The cardigan is coming along nicely. We went back up to Kamloops this weekend (still in the process of buying the cabin), which meant lots of hours in the car - knitting. I've finished the main body piece:
I've started on the arm, which calls for knitting in the round on dp needles. I find dp needles so frustrating, because I don't think I've ever learned how to knit with them properly. Here's my problem. I always seem to extend the last stitch on the needle, so that the loop becomes larger than the rest of them. I've tried to take a picture of my failings:
How do I fix this? Help.
Comments (12)
The sweater looks very pretty. I can't believe how fast you knit!
I just try to knit tighter when I come to the ends of the dpn's. I recently learned the Magic Loop method, and I don't know that I'll ever go back to dpn's again. It seems to solve that problem as well.
Posted by kim | June 5, 2007 8:13 PM
Posted on June 5, 2007 20:13
I saw a fix for a similar problem in ribbing though I am not at all sure it will work in this situation. But you can try it. Wrap the yarn on that last stitch in the opposite direction. In ribbing it has something or other to do with using less yarn. Don't you love it when someone is so sure?
Posted by twig | June 5, 2007 8:22 PM
Posted on June 5, 2007 20:22
I try to tighten up the stitch a lot, and hope that any "ladders" block out. Since I've been using the Magic loop, it doesn't seem to be such a problem--I highly recommend the Magic Loop!
Posted by Carrie | June 5, 2007 9:56 PM
Posted on June 5, 2007 21:56
Wow, your cardi is really coming along - you're certainly a speed knitter!
As for the problem with the last stitch on the needle, when it comes to ribbing then I'll have to chorus what Twig said - I wrote about this here: http://www.millharrow.com/weblog/front_content.php?idart=22&idsel=222 - maybe that's helpful for you. Other than that, I just pull the last stitch really tightly and most of all, I'm always, always knitting that last stitch, mo matter if the pattern calls for a purl stitch or whatnot, I'm knitting it as well as the first stitch and pull these both sts really tightly. Works perfectly!
Posted by Dipsy D. | June 5, 2007 11:51 PM
Posted on June 5, 2007 23:51
The cardigan is looking great! I usually just tighten it up as I knit, but I just read somewhere that you can move the stithces around the needles by one stitch each round so that you never have the same "last" stitch.
Posted by Jeanne | June 6, 2007 2:14 AM
Posted on June 6, 2007 02:14
You are making good progress! When I knit on DP's, I pull hard on the working yarn when I knit the first stitch on each needle and knit that stitch as tight as possible. Works for me - I don't get ladders. If you are still having trouble, redistribute your stitches on the needles every few rows so your ladders move around - they will be less noticeable then.
Posted by becky c. | June 6, 2007 6:31 AM
Posted on June 6, 2007 06:31
another vote here for magic loop or for the 2 circ method.
think of this, a circ is a DPN. (it's a dpn with a flexible middle.
if you're working on a set of 5 DPN's, think of 1 circ as taking the place of 2 normal DPN's--(instead of point between the pairs, you have a flexible loop--the cord of the circ)
the second DPN works the same way..
(magic loop is just an extention of the same idea.)
with few joints, smoother knitting... (only one place for a perhaps slightly oversized stitch.. (under the arm!) )
Posted by Helen (of troy) | June 6, 2007 6:59 AM
Posted on June 6, 2007 06:59
I think everything has been said as to how you might fix your problem...
Hopefully everything is already going well! :)
The cardigan is really looking great!
Posted by leslie | June 6, 2007 12:29 PM
Posted on June 6, 2007 12:29
It's looking fantastic!
Posted by tiennie | June 6, 2007 3:25 PM
Posted on June 6, 2007 15:25
The cardi looks great!
I keep moving 1 stitch over on the dpns so it does not cause ladders. I ended up getting 30 cm Addi circular needles which I use for smaller sleeves. Hope this helps!
Posted by Bear Knits | June 7, 2007 10:31 AM
Posted on June 7, 2007 10:31
that happens to me too--the big loop with the last stitch on the needle! I've just been tightening that stitch as well as the one that comes after it. It looks as though you and I need to learn magic loop!
Posted by rhoda | June 8, 2007 11:59 AM
Posted on June 8, 2007 11:59
Me? Whenever I knit with DPNs, I just continue knitting- moving two or three stitches. Maybe one stitch. Try it. It's worth a shot.
Posted by Tiphanie | June 17, 2007 5:29 PM
Posted on June 17, 2007 17:29