12 FRUGAL knitting hacks [using inexpensive house hold items]
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- čas přidán 27. 06. 2024
- Introducing smart knitting hacks with common household items for knitters
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This is a fun video that tries to show you that knitting can be a lot less expensive if you use your creativity. There really is no need to spend hundreds of dollars on notions as a beginner. You can find easy alternatives in your household that do the exact same job.
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Yoga mat as blocking board
1:35 backer rods to avoid fold lines
2:05 basket and old needle as yarn holder
3:05 shoe laces as stitch holders
4:48 pencil case to store dpns
5:26 hair clips to secure tails
5:51 zip lock bags as project bags
6:31 tin cans for knitting notions
7:26 dental floss as lifelines
8:34 Ice cream containers to wash your swatch
9:10 pantyhoses to keep yarn cakes from falling apart
9:41 Binder clips as yarn guides
10:07 Stitch markers as yarn threaders
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I seemingly dared to call safety pins bobby pins. My mistake. I count on your leniency and understanding that English is, after all, not my native tongue. Setting that aside, actual bobby pins can also be great tools *smirk*
❤❤
Norman, we appreciate everything you do!
Hey Norman,
Thanks for the tips. Very useful. I love the sweater you are wearing. Did you knit it? Better still do you have the pattern?
I didn’t even notice.
I didn’t notice either , uk here and brought up calling them Bobby pins :)
But most importantly, 'eat all the chocolate first as a treat'. This made me smile so much this morning. Great tips!
One has to set priorities in life 🤣🤣🥰
@@NimbleNeedles ,
Love that little tin! 💖🙌😺
My favorite tip was using a stitch marker to thread a needle! Brilliant Norman. Thanks as always
Should have put that one first..only added it on a whim, haha!
Just wanted to say on an unrelated note, I really appreciate your breadth of language - words like "pilfer" and "harken" don't come up much but add a poetic note. By the way, the end of a shoelace is called an "aglet" (Pinke), which is a word that probably most native English speakers don't even know. Years ago I lived in Hamburg (and indeed, later briefly in Vienna) and taught the Cambridge English Certificate and there was a vocabulary page of words for tiny things like pins, paperclips and needles and it made you realise how many things you interact with regularly but don't learn in school.
Wow..didn't know that and I'd say that's a very rare say I don't know an English word.
Tho, apparently I mistook a Bobby pin for a safety pin. Haha..but that's a different issue
I didn't know the word for the shoe lace tip. Thanks for sharing.
I was surprised to hear Norman use "harken," too. But I said (right out loud but to no one), "We should all start using 'harken' more!" I'm always amazed at the breadth of Norman's English vocabulary. 😊
I didn't know it had a specific word! Thank you!
Aglet is one of my favourite English words. I don't know why, but I learnt it as a kid and it always makes me smile 🤷😊
I really wish I could give this 1 billion likes! Everybody has seen the same knitting hacks over and over. I already use the dental floss one. I didn’t realize that I could use that second hole in my interchangeable to thread the floss through and just knit across. I always threaded it onto a needle and then ran it through. That will save some time! A lot of NEW good ideas that I had not seen before. I love these!
I'll take the one like 🥰
And yeah, I always try to find new and special tips...because otherwise, what's the point?
The dentil floss container also can be a plane safe scissor option for cutting yarn.
But how do you open it? There's like a fussed lid thingy on top...at least here in Europe
@@NimbleNeedles oh I see! In the States it opens and there is a tiny little blade that you have access to! I guess it’s only an American tip!
@@hysteric-and-hystericalIn Sweden too (there’s a small blade when you open the lid). I guess a packet of floss should be a part of one’s knitting-kit!
I keep always small nail clippers in my purse. They work very well to cut yarn in the plane.
@@NimbleNeedles ,
Lost in translation, I guess she meant, "plane-safe" scissors option. (I thought the same as you, though, until I figured out what she was referring to.) 😛💖🙌😺
What a great video! None of these things have occured to me as a beginner knitter 🙌🏻 I specifically love the yoga mat idea because blocking mat sets are like a $150 and your girl can’t afford it 😃
As a knitting dental hygienist, I approve of these knitting hacks! 😷🤩
😅🤣
Hello, Norman. I use the tin can hack, but I added a small magnet to the lid so I could find my needles. Have a nice day!
