Knit in Public Day and Helpful Video Tutorials
Today, June 13th is International Knit in Public Day! It’s a day when knitters all over the world intentionally knit in public places to bring attention to knitting as a hobby everyone can participate in. My Sister Knits is celebrating with an ice cream social starting at 10:00! We’ll have two flavors of Ummbers Ice Cream from Morning Fresh Dairy and, to make the day feel even more special, we’ll have sprinkles! Bring your chairs to sit out front where everyone on Mountain can see us knitting away!
At My Sister Knits, we love good YouTube video tutorials! Our memories need to be refreshed about certain techniques that aren’t used often and we hope we aren’t the only ones in this situation!
We thought it would be handy to have some of them in one spot and that’s what this post is all about! So in no particular order, here they are:
Closing up the underarm hole in a sweater
Ahh, the dreaded underarm hole! If you’ve knit a sweater, you probably know what I mean. This video by Suzanne Bryan is an ingenious way to fix the problem! I can’t wait to use it on my next sweater!
German Short Rows
When a project calls for short rows you can use any type of short row that you prefer. However, we love German Short Rows and they are popping up in the majority of patterns that use short rows for shaping. They are easy to work, easy to identify on your needles, and don’t leave holes. This video shows how to work them and this video shows how to substitute them for any other type of short row.
Provisional Cast On
There are several ways to create a provisional cast on. I have tried a few and like this way by VeryPink Knits the best. This Brookilyn Tweed video is also good for showing how to take it out and put those live stitches onto a needle.
Tubular Cast On
This cast on makes a beautiful finished edge. It looks rolled over, without a defined beginning (kind of like an infinity pool), and is stretchy. There are a couple of ways to work it. I’ve included the two most common ways. Yes, this is a bit fiddly but oh so worth it! Knit Freedom does it one way and Cushion of Joy does it another way. Watch both and decide which one you want to try!
Cabling without a cable needle
Again, there is more than one way to accomplish this! Brooklyn Tweed has an excellent visual of how cables work in their tutorial. VeryPink Knits does it the way I’ve been doing it for years. She’s a little bit negative about doing cables without a needle so don’t let her put you off. Just be careful doing it with slippery yarn as it’s much easier to lose a stitch! Remember that there is a limit as to how many stitches you should do this with! If I’m using slippery yarn or have more than three stitches to cable, I use a cable needle. Use your own best judgment. Cabling without a needle is much faster and you feel so capable!
Grafting (formerly known as Kitchener stitch)
This seaming stitch can strike fear into a knitter’s heart until you’ve done it many times. It can be used for the toes of socks, shoulder seams, the tops of mittens, and more. It’s an excellent way to join two sets of live stitches. Stephen West offers us a good video on how to do it.
Mattress Stitch
When you watch this VeryPink Knits video, you’re not going to be afraid of seaming any longer! Most of us don’t seam very often which makes us leery of doing it. Really, it’s pretty easy and rather fun!
Hopefully, this list will help you find what you need in a hurry! There are lots of helpful videos and these are just a small sampling of what’s out there.
We can always help you at the shop but I’ve found that I usually need help at 5:30 on a Saturday night! I certainly don’t want to wait until Tuesday to get the help I need!
Happy knitting,
