Try It On As You Go

Hi Knitters,
I want to share a quick progress shot on my latest cardigan project. Hannah Fettig's Calligraphy Cardigan is moving along. I am knitting with Tosh DK in the Thunderstorm colorway on US size 6 Signature Needles, 24-inch circulars.

I separated the sleeves and placed the stitches on waste yarn. Now I am cruising on down for the body. This could not be a simpler, more straightforward cardigan pattern and who doesn't love a good stockinette stitch cardigan with some heavy-duty ribbed edgings? I know I do!

So as you can see I think it is going to fit really well. All is good. One of the best features of a top-down garment is that you are able to try it on as you go to see if it fits or if the length is good before binding off. Recently, I heard about a new and inexpensive tool to help make the trying on as you go a little easier.

Usually, I work on a 24-inch circular needle so when I try things on I have to place all of the stitches on a piece of scrap yarn so it will fit around my body. After I try the garment on I have to put all of the stitches back on the needles to start working again. This can be a tedious process.

I was listening to a couple of knitting podcasts and I heard them talking about Try-It-On Tubing which enables you to leave the stitches on the needles while you try on your in progress knits. I thought this would be a good thing and I was right! The tubing comes in the little bags you see above with directions inside.

Click here to see more information or to purchase Try-It-On Tubing!

I know the focus is off for the above photo but you can see that what you do is place the end of the plastic tubing firmly onto the tips of your needles. Then you slide the stitches off the knitting needle and onto the tubing so you can try on your garment without removing the stitches from your needles. No more scrap yarn on a yarn needle is necessary!

After you try the garment on you simply slide the stitches from the tubing back onto the needles, remove the tubing from the tips of the needles and you are ready to start knitting again. It really is a time saver. Genius.

I purchased both of the sizes of tubing to fit the larger and smaller needles and I think I ordered 2 yards of each. It is only a few dollars for each and I have used the tubing quite a bit already.

Anyway, I love when someone thinks of something so simple and clever and it solves a problem or makes something easier. That is good stuff.

Try-It-On Tubing is a worthy and inexpensive investment if you are knitting sweaters and cardigans that you want to try on as you go.

On another note, I want to thank you for the Wee Ones pattern love! The individual pattern for the Wee Ones knit toys has been flying out of my pattern shop. That is so fun and gratifying to see so thanks for the support. I really appreciate it.

Also, I just want to remind people that you don't have to be a member of Ravelry to purchase patterns through any Ravelry pattern shop. The pattern shops work for non-members. I know I have been contacted by a few blog readers who aren't on Ravelry and they are wondering about purchasing patterns. It's just a good thing to remember.

Happy Monday!!! I hope it's going to be a good week ahead for all of us.
best, susie
p.s. If you are an email subscriber and didn't get the embedded knitting video last week on the email click here for the direct youtube link.