That's awesome! Should have included that. It's also awesome in your project bag
@@NimbleNeedles I got a magnetic phone case a while back and realized I suddenly had a magnetic pincushion in my bag at all times. No matter how well I think I've put all my needles away there's always one stuck to my phone when I pull it out of my bag.
When finished with a box aluminum foil I use the cardboard tube as a Nostepinne to wind yarn. Also I use a steel small cookie sheet (not used of course) that I bought at the Dollar Store ($1) to put my charts on with some flat magnets to keep track of where I am in a pattern. Great tips Norman!
Thx for adding these lovely tips!
Yes to the magnets holding a chart or pattern! I found a cheap A4-sized whiteboard and I use one colour small magnets to keep the pattern in place and another colour magnet to slide along the lines of the pattern so it's easy to see where I left off. I also want to make a foldable version by using two A5 sized ones in some sort of cover that would allow met to fold it to A5 size and make it more portable.
The cookie sheet and magnet idea is perfect! Thanks.
Great tips, Norman!!
@@stefaniedecoster2772 great idea with 2 a5 whiteboards, thanx for sharing!
Norman, you are a precious commodity. I can't say enough how much I enjoy your tricks and tips and you. 🤗
Instead of buying those fancy progress keepers and stitch markers I have repurposed my souvenir charm bracelet charms and made my own with the light bulb markers.
When I have to increase (or something else) every other row, I attach a lightbulb stitch marker to a circular stitch marker. I put my needle through the circular marker when I'm doing the odd rows and through the lightbulb marker when I'm doing the even rows. It helps me keep track of what row I'm on. You can purchase row-counting stitch markers, but this works just as well for me.
Actually, I always forget to use the row counters, so systems like these work better for me 😅
Oh very clever! Thanks for sharing this - it's perfect for the increases on toe-up socks! ❤❤
I do something similar : if I have 12 increases to do, I add one lightbulb marker on my bor. Shen I have 12 lightbulbs, I know I’m done !
Yay! I do the same system!
I use small loops of yarn for stitch markers. When keeping track of row repeats I use a piece of yarn with the same amount of knots as the repeat, spaced out so that the needle fits in the resulting loop. Each time you come to the marker move your needle down to the next loop. No more time wasted counting rows.
Thanks for adding these 🥰
After winding a ball of yarn i put it into it's own small zip lock bag and just put the band in the bag with the yarn ball! I clip a small corner of the bag and pull the yarn through for my project. This keeps each ball clean forever and lets the ball unwind smoothly when knitting. It also allows me to keep the band with the ball but still easily accessible if i want to order more yarn or get info from the band.
Instead of nylons, which I don't use, I untie a bath scrubby to hold yarn. They are made of a long tube of plastic mesh. Once untied, one scrubby can be cut into about 10 tubes to hold yarn.
Oh, that's brilliant!
That's a good one! Thx for sharing
For blocking boards I use the large gray garage mats purchased at Harbor Freight. A four-pack is usually $10 USD.
Great tip!
Binder clips make excellent Portuguese knitting pins, and they don’t poke holes in your shirt.
Oh, you are right!
That's a great idea. I can't knit when dying my hair, because I don't want to put the yarn around my neck, but using a binder clip? I never thought of that!! Thank you!!
@@maritsavatou The nice part is, the “legs” of the binder clip can be taken off pretty easily, so if you’ve already started knitting a project, you can unhook one leg, put your yarn through it, and hook it back into the clip. Works great!
Panty hose are also useful for carrying fibre filling for small amigurumi. Fits in small spaces
Brilliant. Thanks for adding that
Who still has panty hose? Hahahaha!
First off, I must have that tiny accessory pack with the eensy scissors and teensy crochet hooks. So handy and so cute! The foam rods to prevent creases in blocking, dental floss lifeline and especially the stitch markers to thread a needle - brilliant! Thank you, Norman!
You are very welcome 🙏
Me too!!! I thought to search for those two exact things to see if I could buy them but I’m not sure what I’d call them. “Adorable squeezy scissor things that Norman showed us”?? Even Google might fail me on that one.
@@lea-kcpossibly miniature thread snips?
@@lea-kc ,
A few knitting supplies websites sell them__try Jimmy Beans, etc. 💖🙌😺
I loved all the tips and most of them where new to me!
