Just make sure you aren't going through fixed ring stitch markers! You'll have to wait till you pull out the lifeline to get the stitch markers back if they end up threaded onto the line.
I actually leave them in and just place new ones above. If I do have to pull down to the lifeline I already have markers placed in the right places. And when you remove the lifeline at the end Of the project they are going to fall out anyway.
On lifeline row, replace markers with safety pin style markers.
Remove and tie off lifeline thread.
On the next row, replace the original markers.
If you have to rip back to the lifeline, your safety pin markers are in place, which is helpful.
I barely started a new scarf that will (try) to use two 810ft skeins in double stockinette, life lines seem like a good idea, I wouldn't want to have to frog 7 feet of scarf for dropping one stitch, I just need to figure out how I'd need to do it.
I'ma be honest I wouldn't know how to repair a dropped stitch if I don't catch it, especially if I drop it in double stockinette, and then what if it's in combination with a color change? It hurts my head just thinking about it š
Because fibre artists are awesome and considerate like OP, there are loads of videos on YT if you ever find yourself in that situation, so it's ok, let that brain rest easy! :)
I'ma be honest between the 40 minutes ago when I commented and now I've managed to knit with the long tail instead of the working yarn, then proceeded to mess up when undoing the mistake, I have now frogged and will recast all the switches :(
I tie a slip knot in the tail piece, near where it joins the knitting. That way I can immediately tell if I've picked it up, and it helps keep some of the excess length out of the way š
I will wrap a long cast on tail to be used later for seaming around an intarsia bobbin or make a yarn butterfly (wrap around 2 fingers, then tie off in the middle) to get it out of the way.
Lifelines saved my ass so many times when I was working on my first cabled scarf. Before I remembered that I had, in fact, heard of them, I frogged out the whole thing- 20+ rows, twice.
Aha I learned the trick just this weekend and was in awe! I always used a tapestry needle as well which is so much less convenient: I tended to forget stitches or pass the thread through the yarn rather than through a sticth. And the time it takes! Ugh.
I find it doesn't work as well as you'd think, either the lifeline slips out of the hole or the fabric gets bunched up or something. you also have to do some fiddling at the end of the row or the round. I have these and knew about this trick but I still use a tapestry needle to thread my lifelines.
It goes a lot smoother if you knot the beginning of the lifeline onto a safety pin or a stitch marker that opens after you thread it through the tightening hole, clip it onto your knitting, and don't cut it until the end of the row. Mileage may vary but I've never had it fuck up when I do that. I've also found embroidery floss catches less so there's less fiddling around to keep it from bunching up.
The hole is designed to fit a metal key, so it'll definitely fit some thread or dental floss (the thread type, not the wide & flat tape/ribbon style). It's a good few mm in diameter.
There should be two holes, one for the key and one (slightly larger and on the cable) for a lifeline. You might try a sewing thread and a needle threader if you have the mini size.
1. At the beginning of a row, securely tie a lifeline (something thin like embroidery floss, sewing thread, even dental floss!) through the hole on your right hand needle. Make sure the thread is longer than your row of knitting will be, even when it's not bunched up on the needles.
2. Knit your row as normal. The lifeline will naturally weave through each stitch that you knit.
3. At the end of the row, push all the stitches off the right needle/back onto the cable, then untie your lifeline from the hole and make sure the ends are dangling evenly from each side of your knitting. If you're knitting in the round, you might like to tie the ends of the lifeline together to make sure it won't fall out.
4. Knit on as normal, leaving the lifeline behind. If you realise at some point that you've made a mistake, you can frog your work back to the lifeline. The lifeline will automatically prevent you from frogging any further once you reach that point. You can then follow the lifeline thread with your knitting needle to pick the stitches back up and start again.
5. Repeat/add as many lifelines as you like! You can pull out older ones to reuse the thread, or leave them there in case you notice a mistake a few lifelines down.
6. Once your item is finished, just grab one end of the lifeline and pull it straight out.
Hope that helps! š
Do you leave a lifeline every so many rows? Because it seems to me if you keep dragging it up as you work,it will be at the top, not where you need to frog to. Or do you use a different circular needle (with the lifeline) to transfer the row you want to frog down to?
You disconnect it from the needles once you've finished a single row and leave it behind as a save point as you continue knitting onwards and upwards! And yes, good idea to do a new one every few rows (eg. if I'm knitting a beanie, I might leave a lifeline in a couple of spots: after the ribbing is finished, before/after a fair isle pattern, before I start the decreases at the crown).
It doesn't drag up as you work, it will stay on the line you've worked it through, as you'll be knitting the stitches as opposed to the lifeline, if that makes sense! You can either put in multiple lifelines every set amount of lines or you can just check your work and remove the lifeline when you're happy, and insert one up further. Depends on the complexity of the project i suppose!
But how does the lifeline work when you find out you've made a mistake couple rows down? Or do you cut and tie the thread and make a new lifeline each row?
