Barbara wants to know how does she find the right pattern row after ripping out a lot? 

She’s feeling frustrated with following a chart.

Great question!

And Barbara, congratulations on stretching yourself to try what sounds like a complex knitting chart!

Been there, done that!  When starting to knit lace or any pattern with a knitting chart, it’s easy to get lost.  Especially when knitting with interruptions or to relieve stress.

Some charts have over 20 rows of knitting in the pattern repeat.  Yikes!

Is it any wonder knitters get frustrated?

Many lace knitting instructions suggest marking off the chart as you go.  That makes sense, although it can still be hard to find your way.  And if you drop a stitch or are just having problems challenges with the pattern, it can be frustrating.

Especially when ripping and knitting, ripping and knitting.

Wondering if there’s an easy solution?

Well, there is.  It’s called a lace lifeline or just a lifeline.

Basically, you thread a finer yarn or thread through the stitches on your needle, and then knit around the thread.  I often like to use crochet cotton or crochet thread.  It’s often a good thickness, and will slip in and out easily without catching on the yarn.

Putting your lifeline in a row that’s all knit or all purl stitches is often easier than trying to thread it through the fancier yarn overs or baubles or knots in lace knitting.  And if you make a note of which row you’re working on, you can find your place easily.

And you can put in as many lifelines as you feel you need.  You could insert one the same row of each repeat if you like.  They can be left in until you’re finished, or pulled out when you’re satisfied you don’t need it any more.  Just be sure you really are satisfied before pulling it out.

Yes, that is the voice of experience.

If you’re a member of the Knitting Yarn, you can click on the link below to view a How To Knit Video on Lace Lifelines I made…

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Lace lifelines can be an important safety net for all lace knitting, and for knitters starting a new level of knitting.  They can also be helpful when you’re learning how to read your knitting.

Reading your knitting is a skill all knitters should develop.  One of the best books on the subject is Knitting for Anarchists.  It explains the different ways the yarn loops around the needles, and should be part of every knitter’s library.

Click here right now to get your own copy.

To your healthy and happy knitting & caregiving,

Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

Yes, I’m serious.

Sure knitting with incomplete knitting instructions can be frustrating.  You know what?  They can also be a blessing.

Okay, maybe one in disguise or just hiding very well.

When I first started knitting lace I didn’t realize how challenging it can be.  Sometimes fearless knitting is the only way to start — and finish — a project.

I knit a purse that I thought would be easy.  I decided to use a yarn I hadn’t used before.  It’s actually no longer available, which is no surprise.  To say it was challenging may be one of those historical understatements.  And when you’re frustrated or busy like in caregiving, this is definitely not a combination — difficult pattern and yarn — to try.

The yarn is part rayon, and very slippery.  Add to that a fairly complicated lace pattern, and I ended up knitting and ripping and knitting and ripping the border until I was ready to give up.

I didn’t.  And was able to realize the direction while not incorrect were simply not clear.  In the process I learned how not to write directions!

What finally got me to complete the lace pattern was finding it in a knitting book.  It can be very helpful to see more than one version of the same instructions.  While it did not solve all the problems with the slippery yarn, it did reduce my frustration.  

And click here right now to get your FREE The Knitting Yarn Membership!

Keep knitting to your heart’s desire – or someone else’s!

To your healthy and happy knitting & caregiving,

Dr. Ina
Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care at www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

Sometimes it’s nice to have small easy knitting projects. 

When your time is not scheduled for knitting, it’s nice to be able to drop your work and pick it up easily.  Without having to spend more time puzzling over following the knitting instructions than actually knitting!  I first learned that as a family caregiver, when I might get an hour without being called, or maybe only a few seconds!

This week has been one of those weeks for small projects.  The weather turned cooler, so I decided it’s time to try a head wrap.  It’s not quite cold enough for a knitted cap, and it’s too chilly for a summer hat.

A head wrap is a nice alternative.  Its openness in the back keeps the head from overheating in mild weather while it covers the ears nicely. This one was quick and easy.  2×2 ribbing in short rows for shaping.  Next I want to try my own version with a different stitch.  Maybe a Fisherman’s rib would work well.

The acrylic yarn I used is reused from a shawl I didn’t like.  There was a LOT of yarn in that shawl, so even after making a second shawl I still have yarn left over!

And my second project is a dishcloth made from cotton yarn left over from another project.  So in addition to getting my knitting in, I’m using up some of my stash.  Dishcloths wear out, and it seems like they all wear out at once!  It’s nice to have a stash of completed dishcloths. 