I don't know if it was already mentioned but I started to use the American bread clips to "store" my cast on tail. It is always way too long and I keep it in case I can use it to sew things together in the end. The American bread clips are perfect to wind the yarn around and they even have those little slits to secure the tail so it doesn't unwind itself 😊
That's a good one. I always buy bread from the bakery. So, we don't really have them here in Austria. We'll.. maybe vyr I don't buy that bread 😅
I live in Switzerland so we don't have the either. An American friend of mine gave them to me. She was a bit confused why I would ask for trash 😅
🤣
Fantastic ,I never figured out how to use one of those needle threaders.when I was younger,I had no problem threading needles, but now I'm 65 and definitely will try again with your brilliant ideas. Thank you
Happy to help!
Re the yoga mat idea - I use the foam blocks that you can get for workshop floors - they slot together like jigsaw pieces, so you can change the configuration to suit your project. Much cheaper than blocking boards and exactly the same foam - just grey.
Yah, great tips. Lots of knitting notions are the exact same item you can find at a different shop at twice the price 😓
@@NimbleNeedles So true, and just not fair!
My longer knitting needles live in a Pringles tub, while the shorter ones, DPNs, & crochet hooks, live in a hot chocolate tub. My yarn scissors also live in that second tub. I know where everything is & can get at it easily. So that Christmas treat of Pringles can also be a storage hack!!!
I use the household disinfectant wipes in plastic cans to hold yarn cakes when knitting on the road or outside.
Lay's potato chips, similar to Pringles, come in a plastic tubular container. They are easy to wash and last forever to store dp needles and very large croche hooks.
I love these tips. Thank you.
@@1lmp1 ,
EXCELLENT! 💖🙌😺
The last hack - threading a tapestry needle - blew my mind!! Don't know why I've never thought of that, but I'm definitely filing it away for future use!!
This might be the best knitting hacks video I've ever seen. I never thought to use hair barettes to keep my yarn balls from unwinding! I always use my crochet hook to tuck the tail under a few strands but I think I like the barette idea better.
I repurpose bamboo take-out chopsticks to teach people to knit. They can be washed after using and dried, then repurposed as knitting needles. Just sharpen in a pencil sharpener, then sand them. The round ones work best and end up being a good size for learners and are nice and light in the hands, but the square ones can work too if you don't mind a thinner finished needle and more sanding to get them smooth. After they are sanded, I use a marker to color just the tips up to where you want the working-loop to sit. I find new knitters tend to hold their yarn too close to the end or too far from it and it makes it harder for them than it needs to be, so having the tips colored is a good visual for them. To finish, I use a cotton round (the tighter side, not the fuzzy side) and clear nail polish: rub clear nail polish into the needle all over, let dry, repeat. The reason I rub it in rather than paint it on is because for a newbie, I don't want the needle too slippery or they can have trouble keeping from accidentally sliding off too many stitches at once. Rubbing in the nail polish is enough to keep unseen splinters from getting stirred up, but not enough to make it too slippery. If the student has trouble keeping their learning swatch from sliding off the BACK ends of the needles (I've only had this happen once), I use those tiny rubber bands you can get like 1,000 for cheap for styling little girls' hair - just wind one around the back end of the needle to keep the yarn on, like the corks you mentioned in the video. I don't drink so I don't have corks around, but I do have daughters and nieces so there are always hair rubber bands.
I do have a pencil bag for my DP needles and I keep the sets held together with those tiny rubber bands I mentioned. The tiny rubber bands can also be used as stitch markers.
I wash and use empty hot cocoa cans as a yarn bowl. I cut from the edge of the lid to the center and then make a round hole at the center. I use a lighter to melt the edges just for a second or two so any grabby spots are smooth. When using it, just make sure the cut is facing away from you. I like it this way because sometimes I want to take the project out of the container before it's finished, but when you use a container that has a solid yarn hole, you have to cut your yarn to get it out. My kids like to paper the outside of the container with scrapbooking paper to make it pretty. I imagine some sort of Contact paper or cheap vinyl roll from the dollar store would make a nice cover too.
The ice cream containers you showed... we don't have those where I live but my GT hair vitamins come in almost exactly the same container. They have an easy-to-remove label and they do have a cardboard circle inside the lid that can be removed. I use them to store those little girls hair rubber bands and other small office supplies and toiletries in! I'll have to give them a try as a tiny swatch washer.
Thx for adding all the brilliant hacks! 🥰❤️🧶
I've also used shoelace when doing a provisional cast-on. It works great, there's no bleeding from the "other" yarn and, as you said, getting the stitches back on the needle is easier
Oh right! Great addition!
