The edges of the knitting
I've been doing knitting practice by knitting squares with a textured pattern that I'm going to put together to make a blanket for DD's lion. (She had been asking for 'a coat for lion', I explained that my knitting was no way up to that. She was not impressed 
)
Anyway, when I'm doing something with knitting and purling on alternate rows (ribbing, for example) the edges are all uneven. Tighter in some rows, looser in others. I try to pull everything nice and firmly at the start of the rows, but to no avail. Any advice?
Zillah
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Try this
Sometimes I find it helps to slip the first stitch of each row rather than knitting it. Slip it pattern-wise. By that, I mean slip it purl-wise or knit-wise based on what you would have knit if you knit the first stitch (does that make sense? I'm not sure it does). When I was first learning to knit, and then again when I was learning a new way to hold my yarn, I found that I had REALLY different tensions based on whether I was knitting or purling and it showed most often on the edges. This slip trick made a big difference. My gauge was still wonky, but my edges looked better.
Edges...
The old Beehive pattern books of the 40s have a way of doing edges when you're knitting one row purling the next--when it's a purl row you knit the first and last stitches, purl the rest as usual. You get a flat edge that doesn't roll and will sew up easily.
Do you find that your stitches are tighter when you purl than when you knit? Or vice versa? If you can tell which of your stitches knits up tighter you can work on trying to go a little looser on that row to even it out.
Lynn, any suggestions?
Anhata
www.familynaturally.com
Your Family's General Store, Naturally
slip a stitch
Angel, your description of how to do it pattern wise was great. Unfortunately I don't know what slipping the first stitch is! Yes, I am very ignorant about knitting
Is it possible to explain?
Thanks
Zillah
Edges
I can see the sense in knitting the first and last of the rows, Anhata. I'm going to go and have a look now and analyse my tight and loose stitches.
See what you've got me into
Zillah
Pass the stitch across
Basically, it means just move the stitch from the needle with stitches that need to be knitted to the needle with the stitches that have been knitted, but don't actually knit it. Put the empty needle into the first stitch like you were going to knit or purl based on what you would normally do for this stitch, but don't actually knit the stitch. Just slide it to the empty needle. Make sense?
A website that I have come to love is http://www.knittinghelp.com/ They have great videos of all different kinds of techniques from the very basics to super advanced.
Hope this helps.
Angel
MWAH HA HA HAA
Mine is an evil laugh! My work here is done.
Anhata
www.familynaturally.com
Your Family's General Store, Naturally
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