by

Sloped Bind-Off

This bind-off is an easy alternative to the “stair-steppy” bind-off many patterns call for when knitting a shaped edge (like when shaping armholes, sleeves, or necklines.) The edge this bind-off leaves makes seaming and picking up stitches easier.

Instructions for working this technique:
Please follow your pattern for the exact bind-off numbers for the shaping you’re knitting.
Left-Leaning Slope
BO the number of stitches specified in your pattern, then work across the rest of the row in pattern. Turn work, and work in pattern to last stitch. Slip last stitch without working it, turn work. Slip first two stitches, and BO the first stitch over the second (this counts as your first BO stitch, follow your pattern for the number to BO).

Right-Leaning Slope
BO the number of stitches specified in your pattern (most likely on the wrong-side of the work, possibly purl-wise), then work across the rest of the row in pattern. Turn work, and work a right-side row to the last stitch, slip that stitch without working it. Turn work. Slip first two stitches, and BO the first stitch over the second (this counts as your first BO stitch, follow your pattern for the number to BO).

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The needles I’m using are by Clover, and the yarn is – I’m not sure what the yarn is! It’s a worsted wool.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

, ,
by

Correcting a Dropped Decrease

Whoops – you’ve accidentally dropped stitches right through a decrease! In this video, I show you how to recreate k2togs and ssk stitches (two common decreases) without ripping back rows and rows of stitches.

You can see my entire “Correcting Mistakes” playlist here.

The crochet hook I’m using is a Knitter’s Pride Dreamz hook.

The knitting needles I’m using are Knitter’s Pride Bamboo DPNs.

The yarn I’m using is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

, ,
by

Binding-Off in the Middle of a Row

There are several reasons that a pattern will have you binding-off stitches in the middle of a row – the necklines of sweaters, for example. In this video I show you how to do that, while keeping the correct stitch count.

The basketweave stitch in my sample is the stitch I use in my Mimi Hooded Scarf pattern.

The needles I use are Knitter’s Pride Bamboo DPNs.

The yarn I use in the video is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

, , ,
by

Tinking Increases and Decreases

Whoops – you’ve made a mistake several stitches back, and “tinking” (unraveling one stitch at-a-time) is your best option for correcting the mistake – but the row you’ve knit is full of increases and/or decreases. In this video, I show you how to tink back through common increases and decreases.

Other videos available on tinking:
Basic Tinking
Advanced Tinking

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The bulky yarn I used for demonstration is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky.

The needles I’m using are Knitter’s Pride Bamboo Double-Pointed Needles.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

, , ,
by

Knitting Help – Comparing Increases

In this video, I show how different increases look side-by-side, and talk about how to substitute one for the other. A bit more complicated than substituting decreases, some increases “use up” a stitch, while others do not.

The “sister” video comparing decreases can be found here.

Slow demonstrations of the increases shown:
Yarn-Over
KFB (knit front back)
Make 1 (M1)

The bulky yarn I used for demonstration is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky in Yonder.

The needles I’m using are Knitter’s Pride Nova Platinas, from an interchangeable set.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

, ,
by

Knitting Help – Comparing Decreases

Sometimes patterns, especially older patterns, will tell you to decrease without specifying which decrease to use. Or you may be working a pattern where you think a different decrease will work better than the one the pattern calls for. In this video, I compare three popular decreases side-by-side so you can see the differences.

Slow demonstrations of the three decreases:
Knit Two Together (k2tog)
Slip, Slip, Knit (SSK)
Pass Slipped Stitch Over (PSSO)

The bulky yarn I used for demonstration is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Bulky in Yonder.

The needles I’m using are Knitter’s Pride Nova Platinas, from an interchangeable set.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “Amanda”.

My silver ring is actually a knitting needle gauge, and can be found here.

, , ,
by

Ravelry Tips – Adding a Project

Adding your knitting and crochet projects to Ravelry is the most basic and important way to contribute to the Ravelry community. You can add as little or much information as you like, from notes to yourself to photos for the world to see. In this video, I walk you through the basics of adding a project to your Ravelry notebook.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The pattern I used as an example of a Ravelry project is my Sixes and Threes Cowl, pattern + video tutorial.

If you would like to friend me on Ravelry, I’ll friend you back! You can find my profile here.

We have a VeryPink Knits group on Ravelry, feel free to join the discussion.

,
by

Ravelry Tips – Finding Pattern Help

We’ve all been there – stuck on a pattern and in need of some help. In this video, I show you some ways to get answers to your questions, and show you how to find info on modifying patterns.

There is one more way to get pattern help that I missed in the video! Sometimes people leave gems of information in the “Comments” tab of the main page for the pattern. See the arrow in the image below.

Rav project comments sm

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The tote bag on the mannequin is my ATX Linen Tote. This pattern is free with yarn purchase on the Louet website, or at a preferred retailer. Just purchase two hanks of Euroflax Sport yarn, and use the coupon code VPEUROFLAX (all caps) for your free pattern.

The Shaker Dishcloth pattern and video tutorial I use in the on-screen examples can be found here.

,
by

Why is My Knitting Curling?

Why is my knitting curling, and will blocking stop the curling? Two questions knitters often ask me. In this video, I address those questions, show you when curling is a good thing, and explain the difference between stitch combos that curl and those that don’t.

Information on things you’ll see in this video:
The alpaca hat I show in the video (not my pattern) can be found here, but it doesn’t look like the pattern is available anymore.

The gray cardigan I show in the video is a free pattern and video tutorial, and can be found here.

The gray cashmere swatch is from my Rodeo Drive Poncho pattern and tutorial.

I reference my Stellar Swatching video, which can be found here.

The basketweave swatch is from my Mimi Hooded Scarf pattern and tutorial.

The sugar cubes swatch is explained in a Fancy Stitch Combo video.

The One Row Scarf I reference at the end of the video can be found here (not my design).

My Ravelry page for the shawl I’m wearing (not my design), can be found here.

The nail polish I’m wearing is by Julep, color “London”.

, ,