I hate knitting the second sleeve, don't you? So, why not knit both sleeves at the same time. Just cast them both on together using long circular needles. Your sleeves will have the decreases and increases in the same places (what a concept) and they'll end up being the same length. So unless you're a Hindu goddess with many arms, you'll feel like you're finishing even faster.
This tip deserves a big "duh!" but I had no clue until someone shared it with me:
Whenever a pattern tells you to cast on or cast off loosely, use one needle size larger. If it's a neck edge, bump it up two sizes. This is a great way to start and end scarves, headbands or anything that you want to lay flat.
When a pattern says to decrease a number of times every X # of rows (e.g. decrease at neck edge 5 times every four rows) start by hanging that number of safety pins (or paper clips) off the yarn to be knit. At the decrease row, slide one of the safety pins between the first two stitches of that row, thereby marking the decreased row and leaving the remaining number of pins grouped on the upcoming yarn. You'll easily be able to count rows until the next decrease and when all the pins are gone, you've finished decreasing. You can do the same thing for tracking increases. The pins remove easily when you're ready to finish.
Why, oh why don't we all just use a crochet hook to pickup stitches??? Until lastyear when I finally learned to crochet, I didn't even own a crochet hook - like it was a taboo. Now, when I need to pick up stitches along a neck ege or a purse bottom, I just use a crochet hook to pull the stitch through and then I place it on the knitting needle. Wow, it's so easy, I'm hooked!
Ok - once and for all - let's get organized. I know all you want to do is start that new project. But start it right. Start it by placing the pattern in a plastic sleeve. The plastic sleeve can hold the yarn bands, the swatch, an index card for notes. When you're all done with the project, take a picture of your work, put it in the sleeve -- the sleeve in a notebook of FO's and it's on to the next project.
Make a Buttonhole:
With yarn in front, slip st from L to R needle as if to purl. Place yarn in back and leave it there. SL next st from L to R needle as if to purl and pass the first SL st over it. Continue to bind off no. of sts desired for length of hole.
SL the last bound off stitch back to L needle. Turn work. Place yarn in back. Cast on the same no. of sts plus 1 that you bound off. Before last cast-on st bring the yarn to front. Turn work. SL the first st from L to R needle as if to purl. Pass the last cast on stitch over the slipped stitch. Work to end.
The stitch that's a B*tch. And since you hate that you can't remember, just get mad and start out by thinking FUCK OFF or simply FK-off. Then you are on your way.
Once you work through the full explanation (below) you'll remember to start with FK-OFF or FRONT KNIT OFF which means to Knit into Front stitch and take it off the needle. The next stitch is Purl into the Front stitch but you leave it on - think of it as FP-on.
Then memorize the rest. It goes FK-OFF, FP-ON, BP - OFF, BK - ON.
Here's the full explanation. Try it with sticks in hand:
With yarn on tapestry needle, *sew through first st of front needle as if to k and sl st off. Sew next st on front needle as if to p, but leave on. Sew through first st of back needle as if to p, and sl st off, sew through next st of back needle as if to k and leave st on.* Rep from * to the end. Tie off and work in ends.
Knit into front, back and front of next st and do this as many times as the size your want the bobble to be, maybe once or twice, turn and k3, turn and p3, turn and k3, turn and sIip 1, K2Tog, PSS0.
