Beginning knitter questions

[MissLotus]

I've just begun to knit and so far I lurve it! Well, I can cast on and do the knit stitch and my scarf is well underway, almost ready to bind or cast off or whatever...I watched the video on KnittingHelp.com so will try that soon.

Actually I watched several videos on there and have a couple questions:

You know how there's a long "tail" left over from casting on...and she was saying how you can work that in, then cut off the excess. Why make it so long to begin with? I just find it gets in the way and so far has served no purpose that I can see.

My second question regards when you want to add new colors, or if you run out of one skein and need to add another....she was showing how to blend the two strands together, then later she went back and sort of wove the strands in. Why not simply connect the new yarn on by tying a tiny knot? I actually did this with my scarf (when I ran out of the first skein), instantly cut off the excess yarn, and it doesn't even show. Is there some reason they seem to make it more complicated than it has to be?

[poiyt]

To answer your first question: It doesnt have to be that long. You will get to know how much yarn you need to cast on however many stitches you need with the needles you are using. I like to leave at least a 4 inch tail because I like to over weave in the ends because I am paranoid.

For your second question...there is a picky reason: that people dont want to see the knot and they cant guarantee it will be on the wrong side (and no matter how little you tie a knot in peace fleece it wont be tiny enough to not notice). The other reason is it isnt as secure and if it comes undone your whole piece will unravel. Im assumed you are just..like..tieing it twice and not doing a spiffy figure 8 knot or anything. They do/will come out. That being said - when I have been in a pinch and its not a piece that will get a lot of wear and tear (like a placement for a pot) then I have tied ends because my yarn was that short and I needed it to do a few more stitches before changed colours and then it was too short to do it properly...

[dawningmama]

Well, in my experience, knots unravel (especially in the wash, and omg, especially if you are felting!). And I keep a long tail because it just makes weaving in (and then cutting the end) that much easier.

[MarineWife]

the only time i find a long tail important when casting on is if you need to sew seams together. it's easier and works much better if the yarn is already attached rather than having to use a new, completely separate piece to sew the seams. i don't think of this a lot until it's too late and it frustrates me to no end. i hate to waste yarn. i wish everyone would say in their patterns at the very beginning when you'll need a long tail for seams. so, maybe always leaving a long tail at the beginning would solve that problem. but then you'd probably end up wasting a lot of yarn all those times when you don't need to sew a seam.

there are good videos on youtube, too, if you can't find what you need on knittinghelp.com.

[MissLotus]

Thanks for your replies. I've found some great videos on YouTube...the ones most helpful to me have been from "Expert Village"; the woman on those makes things very simple and brief...after watching the one on casting off yesterday just two times, I did it with no problems and finished my scarf! It was totally easy!

Though I do wonder something she didn't mention and I haven't seen it mentioned...once you cast off, do you snip snip off the yarn, or should you be taking some final step?

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by MissLotus

Though I do wonder something she didn't mention and I haven't seen it mentioned...once you cast off, do you snip snip off the yarn, or should you be taking some final step?

You need to pull the yarn through the last loop and then weave in the end. Then snip off the yarn. That's all.

[MissLotus]

Okay, thanks very much!

[zech13_9_goforgold]

You're doing great. Now, you have the skills to make blankets and purses and a lot of other kinds of things. Yay!

[MissLotus]

I'm excited! But first I have to figure out how to read patterns...

[MarineWife]

My ds got me a great book, The Knitting Answer Book by Margaret Radcliffe. It's been the best book I've found for answering all of my knitting questions. It has an entire section on reading patterns.

[Krisis]

I have always wondered why people didn't just tie knots. Oh the things you learn. Glad you asked! Now I will pray the baby blanket I knit for my friend holds together

[MarineWife]

Since we're talking knots, I recently sewed some suede soles onto some slippers. I had no idea how to fasten the sewing thread that came with the soles to make sure they stayed. I tied a few knots in each end but they didn't really seem secure. Is there a certain knot to tie or another way to do this?