I love this!
I have used the weed trimmer string to hold stitches for neckline while knitting other parts.
Genius. I've done some of these but there are some I had never thought of!! Love it!
And, Norman, your English is so proficient now! The speed, fluency, grammar and tone of your speaking is incredible!!
Wow, thank you!
Norman I loved being reminded about a lot of these hacks but using the bulb stitch markers to thread your yarn through the needle was a new wonderful tip. Thanks for sharing 🧶🧶👍🏻🥰🥰🥰
You are very welcome 🙏
I store my knitting projects in those clear zippered bags that linens come in. Can see the project at a glance. The project stays clean and there is air circulation if you leave the zip open a bit.
Tho typically it does not need circulation- except you live in a very humid climate
I realllly like the idea of a small jar for swatch washing! I’ve used a coffee mug, but small-ish jars are a GREAT idea!!
Light-bulb markers as a needle threader! Why didn’t I think of this?
I’ve used the open-work basket/s w wooden dowels to hold/access a variety of ribbon “spools”. Easier to see what’s available, keeps things tidier!
Ziploc bags: I thread yarn up to the top, leaving opening/s for my yarns to pull thru. Zip closed on either side of each strand. A bag/pouch w multiple snaps works as well.
Thanks, Norman!
Thx for adding these Lotta 🙏🙏
the dental floss containers...the little end tgat you cut the floss...i use as a yarn cutter. You can take out tge insides of tge floss container (keeping the cutter part) and store stitch markers. put tge floss container in your project bag.
That sounds awesome but I think us American dental floss containers work slightly different 🤔🤔
I have no clue why using a small container to wash swatches never occurred to me! That might just lead me to swatch more often.
Tho knitting them in the first place is typically the bigger issue 🤣
@NimbleNeedles very, very true. There are still several excuses I use to avoid them besides this one. 😆
Oh my goodness, Norman !! I love and appreciate all your ideas ❤. Thank you for sharing 😊
You are very welcome, maniette!
Every single one of your tips was helpful! One thing you didn't mention was the toilet paper roll (or rolled card?) inside your yarn balls. When I forget to do that when I wind yarn balls, the ball always collapses into a mess near the end. I had to laugh at your wonderful mini washer using Talenti jars. Not because it isn't a great idea (it is!)but because I have saved every one and use them for storing everything! (I won't say how many I have. Let's just say that I am now much stricter about sweet treats!)
That's actually the yarn label inside 🥰
@Ravencall,
I have a "collection" of them as well__mostly from 'Mediterranean Mint'! 💩😱😛😹😹😹💖🙌😺
@@debracisneroshhp2827 😸
I have a lot of little rubber bands left over from when I had adult braces. They make great little stitch markers on my smaller dpns.
I usually just pin my sweaters onto my living room rug, with a towel in between to protect the rug from moisture and the sweater from any dust. Sometimes I'll block smaller things right on the bed or on my sofa cushion - works great! 😊
Old pillowcases also make great project bags. I think most people have a few pillowcases that they never use.
They sure do! Thx for adding that
Yesss! The ones with zippers are best... I also use them for felting projects in the washing machine: they prevent all the fuzz from going into the machine 👍🏻
I posted on social media about using a Soup Tureen as a yarn bowl. Tureens are nice and heavy and won't slide around when yanking on the yarn, plus the lid has a slot for the string to exit. The lid is also nice to keep dust from collecting on your project. A funny thing I saw was a photo of wearing garden clogs, crocs, the kind with holes all over the top, then a stick through both shoes which holds the yarn...much like the basket you showed us. I thought the crocs were funny
Great tips, thanks for sharing.
I keep cellphone pins in my knitting kit. These come in the box when you purchase a new cell phone, and they are typically used to open up the phone to insert your SIM/SD cards. They are great to have around as extra keys to tighten up interchangeable needles.
I like to use light bulb stitch markers because you can add or remove them anywhere at any time. The drawback is that when hanging on the needle between stitches, they can travel across to another placement or get caught. I prevent this by attaching a fixed marker to the narrow end of the light bulb marker. This also weighs it down, which helps to control which side of your work the marker sits on. Just flip it as needed to the front or to the back.
My third tip is to keep a nail polishing/buffing file in my case. These can help to smooth down a gritty needle tip as well as small nicks on the needle.
