Changing Color in Ribbing:
When you change color in ribbing, the purl bumps in the gutter will have two colors in them, which is not very attractive. To avoid this, when changing color, on the right (public) side, knit all of the stitches with the new color. On the next and subsequent rows, continue in your ribbing. Give it a try; doesn't it look nicer?
Tip added January 13, 2012

Ripping and Picking:
Ripping out one's work is never fun but we all have to do it. When you have only a row or two to rip back, take out your stitches one at a time. It saves time because you will not have to deal with dropped stitches or worry about losing the pattern.

When you have to rip out a lot of stitches, lay your work on a table and rip to one or two rows above your problem area. Then, using a needle that is one or two sizes smaller, pick up the live stitches and begin taking the stitches out one at a time with the original needle. You will be able to see and pick up any stitches you might have missed. And using a smaller needle makes picking up the live stitches easier to do.

If you knit socks using size 0 or size 1 needles, consider purchasing a set of size 00 or 000 to pick up the live stitches when you rip back your work.
Tip added November 21, 2011

Dealing with Knots:
Often, you are knitting along and come across a knot in the yarn. Sometimes the knot is just in one of the plies. This happens with inexpensive as well as expensive yarns. Do you just keep knitting, confident that the knot will stay in the back of the work?

One of two things generally happens. Either the knot wiggles its way to the right side of the work and no amount of effort will force it to remain on the wrong side, or the knot will eventually come undone and you will have a gaping hole in your work.

Knots are bad. Never knot and when you come across a knot in the yarn, cut it and join the new end. It may be hard to believe but working in the ends will be stronger and look better than a knot.
Tip added October 15, 2011

Sewn Bind Off:
This bind off is very good for garter stitch. It is especially good for garments knit from the top down because it looks very much like a cast-on. Elizabeth Zimmermann was the first to include this in one of her books.

Cut the yarn leaving a tail about 4 times the width of the piece to be bound off and thread through a blunt needle. Working from right to left, *put the needle through the first 2 sts from right to left as if to purl, pull the yarn through and leave the stitches on the needle. Put the needle back through the first st (yes, you are by-passing the second stitch) as if to knit and remove the stitch from the needle. Repeat from * until you run out of stitches.
Tip added May 6, 2011

Loopy last stitch fix:
Often we are left with a long, loopy stitch at the end of the bind-off row. To eliminate this, slip the first stitch of the row before the bind-off and work the rest of the row as you normally would. Turn and bind off all stitches, including the slipped stitch, as usual.
Tip added April 15, 2011

Joining a New Color: I enjoy intarsia, especially picture knits. The drawback is joining new colors and then working the stitches to create stable stitches when the piece is completely knitted. Sheila Farley suggested that I keep the tail of the new color in the front until I am ready to weave it in. I did not think it would work very well but I tried it and now it takes less fuss to work those ends in properly. And there are no gaping holes as I knit away at my picture.

Whether you are working on the right or wrong side and are ready to join a new color, bring the yarn of the new color from the front to the back. Lift the old yarn over and to the left of the new yarn. Start knitting with the new yarn.
Tip added February 16, 2011

Reusing Highlighter Tape: In December I discussed using highlighter tape to mark your place in a pattern. (Click here to see the tip.) I really like it but was having a hard tape peeling it off to place it in a differnt line of a chart. The tape peels off well, but sticks even better. Now, when I use a fresh piece of tape, I fold back one of the ends so that the sticky side joins. This creates a little tab so I do not have to pick at a corner with my nail or needle to lift up the tape.
Tip added February 11, 2011

Cable Patterns: Cable patterns can be difficult to follow. All of the lines and dots can run together and we spend a lot of time searching out the correct symbol from the key. Try color-coding them. Use color pencils and color the lines (or the squares) of each of the different symbols; then color the same symbol on the key. Now your eye will be drawn to the colors.
Tip added February 8, 2011

Help with Making up your garment: When you are making up your knitted items, getting those seams to stay together with pins can be a challenge. Baste them together. Use a different color yarn of any weight that is the same or lighter than the yarn used to knit the item. Make big whip or running stitches and do not worry about neatness. Once the seams are properly joined together, remove the basted stitches. This comes in especially handy when setting in sleeves or adding a border that has to be “stretched slightly to fit.”
Tip added January 23, 2011

Casting on in the round: When making small objects or items that begin in the center, we have to cast on just a few stitches. This can be a challenge. First, you will need a crochet hook the same size of the required knitting needles. (Every knitter should have a set of crochet hooks.) Second, you may want to invest in 4" or 5" double-pointed needles. They  make knitting small items much easier.

