How to Read Charts - It’s Easier than you Think

In many knitting instructions, the instructions and the pattern are explained using a knitting chart. For beginners, reading a knitting chart is usually difficult and seems very complicated. Therefore, it mostly discourages them from using this tool. In this blog we would like to explain to you how easy it is to read a knitting chart and how to successfully create your successful knitting pattern.

What is a knitting chart?

A knitting chart is a diagram in which the individual stitches to be knitted are shown in a diagram in such a way that you can easily see the individual sequences stitch by stitch and row by row. Each square of a knitting chart represents a stitch and each row represents a round. The numbers in the margin indicate the row numbers. The stitches are marked with individual symbols. Each knitting chart should also include a legend as these symbols are not consistent and the same stitch may be represented by a different symbol in a different pattern. The knitting chart usually shows the front of the finished knitting. Some knitting charts only show the right rows and the text usually contains a note that the back rows are worked with purl or knit stitches, for example.

Red lines in the instructions make the repeating pattern clear. Stitches outside the repeat show how the repeat is integrated into the knitted piece or how edge stitches are worked.

How to read the knitting chart

Unlike reading a book, knitting script is read from bottom to top. The starting point is the bottom right corner and you work your way up row by row from the bottom.

The right rows, i.e. the rows with odd numbers, are read from right to left when knitting in rows. The back rows, the even-numbered rows, read from left to right. In the right rows, work the stitches exactly as shown.

Instead of rows, you can also knit in rounds. This is even easier since you don't turn the work over. The even numbers can be worked in the same way as the odd numbers. Here you just have to read each round of the pattern from right to left and only work the stitches that are shown.

How to don't slip in the knitting pattern

Slipping in a row while knitting is annoying. This destroys the whole pattern and you have to unravel the work again. That costs time and nerves. To keep that from happening, we have awesome Knitting Needle Cases that have a built-in chart holder and a magnetic ruler to help you mark rows so you don't slip with rows. Take a look at our wide range of products at Knitpro right away and save valuable time and nerves right from the start.

Reading a knitting chart is not as complicated as it looks and once you get the hang of it, it is actually much easier than the written instructions and also clearer.

"A picture is worth a thousand words." ― Napoleon Bonaparte

Knitting charts open up a completely different way for you to have a special and easy knitting experience. At Knitpro you will find the most beautiful and useful accessories and chart holders for your charts.

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Which Crochet Hooks are the Best?

This is one of the most difficult decisions, especially for beginners. Many questions arise, such as "Which crochet hook should I buy?" "How do I know if these are the good crochet hooks for me?" "What should I look out for when buying" or "How do I find the best crochet hooks for me? "

Don't worry we can answer all of these questions with this blog today and help you decide on the best crochet hooks for you and link you to your future favorite tools.

First of all, in general terms, when buying crochet hooks you should pay attention to a few points such as what types of projects you mainly want to crochet or what yarn counts you often work with. Do you like the feel of metal in your hands, or do you prefer wooden needles? Or would you prefer ergonomic crochet hooks? Once you have answered these questions, the choice will not be difficult for you.

Here we present some of our most popular crochet hooks in more detail so that you can see and compare the different advantages and disadvantages.

Knitpro Waves Crochet Hooks

The Waves series is one of our most popular, whether for beginners or experienced users. The bright colors are fun and the soft grip gives you a good grip on the crochet hook, which is easy on your wrists and hands. These crochet hooks are suitable for all kinds of projects and come in handy sets with the most common sizes, packed in a nice case.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a very popular raw material for crochet hooks. If you would like to feel the warm feeling of wooden needles in your hands, these crochet hooks are just right for you. Thanks to the perfect finish, these crochet hooks glide comfortably through the stitches.

Trendz

Cheerful, colorful acrylic crochet hooks are particularly suitable for beginners. These wallet friendly crochet hooks come in many different sizes and also available as option Tunisian Crochet Hooks and Double Sided Crochet Hooks.

Jumbo

These jumbo crochet hooks in large needle sizes are perfect for particularly large projects with thick wool. Crocheting with thick crochet hooks and wool is ideal, especially for beginners, in order to recognize and practice the stitches well. You will find that your projects will progress particularly quickly with these needles.

Zing

A fine line of crochet hooks - our Zing crochet hooks are made from featherweight aluminium. They have a pleasantly smooth surface that allows you to slide through the stitches without much effort and thus enable a fast workflow. The Zing crochet hooks are available as a handy set.

"Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." -Vincent van Gogh

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How to assemble and use a Yarn Winder?

