You know, I’m always saying to place yarn marks at the edges of your work as you’re knitting - it will help greatly in the putting together part of things and I’ll admit, I don’t always do what I say (I get to a stage where I figure I’m okay and I can do without them and every time I do that, I wish I hadn’t) - and it’s not a big deal to add them as you go if you’re properly prepared from the start.Why bring this up now? you say... well, this is my second time knitting this wonderful lace cardigan, and I’m working with a very fine mohair yarn that is almost thread-like - the putting together is key here, for matching up when seaming and it is virtually all done on the machine, so the more help you can get, the easier and better it will be.
Usually I’ll say to hang yarn marks every 10 cm/4 in. - it’s easy to just take your row gauge and for this one, every 40 rows, hang the markers. Reason being, it’s easy to calculate and remember and because I’m usually working with my knit radar, the 10 cm increments are simple to see. Also, if you were blocking and steaming, that 10 cm mark is good for keeping the measurements in line. Another reason if you're not already convinced is the seaming - the 10 cm marks are easy to convert into the stitches from your row gauge for the seam line if need be. But, there are always exceptions to the rule and for this garment, I decided that the pattern repeat (24 rows) was the best place to have those yarn marks - the 10 cm increments are a little long - trust me on this. Putting the facing together to get the lace holes to match up, it is pretty nice having the yarn marks close together.
To get the yarn marks hung quickly, without too much bother, while you’re lace carriage-ing, have a bunch (like, lots) of 4 to 6 inch pieces pre-cut (you’ll need 22 for each piece of knitting basically) and on the 24th row, loop the yarn on the hook of the needle and clip it below with these nice little clippy things (electrical department at the hardware store) - the clip adds enough weight so the yarn mark knits along with the main yarn, doesn’t get tangled and is easy to pull out later. 24 rows later, the clip is just hanging there, waiting to be put on the next yarn mark and it can also be a reminder to move the edge claw weights up.
To get the yarn marks hung quickly, without too much bother, while you’re lace carriage-ing, have a bunch (like, lots) of 4 to 6 inch pieces pre-cut (you’ll need 22 for each piece of knitting basically) and on the 24th row, loop the yarn on the hook of the needle and clip it below with these nice little clippy things (electrical department at the hardware store) - the clip adds enough weight so the yarn mark knits along with the main yarn, doesn’t get tangled and is easy to pull out later. 24 rows later, the clip is just hanging there, waiting to be put on the next yarn mark and it can also be a reminder to move the edge claw weights up.
Happy yarn marking! - MAO
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