Please! Give Me Some Knitting Tips!
So you know how to knit, you enjoy it, but you'd like some knitting tips, things to make your knitting easier, better, and more fun? You've come to the right place!
A Variety Of Knitting Tips
First of all, take a look at the way you are holding the knitting needles. Are you clenching them in a death-grip? Are your hands turning white from lack of circulation? That may be an exaggeration, but seriously, if your grip in the needles is making your hands sore, you should try loosening up your hold on them. Your sore hands don't help your knitting at all!
Also, remember to not knit too tight. You want your tension to be relatively consistent. Some knitters knit more tightly, some more loosely, you will find your own rhythm. But if you knit too tight, it is much harder to knit the next row - just getting the needle into the stitch becomes a challenge! The stitches can be a bit looser on the needles. Think about this as you knit that next row and see if your tight stitches are taking some of the fun out of knitting.
Take a few minutes to examine your stitches. Notice the difference between stitches that are knit and stitches that are purled. If you can see the difference, it will help you fix things when you (not if) get confused and lose your place in your knitting. If you get confused and can't tell which stitch you're on, consider back-tracking, taking out the rest of the row, to get you back to where the row started and you know which stitch is next.
One of the knitting tips that seems basic but is sometimes forgotten is to periodically take a minute to count your stitches. If you have the right number of stitches, you know you haven't dropped any or added any - and that's good! If you check periodically, you'll know soon enough if you need to backtrack or find which stitch got dropped or got added, and can fix things appropriately.
If you are frustrated, consider asking someone else who knits to take a look at your project. There are a lot of knitters around, so probably you know one. If not, just ask at a local yarn or craft store for some help. They will usually have someone who can help you, or they can refer you to knitting teachers. Also, as you share your knitting with them, they may also have some knitting tips they can share with you.
The best of all the knitting tips is to relax! There isn't too much you can do to ruin it - it is just some yarn. Play with it, try new things, experiment! If you don't like how it comes out, rip it out and try something new!
