[jworthington87]

Hello to my KP Family

Why does my knitting get wider as I knit? It seems some are close & then next stitches are wider apart as I knit :?

Happy Weekend Knitting to All!

 

[lizziebe]

I sometimes do that, too. Frequently it depends on what I'm thinking about... just relaxed and enjoying watching my progress is best. Angry or tense really tighten up my stitches and really excited over something new is liable to do the same thing. Good luck with mind control! 😂 Anne B.

 

[RebeccaVM]

Hello to my KP Family

Why does my knitting get wider as I knit? It seems some are close & then next stitches are wider apart as I knit :?

Happy Weekend Knitting to All!

This happens to me sometimes, because as I knit and get comfortable with the stitches I relax my deathgrip on the needles and yarn. I have to remember to keep my tension even.

 

[Casey47]

I am getting better with my tension consistency but still have a long way to go. Mine also loosens up as I get more comfortable with what I'm knitting. I had to frog the last sweater I started because my gauge got so sloppy I ran out of yarn and the sweater was way bigger than it should have been.

 

[Jessica-Jean]

... Why does my knitting get wider as I knit? It seems some are close & then next stitches are wider apart as I knit :? ...

Good luck with that! I've been knitting and crocheting for 60 years, and still have trouble turning out consistently sized rows, especially on larger items. If it's a swatch of 20-odd stitches over 20-odd rows, there's no noticeable difference in size of first row compared to last row. However, let it be over a few hundred stitches and umpteen-hundred rows, it's not a visible difference until one tries to fold the rectangle and discovers it's really a trapazoid! It's still a warm and comfortable blanket, just without any right angles.

 

[siouxann]

That's the reason why I seldom knit or crochet anything that needs to fit well. Sometimes I can even it out with a border.

 

[Busy girl]

Could your cast on be too tight?

 

[sanditoes48]

GREAT response J-J :thumbup:

 

[jworthington87]

Thank you to all! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
Your advice is truly appreciated! Well now I'm already known to be an emotional cook. Somehow the food just doesn't taste as good when I'm stressing. :lol: You are certainly correct with the 'death grip'. Knitting is therapeutic for me, maybe I'll try some deep breathing &/or practice Tai Chi
(I take classes at the YMCA Tai Chi for arthritis suffers) before knitting.

Hello to my KP Family

Why does my knitting get wider as I knit? It seems some are close & then next stitches are wider apart as I knit :?

Happy Weekend Knitting to All!

 

[Jessica-Jean]

... maybe I'll try some deep breathing &/or practice Tai Chi ... before knitting. ...

Don't limit yourself! Before is good, but take breaks - every hour at least - and do some more. It can't hurt to get the blood flowing a tad faster every once in a while.

 

[BailaC]

If you knit too tightly when you first sit down to knit, start by knitting a simple dishcloth or something else where you won't care if your tension is uneven. Once knitting has done its magic and your tension is looser, switch to your main project. That may help.

 

[augiesouth]

The square needles seem to help me keep my knitting more even. I was impressed to see that 4 of my pieces for a lap afghan turned out to be the same size. Thank you to size 8/5.0mm from Kollage straight needles 10 inch and Tuesday Mornings for having them for me to try.

 

[knitwit549]

If you knit too tightly when you first sit down to knit, start by knitting a simple dishcloth or something else where you won't care if your tension is uneven. Once knitting has done its magic and your tension is looser, switch to your main project. That may help.

Good advice, that helped me a lot.

 

[archercrochets]

In the past I have advised my students that when they are going to work on something that calls for a percise guage or needs to be fitted that they take out a practice piece like a dishcloth to work on. Then when they are relaxed pick up the "complicated" piece. This way they are in the groove so to speak and will have a more even tension and hopefully less mistakes. archer

 

[disgo]

Good luck with that! I've been knitting and crocheting for 60 years, and still have trouble turning out consistently sized rows, especially on larger items. If it's a swatch of 20-odd stitches over 20-odd rows, there's no noticeable difference in size of first row compared to last row. However, let it be over a few hundred stitches and umpteen-hundred rows, it's not a visible difference until one tries to fold the rectangle and discovers it's really a trapazoid! It's still a warm and comfortable blanket, just without any right angles.

Just love that color! Could you please make sure to post the link to that pattern and which yarn you used or recommend and what needles I should have in stock before attempting such an advance level project? Or maybe those are crochet stitches since you took the picture so far back.

 

[Grandmaknitstoo]

Hello to my KP Family

Why does my knitting get wider as I knit? It seems some are close & then next stitches are wider apart as I knit :?

Happy Weekend Knitting to All!

tension

 

[disgo]

Forgot to ask Jessica-Jean if you do that sample on DPNs or circulars. I can't have cable so no cables will ever cross this threshold over my dead, rotting carcass! I get my bamboo ones now from the spice aisle in my local shopping mall grocery store--you get a lot to one bag so I will never run out and can use many more than five at a time!

 

[Jessica-Jean]

Just love that color! Could you please make sure to post the link to that pattern and which yarn you used or recommend and what needles I should have in stock before attempting such an advance level project? Or maybe those are crochet stitches since you took the picture so far back.

:lol: Where's the 'I'm-sticking-my-tongue-out-at-you' emoticon when you need it??!!

In fact, I've never had a great problem with my own blankets becoming terribly trapezoidal. However, on our bed in Latakia (Syria) there lies an enormous, psychedelically coloured (though predominately orange), crocheted bedspread that has almost a 12-inch difference between length of foundation row and and the final row. It is impossible to fold up neatly for off-season storage. I'd bought it for $14 and figured it would be my yarn source while whiling away the months of near solitude over there, but it's well made, big enough to completely cover the bigger-than-usual king-size bed and hang well down on both sides, and I love the colours. If ever we go back, assuming the house is intact, I may yet undo it for the yarn ... if I run out of yarn while there. On our last trip (Oct 27, 2010 - Februrary 28, 2011), I packed more yarn than clothes and left a good sized stash behind for future use, so it may remain safe from the frog pond.

My own problems with varying gauge seem to be isolated to single crocheted discs when I run them up to 6-foot or more diameter. Their centers pop up! Somehow the center is less tightly worked than the exterior rounds. One has been in use as a rug for about 35 years, bump notwithstanding; the other awaits ripping. No round bed has made an appearance and no one wants to use it on a normal bed. All that work, and no one wants it!