knitting

When you take up knitting as a hobby, sooner or later you’re going to discover that you need some basic tools to help your projects along. Some of the tools I can’t live without are:
• Knitting Needle Case – I have so many different types of needles now that a case is a must. I actually have two cases, one for my straight and double-pointed needles, and one for my circular needles. I also keep most of my tools in these cases, too, so I know where everything is at a moment’s notice. These cases help keep your craft area a lot neater, too!
• Stitch Markers – I’ve talked about this before. You can use the circular or split circular markers that fit right onto your needles, but I prefer the beaded markers on cables, because they are much finer and don’t get it the way of your stitches, especially if you’re working with fine, lace yarns. I’ve had the split markers catch on stitches, and I’m always losing the round ones, too. Make sure you have a variety of sizes of stitch markers, so they fit all your needles, too. If they are too big, they will add to the size of your stitch when you pull the yarn around them, and that’s not good.
• Row Counters – These are essential for just about every knitting project that uses a pattern or chart. You have to have at least one row counter when you do lace projects, or you’ll be lost. I use one that I turn manually, and it has a round connection that fits right onto my needle. I use it at the end of a row as a stitch marker when I’m working on lace projects. You can find electronic row counters too, some that you wear around your neck so they don’t get in the way of your knitting. I keep several of these handy, so I can work on more than one project at once if I want to.
• Scissors – I use a small pair of embroidery scissors for my knitting. They are so small I can quickly cut out snags from my yarn, and they clip everything from fine to super bulky yarns just fine.
• Point Protectors – You may think you don’t need these handy items, but if you’ve ever put down your project, and picked it up again to find you’ve lost several stitches off the end of the needle, you’ll know why they are a must. I use rubber protectors that will fit on just about any size needle, and I always have at least a couple of sets around, since I often work on more than one project at a time.
• Gauge Tool – I’ve seen several of these, from a metal ruler with a slide that you can adjust to measure inside your swatch, to a clear magnifying one that helps you count even the tiniest stitches for your gauge. Don’t ignore these tools, because gauge is paramount in any knit item you want to fit correctly, from a hat to the most complex sweater.
Those are some of my very favorite tools, and I’ll give you a rundown on some others soon!

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