The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-09
KNITTING HINTS

If you are a novice and are at
tempting new pattern, help yourself
by making a diagram Draw a hori-
zontal line at the base of a sheet of
paper. indicating the row of stitches
you originally set up, and on this
mark the number of stitches and the
kind of stitches that are to be taken
slong that line. If specifications are
given for the length in inches that
those set-up stitches are to measure
indicate this also. From this proceed
with your diagram showing by lines
the extension of the knitting, and
marking each with the number and
kind of stitches requiFed- In this way
you Will see before starting the gar
ment the shape that it is TO. take and
the approximate proportions. When
the design has to be altered to suit
certain figures you can see at a glance
just where the alteration is to be
made, by means of this diagram
1t is often convenient to know when
knitting a large garment just how
much yarn is used up in knitting a
certain number of stitches To find
this out. measure off yard of worst
ed, beginning at the beginning of
row and mark the end of the yard
by means of small safety pin pinned
into the Worsted. When you have
used up yard count the number of
stitches. BY counting the total num-
Der of stitches required to make an
entire row, you will be able to see ex-
actly how many yards of worsted are
needed for each row.
Various brands OF knitting needles
are marked in different ways. Amber
knitting needles, nickel knitting
needles. bone needles and those of
wood are usually marked according to
a different scale even when they are
4 made by the same concern Owing
to this fact it is almost impossible
to give or receive knitting directions
without having a more definite idea
I OF the needle required than that given
! by the numbers If you cannot COM
pare the needle on which the article
has been knitted successfully with
! your own needles, and thus pick out
/ the right size, it is a good idea to
have the measurement of the right
size taken by sticking the needle
/ through a calling card. The needle
that is exactly the same size will go
through the same hole without
spreading it, but very tightly If il
slips through easily it is too small
No one ever becomes a really nro-
ficient knitter until she knows exactly
what the knitting stitch amounts to.
! In picking up stitches or in correct
! ing Imperfections, one should have a
really definite idea of just what are
| the proper twists of the thread in the
-
come proficient therefore, take time
off with a bit of yarn and knit on
I very large needles sample pieces of
! the usual stitches. If you are at all
1 apt with your pencil draw 'diagra ms
OF these various stitches from the
| models, so that you will have wildly
in your mental eye a picture of the
! threads as they wind their way thru
the knitting work. Every person
who knits Knows that when Won a re-
knitting two, purling two you must
have number of stitches on the
needle that can be divided evenly by
four. Unless you know exactly why
you have to have this number of
stitches. YOU are cot an intelligent
knitter and you will never be able to
master knitting difficulties by your
self
In spite of the very splendid ster
that the various stores thruout the
country have taken in enforcing the
rule that goods will not be returnable
excepting within a very short length
of time, most of the stores are still
considerate enough to accept for ex-
change yarn in excess of what i:
needed. This is done because if &
knitter works on the minimum amount
of yarn for a given garment, she FIRE.
quently finds it impossible to secur.
yarn of exactly the same shade wheI
she has used up her first supply
Therefore, make it rule in all worst
| ed work to buy the maximum noun
to begin with and avail yourself Eth,
courtesy of the store from which yoi
) buy and return what you have lef
: over.
Do not imagine that by knitting ex