[deemail]

they're telling you to knit this section or number of sts onto a piece of yarn that is scrap.....it is just another type of 'stitch holder'...machine knitting uses a lot of scrap or waste yarn but hand knitters can use too...the trick is to knit at least 5 or 6 rows of this waste so that it will not come unraveled accidently.....when you get further down in the pattern, it will tell you to go back to this area and 'pick up' those sts...you will just unravel carefully and then place the live sts back on your ndls and follow pattern from there....good luck...you have just added a new technique to your knitting arsenal....good luck

 

[deemail]

This is confusing me... why wouldn't you just knit onto a stitch holder or run a piece of yarn through the stitches for a more flexible stitch holder? I really hate having to pick up those "live" stitches... so much room for error!
Mary

you're absolutely correct when you see there are several solutions.... no difference in the outcome...i think the differences are only in how we're taught, and the specific situation... (what if there were 100 sts to be held? ... but of course, the circ ndl would still work great here ... another thing to consider is HOW LONG they will be on a holder....working with the rest of the sweater with another ndl or holder in your way is different from the waste yarn, which is soft and malleable)... the good thing is that you have learned to solve this and OTHER problems the best way for you... there is No Wrong Way To Knit!!!! (NWW2K)!!!!