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Knitting Basics - Measuring your Work

Posted On : Jun-03-2010 | seen (795) times | Article Word Count : 569 |

When following a pattern you are aiming to get a garment to a particular size. The only way to know this is to measure your work to make sure it is right. Below we will look at how to measure your knitting and why it is so important.
When following a pattern you are aiming to get a garment to a particular size. The only way to know this is to measure your work to make sure it is right. Below we will look at how to measure your knitting and why it is so important.

Why Measure your Knitting?

Well this is quite a simple question to answer and the reason is that you want to make sure it fits you or the person you are making it for. When you get a pattern it will tell you how wide and how long it needs to be and if you do not match that then you will find it does not fit when completed which is probably the worst feeling for a knitter. For that reason it is important to measure your knitting often and DON’T CHEAT. If it is wrong when you are part way through it then it is best to start again and not leave it until the end which will be a much worse feeling.

How to Measure your knitting

When you are measuring your knitting there are a few basic rules that you should follow and we have outlined here for you:

1. You should stop work halfway through a row when measuring.
2. Always use a flat surface when laying out your knitting to ensure you get a true picture of the size.
3. It is a good idea to pin your work or get someone to hold it out for you but remember not to stretch it unless it will be stretched when finished.
4. When you are measuring the width it is important to do this at least 2.5cm/1in away from the needles to get an accurate view. You should also make sure that you are the same distance at least away from any ribbing that may affect the width. Make sure you do it on a true horizontal.
5. When you measure the length you should do it in a true vertical and way from the edges.
6. If you have a large heavy piece, for example a long scarf, there is a chance it will sag and lengthen when you wear it. So to get an accurate measurement it is a good idea to let it hang for a couple of days and then measure the length to decide how much more you need to do.

The above give you some basic tips on how to measure your knitting but you should adapt these depending on the garment you are making to ensure it is as accurate as possible.

Making Matching Pieces

When you are making sweaters and cardigans you will often find that they say make the front to match the back in terms of length. For this you are best to count the rows and make them match rather than using a tape measure. However for this I find a good way to do it is to line them up against each other. You can pin one side to the other so that you can see how the lengths compare. When I get close I will normally check the edges every other row so that I make sure I stop at the right point. This is done as well as counting the number of rows just in case there is any variation in your knitting.

Article Source : http://www.articleseen.com/Article_Knitting Basics - Measuring your Work_20995.aspx

Author Resource :
This article has been supplied by Mercedes Aspland for the Knitting Shop where you can buy wool online.

Keywords : Knitting shop, wool, yarn, knitting, learn to knit,

Category : Home and Family : Crafts

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