So i’m making a hat and i already started knitting in the round and i just finished my first round and reached my stitch marker. What do I do now? Do i remove the stitch marker and place it on the right needle at the beginning of my next round? And then just keep knitting?

That’s right

I needle help with this one patten that I am oing. I am new to knitting so I don’t quite know what it means. It says: With a dpn, k 16 stitches off the circular needle onto the dpn. How do I do this if the stitches are already on two needles??? How do I knit onto a totally different needle??? I just don’t get it.

You are switching to DPNs because you are about to do some decreases and the circumference of your piece will become too small to remain on the circular needle. DPNs automatically adjust to fit the circumference of your work as that circumference changes.

DPNs come in sets of 4 or 5 needles typically. Most American sets come in four, most European in 5. In a four needle set, you have three needles holding stitches, forming a kind of triangle, and the fourth needle is used for knitting off. In a five needle set, you have four needles holding stitches, forming a kind of square or rectangle, and the fifth is used for knitting off.

Pick up your circular needle as if to knit another round. Now let go of the needle in your right hand. Pick up one of your DPNs in that right hand. Now use that DPN in your right hand to knit sixteen stitches from the needle in your left hand. In order to avoid a stretched out column of stitches at that point (called a "ladder"), knit the first two stitches with the DPN a little more snugly than usual. That won’t be all of the stitches, just 1/3 or 1/4 of them. When you finish those 16 stitches, let go of the DPN and pick up a new one. Knit 16 stitches onto the new DPN, remembering as before to knit the first two stitches snugly. Continue on until all the stitches are now on double point needles. Take a safety pin and mark the gap between the beginning of the first needle and the end of the last needle. This will mark the beginning of your round so you won’t lose your place as you follow the remaining instructions. Each time you pass that safety pin, you are starting a new round.

This video won’t show you how to switch, but will show you how to use the DPNs and that may help you understand the objective and will at least show you what it looks like when you’ve done it right. Scroll down to the section on Double Pointed Needles (DPN) and click the button to watch the video.

http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/advanced-techniques

You might also want to investigate the technique called "magic loop" which allows you to knit any diameter tube without having to switch from circulars when it is large to DPNs when it is small. You can knit everything from sweaters to socks all with one technique. It looks goofy at first, but once you get used to it it is actually the easiest method. You don’t randomly lose needles like you sometimes do with DPNs, and it’s actually easy to knit two matching items (like socks or sleeves) at the same time so they match exactly.

I am using regular size 9 knitting needles, not the straight round ones.

I am planning on using a bulky yarn sized 6, but i dont think this detail matters.

No one is going to be able to explain to you how to knit a sweater here. First thing you need to do is learn how to knit and read patterns. Go to http://www.knittinghelp.com to get started. It’s free and a great site for beginners.

Hi!

I would like to start knitting and crocheting and would like to get the best tools. What are the best materials for crochet hook and knitting needle in your opinion and WHY? Wood, metal, bamboo, plastic, anything else?

Thanks a lot.

Having used hooks and needles of a number of materials, I prefer metal (non-aluminum) and wood, although I have some borosilicate glass needles I love, depending on the yarn I am working with. Metal needles hold up well and work well, for experienced knitters and crocheters, for nearly all yarns, but some yarns, notably cotton and other plant fibers, silk, llama and alpaca, are very slippery to work with and are easier to control on wood or bamboo needles, since these materials have rougher surface that holds on to the yarn more firmly. I don’t use aluminum needles, since I have found over time that these needles aggravate the arthritis in my hands, although other metal needles do not. I find plastic needles in combination with acrylic yarn squeak and it drives me crazy.

As for best, the suggestion that you try out various needle materials is well given. Many companies make fairly inexpensively priced needles in aluminum, plastic and bamboo. Buy or borrow a pair of straights, or circulars and practice on them to see if you are comfortable with them. Hit yard sales to get them even cheaper or thrift shops for some just to try, or borrow some from another knitter. Look at the yarn you generally plan to use. If it is acrylic or wool, you’ll likely find metal needles to your preference, but other yarns may lead you to other types of needles.

You also need to understand needle tips. Did you know there are several types of needle tips that also affect the comfort of the needle in what you are trying to knit? There are blunt tips (large rounded points), pointed tips ( not so large, but still rounded points), and sharp points (very pointy tips). For general knitting, or working with several strands or bulky yarns, blunt or pointed tips work well–usually the larger the diameter of the needle, the less sharp the tip, but for lace or cable knitting, very sharp needles are preferred to pick up the tiny yarns used in lace or to easily move through the twists in cables.

