl to create a pie-shaped wedge.

This gives enough extra fabric at the bottom edge of the work to prevent the hump from occurring! The type of increase is completely up to your own preference. In this example, a yarn over is used to make it very visible, in the Art Deco shawl the more discreet m1L and m1R increases are used. In a (reverse) stockinette fabric, extra increases once every 8 rows would do the trick.

Garter stitch has quite a different row gauge than stockinette does. The precise ratio of garter stitch to stockinette, however, depends greatly on the yarn used, and personal gauge. Perhaps the phase of the moon as well. Some sources say that the ratio of garter stitch to stockinette is 1:2. Others say it’s 3:5, 4:6 or even closer to a 5:7 ratio. Taking the latter as an example, this means that (for example) for every 26 rows per 10 cm/4 inches in stockinette there are 36 rows per 10 cm/4 inches in garter stitch when worked with the same yarn and needles. To know your exact ratio and thus the exact repeat for working a pie shaping row in garter stitch, swatching would be needed.

Based on the various possible ratios of garter stitch to stockinette, extra increases every 12 to 16 rows would do the trick in a garter stitch based fabric.

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blocking a triangle shawl

The top-down triangle must be the shawl shape I knit most often. So, it would be good to share with you how I go about blocking this type of triangle shawl. In this tutorial, I will be showing you how I blocked my Strawberry Finch. This one has all-over lace patterning, pulled into points at the bottom edge into points during blocking. In the below picture you can this shawl before blocking.

What is blocking?

Before we go into details, it’s good to get clear what I mean exactly with “blocking”. Blocking is nothing more than shaping your knit or crochet pieces when moist or wet. Think of finished items or components to sew together afterwards. By blocking them, you can not only even out stitches, but also bring the item to the intended dimensions. The latter of course within reason!

For a sweater or sweater components blocking usually is nothing more than washing the item(s) and patting them gently into shape. Lace shawls, on the other hand, benefit from a rather vigorous blocking by pinning it stretched out as much as possible. After the piece has dried, it will hold its shape until the next washing.

Please note, that not all fibers are suited for the magic of blocking. Only natural fibers like wool, alpaca, cotton etc. as well as some viscose fibers can be blocked in the sense that the dimensions can be adjusted. On synthetics, like acrylic, the process of wet-blocking as described in this post has virtually no effect at all, besides evening out the stitches. Acrylics can be blocked (“killed”) by applying heat through steam blocking or ironing, but that’s an entirely different process.

Blocking an asymmetrical shawl - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

Materials needed

Since the subject of this post is the blocking of a lace triangle shawl, I go for a vigorous blocking using pins. I use the following materials:

Blocking mats, these are usually foam mats that hold pins well. Think for example of insulation mats, mats for yoga or play tiles for children.
Pins, I use regular pins, but other folks sometimes prefer stainless steel T pins.
Wool wash.
A towel large enough to comfortably hold your project.

Preparations

Before we can start with the actual blocking, we have to do some preparations. These mainly consist of giving your shawl a wash, since the FO must be a tad moist for the best blocking results. For completenes’s sake below how I go about it. If you’d like pictures of these steps, please visit the tutorial on blocking an asymmetrical shawl.

First I fill the sink with some lukewarm to warm water and add a dash of wool wash. Put the shawl into the water and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes to make sure the fabric is completely saturated with water.
Next, rinse the shawl. Don’t use cold water for this, as “shocking” warm wool may cause it to felt. If your yarn bleeds dye a bit, you can add a splash of vinegar to the rinse water to help fix it. After rinsing, gently squeeze excess water out of your project. Don’t wring it! This may damage the fibers, causing breakage.
Spread out your towel and place the shawl on top of half of it. Fold the second half of the towel over your shawl and roll it up like a sausage. Squeeze the roll well to transfer most of the wetness from the shawl to the towel. With bigger projects, I find it helps to actually stand a bit on it.

Also, prepare your blocking mats by laying them down in the shape and size needed for your project. I prefer to do that in my workroom because it can be closed off against “helping” cats.

Blocking a triangle shawl step by step

Time to get started with the actual blocking!