Method 1
First, you are going to make a ring with the required number of stitches, only these are going to be crocheted.
1. Make a slip knot. Do not pull it tight; keep it loose. Grasp the loop where the strands meet with your left thumb and index finger.
2. Insert the hook into the loop from front to back. Grab the yarn with the hook (yo) and bring through the loop. You now have one loop on the hoop.
3. Insert the hook into the loop again; you will be going under the yarn tail as well. Hook the yarn (yo) and bring through the loop. Hook the yarn again and bring through the loop on the hook as if you were making a chain. You now have two loops on the hook. Repeat this step until you have the required number of loops.
4. Carefully replace the hook with your needles and begin knitting in the round. After you have finished a few rounds, pull the tail to close up the circle.
You now have a nice, tight circle with no hole in the middle.

Method 2
Cast on the required number of stitches and divide evenly between two needles, not the usual 3 or 4 needles. Using a third needle, knit in the round for a few rounds. If the pattern includes increases, when you have 12 or more stitches, it will probably be comfortable for you to now introduce another needle. Think "Magic Loop," only with double pointed needles.

Tip added January 14, 2011

Where to Increase: Increase (or decrease) at least one stitch in from any edge that will be seamed unless the directions specifically state otherwise. The selvage will be one continuous column and the seams will be smoother.
Tip added December 31, 2010

Leaving Yarn Tails: When casting on or binding off, be sure to leave a long tail for seaming on a pieces that have to be sewn together. The long tail can be used to do the seaming, leaving a neater beginning of the seam and one less tail to weave in. Your friend, the person who is making up the sweater for you, will be appreciative.
Tip added December 24, 2010

Winding a ball of yarn: If you are winding a ball of yarn by hand, be sure to wind it loosely. A too tight ball of yarn can lose some of its elasticity. Wind the yarn as you normally would but include one of your fingers to wind around. Slip your finger out from under the yarn as you reposition the ball and continue using your finger. As the ball gets bigger, wind around two of your fingers also. This adds space between the layers of yarn. Your ball will be bigger and there will be no fear of stretching your yarn.
Tip added December 17, 2010

Keep track of your place in a pattern: There are many ways to keep track of your place in a pattern or chart on which you are working. Some of us mark off the rows with a checkmark. Some use magnetic boards. Some use row counters or record the row with pencil and paper. I have used all of those methods. A couple of months ago I discovered highlighter tape. Think highlighter pens only so much better. Highlighter tape is removable and restickable; you can write on the tape and even erase what you have written. It draws your eye to the line of the pattern. It comes in a variety of colors. When I discovered this marvelous product, I visited Sheep Thrills to suggest to Beth that she should carry this tape. I left sheepishly (no pun intended) when I discovered she already carries it.
Tip added December 10, 2010

Errata: In the words of Beth Caulfield: “There are a lot of bad patterns out there.” Most of us have been stymied at one time or another with pattern directions only to abandon the project, figure out a work-around or find out that the pattern is wrong. Before you get too frustrated, google the pattern (or book) name with the work “errata” after it to look for corrections. You might find that the pattern is wrong, not you. (Note: about two months ago, I googled a pattern from a popular book with about 100 patterns in it. I found corrections for 40 of those patterns!)
Tip added December 3, 2010

Sloped Edge Bind Off: When you bind of a sloped edge such as a shoulder, you probably end up with “stair steps. ” Smooth out the edge by slipping the first stitch of each group before binding off. To do this, bind of the first group of stitches as usual. When you are ready to bind of the next group, slip the first stitch knitwise; knit the following stitch; passed the slipped stitch over the knit stitch and continue binding off the rest of the required stitches as you normally would. Repeat this at the beginning of each group of stitches. (Tip added November 19, 2010.)

Cable Knit Fix: For many knitters, the left-most knit stitch on cables tends to be oversized. The trick to preventing this involves the purl stitch to the left of the offending knit stitch. On the right side rows, work the offending knit stitch the way you normally would. Then when working the purl stitch immediately to its left, insert your right-hand needle into the stitch purlwise as you normally would, but wrap the yarn around the needle in the opposite direction—clockwise instead of counterclockwise—as you purl the stitch. On the next row, this stitch will present itself to you as a twisted knit stitch. Knit it through the back loop to untwist it.
—Melissa Leapman, Cables Untangled