Knitting Tips/tricks

I went to a Knitting Meet-up group yesterday and found myself as the source of many a knitting tip. Now most of the things I know I've picked up from other knitters both in person and online, but as I came up with one today I thought perhaps I should share a few of these, or at least write them out for future reference.

So today's knitting tip/trick:

If you are like me, and are knitting in stockinette with cotton, or some other unforgiving yarn it is common to have some stitches tighter or looser than others. If it is a single stitch you can use your needle or a crochet hook to destribute the variance over several other stiches in the row. But if it is an entire row of stitches you will not be able to do this.

If you are like me (a lazy perfectionist) you will want it to look good, but without the extra effort of ripping back multiple rows to acheive this. I have my ways :)

A) The row is too loose
-->tighten each stitch to the right height gathering the yarn into an increasingly long loop as you go along. When you have completed the row and are at a good point to stop take the loop and either
1- if it is long enough to weave in the ends cut the loop and tie a loose knot and come back and treat it as if it is any other yarn join
2- if it is too short to weave the ends in separately, using a crochet hook, slip the loop through the back of several purl stitches then use a thread or split one ply off your working yarn to tie it in place to the back of a purl bump.

B) The row is too tight
--Knit to the center of the section that is too tight and drop a single stitch down (tink) to the offending row (it might help to mark the center stitch of the too tight row with a stitch marker or safety pin). Skipping that stitch as one rung of the ladder, and leaving the yarn stranded at the back side of your work, use a needle or crochet hook to knit up the remaining rows/rungs. Pull the fabric taught, and distribute the excess you have created over the stitches to the left and right of the skipped stitch (use needle or hook if necessary). If this does not create enough excess, repeat the procedure with stitches on spaced equally on either side of center, keeping in mind that the excess will distribute both left and right.

I'll try to post pictures of this as well when my camera battery is charged again.

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