Spread out your project on the blocking mats.
Take care to do so in roughly the shape you want to block it in.
Start by pinning the 2 outer corners.
You can stretch the upper edge of the shawl out for this, but don’t stretch it to the max., we still need some slack in the fabric to accommodate stretching it out in other directions.
Next, pin the entire upper edge of the shawl in a smooth curve, using approx. 1 pin every 1.25 – 2.5 cm (0.5 – 1 inch).
You can, of course, pin the upper edge in a straight line, but I find a slightly curved edge sits better on the neck and shoulders.
Now pull down the bottom point and pin it to the mats.
Again, don’t stretch it to the max yet!
Now pull a point on both the left and the right side down and pin them to the mats.
At this point, you can still keep some slack in the fabric of the shawl. Also, note that I pinned through the point of a leaf, but that I skipped one on either side.
Move up 2 leaves and again pin them down symmetrically.
At this point you can ignore any tension differences, we will get to that later on.
Continue as in step 5 and 6 until the whole bottom edge is pinned to the mats.
At this point I saw it, do you see it too?
A hole in my shawl!
I must have caught the halo of the yarn there, instead of the thread itself. The tension of the blocking made it go poof. It happens…. Don’t stress, just catch the stitches with a safety pin. The shawl can be fixed after it’s dry.
Back to pinning the bottom edge.
Now I’m pinning the points I skipped previously, adjusting the pins already there where needed, to achieve a smooth curve.
The final step in blocking.
Finally, I go over the entire bottom edge again, making sure to pull it out to the max and keeping the edge in a smooth curve. I needed some weights to keep the mats in place, and keep them from buckling under the tension I’m putting the shawl under.

And the result is a beautifully blocked Strawberry Finch shawl! This how to go about blocking a triangle shawl.

And that hole?

I took a bit of extra yarn and did some duplicate stitch over a couple of stitches on the side of the hole. Then I caught the stitches in a manner very similar to how it should have been. The yarn ends I hid in those wavy decrease lines. Close up, you can see they’re a tad heavier than the other ones. But it’s quite invisible if you don’t know it’s there. Yay!

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tutorial – fixing a forgotten m1

Fixing a forgotten m1 increase - a tutorial by La Visch Designs

In an earlier tutorial I already showed you how to fix a forgotten yo. But, of course, that’s not the only type of increase that can be forgotten. What about fixing a forgotten m1? Personally, I have a very big aversion against ripping out my work, just because I forgot one teeny tiny stitch a couple of rows back. I mean, it certainly is an option, but I consider it to be more of a last resort type of option.

So, in this post I’ll show you to fix a forgotten m1 increase, specifically for the situation that the lack of the increase hasn’t been noticed until several more rows or rounds have been worked. I’ll address it for both the m1l and m1r variations of the increase.

Materials used

Yarn: Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 142 Tea Rose.

A crochet hook in the same size or slightly smaller than your knitting needles. For example this Pony Aluminum Crochet Hook in size 4 mm.

Fixing a forgotten m1 step by step

Let’s get started! In this tutorial I’m using the swatch I also used in previous tutorials on fixing things in knitting.

First, go to the spot in your knitting where the m1 increase should have been.
Let’s assume we’ve forgotten to work the increase at the spot indicated by the crochet hook. If you look carefully, you can see horizontal threads between the 2 columns of stitches.
Let’s assume we’ve forgotten the m1 increase 4 rows down.
Now insert the crochet hook from top to bottom underneath the 5th horizontal thread.
Next, twist the crochet hook 180 degrees to twist the loop on the hook.
The direction depends on the type of m1 increase you want to make. Twist it 180 degrees clockwise for a left leaning increase (m1l), or 180 degrees counterclockwise for a right leaning (m1r) increase. In the picture below the loop has been twisted, see how it sits more snugly on the crochet hook?
Now we can ladder the work back up!
To do so, insert the crochet hook underneath the horizontal thread directly above the new m1 (the 4th horizontal thread down), and pull the thread through the loop already on the hook to make a new knit stitch. Repeat this (for stockinette) as often as needed until you’ve run out of threads to pull through and place the stitch on the left-hand needle. Below you can see the result.

Now you’re ready to continue your knitting!

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tutorial – working the knit 1 below (k1b) stitch

There are cases in which skipping the row on your needle for particular stitches is desired, and one is to knit or purl in the row below that one. In other words: you knit/purl into the stitch below where you normally would, exactly as the name suggests. Think, for example, of Fisherman’s Rib. In a previous tutorial I already showed you how to work the purl 1 below stitch, so now it’s the turn of the knit 1 below! The main challenge in working this stitch is recognizing the stitch to insert your needle in. So that’s what I’ll be showing you in this tutorial on how to work the knit 1 below or k1b stitch.

Materials used

Yarn: * Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the colors 155 Vintage Pink and 125 Spearmint Green.

Needles: * KnitPro Zing Fixed Circular Needles. In this tutorial, I used the 4 mm (US 6) size with a cable length of 80 cm (32 inches).

Working a knit 1 below or k1b step by step

In patterns, you may encounter the following description of this stitch:
Knit 1 below (k1b): Knit into the stitch 1 row below the one on the needle by inserting the needle from front to back. Knit this stitch, then pull the worked stitch and the stitch above off the needle together.
But how to actually do this? Read on!

