Thrifty Tips and Tricks

As a knitter, I am always trying to save money where I can, basically because I am frequently spending a lot of money that I don’t have. I’ve got to save my money on boring necessities where I can, like notions, because I will inevitably splurge on a $25 skein of hand-painted wool with no project in mind for it.

I restrict my needle intake to those that I absolutely require. If I am working on a project that asks for needles I don’t have, let’s say 9” single point nines for example, I am going to buy 16” circular nines, because I know I can make hats with a heavy worsted weight yarn with those needles (besides the fact that I have sworn off single pointed needles – see earlier post). I buy lots of yarn and I love knitting books. It just isn’t satisfying for me to have them for a week and then return them to the library.

So, here are some tips and tricks for incorporating household items in my knitting:

• You can use a paper clip as a stitch marker. You can also use safety pins, rubber bands, or tiny scraps of paper stabbed onto your needle.
• Rubber bands are excellent point protectors.
• A spare double pointed needle can double as a cable needle.
• Waste yarn for holding stitches; in fact, that is one substitution that I emphatically prefer over the recommended notion. Why use a stiff metal contraption that costs around five bucks to hold your stitches when you could use waste yarn that doesn’t contort your project, stab you when you try it on, or cost you any extra money?

To be honest, I not only resort to these tactics to save money, but also because sometimes when knitting a project, I will take it with me and not have the forsight to bring my notions with me. This results in being stuck in an office and needing to come up with a MacGuyver-esque strategy to be able to move on with my project.

No mention of notions could be complete without mentioning my favorite knitting notion, the Chibi. The Chibi is my favorite knitting product, and deserves a post unto itself - look for that in the next few days. In the meantime, please share some of your favorite thrifty tips and tricks with everybody. I look forward to reading them!

Knitter's Block

I have knitter’s block. You all know how it is – I started a holiday gift around December of last year and it remains unfinished. No matter how hard I try, I cannot finish this project! Every time I pick it up, I am instantly bored, longing to start something new.

To be honest, I think I have a problem with sweaters. Students have often asked me, “what kinds of projects do you do?” Specifically, people want to know how many sweaters I have made. As someone who considers herself a relatively experienced knitter and instructor, I do not want my skills judged by the measly three sweaters I have completed (two of these were quite small children’s’ sweaters). Maybe a sweater is just too big of a project for me. I’ve never even attempted an afghan or blanket. The first sweater I made was started, worked diligently on, and completed. Is it considered completed if I never put the buttons on it? Hmm…in that case, bring me down to a measly two children’s sweaters.

I have had a relationship with one sweater for almost six years. It is a big sweater, XL men’s, but the size isn’t really the issue. The knitting has actually been finished for probably three years. I can’t face the seaming. I know I’m not alone here; I have met professional seamers over the years, people who do nothing but take people’s sweaters and sew up the seams. So there it sits, partially seamed, at the bottom of a pile of knitting.

Anyways, the current sweater I can’t finish doesn’t even require seaming! It’s knit in the round and I have about 12” on one sleeve left to complete. And then the sweater’s totally done. But I still can’t face it! I’m afraid I’ve put it off so long that now, nearly a year later, I’ve discovered I didn’t buy enough yarn in the first place, and I have run out. I know all the tricks about getting new yarn and joining it, pulling it back and alternating rows if it doesn’t really match, but how can I face something like that when I can’t even face the basic knitting? I may just cut off the other sleeve, and make it a short-sleeved hooded sweater.
What do you think?

Circular Needle Proclimation

I have decided that straight needles are unnecessary and I am eliminating them from my life!

Okay, that may be an exaggeration; I will probably hold on to the straight needles I have, but I will never buy another pair. I came to this realization while talking to one of the owners of Spark. It seemed pretty revolutionary at the time, but the more I think about it, the more convinced I am that this is a reasonable and prudent decision. Straight needles are redundant. Anything you do on a straight needle you can do on a circular needle, and there are many benefits to using circulars over straights:

• Circular needles are more portable, because they coil up and fit easily into your bag or what have you, and your project is safer because it slides into the middle of the coil and is less likely to pop off the end of the stick.
  




• Long wooden needles that are low sizes are very fragile and easily break, so you are pretty much forced to use metal straight needles in low sizes, and based on your needle preference or the type of wool you are using with your project, metal is simply unacceptable. Wood needles can be an option when using circular.
  




• You can knit back and forth on a flat project AND in the round with circulars.
  




• You can’t misplace one needle-they’re attached!

While I personally have been off straight needles for some time because I am cheap, and have suggested circular needles to any more intermediate knitters working on projects particularly utilizing straight needles, as an instructor I have encouraged beginning students to purchase straight needles. That’s a bit odd, because as an instructor, I tend to encourage students to challenge themselves. It’s not that I don’t think that beginners can start out on circular needles; it’s just that I had never thought about it before. So, I have decided as an instructor to teach all beginners on circular needles from now on, and to spread the word about needlessness of straight needles.
Beginning knitters can easily pick up this skill; I’ve seen it happen. There have been times due to lack of resources, I have taught people starting out on circular needles. They did fine. In fact, better than fine, because their beginner scarves never slid off the end of those pesky straight needles.
The caveat to the no-straight-needle proclimation is, of course, double pointed straight needles. I rely on them, and no, it isn’t because I haven’t tried magic loop. I just like them.

Some tips when using circular needles:

• In the beginning, even if you have a lot of experience knitting, say, scarves, for example, when you first take the switch to circular needles, take care not to connect the two ends.
  If you are annoyed by the curly nature of the coil, you can always steam it and it should straighten out, although they tend to lose their spring naturally with use, and when you have a project on them, it helps a lot.
  




• Experiment with metal and wood, depending on your preference.
  




• Be aware of the join where the cable meets the needle. You want this to be smooth so your work doesn’t get stuck on it.
  




• Always pull your project off of the tip of the needle and onto the cable when packing up your projects so no slide-offs occur.
  




• Circular needles do require a bit more organization because they do get tangled up together...
  

  ...so I highly recommend a needle organizer. My favorite is the Que, by Della Q.
  
  
  

Introduction

I worked as a knitting instructor and yarn department manager at Spark Craft Studios in Cambridge, MA for the past couple years. I have relocated to Colorado for graduate school. While at Spark, I met some amazing artists and crafters who I will miss very much. I’m starting this blog to maintain a connection with that community. I will continue to share my hints, tips, knitting advice, general advice, the ups, the downs, and hope you will all do the same. While the main theme is knitting, it certainly is not the only topic. When people get together to be creative and expressive, all aspects of their lives are brought to the table.