New Knit Stitch: The Towel Stitch

I developed this stitch when I was looking for a way to knit a towel that wouldn't stretch like a sweater when I wanted to use it.  Linen stitch is a good candidate, but it's very slow-going.  Here's what I came up with: the towel stitch!

It makes a thick, non-stretchy fabric.  Fast, easy, and no purling.  Use cotton yarn for absorbency and  larger needles than the yarn calls for--US no. 10 with cotton worsted weight.

The Towel Stitch: How to Do It

Setup
Cable cast-on half the number of desired stitches in a row.
First Row: [Kfb], repeat to end.

Stitch Pattern
Rows 1-10: [K1, sl1 purlwise], repeat to end.
Row 11: [K2tog], repeat to end.
Row 12: [Kfb], repeat to end.
Repeat Rows 1-12 to desired length.

Finish
Last Row: [K1, sl1 purlwise, psso], repeat to end.
Bind off loosely.

(photos: cotton worsted weight yarn, US no. 10 needles)

Preventing Uneven Ribs

Have you ever noticed that ribbing can have an uneven look, especially when knitting in the round? This happened to me, and I figured out that my problem was when I did the yarn-over to switch from knit to purl, it wasn’t tight enough, making the last knit stitch in the rib look too big. So I solved it by giving an extra little tug before the purl, to tighten up the yarn-over.

This can also happen during moss (seed) stitch, checkerboard stitch, and linen stitch. An extra tug after each yarn-over solves the problem every time.

For more knitting tips that will help with the Witchy Tube Top pattern, see:
Big Magic Loop
Swatch Wars
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Adding a Color in the Round
Preventing Ladders
Quick and Dirty Striping
Exquisite Striping
Closing the Bind-Off Gap

Big Magic Loop

Modified Magic Loop with round worked about 3/4 through.
Magic Loop is a technique for knitting in the round with a circular needle that has a long cable. The trick is that you leave a loop of empty cable to the left and also to the right of the work. It's a great technique, which works for big and also very small knitting in the round. You can find more about basic Magic Loop here Magic Loop Rocks!.

Modified Magic Loop is for larger work, which doesn't need two loops but is too small for the whole cable to be in use. Just leave a loop of cable between the first and last stitches in the round as you work.

Modified Magic Loop a few stitches into beginning of round.
For more knitting tips that will help with the Witchy Tube Top, see:
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Swatch Wars
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Adding a Color in the Round
Preventing Ladders
Quick and Dirty Striping
Exquisite Striping
Closing the Bind-Off Gap

Closing the Bind-Off Gap

Here’s how to close the gap between the first and last bound-off stitches when knitting in the round:

1. After binding off, cut the yarn and tie off. *

2. Split the end yarn into 2 strands.

3. With a crochet hook or yarn needle, thread one strand of the end yarn through the first bound-off stitch.

4. Tie the 2 strands of end yarn together tightly. This joins the final round of your knitting.

5. Work in ends.

* Note: For narrow-striped knitting, you don’t have to divide the end yarn into 2 strands. Just tie off, thread the end yarn (from the final stripe) through the first bound-off stitch, and tie it to the other color’s yarn end (from the next-to-last stripe).



For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Preventing Ladders
Exquisite Striping
Quick and Dirty Striping
Adding a Color in the Round
Straightening and Joining in the Round
Magic Loop Rocks!
Short Witch Warmers
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars

Preventing Ladders

Here are a few ways to prevent the dreaded ladders when knitting in the round. (Ladders are those too-loose stitches that happen when you change needles.)

- After the needle changeover, pull the working yarn really tight during the 2nd stitch on the new needle. That tightens up the first stitch’s connection to the previous needle.

- When switching to a new needle, before taking the first stitch, give a downward tug on the already-knitted rows, to remove any bunching that might be happening between the old needle and the new needle.

- As you knit the last few stitches on a needle, grasp the already-knitted rows below the left needle, with your left thumb and middle finger (pinch tightly). This prevents stretching while you knit those last stitches.

For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Closing the Bind-Off Gap
Exquisite Striping
Quick and Dirty Striping
Adding a Color in the Round
Straightening and Joining in the Round
Magic Loop Rocks!
Short Witch Warmers
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars

Exquisite Striping in the Round

I have found that the best way to make nice stripes in the round is to twist the strands (and change colors when called for) on the third stitch of each round. This allows you to start the round and pull the stitches tight normally, without adding with a twist or color change at the same time. Then on the third stitch, the round is well-established, and you can change colors more gracefully. This is a good technique for making exquisite stripes or a gift for the Queen.

