Knitting Articles






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Cheryl’s Unified Theory of Finishing in Two Parts  The interior of a piece of knitting pretty much takes care of itself until you need to block it. Ah . . . but the edges. There’s where the serious finishing happens. And before you make your next sweater, you need to take the video class Finishing 101. For free. Here.

Ban Stair-Step Bind-Offs  Wherein you will learn two ways to avoid stair-step bind-offs. Both are handy tools to know about even if you don’t memorize them because you don’t use them that often.

The Power of Handwork  What does handcraft in general and knitting, specifically, mean to you?

The Problem with Patterns  Here are a couple resources that encourage you to question the “authority” of patterns. Many tears have been shed by knitters who have said, “But I followed the pattern exactly!” Let’s dry those eyes.

About the Long-Tail Cast-On If you could only know one, general purpose, cast-on, this is the one I would recommend. It’s handsome, sturdy, has enough stretch for most circumstances, and is fast to do. I even show you a bind-off that matches it perfectly.

The Nature of Knitted Fabric Just as computer programmers use 1s and 0s to create a vast variety of programs, we knitters use the humble knits and purls to create thousands of different fabrics. They have very different qualities, these fabrics, and here are some observations about them, including an explanation of that “Dreaded Stockinette Curl.”

About Yarn This is about yarn, just yarn. How to wind it by hand, how to figure out what fiber it might be if it has no identifying paperwork, how to reclaim it, how to understand its “weight.”

Fixing Le Le’s too short sleeves Twice in the past month I’ve helped knitters fix sweater parts that are too short. I figure if Kate and Le Le have had this problem, you might have had it too. This also works for shortening things that are too long.

How to Wind a Center-Pull Ball by Hand   Knowing how to wind a center-pull ball by hand is, well, very handy. 😀

A Dandy New One-Row Buttonhole (for Garter and Seed Stitch mostly I played around with lots of instructions, changed them slightly, and I like the results.

The Never-Ending Garter Stitch Afghan and How it Will Help You  This article gives you access to one of the best things I have ever written for knitters or crocheters or anyone else who makes blankets or afghans or “throws.”

One Way to Adapt a Sweater Pattern to Your Gauge
This is a video article that takes you step-by-step through the process of adapting a pattern to suit you.

Why you’re frustrated with gauge and why it’s good news
This explains to you why you almost never get the gauge the pattern calls for and why that’s OK.

Patterns are Guidelines, not Gospel
Patterns are guidelines, not gospel, and I didn’t pull that idea out of a hat.

You want me to pay for YouTube?!?!
YouTube Red. What is it and why is it, and what does it mean for you?

How do you use YouTube? Seriously.
YouTube is a game-changer. How we access how-to information now is profoundly different from how we accessed it 10 years ago. Weigh on on how it has changed your life.

Understanding Yarn Weight (It’s the vocabulary)
There are three words we use to describe yarn “weight” that have more than one meaning. A video can explain it.

The Good News is the Bad News
It’s always that way isn’t it? There are advantages and disadvantages to almost everything in life  . . . two sides to every coin.

The Beautiful Daughter a Year Later
Because so many of you have been kind enough to ask about her, I wanted to share my correspondence with Beautiful Daughter with you.

Gutenberg, Google and Beyond
1) Gutenberg
Johannes Gutenberg was the guy who introduced printing with movable type to Europe in 1439. He is more important to who you are today than your great-to-the-25th-power grandmother who lived at the same time . . .

I Don’t Often Scream and What’s in it for You
LIFETIME SCREAMS:
1) 1967, February: Mosher-Jordan Residence Hall, University of Michigan, 5th floor. Sunday afternoon. Homework done. Sun streaming in. Dust motes drift. Having a dreamy phone talk with my boyfriend. A bat hops out from under my bed. Toward me. . . .

Cheryl’s (Locally Famous) Blackberry Cobbler Recipe
QUICK! Download this while the berries are rampant. Pick them. Freeze them. Mash them. Bake cobbler with them. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream and become a neighborhood potluck legend.

Your Knitting Self and Dr. Seuss
After reading (more than once) 24 pages of micro-print and playing around in Excel, I  have learned some things about you and your yarn habits.