Grafting (weaving) in pattern: If you need to graft in pattern, and are having trouble following the path of the yarn, try working a swatch in pattern. When you come to the row to be grafted, work it with a strongly contrasting color, then work a few more rows in the main color. Use the swatch as a guide for grafting your project. This is particularly useful when you need to lengthen or shorten something, or correct a mistake without having to rip back to it.

Sweater repair: When you're making a sweater, be sure to save some of the yarn for possible repairs. One way to keep it with the sweater, and more likely to match if it's needed is to weave it into a seam, so that it's washed along with the sweater. If you can't find match the color in knitting yarn, try needlepoint yarn, which comes in a wide range of shades. While it's thinner and usually more firmly spun, you can use several strands to match the weight, and the texture difference is less likely to show than a poor color match. If the sweater gets washed, it's a good idea to wash the yarn before using it.

Twisted cord: Recently when I needed to make a length of twisted cord for a project, Put a screw-in hook in a little hand drill instead of a drill bit. Guesstimate the amount of yarn you'll need (each strand should be approximately 1½ times the finished length) and fasten the ends so you have a loop at each end; hook the far end to something solid, and slip the near end over the hook in the drill. Crank until you have enough twist [test by letting a short length twist back on itself to see if you like the results - keep on cranking if it's not enough], keeping tension on the yarn. Grab the middle of the yarn - this is the point where it's nice to have help, especially if halfway is farther than you can reach - fold in half, bring both ends together and let it twist back on itself. Even up the twist, knot and trim the ends.

Winding a center pull ball of yarn: First wind about a dozen or so wraps around widely spread fingers. Use this as the foundation for your ball, always keeping the end of the tuft sticking out of the ball. Hold the tuft between your thumb and index finger and wind around the thumb and finger for several wraps, then turn and wind across the first wraps, keeping the tuft inside your fingers. Continue to wrap and turn, wrapping over more fingers as the ball grows. When you come to the end of the skein, either tuck the loose end under the last few wraps or tie it around them in a single knot. This method gives you a ball that won't roll away and unwind if you drop it - it's also easier to pull from when it's in a knitting bag.

Binding off in purl: When finishing a piece of garter stitch knitting, such as a border or button band, binding off in purl from the right side makes a very tidy finish. An easy way to do this is as follows: purl the first st, place it back on the left needle, *p2tog, place resulting stitch back on left needle, rep from * until all sts have been worked, fasten off.

Remember: Perfection is for machines! We are people and make mistakes, making each garment uniquely our own.
Stitches in color work will not always look perfect due to stranding, joining, knitting-in, etc.
No one is going to scrutinize your work with a microscope and neither should you! Relax and enjoy!

Chained edge on garter stitch: For a neat edge in garter stitch, complete row, turn work, leaving yarn in front; slip first st purl wise, then take yarn to back between the tips of the needles, knit across row. Repeat for every row.

Recycling previously knitted yarn: After the yarn has been ripped out and wound into skeins (you can wind it around a box, or a chair back if you don't have a niddy noddy), tie the skeins in 3 or 4 places to keep it from tangling. Wash and rinse the skeins. If you're not sure of the fiber content, it's best to treat them gently, keeping agitation and temperature changes to a minimum. Spin or blot out as much excess moisture as possible, then hang the skeins in an area with good air circulation. If you want to add a little weight to help straighten the yarn, a plastic hanger (no need to worry about rust!) is often enough weight for a small skein, or hang a bit more weight on the hanger. Too much weight will overstretch the yarn, which can throw your gauge off later. When the skeins are dry, see below to wind it into center pull balls!

Knitting Ends In
When changing colors, insert needle into next stitch to be knitted in the new color, take the ends of the old color and new color, pass them over the strand you're about to knit with, and then knit with that strand.
When knitting the next stitch, pass the two ends over the new strand again.
Repeat this every stitch or two until you've knit in about 3" of the ends.
Then you can just cut off the remaining ends later (but don't cut them flush with the fabric; leave a little bit sticking out on the wrong side).

Intarsia
1) I don't recommend using bobbins. Use either loose ends (no longer than 3 yards or so) and/or small balls. No matter what you do, occasional de-tangling is necessary but it's easier to pull ends through than untangle bobbins that like to lock together.

2) When adding a new color, knit the first stitch with that color (leaving a 3-5" tail), then pass both the old color strand and tail over the new strand to lock them in place. Knit the next stitch, then give the strands a tug to tighten up the stitches. You can proceed to knit in the tail if the work permits or leave it to weave in later.

3) It's very important to cross the strands over each other when dropping one color and switching to another. This prevents holes. What I do is to put my needle into the next stitch where the new color is going, drop my old color, and make sure it's laying over the strand I'm about to pick-up. Then as I finish knitting the stitch, the new strand catches up the dropped strand. It's helpful to give both strands a tug and make sure the stitches involved in the join aren't loose.

4) Sometimes no matter how careful you are, stitches (especially at the joins) will look distorted or loose. This can usually be remedied by taking a cable needle or other blunt needle and playing with the stitch on the right side until it looks better. Pulling the knit-in end on the wrong side helps too. As long as the stitch is firmly in place, if it's a little distorted, don't worry about it.

5) Knit-in or weave in the ends? If the piece is very busy, with small areas of colors or stripes, knitting-in the ends works - and is a great time-saver!
However, if large areas of color are involved, the distortion caused by knitting-in will probably detract from the design. It that case, leaving 3-5" ends and weaving them in later will be necessary.
Work a pattern section or, say, one-third of the piece, and then weave the ends in for that portion. It's much better than doing it all at once!

Fair Isle
Stretch those stitches as you strand! Preventing puckering is the most difficult aspect of Fair Isle knitting.
If you're working in the round, make sure your wire is long enough so you can stretch the stitches as you go.
Knit, Stretch, Strand
Strand no more than 3 stitches, keeping in mind that the strand should be moderately tense - not too tight, not too loose. Knitting Backwards

Perfect Buttonhole

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