Yarn winders shape your yarn into balls and cakes which are perfect to work with. Whether you knit or crochet, you need to work with yarn. The yarn needs to be kept in the best condition and yarn winders get it done for you. Once you get the yarn winder you have the solution to your yarn problem. But now you got a question on hand- how to assemble and use the yarn winder. So, here we are with step-by-step instructions.

Step 1: Attach your ball winder to the edge of a counter or table.

Yarn winders require some space to work so it’s best to attach yours to a counter or table. On placing the yarn winder on a table you will find a clamp that goes below the table that can be adjusted to tighten the hold. KnitPro ball winders come with an anti-skid rubber pad that prevents the winder from sliding and scratching the table.

Clamp your yarn winder to the table, being sure to leave some space for the yarn to feed properly around the metal guide arm. And, if you have a swift/ skein winder to unravel the yarn, you need space to set it up right next to the winder.

You can watch our video of assembling the yarn winder.

Step 2: Find the end of your yarn

Now you need to find the end of your store-bought yarn and you have to be patient about it. Yarns are wound in different ways-into skeins, tight hanks, messy balls, etc. so the end may be difficult to locate.

To locate the ends easily and stretch out the skein, you can use swift winders also known as skein winders. The other option is by hand but then again you might end up losing patience. The swift winders open up like an umbrella. You can place the skein or hank on the winders and easily find the ends and individual strands. This further helps in inspecting yarn as they are stretched over the winder. Make sure to not overstretch the yarn as it loses its elasticity.

Step 3: Attach the end of your yarn to the metal feeder.

After you finish the end of the yarn, place it on the metal feeder and lock it in place. You need to loop in the yarn so that it does not come loose during the winding process.

Step 4: Starting winding slowly

With all things in place starting winding. Make sure your first few turns are very slow, to ensure that that little tail gets tucked down into the yarn cake. You’ll be able to pull it out later.

Step 5: Keep winding in the same direction

After a few rounds of winding you can speed up but always keep going in the same direction. In a few minutes, you will have the yarn cake ready!

Now that you are done winding your yarn, you can store it in a yarn box or use a yarn dispenser to work on your knitting or crochet project. Happy crafting!

The Best Knitting Needles for Sock Knitting

Did you know socks were the oldest knitted artefacts? Does this fact want to make you knit some socks? So, let’s get you started. Sock knitting might sound like an easy project but it’s only easy when you have the right set of knitting needles. Knitting socks majorly depends on the needles and your skills to use them properly. The options are generally double pointed, fixed circular and interchangeable circular needles. Knitters can use any or all of these tools for knitting socks. 

How to choose the best knitting needles for sock knitting?

When taking up the project of sock knitting, you should look out to prevent hassles of knitting small, in-the-round projects with fine-gauge yarn. You will be facing dropped stitches, cramped hands and more. Also, detailed knitting work like making socks requires more focus and concentration, So, if you haven’t got the right knitting needles set before, now is definitely the time.

You should go for needles that offer the right amount of grip, along with being non-slippery material while not preventing the smooth flow of stitches. Here is our suggestions for the best knitting needles that you can choose for knitting socks.

Knitting socks on Double Pointed Needles (DPNs)

The double-pointed needles (DPNs) are among the best tools for knitters. Allowing knitting from both ends, these needles are convenient for knitting in-the-round. The double-pointed needles come in a set of 5, in different materials.

Socks are usually knit in smaller sizes, so the double pointedknitting needles need to be narrower. We also suggest choosing ones that you have a better grip on. Bamboo or wood, carbon or plastic, aluminium or stainless steel, go for the needle material that you have the best understanding of. There are also special square double-pointed needles that are best for comfortable grip.

Sock knitting on Circular Needles

Made for smaller round circumference projects, circular needles are among the best knitting needle sets. The magic loop technique is a more comfortable choice for knitters to use for sock knitting. The cable that connects the tips of the circular needles is an advantage for knitting socks. This needle set has fewer opportunities for dropped stitches or other mistakes and even the best chance of taking a break from the project. In the range of circular needles, there is the choice of fixed circular knitting needles as well as interchangeable circular needles.

In the fixed circulars, the cable is permanently fixed but the needles are available in different sizes with varying cable lengths. This needle set is convenient to use. Choose the small-sized needles. This particular set has the least chance of ever losing a needle in the middle of the project.

In the case of interchangeable circular needles, the cable lengths can anytime be changed according to your preference and need of the project. These knitting needles come with cables of different lengths with cable connectors and cable keys to make the change smoother. You can anytime alter the length and dimensions of your sock project.

