Safety yarn/thread?

[mr16ga]

I was on a short vacation to Mesa AZ to celebrate my mother-in-laws 80th birthday. Had a grand time.

While I was there I slipped in to the Fiber Factory (a Great store) and was talking about having to pull out 10 or 15 rows and having a hard time getting everything back on the needles right. Lady said that I should use a safety thread every 10 or so rows and it makes getting back on the needles easier. I did not have time to get a demo of how this is done.

Do any of you know about this safety thread thing?

Joe

[five_six]

It's called a 'lifeline' and Amy has a video on it here... just scroll down to 'fixing mistakes', or you could google 'adding a lifeline' and you'll get heaps of results. Your basically threading a piece of thin yarn through your stitches at a particular point, some do it every 10 stitches, every pattern repeat, etc, so they don't have to rip all the way back. It has saved my life many times!

[HamburgKnitter]

I highly recommend it too! I learned the hard way what lifelines are all about.

I'm currently working on the thermal sweater from Knitty and it has a gazillion stitches per row and I don't completely understand the next step in the pattern. So I'm DEFINITELY going to put a lifeline in right before I start the shaping because no way would I be able to get almost 300 stitches back on the needles in the right order of knits and purls. Just the thought!

[GinnyG]

I ALWAYS use a lifeline when doing a complicated pattern, it can be a real LIFESAVER

[Chel]

Just my preference, but instead of a piece of thread or string for a lifeline, I like to use heavy fishing line. It is stiff enough that I don't need to go through the hassle of threading a needle, it is clear so it doesn't disrupt my view of how the pattern is going, and it pulls back out like a dream.

[mum2caden]

I use lifelines even in plain knitting.. but I have a two year old and at any given time my knitting can be disrupted, knocked out of my hands, etc, so it is necessary!

I usually do one every repeat, and if it is a particularly long repeat, I might use two different coloured lifelines, so one colour is always the halfway mark of a repeat and the other is the end of the full repeat.

I do really like the idea of fishing line though..

[Knitting_Guy]

The fishing line idea is a good one, I'll have to try that.

And yeah, a lifeline is a really good idea.

[Jan in CA]

I usually use unwaxed dental floss. Love those lifelines!

[aylaanne]

I used embroidery floss the last time I did lace. Because the lace pattern was so complicated, I really needed it. I also used one when I was doing sockwars because if someone else needed to work on my socks I wanted them to know where they should pick up from.

[KathyinCali]

Life lines have kept me from having to many times! Love lifelines...