BTW, spending money for quality needles isn’t an extravagance, if you love knitting, having good tools can often make a difference.

I’ve been searching online for AGES but I can’t find a free knitting pattern for a baby hat that includes hearts! I want to knit my friend a hat for her baby (she’s due this winter) and I want it to have hearts in a different color from the main color. I could embroider it on or knit it in as part of the pattern, but I need a pattern, because I’ve never done hearts before. Please help me find some good patterns!

Here are a few nice options:

http://purplesagedesigns.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/cable-heart-tam-joins-the-celtic-child-flock/

http://www.p2designs.com/images/patterns/Set-Hearts.html

http://www.polarknit.com/files/Lacy%20Heart%20Slouch%20Hat.pdf

download the attachment here too: http://sites.google.com/site/clwork332/HeartMonkeyHat.pdf?attredirects=0

http://joann.lionbrand.com/patterns/kcw-heartHat.html

http://www.klaam.com/sheknits/PDF%20files/Valentine%20Hat.PDF

They ARE hard to come by….

hope you like, heehee (I better win best answer for this…haha)

Is knitting with crochet hook faster then knitting with knitting needles?

I am planning to make a baby blanket. I can use the bamboo needles/circular needles I have . But I wanted to know If I knit a pattern (may be basic one) with crochet hook, is that faster?

Thanks

If you’re using a crochet hook, that’s usually called crocheting, unless you’re knitting with the handle part of two crochet hooks.

If you’re asking if CROCHETING is faster than knitting, the answer is "yes – usually." The blanket will be thicker and will use more yarn, but crocheting is usually quicker. Which technique to use is decided by what final product you want.

There’s a great website for baby patterns in both knit and crochet: www.bevscountrycottage.com

I am interested in buying a custom knitting program so I can create my own patterns as I have some design ideas, and I have not been able to find what I want to create already designed. Any suggestions, and where to find the software, in stores or online?

It depends on what you are making. There is a Sweater Wizard that is very good. I have seen a few on-line programs that are pretty good too.

There are some free ones for hats. I think there are some for socks, but I haven’t used them since I can design my own.

I think if you google "____ generator", you will be able to find what you need.

I think it might be easier to crochet with this project, but there has to be a way to do this with knitting. Im trying to make a tam, or beanie hat. All the tutorials i’ve seen teach how to knit in the round to create the brim of the hat. I want to start from the center of that hat and work my way to the brim. how can i do this? I’m using circular needles.

My wife is a bit of a nit and she says it should be possible although doesn’t know why you would want to do that.

I currently subscribe to Knit Simple (which I love) and Vogue Knitting. I am also in my 20’s and like modern things. Also intermediate knitter.

I’m going to repost the same answer I gave the other person who asked this same question this afternoon to save on recopying all of the links again.
I’m thinking you might like Knit1 as it’s got a lot of modern and trendy knits in it… but read on…
There are a lot of great magazines out there. I like Interweave Knit and sometime Knit One has some good patterns too, Vogue is always beautiful of course.It is a matter of personal choice. I like some because they are beautiful to look at and inspire me to come up with new ideas of my own and others for their practical patterns that are easy to use right away. In the end though, I most often end up knitting out of the same books over and over or using patterns I find online. Glance through and see if there’s anything you’d actually make in them before you buy them though. I once received a subscription as a gift and after an entire year of it, there was not one thing in them I ever wanted to make. Many magazines show their current projects online so that you can get an idea of what you’re going to find in the magazine. Here’s a list of some links for you to check out and find your personal style. Good luck…now I want new magazines too.

http://www.interweaveknits.com/

http://www.knit1mag.com/

http://www.knitsimplemag.com/

http://www.knittinguniverse.com/flash/kn…

http://www.creativeknittingmagazine.com/

http://www.vogueknitting.com/vkm/

http://www.knitnstyle.com/

http://www.knitnet.com/ online magazine

http://www.simplyknitting.co.uk/

http://www.magknits.com/

I am liquidating my 96 year old grandmothers knitting and crochet items, mostly hooks and needles and would like to learn how to tell the value of them. I have several Bucilla needles and hooks and cannot find them anywhere to compare.

Bucilla (the company) is no longer in business. They were bought out by Plaid Corp. Try their website. (apparently they no longer carry hooks and needles) http://www.plaidonline.com/home.asp
You can also take your needles in to a good yarn shop and someone may know if they’re worth anything. Or try e-bay and see if you can find similar ones and see what they are selling for.

But since there are a lot of hooks and needles available I don’t think they are worth as much in monetary value as they are in sentimental value.