Here it is, step by step. Do this for every round, whether or not you change colors:

1. Work the first 2 stitches in the round using the same color as the previous round.

2. Twist the working yarn of both colors together—2 twists.

3. Place the color not in use between the 2nd and 3rd fingers of your left hand. Hold it like a cigarette in the old movies, pull the slack with your right hand, and slide up to the back of your knitting to tighten the twists.

4. With your right hand, pull on the working color yarn that you will use for this round to finish tightening the twists.

5. Insert the right needle into the next (third) stitch. Give one more tug on each color yarn with your right hand before working the stitch.

6. Work the stitch.

7. Drop the non-used color from your left fingers and tug gently on each color yarn.

8. Proceed with finishing the round.

Note: some knitters like to slip the first stitch before changing colors, to reduce the stair-step effect.

For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Closing the Bind-Off Gap
Preventing Ladders
Quick and Dirty Striping
Adding a Color in the Round
Straightening and Joining in the Round
Magic Loop Rocks!
Short Witch Warmers
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars

Quick and Dirty Striping

Are you getting tired of untangling your colors and looking at big loopy "seam" stitches when you stripe in the round? It was driving me crazy when developing the Witch Warmers pattern. So I figured out a quick-and-dirty method of striping that saved my sanity.

The standard way of striping is to twist the two colors together at the beginning of each row, so the unused color is carried up the inside of the knitting.

My Quick and Dirty Way

Work the first stitch of each row with both colors held together. This leaves a multi-colored seamline, but it’s much faster and easier... fewer gaps and big stitches, no long threads showing on the front, fewer tangles between the skeins, etc.

This technique will give your in-the-round piece a bit smaller circumference, so you might consider using the next larger size in the pattern instructions.

Follow these steps at the beginning of every row, whether or not you change colors:
1. Before starting the first stitch, pull tightly on each color’s working yarn individually.
2. After knitting the first stich with both colors, again pull tightly on each strand individually.
3. Insert the right needle into the next (second) stitch in the row. Pull the working yarn for the one color to be used in that row tight, and proceed with the stitch.
4. Continue knitting normally in the one color, to the end of the row.

Note: for ribbed stripes as in the neckwarmer, it comes out better if you purl the 1st stitch of the round in the same color as the previous round, then use both colors to knit the 2nd stitch, and proceed with the correct color for the round on the 3rd stitch.

For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Closing the Bind-Off Gap
Preventing Ladders
Exquisite Striping in the Round
Adding a Color in the Round
Straightening and Joining in the Round
Magic Loop Rocks!
Short Witch Warmers
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars

Adding a Color in the Round

When striping in the round, here’s how to add a new color for the first time:

1. At the beginning of the round to be worked in the new color, work the first stitch with the new color, leaving a 4-inch tail behind. Continue working in the new color to the end of the round.

2. When you are ready to start the next round (with the new color again), hold the 4-inch tail together with the working yarn and work 3 stitches.

3. Drop what is left of the tail and continue the round.

4. A couple of rounds later, when the tail stitches have been knitted off the needles, pull on the end of the tail to tighten up the last doubled stitch.



For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Closing the Bind-Off Gap
Preventing Ladders
Exquisite Striping in the Round
Quick and Dirty Striping
Straightening and Joining in the Round
Magic Loop Rocks!
Short Witch Warmers
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars

Straightening and Joining the First Round

The tricky parts of working in the round are avoiding the gap between the first and last cast-on stitches and being sure the work doesn’t get twisted after casting-on. Keeping the stitches from twisting is fairly straightforward with double-pointed needles, but it can be quite challenging with techniques such as magic loop or 2 circulars. If your work is twisted, you’ll end up knitting a Moebius strip instead of socks or whatever you’re aiming for.
Here’s a great way to join the cast-on stitches for knitting in the round:
1. Cast on 1 extra stitch.
2. After casting-on, straighten the stitches:
    a. Divide the stitches between the needles and slide them about halfway up each needle.
    b. At the dividing point, straighten the knitting so the cast-on edges are next to each other. Pinch about 1 inch down from the dividing point to secure.
    c. At the dividing point, straighten the knitting so the cast-on edges are next to each other. Pinch about 1 inch down from the dividing point to secure.
    d. Below the pinched stitches, straighten again so the edges continue to face each other.
    e. Continue straightening and pinching until you reach the ends on the needles.
3. You can tie the cast-on tail to the working yarn now, OR work the first round before tying. This has the advantage of letting you tie up the almost inevitable slack that appears after the first round is done.
4. To work the first round, start with the stitches that were cast-on first instead of turning and working the last cast-ons to start the round.

