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What’s The Secret?
DISCOVER TOP TIPS FOR TRICKY TECHNIQUES
Q
What can I do to
make my finished
knits look neater?A
We often get asked
this by knitters
and we know that
finishing a garment well
can really change how you
feel about a project. After
all the time you have spent,
carefully knitting each piece
it is worth taking the time
to finish it in the best way
possible, so you can proudly
wear it.
First of all, we recommend
blocking each piece. If you
aren’t familiar with this term
it means using steam or
washing each piece and
pinning it to the correct
dimensions, either on a
blocking mat, ironing board
or towel. Some people use
children’s foam play mats toblock – a very cost-effective
solution. Blocking allows the
stitches to relax and helps
the edges to lie flat, making
sewing up so much easier.
If you are going to use a
steam iron, don’t be tempted
to put the iron on the fabric,
simply hold it just above for
the steam to do its work.
We have found the
best technique for sewing
pieces together is mattress
stitch, also known as ladder
stitch. While over sewing
can create puckering in
your seam, mattress stitch
gives an even result which
is almost invisible, because
of the way you zig-zag
between the two pieces.
With practise you caneasily match up patterns
or even stripes. There is an
easy-to-follow video on our
website to help you:
bit.ly/382mfw5. Just two
simple techniques and your
knits will look fantastic!The Yarn
Doctors
JULIET AND BRONAGH FROM THE
UKHKA OFFER THEIR EXPERT ADVICEChanging colours to knit super stripes
Introduce a new element to your monochrome knits with simple stripes! There are
two main ways of working stripes and which method to choose depends on the
width and frequency of each colour change.On wide bands of colour it is best to cut the
yarn each time you want to introduce a new
shade. Simply start knitting with the new
colour at the start of the next row.If the colour change happens frequently
then you can often carry the yarn up the
side of the work without cutting it. This
only works if your stripes are worked over
an even number of rows and it’s best if the
edge will be hidden in a seam.Some knitters prefer to knot the two colours
together when you first join them, then undo
this knot later on when it comes to sewing in
your ends.Get creative with colour in
Jacinta Bowie’s statement
sweater. Find the pattern
on page 19!THANKS TO JULIET
AND BRONAGH
FROM THE UKHKAFor more advanced colourwork, you
might be required to change colour in the
middle of a row. If you are working blocks
of colour, remember to give the yarns a
little twist to make a neater join and avoid
holes in your work.If you have lots of colour changes. Weave in the ends as you go along to
save doing it all at the end.