Yeah, I keep one in my project bag as well. Nothing nore annoying that a nail that catches the yarn!
Love the cellphone tip! Brilliant!!
Great tips, thanks so much Norman. I also use the small hair clips to keep left over yarn balls tidy...that way I am never searching for the ends.
When I was little ( about 1000 years ago) we were blessed with a Norwegian au pair and later a German one. They would sit and knit with my mama and tease her about her throwing her yarn! I am self taught and some how I picked up their style, thank goodness! Thank you for the great informative channel .
Norman you are my knitting guru. Everything I need to learn and so much more. Loved these tips so simple but so clever. Thank you!
A swatch washing machine! Perfect. Thanks for the smile and great tips.
My pleasure
I always keep the rings from the toothbrush as I use them as stitch markers and intend to make small buttons as well. Thank you, love your tutorials and tips 🇬🇧
I re-twist a paper clip to use to cable socks. The commercial cable needles are too big and an enameled paper clip is great. I love plastic bags for projects because they are transparent. Loved the tip to use a mesh basket and straight needle for unfurling yarn. I had ribbon yarn that twisted all the time and had to manually untwist to get it flat. I think that basket set-up might work.
Yeah, paper clips can also be great. Tho, I personally never use cable needles 😅 always do it without one
Always enjoy your tips. The stitch marker needle threader is a keeper. I have always used plastic storage bags as project bags. Easy to see what’s in there and protects your project from possible spills as well. But I also use smaller storage bags to hold individual balls of yarn, if a project calls for more than one color. Keeps them tidy and from rolling around and unwinding.
And a salad spinner for those small delicate projects ❤
I have a mixture of knitting needles inherited and bought. The circular ones are in a large tin box in Ziploc bags labeled with the size of the needle.
Writing to say: less than a minute into this video and tip number one has already blown my mind. I just got a free (extra) yoga mat from a work perk I recently signed up for. It’s a bit thicker than my perfectly fine regular yoga mat I use when exercising so it’s now my new blocking mat, just in time to block a scarf I recently finished! I needed some additional modular blocking mats for larger irregularly sized items like shawls and this is perfect and a cost savings as well. Thank you!
Hello Norman, I just wanted to thank you for your wisdom and experience. I cannot seem to watch enough of your videos. They are so educational, and you are such a wonderful teacher. I taught myself to knit decades ago, and stopped for some reason. You have brought me back to something I really do love. Bless you!
I always keep dental floss in my notions bag! I like the stitch holder as a needle threader idea! Thanks Norman 😊
It works like a charm for these bigger tapestry needles! Such a game changer for me as well
A agree , my favorite ❤
I LOVE how practical your videos are. I really can use the life line hack because I always use circular needles. I think it would work on the Tunisian crochet cable too. I come back to to your videos regularly & share them with others in my prayer shawl ministry group.
Great tips! Empty prescription bottles also make good cases for tapestry needles, stitch markers, folding scissors, etc. I have one in every project bag.
This is what I use too..and some are bigger than others😊
I use also medication bottles to store needles. I poke the needles into small fabric swatches for easier handling. I use medication bottles also to store any craft items, beads, charms etc. Now most of the gummy vitamins come in clear bottles that are much larger. They are perfect to store stitch markers, needles, small cable needles etc. I glue a magnet on top of the cap. I bought metal Origami selves to my craft/sew/knit room. The magnets on the cap hold the bottles under the metal selves at eye level, easy to see, and they do not rattle around.
I have yoga mats waiting for a new job! I've been eyeing blocking mats but you've just saved me a bundle of $!
I have dry cleaning bags from down duvets each spring. They are plastic with some fine mesh for air flow. I use one for a wool queen size crocheted bedspread for storing off-season in our cedar closet.
Happy to save money! But do keep in mind that the pins will "destroy" the foam a bit. Well, they leave imprints. That's why I said backside
Hi. You can also use a kids puzzle playmat for blocking.
That’s what I use.@@Susann_S.
in a similar vein as the pencil case hack, I use an expanding file organizer to store my circular knitting needles! a ring binder with pocket sleeves would work as well ☺️ as a beginner, I buy circular needle sizes as I need them so I needed a convenient (and cheap) way to store them
Norman,
You're a wealth of awesome hacks! 😛 I especially love the yoga mat for blocking, the plastic coil for keeping needles together, and my 2 faves, the lightbulb needle threader, and the 'Talenti washing machine'! 😱😛
I don't have a hack, but a cool item to share I saw on Roxanne Richardson's channel awhile ago.
