We’re celebrating National Crochet Month with some handy crochet tips! This week’s tip shows us the proper way to weave in your ends.

Weaving in ends is one of the most tedious aspects of knitting and crocheting for me. I have heard of some people who enjoy it, but I’m definitely not one of them. It’s time consuming, especially if you have a beautiful colorwork project. Most advice says to weave in your ends as you go along. That plan always sounds so appealing in the beginning, but never seems to work out!

After all that work you put into your project, weaving in your ends properly is essential. You don’t want them to slip out and poke through. Everyone has their own opinion on the best way to weave in ends. This way seems to please almost everyone.

Step 1. Thread your tapestry hook and insert it vertically down into the stitch closest to the base of the yarn. I like to go down about 1/2″, but adjust this based on the project itself. If it’s very open work, I may only go down a couple stitches at a time.

Step 2. Insert your needle horizontally into the stitches next to it. Again, I like to do about 1/2″, but less if that helps keep the end hidden.

Step 3. Now insert your needle vertically again, this time going up. This weaving in and out will keep your thread secure. If you can only go a couple stitches vertically at a time, try repeating these steps another one or two times to make sure it’s really secure.

Now this is where opinions differ. Some of us like to leave a long tail when you’re done weaving in the ends, then block the project. Once it’s done blocking, then you can cut the tail. The logic is that the tail may wiggle out a bit when the project is blocking. Personally I just snip the tail when I’m done weaving, but the other way seems much more thorough!

 

Do you have a technique for weaving in your ends? Do you enjoy weaving in all those ends or find it a tedious chore?

It’s National Crochet Month! We’re celebrating by sharing some handy crochet tips to help refine your crochet skills or get you started. This week, we’re putting a new spin on your foundation chain.

Starting your crochet project is probably almost everyone’s least favorite part. Chaining all those stitches, then fiddling your hook into that starting chain can be tedious and time consuming. For me, it never ends up looking quite right either.

Most of us were taught to start your first row by crocheting into the front of your starting chain. Instead, try inserting your hook into the bump on the back of your chain. Surprisingly, this actually creates a much neater and smoother edge.

This technique also creates a much more elastic edge and will even mirror your final row perfectly. Since crocheting into that back bump creates a mirror stitch to your last row, it makes seaming and adding a crocheting edging much easier!

Sometimes when you start using brand new circular needles, the cords can be a little unruly. They can get very curly and twisted from being in the packaging, which makes it hard to keep your project flat and can be frustrating to work with.

All you need to remedy this is some warm water. You want the water to be hot, but not boiling. I use my teakettle on the stove and wait until I see some steam, but warming up even just a mug of water in the microwave would work too. Dip the cords into the water for a few seconds, then stretch out the needles and give a gentle tug.  The warm water will relax the plastic enough to release the curl. Only do a few seconds at a time! You don’t want to accidentally melt your cords.

Does the word ‘neon’ give you flashbacks to 1980s bad fashion montages, complete with teased hair and shoulderpads? Neon might not be a new color concept but it’s back in a big way, showing up in magazines, shopping malls and even on our shelves! I’ll give you a few ideas of what to knit or crochet with and how to wear these bright colors.

Louisa Harding Mila takes neon over the top by adding a sparkly thread to its interesting chainette construction. The colors are fresh and juicy, with names like Citron, Tomato, and Candy. I immediately thought of crocheted jewelry and whipped up this necklace. Monochromatic outfits are in, but who has an entire electric coral wardrobe? I paired my necklace with a matching tee instead to scale that trend down and added my signature skull cardigan. Branch out into neon slowly by incorporating it with your favorite pieces if you’re nervous.

The next level is a colorful accessory, like Greta’s Neon for Neon cowl knit in Manos del Uruguay Alegria. Since Alegria is bright and highly variegated, it’s perfect in small doses and solid colored clothing really helps it pop. Greta’s top already mirrors the great pink tones of the cowl, so a saturated aqua satchel pulls out the blues and provides contrast. Depending on the rest of your outfit, you can match or contrast small accessories like jewelry, bags, shoes or even nail polish with your neon knits. A perfect opportunity to consult your Color Grid!

