Honestly, I never ever would have done this in my early days of knitting. (There’s probably quite a lengthy list of things that would go on that list). But today, I took the sweater that I am knitting and pulled part of it off the needles. Really. I did this to get a more accurate idea of the width.
Turns out, my sweater is wide enough and my gauge is pretty close to the pattern requirements. I was afraid that it was too small which almost never happens to me since I don’t knit too tightly. But all is good.
By the way, in her book, Knitter’s Workshop, , Elizabeth Zimmerman suggests in Lesson One that we measure sweaters this way as we are knitting in order to get a correct fit. 🙂 It’s a little intimidating to take my knitting off the needles, but I’ve been able to pick up all the stitches without any problem. Of course, I’ve only tried this with the sweaters that are heavy on stockinette stitch. If I were knitting a sweater with a lot of cable or lace stitches, I’d probably wait for a plain row or as plain a row that I could get before I’d take some stitches off the needles. I think that would make it easiest to get the stitches back on.
Do you do anything as an experienced knitter that you never dreamed of doing as a beginner? Share here!
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I finally made a pair of proper socks with fingering weight yarn this year. Never thought that would happen lol
Yay!!!
3 st cables without cable needle. Very proficient after completing 1st Arlo sweater from Brooklyn Tweed. On 2nd Arlo, for other grandson, I’m going for the 4 st – maybe even the 5 st cables. Speeds up knitting even 6 & 8 yr size sweater with multiple cables.
Oh I need to learn this!
Another way to do it is to put half the stitches onto another needle. If you have another that is the same size, you can even work half the row onto the new needle, measure, and then just finish transferring as you work the rest of the row/round. If you don’t have another needle the same size, you can use a different size and just slip half of them, and slip them back afterwards. Or use a yarn needle and waste yarn…
I never thought I’d cut a steek, but I finally did!
Great idea to use more than one needle or waste yarn! And yay on the steek – I haven’t tried that yet!