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World Travels

During 2011 and 2012 I traveled to South America, with a few stops along the way in Israel and California. Posting knitting videos as I went, of course. Here they are, plus photos and reflections on life lived around the world.

Knitting Topics » World Travels
During 2011 and 2012 I traveled to South America, with a few stops along the way in Israel and California. Posting knitting videos as I went, of course. Here they are, plus photos and reflections on life lived around the world.

Featured Videos

Faux Heel Flap for Toe-Up Socks

Faux Heel Flap for Toe-Up Socks
Faux Heel Flap for Toe-Up Socks

This integrated “faux” heel flap for toe-up socks is useful when you want to add a heel-stitch pattern, make the heel in contrasting color, or adjust for high insteps. There is no picking up stitches, no seams, and no holes.



Blog Post: Journey to the Birthplace of Malabrigo Yarns

Antonio with ladder on roof of Malabrigo factory uruguayBy Liat Gat – Founder / Liat Interviews Others, World Travels, Yarn / November 19, 2013 / 180 Comments

Come in to the Wonderland that is the Malabrigo Yarn headquarters in Uruguay. In this feature-length article, I share the colorful experience of a tour through the factory with Malabrigo’s co-creator, Antonio.

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Blog Post: Exclusive Video Tour Inside The Malabrigo Factory In Uruguay

By Liat Gat – Founder / Liat Interviews Others, World Travels, Yarn / August 11, 2012 / 158 Comments

Seeing is believing! In this exclusive video tour, you get to see inside the incredibly special world of Malabrigo Yarns and their factory in Uruguay.

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Blog Post: Picot Hem Bind-Off: The Cadillac Of Bind-Offs

gray fingering-weight sock cuff with the picot hem bind-offBy Liat Gat – Founder / Bind-Offs, World Travels / July 27, 2012 / 159 Comments

This bind-off combines three things you love about socks, but couldn’t have all together until now: a picot edge, a hemmed edge, and the ability to do it on toe-up socks. Here’s how to create a picot hemmed edge at the end of your knitting.

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Blog Post: Heel Flaps Are BACK – The New “Faux-Heel-Flap” Toe-Up Sock

Faux heel flap for toe-up socksBy Liat Gat – Founder / Heels, Socks, Toe-Up Socks, World Travels / July 20, 2012 / 118 Comments

Wait – heel flaps are BACK? Yes, and better than ever. This integrated “faux” heel flap for toe-up socks lets you adjust for high insteps and more.

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Blog Post: A Perfect Detail: The Italian Cast-On

Italian cast-on edge on worsted turquoise yarnBy Liat Gat – Founder / Cast-Ons, World Travels / July 14, 2012 / 94 Comments

The Italian cast-on makes a stretchy invisible edge that blends perfectly into 1×1 ribbing. You can use it to start any ribbed project, like the cuff of a mitten or the brim of a hat. It’s a beautiful detail that will change and refresh your (otherwise possibly boring) ribbed cuffs.

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Blog Post: How To Knit The Ultimate Mitten Thumb, & Two New Free Mitten Patterns

Red worsted-weight magic loop mittens with hands holding a green appleBy Liat Gat – Founder / Mittens, New Patterns, World Travels / July 7, 2012 / 69 Comments

Ever since I designed my first pair of mittens, I’ve tried to achieve the perfect mitten thumb. The key is picking up extra stitches around the thumb and then decreasing quickly. The included video tutorial shows you how.

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Blog Post: How To Pick Up Wraps On The Purl Side: Wrap and Turn

Cedar Leaf Shawlette thumbnailBy Liat Gat – Founder / Short Rows, Tips and Tricks, World Travels / June 30, 2012 / 40 Comments

If you use the same technique to hide purl wraps as you do to hide knit wraps, it doesn’t look good on the right side of the work. This is the very trick you need in order to pick up wraps on the purl side of your short rows and keep your work neat and tidy.

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Blog Post: NEW: Easy Felted Fair-Isle Bag Free Pattern… And World Travels

KnitFreedom Fair-Isle bagBy Liat Gat – Founder / New Patterns, World Travels / June 23, 2012 / 19 Comments

If you already know how to Fair-Isle knit, this bag will be a really quick knit. It’s knit in bulky yarn and the chart just flies by. If you are curious about learning to knit Fair-Isle, this is also a good beginner pattern for you. Felting is also a fun thing for beginners to learn.

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Blog Post: Buenos Aires Yarn District: Goodbye, Argentina!

Bins Full of Malabrigo Yarn in Buenos AiresBy Liat Gat – Founder / World Travels / October 8, 2011 / 8 Comments
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Blog Post: Manage Your Stitches Right For Faster Knitting

By Liat Gat – Founder / Knit Faster, World Travels / September 30, 2011 / 12 Comments
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Blog Post: Thank you for the best birthday ever!!