Turn your knitting all the way to eleven with a neon sweater like Shiri Mor’s Helix Cabled Vest from the Vogue Knitting Winter 2012/13 issue. After all, we put so much work into our handmade garments, and highlighter yellow-green yarn is guaranteed to steal the spotlight! Let this sweater vest shine by pairing it with neutrals, but don’t be afraid to mix neutrals to add visual interest and break up your look–a black skirt and sweater veers close to suit territory. I love grey and black together for this outfit and chances are, you already have similar pieces in your closet. Matching neon triangle earrings keep the look fun and the focus up by your face.

Done right, neon can be modern, fresh and funky, not scary! For more neon-spiration, check out some of these blindingly gorgeous projects on Ravelry.

What do you think, are you ready to electrify your look with some neon knits? Will you go big or start small?

Today’s tip comes from Heidi, one of our creative and talented store staff. She tells us about the benefits of shank buttons, and how to sew them on the right way so they stay put.

If sewn on properly, shank buttons are great for babies and children, because they are more “wiggle proof.” Any button with holes can be used as a shank button.

Here’s how to make a button with holes into a shank button: 

• Start with a length of heavy duty thread about 24″ long.
• Thread through the needle and knot the free ends together.

• With the right side of garment facing you, pass the needle through to the wrong side. You want the knot on the right side next to where the button will go.
• Pass the needle through to the right side and then through the button holes.
• Pass the needle a few times through the holes and the knitted/crocheted fabric.You should leave a space between the button and the fabric so the button can still move and fit into the button hole.
• On the right side of the fabric, wrap the thread around the the space between fabric and button until the button doesn’t move easily.
• Pass through to the wrong side of the fabric, tie a knot then sew through some of the fabric, and then cut the thread.

Here’s how to sew on shank buttons: 

• Start with a length of heavy duty thread about 24″ long.
• Thread through the needle and knot the free ends together.
• With the wrong side of the garment towards you, pass the needle through to the right side.
• Thread the button onto the needle and pass the needle through to the wrong side.
• Then thread the needle between the 2 strands of the knot and tighten.
• Continue sewing button, passing through the shank of the button then pass through to the wrong side, pass through some of the fabric, and then cut and knot the thread.

 

In this post, J, one of our store associates, shares his experience with the world of apps for knitting.

I received an iPad mini for Christmas, hints were dropped and I can’t tell you how excited I was to open it up, my old laptop is now collecting dust. To the App Store I went. One of the first things I typed into the search bar was “knit” and then came the choices. We’ve all heard “There’s an app for that.”, I found myself asking, but what am I actually going to use this for. Should I download every app just because it has the word knit in the title?

Let’s get started with The Basics

WEBS
From your favorite page(s) on yarn.com you can make a bookmark. Now getting to the website is just a click away from your tablet. You start from the page of your choosing this way. Always Searching by Fiber? Perusing PDFs? Checking out the Yarn Closeouts? Keep Your Wishlist handy for when you come make the trip to the store!

YouTube
Of course, watch that tutorial over and over again, Russian join, Norwegian Purl? Please refresh my memory, purl off, knit, knit off, purl, but where do I start? In the searchbar on Youtube you can type in knitspeak (ssk, sk2p, p2togTBL, etc.) As with anything on YouTube, check a few out. You want instruction that you can actually follow, sight, sound, and all. As I mentioned, we have some great instructional videos at yarn.com. There is a real knitting instruction app that I’ll talk about later, but I mainly wanted to point out that you can type knitting abbreviations into YouTube, because it’s good to know.

Ravelry
I am amazed at the number of knitter’s who have not found this resource yet. It’s a thing, and if you love anything yarn related you should check it out, Ravelry.com. Create a bookmark so that you don’t have to type it in to your browser anymore. (Pro-tip: create the bookmark from your favorite page, ie. pattern search, your projects page, favorite forum and you’ll always start out in your favorite place) May we suggest the AllThingsWEBS group (http://www.ravelry.com/groups/all-things-webs)? Show off your FOs, chat with other fiber lovers, Queue up projects that are perfect for those beautiful skeins you just bought.

Calculator HD for iPad by CrowdCafe
Of course you should have a calculator at your fingertips. While there are many free options out there. This one in particular has one feature that the rest do not, a notepad alongside the calculator. No need to go back and forth. Whether you need to adjust a pattern, calculate how many skeins you need, the list goes on. Well worth 99 cents to have two apps in one. My favorite mode however, is the Tape mode. It doesn’t make the distinctive tape calculator sound when its “printing”, but seeing your work as you go is wonderful.

