Over the two and a half years I’ve been knitting, I’ve put some effort into figuring out how to fix projects without ripping. The missing yarn over is probably the easiest fix to make and in a larger lace project will save you lots of heart ache.

This tutorial shows how to fix a missing yarn over that is discovered on a subsequent right side row. The first step is identifying the mistake. The pattern in the sample piece is k1, *YO, k2tog* [repeat to last stitch], k1. A yarn over (YO) occurs between two stitches. Look at the picture below and try to determine where the YO should be.

The red arrow shows where the YO should be in this pattern. Reading your knitting is an important step in fixing problems without ripping out the entire offending piece.

Next, knit in pattern up to the space where the YO should be.

Now, place the tip of your right needle, from back to front, under the second horizontal strand between the two stitches.

Place the horizontal bar untwisted on the left hand needle.

Insert the tip of your right needle into the stitch from front to back (do not twist the stitch), then pick up the first horizontal bar between the stitches and draw it through. (you are knitting into this stitch, but instead of using yarn from the ball to form a new stitch, you are using the horizontal bar in the space between the stitches above it)

Drop the second horizontal bar off the left hand needle. You will have a twisted stitch on the right hand needle.

Slip this stitch back onto the left hand needle, untwisting it as you do.

You are now ready to continue knitting in pattern, the missing YO has been replaced.

Finish the row, and then look to see if you can even find where you fixed your mistake – probably not!

Occasionally the newly added YO will be a bit smaller than the other YOs, especially if you are a tight knitter. Don’t worry, this will even out with blocking.

Text by Jessica Landers
Photos by Andrew Wood

Last weekend I witnessed a particularly brutal attack of the skein. The yarn had been wound using a swift and ball winder into a tight pull skein. As the yarn end was pulled from the center the brutality began, a tangled mess of fiber emerged from the center causing mayhem and with efforts like that of Zigfield and Roy, a rather lengthy taming of the skein ensued thus delaying prime knitting time. We simply cannot let these skeins get the better of us.

I witnessed my first attack at a knitting retreat in 2002. A woman had bought a hank of yarn and attempted to wind it with the aid of a friend acting as the swift only to have the hank of yarn fall through the fingers of the friend as the woman was winding the ball. Several hours later and with a few strategic snips of the scissors, the mess of the entanglement was tamed but the spirit of the knitter was broken.

Personally I have only suffered one such attack and it was so swift and brutal that it left me scarred. I had to purchase a swift and ball winder before I could go near another hank without beads of sweat appearing on my forehead.

Placing the skein around the arms of a swift takes a little practice but it is not a difficult task. Please do yourself a favor and do not remove any strings or ties until the skein is securely positioned in the arms of the swift. Next make sure the yarn is not twisted and pull an outer end and use it to thread the ball winder and secure the end in the groove in the center piece. In this instance turning the crank quickly is not the best course of action. Be sure to use a consistent and even manner at a slow to medium speed as you crank the end. This will allow the yarn to wind smoothly and create a spongy and soft skein. Winding too quickly will create a tight skein and the yarn will be stretched and stressed making it difficult to pull from the center. Before removing the skein from the winder I suggest that the outer end be wound around the skein and tucked in. Also place your thumb under the end that was secured in the groove and lift it up as you gently remove the skein from the winder.

*Note when winding most yarns the winder should spin around like a merry-go-round but if you are winding silky yarns like rayon ribbon types the swift must be positioned like a Ferris wheel to avoid any tangling and misbehaving on the part of the yarn.

Lastly I have a suggestion about yarn usage and taming the skein. A foundation support is a necessity for ample breasted women and the same applies to skeins of yarn, you must place a bra on your yarn and it will offer it support as the yarn is knit thus taming the skein. You can easily make your own yarn bra but purchasing a small sized scrubby puff from the drugstore or bath shop. Cut the center rope and the puff will unravel then you simply cut the netting into 10”-12” lengths and begun supporting those unruly skeins. I have also used the netting from produce such as fruits and vegetables that I have bought at Trader Joes.

For balls of yarn like all those slippery railroad ribbon yarns I often pop the ball into a Ziploc bag and let the yarn unwind contained at my side.

One final word, sometimes despite all our best efforts when we pull from the center of the skein it may purge itself and spit out a bit of “yarn vomit”. This small amount of regurgitation is harmless in the scheme of things. This amount of disgorged matter can be knit up quickly in the first few rows leaving you with a tame and secure skein to knit with.

Happy and safe knitting to you!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deanna prefers that you call her Dee. She knits too much, cleans too little, blogs a bit and lives in Chicagoland with her husband, two teenage sons and two adorable westies. She is organizing the second and now annual Heartland Knitting Retreat this December 2006 details at www.kneatles.com

I know that there is a huge demand for information on how to felt with acrylic yarn. After exhaustive research, I’ve written up the following guide. I hope it is helpful!

List of Materials Needed:

1. Some acrylic yarn. Make sure it doesn’t have any natural fiber content in it whatsoever. That would be bad.
2. An oversized stock pot. The one you attempted to use to Brine your turkey before you accidentally killed all your relatives will serve you well here. Plus, it’ll hide the evidence.
3. A blow torch.
4. An oven. Preferably one that you don’t plan on using much in the future.
5. A welding shield.
6. Some tongs.
7. Some leather gloves. Not the nice ones – the heat shielding kind.

