Written by Sally Barret of Knit Sally Knit

FEATURED SUPPLIER! – Chroma Yarns

This months Feartured Yarn supplier Chroma Yarns is run by Jonathan an independant dyer who loves working with colour. Jonathan loves knitting and crochet and has been doing both since being inspired by Kaffe Fassett in the 1990’s. Who couldn’t be inspired by Kaffe’s brilliant patterns and unique use of colour. Chroma Yarns stocks some sumptious and brightly coloured sock yarn which would look fabulous adorning anyones feet! Of course you don’t have to stop at socks there is a whole range of patterns suitable for this yarn just waiting for you to get started. So what are you waiting for pop over to Chroma Yarns today and get ordering.

FOLKSY FINDS! – It’s in the bag

Click the images for more details

Knitting and Crochet Tips – Cast on Methods in Knitting

It wasn’t until fairly recently that I realised that there were different methods of casting on in knitting, it turns out the method I had been using for years and which was taught to me by my mother is ‘Cable cast on’.Below are some of the more common cast on methods used today:

Cable cast on – Has a neat decorative edge and is good for knitting rib and makes an attactive edge for socks. For this method start with a loop on the needle. For a video tutorial of cable cast on click here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/cable-cast-on-english

Knitting on – This is very similar to cable cast on except that you knit into the stitch at the fron or back instead of knitting between stitches. It’s a good method for making button holes. For a video tutorial of Knitting on click here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/knitting-on-english

Long Tail Cast on (aka continental cast on, double casting on) – I learnt this method quite recently, it creates a looser and elastic cast on edge, I find it ideal when knitting hats. It took a bit of getting used to for me as you use one needle and your thumb, it is supposed a good cast on method for beginners. For a video tutorial of Knitting on click here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/long-tail-cast-on

Single cast on (aka backward loop cast on) – This is a very easy method of casting on and is particularly good for a hem edge or for lace, the downside is it is tricky to work off the needle in the first row. For a video tutorial of single cast on click here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/backward-loop-cast-on

Provisional cast on (aka looped cast on) – This is used if you want a flexible edge or you want to pick up the stitches from the cast on edge to knit on later, it is created using two lengths of yarn, the foundation yarn can be removed to enable the stitches to be picked up for knitting or for grafting. For a video tutorial of provisional cast on click here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/invisible-provisional-cast-on

Judy’s magic cast on – This is my favourite method of cast on for toe up socks or for making bags or purses knitted in the round, it’s so simple but so clever you have a seamless cast on which looks like magic! For a video tutorial of Judy’s magic cast on click here, it’s a bit of a bizarre video by Cat Bordhi but stay with it, it really explains it well: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhBIS0AhhQY

Happy knitting and crocheting :-)

This article was kindly written for the Folksy blog by Sally Barret of Knit Sally Knit