Some days, we pass along a tip or hack or technique. Today is not one of those days.
Today we present a spectacular bounty—a cornucopia, a veritable smorgasbord—of wisdom. Lace knitting just got a lot easier.
In the MDK Shop
The eight quick videos listed below come straight from the brainiac mind of Jen Arnall-Culliford, the teacher who has given us so much knowledge with her three books, A Year of Techniques, Something New to Learn About Cables, and now Something New to Learn About Lace.
In these short videos, Jen manages to teach even old dogs like us new tricks. Veteran lace knitters, hear ye! This is a post to bookmark for future reference. (Here’s how to save an MDK post in your account with one click.)
These are excellent accompaniments to Jen’s new book, Something New to Learn About Lace. (We have copies in the MDK Shop. And we are proud to offer Jen’s brand-new yarn, Something to Knit With 4ply. It’s the yarn featured for the four lace patterns in the book.)
Click the tutorial name below to see each tutorial. We hope you’ll immerse yourself in these lessons. We wish we’d had Jen egging us on when we began our lace knitting odyssey.
Garter Tab Cast On
The garter tab cast on is a bit of magic—begin a triangular shawl with this very clever technique.
Working Yarn Overs
The absolute, essential technique for making lace: the yarn over. A world of beautiful knitting comes from understanding this single, simple maneuver.
Adding a Lifeline
Sometimes you just need to get back to the place where it was all working right. A lifeline lets you undo a messy patch of lace with confidence.
Picking Up Missed Yarn Overs
Sometimes, you simply forget to make a yarn over. It’s the most common error in lace knitting—and it’s easily repaired when you follow Jen-Arnall Culliford’s advice in this video tutorial. Seriously, this is a game changer.
Fixing Mistakes by Tinking
“Tink” is “knit” spelled backwards. Here, the most efficient way to undo a few stitches when you notice something’s out of whack.
Using Stitch Markers in Lace
Keep track of any pattern that repeats across a row—stitch markers will keep you on track, especially when knitting lace.
Blocking Lace Using Wires
It’s our favorite transformation: blocking a finished piece of lace knitting. Using blocking wires makes a huge difference.
Blocking Lace Using Pin Combs
Pin combs are a great way to speed your blocking. See how Jen Arnall-Culliford does her magic with this clever tool.
This sounds awesome!
I love the save feature! Is there a way to unsave, too?
Excellent question, Marilyn! Just go to Saved Articles in your MDK Account, find the article you want to un-save, and click on the red flag. When you refresh Saved Articles, poof: that one is gone. (You can always save it again.) (I felt a little insecure after un-saving things!)
I forgot how to save – directions again, please! This time, I will write them down!
Here you go: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/save-later-mdk/
If you save the article about how to save an article, you’ll always be able to find the instructions and save another article!
Hi Ann and Kaye. These helpful videos by Jen are fab! I’ve shared your post in our latest craft inspiration roundup. I particularly found the how to fix mistakes by ‘tinking’ very helpful with my current lace project. https://craftylikegranny.com/craft-knowledge/ Cheers Jodie 🙂
The “life line” tip is super useful.