I have tried pulling just about as tight as I can but I cannot seem to avoid having the ladder. Can you help?
Can't seem to avoid the ladder using DPNS
I was pulling really tight between each needle too. I’ve noticed when I just don’t worry about it, it looks a lot better.
I think sometimes pulling tight makes it worse. What you can try when you get to the end of a needle, knit a stitch or two from the next needle before using a new one. This rotates the sts that are at the ends of the needles and helps minimize the ladders. Washing when you’re finished will also help even out the stitches.
suzeeq’s suggestion is excellent! So simple, yet I probably wouldn’t have thought of it.
I had the same problem with my first DPN project (truly hideous and much beloved arm-warmers), and I found a suggestion in “Knitting for Dummies” that really helped, too. On the first couple of rows (and later in the pattern if it starts happening again) at the beginning of each new needle, move your yarn to the front, then slip a stitch onto the right needle. Bring the yarn to the back, then slip two stitches onto the left needle (the one you slipped before and the last one on the right needle). Then move your yarn to the front again, slip one stitch (the original last one on the right needle) back to the right needle. Move your yarn to the back again, pull tight, and then continue knitting as normal. This sort of wraps the last and first stitches on each needle together and really helps with the laddering. Plus, from what I can tell, it doesn’t show.
The other thing I realized was that if the laddering is only minor, it tends to work itself out over time (many rows), but if it’s major, it sticks around. At least, this seems to be true for me! Hope that helps. suzeeq’s suggestion is much simpler, but I thought I’d throw this one out there just in case. =)
One thing I’ve found helps minimally is your needle orientation. Lemme try to 'splain…
You have the needle you’ve just finished with, and the needle you’re about to start working on (left hand needle), then you have the empty needle you’re going to put the worked stitches on (we’ll call it the right hand needle for now).
I make sure that the left hand needle sits above the needle I’ve just finished with. Then, if I notice I’ve got extra space between the old needle and the left needle, I start the new stitches with the right hand needle above the old needle.
It messes up the orientation the next time you come to that needle (as in, both ends of the needle are not on top of the respective needles on their ends), but it’s not a big deal to rotate them.
God I hope this makes sense…
About reason #4 why anything that requires dpn’s I use two circs for. No laddering, ever.
I tried something I’d read and it worked out very well for me.
I CO 1 extra stitch than the pattern called for. When I was ready to join, I slipped the stitch on the end of the right side to the left side. Knit the first 2 stitches together and you are good to go.
Another thing you might try is to make sure to pull the 2nd stitch tighter after the needle change. You’ll always know where the needle change on your own work is in any event, but no one else will. But, AnnArrogance is right, it all works itself out in the end.