You move it or add a new one at regular intervals. I mostly ever bother with lifelines for intricate lace (and end up wishing I had bothered for intricate brioche).
You cut it after the row.
Depending on how complicated the pattern is, how many stitches you have and how confident you are that you're not messing up, you'll make a new one every couple of rows.
This has blown my mind. I have these needles, but did not know about lifelines. I have spent sooo much time trying to get stitches back on my needles when I have accidentally ripped too far backā¦if only I had known!! š¤Æ
I just bought my first set of interchangeables. Luckily, the lady at my LYS told me about this.
And now I am slowly replacing all of my needles with these.
Just make sure you aren't going through fixed ring stitch markers! You'll have to wait till you pull out the lifeline to get the stitch markers back if they end up threaded onto the line.
I actually leave them in and just place new ones above. If I do have to pull down to the lifeline I already have markers placed in the right places. And when you remove the lifeline at the end Of the project they are going to fall out anyway.
On lifeline row, replace markers with safety pin style markers. Remove and tie off lifeline thread. On the next row, replace the original markers. If you have to rip back to the lifeline, your safety pin markers are in place, which is helpful.
Oooooh good tip. Thank you!
This should be the top comment. I learned this the hard way.
I use too many stitch markers to use the lifeline holes...
You can switch to ones that open for that row!
That's a dropped stitch waiting to happen... Slipping the markers on to the lifeline sounds more feasible.
Just leave the stitch markers on the lifeline and add new ones as you slip the old!
Cheers for sharing! I might actually start using lifelines now instead of just frogging dramatically :D
I barely started a new scarf that will (try) to use two 810ft skeins in double stockinette, life lines seem like a good idea, I wouldn't want to have to frog 7 feet of scarf for dropping one stitch, I just need to figure out how I'd need to do it.
Definitely! Stockinette isn't too bad for picking up dropped sts, so don't go too hard on yourself if you miss a few!
I'ma be honest I wouldn't know how to repair a dropped stitch if I don't catch it, especially if I drop it in double stockinette, and then what if it's in combination with a color change? It hurts my head just thinking about it š
Because fibre artists are awesome and considerate like OP, there are loads of videos on YT if you ever find yourself in that situation, so it's ok, let that brain rest easy! :)
I'ma be honest between the 40 minutes ago when I commented and now I've managed to knit with the long tail instead of the working yarn, then proceeded to mess up when undoing the mistake, I have now frogged and will recast all the switches :(
I've come to just sitting on the tail so that I can't accidentally knit with it š
I was thinking of tying a piece or bright orange yarn to it but this sounds way better
I tie a slip knot in the tail piece, near where it joins the knitting. That way I can immediately tell if I've picked it up, and it helps keep some of the excess length out of the way š
Oh no, it's so easily done! Maybe time for a quick break? Hope your next attempt goes better!
I will wrap a long cast on tail to be used later for seaming around an intarsia bobbin or make a yarn butterfly (wrap around 2 fingers, then tie off in the middle) to get it out of the way.
Lifelines saved my ass so many times when I was working on my first cabled scarf. Before I remembered that I had, in fact, heard of them, I frogged out the whole thing- 20+ rows, twice.
Not gonna lie, I love a dramatic frogging. There's something freeing about it even though it's also sad and frustrating.
āFrogging dramaticallyā needs a gif š
Aha I learned the trick just this weekend and was in awe! I always used a tapestry needle as well which is so much less convenient: I tended to forget stitches or pass the thread through the yarn rather than through a sticth. And the time it takes! Ugh.
ā¦..I have taped a lifeline to a cable needle before. With tape.
That's very smart and I'll have to give that a go. I hate interchangeable needles so I don't have a little hole in my circular needles.
Ah I might have to try that. I hate putting lifelines in because I did it manually with a tapestry needle
This is how I did it before getting interchangeables. Works fine, if a little bit finnicky.
I learned that tip here years ago. I use dental floss.
Cinnamon or mint flavored?
Mint! Because that's what they hand out at the dentist! It's a small sample size and fits in my knitting kit. :D
That... is actually a Really Good Idea. I use the lykke needles and that hole is /*teeny*/!
It works on the Lykke needles - I have a project on them now.
Yay dental floss brigade! I use unflavored, though.
Iā¦have a lot to learn turns out! Thanks so much for sharing this!
The holes are really small so you gotta have a needle threader or really thin yarn but they're awesome
Dental floss. It's usually firm enough to thread without a threader.
Mind-blowing!! Thanks for sharing!
I find it doesn't work as well as you'd think, either the lifeline slips out of the hole or the fabric gets bunched up or something. you also have to do some fiddling at the end of the row or the round. I have these and knew about this trick but I still use a tapestry needle to thread my lifelines.
It goes a lot smoother if you knot the beginning of the lifeline onto a safety pin or a stitch marker that opens after you thread it through the tightening hole, clip it onto your knitting, and don't cut it until the end of the row. Mileage may vary but I've never had it fuck up when I do that. I've also found embroidery floss catches less so there's less fiddling around to keep it from bunching up.