So, now that you know all about the knitting needles for the sock project, take a look at KnitPro’s website. Know more information about knitting needles and accessories. We have an incredible range of products made by knitters for the knitters.

Knit Pro Tunisian Crochet Hook

 

The Tunisian art of crocheting is a very old and beautiful technique that combines the advantages of two techniques - namely the simplicity of crocheting with the aesthetics and variety of patterns of knitting. But this technique also opens up completely new possibilities for creating designs and patterns that are only possible with Tunisian crocheting. In a different way, Tunisian crochet is also called Afghan crochet. But there is no difference between Tunisian crochet and Afghan crochet. The materials and needles required are the same.

At Knit Pro we have created the most beautiful and best Tunisian crochet hooks for you, so that you can conjure up your works full of joy. With this blog we would like to introduce you to our various Tunisian / Afghan crochet hooks.

But first the basics of the types of Tunisian crochet hooks. There are two different types of Tunisian crochet hooks. The first and often used is the one-sided Tunisian crochet hook. The hook is on one end of the tool and there is a plug on the other end of the tool. You can also find different cables for this purpose. These are just like the cables of the Interchangeable Knitting Needles. A brief information about this: Our Knit Pro Interchangeable Knitting Needle cables are also compatible with our Interchangeable Tunisian Crochet Needles. So you don't have to buy extra cables and you can use them for both needles. Practical right?

The second variant of the Tunisian crochet hooks are the double-sided crochet hooks, here the tool has a barb on both ends.

These two techniques are similar, have a lot in common, but are still very different.

While the one-sided Tunisian needles are often used for flat projects, the double-sided Tunisian Crochet needles are mostly used for round projects.

At Knit Pro you will find a wide variety of different Tunisian crochet hooks made from different materials. Here is something for everyone. Now we would like to introduce you to some of our best needles.

Symfonie Interchangeable Afghan / Tunisian Crochet Hook

The series Symfonie is very well known and popular due to the Knitting Needles and you can expand your Symfonie series with our Tunisian Crochet Hooks. Made of the finest Birchwood and a unique coloring, these needles are something very special. The cables are easy to connect and with smooth join that promises a easy stitch flow without any snagging. These needles are available in a wide variety of sizes.

Trendz Interchangeable Afghan / TunisianCrochet

Our colorful and bright Trendz needles are represented as Tunisian Crochet Hooks. These acrylic needles are especially ideal for beginners. These crochet hooks simply allow easy handling of slippery yarns and pick-up stitches in a fast and easy manner. Smooth joins to allow for easy and snag free sliding of yarn. These well priced Tunisian crochet hooks are simply perfect in all aspects for the beginners.

Bamboo Afghan / Tunisian Crochet

No matter how big your project should be, they are no problem for our Bamboo Afghan / Tunisian Crochet Hooks. You will be able to crochet your projects with the utmost comfort without any snagging or hassle.

These beautiful needles are made from the finest Japanese bamboo and have a perfect smooth finish. As if that weren't enough, the connectors are still plated with 24 carat gold and that promises the highest level of happiness when crocheting.

You will love our Knit Pro Bamboo Tunisian Crochet Hooks. Take a look at them on our website.

Trendz Traditional Double Ended TunisianCrochet

Bright colors that will fill you with happiness while crocheting. Our durable, strong and flexible Double ended Tunisian crochet hooks are well priced and absolutely suitable for beginners. They slide very easily through the mesh and have a smooth surface.

Trendz Tricot Afghan Traditional Crochet

Make your Trendz Tunisian Crochet Hook collection complete and buy our Trendz Tricot Afghan Traditional Crochet needles. These are provided with a stopper at the end. These types of Tunisian crochet hooks are especially suitable for beginners.

If you have not dealt with the Tunisian Crochet before, we have just given you some good reasons to do so right away. Take a look at our Tunisian Crochet needles on our website and start "Hakking" right away.

"Imagination means nothing, without doing." Charlie Chaplin

With that in mind, do something for your imagination and find the tools for it at Knit Pro.

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How to Read a Knitting Chart for Beginners

 

For many beginners this is a mystery and simply incomprehensible to read a knitting chart. Lots of symbols in a row and complexly structured - as a beginner, knitting charts are more confusing than they help. In this blog we would like to explain to you how such a knitting chart is structured and how to read it correctly.

First we want to clarify what a knitting chart is.