5. Before starting the first round, move the last cast-on stitch from the right needle over to the left needle. Knit 2 together (the moved stitch with the first cast-on stitch).
6. Proceed with working the first round.
7. After the first round, straighten again.
8. At the end of the first round, tie the cast-on tail to the working yarn.
For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers, see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Closing the Bind-Off Gap
Preventing Ladders
Exquisite Striping in the Round
Quick and Dirty Striping
Adding a Color in the Round
Magic Loop Rocks!
Short Witch Warmers
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars
(Kitty Helping)

Magic Loop Rocks!

Magic loop is my favorite technique for knitting in the round. It’s much faster than using double-pointed needles, with fewer needle changeovers, meaning fewer opportunities for developing ladders or distorted stitches. And of course, there’s much less chance of dropping stitches off the many needle ends--no fiddling with those rubber tip protectors or rubber bands, either. I have used magic loop for large circular projects, socks, and even glove fingers. It works great on Witch Warmers.

The tutorial I learned from is no longer available online, but here’s a good one (with the exception of pulling the cable—see below):

http://www.trishknits.com/resources/patterns-and-how-tos/yes-you-can-knitting-small-round-items-without-double-pointed-needles

Here are my additional tips, that make magic loop even better:

1. Never pull on the cable to move stitches up to the needle. It’s too easy to pull the wrong way and zip the other needle right out of half your stitches. Always push the empty needle to slide it into the stitches on the cable.

2. Do use a long cable—36” to 40” is good. You can get by with 30” if the cable is flexible enough. This is a good investment, since long-cabled circular needles can be used for large projects also.

3. Use circular needles with a very smooth transition from cable to needle.

4. Beware of interchangeable-cable circular needles. The ones I have tried have a cable-to-needle junction that's just not smooth enough. There's a brand mentioned in the comments section below, which I have not tried, that might be okay.

5. My favorite circular needle for magic loop is Addi Turbo. The cable is thin and very flexible, which makes a huge difference when trying to avoid ladders. The connection between cable and needles is very smooth, too.

6. If the right loop is flipping to the front and getting in your way, just twist the needle and the loop should rotate around to the back.

7. If you’re working on a large in-the-round project, like a cowl or Moebius wrap, you can use a single magic loop between the end of the round and the beginning.


In the words of the immortal Jim Croce,

“You don't tug on Superman's cape,
You don't spit into the wind,
You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger,”
And you don’t pull on the cable in magic loop!



For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers, see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Closing the Bind-Off Gap
Preventing Ladders
Exquisite Striping in the Round
Quick and Dirty Striping
Adding a Color in the Round
Straightening and Joining in the Round
Short Witch Warmers
Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars

Black Attack: Working with Dark Yarn

Going blind from working with skinny black yarn?? Here are some ideas I have gleaned from other folks and my own experience, that will make knitting the Witch Warmers pattern much easier:

- Wear your strongest reading glasses, if you have them.

- Have plenty of light, preferrably from the sides.

- Use a light-colored visual background like white clothes, or spread out a white cloth in your lap. Holding the pattern pages in your lap helps brighten it up, too.

- Avoid dark-colored needles.

- If you’re making stripes and you have to rip out stitches, take out enough rows to be able to pick up stitches in the colored yarn instead of black.

For more knitting tips that will help with Witch Warmers, see
Preventing Uneven Ribs
Big Magic Loop
Closing the Bind-Off Gap
Preventing Ladders
Exquisite Striping in the Round
Quick and Dirty Striping
Adding a Color in the Round
Straightening and Joining in the Round
Magic Loop Rocks!
Short Witch Warmers
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars

Checkerboard Stitch Fortune-Teller Turban

I have this gorgeous variegated green cotton yarn, which I thought would be perfect for the Fortune- Teller Turban pattern. After a few rows, I realized that the variation in color wasn't looking so good in moss stitch. So began my journey into trying a different stitch for the turban. Wow. Checkerboard looks great with the yarn coloration, but the gauge is way different. So here you see my third completed turban in this yarn... the first two got frogged because the sizing wasn't right.



Here's how to adapt the moss stitch Fortune-Teller Turban pattern to checkerboard stitch (cotton yarn only... haven't tried anything else):

1. A flat swatch made with Lily Sugar 'n Cream cotton worsted weight yarn on US no. 7 needles gives a gauge of 20 st = 4.75 inches.

2. I made a size medium, so all you have to do is add 19 stitches to the medium cotton number in the pattern when casting on. It's best to have a multiple of 8 stitches for checkerboard st, or a multiple of 4 would work, but it wouldn't look as good. For size small, I'd recommend adding 17 stiches to the small cotton number of cast-ons, and for large, try adding 19 stitches to the large cotton number.

