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Have you ever wanted to add beads to your knitting project. Its quite easy and Cat Bordhi does a wonderful job explaining how to do this. Who doesn't labor over the Kitchener stitch? Every time I need to use it, I have to go look up the directions. And once I complete it, there is always something that I do not like about the end product. Take a look at this you-tube video for a fresh and easy look at how to graft live stitches together.
As you knit in the round, instead stacking rows of knitting you actually are proceeding in a spiral fashion. When the two ends come together, it is not noticeable unless you are making a color change. To minimize the impact of the spiral effect, you can slip the first stitch purl wise before introducing the new color. Continue knitting with the new color, knitting the originally slipped stitch when you finish the round. This stretches the stitch and pulls the jog in line with the pattern.
Yesterday we showed you how to pick up a slipped stitch within the body of your work. A dropped edge stitch can be pretty tricky to repair unless you understand the need for an extra loop. If you examine the slipped stitch, you will see that it is larger than one you would find in the middle of your work. This is because an edge stitch represents two rows, one one coming into the edge and then the row leaving it. To fix it, you need to bring the crochet hook in and loop through the bottom of the stitch above the dropped stitch. Once done bring the hook through the loop again, this time through the top of the stitch. Replace the stitch on the knitting needle, turn your work and complete the row.
Sometimes when you examine your work, you will find an error or a dropped stitch. These things can be corrected with patience and a crochet hook. To pick up a dropped knit stitch, insert the hook through the front of the loop and pull the laddered yarn from back to front. Continue up the ladder until you can put the final loop back on the needle. To pick up a purl stitch, insert the hook through the back of the loop and pull the laddered yarn from front to back. Continue up the ladder until you can put the final loop back on the needle. An alternate way to correct a purl is to turn your work over and treat it as a knit, correcting as described above. To correct an error, trace the error up the column to the needle and drop the corresponding loop. Gently pull out the column of stitches until you have pulled out the error. Correct it as a knit or purl as described in the paragraph above. Although much easier if the error is only a few rows down, with patience and care you can correct errors pretty deep in your work.
For multi-skein projects, you must deal with joining in an additional ball of yarn. A very strong, easy, convenient, and invisible join is the Felted Join, more commonly known as the Spit Splice. This works the best with 100% wool (not super wash) although blends will also work to a lesser degree. Start with 2-3 inches of each fiber and thin out the yarn end of the used up ball and the one that you would like to join. Most people will remove a couple plies from each side but if its a single, you can separate the fibers and strip some out from each side. Wet each side (put each end of the yarn in your mouth, lick your hands, or use water if available) and then loosely twist plies together. Place twisted yarns between hands and rub for heat and friction. The two yarns will felt together. Make sure you get a solid join, working the areas with loose fibers. This is a strong join and when it dries, the yarns fluff up and it is invisible in your work. This is also a great way to deal with an unexpected knot in your yarn: cut the knot out and Spit Splice the ends together.
Most knitters are familiar with the SSK, the left leaning decrease often paired with the right leaning K2TOG. When you examine your work, you might find that the SSK is much more apparent than the K2TOG. To get a less obvious stitch, slip the first stitch knit-wise and then slip the second stitch purl-wise (not knit-wise as classically defined). Proceed with regular instructions of inserting left needle into the front of the slipped stitches and knit together. The stitch lays flatter and produces a smoother look. Nice even knitted fabric is made by consistently knitting into the forward facing leg of a stitch (typically the front leg) and holding constant yarn tension. A twisted single stitch's back leg is more forward than the front. Instead of removing the stitch from the needle and turning it around, simply knit into the back leg.
Suppose you are having a difficult time joining in the round without twisting the stitches, as often happens with lightweight yarn. Simply knit a row or two to stabilize your work and then join in the round. It's easier to keep the stitches straight and you can go back afterwards and neatly stitch the gap together
When joining to knit in the round, cast on one extra stitch. Place that last cast on stitch on the needle next to the first cast on stitch and knit the first and last stitches together. You have worked a decrease so the extra stitch is gone and you have created a smooth join without the typical divot. Of course, be careful ensure your stitches are not twisted when joining, because if they are, you will have to start over.
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