First, work your way across the row until you’ve reached the point where you want to make the stitch
In this case I’m making the k1b4 stitches in from the right edge.
Identify the correct loop to insert your needle in.
Normally, you’d insert the right-hand needle in the loop that’s on the left-hand needle. If we go down a row, you see the stitch we want (pointed out by the extra needle), hugging the loop that’s on the needle.
Now, insert the right-hand needle knit wise in the stitch we’ve identified.
You can see it more easily if you pull down the fabric a bit with your fingers.
Now wrap your working yarn around the needle…
…. and pull it through the stitch.
See that you’re actually pulling it through 2 stitches at once? That is, the one on the needle and the one directly below it.
Finish the stitch by slipping the top stitch off the left-hand needle without actually working it.
Because the fabric is secured by knitting into the stitch below it, the stitch won’t run down unraveling.

And that’s all there is to it!

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tutorial – preventing a tight edge when knitting stripes

When knitting stripes, especially the thinner ones, it often doesn’t make sense to break the yarn when switching to a different color. It mostly gives you a ton of ends to weave in later on. And personally, I’m just not a fan of extra and unnecessary work. That said, carrying the unused yarn along the side of the fabric has its own disadvantages.

For one, you have to remember to actually wrap the yarn you’re working with around the yarn you’re carrying along, before you go on knitting. Without securing the yarn to the side of the project and moving it up to where you’ll need it next, you’ll have a loose hanging strand on the edge of your work. And if you do remember to wrap the carried-along yarn, you may do it with a different tension than in the knitted fabric. This one is especially hard to judge, because both stitch pattern and yarn composition have a big influence on the tension of knitted fabric after blocking. This may very well result in a too tight or too loose tension at the edge, where it initially seemed to be just right.

In this post I’ll show you how I prevent these issues when carrying along the unused yarn at the side of the work.

Materials used

Yarn: * Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the colors 155 Vintage Pink and 125 Spearmint Green.

Needles: * KnitPro Zing Fixed Circular Needles. In this tutorial, I used the 4 mm (US 6) size with a cable length of 80 cm (32 inches).

Preventing a tight edge when knitting stripes step by step

In this example I’m knitting thin 2-row stripes, but it would work just as well with deeper/wider stripes.

Work to 1 stitch before the end of the row, at which point you’ll be switching to the other color yarn.
This particular technique does assume that the new color of yarn is started and ended at the same side edge of the fabric. This means working an even number of rows in every stripe.
Next, insert your needle into the stitch to work it and wrap both color yarns around the needle.
In this case, the edge is worked in garter stitch, so we’re talking about a knit stitch here. But it can, of course, just as easily be done in a purl stitch.
Now pull both strands of yarn through the stitch on the left-hand needle…
… and slide the original stitch of the needle to complete the stitch.
Now, turn the work and get ready to start the new row in the new color.
To do so, insert your needle into both strands and work it as one using the new color yarn. What you’re basically doing is carrying along the unused yarn by knitting it into the last stitch of the row. This way the unused yarn is incorporated into the main fabric and will behave similarly upon blocking. In other words: no tension differences!
This is how the resulting edge looks.
Yes, the edge will be slightly bulkier than its non-doubled counterpart at the other side edge. But usually it’s not very noticeable.

Overall look

You may wonder how this looks on both the right and wrong side of the fabric. This is how:

Preventing a tight edge when knitting stripes: result on the RS

Preventing a tight edge when knitting stripes: result on the WS

And that’s how to go about preventing a tight edge when knitting stripes!

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tutorial – working a p2tog

In a previous post, I already showed you how to work the right-leaning decrease, in which 2 stitches are reduced to one: the one abbreviated with “k2tog”. This stands for “knit 2 stitches together”. It’s a very easy and very common way to reduce the number of stitches in your project and make it narrower. It’s also often used in lace knitting.

But what when your lace also requires decreases to be worked on the wrong side of the fabric? This is where the purled decrease p2tog comes in! This decrease is worked on the wrong side and looks just like a k2tog when the result is viewed on the right side of the fabric. It’s a pretty straight-forward decrease to work; purl 2 stitches together, to decrease the total number of stitches by one. It is just like making a regular purl stitch but you work through two stitches instead of one.

Below you can find how to work this decrease step by step, so get your materials and follow along!

Materials

Yarn: * Paintbox Yarns Simply DK, a good value, good quality 100% acrylic yarn, here in the color 128 Lime Green.

Needles: * KnitPro Zing Fixed Circular Needles. In this tutorial, I used the 4 mm (US 6) size with a cable length of 80 cm (32 inches).

Working a p2tog step by step

Work your way across the row until you’ve reached the point where you want to make the decrease.
In this case, I want to work the decrease 4 stitches in from the right side of the swatch.
Insert the needle
Now insert the needle purl wise through the first two stitches on the left-hand needle and wrap the working yarn around the right-hand needle.
Pull the yarn through the two stitches…
… and slip the two stitches worked of the needle to complete the decrease
The result
When viewed from the right side of the fabric, this decrease looks exactly look a k2tog!

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