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 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.