In a knitting chart, the stitches are shown graphically with symbols in a diagram. Usually it is the knitting of a repetitive area. The chart is structured in such a way that you have to read it from bottom to top. The boxes each stand for a stitch and each row of boxes for a row or round. The numbers around the edges indicate the numbers of the rows (or rounds).

The make are marked with symbols. Since there are usually no uniform symbols for certain stitches, every knitting chart should also contain a legend that explains the individual symbols. In magazines or books you can usually find these at the beginning or at the end of the manual.

Knitting Charts can also be structured in such a way that only rows from the right side are shown, in which case it is usually stated in the text whether the back row only needs to be knitted right or left stitches, so you should always pay attention to the text.

Red lines in the instructions make the pattern rapport, which is repeated, clear. Stitches outside the repeat show how the repeat is integrated into the knitted piece or how edge stitches are worked.

So now we come to how a knitting chart is read. Reading a chart always starts in the lower right corner and you work your way up row by row or round by round.

Front rows are the rows with odd numbers and back rows are provided with even numbers. The rows are read from right to left when knitting in rows. Read the back rows from left to right.

If you knit in the round it is easier, as you will not have to turn. So you can have both the even and the odd rows as shown.

As a beginner, you should mark important points in your knitting with stitch markers and, in order to work correctly according to the knitting chart, measure your work again and again with the help of a tape measure.

Another tip: With our Knitting Chart Holder you always have your knitting charts ready and with our magnetic bookmarks, built into our knitting chart holder, you will never slip in your ranks again. Our KnitPro knitting chart holder are therefore a must-have for every knitter who likes to work according to instructions and patterns and always wants to have them in view. Take a look at our Knit Pro Knitting Chart Holders or other knitting accessories and order immediately.

Best Crochet Hook and Size for Beginners

At KnitPro you will find a large selection of crochet hooks in a wide variety of sizes and made of different materials. As a beginner, it is particularly difficult to find the right crochet hook at the beginning. With this little guide, we would like to introduce you to some of our best crochet hooks and sizes for beginners and make your selection a little easier.

Jumbo

Our jumbo crochet hooks are made of natural wood and thanks to their perfect finish they slide through the stitches as if by themselves. These shiny and smooth crochet hooks are, as we think, perfect for every beginner because of their large sizes, as these needles and thick wool create large stitch structures so beginners can recognize and learn the stitches well. If you want to start crocheting now, don't wait so simply pick your Yarn, buy your KnitPro Jumbo Needles, and get hooked!

Zing

Our Zing crochet hooks are made of feather-light aluminum and therefore guarantee hours of crocheting without hand pain. For beginners, the light needles are particularly suitable in fine sizes, for example, if you want to crochet small Amigurumi with fine cotton. With the larger strengths, however, you can also needle a beautiful blanket as a beginner project. The needles are color-coded so that you can find the required size very quickly through the color. The smooth surface slips through your mesh as if by itself.

Bamboo Single Ended Crochet Hook

Bamboo is an all-time classic crochet hook material. Our needles are made from the best Japanese bamboo and guarantee a great crocheting experience from sustainable material. The single ended crochet hooks in large sizes are particularly suitable for beginners. With thick wool, you can create very clear and visible stitch patterns and make it easy for you to get started. Of course, we also have the bamboo crochet hook in finer sizes. See for yourself and take a look at our Bamboo Crochet Hook range.

Bamboo Tunisian / Afghan Crochet Hook Set

Would you like to start crocheting with Tunisian crochet? We also offer the best crochet hooks for this. With our lightweight bamboo Tunisian crochet hooks, you can easily learn the art of Tunisian crocheting, especially with the large needle sizes, large stitches can be formed and this makes learning easier for the beginning. As a set, you can equip yourself with all the necessary sizes and cables.

Basix

Our Basix crochet hooks made of wood are a must-have for every crocheter. These warm touch and gentle crochet hooks are also ideal for beginners. No matter in small or large needle sizes, these crochet hooks are the ideal tool for any beginner's project. Take a look yourself and buy our KnitPro Basix Single Ended Crochet Hooks.

Waves

Our Waves needles with a soft grip guarantee hours of crocheting experience without stressed and sore hands. Our Waves crochet hooks are perfect and colorful for every beginner.

The color-coded soft grips make it easy to find the size you need. The aluminum tips of the needles slide smoothly through your mesh. In medium sizes, these needles are very suitable for simple projects such as blankets or scarves for any beginner.

At KnitPro you are in good hands as a beginner and you will most certainly find the right tool for your first project from our wide range. Don't wait long and buy the best crochet hooks at KnitPro.