Beginning Knitters, Big Stitches, and Yahoo Answers

This person had the opposite problem from the one I mentioned earlier. Her stitches were too big. Another Yahoo Answerer, named Sue, suggested she rip out and reknit. I came back with "the rest of the story."

Sue gave an excellent answer. Frog it (rippit rippit) to a few stitches before the bobble, then knit it better on the next try. My Mom always said "If you don't rip out, you don't wear out." meaning "if you don't go back and fix it, you won't want to be seen in public wearing it." I will give you a no-rip solution at the bottom of this message. Sometimes the oops is so far down that you just hate to rip back that far.

NOW -- why did it happen in the first place? It's a matter of tension. You did not control the yarn as it came through your fingers. If you look at an instruction book, it usually shows you twining the ball end of the yarn through your fingers in some manner. This is to put a little bit of drag on the yarn so you can control the amount of yarn you pull through in stitch formation. In this case, you pulled through a lot of yarn and didn't snug it up to your needle enough.

Most beginners have the opposite problem from you. They snug their yarn so tightly they don't leave enough room to slip the second needle in to form the next stitch. Either problem is solved by being aware of the finishing stage of stitch formation and being certain the loop is a regular size -- not too tight, not too loose.

NO-RIP SOLUTION. This doesn't always work, but it's worth trying before you frog. Lay your knitted fabric on a flat surface, such as a table, and find the line of yarn that formed the too-big stitch. Using the point of one of your needles, tug on the yarn before and after the too big stitch to bring it down to the right size. Move left (or right) to the next stitch and adjust it to take up the slack. Keep moving over one stitch taking up slack until you have dispersed the extra yarn evenly through the row. Don't worry that now the entire row looks a bit too loose. When you wash the item the tug/tug of washing will readjust the tension throughout the piece. Check yarn care instructions. Machine washing does more for tension readjustment than hand-washing, but not all yarns are machine washable.

Beginning Knitters, Split Yarn and Yahoo Answers

I like to read Yahoo Answers. My friend KR says the Reference Librarian in me is why I get so many "Best Answer" replies. Librarians are trained to hear the question behind the question.

Recently one person wrote in:
HELP! My yarn keeps splitting when I am knitting! I am using size 8 needles and this is my second time knitting. My needles are bamboo.
She rated my reply as Best Answer.

You say you are using bamboo needles, so that rules out your needles being too pointed. Bamboo needles are more rounded than metal ones. Bamboo, by its nature, gives your yarn a bit more traction as it runs along the needle. It's good to use with shiny, slippery yarns. Metal needles, on the other hand, have smaller points and slippery surfaces. They let yarn that catches and drags slide more smoothly during stitch formation.

If tension isn't your problem, you might try switching to metal needles to see if the problem is being caused by the nature of your needles.

With that said, I'm guessing the problem IS tension. You say this is your second knitting project. Almost every beginner I've ever taught to knit or crochet knits tightly because s/he is so intent on learning. If the loop of the stitch is really tight around the first needle, there is no slack to let the second needle in to form a new stitch. As you fight to insert the needle, you snag the yarn and split it. You can also snag your finger and poke holes. I've known beginning knitters to look like they lost a battle with a porcupine because they keep poking themselves with the needles.

Now, the hard part is -- how do you release tension?

1. You can consciously watch how you form your stitches and stop before you feel you have pulled the stitch down completely. (Stop at 3/4 instead of completely done.) It will take two-three rows before the new slack becomes evident.

2. You can ask a more experienced knitter to knit a few rows loosely for you. When you take the fabric back, it will feel like the other knitter was real "sloppy" compared to what you have been doing. Work to repeat the "sloppy" tension and keep yours that way. (Not working tightly is hard to do! It's like not thinking about pink elephants. )

3. You can quit holding the yarn that comes from the ball -- don't hold it with either hand. Let it hang loose. Don't think about tension right now. Concentrate on forming the stitches. Some will be big and sloppy. Some will be tight, but you will learn to make the stitches. Later, when you wash your project, the swish/swish tug of washing should readjust the tension throughout the pieces so you won't see big holes. (Read the care label. Some yarns need to be hand washed.)

Later, after you have the mechanics of stitch formation under control, you can start catching that yarn in one hand and holding it to put a little drag on the stitch to make the shape more uniform. There are two methods of stitch formation and carrying the yarn. One is European, one is American. Both are good. When you are ready, use the one that appeals to you.

Most of all, trust that after you have made one or two projects, you will catch on and not have this problem any more.