Customized Yarn

To add a novelty look to your knitting try combining your yarn with a colored thread. The thread will naturally wind around the yarn as you knit, creating a bumpiness. There are many novelty threads available for quilting, some are shiny or springy, some in variegated or changing colors. Knitting a thread with a yarn that tends to stretch, such as pure alpaca, can also stabilize the finished work and support the yarn.

Changing or Customizing Patterns

If you have a pattern that you’ve made some modifications to or use again and again, here’s a way to make life easy for you. Type the pattern into a Word document (just copy and paste if it’s an online pattern). Make your notes and changes to the pattern in a DIFFERENT COLORED FONT from the original pattern. Highlight the instructions for different sizes making yourself a key color chart on each page and if there are some complicated instructions (like increase every 4th row and at the same time, cable or whatever), add a table to your document with row numbers so you can check them off as you do the instruction. When you need to use the pattern again, just print another copy, and another copy, and another copy. . . . .