212 useful answers · Page 8 of 9
Sew and mend, make paper and vinyl projects, dye fabric, and learn knitting, crochet, and embroidery.
Search this topicThe insertion tool may be catching on a loose seam allowance. Press and finish intersecting seams before constructing the casing, and temporarily baste their edges out of the tunnel’s path if needed. The channel also needs enough clearance for the elastic to slide. If it jams, work back gently to the obstruction instead of forcing the safety pin through fabric.
Use the maker’s print-at-home file and print at actual size or 100%, following its paper and tiling instructions. Turn off fit-to-page and shrink options. Print the test-square page first and measure it with a ruler before using more paper. If the square is wrong, correct the settings and reprint rather than trying to compensate when cutting fabric.
Use the copyshop or A0 file supplied for that purpose, rather than automatically sending the tiled home-print version. Ask for the original scale and check the printed test measurement when it arrives. Large-format printing removes the taping step, but it does not remove the need to confirm scale. Keep the instruction file separate from the full-size pattern pieces.
Open the PDF in a reader that supports layers and hide unwanted size layers with their visibility controls. Keep the information, grainline and other required layers visible. If you are blending sizes, retain all the sizes involved. Check the print preview and test scale before printing; not every pattern PDF contains separately selectable size layers.
Yes. Make matching fabric loops long enough for the intended belt plus turned-under attachment ends. Test the spacing and belt clearance before sewing them on. Fold each end under and secure it to a suitable reinforced area, using the garment’s construction as a guide. Do not make the loop so tight that the belt cannot slide through comfortably.
Arrange every cast-on stitch so the lower edge faces consistently around the needle or needles. Check the entire length before joining. Hold the tip with the working yarn in your right hand and knit into the first cast-on stitch on the other tip, following the pattern’s setup. Joining a twisted edge produces a twisted tube that later rows will not straighten.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
Unless your pattern says otherwise, move the marker from the left needle to the right needle and continue working the next stitch. The marker identifies a position between stitches; it is not itself knitted and does not add to the stitch count. Use a distinctive marker for the round boundary if other markers identify shaping sections.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
Divide the stitches into two groups and pull excess cable out between them. Work the first group with the free needle tip while the other group rests on the cable, then rearrange the tips to work the second group. A long, flexible cable provides the slack. The method is useful for small circumferences without stretching the stitches around an oversized circular needle.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
Use a separate working strand for each piece. Two balls, or one skein divided into two balls, make it easier to keep the pieces distinct than working from both ends of one ball. Follow a two-at-a-time setup so each piece’s stitches occupy the correct needle sections. Check which strand belongs to which sock whenever you change between them.
No. A yarn over is an extra wrap of working yarn, and the next knit or purl instruction is a separate action. Confusing the two can throw off both your place in the pattern and your stitch count. In a sequence of four knits, a yarn over, and two knits, you work six original stitches and add one new loop.
After the first knit stitch, bring the working yarn forward between the needle tips. Knit the next stitch normally, allowing that strand to travel over the right needle and remain as an extra loop. On the following row, work the loop as the pattern directs. It adds a stitch and usually creates a deliberate eyelet rather than a hidden increase.
Keep the yarn behind the work. In Purl Soho’s variation, slip the first stitch knitwise and the second purlwise to the right needle. Insert the left tip through their fronts and knit them together, leaving one stitch in place of two. Other instructions slip both knitwise; follow your pattern’s stated version consistently for matching shaping.
It is a centered double decrease worked over three stitches. Slip the first two together as though knitting them together, knit the next stitch, then lift the two slipped stitches over that new stitch and off the needle. Three stitches become one, reducing the count by two. Keep this distinct from an SSK, which reduces the count by only one.
RS means the right side and WS the wrong side of the fabric. They identify the face the pattern intends you to have toward you while working, not whether your knitting is correct or mistaken. Mark the designated right side if the fabric looks similar on both faces. The pattern, rather than your preferred appearance, determines those labels.
They specify the working yarn’s position: wyif means in front, and wyib means behind the work. Move the yarn to the stated side before slipping the stitch, while also following whether the stitch is slipped knitwise or purlwise. Yarn position and slip direction are separate instructions; ignoring either can change the fabric’s appearance.
Foundation single crochet builds a chain-like base and its first row of single-crochet stitches together, rather than making a long starting chain first. Each repeat creates a new base loop and then the stitch above it. It can be useful when you want to adjust the starting length as you go. Confirm the pattern’s required stitch count before substituting it.
Make a small foundation ring, then arrange four groups of US double-crochet stitches around it, separated by corner chain spaces. A starting chain stands in for the first double crochet when the pattern specifies it. Join the round at the indicated starting chain. Count four corner spaces before proceeding, since that first arrangement establishes the square shape.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
In a classic granny construction, a side space receives one group of three US double crochets. A corner space receives two groups separated by the corner chains, allowing both sides of the square to expand. Work into the intended chain spaces rather than randomly into stitch tops. Follow your pattern’s chain counts, since granny-square variations are not all identical.
Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle and work through the fabric on the less visible side, following stitch paths or purl bumps for several stitches. Change direction to help secure the tail and keep the tension relaxed enough that the fabric still stretches naturally. Check the front before trimming. The best route depends on the yarn and stitch structure.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
The tail may have been pulled tighter than the surrounding stitches. Gently spread the fabric back to its normal shape before trimming, and ease the woven strand if necessary. Weaving should secure an end without cinching a section closed. Compare both faces and allow the fabric’s usual stretch, especially around ribbing or another flexible area.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
For a standard six-stitch back cable, place the next three stitches on a cable holder without twisting them and hold that group behind the work. Knit the next three from the main needle, then knit the three waiting on the holder. This changes their order to form a crossing. Follow the pattern for the rows between cable crossings.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
Check whether the pattern tells you to hold the waiting stitches in front or behind the work. In the usual cable construction, holding them in front creates a leftward crossing, while holding them behind creates a rightward crossing. The number of stitches and whether they are knitted or purled can also vary, so read the full cable definition.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
Your knit and purl tension may differ. A flat stockinette swatch alternates knit and purl rows, while stockinette in the round uses knit stitches throughout. Swatch using the intended circular method, or use a simulated circular swatch with loose yarn carried behind each row. Measure the central fabric without letting the carried strands pull it narrow.
Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. How our links work.
After the first two stitches are established, a cable cast-on forms each new loop from the space between the last two stitches. Draw yarn through that space and place the new loop on the left needle without twisting it. Repeat loosely enough to work comfortably. The resulting firm edge has less stretch than some other cast-on methods.
Source checks for these answers: September 22, 2026. Product instructions and local requirements can vary.