Are your projects less than successful? Below, you’ll find some answers to common problems. For more information, or for specific answers, please come in with your project. Or e-mail, and maybe we’ll add your question here. Also, don’t forget that Open Knitting (Wednesdays 2-4 pm) is a perfect time to drop in for help.
How do I know how much yarn I need for my project?
Well, that’s a tough one. For example, a scarf could take anywhere from 60 to 600 yards, depending on the width and length of the scarf, and the needle size you’ll use. The thicker the yarn and needle, the less overall yardage you’ll need, and vice versa. If you are knitting from a pattern, it should say how much yarn you need. If you’re not using a pattern, checking on a similar pattern to what you want to make is a good way to get an estimate. We sell a handy yarn estimating guide that’s a great addition to your knitting bag.
Finally, we would always recommend purchasing more yarn than you think you need (even more than what the pattern says) because running out is NOT a good thing. We are happy to give you store credit on clean, unused, unwound balls within 3 months of purchase with a receipt.
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I ran out of yarn. Do you have anymore? What about the dye lot?
Sometimes we decide to stop carrying a certain yarn, and sometimes the yarn company decides to stop making it, so the sooner you realize you need more yarn, the better. Often, we will still have your yarn, but not in your dye lot. Sometimes we can still order the yarn for you.
Balls of yarn that are the same dye lot were dyed at one time by the manufacturer. The pale pink they dyed in September may vary from the pale pink they dyed in October, even though they were trying for the same color. Sometimes the difference isn’t noticeable, and sometimes it’s very obvious. When we get yarn at different times, they will probably be different lots, and we don’t know how they’ll match until we hold them up. We certainly would recommend purchasing or ordering enough yarn initially so that they will be the same lot. You’ll also want to keep the labels from your yarn so that we’ll know what kind of yarn it was, the yardage, the color number, and the dye lot.
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I want to make a pattern, but you don’t have the yarn it specifies? Can I use another yarn?
Yes! We’ll need two key pieces of information which will hopefully be given in the pattern: the gauge and yardage of the original yarn. If not specified in the pattern, we have ways of making educated guesses. And of course, it’s always a good idea to buy extra yarn and return what you don’t use (for store credit within 3 months).
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Why doesn’t my sweater fit? What’s up with gauge?
There are three main culprits to this problem that all come down to measuring:
- The gauge you’re getting doesn’t match the pattern gauge.
- The measurements of your pieces don’t match those in the pattern.
- You knit the sweater correctly, but it would fit you better if it was longer or shorter in the body or sleeves.
Gauge (or tension) means how many stitches are within one inch. Sometimes you’ll see it in patterns as so many stitches to 4”. The first thing you’ll want to do is to choose a yarn with the same recommended gauge as your pattern. Then you’ll want to spend some time testing different needle sizes to see what size needle YOU need to achieve that gauge. Some people knit loosely or tightly enough that they will need to change needle sizes. GAUGE IS IMPORTANT; NEEDLE SIZE IS NOT.
If the pattern gauge is, for example, 18 stitches to 4” using a #8 needle, you should cast on 18 stitches using a #8 needle, and work in stockinette (knit a row, purl a row) for at least 4”. If your pattern specifies that the gauge is in a stitch pattern, work your swatch in that pattern. Without casting off, remove your needle from the stitches. Lay a ruler over your swatch. If it measures 4” across (or within 1/8” either way), then #8 is the right size needle for you. Feel the swatch to see if you like the density and texture of it; if not, the yarn may not be compatible with this pattern. If your swatch is much smaller than 4”, then make another swatch with #9. If your swatch is much larger than 4”, the make another swatch with #7. Repeat these steps until your swatch does measure 4”.
As you knit your sweater pieces, it remains important to check your gauge, and more important to check the widths and lengths of your pieces against the measurements or the line drawing of the sweater in the pattern. If your gauge swatch was right, but your sweater back is 3” too wide, your sweater isn’t going to fit.
Before you start knitting, take measurements off a sweater or sweatshirt you have, something with a fit you’re trying to mimic. For example, maybe your pattern says to work the back 12” long beneath armhole, but your favorite sweater is 16” long to the armhole. There’s no reason you can’t change that. Maybe your pattern says that the sleeves should be 20” before the sleeve cap, but you think you have short arms. Measure a garment that fits you and make your sleeves shorter.
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A lot of people I know have been doing felting. How does that work?
Did you ever shrink a wool sweater in the washing machine? You’ve already felted! Knitting projects for felting are knit oversized so that when shrunken, they’ll be the desired size. Using wool yarn, the projects are knit very loosely and very large. A few cycles through the washing machine in hot water shrinks them to firm bags and wind- and water-proof mittens. The yarn must be predominantly animal fiber that has not been treated to be machine washable. Cotton and synthetics will not felt, and wool blends aren’t great. However, sometimes novelty yarns are used with wool for effect, and variegated or self-striping wools work great.
We have two 3-ring binders filled with felted bag and tote patterns, and two more binders of other feltable patterns including hats, mittens, and clog-style slippers. There are several bags on display so you can see how they feel and how different yarns work out. We also offer classes for felted projects.
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