Our knitalong is well underway and we’re loving all your pics – keep ‘em coming! Team WATG have put our heads together and have come up some tips and tricks for knitting up your own Lil’ Hold Tight Clutch.
Got a great tip of your own? Share it in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
WORDS OF WISDOM FROM TEAM WATG
#1. You’re never too good to knit a tension swatch - Elinor, Wholesale and Knit Party Assistant
We know. It’s the least fun part of the knitting process. Even less fun than seaming, and that’s saying something. But it’s a necessary evil – particularly for this project – as your knitted piece needs to fit the snap bag clasp. If it’s too wide, then you’ll have too much fabric to sew around the clasp, meaning that your knitting will bunch together and the bag may not be able to close properly. If it’s too narrow then your clasp will stick out of the ends. Knit up a tension swatch before starting to knit your bag so you’ll know exactly how many stitches to cast on to achieve the perfect fit.
#2. Hang loose – Ben, Senior Designer
The woven stitch is a tight lil’ one – your gauge will be much tighter than for stocking stitch, which is why you increase your stitches before and after the woven stitch section. If you’re having trouble getting your needles into your stitches you’ll need to loosen up a little so as to avoid getting sore paws. Try not to wind your yarn too tightly around the needles, and knit with the full width of the needles, not just the tip. Relax, take a deep breath, make a cuppa and take a break – you deserve it.
#3. Just cut it out, okay?! - Clara, Junior Designer
We love Jersey Be Good. It’s the ultimate feel-good yarn, made from the offcuts of the fashion industry, however its #madeunique quality does mean there can be inconsistencies. If you come to a very thick or a very thin section of yarn, our advice is to cut out this section of the yarn and rejoin as you would when starting a new cone. If you find any knots in your Jersey Be Good you should undo them and rejoin the yarn as if starting a new cone. Weave in the ends and/or tack them down with some sewing thread to keep things neat.
#4. Mix it up - Jess, Gang Manager
Why not create something really #madeunique? One way to tweak your clutch is to add a contrast braid to your Lil’ one. It’s the perfect way to use up any Jersey Be Good leftovers you may have – or you can treat yourself to one of the new colours online. To create a contrast braid, instead of adding in an additional strand of yarn at step 6, add in two strands of your contrast colour of yarn (or just one if it’s very chunky) and cast off with this colour.
We’ve seen a fair few knitalong hacks already – from adding a strap to lining your bag. Unleash your creativity and then #shareyourknits with the rest of the Gang!
#5. Enjoy yourself - Brooke, Community Coordinator + Photographer
Do we really need to tell you that knitting should be fun?! Whether you’re cosying up on the sofa or getting your gang together and knitting en masse, make an event and treat yo’ self. Get yourself comfy, put on your favourite soundtrack or your current Netflix obsession, arm yourself with some nibbles and get your knit on! Knitting needn’t be a lonely pursuit, even if you are flying solo. Check out #knitwiththegang on Twitter and Instagram and see how everyone else is getting on. Chances are there will be someone there who can help you out if you get stuck – or maybe you can lend someone else your knit-spertise!
#6. And if you enjoy yourself too much? Learn to fix your mistakes - Lisa, CEO
You’re binge-watching House of Cards and then…gah! You realise you’ve taken your eye off the ball and those last few rows of woven stitch have gone awry. What to do?! Panic not. The best way to unravel the woven stitch is to slide your knitted piece off the needles and unravel your knitting until you get to the row above where your problem is. Now unravel the last row two stitches at a time, so you ‘un-cross’ the two stitches, and place them back on your needle as you go. To make sure your stitches don’t end up twisted, check that you place them the right way: the right-hand ‘leg’ of the stitch should sit at the front of the knitting needle, and the left ‘leg’ should be at the back.
Now over to you… We’ve pulled together your #knitwiththegang snaps over on Pinterest. Remember – our favourite project will win a Hold Tight Clutch Kit, so keep ‘em coming!
And don’t forget to share your own tips in the comments below.
Follow Wool and the Gang’s board K N I T A L O N G on Pinterest.
Wanna join in? Knitalong with the Gang – get your Lil’ Hold Tight Clutch Kit here.
What’s a knitalong? Read more here - plus check out our video tutorials and find out how you can win a Hold Tight Clutch Kit.
Great tips! When’s the knitalong finishing?
Thanks Linda! You can knitalong with the Gang until the end of March. After that we’ll pick our favourite knitalong diary and they’ll win a Hold Tight Clutch Kit : )