| After you learn to cast on, knit, purl, and bind off, | | | | each |
| what's next? Intermediate techniques, right? | | | | * magic loop, where you use one large circular |
| Where do you draw a line beyond which are | | | | needle with a big loop of needle's cable pulled out |
| advanced techniques for the knitting expert? It | | | | on one side of the tube |
| depends on the knitter. Here's my list of knitting | | | | Picking up stitches. |
| techniques laid out in a somewhat ever-increasing | | | | Most socks want stitches picked up at the heel |
| level of difficulty. | | | | flap. You'll pick up stitches for many other reasons |
| Increases and decreases. | | | | for many projects. |
| With these, flat knitting gains a whole new level of | | | | Special stitches. |
| design interest and ability to fit a human body. | | | | These include twisted stitches, loop stitches, |
| You can nip in for a waist, expand as you work | | | | elongated stitches, bobbles, linen stitch, slipped |
| your way up a sleeve, etc. There are many | | | | stitches. |
| different increase and decrease methods, each | | | | Two color knitting. |
| with a different look, so one will work just right in | | | | The slipped stitches can be used in mosaic knitting |
| your next project. | | | | where the pattern looks like you use two colors |
| Yarn overs. | | | | in each row or round, but you really knit one color |
| With yarn overs, increases and decreases, you | | | | and slip the other. |
| can do lace. The magic of lace is in the blocking | | | | Fair Isle alternates two colors in each row or |
| because what looks lumpy and uninspired while | | | | round and carries the unused color behind the |
| knitting becomes airy open lace. Whee! | | | | knitted color for each stitch. If you feel expert |
| Speaking of blocking... | | | | enough, you can use more than two colors in |
| There are several methods: | | | | each row or round. Good luck with that. |
| * steam | | | | A bohus sweater uses Fair Isle but adds purl |
| * soak, rinse, squeeze out excess water, lay out | | | | stitches for texture. Beautiful stuff. |
| to shape, pin down and let dry | | | | Intarsia is where you knit one color in a block or |
| * pin out to shape, spritz with water and let dry | | | | design at a designated spot in your knitting. You |
| Cables. | | | | keep one color separate instead of carrying it |
| There are so many cable designs a knitter can | | | | along the back. Interlock the yarns to prevent a |
| try. They range from a simple crossed cable to | | | | hole when you change colors. |
| complex Celtic knots. Advanced knitters can | | | | Shadow knitting. |
| make cables without a cable needle. | | | | A mysterious color change where you can see a |
| Knit in the round. | | | | pattern when the knitting is viewed at an angle. |
| One can knit a big or little tube four ways: | | | | Are we done? No way! We're about halfway |
| * on double pointed needles | | | | through my list of advanced techniques for the |
| * on one circular needle near the size of tube | | | | knitting expert. They more or less get tougher as |
| you're knitting | | | | we go, yes? |
| * on two circular needles with half the stitches on | | | | |