Figuring Yardage Left in Skein

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Ashley Little (Craftsy blog) explores how to figure how many yards are left in a partial skein.

There is some math involved, but it’s easy!

How to Figure Out How Many Yards are Left in a Skein of Yarn walks you through the process. 

Knitting Types

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How do you knit? What are the basic methods of knitting? There are several standard ways of carrying the working yarn, and of course some knitters develop their own curious variations on those. Interweave shares an overview of the best positions for different needs; perhaps there’s something new you’d like to try tonight!

Eight Ways to Knit and Why You'd Want to Change

Catherine Wheel Join - Tatting

How to Trim Large Blocks

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Big block quilts can be quick, easy and fun to stitch together, but how do you properly trim the individual blocks if the tools you have on hand are not large enough?

Karen Walker explains how to trim a large block with a six-inch square ruler in a photo tutorial:

How to Trim Large Blocks for Big Block Quilts

Crochet a Buttonhole

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Adding a buttonhole to a crochet garment can be done easily and quickly. A photo tutorial demonstrates the technique on the We Are Knitters blog.

Dyeing Sources

As the weather begins to transition into Spring, we become impatient to have more color in our surroundings. Satisfy those cravings by dyeing some yarn or fiber.

Robyn Spady complied links and information to make the process easy and successful.

Tatting with One Hand

Inspired by the book “Tatting With One Hand” by Helen A. Chesno, Marilee Rockley demonstrates the technique - a method of tatting for people who have the use of only one hand. She said it may also help others to understand the “flip” of shuttle tatting.  

Marilee published also published a post with still photos:  one-handed tatting a ring


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Half-Hitch for Spindle

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Whether you’re spinning on a Turkish spindle or on a simple toy wheel spindle, there will come a time in your spindle spinning life when you need to make a half-hitch. You may have done so by making a loop and placing it upside-down on the spindle, but there is a much faster way, one that Abby Franquemont illustrates in this Interweave post. 

How to Make a Half-Hitch on Your Spindle

Scottish Spindle

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According to Interweave, modern spinners are rediscovering the traditional Scottish spindle, believed lost for generations. With its whorl-less, cone-shaped body and crossing grooves cut into the bottom, the Scottish spindle, also called a dealgan (pronounced jal-a-gen), is as strong, practical, and dependable as the culture that created it. Want to learn how to spin on a Scottish spindle? 

Check out this photo tutorial provided by Interweave

Foundationless Crochet

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Sandra (Cheery Heart) says, "If you've ever struggled with that tricky first row of crochet and working into those starting chains then you'll be pleased to know there is a way around it.

This is a really clever technique which means you can just start working crochet stitches straight away, without working a starting chain first. In effect, the starting chain is being made as you crochet."

Sandra's tutorial for this technique can be found on her blog post, Foundationless Crochet. 

Knitting Backwards

Holding a Crochet Hook

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According to Interweave author, Julia M. Chambers, "The way we hold our hooks—and the reason we find one hook and handhold more comfortable or effective than another—is determined in part by the shape of our hands, the length of our fingers, and muscle memory development. Our lifestyle affects how we use our hands. Someone who swings a hammer every day will hold and use a crochet hook differently from someone who types all day. By being aware of our strengths and weaknesses, we may even be able to prevent repetitive-motion injuries.

I have short fingers and wide hands with a lot of muscle development from playing piano. When I was a child, I did a lot of hand and finger exercises so I could play an octave, because my fingers were so short. My hand-muscle development likely makes the way I hold and use a hook different from someone else who also has short fingers but does not have the muscle development I do from piano. I prefer long crochet hooks and an underhand hold."

Julia covers six ways to hold a crochet hook in her article, Holding a Crochet Hook and with her tips, you should find a method that works the best for your hands. 

Mattress Stitch

Joining Granny Squares

Avoiding the Gap

Nalbinding

This craft will be demonstrated by Hailey R. at the March Guild meeting.

There's a Knot in My Yarn!

Very Pink Knits demonstrates how to work with an unexpected knot in a skein/ball of yarn.

Spinning Heather & Tweed Yarn

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Jillian Moreno, editor of Knittyspin, discusses and illustrates the difference between Heather and Tweed yarn in the Knittyspin Deep Fall 2017 article: Heather or Tweed.  

Enlarging Patterns

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So you want to enlarge a sewing or craft pattern from a book, but you don't want to run to the library to use the copy machine? 

Use your cell phone and computer

SewCanShe offers tutorials on the process for both formats:

iPhones and MacBooks

Smartphones and Windows

Knit in the Row Below

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Knit in the row below patterns can create a textured and airy fabric when worked with knits and purls on the right side but also simulate stranded knitting when worked as stockinette. Like with the slip stitch patterns the knit in the row below patterns don’t curl on the edges when worked as rib or garter stitch, but behave like stockinette when all right side stitches are knitted.

A tutorial and simple patterns using the technique can be found on the Pumora website.