Fixing Mistakes Part 2

I was in Seattle last week.  I took a week off from knitting for Cast On.  I had finished up the poncho and sent it along with the man's sweater and the asymmetry sweater to the office for styling.  The photo shoot is next week.  I just have to finish up the boot toppers and hat for the confident beginner article.

STUDENT NEWS
Only one lesson arrived while I was gone but three arrived yesterday.  I feel awful when students have to wait for their reviews.  While I was gone several new students signed up.  It must be getting close to fall.  

TIP OF THE WEEK
This entry will discuss how to put stitches back on the needle and proper stitch orientation.  If you have been knitting for awhile this seems obvious, but as I learned when I taught Binka's class, it isn't. 

I think every knitter has experienced reaching into a knitting bag and pulling out just the needles. How easy it is to put the stitches back on the needle depends on many factors including the fiber content of the yarn and the stitch pattern.  I accidentally pulled out the needles from some lace I was knitting with linen and I was surprised to find that I could just slide the needles back on the needle. If you are not careful, you might not get the stitches properly oriented which can result in twisted stitches or you can drop a stitch that results in a hole or slipped stitch.  

The photo below shows stitches properly oriented on the needle.  Notice that the right side of the loop on the needle is coming out of the right side of the stitch below.  

Here is how it looks on the WS.  Notice that loop is on the right side of the stitch.

Compare this photo of wrong orientation.  Notice that the loops are coming out of the left side of the stitch.

Here it is on the WS.

If you work the stitch through the front as you normally would, a twisted stitch results.  The video shows two ways to fix this.  You can slip the stitch to the right needle and change the orientation. The problem is that slipped stitches tend to stretch out which makes it larger than the surrounding stitches. The best way to deal with an improperly oriented stitch is to work it  through the back.

The other thing that can happen when you put stitches back on the needle is that you might drop one of the stitches.  The video shows how to fix this as well.  Here is the video:  Putting Stitches Back on the Needle

KNITTING SALON
Salon will be on Sunday from 1:30-3:20.  (I brought back some fabulous salted caramels from a Frans, a chocolate shop in Seattle.

CURRENT PROJECTS
I finished up the poncho.  I designed it to be fairly form fitting across the bust which meant I had to size it instead of doing a One Size Fits All.  The pattern took longer to write.  Again, the photograph doesn't do the color justice, 






The final thing I have to do is boot toppers and a hat.  The yarn is BULKY and I am using 10.5 needles which I have never used before.  The good news is that it takes almost no time to work something up.