By Liat Gat – Founder / World Travels / September 26, 2011 / 5 Comments
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Blog Post: First Birthday Bash! Sale, Media Party, And My Gift To You

Cute Chocolate Cupcake with One CandleBy Liat Gat – Founder / News, World Travels / September 23, 2011 / 142 Comments
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Blog Post: How To Knit Reversible Cables

Red "Palindrome" Reversible Cable Scarf by notmartha.orgBy Liat Gat – Founder / Cables, World Travels / September 18, 2011 / 8 Comments

Reversible cables are made with ribbing so that there is no “wrong side” to the project. This means a reversible-cabled scarf will look fabulous on both sides. Combine your ribbing skills with cabling to knit projects like this Palindrome scarf.

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Blog Post: Weekend in Chile

By Liat Gat – Founder / World Travels / September 9, 2011 / 7 Comments
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Blog Post: Russian Grafting: The Alternative to Kitchener Stitch

Russian Graft Stitch Sample in light blueBy Liat Gat – Founder / Bind-Offs, Finishing, World Travels / September 2, 2011 / 23 Comments

Russian Grafting is a clever alternative to Kitchener stitch. It uses a crochet hook to seam up two live edges of knitting without ever having to get out your tapestry needle. It also creates a decorative, criss-crossed finish.

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Blog Post: Garter Stitch In The Round Without Purling

Garter stitch in the round square crop smBy Liat Gat – Founder / Tips and Tricks, World Travels / August 29, 2011 / 19 Comments
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Blog Post: Two-at-a-Time Mittens Video E-Book is Here

Two-at-a-Time Mittens Video E-Book CoverBy Liat Gat – Founder / Mittens, News, World Travels / August 26, 2011 / No Comments
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Blog Post: Knit Picks Founder Kelley Petkun Interviews Liat for Knit Picks Special E-Book Author Podcast

Photo of Kelley Petkun, founder of KnitPicksBy Liat Gat – Founder / Interviews with Liat, World Travels / August 24, 2011 / 9 Comments
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Blog Post: Interview With Fiberstory.tv

Fiberstory.tv logoBy Liat Gat – Founder / Interviews with Liat, World Travels / August 19, 2011 / 2 Comments
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Blog Post: Slip-Stitch Heel Pattern And Video

Blue lace sock with a slip-stitch heelBy Liat Gat – Founder / Heels, Socks, World Travels / August 12, 2011 / 10 Comments

Adding a textured heel flap is an easy way to make the socks more interesting AND to make the heel more durable at the same time. The slip-stitch heel is super-easy, and it is also nice and stretchy – great if you’re not sure how big the sock-recipient’s ankle is.

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Blog Post: Free Pattern: Basic Magic Loop Hat

Liat modeling the Basic Magic Loop hat in purpleBy Liat Gat – Founder / Magic Loop, New Patterns, World Travels / August 5, 2011 / 67 Comments

Here is a basic hat pattern that was designed for learning the wonderful technique of Magic Loop. Written for worsted-weight yarn, you can make this soft beanie slouchy or fitted. A perfect first hat.

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Blog Post: Tangled Goes to Sock Summit and Launches Summer Sock Yarn Issue

Tangled Magazine LogoBy Liat Gat – Founder / News, World Travels / July 29, 2011 / 3 Comments
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Blog Post: How to Knit a Hemmed Edge

A knit hat with a hemmed edgeBy Liat Gat – Founder / Cast-Ons, Knitting for Men, World Travels / July 22, 2011 / 19 Comments

The hemmed edge is a way of casting on that makes your project look completely professional and seamless. Especially flattering on men’s hats, this cast-on is simple yet elegant. A row of purl bumps helps the garment “fold” over the edge.

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Blog Post: How To Knit Mock Cables

By Liat Gat – Founder / Cables, World Travels / July 15, 2011 / 7 Comments

Mock cables are similar to real cables in that the stitches twist around each other. However, with mock cables you just knit into the second or third stitch on the needle, then the second or first, and so on. It’s a “cheat” cable with an interesting look all its own.

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Blog Post: “Bufanda” – Convertible Neck Muff/Hooded Scarf

By Liat Gat – Founder / New Patterns, World Travels / June 30, 2011 / 6 Comments

Show off your chunky handspun yarn with this super-fast neckwarmer. It’s simple (in order to highlight the yarn) yet interesting to knit, because of the techniques involved.

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Blog Post: How To Knit Bobbles

pink bobbles swatchBy Liat Gat – Founder / Decorative, Intermediate Knitting, World Travels / June 27, 2011 / 20 Comments

Bobbles are a fun challenge for the decoratively-minded. Here I show you how to add small or large bobbles to your knitting. Practice your increases and decreases with this intermediate-knitting challenge.