3. Work in checkerboard stitch for the same number of inches listed in the pattern, ending with a full 5 rows of pattern. Checkerboard stitch is easy: (K4, P4) repeat to end of row. Do this for 5 rows, then switch to (P4, K4) for 5 rows. Keep alternating like this until the piece is the right number of inches... it took 7 sets for me.


For more tips and variations on the Fortune-Teller Turban, see
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
3-Needle Bind-Off for Dummies
Add Fringe!
Swatch Wars
I Love Cable Cast-On

I Love Cable Cast-On

Yes indeed, I do. Cable cast-on is used in the Fortune-Teller Turban, Witch Warmers, and Cheryl's Prayer Shawl patterns because it gives a very neat edge to the knitting. Regular cast-on turns out to look sort of loopy, especially when using cotton yarn. In the photo above, the swatch on the left has cable cast-on, and the one on the right has standard cast-on.

Cable cast-on takes longer, but it's worth the trouble. Here's how to do it:

1. Cast-on the first two stitches in the standard way, and for each of the remaining stitches, use the following steps.

2. Insert the right needle between the top two stitches already cast-onto the left needle, instead of into the top cast-on stitch. Your right needle will be inserted from the front of the work straight through to the back.

3. Wrap the yarn over the right needle tip and proceed as if knitting a regular stitch, taking the loop created on the right needle, over to the left needle.



For more tips on knitting the Fortune-Teller Turban, see
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
3-Needle Bind-Off for Dummies
Add Fringe!
Swatch Wars
Checkerboard Stitch Fortune-Teller Turban

3-Needle Bind-Off for Dummies

Yes, in this case the dummy would be me. This bind-off-and-join is very much like 3-needle bind-off. As a lazy knitter who hates sewing seams, I came up with another way to join and bind off in one row. I think it’s more foolproof than 3-needle… fewer needles to juggle, and the safety of a holder to keep stitches from dropping off.

The idea is to join two pieces of knitting with live stitches by knitting two stitches together: one from each piece, and bind off as you go.

Here's how to do it for the Fortune-Teller Turban:

1. Move the desired number of stitches that are located at the end of the row (you have to be using a circular needle for this) from the right needle to the left needle.

2. Now move the same stitches from the left needle onto a large stitch holder so that the first stitch that will be taken off the holder is the last stitch in the row you just worked.

3. Take the first stitch from the holder, onto the left needle and K2 tog (one that came from the holder and one that was already on the left needle).

4. Take the next stitch from the holder onto the left needle and K2 tog (again, one that came from the holder and one that was already on the left needle).

5. Bind off the previous stitch on the right needle by passing it over the just-made stitch and off the needle.

6. Repeat steps 4-5 until all stitches on the holder have been worked.

Congratulations. You have just bound off and made a seam without any sewing!

Note: This method can also be used to join two separate pieces of knitting. As you finish knitting the first piece, don't bind off the edge to be joined, and place the live stitches on a stitch holder. Then when you're finished knitting the second piece don't bind off, and start with step 3 above.

For more tips on knitting the Fortune-Teller Turban, see
Cast-Ons: Keeping Count
Add Fringe!
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars
Checkerboard Stitch Fortune-Teller Turban

Cast-Ons: Keeping Count

How many years have I been knitting, and counting and re-counting and fudging cast-on stitches? Too many. A few weeks ago, I figured out a way to avoid re-counting over and over again. This is probably obvious to most knitters, but here goes...

After every 20 cast-on stitches, place a marker. It's that simple. I like to use those stitch holders that look like big safety pins, because I can move them if I've miscounted. To start, cast-on 21 stitches. Then count 'em to be sure, and place the marker between the 20th and 21st stitches. Then continue to cast-on up to 41, and place another marker after the 40th stitch... and so on. Remove the markers as you come to them while knitting the first row.

Easy peasy.

This makes the Fortune-Teller Turban and the Prayer Shawl much easier to cast-on!

For more tips on knitting the Fortune-Teller Turban, see
3-Needle Bind-Off for Dummies
Add Fringe!
I Love Cable Cast-On
Swatch Wars
Checkerboard Stitch Fortune-Teller Turban

Swatch Wars

Actually the war is with my poor brain. I have just learned from a wise tester for the Fortune-Teller Turban pattern, that
a) flat swatch makes pattern gauge, counting stitches in a stretchy FO gives a way different gauge, and
b) smaller swatch means higher gauge (more stitches/inch), and larger swatch means lower gauge (fewer stitches/inch).

Go figure... and while you're at it, give thanks for wiser knitters and crocheters than yourself.