I’ll Knit If I Want To: Episode 198 @dreareneeknits

Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

Welcome to I’ll Knit (& Spin!) If I want To! I asked y’all to send in some of your questions (from everything from fiber arts, to designing and on!) so I could put together a little video for y’all every Friday doing my best to answer your questions!

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In this week’s episode we cover:

1. I have a question about adding pockets to my knits. I have added them as afterthought pockets on a few sweaters so far and I always feels like they wind up a little floppy. I am not sure if when I'm attaching them to the body I am not laying it down well enough? I also notice that it feels too large at the ribbing at the top and then kind of lays open a bit? One of your patterns I've done this on was the Winter's Beach cardi, actually! It also happened when I knit a Chroma sweater by Jacqueline Cieslak, which has a similar pocket-attaching construction. Do you have any suggestions for making it stand up / feel a bit more snug? Thank you!

2. Hi Andrea, thank-you so much for opening the world of knitting to me via your podcast!
My question is a “ what would you do “ kind of question. Thanks to you, I discovered ( and promptly fell in love with ) La Bien Aimee. Being a pretty new knitter, I ordered a shawl kit from them, paid big bucks for the yarn + the import tax. But here’s the thing… I love the yarn but as much as I’ve tried to love the piece, I just don’t. It’s not a complicated knit, just a wave pattern, dropping a stitch, like so many runs in a pair of 70’s pantyhose. That part, I don’t mind. But this thing is so weirdly asymmetrical that I just can’t find a satisfying way to wear it. I’ve been trying for more than a year! Should I dismantle the whole thing and make something I adore? Thanks!

3. Regarding the wooden bobbins you mentioned last episode … how much spun singles or plied yarn can you get on them? Also when you’re rewinding your singles on to these little bobbins, do you rewind them in the same direction you spun your fiber? I’m also assuming you are using their wooden bobbin winder…
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with the world 🌎 💞

4. Hi Andrea all the way from South Africa. I really enjoy your weekly chats. I am working on an all over lace cardigan with a cotton and silk yarn. My yarn overs are very uneven. I feel like I have to fiddle with it to get it all even. Do you have any tips?

knitrino.com/blog/improving-your-lace
youtube.com/watch?v=m6fMf10E8bE

5 . Hi, I just finished the Moonwake cowl when I noticed that I dropped a stitch while closing it up with the kitchener stitch. :( I'm wondering the best way to fix it? I was thinking of just using the same color as the stitch and doing duplicate stitch? Will it hold? I don't feel like I can undo the Kitchener stitch, but curious what you would do.

Today I am wearing Brume
Ravelry: ravelry.com/patterns/library/brume-10
My Website: dreareneeknits.com/shop/brume

Spincycle PAL (Plump-along): spincycleyarns.com/pages/plump-a-long-2024

Instafriends KAL - hosted on Instagram from 9/18/24 to 1/31/25! Just use the hashtag #instafriendsKAL2024 and tag @dreareneeknits and @shoplamercerie

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Knitting Tutorial: Right Lifted Increase (RLI)

Thanks, I Made It! Birch pullover + Jaunty Shawl + Arthur Pants

$I’ll Knit If I Want To: Episode 227 BIRTHDAY SALE!! Save 30% off of all of my independently published patterns (with the exception of Ooey Gooey and any patterns that were published thru 3rd parties) with the discount code DREA30 thru 8/8/25 at midnight EST! (Please note - don’t forget to enter the code before finishing your purchase, as discounts cannot be applied retroactively!) Welcome to I’ll Knit (& Spin!) If I want To! I asked y’all to send in some of your questions (from everything from fiber arts, to designing and on!) so I could put together a little video for y’all every Friday doing my best to answer your questions! Sign up for my newsletter here: Sign up for the DRK Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/diPxsr In this week’s episode we cover: 1. Im making the Tessellated vest and just have the ribbing to go. Have loved knitting the vest so am looking forward to finishing it and wearing it. The challenge I have is picking up the stitches for the armholes. Youve mentioned in the past that you use a ratio of 5 in 7 but do you vary this for armholes? Do you use 5 in 7 when working top half of armholes and over the shoulder, but pick up more stitches on the slanting edge towards bottom of armhole. Any advice would be appreciated. 2. Im just starting out as a designer and have a question about gauge patterns. Does the gauge pattern have to match the stitch pattern used in the item? Or would a stockinette gauge sample, for example, be suitable for a brioche or cable pattern, if both the gauge sample and the item are worked flat (but no stockinette is used in the pattern)? Would your answer change if its a two color brioche pattern? Thanks for all your advice over the years - Ive learned a lot from listening! 3. My question is about spinning. Like so many others, I’ve been inspired by you to pick up spinning. I took a couple drop spindle classes a little over a year ago and fell in love. I don’t currently have the financial or spatial budget for a wheel (though I’m hoping for an e-spinner for my upcoming birthday ), so my question is specific to your experience with spindle spinning. And particularly about plying. Since most spindles can hold less spun fiber than a wheel bobbin, my plied skeins tend to be fairly small. But yours always look much larger. Do you use a felted join on your singles to add more when one spindle runs out? Or perhaps a felted join on the plied yarn to combine smaller lengths into a larger skein? A combination of both? Would either affect the integrity of the finished yarn? Or is there something else I’m missing? Also, when doing a fractal spin with half a braid spun end to end and the other half divided into smaller strips, what considerations do you take into account when deciding which singles to ply together? I imagine you end up with some parts that have two plies of the first half of the braid and one ply with the smaller strips, and vice versa. How do you decide which to combine? Or do you just choose at random? 4. Ive been knitting for years, but am newish to sock knitting. I have two questions - The first sock I ever knit was perfect, then I had a few duds after that. My tension seemed to tighten significantly to the point I have to knit the size up from my frist sock - why would that be? My tension for other types of projects havent been affected in the same way. I also notice on the last couple socks Ive knit there is a slight ridge on the inside of my sock where I grafted the toe. I can feel it on the inside of the foot and I cant determine why the ridge is there. I have watched a lot of tutorials and know I have done the Kitchener stitch correctly. Could that also be a tensioning issue? 5. I know how important swatching is however there is one aspect that has me curious. One of the reasons for swatching is to see if the fabric grows and by how much. My question is, if the swatch does grow, how does the knitter determine what pattern size to follow? It seems like it would be challenging to translate the amount of growth seen in a swatch to a larger garment such a sweater. If I normally knit a size 36 bust should I drop down to a smaller bust size? If the pattern states to knit until piece measures 10 inches, should a lesser amount be knitted? Fortunately I’ve never had any major issues with growth but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time! High Tide Set: https://matchymatchysewingclub.com/products/high-tide-set-pdf-sewing-pattern Today I am wearing Night Lights Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/night-lights-3 My Website: https://www.dreareneeknits.com/shop/night-lights 2025 Rhinebeck Ooey Gooey KAL Ravelry Forum: https://www.ravelry.com/discuss/dreareneeknits/topics/4368040 Facebook Forum: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1076153613959074 Instagram Hashtag: #RhinebeckOoeyGooeyKAL Ask a question for next week’s Q&A: https://forms.gle/pKM9gF9SixkdQwmS7$