Gah! This is driving me nuts. I just got one of these things to try and make some gifts for people because I can’t afford to buy much. Well, I followed the directions and got the first two rows looped on in the correct direction. Then, I came back with my trusty little plastic “needle” and pulled the bottom row up over the top to make my very first stitch. Yippee!
But then here comes my trouble…
However, after that first stitch gets slightly pulled tighter to do the next one, I start getting excess yarn left over between. Then it just grows and grows until I’m back where I started and am supposed to start a new ‘wrapping’ phase (or whatever you call it) before I stitch again, but I can’t figure out where in the world to put what’s left. You can’t just pull on it to use on the next row and there’s no other place for it to go. So, obviously I’m doing something wrong.
If anyone out there has used this thing or, I guess, any loom, can y’all tell me what I’m doing wrong and how to fix it? Or if you just know how to knit in general and can tell me how I’m being a nincompoop, I’d really appreciate it. At this rate, it would be cheaper to go shopping at Dollar Tree. HHHEEELLLPPP!!!
When I first started knitting, I would give a little yank after each stitch to make sure I was doing everything tight enough, but I always had too much left over at the end of the rows and the ends of everything always looked sloppy. I can’t really tell if you’re having the same problem or not… but for me, the problem was solved when I just knitted and stopped worrying about it being “tight” or not. In fact, the looser stitches looked just fine, more uniform, and there wasn’t a lot of thread left over from pulling it.
So, if that sounds like your problem, my advice is to do the whole thing a little looser than you think you should, and see if that solves it. Otherwise, I don’t know! But persevering through the first difficulties is so rewarding, I love making people hats and scarves now
J_Kallick, you are such a genius! Thank you so much for getting me under way. Apparently that was what I was doing and now, because you were such an angel to help me, I’ve seemed to correct that problem. Unfortunately, I have a new one…
What happens when you start making the second row? My first go was so hideous that I only got about half way around before I couldn’t any longer get the first loop over the top of the loom. When I started over and tried again, with looser initial ‘wrapping,’ it came out so far apart that I might as well be weaving a swiss cheese hat. Sigh. I’m assuming I’ll have to do it a third time, but I will NOT give up. Any more suggestions on finding a happy medium? Anyone?
You have my eternal gratitude and I’m sure everyone that’ll receive my crappy, homemade gifts will love you forever. However, they’ll probably stone me, but I’ll save that for another thread after Christmas.
I have a similar product and I’ve found that because the pegs are so far apart, it looks better to use two strands of yarn (from two different skeins) instead of one. Hold them together and wind them on the hoop as if they were one strand then pull the two bottom strands over the top two and off the peg. You’ll see that the gaps between the stitches are smaller. Plus, when you get a couple dozen rows done, you will see how it contracts the farther it gets from the hoop.
Did your knitting hoop come with a metal hook thing to pull the the loops over the pegs or just the plastic needles? If you don’t have the hook thing, raid a toolbox for a smallish Allen wrench. (Looks like a thick wire with a right-angle bend near one end.) Or go to a hardware store and pick up a set. They’re only a couple of dollars usually. You will find it easier to pull the loops over the pegs with one of these.
Also, when you’re doing that, hold the hoop on your lap vertically, like a wheel. Then grip the long end of the Allen wrench or hook in your fist with the angled part coming out near your thumb. I think you will find that you have more leverage and control this way as you pull the loops over.
The first loop of each row is always tight and hard to get over but you’ll find the rest much easier.
Yippee!