Step 1:

Knit something out of that acrylic. Make it bigger than you want the final results to be.

Step 2:

Drinking some alcohol is probably a good idea here.

Step 3:

Turn on the oven as high as it will go. Throw your knitted acrylic garment into the oversized stock pot, and stick that in the oven. It is a matter of great debate on whether or not you should add water – water will probably slow the felting process, but may keep the yarn from melting to the bottom of the pot. Maybe you should add some canola oil or something.

Step 4:

Open a window. Take the batteries out of the fire alarm.

Step 5:

Check on your garment. If all is going well, it will become soft and melty. With the gloves and tongs, coax it into the shape you want. You may also want to stir it around to make sure that it isn’t sticking.

Step 6:

Once your garment has shrunk down and appears to be the correct shape, remove the stockpot from the oven. Throw a bunch of water into it. You might want to put on the welders shield now. Then, with the tongs, remove the item from the pot, and arrange it charmingly. You should no longer be able to see individual stitches. You may find that your garment is a bit inflexible – that is to be expected.

Step 7:

Once your garment has cooled, you can use the blow torch and tongs to make any last minute adjustments, such as creating holes in your slippers for the feet.

Step 8:

Enjoy your fabulous felted acrylic garment! Tune in next week where Gail explains how to use flexible rods to keep your stockinette from curling!

I love this cast on; it creates a lovely braided effect that is stunning on mittens or hats. It’s perfect for two colour knitting, no need to fumble to add the second colour, it’s already there! And it sets up your stitches perfectly for corrugated ribbing!

The site where I originally learned this technique did a terrible job at explaining it, and it took me forever to figure it out. I decided to make a better set of instructions after several people on another list asked me how I did it.

Braided cast on:

**This cast on uses a modified version of the long tail cast on**
Tutorials can be found here:

• http://www.knittinghelp.com/knitting/basic_techniques/ (video)
• http://www.butlercountryknit.com/longtail.pdf (PDF)
• http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/FEATsum05TT.html (scroll down)

Step 1:
Make a slip knot using two colours of yarn held together, place the knot on your needle. Hold the free ends out of the way.

Step 2:

1. Hold the yarn colour at the top side of the needle (green) around the front and then back of your thumb, with the tail hanging down the palm of your hand.
2. Hold the colour at the bottom end of your needle (red) around the front and then back of your index finger, with the tail hanging down the palm of your hand.
3. Hold the tails out of your way using the other three fingers of your hand.

Step 3:
Put the needle under and up through the palm side yarn coming from around your thumb, grab the front yarn going around your index finger and pull it through.

Step 4:
Release the yarn from around your thumb and tug at both yarns to snug the loop around the needle.

Step 5:
Move the index finger (red) yarn OVER the thumb (green) yarn and place on your thumb; place the other (green) yarn around your finger as before. (Always move the top (finger) yarn OVER the bottom (thumb) yarn to create the braided effect)

Repeat step 3-5 until as many stitches as needed are cast on.
Your yarn will begin to twist after a few stitches are made, don’t worry, this is normal, just ignore it, or stop periodically and let your needle hang to untwist the working yarns.

If you have any questions or if anything is unclear, let me know and I’ll try to explain better.

The Chicago Tribune writes a story about how fabulous it is that these middle school/high school boys dare to take a knitting class. Guys show up on a knitting list, and declares that he is a man who, *gasps*, knits, and all the members run over and shower praise and wonder and attention and gushing out of all sense of proportion. Men talk about how _horrible_ it is to go into a yarn shop with the SO, and have the yarn shop employees talk to his girlfriend first.

They have to have their own classes, their own forum spaces, because you know, us little women just don’t understand. Dude. Join the club. In fact, I’m _happy_ that for the first time in your life, you have gone into a store and not been immediately served while your own SO is ignored. You want to know the number of times that I’ve gone into a computer store and had a guy talk to my boyfriend instead of me? How about car salesmen? Mechanics? And have it continue even after you make clear that _you_ are the subject matter expert, not your SO?

I find it hysterical that the treatment (in fact, the much worse treatment) that women have had to deal with for, well, since we were allowed out of the house on our own causes such consternation and outrage in the heart of these men. Oh, dear, a yarn shop owner assumed he didn’t knit. The horrors.

Then, let’s talk about the women. You know, the women who gush and pet and adore the men who knit. As if the very fact that a man would knit now truly validates the time they spend on their own, knitting. As if nothing is important unless a man is doing it, and if a man is doing it, then nothing may stand in his way. These are the same women who see nothing wrong with having to sneak yarn purchases past their husbands (and even seem to think its just _hysterical_ to talk about it, or are oh so grateful that a man would “babysit” their own children to let them out of the house to go to a Stich N Bitch.

If a guy wants to knit, then cool. Go knit. It’s too bad if you have to ask for attention the first or second time you go into a yarn shop. Don’t expect me to praise you as if you just solved the Middle East crisis and stopped global warming, all in an afternoon. (Of course, not all men are like that, blahblahblah, but still. Geez.)