Rules for New Knitters
Things I Wish I Would Have Learned When I Learned to Knit
Rules that you shouldn't skip when you knit, even if they seem pointless or tiresome.
Rule number one: Never skip a rule! I wish that I had realized how important following the rules were when I learned to knit. It would have saved a lot of frustration and time before I finally admitted that this is important stuff.
If you're just learning to knit, be smarter than I was: Don't skip these few basic rules, even though they may seem tedious or pointless. You'll be glad you followed them one day.
Make the yarn suit the project. Cloud soft, cuddly yarn may be appealing, but in a rug that has to be washed every week? It won't hold up and your work will be destroyed before its time. There are rug yarns that may not be as pretty on the skein, but that work up nicely and they'll look nice a long time.
Don't mix types of yarns. If one needs to be hand washed and the other machine washed, what do you do? And if one "sheds" and the other snatches the fibers, your knitting will pill and look old as soon as you wash it.
Always check your gauge. I hated to do this, and I still hate to. But I do it because I want garments to fit. If you don't, they won't. Take my word for it.
Unless you want a curling edge, always make your knitting with or rib a border on a piece of stockinette stitch material because stockinette will curl. Did you ever wonder why sweaters came with a ribbed bottom or cuff? Or why stockinette baby blankets are always edged with a different stitch? That's why.
Tie in a new skein of yarn at the end of a row whenever possible, to avoid lumps and bumps in the material. If you can't, make the knot as small as you can and work the ends into the knitting as you go.
Buy enough yarn all at the same time to finish your project and make sure it's all the same dye lot. Colors can vary enough to be noticeable in a finished piece. If you must use yarn from a different dye lot, here's how to do it:
Change skeins while you still have several rows worth of yarn of the old one left. Tie on and knit one row of the new skein and two rows of the old one a couple of times, then knit one of the new, one of the old a couple of times. Knit two of the new, one of the old, and finally, knit one of the new, one of the old, then you should be able to change completely over to the new skein without it showing.
If you can't tell if you have enough yarn to do one more row of knitting, measure the width of your piece and multiply times three. If the yarn is at least that long, you'll have enough. Don't forget to allow for enough yarn to tie into the next skein.
Cable holders, markers, point protectors and yarn bobbins may make you feel more like a knitter, but they're really not necessary. Use a plain double pointed needle to hold the yarn for a cable, stick the end of the needle through a piece of cardboard or foam ball instead of using point protectors. Markers? Tie a piece of contrasting yarn around your needle and move it from needle to needle as you knit. Yarn bobbins can be made from cardboard or plastic lids. Look at the ones in the store, then go home and make your own.
And maybe the most important rule of all: Never knit what you hate. It will be the biggest chore you've ever let yourself in for and unless you really feel obligated, you won't finish it.
I'm sure I've skipped some rules that other knitters will think important, but if you determine to follow these, you'll be on your way to a happy and productive knitting life!