Their bright colors add a fun whimsical touch to kitchen chores.

Happy Fiber Arts Friday!

Keep knitting to your heart’s desire – or someone else’s,

Dr. Ina

Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care, HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

Full disclosure and disclaimer at www.TheKnittingYarn.com/Policies

The latest video in my How To Knit Videos is on using single crochet with knitted squares.

And there’s an interesting story behind it.  You see, I made an afghan from a kit a few years ago.

It is made of individual squares that are joined together into the whole afghan.  I knit it while caregiving.  The squares are a great way of knitting a large project without hauling the whole thing around.

I think it’s now my favorite way to knit an afghan or blanket.  Although I can see making strips another option.

Yes, I customized the knitting instructions.

The original knitting instructions called for sewing the squares together.  The squares are different colors, and I thought it needed a unifying color scheme.  So the yarn joining the squares together would be less noticeable.  Originally, I knit garter stitch around each square and sewed them together.  The acrylic yarn ended up being scratchy, making the whole afghan feel itchy.

When I decided to change the edging, I also decided to crochet around the edges.  It’s much faster, and easier on the hands and wrists when working with the large piece.  I used a single crochet edging around each square, joining the squares with a crocheted slip stitch.  Now I’m crocheting a row of single crochet around the edges.

I love the effect.  The yarn I’m using is Caron One Pound in Nutmeg.  The entire afghan kit is acrylic, which is why I’m using acrylic yarn. 

This afghan took longer than I expected to knit originally.  It’s a big project! The stockinette squares are embroidered with duplicate stitch to create the flowers.  I think an afghan in just blocks of color would be lovely too. 

Single crochet makes a nice edging.  And it’s simple for even a beginning crocheter.

As I was joining the blocks, I noticed some blocks had more stitches than others.  In the future, I might count my crochet stitches to get them more equal.  Then again, I might not!  Easing the seams together while crocheting was painless.

To see my latest video, just leave a comment on this blog post.  If you’re reading this post on a site other than The Knitting Yarn, to leave your comment and see the free video click right here now.

Keep knitting to your heart’s desire – or someone else’s,

Dr. Ina

Ina Gilmore, M.D. (Retired)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com
Ambassador of Elder Care, HowToLiveOnPurpose.com

The information on this website is for educational purposes only.  It does not replace information or recommendations from your own physician or other health care provider.  Full Disclaimer and Disclosure at www.TheKnittingYarn.com/Policies

Some purists don’t like to combine knitting and crocheting.

Why some, won’t even talk to people who do the other one!  Good grief is all I can say.

While knitting comes easier for me, I enjoy them both.  And part of the fun is combining them into the same project.

Recently I decided to redo part of an afghan I made a few years ago.  It’s made of individual blocks of different colors.  The original knitting instructions in the afghan kit said to sew the blocks together. 

Well, that’s fine.  I wanted to use the same color yarn, thinking it would be less noticeable.  My first attempt was to knit a border around each block in garter stitch, then sew them together by hand. 

It was not quite what I wanted.  Initially I though it would be okay – and soon changed my mind.  The borders around the blocks actually made the whole afghan feel itchy and rough.  The blocks are all acrylic yarn, so I used an acrylic yarn.  Unfortunately it was a scratchy acrylic yarn which just seems to get worse with time. 

Or maybe I’m less tolerant of it!

So, I decided to try again.  This time I’m using a soft acrylic yarn from Caron. I thought the neutral nutmeg brown would make a nice background for each of the squares. Instead of knitting garter stitch, I’m crocheting around the edges.

Single crochet is faster than knitting, and probably uses less yarn.  Plus once I have the borders all done, I can crochet them together instead of sewing. 

It will be fun to see how it turns out.  Customizing the knitting instructions are part of the fun of knitting!

For copies of my free knitting patterns and more ideas about knitting, join The Knitting Yarn’s FREE membership now.  Just click right here now to register.

Keep knitting to your heart’s delight – or someone else’s,

Dr. Ina

Ina Gilmore M.D. (ret.)
“The Knitting Dr.”

Ambassador of Elder Care, www.HowToLiveOnPurpose.com
Founder, www.CaregivingWithPurpose.com and www.TheKnittingYarn.com

The information on this website is for educational purposes only. It does not replace information or recommendations from your own physician or other health care provider. FullDisclaimer and Disclosure at www.TheKnittingYarn.com/policies.