To wash larger knitted items like sweaters, etc. she uses a cat litter box 'set' that comes with 2 containers and a 'sifter insert'.
The item to be washed is put into the sifter unit then into one container with soapy water. When ready, you can empty that and press the soapy water from the item through the sifter.
Then, you remove the insert with item and place into the 2nd container with clear water to rinse.
When you're done there, you repeat what you did with the wash water to 'squeeze' the excess from the item and remove to dry/block.
When I saw her demo that, I thought that was genius and knew I had to get one, too! 😱💖
It's made by Arm and Hammer, and I got it on Amazon. I think it was around $18 US. Don't know if it's available international but anyone interested could check it out.
Thanks, again, for all you do to help us be better knitters__as well as sharing great hacks!
Enjoy the rest of your day. 🙏😇✨💫🌱🌿🌻🐝🌳🌎💖🙌😺
thx for sharing. that sounds like an awesome trick!
Brilliant! All simple, inexpensive and genuinely helpful. I love the needle threading tip, and shoelaces as stitch holders. Genius!
Loom bands - I use them on DPN's to stop stitches falling off the needles. I also use them for keeping sets of DPN's together and straight needles in pairs. I've also used them as stitch markers.
I use a drawstring bag that I knitted as a feeder for my yarn, letting the ball roll freely as I knit. I clip it to my hip with a carbineer. As long as I'm sticking with one ball at a time it works great and can hold the rest of the project when not being worked on if the project isn't too big with big being relative depending on how much it doesn't want to fold up.
I use the basket and straight needles as a lazy Kate for spinning plied yarn! I saw it online once, and thought it was brilliant. I actually used a shoebox, which allowed me to put the lid on when not in use.
I also use plastic bags to put my yarn ball in for on-the-go knitting to reduce friction when knitting from a project bag or a purse.
I keep a couple of colorful plastic drinking straws in my bag and when I need ring markers I cut a few slices off. Regular sized straws work perfectly for small needle sizes, and wider smoothie or boba straws for medium guage projects (worsted, etc). You can also slide a piece of drinking straw onto your needle tip and use it as a cable needle.
That's an awesome addition! Thx for sharing
Great idea!!!
Hello, I can share a tip: the dental floss box is a great mini "scissors" to cut yarn, if you need it on a plane. The security won't hold it, what could happen to actual scissors. Otherwise, thank you for the video!
I save the zipper bags sheet sets come in perfect for a project bag
I love the one using the binder clips. I've heard that placing the yarn band inside of the yarn cake when you take it off the ball winder helps with keeping the ball stable as well as keeping track of the yarn info. I use zip lock bags to store my yarn skeins. I write the yarn info on the bags and store together colors for a project. I find it helpful when a project calls for multiple colors. 4 to 5 100g skeins fit in the gallon size bag.
In the US we’d use the term safety pin, not Bobby pin. A Bobby pin here is used in the hair to hold hair in place, but those could be used as a stitched marker too.
Yep, sorry, my mistake. Thx for highlighting it
Excellent tips. The comments are also full of brilliant tips.
They sure are! Always worth a read!
This is the first video of yours that I've watched. Great tips. I have a tip.
I wanted to knit but I didn't like the needles I usd so I made my own. I had a package of wooden skewers that were the perfect size. I used a pencil sharpener and then sanded it untill smooth. I used a candle and rubbed it all over the needles. I then took a soft to remove excess candle wax. Last step: I glued the same color rhinestone on the end. Different colors for different sizes. 💜
All of these hacks are great. I especially like the shoe laces as stitch holders. I will definitely use that one for the sleeve stitches on sweaters ❤ Thanks Norman
Shoelaces! 👏 Just yesterday I had a total mess with scrap yarn as a stitch holder. Shoelaces it will be from now on. Thanks💝
Thanks - those household item tips were all new to me because I’m a new-ish knitter - excellent!!!!
Many I have seen/heard before but there was also many new to me tips!! As always a great video!! Thank you Norman!
So clever! And no matter how many notions you have at home, you might get caught out without something - these substitutes are easily available.
That's true. When I'm vacation, .I'm definitely getting creative!
I love the boot lace stitch holder idea. I hate putting stockinette back on needles from waste yarn. I think the curling would be minimized. Great tips, Norman.
