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Knitting/Questions Answered by Expert Deborah Mason
| Subject | Date Asked |
| Knitting | 1/1/2011 |
| Q: I am making my first baby cardigan and have got stuck on the sleeve part. I have worked my rib edge ... A: Knit 6 rows first. The next (right side) row is the 7th row so increase one stitch at each end. ... | |
| adding length to a jumper | 4/19/2010 |
| Q: Last year I knitted a 2 knit and 2 purl rib jumper for my grandson and it is now too short. I ... A: One thing you can do is to pick up the stitches at the bottom of the jumper and knit more rows ... | |
| Resizing | 4/8/2010 |
| Q: My daughter has found a pattern for a jumper she would like me to knit her but i am wanting to ... A: Without knowing more about the pattern you want to change, I am very limited in what I can tell you. ... | |
| using 4ply for a dk pattern | 1/15/2010 |
| Q: Could you tell me how to convert a double knit pattern to 4ply? I prefer the thinner texture of 4 ... A: It is possible to convert a double knit pattern to 4 ply, but it is rather complicated. You need to ... | |
| shaping armholes | 1/10/2010 |
| Q: I am knitting my first jumper using a pattern from patons and when I come to the armholes this is ... A: It could be a typo. Most pattern instructions tell you to dec one stitch at each end of alt rows ... | |
| circular needles | 10/23/2009 |
| Q: I am knitting a circular shawl for a baby. At the moment I have 640 stitches on a 100cm needle. ... A: I have just finished a shawl that had over 1000 stitches for the border and I managed to do it using ... | |
| reversing stitches for right side | 10/19/2009 |
| Q: I am knitting a cardigan and the pattern says to revers all shaping , Here are the instructions for ... A: When a pattern says to reverse all shaping, it means any increases or decreases. The stitch pattern ... | |
| selvage knit stitch | 10/15/2009 |
| Q: if directions say knit 100 do you count the selvage stitch as part of 100 or just knit/slip it ... A: Sorry it took me so long to answer - my holiday ended up going on for longer than planned. In most ... | |
| Using 5 mm needles with 8 ply | 7/26/2009 |
| Q: I have a pattern from the US that does not give the ply of the wool (Jil Eaton MinnowMerino), ... A: If the pattern uses a worsted or heavy weight yarn then it will be a 10 ply equivalent. Knitting ... | |
| Reading a pattern | 7/25/2009 |
| Q: I am teaching myself to knit. I have already cast on 26 and knitted the first 6 rows, now they are ... A: I can only assume that "3/3 Left Cable" is a cable pattern in the centre of your knitting. Without ... | |
| V Neck Help | 7/22/2009 |
| Q: I am knitting my first ever V neck, the pattern I'm working on is the Debbie Bliss Cable Tank Top ... A: It does incorporate the decreases into the pattern. For each right side row you rib to the 4 centre ... | |
| Seaming horizontal garter stitch | 7/21/2009 |
| Q: How do I seam together two bound-off horizontal edges done in garter stitch? If it were stockinette, ... A: You can still use a variation of the mattress stitch, you just need to line up the pieces so that ... | |
| Jaeger Aqua cotton pattern ? mistake | 6/8/2009 |
| Q: I have a book called "one Thousand Sweaters" which has a cable sweater pattern which simply does not ... A: My advice would be to put the book away and find another pattern, there is nothing more discouraging ... | |
| yarn tension alternatives | 6/2/2009 |
| Q: I have a terrific sweater pattern with tension 24 sts to 4", and 34 rowsto 4", knitted on size 5 ... A: I did a quick search for Berroco Comfort DK and it seems to be an 8 ply. This is from the specs on ... | |
| wool | 6/1/2009 |
| Q: how do you know what ply a ball of wool is when the label only has the brand & no ply A: You can count the number of wraps per inch. What you do is to get a ruler and wrap the yarn around ... | |
| neck shaping | 5/29/2009 |
| Q: I am making a vest in stockinette stitch, I am now working on the neck shaping, the instruction is ... A: 26(28,30,31)sts first size = 26 stitches second size = 28 third size = 30 fourth size = 31 Next ... | |
| Australian Equivelent to American Yarn | 5/28/2009 |
| Q: Do you know a yarn I can substitute for Plymouth Encore? It uses American size 7 needles. A: American size 7 needles are 4.50mm so I am guessing that Plymouth Encore is an 8 ply. I found the ... | |
| armhole shaping | 5/24/2009 |
| Q: at beg of row, bind off [9 (9,9,12)sts twice,[3sts]2(2,4,4) times, then ... A: I am guessing that your question is what does all this mean? The 9(9,9,12) bit relates to the ... | |
| Changing ply | 5/23/2009 |
| Q: I want to knit a helmet in 5 ply wool for 12 month grandaughter. My best pattern in 8 ply. How do I ... A: Probably the easiest way to do it is to knit the helmet in a larger size and adjust for length. The ... | |
| Shape back neck and shoulders | 5/22/2009 |
| Q: I'm knitting a vest. I'm on the RS. The instructions tells you to purl to marked center sts join ... A: I think they mean that you have to decrease at the neck edge in two different rows. So written long ... | |
| shaping crown for beanie!URGENT | 5/7/2009 |
| Q: I am just about to shape the crown but a bit confused. This is what is says knit 2 ... A: Okay, so you have 32 stitches in each section - a total of (33 + 32 + 32 + 33) 130 stitches? ... | |
| shaping crown for beanie!URGENT | 5/7/2009 |
| Q: I am just about to shape the crown but a bit confused. This is what is says knit 2 ... A: Without actually being able to read the pattern myself or see a picture of the finished article, all ... | |
| shaping crown for beanie!URGENT | 5/7/2009 |