Units from Homegrown Software Ltd
Convert anything. How many ounces is 50 grams? If I have 228 meters of yarn, how many yards is that? Did you know that Cascade 220 is 1/8th of a mile and 2.2 Soccer Fields? Even shoe sizes in five different countries, which could come in very handy. FYI: a pinch is equal to 2 dashes or 1/8th tsp.

KnitHandy from Interweave 
Based on the work of Ann Budd, this is as handy as the name suggests. The app includes a quick reference for Standard Yarn Gauges and a wide range of project types with yardage estimates in a variety of sizes and gauges. I love the color of this fingering weight yarn, is there enough to make a hat? My WiFi is not connecting and I just want to know if I need one more skein. Yardage estimates are always just that, estimates. There may not be enough for that pattern you fall in love with, but there are more patterns in the sea, your sure to find something out there.

Counter Man from Riccardo Sabattoli
Count Rows and repeats at the same time. With the free version, you can have 5 counters going. Counters can be named and the items to count can be named as well, you can associate any color for each counter. This is one of those instances where I really only need the free version so far, but I appreciate how well it’s done so I’m willing to give this guy 99 cents. Who knows, maybe someday I’ll have six projects going at once.

KnitEvenly from JKnit
Have you ever needed to increase by just a few stitches, but wanted to make sure you spread the increases out rather than adding 1 in the middle and 2 on the ends or whatever sort of fudging you were thinking of to get you the number of stitches you need. Knit evenly, shows you two ways of doing it and even has a follow along guide to walk you through so you can keep track. It’s pretty amazing.

PDFs

Now that you’ve gotten started, maybe you have some PDFs and a little stand so that you can set the instructions in front of you while you work on your latest project. That’s pretty cool. The piles of paper aren’t piling up around you and ruining your recent re-organization. Nice work by the way, we love what you’ve done with your stash.

There is that free iBooks “library” and you can make collections to get things sorted the way you like. I like to have a little more control over the pattern. I miss being able to highlight, make notes, somehow pin the page down so that I’m only looking at the row I’m currently working on. I also, admit I miss the little creases in pages from folding them up and stuffing them in my knitting bag.

GoodNotes by Time Base Technology Limited
I stumbled upon this while trying to find something to manage my pattern PDFs. Originally, I was just hoping for a bit more organization than the standard PDF reader. Little did I know that this app would have so many features that are perfect for knitting pattern reading.

Highlighter function – I’m a lace knitter, mostly, the ability to highlight repeats and specific parts of a chart is fantastic.
Palm Rest – They call it a palm rest, I call it a chart follower. The palm rest is a handy tool with a little pull tab at the bottom of the screen. After sizing the pattern so you can read it, you can move the palm rest to follow your work row by row.
Notes – Add notes anywhere on the PDF.
Two ways of organizing PDFs, separate notebooks or separate folders.
I have separate folders for Lace, Hats and Scarves, Socks, and Sweaters. You can rename PDFs and Notebooks once they are in a Goodnotes folder and move them to any folder you choose. As for separate notebooks, I recently completed Gail(aka Nightsongs) a wonderful free pattern on Ravelry. I downloaded the pattern, I had the perfect yarn, and then I got to row 38. I had to go back to the pattern page in order to find the rest of the story. Note to self, really look at project pages and additional notes when you find a pattern. It turns out that just about everyone ran into the same problem. Ravellers, being the great community they are, had taken charge and created additional charts to help the rest of us get through those pattern repeats so that the shawl would come out as spectacular as I had envisioned. Instead of keeping all of the PDFs separate, I have them in their own notebook. The beauty is that next time I work with this pattern, my highlights and notes will be there and all of the PDF charts are together.

KnittingHelp Video Reference from Outer Limits Media
It’s becoming more common for knitter’s to be self-taught. While there is nothing quite like having a teacher to ask questions or help you better see what’s happening with your stitches, knittinghelp.com has done a great job of creating instructional videos and tutorials for just about everything knitting related. The app is basically an extension of her website. I know I mentioned YouTube previously, but with free there is always a cost or so said my grandfather. With YouTube you have to find an instructional video that is done well. You want to see the stitches, have it slow enough so that you can follow along, understand what the instructor is saying. Amy Sheldon of KnittingHelp.com does that well, the videos are clear, and there are instructions for just about everything you encounter while knitting, even tips and tricks for going back a few rows and fixing mistakes. While this is an iPhone App, important to note if you search for it in the App Store, you can double the size to make it easier to use on your iPad. The $4.99 for this app is well worth it.

Do you have a favorite app for knitting or crochet?

