Using Knitter's Pride SmartStix Needles to Level Up your Knitting Game

What makes our new SmartStix needles so smart? These specially-designed needles allow you to...

Save time

Measure stuff

Assess gauge

Reduce clutter

Test weight

No more searching for a tape measure -  no matter where you are, as long as your needles are in your project, you’ve got a way to measure on the go. Today we’re going to share a few more ways to use SmartStix needles to level up your knitting game!

Casting On

When you’re casting on, do you run out of yarn before you have all the stitches you need on the needle? Vicki Howell recently shared her tips and tricks for casting on using the SmartStix needles in her Ask Me Mondays series. What it boils down to is this:

1. Grab the needles and yarn you’re going to use for your project.
2. Figure out how many stitches you’re going to cast on for your swatch or project.
3. Leaving a short tail (to weave in after), start wrapping your yarn around the needle. If you’re knitting a swatch and you’re casting on a small number of stitches, wrap the yarn around the needle a number of times equal to the number of stitches you’re going to cast on. If you’re casting on a larger number of stitches, wrap the yarn around the needle a smaller measurement (ex. 10 times).
   
4. When you’re done, pinch the yarn between your fingers just after the final wrap on the needle.
5. Pull the yarn off the needle. If you wrapped enough yarn for your entire cast on, start the cast on at the point in the yarn that is pinched between your fingers. If you only wrapped a smaller measurement, fold the yarn back and forth on itself as many times as you need to, to get enough yarn for your cast on. (ex. If you wrapped the yarn 10 times for 10 stitches, and you’re casting on 80 stitches, fold the yarn back and forth 8 more times to get enough yarn to cast on those 80 stitches.)
   

See, it’s easy to never run out of yarn on your cast on again!

Swatching

When you’re swatching, your SmartStix can double as a measuring tape so you can see if you’re getting gauge without any other tools! While the stitches are on the needle, you can check the approximate width of the swatch. Are you hitting the right number of stitches per inch? This can be a little tricky if your yarn blooms with washing and blocking, in which case you’ll need to do that before you measure.

Do you need to knit a swatch of a certain length? Use your needle tip to measure the length of your swatch and see if you’ve knit enough!

Once you’ve washed and blocked your swatch (and we always recommend that!) you can also use your needle tips and cords to measure how many stitches and rows you’re getting per inch. Simply lay your needle over the swatch in the appropriate direction and get a quick count. No extra tools necessary!

While Knitting

It is a truth universally acknowledged among knitters that no matter how many measuring tapes you have, there’s never one handy when you need it! But have no fear, SmartStix can help you here too! Measuring the length of a brim on a hat or a cuff on a sock? No problem. Pull the needle tip out of the project and give it a quick check. Checking the length of a sleeve? You can use the cable and the needle tip to measure! You’ve already got a handy “measuring tape” the length of your needle. For example, your 24” needle will have 24 - 1” markings. You can use any part of the needle to measure anything you’d like!

We hope we’ve given you a few tips and tricks to use your SmartStix to level up your knitting game. And if you haven’t tried SmartStix yet, Santa is coming soon! Ask your preferred Knitter's Pride retailer about our 2019 limited edition gift set featuring SmartStix, which you can learn more about in the video below.

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