Loop on the Loose? We've Got You Covered (Video Tutorial)

Have you knit many projects where you hold two yarns together? Whether you’re exploring the wonderful world of marling with one of Ceceila Campochiaro’s patterns from MDK Field Guide No. 19: Marls or have jumped on the “put a strand of mohair with it” train, you may have noticed it’s relatively easy to miss out one or other of the yarns you’re knitting with while making a stitch.

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Long-Tail Cast On, But Make It Stretchy (Video Tutorial)

Hands up, who here has used the long-tail cast on? If you’re anything like me, the long-tail cast on is something you use a LOT. It’s fast, it’s stable, it’s fairly flexible. There’s a lot to love about a long-tail cast on! But … there’s the odd occasion it can let you down. Give you an edge that’s a little too firm or a little too tight. In those situations, what is a knitter to do?

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There's More Than One Way To Knit A Sweater

A few years ago, I came across an article suggesting some kinder replacements for common sayings that are, when you think about them, pretty violent. Things like killing two birds with one stone, or there being more than one way to skin a cat. The article proposed vegetable-based alternatives (“more than one way to peel a potato” is the one that stuck in my head). At the time I think I had a chuckle and moved on, but it obviously stuck with me, and I occasionally find myself almost drawing on one of those well-worn phrases then deciding that actually, it’s not quite fit for my purposes. Read on to see where this is going…

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MDK Field Guide No. 19: Marls!

Are you looking for some scope to play in your knitting? To have a bit of fun? I think that’s something we could all use … and luckily, it’s something the latest Field Guide from the fine folks at Modern Daily Knitting offers in spades! Say hello to Field Guide No. 19: Marls, with five marl-tastic designs from creative powerhouse Cecelia Campochiaro.

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Lou's Journey Continues!

Lou has been rediscovering the fun of knitting by working through Modern Daily Knitting’s excellent learn-to-knit book, Skill Set. If you missed her first post and want to catch up on her journey so far, you can find it here!

The next lesson (#4 for those of you keeping track!) was to learn to knit in the round, which basically means I had to swap the straight needles for circular needles. I only ever saw my granny work with straight needles so knitting with circular needles was definitely a new one to me!

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Tricked Out Trinket Mittens

Okay, so I know it’s June. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, mittens are probably the last thing on your mind. Especially when those mittens are knitted with that woolliest of woolly wools, Lettlopi. But let me make the case for knitting the Trinket Mittens in summer to you. They’re small. They’re fast. They’re fun. They’ll get your creative juices flowing. And, come autumn, you can pull them out with the satisfaction of the Very Prepared. And of course, for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, High Mitten Season is fast approaching! I’ve knitted two pairs of Mary Jane Mucklestone’s Trinket Mittens (so far), so today, I’m bringing you some of the tips and tricks I’ve garnered over four fabulous mittens!

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There's more than one way to start a toe-up sock! (Crochet Provisional Cast On and Grafting Video Tutorials)

I love that my day job focusses on helping knitters learn new techniques. And I find it particularly fun when I can suggest using techniques in a way that might not be immediately obvious. Today, I’ve got a pair of video tutorials for the crochet provisional cast on and grafting, skills that you’ll use individually time and again over the course of a knitting career. But they’re also a pair that work together particularly well. I’ll dive into some of their more common uses in today’s post, but I also want to highlight a perhaps less obvious application: they make a great way to start toe-up socks if Judy’s Magic Cast on isn’t your cup of tea.

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