This week, Sara Delaney shows us a clever and simple way to create beautiful plaid fabric with your knitting!

 

Knitting plaid fabrics can seem like a daunting task when you consider that they could involve not only two or more colors but intarsia work as well. And how do you keep the tension even in an intarsia section that is only one stitch wide?

Why not skip the intarsia all together with some cleverly placed purl ravines and the use of a crochet hook!

Work the horizontal stripes of your plaid normally and wherever you’d like to have the vertical stripes just work a purl stitch in that vertical column of stitches.

Once you’ve finished knitting the piece you can go back with your crochet hook, and slip stitch a line of stitches into the vertical purl ravine. The slip stitches will lie even with the surface of your knitting.

With this technique, it’s easy to create multi-colored plaid by changing the colors of your vertical stripes. You can stick to two colors, or get creative with as many as the color wheel can hold.

Easy to make plaid sweaters, cowls and hats…it’s addictive!

Wow! What a crazy 31 days of organizing we’ve had. Thanks everyone for following along. I hope you’ve found some of our tips helpful. Also thanks to everyone who left a tip or question in the comments during this series. It helped me to cover some of the organizational issues you’ve been struggling with. And many of you had really useful and creative organizational tips to share.

I’ve compiled a list below of the 31 organizing tasks and tips with quick links to each post. Some of you didn’t have time to join in on the organizing last month. Bookmark the list in your browser or your knitting & crochet Pinterest boards so it’ll be easy to find later when you want to tackle your knitting and crochet organization. Also if your organization falls apart over time, this will be a good list to go through each January to whip things back into shape.

Day 1: 31 Days to Get Your Knitting & Crochet Organized
Day 2: WIPs – Keep or Frog
Day 3: Tips for Your WIPs
Day 4: Storing Your WIPs
Day 5: Keeping Notes about Your WIPs
Day 6: Flash Your Stash!
Day 7: Destashing Your Yarn
Day 8: How to Recycle Yarn
Day 9: Tracking Your Yarn Stash
Day 10: What to Do with Leftover Yarn
Day 11: How to Get Rid of Unwanted Yarn
Day 12: Identifying Mystery Yarn
Day 13: How to Organize Your Yarn
Day 14: How to Keep Moths and Other Critters Away from Your Yarn
Day 15: Organizing Your Craft Books, Magazines, & Pattern Books
Day 16: Organizing Your Single Knitting and Crochet Patterns
Day 17: Using and Reorganizing Your Ravelry Queue
Day 18: Digital Patterns
Day 19: Keeping Track of Your Pattern Library
Day 20: Knitting Needles & Crochet Hooks
Day 21: How to Store Your Needles and Hooks
Day 22: Keeping Track of Your Needles and Hooks
Day 23: Tips for Photographing Your Finished Objects
Day 24: Tool Kit Essentials
Day 25: Knitting and Crochet Tools
Day 26: Storing Your Knitting and Crochet Tools
Day 27: Knitting and Crochet Spaces at Home
Day 28: Out and About with Your Knitting and Crochet
Day 29: Storing Your Finished Projects
Day 30: Maintaining Your Knitting & Crochet Organization
Day 31: Wrap Up!

I’d love to get some feedback from you. Either share the tip you found most useful from the organizing series, or ask any organizational question you didn’t get answered. Thanks again everyone for following along. This has been a ton of fun.

- Dena

If you’ve been following along with our 31 Days to Get Organized blog series, your knitting and crochet life probably looks a little more organized than it did a month ago. But many of you have found that you can put in a lot of time and effort getting organized, but it all falls apart after awhile. The last key part of any organizational system you create is maintaining the organization. Today’s task is to look back at how your craft organization has fallen apart in the past and how you will be able to carve out time to maintain your knitting and crochet organization going forward.

