Short rows... One of those knitting techniques that knitters either embrace or fear. The first time I used short rows, I didn't know that's what they were. I was shaping the shoulders of a sweater, and didn't want to bind off and sew the shoulder seams (lazy knitter) so I fudged my way through, figuring out that I needed to close the gap and then do some cosmetic fiddling. The thing was, it worked. But, when I figured out later what short rows were called, and how to do them, the magic was gone. If you over-think something, it can stop working.

In theory, short rows aren't hard to get right, even if you're new to them. And half the time, they're placed somewhere inconspicuous, like the heel of a sock. But, how do they look in unforgiving yarn in a field of stockinette at a crucial part of a sweater? In designing a top down raglan pullover in Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy, a yarn which I love, I wanted to shape the front neck drop with short rows. And very quickly found that my short row wrap-and-turns left something to be desired. The hard Hempathy doesn't let any distorted stitch blend into the background, and it's threadiness means you can see through the fabric. My short rows were gappy and distorted.

Here's a photo of my re-learning swatch this morning. The short row turning points are down the middle. See if you can spot them. And see below for an image of the same swatch backlit. That's another thing to check if you're choosing a short row technique for a shawl or something open: what does it look like when looking through it?

There are a few provisional cast on methods, and you might see them named differently, but here are 3 that you might run into: Crochet, Invisible and Chained.

Once you get into the (terrible, wonderful, costly) habit of buying yarn, you forget that there was a time when you didn't buy yarn. There was a time when the language of yarn was confusing and you didn't know how to get around a yarn store. Here is a guide for the new knitter on how to choose yarn.

Non-knitters, kids especially, like to ask: "What are you knitting?" And it's often a gauge swatch. Which leads to the inevitable: "What's a swatch?" Knitting gauge is key to all knitting. Even the most humble square gets its size from its gauge. Knitting patterns will often include the phrase "to save time, check gauge" or they will tell you to change your needle size "to achieve gauge". And yet, is there a knitter alive who is not guilty of ignoring this advice at least once? It really is true: checking your gauge will save time. However, it is only true if you check your gauge thoroughly and acurately. Even a small difference in gauge can make a garment inches smaller or larger. This article includes tips on how to make an accurate gauge swatch.

These are some common stitches you'll need for lace knitting. Includes basic instructions, abbreviations, variations on Single and Double Increases, yarn-over Increases.

The availability of knitting instructions and visual guides online has added to the popularity of knitting techniques that were once tricky to learn. Lace knitting in the form of fine vintage lace or heirloom blankets makes it looks complex and difficult. But all lace knitting, from the simplest to the most advanced, is constructed by combining increases and decreases. The arrangement of these increases and decreases and the way they interact is the magic of lace.

How to join new yarn? This is one of those odd little questions that can shut down a knitter's work. You come to the end of a ball. Now what? Like a rock climber hanging at the end of a rope in a crevasse, you need to know what to do next.

For all methods, try to start a new ball at the edge of your work, or in a discreet area. If you're coming up on a high-focus area (a neckline, a buttonhole, for example), you might join in new yarn a little early, even if your current ball of yarn isn't used up. Here's an overview of the basic methods.

The last step in knitting. You've finished your first scarf, now how do you get the %$#@! thing off your needles an around your neck?

Stocking stitch, also called stockinette stitch, is probably the most common stitch in knitting.

The garter stitch is as simple a pattern as you can get.

Casting on means adding your first row of stitches to your needle. It looks tricky but it's really not hard.

There are a lot of answers to, How to Cast on? The Cable Cast On is the casting on method I like best. It makes an attractive firm edge, and it's not too difficult to do. But it's not always appropriate. And if you're a Continental knitter (you hold the yarn in your left hand), the Long Tail Method might be more comfortable. The Long Tail method is also a faster way to cast on. But these two methods are just the tip of the needle (oooh, bad pun).

I know I've said it before, but I love what the internet has done for knitting. As web developers, Charles and I have had a bit of a front seat - well, we've had a seat - to watching how the internet has changed so many things: commerce, communication, education, art. For example, the artisan no longer has to rely on the craft fair to sell his or her creations; sites like Etsy create a portal to a huge international audience. Students no longer have to photocopy pages out of academic journals. And the same kind of thing is happening for knitting instructions.