A Tip or Two for Knitting with Your Knook!

The Knook! Such a creative little tool! Who’d ever dream that while it’s easy learning to knit with your Knook, it can also be just a little tricky? I’ve been getting a lot of questions from new Knookers about the Knook that I don’t know the answers to (’cause I’m new, too!), so I consulted with Sarah—our Knook guru, and she was kind enough to share a favorite Knook trouble shooting tip or two with us!



PROBLEM 1:
The Knook cord became unthreaded while working a row...


SOLUTION:
Trouble Shooting Tip #1. Thread the Knook with the cord end and “unknit” back to that point.


Trouble Shooting Tip #2. If you don’t wish to lose all the knitting on the row, leave the stitches on the Knook. Slide as many as possible onto the angled end of the Knook, making sure that they are not twisted (Yarn should be straight at the bottom for a normal stitch, not twisted). Wrap a rubber band around each end of the Knook so they will stay on. Then, while holding the end of the cord that slipped out of the Knook, slide the cord out of the row below until you have enough to reach the Knook. Thread a yarn needle with the cord and slip the stitches onto the cord, once again making sure that they are not twisted. Thread the Knook with the cord leaving around 6-8" extending from the eye. Remove the rubber bands and slide the stitches onto the cord.


PROBLEM 2:
Skipped a stitch while working a row...


SOLUTION:
Trouble Shooting Tip #1. As long as the cord is still in the row below, simply “unknit” until you reach the skipped stitch.
Trouble Shooting Tip #2. If the cord has been pulled out and the stitch is hanging free, slip a paper clip or a split ring stitch marker onto the loop to prevent it from unraveling. Check to make sure it hasn’t unraveled any of your rows. If it has, you will see strands above the stitch. If it has unraveled, use the Knook to loop up the loose strands. With the knit side of the stitch facing, insert the Knook in the stitch, catch the strand directly above the stitch and pull it through. Continue until you have used all the strands. Once you have reached the top of the row, place the stitch on the split ring marker or paper clip. Work across to the stitch, hold it open normally (show the difference in the way the yarn is straight at the bottom for a normal stitch, not twisted), then either knit or purl it. The stitch will be on the cord once the Knook is pulled through.


PROBLEM 3:
Wrong stitch or stitches several rows below...


SOLUTION:
Trouble Shooting Tip #1. Work across the row to the stitch above the wrong stitch. Thread a yarn needle with a second cord and slip all the stitches on the row that haven't been yet worked onto this second cord EXCEPT for the stitch above the wrong stitch. Slide the Knook cord out of the stitches on the row below. All the stitches will be either on the Knook cord or the second cord except for the stitch that you need. Unravel the stitch down to the row below the wrong stitch. With the knit side of the stitch facing, insert the Knook in the stitch, catch the strand directly above the stitch and pull it through. Continue until you have used all the strands. Once you have reached the top of the row, work this stitch. Work across the stitches on the second cord, turn the work, slide the stitches onto the Knook cord. Turn your work, then slip the second cord out of the row below along with the Knook cord.


Trouble Shooting Tip #2. If there are several mistakes that are on a row below, it may be easier to unravel to a row below them. You can use a second cord to pick up the stitches on a row below the mistakes. Thread a yarn needle with a cord. In order for the stitches to not be twisted, slip the right edge of each stitch onto this cord. Be careful to stay on the same row all the way across and count the loops to make sure that you have gotten all the stitches. Once the second cord is in place, you can remove the Knook and its cord from the row above and unravel down to the second cord. Thread the Knook onto this cord and work across.

Hope these Knook trouble shooting tips make learning to knit with your Knook even more fun than ever for you! Maybe you’ll even design your own original Knook project and enter our Knook & Tell Design Contest!