| Q: I am just about to shape the crown but a bit confused. This is what is says knit 2 ... A: I think there is an error in the pattern instructions. The first row you have quoted tells you to ... | |
| 10 ply wool | 4/26/2009 |
| Q: I want to knit a 10 ply wool (jumper) for my five year old son, but only have an 8 ply pattern. Is ... A: The best advice I could give you as a beginner is to find a 10 ply pattern rather than try to use a ... | |
| 10 ply wool | 4/21/2009 |
| Q: I want to knit a 10 ply wool (jumper) for my five year old son, but only have an 8 ply pattern. Is ... A: You can use the 10 ply wool with an 8 ply pattern but the needles would have to be quite a bit ... | |
| knitting gauge | 4/19/2009 |
| Q: When I get the stitches/inch right, the rows/inch are off, and vice-versa. For instance, my pattern ... A: I think sometimes it is just your natural knitting tension. The tensions specified in the patterns ... | |
| knitting gauge | 4/13/2009 |
| Q: When I get the stitches/inch right, the rows/inch are off, and vice-versa. For instance, my pattern ... A: It is a big discrepancy. Have you had this problem with the tension with other yarns/patterns in ... | |
| Knitting Pattern Mistake? | 4/8/2009 |
| Q: I have put in and taken out the same row of knitting several times because I end up with 161 ... A: That must be incredibly frustrating for you. In a situation like this you are either interpreting ... | |
| turning work in knitting | 4/1/2009 |
| Q: I am knitting in the round --a sack bag with a flap the pattern says turn work so WS is facing youso ... A: When you turn the work you just move the yarn from the front to the back between the needle points ... | |
| Vermont Fiber Designs Pattern 150 | 3/27/2009 |
| Q: I am wondering if you can help with the back. I am at the "shape body" section. It says to work ... A: I am afraid without being able to see what that back is supposed to look like, anything I tell you ... | |
| yarn | 3/18/2009 |
| Q: I found a sweater pattern that calls for Ocean yarn (wool) But I cannot seem to find the yarn ... A: I did a bit of an internet search for you and found out that Ocean Yarn is made by Sirdar (from the ... | |
| garter stitch before stocking stitch | 3/13/2009 |
| Q: My pattern starts with 3 rows garter stitch (at bottom of garment) and then continues with stocking ... A: I don't think there is anything you can do. Garter stitch, particularly a narrow strip like the one ... | |
| Confused as to type of yarn to get | 3/12/2009 |
| Q: My pattern calls for the following: 100 percent cotton light worsted (double knitting) yarn. (164 ... A: I am assuming that you are in the States (could be wrong but that is where most of the questions ... | |
| Knitting | 12/31/2008 |
| Q: I am knitting a cot blanket which has rib along the top and bottom and then to add it to each side ... A: A lot of people have trouble with this. I did until I decided to treat the required number of ... | |
| Finishing a sweater | 12/26/2008 |
| Q: I have just finished knitting a sweater. I am wondering how I sew it up...from the back or from the ... A: I usually sew mine up using the mattress stitch method. This method is sometimes also called an ... | |
| knitting pattern | 12/18/2008 |
| Q: l'm new in knitting.l am making a bunny hop butterfly stitch baby pullover for a 24 month baby and ... A: It is hard to answer these questions without being able to see and read the pattern myself, but I ... | |
| Moss stitching | 12/17/2008 |
| Q: I am currently working on a Buttonhole Band and Collar for a mans Cardigan and I am really confused. ... A: I am not sure what you are asking about the collar, is it how to keep the continuity of the moss ... | |
| Beginner Knitter | 12/15/2008 |
| Q: Deb: I just started knitting and got the hang of it pretty quickly. However, I seem to be doing ... A: It is just a problem with maintaining an even tension all the way across the row and it will improve ... | |
| Knitting | 12/14/2008 |
| Q: I am trying to knit with two color to make a checker borad pattern. I have never tried to change ... A: It depends on how big the blocks are. If they are only three or four stitches, I knit the first ... | |
| Knitting pattern | 12/9/2008 |
| Q: Would like to know the following instrustion which i got it from free pattern website. Is a nice ... A: I had a look at the website where you got the free pattern and it appears that the instructions are ... | |
| knitting in round | 11/22/2008 |
| Q: I am knitting caps on double pointed needles and would like to knit in a design (heart or something ... A: Sorry Linda - obviously having a bad day yesterday. If you are knitting in the round, you will ... | |
| Knitting Seed Stitch edging and around the neck (no collar required) as one piece? | 11/11/2008 |
| Q: "Hello Deborah, I have just finished my first very cardigan and am so proud of it after years of ... A: Congratulations on finishing the cardigan. Does your pattern have instructions for doing a neck ... | |
| knitting in round | 11/4/2008 |
| Q: I am knitting caps on double pointed needles and would like to knit in a design (heart or something ... A: No you don't have to carry the second color all the way around the hat, what I suggest is that you ... | |
Knitting
Answers by Expert:
Deborah Mason
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer most questions related to hand knitting, crochet and hand spinning.
Experience
I have been knitting and crocheting for approximately thirty five years and I have been a hand spinner for twenty two years.
Education/Credentials
None related to Knitting, but my other qualifications are as follows:
B.Com (Hons) M.Ed CPA LCA
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