When we want to add a pom-pom to a hat, scarf, pillow or any other project, we can either make that pom-pom in a solid colour, or we can make it using several colours for more fun. A colourful pom-pom will add a frill to a project knitted in one colour, and it will match …
Two Ways to Make Multicoloured Pom-Poms Without a Pom-Pom Maker Read More »
We’ve already discussed the most common way to cast on stitches in Eastern (previously known as Russian) knitting. If you missed that tutorial, you’ll find it right here. Now, let’s see how we should hold the working yarn and knit stitches using this efficient knitting style that is not only fast but is also gentle …
How to Hold Yarn and Knit Stitches in Eastern (Russian) Knitting Read More »
When a project has increases that flare out from a line of stitches – like the increases we make at raglan lines of a top-down sweater or at the sections of a shawl – it is always a good idea to make those increases so that they mirror each other. That will add symmetry to …
Two Simple Ways to Make Paired Increases Without Holes Read More »
Ribbing is one of the most popular knitting stitch patterns. We use it to make all kinds of bands, necklines and cuffs. But sometimes we wish that ribbing wasn’t that stretchy, the texture was richer and the stitches were more uniform. All these wishes come true in a stitch pattern that looks like a more …
Slip-Stitch 2×2 Ribbing Worked Flat and in the Round Read More »
This tutorial is about a super simple trick that helps us understand how different colours of yarn look together. It does not require any knowledge of the colour theory. We simply trust our own taste and colour perception. I successfully used this trick for many years when I was running a yarn store. It helped …
When my aunt taught me to knit the Eastern (Russian )way many years ago, she didn’t tell me the name of the cast-on technique that she used to cast on stitches. To her, it was the only way to cast on stitches – a way that is simple, quick and reliable. I think that up …
The Most Common Way to Cast On Stitches in Eastern (Russian) Knitting Read More »
Whenever a pattern requires working short rows, I almost always use shadow wraps. But recently I started a project that specifically calls for German short rows. I gave this technique a try and discovered that it is an amazingly simple method that forms an almost invisible transition between the rows. When we plan to use …
This tutorial is not about a knitting technique. It is about a simple way to make a cute greeting card that you can gift to knitters and non-knitters on any occasion. Plus, it is a great way to use scraps of sock yarn that will be wasted otherwise. The card features a knitting sheep. The …
When we bind off stitches of neckbands, cuffs, toe-up socks and shawls, it is a good idea to form an edge that is elastic but holds its shape well. In cases like this, I always use a variation of a sewn bind off that I’ve learned from an old Russian knitting book ages ago. Up …
It could be intimidating to learn a new craft. Especially the one that requires manipulating two sticks to somehow make stretchy fabric out of a piece of yarn. Let’s look at it this way – if knitting were difficult, it probably wouldn’t be passed down from generation to generation for millennia. If so many people …