On this site you will find everything you need to know to knit to donate to charity—from the basic essentials of donating to charity to a list of charitable organizations that seek out donated knitted items to give to sick children, the homeless, premature babies and others in need; to how to work on your own or with other knitters to reach those in need…and even more.
Written by Knitting Stitches on January 14th, 2010
Discover the trendy art of knitting! Learn to knit, stitch and create a variety of different projects from socks to mittens and everything in between! Set includes 40-page, full-color book; 6 brightly colored bundles of worsted weight yarn; size 8, wooden knitting needles; a wooden crochet hook and a plastic sewing needle. Carry works-in-progress anywhere you go in the handy vinyl carrying bag.
Written by Knitting Stitches on January 9th, 2010
Everything is included in the kit. Contents: wool, knitting needles, stuffing, plastic sewing needle, stars for personality and felt heart for love. Instructions translated into English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch & Japanese. Provides quality time between parent & child. Teaches life skills as you learn how to knit. Multi-colored wool to knit a scarf wearing monkey. Makes one monkey. Height 365mm x Width 90mm.
Written by Knitting Stitches on January 5th, 2010
The Kit would be a starter Kit for children in age group 8 and up. If your child has shown an interest while you as a knitter are working on a knitting project of your own, fulfill the interest of the child with a beginners Kit.
The knitting Kit helps to develop dexterity and patience while creating a personal challenge for the child in having made a handbag that they can carry around and show to their friends. It includes 1-24 pronged knitting reel, 4-colored yarns, 1-crochet tool and a full colored set of instructions. Included in the set is a stylish strap. When completed the Hand Bag will be approximately 13cm or 5inchs long. The product is new and will be shipped in its original packaging.
Written by Knitting Stitches on January 1st, 2010
Learn the basics of knitting to create a colorful bohemian belt purse. Kit includes 110 yards of yarn, 3 different yards of fun yarn, knitting needles, 1 plastic needle, daisy maker, 20 pony beads, and easy to follow instructions. For ages 8 and up.
Written by Knitting Stitches on October 22nd, 2009
18th Century Knitting Patterns with complete instructions for knitting socks, mittens, gloves, and a voyageur hat. These 18th 18th Century Knitting Patterns
Written by Knitting Stitches on October 19th, 2009
Want to teach a child to knit? Give him or her a DVD! On The Art of Knitting 4 Kids
Written by Knitting Stitches on September 15th, 2009
Most beginners are intimidated by expert knitters and famous designers. I know I was when first attempting to knit a basic sweater. But, over the years I’ve found that great knitters are not to be feared; they’re just simple folks who choose to exercise their creativity and put a unique personal stamp on the knitted items they make.
Great knitters do not allow their creativity to be inhibited. They look for ways to increase the flow of creative juices every time they knit an item. These knitters intrinsically know that by changing colors or adding a specialty design detail, they can turn a sweater, scarf or other item into a designer original.
To become a great knitter takes practice and perseverance. Specific attention MUST be paid to details like gauge, proper fit and quality finishing and assembly. There are probably other technical factors as well, and of course one can take courses and become guild certified as well; but in the end the only things that matter as far as I am concerned are a love for knitting and a willingness to keep on learning and experimenting.
Written by Knitting Stitches on August 28th, 2009
Vogue Knitting wants you to cruise the Caribbean with them for 8 days, November 1-8, 2009. You are invited to visit at Belize City, Belize, Cozumel and Costa Maya, Mexico with very special authors/teachers, Debbie Bliss, Nicky Epstein and Carla Scott. Come and relax and enjoy their company while taking knitting classes and workshops where you will have the chance to learn new techniques, exchange information, and create beautiful knitting.
Bask in the magnificent tropical scenery with your yarn and needles and fellow knitting friends. For more information and details, click here.
Written by Knitting Stitches on August 14th, 2009
Since the bind-off edge should be the same tension as the knitted piece, stitches should be bound off evenly and according to pattern.
While most stitchers understand this rule as well as what to do if you bind off too tightly or loosely; trying to figure out how to keep the last stitch from becoming a shapeless loop can be elusive. Here are a few recommendations from experienced knitters.
Work the last two stitches together; pull the third stitch from the end over it and finish off.
Slip the last stitch; pull the next to the last one over it. Cut the yarn and pull through the slipped stitch and adjust the tension.
Bind off until one stitch remains on the left-hand needle; slip it to the right-hand needle and pick up the loop of the stitch one row below the slipped stitch. Return the slipped stitch to the left-hand needle and work the loop and the last stitch together.
On the row before the bind-off row, work the first stitch, give the yarn a tug and finish the row. The last stitch of the bind-off row will be tightened.
Written by Knitting Stitches on August 13th, 2009
Increases and decreases are used to shape knitted pieces. Increases make pieces larger; decreases make them smaller. For ease of working, increases and decreases are often worked on right-side rows either within the knitted piece or at the side edges. Here’s a summary of basic increasing and decreasing to shape a knitted piece.
The simplest increase technique is the make-one increase (M1) which most knitters usually learn to do first. Because it makes an invisible increase, it’s very effective when making increases within the middle of a row or the body of a piece. To do this increase, with the needle tip lift the strand between the last stitch knit and the next stitch on the left hand needle and knit into the back of it. One knit stitch will have been added. At the beginning of a row, to increase you knit twice in the same stitch to form two distinct stitches.
By working a specific decrease, you can slant the stitches to the right by knitting two stitches together (k2tog) or left (ssk) by slipping the next two stitches knit-wise, one at a time, to the right hand needle, inserting the tip of the left hand needle into the fronts of these stitches from left to right; and knitting them together. One stitch has been decreased. This is valuable to know when working pieces with shaping such as raglan armholes, where the slant of the edge is important. When the slant is unimportant, you can work either type of decrease. But the k2tog decrease is simplest.
Use these techniques for adding or subtracting one or two stitches at a time. When increasing or decreasing several stitches, you will need to use casting-on or binding-off techniques.
Written by Knitting Stitches on August 12th, 2009
From the moment you pick up your first pair of knitting needles and start to knit you acquire a skill rating. Everyone starts as a beginner but only a few knitters make it to the Experienced/Expert level. To determine your current knitting skill rating, consider the following explanations.
Ideal first projects that help the new knitter learn the basics. Basic knit and purl stitches are used throughout with minimal shaping required.
Includes knitting projects with basic and repetitive stitch patterns, simple color changes, and basic shaping and finishing.
Projects on this skill level have varied and more complicated stitch techniques like cables, lace, and simple intarsia. Knitters are introduced to double-pointed needles and knitting in the round. Mid-level shaping and finishing are learned.
These are usually challenging projects with complicated patterns that use advanced techniques and stitches such as short rows, Fair Isle, more intricate intarsia, cables, lace patterns. There are usually numerous color changes, involved shaping and finishing.