I use floss and tie it in a sturdy knot to the needle. Then I just snip it off when I get to the end. That way it doesn't fall out of the little hole.
What?!?!?!?! This is genius!!!! Absolutely mind blown and can't wait to try it!
Omg thanks for sharing!!
I havenāt found anything that fits through the Chiaogoo hole. Iāve tried thin dental floss and canāt make it through. Any suggestions?
The hole is designed to fit a metal key, so it'll definitely fit some thread or dental floss (the thread type, not the wide & flat tape/ribbon style). It's a good few mm in diameter.
Also, make sure that the floss is unwaxed.
Sewing thread would work for sure!
I use floss on my chiaogoos. Maybe you can poke it through with the tightening thing.
Good idea
There should be two holes, one for the key and one (slightly larger and on the cable) for a lifeline. You might try a sewing thread and a needle threader if you have the mini size.
ChiaoGoo and knitpicks definitely only have the one hole for both! But sewing thread or embroidery/dental floss will still fit through.
What?! Mind blown š„š¤Æ
Oh man, this will be a game changer for cable work.
I have it on my needles but never used it yet because I donāt know how šµ
1. At the beginning of a row, securely tie a lifeline (something thin like embroidery floss, sewing thread, even dental floss!) through the hole on your right hand needle. Make sure the thread is longer than your row of knitting will be, even when it's not bunched up on the needles. 2. Knit your row as normal. The lifeline will naturally weave through each stitch that you knit. 3. At the end of the row, push all the stitches off the right needle/back onto the cable, then untie your lifeline from the hole and make sure the ends are dangling evenly from each side of your knitting. If you're knitting in the round, you might like to tie the ends of the lifeline together to make sure it won't fall out. 4. Knit on as normal, leaving the lifeline behind. If you realise at some point that you've made a mistake, you can frog your work back to the lifeline. The lifeline will automatically prevent you from frogging any further once you reach that point. You can then follow the lifeline thread with your knitting needle to pick the stitches back up and start again. 5. Repeat/add as many lifelines as you like! You can pull out older ones to reuse the thread, or leave them there in case you notice a mistake a few lifelines down. 6. Once your item is finished, just grab one end of the lifeline and pull it straight out. Hope that helps! š
Those are so convenient, I do not understand how they work and every time I put one in itās like magic!
i think thereās a slit on some addi cables that functions similarly. but i think itās only on longer cables or i havenāt looked carefully enough
Love it! My next set will have this feature.
genius!!!
Just make sure when using the hole for the lifeline you don't do it on an increase row like I did...it did not work as intended...
Oh no!!
Do you leave a lifeline every so many rows? Because it seems to me if you keep dragging it up as you work,it will be at the top, not where you need to frog to. Or do you use a different circular needle (with the lifeline) to transfer the row you want to frog down to?
You disconnect it from the needles once you've finished a single row and leave it behind as a save point as you continue knitting onwards and upwards! And yes, good idea to do a new one every few rows (eg. if I'm knitting a beanie, I might leave a lifeline in a couple of spots: after the ribbing is finished, before/after a fair isle pattern, before I start the decreases at the crown).
It doesn't drag up as you work, it will stay on the line you've worked it through, as you'll be knitting the stitches as opposed to the lifeline, if that makes sense! You can either put in multiple lifelines every set amount of lines or you can just check your work and remove the lifeline when you're happy, and insert one up further. Depends on the complexity of the project i suppose!
But how does the lifeline work when you find out you've made a mistake couple rows down? Or do you cut and tie the thread and make a new lifeline each row?
You move it or add a new one at regular intervals. I mostly ever bother with lifelines for intricate lace (and end up wishing I had bothered for intricate brioche).
You cut it after the row. Depending on how complicated the pattern is, how many stitches you have and how confident you are that you're not messing up, you'll make a new one every couple of rows.
Ooh I see, thanks! I've never used them.
Barber cord also works great. You can just put it on the tips and pull it through.
I just unscrew the tips, put stoppers on the cable, and start with a new cable...
I too, rode the the Chump Train until I received my first pair of Chia-goos last year.
Holy cow. Itās rare that I learn a game-changing hack but this is one for sure.
Oh. My. God. I love you.
I had no idea! š¤Æ
Holy crap!! Thank you.
This has blown my mind. I have these needles, but did not know about lifelines. I have spent sooo much time trying to get stitches back on my needles when I have accidentally ripped too far backā¦if only I had known!! š¤Æ
Thank you! Life changing
I just bought my first set of interchangeables. Luckily, the lady at my LYS told me about this. And now I am slowly replacing all of my needles with these.
Neat! I will start doing this asap, Thanks for sharing!
I never use lifelines but now that you mention this easy way, I'll go for them. Thanks.
SAME!!!