After Pat lost her vision, she continued knitting.

Her specialty was baby blankets.  She knit them for friends . . .family . . .and her church members.  Welcoming each new addition with a soft cuddly blanket.

Looking at her work you’d never know she was blind.  Plus she continued to knit after recovering from a major heart attack.

Inspirational stories warm the heart . . .

Seeing how someone with what the world considers disabilities can overcome them and create treasures is inspiring.

And sometimes just the added push I need to complete a project.  My current project is a hat.

My own pattern.  The knitting instructions are a work in progress.

For a variety of reasons, I haven’t been working on it much the last couple of weeks.

After watching this inspirational video about a group of knitters who are blind, I think it’s time to pick up my knitting needles again . . .

Hey if they can knit beautiful articles like that without sight, can’t anyone?

What inspires you . . .?

People? Animals? Unique knitting instructions? Soft yarn?

Leave a comment to share your inspirational sources.

How do you inspire yourself and others?

Have you heard of The 21-Day “I AM a Gift to the World!” Challenge?

The first life you change may just be your own!

Click here for more information about The 21-Day “I AM a Gift to the World!” Challenge.

Keep knitting to your heart’s delight — or someone else’s,

Ina

Ina Gilmore

“The Knitting Dr.”

Disclaimer:

The information on this website is for educational purposes only.  It does not replace information or recommendations from your own physician or other health care provider.  This site does not advocate medical or other health-related self-care, and encourages you to obtain advice from your own personal physician or other health care provider.

This web site is not intended to replace medical, financial, legal, or any other professional advice.  Please use your own good judgment and consult with your own professionals before applying any ideas found within this website.

Disclosure:

I may have a marketing connection to a brand, topic or product listed on this website. Through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made.

For more information: cmp.ly/5/kf4rlc

Some time ago I noted my left thumb aching . . .especially after knitting.

While it cleared up after stopping knitting, it bothered me.

First of all, who wants to give up knitting?  And second, I didn’t want it to be anything
serious . . .like a repetitive stress injury.

I noticed it when I was more stressed than usual. My caregiving activities were at an all-time high, among other things . . .

Because I wanted to know if I could fix it by changing what I was doing, I started closely watching how I knit.

I first noted the discomfort while knitting a 1×1 ribbing.  At the time I knit quite a bit of ribbing including hats and socks.

Why knit ribbing?  Well three reasons actually.

• Ribbing makes a nice elastic stitch.
• Caregiving responsibilities were cutting into knitting time.  So I didn’t have extra time to take extensive measurements and fittings.  I wanted articles that would fit without a lot of adjustments.
• A pattern that’s the same every row is easier to drop in a hurry and pick up again when interruptions come . . .cutting down on the ripping and reworking.

How do I knit?

I carry the yarn in her left hand.  Well, sort of.

Actually I don’t wind it between my fingers. When switching from a knit stitch to a purl stitch, I use my left thumb to wrap the yarn around the needle to form the purl stitch.

When relearning how to carry the yarn wasn’t working, it was time to search for another
option . . .

What about knitting instructions that allow you to carry the yarn behind your work for both knit and purl stitches?

Like you do in Norwegian purling.

You can check it out in this video . . .

Can’t see the video?  Just click here for a different viewer.

Learning a new way to purl was easier than trying to relearn holding the yarn in my hand differently.

If you haven’t tried the Norwegian purl stitch, you might want to.  It’s nice to have a couple of alternative ways to purl.  You may find it FUN to switch back and forth.

Using Norwegian purling relieved the thumb pain.

An added benefit . . .I stopped avoiding the purl stitch.

Are you avoiding a certain stitch?

If you want to do the stitch, you might try a different method of knitting.

And guess what . . .?

You might just find it FUN!

Keep knitting to your heart’s delight — or someone else’s,

Ina

“The Knitting Dr.”

The Knitting Yarn

P.S. Have you heard about The 21-Day “I AM a Gift to the World!” Challenge created by Chief Robert TallTree and Terri Lynn TallTree?

It’s a challenge showing you how to tell people they’re important to you.  Anonymously!  And it can easily be used to show family and friends how much you  care about them.

It’s F-R-E-E — and FUN!  Plus there are some great prizes available!

Just click on the image or this link for more information . . .

The first life you change just might be your own!

Disclosure:

I may have a marketing connection to a brand, topic or product listed on this website. Through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made.

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