Yah, waste yarn is horrible. I'll do it in a pinch but otherwise...
I use a Bobby pin that I slightly open in a U shape instead of a cable needle. When I loose or forget my tapestry needle, I use a trombone shape paper clip that I untwist in a needle shape. It’s not perfect but it gives me time for my needles to reappear.
familiar and have used some of the ideas mentioned in the vid and learned a few new ones i am gonna try ! i used erasers to use as stoppers on knitting needles when out of options then i used rubber bands and pony tail holders bands to bundle at the ends of kitting needles when i cannot find erasers and out of all other options. and i am sure everyone has done this one but use walmart plastic bags to protect the yarn from getting dirty or linty from friction on rough surfaces, the plastic bags make great for protecting yarn in and out of use. :D
Thx for adding that nevertheless!
I will definitely be using at least two of these! The dental floss and the threading of the yarn using the stitch marker
This video is definitely going in the save area on CZcams! Thanks Norman!
Thank you! Happy knitting
I enjoy these posts about using up scraps. I’d love to see one on how to store and catalog those bits and pieces we want to hang on to for repairs and such.
well...I personally don't really :P so not sure if I can help there, lol!
Thank you Norman for those wonderful tips .
Love all your ideas. thanks a bunch.
Hello fun and useful! I will add to the dental tool section. In North America we have dental floss threaders which consist of a nylon loop flowing into a thicker stiff end. they come in packages that travel well and can be used for yarn threading through darning needles or for threading beads onto yarn. Small correction the tools you call bobby pins are actually safety pins. Bobby pins are for hair.
Wow! Love that floss lifeline tip! Thanks!
Thanks for sharing your ideas. They are so useful and creative ❤
thank you for the new video! i love using cheap things to help with my knitting 😊
Inexpensive not cheap 😅😅😅
Thank you Norman, some wonderful tips there. I like the hair clip idea to secure yarn ends. The unravel suggestion with dental tape also an excellent suggestion. Yarn bowel suggestion is a good one. Brilliant, thanks for sharing.
Great ideas Norman! Thank you. ❤
Some excellent suggestions! Thanks for sharing!
Great tips, Norman. Some are so obvious, but never thought of. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thank you so much. It’s always a pleasure to learn those tips. Thanks again
Yarn bowl my favorite!
These are all great ideas! Thanks Norman!🎉
All great ideas! Thank you!
Some of these ideas are just genius! I have lots of those 'lightbulb' marker pins and never thought to use them for threading thick yarns onto needles. That said, i have the smaller ones, and I think larger ones would work better. You keep using safety pins and referring to them as 'bobby pins'. Bobby pins are actually the American word for hair grips ('Harklammer"). But yes, I use safety pins as stitch holders, too.
Another thing I do is to use my interchangeable cables as stitch holders. If a pattern says knit x stitches, slip x stitches onto stitch holder and knit to end, then I put a spare short cable with a stopper on the end through the centre stitches, cap off the other end, and then use the original cable for finishing off the knitting for left and right sides of the neckline. Then, when you come to using those saved stitches, I remove the cap, put a needle back on the right side and knit across the stitches on the cable. When I get to the end of that and all the stitches are now on the right hand needle/cable, you can just put the short cable away again.
And I can't believe I didn't think of the needles through the basket as a spindle idea for working with my 400g balls of yarn (which are too big to fit on my Wool Jeanie)! I have baskets all over my house, so I will see if I have one the right size and utilise it immediately! As I only use circular needles now, I have dozens of straight needles I just don't use anymore.
I also have several small pencil cases which I keep my odd sets of crochet hooks in. Another one has a set of different length stitch holders, and a third has the fabric clips that i use instead of pins these days, and use to hold my knitting together while I sew it up.
Yah, I messed up the Bobby pin...because..well..that trick works with them as well 😅
Wonderful ideas! Definitely going to try the basket to hold colorwork yarns!
Thanks for this video! These are great and very helpful ideas.
Loved all of these tips. I already used the ziplock bags for WIPs and the mint tins for my knitting notions and will implement the bowl with a clip right away. Vielen Dank!
Hi Norman! Nice episode, thank you!
What a beautiful sweater you are wearing Norman. Just gorgeous! The yoga mat is brilliant.... Wait you wind your yarn on toilet paper rolls! Actually every tip is fabulous. Thank you.