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Blog Post: How To Hand-Wind Yarn From A Skein

By Liat Gat – Founder / World Travels, Yarn / June 16, 2011 / 17 Comments

If you buy a hank (sometimes called “skein”) of yarn and they don’t wind it into a ball for you at the store, you’ll need to do it at home. IF you don’t have a swift or ball-winder, here’s how to do it by hand.

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Blog Post: My First Adventures In Argentina

By Liat Gat – Founder / World Travels / June 5, 2011 / 10 Comments
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Free and Premium Videos

How to Hand-Wind Yarn From a Skein

Free Video
How to Hand-Wind Yarn From a Skein
How to Hand-Wind Yarn From a Skein


Bobbles, Large and Small

Free Video
Bobbles, Large and Small
Bobbles, Large and Small

Bobbles are a fun way to add a decorative element to your knitting. They are little (or large) round bumps to add to your knitting. Learn to increase, decrease, and even purl backwards in this video.


Mock Cables

Free Video
Mock Cables
Mock Cables


Reversible (Ribbed) Cables

Free Video
Reversible (Ribbed) Cables
Reversible (Ribbed) Cables

There is absolutely no reason not to put cables on your scarf, because once you know this trick, the cables will show up on both sides and you won’t have an ugly “wrong-side” to hide. Use 1×1 or 2×2 rib to create a reversible cabled scarf.


Garter Stitch in the Round Without Purling

Free Video
Garter Stitch in the Round Without Purling
Garter Stitch in the Round Without Purling


Pick Up and Hide Purl Wraps – Wrap and Turn on the Purl Side (Short Rows)

Free Video
Pick Up and Hide Purl Wraps – Wrap and Turn on the Purl Side (Short Rows)
Pick Up and Hide Purl Wraps – Wrap and Turn on the Purl Side (Short Rows)

If you use the same technique to hide purl wraps as you do to hide knit wraps, the right side of your work will be a mess. The problem with the “intuitive” way of picking up purl wraps is that it places the wrap in front of the stitch. The challenge is to find an easy way to get that wrap in the back, which is exactly what our trick does.


Knit-Faster Trick: Push Stitches Down on the Right-Hand Needle

Free Video
Knit-Faster Trick: Push Stitches Down on the Right-Hand Needle
Knit-Faster Trick: Push Stitches Down on the Right-Hand Needle


Video Tour Inside The Malabrigo Yarn Factory

Free Video
Video Tour Inside The Malabrigo Yarn Factory
Video Tour Inside The Malabrigo Yarn Factory

Last week I fulfilled a dream that seemed almost impossible — I visited the Malabrigo Yarn factory in Montevideo, Uruguay. I interviewed Malabrigo owner Antonio for almost four hours and recorded everything, as he told me details, secret histories, and funny stories behind the yarns, the names, the colors, and the sheep.


Russian Grafting (Blog)

Free Video
Russian Grafting (Blog)
Russian Grafting (Blog)

This is a really easy and fast way to close live stitches, without using a tapestry needle. It just requires a crochet hook and a secret move at the beginning to get things set up right.


How to Knit a Hemmed Edge

Free Video
How to Knit a Hemmed Edge
How to Knit a Hemmed Edge

To knit a hemmed edge, knit 11 rows and fold work, knitting the purl bump from the first cast-on stitch together with the stitch on the needle.


Italian Cast-On and Tubular Setup

Premium Video


Secrets to Knitting the Ultimate Mitten Thumb

Premium Video


Hemmed Edge Bind-Off – Purl or Picot

Premium Video

This is an advanced bind-off that I adapted myself by taking the Picot/Purled Hemmed Edge Cast-On and turning it into a bind-off.

 To do it, fold your work at a line of purl bumps or simple lace and bind off the edge to the inside of your knitting.

This makes a perfectly flat, hemmed edge that can be fancy or neutral, depending on which variation you choose.


Faux Heel Flap for Toe-Up Socks

Free Video
Faux Heel Flap for Toe-Up Socks
Faux Heel Flap for Toe-Up Socks

This integrated “faux” heel flap for toe-up socks is useful when you want to add a heel-stitch pattern, make the heel in contrasting color, or adjust for high insteps. There is no picking up stitches, no seams, and no holes.


Slip-Stitch Heel Pattern

Free Video
Slip-Stitch Heel Pattern
Slip-Stitch Heel Pattern

Adding a textured heel flap is an easy way to make the socks more interesting AND to make the heel more durable at the same time.

The slip-stitch heel is super-easy, and it is also nice and stretchy – great if you’re not sure how big the sock-recipient’s ankle is.



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