Patty Lyons' Knitting Bag of Tricks

Patty Lyons is a knitting designer and teacher. She has created content for all the key knitting brands including Craftsy, Interweave and Vogue Knitting and she writes a regular Ask Patty' column for Modern Daily Knitting.

How (and why) to use the book


PREFACE Words of Wisdom: "Knitting is the saving of Life" - Virginia Woolf


A Knitter's Book of Why Not


INTRODUCTION


Words of Wisdom: The best thing about understanding the "why" is being able to say "why not?"


Or Words of Wisdom: Fight for the WHY and you will become a better knitter! How I came to these tricks (tales of a self-taught knitter)







Before we begin: Truths Your Mother Never Told You


FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF KNITTING


Words of Wisdom: Make your stitches be your (rhymes with stitches)


Or Words of Wisdom: You Control Your Stitches, Your Stitches Don't Control You


KNIT, PURLS AND ALL THAT JAZZ


Anatomy of a stitch Knit - loop pulled Purl - loop pushed Knits and purls and Fabrics Ribbing, Garter, Seed


HOW OUR STITCHES ARE BUILT


Where we put our needle how we wrap our yarn Eastern, Western, Combo The G - Word or . . . The Lying Liar Who Lies to You Facing Page:


GAUGE Words of Wisdom: If you don't have time to do a gauge swatch,


THE MIRACLE MOP Needle Gauge Edge Ditch the garter border


THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE How to Knit Your Swatch Cast on enough st


Type of st used Work enough rows Knit the way you knit How to measure Unblocked Blocked Hung Now what (pebbles and rocks) Row gauge (ipad v.s. iphone)


KNITTING TECHNIQUE- CAN'T CHANGE GAUGE


Needle is measuring cup Grab and go vs Tip Worker Space Between - Exit Path Wide & Short - The spreader


WHY NOT MATCHING GAUGE IS THE GREATEST THING EVER


PATTERNS Words of Wisdom: Knitting patterns, like life, are best when we don't try to overcomplicate them.


WHAT ARE WE MAKING IT WITH?


YARN Slow down decision (test drive) Grower tips Density


SIZE MATTERS Mystery of ease Sweater Construction Design Intent Personal Preference 4 -


Tips for Picking the Right Size Suggestion High chest Measure a sweater that fits One size does not fit all


WHAT TO EXPECT IN A PATTERN & WHAT TO IGNORE


Assumption of knowledge


CAST-ONS Words of Wisdom: If Idle hands are the devil's workshop ... better cast on a new sweater


Or Words of Wisdom: It is better to have knit and ripped, then never to have knit at all


Take it from the top! Cast on Better. Desert island with only 2 cast ons . . .


LONG TAIL FIXES Estimating tail Skip the knot Avoid yarn untwisting How to create an elastic cast on Why we get sad frown Large needle myth Use finger to space st Casting on in pattern Fixing dropped st in long tail


CABLE CAST ON FIXES Best starts (long tail start, two slip knot start)


Cast on in pattern Square edge Knit Purl


KEEPING TRACK OF CAST ON You Win Some, You Lose Some Facing Page:


INCREASES & DECREASES


Words of Wisdom: When we memorize, we can forget, when we understand we never forget.


DECREASES Universal Rule of Decreasing (


INCREASES Intro to types


PESKY PROBLEMS & SECRET SOLUTIONS


Words of Wisdom: DID you make a mistake, or did you just invent a new stitch? As we work Can I? Why Not?


JOIN A NEW BALL Join a new ball (middle of row - ) - 2 Start of row (trap it) - 3 Knitting in the Tail One handed Thrower Picker Felted Join for color change


FIX THE FIRST STITCH What is wrong and how to fix Picker Thrower DPN gap (let that transition to)


ROUND AND ROUND WE GO Swatching for in the round - 4 Better join w/o slinky gap - 3 Jogless joins for color (mulit row stripe) One round purl Two or more rounds Stockinette - 2 Single round color - 8 Short rows in the round w/o a hole W&T - 4 German Short Row - 4 End join slinky with tail - 3


SWEATER SKILLS Sloped Bind off Reg stair step - 1 Sloped - 4 Sloped Cast on Reg cast on Dolman - 3 Better Crew neck opening - 6 Happy Endings! Facing Page:


FINISHING Words of Wisdom: When you feel at loose ends, weave them in and


KEEP KNITTING Intro


BINDING OFF FIXES Fix the dip at the start - 3 Binding off loosely, not your fault! Why it's not easy - 1 Bind off In pattern Eliminate the gap at the end - 4


BLOCKING TIPS Intro Blocking Tips Prepare for seaming Test Drive Keep it Simple Blocking hack frame


WEAVING IN ENDS Reversable (duplicate) Skimming & Turn Clip and fray tail


BETTER MATTRESS STITCH (EVEN THINGS OUT) - 3 Figure 8 join Even Join


PICKING UP STITCHES Intro How Much - Ignore the pattern Gauge Pattern based Knitting compare How Divide & stab it out to plan it out Where Stitches Between two columns Never in a hole Pick up a better button-band - extra st Where Extra stitch trick on button band Round the corner of V neck - 4 What's the issue YO trick


BEST BUTTONHOLE - 4 - 6 What is the problem The Fix


SETTING IN THE SLEEVE Measure Yarn Half and half Tailor's Ham The Mindful Knitter Facing Page:


FINAL WORDS OF WISDOM Words of Wisdom: When you don't know what you're not supposed to be able to knit...you can knit anything Fight for the Why Read Your Knitting Understand what built it to know how to fix it Fixing mistakes (subject for another day) When We Memorize We Forget Ownership of Your Knitting