A couple of things to think about as you come up with your new maintenance plan…

• Find a home for new yarn, patterns, and tools as they come into your home. We all have busy lives and would rather be spending more of our time knitting and crochet. But I’ve found that one of the easiest ways to stay on top of a newly organized system is to find a place to store everything as it comes into your life. Decide where the new yarn will live. Put away patterns, magazines, and books with the rest of your collection. That means digital patterns too – move the file to the correct place on your computer where you can find it easily later. Dealing with the new items right away keeps them from piling up and getting overwhelming.
• If you like to keep track of what’s in your yarn stash, pattern library, and needle and hook inventory, enter your new items into your tracking systems before you put each item away in their new homes.
• The last part of finishing a project shouldn’t be weaving in your ends or blocking it. Document all of your hard work. Take pictures of your finished project including close up shots of details. And type up notes about your project right after finishing when it’s still fresh in your brain. What changes did you make to the pattern? How much yarn did you use? What needle or hook sizes did you use? Who did you make it for?
• Schedule tune-ups for your organizing system. Depending on how quickly yarn and patterns come in and out of your house, schedule regular tune-ups where you go through your yarn, patterns, and tools and clean them up, getting rid of the stuff you no longer want, and re-organizing if necessary. This may need to be a monthly, seasonal, or yearly task for you. I find that if I put these tune-ups on my calendar, they’re more likely to get done.
• I also like to make a list of priority projects that I want to knit and crochet. This includes making gifts for birthdays, holidays, new babies, etc. I’ll take a look at my calendar and schedule them throughout the year so I can stay on top of these time-sensitive projects. Writing down all of these projects also helps me look at if my expectations for what I want to do are actually realistic. Often I want to make a lot more things than I really have time to do.
• If you’re having a hard time fitting in enough knitting and crochet time, think about how you can use the wasted bits of time during a week. You can find that knitting and crocheting on the go may add up to a lot of time by the end of the week. Also, if you have some projects coming up that you need to finish, think about scheduling a knitting and crochet vacation for yourself. Carve out an afternoon or a weekend at home (or away) where you can focus your time on your project.

Do you find it difficult to keep up your knitting and crochet organization once it’s in place? How do you fit in all of the knitting and crochet time you want?

- Dena

If you’ve been knitting and crocheting for more than a few years, you might have a quite a collection of finished projects by now. Some of you have asked for help on how to store your finished projects, especially if you have big collections of sweaters, accessories, and such. In today’s 31 Days to Get Organized post, we’ll be talking about caring for your handmade garments, tips on how to organize and store them, and how to reduce your collection.

Prepare Your Finished Project Before You Store It

• The first thing you want to do is make sure your handmade creation is clean before you put it away for an extended time. Dirt will attract critters, so you’ll want to make sure your handknit sweater or crocheted blanket is clean. Follow the care instructions for the yarn you used. Eucalan Wool Wash is great for natural fibers, and some scents have natural moth and flea inhibiting properties.
• Remove pills that may have developed. Using a tool like a sweater comb or the Gleener Ultimate Fuzz Remover will make quick work of this task.
• Also repair any holes, seams, or loose ends showing on the right side of your fabric. This may take a little more time, but you’ll be thankful when you pull it out to use the next time.

Storage Tips for Your Sweaters

• Don’t hang your sweaters. This will cause them to stretch out and get hanger marks over time. It’s better to fold or roll your sweaters and store in drawers or on shelves.
• If you store your sweaters in drawers, rather than folding and stacking them, roll them after folding in the sleeves. All of your sweaters will be more visible and not hide in the bottom of the drawer.
• If you have wide shelves, use shelf dividers to separate your piles of sweaters so they stay neater and don’t fall over.
• Keep similar gauge sweaters together. Don’t stack heavier or bulky sweaters on top of fine-gauge sweaters.

Storage Tips for Your Accessories

• If you have a lot of hats, mittens, scarves, and other accessories, sort them into individual containers to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. A basket of scarves, bucket of hats, and box of mittens can save you time when you’re rushing to get out the door in the morning. Clear plastic drawers that sit below coats in a closet is a good use of space.
• Use a storage solution where you can easily see your collection. Shallow boxes on a shelf, a shoe organizer with clear pockets on the back of a coat closet door, or open wire baskets attached to the wall can make finding things easier.
• Some of your storage can also be a way to display your knitting and crochet work. Show off your felted bag collection on wall hooks, or hang your favorite shawls and scarves on a towel rack for all to see.
• Check out our Craft Spaces Pinterest board for more storage ideas.

Keep Your Favorites and Find New Homes for the Rest

• What if your collection has gotten too big for your space? Rotate through your garments, keeping some in deeper storage and the rest more accesible.
• Weed out the items you no longer wear or use. Find another home for them or put them in your giveaway pile. But take pictures first of your work if you haven’t done so already.
• Sometimes when you finish a project, it doesn’t turn out like you wanted it to. Don’t get frustrated. Save it for your next yarn swap and include a finished project swap too!

Do you have any other tips for storing and organizing your finished work?

- Dena