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So often I see it on the Intertubes
Well, I am here to tell you, PROVISIONAL CAST-ONS ARE WORTH THE EFFORT! And I promise if you can cast on, you can do a provisional cast on, and they are totally WORTH THE EFFORT.
Besides turning flat pieces into seamless tubes, with a provisional cast on you can:
If you are thinking, "Okay, great, but I cannot do Provisional Cast-on. I have tried it," I promise you are incorrect. The truth is there is no one provisional cast-on. Provisional Cast-on is a type of cast on and there are several methods of accomplishing it.
FYI: One of my favorite circular needles is the Addi Rockets. They are hands down my fastest needles.* Check out my blog post which discuesses a speek test comparison I did. It's been a minute since I posted a video. I've been busy making cloth face coverings for friends and families and had to put a hold on editing videos. Or shooting videos. (My craft room is a mess of fabric and thread right now!)
But, I got a really good one coming on Monday. So, make sure you head over to the YouTube Channel and hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out! I got my first critical comment. It was nothing mean or nasty, just honest feedback. I won't lie. I felt kind of gutted. I'm a baby channel and a big video for me is one that grabs 10 views on day one.
I go into great detail explaining the structure of the Long Tail Cast On before I actually demonstrate how to do the cast on. I recognize that's not going to be everyone's cup of tea. And I get it. A lot of times when I go to look up a tutorial, I just need the directions. It's also why I give time code so viewers can easily skip to parts of the video they want to watch.
But, the truth is there are a ton of videos on YouTube that will give you the quick tutorial. And I want to do something different with this series. As I said in my intro video, I don't want to show people just how to do something in knitting, but why the technique works the way it does. My goal is to provide a deeper understanding of this craft. Franky, I've done a lot of reading on knitting. And I've spent a lot of time thinking about how knitting works. I find it fascinating how just two stitches - the knit stitch and the purl stitch - can create such a breath and variety of different fabrics. It's magical. I think this study has made me a better, more confident knitter. I think I'm better able to troubleshoot when I have a problem, and tackle projects that challenge my skills. Knitting Fundamentals may not be for everyone. I might share more information than people need at times. But, I'm gong to keep making the videos I want. And if I"m not clear on something, pleas let me know so I can do better. Happy Knitting, Carrie CraftGeek
In this video I'm introducing the Knitting Fundamentals series where I'll be starting with the knitting basics going over both knitting in practice and theory. Although I'm gearing this to new knitters, I think experienced knitters will get a deeper understanding of this craft we all love. So, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel and share with you friends! This first video I cover the basics and my recommendations for supplies new knitters need to build their starter kit. The video goes over some broad and basic qualities of yarn, needles, and notions for knitters to look at. But, I do have some specific recommendations listed down below! Happy Knitting ! RESOURCES AND RECOMMENDATIONSONLINE RETAILERS Knit Picks: An online fiber retailer with their own in house brand of affordable yarns, needles and notions. You can easily find everything you need to get started. I personally find their photos true to color and they offer great descriptions of their yarn colors as well. Webs: Webs is a family owned yarn store in Western Massachusetts. They offer a wide selection of popular yarns at great prices. Check out Plymouth Yarn for affordable, quality fiber. One caveat with this website, when choosing yarn color be aware their photos are not true to color. Jimmy Beans Wool: Touts itself as the local yarn store online. Offers a wide range of yarns and knitting supplies. YARN KnitPicks: Wool of the Andes. This is a basic, affordable 100% wool yarn. It's perfect for first time knitters. Lions Brand: Wool Ease, a wool, acrylic blend. Wide range of colors and easy to find in the Chain Craft Stores. Lions Brand: Fisherman's Wool. 100% Lamb Wool. Limited color selection but comes in a nice quantity and nice to work with. Use coupons for the chain craft stores to get this at a great price Cascade 220 Superwash: A lovely, popular work horse yarn. Superwash wools are treated so they can be hand or machine washed. This wool may seem more expensive, but it's 220 yards/100 oz, so the price per oz is very competitive for a quality yarn
As I'll probably state a million times, I first learned to knit from reading books and I have to say most of them did a really poor job of explaining good techniques for weaving in ends. It was only a few years ago I learned about using duplicate stitch to weave ends and it makes so much sense. Because the tail is following the stitch path of the work, and thus taking the shape of a stitch, it moves and stretch with the fabric avoiding any distortions. Plus the tail stays put. This is my go to method for weaving in ends Below are directions for making a sample swatch with a contrasting color so you can practice recognizing the stitch path. Duplicate Stitch Practice SwatchSupplies: Circular or DPN Worsed Weight Yarn: 2 colors Tapestry Needle Any yarn will do but I would recommend a smooth yarn that provides good stitch definition. I like worsted weight because the stitches are large enough to see, but you still have to do some work to identity the stitches. Directions:- Cast On: With Color A 20 - 30 stitches. -Knit Stockingette for 10 rows ending with a wrong side row. -Cut yarn leaving a 4-6 inch tail. (More tails to practice weaving in your ends the better) -Join Color B being sure to the new yarn has a good 4-6 inch tail. Do not use join methods like spit join, Russian Join, magic knot etc. that do not leave a tail to weave in - Knit 1 row. - Cut Color B leaving 4-6 inch tail -Slide fabric down to other end of needle -Join Color A the same as you did Color B -Knit Stockingnette for 10 rows. -Cast Off
Before learning to lever knit I was starting to experience wrist pain. That stopped.
About 8 years ago I started my journey to lever knitting. I can't remember where I heard the term but I did. So I hit the Googles. I was very disappointed to see a dearth of useful material. The few videos I found were not very clear. I found one video that clearly showed how to tension the yarn and the pencil grip. But, nothing that really broke down how knitting lever style was different from conventional English knitting. Finally I found ONE, fuzzy video of the Yarn Harlot at a convention booth showing it using the underarm method. (See Knit Faster with Lever Knitting Pt 2) I was amazed at her speed. I watched the video over and over again trying to figure out what it was she was doing. And finally I saw it. It was the left needle. The left needle loaded and unloaded the stitches off of the right needle. Bingo! Learning to use my left needle and evenly dividing the work was the single biggest revolution in my knitting. I'd put in par with the shot clock in basketball or GUI for computers - complete game changer. Franky if I help people learn to make better use of their left needle while knitting I feel my mission is accomplished. As always, Happy Knitting! |
AuthorI'm Carrie CraftGeek. I've been knitting for 20 years and crafting my whole life. I love to share my passion with the world! *Indicates an affiliate link. As an affiliate I earn on qualifying purchases. To learn more about affiliate links please visit the FAQ
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