Hints and Tips

I wouldn't advise anyone to attempt fine knitting if you have never tried it "full size" and even then you may find it difficult to cope with at first. For this reason, if this is your very first attempt, it would be a good idea to try a practice run.

You could cast on about 10 stitches and then garter stitch (all rows knit) until the work is square just to get a feel for the needles and thread.

The worst problem you are likely to face is "punctured" fingers from the needles. Unfortunately there is no easy solution to this, plasters tend to make your fingers feel numb, but if it is any help after a while your fingers do toughen up.

Before You Start

Make sure you are working with a good strong light.

There are many types of needles (wooden & metal handles, simple metal wire.) If you can't get on with one type you may find it worthwhile changing needle type rather than giving up completely.

It may be boring, but it is well worth doing a small practice piece before you begin your chosen outfit - you could always use it as a cloth or table runner in your dolls house.

Casting On & Off

Leave enough thread at the beginning and end of each piece to sew up the seams - about 6 inches (15cm) should be enough.

Cast on slowly keeping your tension as even as possible.

A good technique to use when casting on is to insert the needle into position for the next cast on stitch before pulling the thread ready to make the stitch. Cast off steadily making sure that you do not work too tightly, especially around cuffs and necks.

Main Part

You may find it useful to slip the first stitch and knit the last stitch of every row even if the pattern says otherwise. This will help you line up the seams when sewing up.

Keep your tension even - this is probably more important than trying to match your tension to mine. Even though there are few stitches on your needle, your tension would need to be extremely tight or loose before it had a bad effect on the size of the finished article.

If You Drop A Stitch

First of all - don't panic! As long as you haven't pulled the work you may find that the stitch hasn't dropped at all and it is simple to put it back onto your needle.

If it has disappeared and you are an experienced knitter, you may be able to trace it down and use a fine crochet hook to work it back up.

If the worst comes to the worst and you are working with a lacy stitch, you may find that it doesn't show. You could knit twice into the next stitch and carry on as if nothing had happened.

Failing all of this, your only option is to begin the piece again. Unless the pattern is simple it is almost impossible to unravel just a few rows and pick up the stitches - white thread gets grubby easily, you'll probably miss a stitch and you'll need to be aware of exactly which row you've unpicked to.

Sewing Up

Use the thread that you left at the beginning and end of
each piece to oversew all the seams.

If you used the trick of slipping the first stitch and knitting the last, you will have a series of knots that can be used to line up the separate pieces.

If buttons are needed, use the thread left at the end of the button band to sew them into place, running the thread along the band to reach the position of the next button.

Finishing

When an outfit has been sewn up but before any ribbon has been added, soak in a warm solution of gentle handwashing liquid. After rinsing, pull the outfit back into shape and dry flat on a tea towel.