How to Use a Lifeline for Lace Knitting

Options needles are great for lace knitting, and not just because of their pointy tips. Some lace knitters thread a "lifeline" through their stitches every few rows (or every pattern repeat) so that, if they make an error, they can rip back their work and easily re-do a section. In this tutorial, Jenny shows you how to thread a fine piece of yarn or thread (or even waxed dental floss!) through the tiny torque hole in the metal screw tip of your Options cables. Then as you knit your row, the lifeline thread will get pulled through your stitches. This allows you to easily rip back your work to that point if you find a mistake has been made.

[@EurikaKoli]

I've been knitting for a decade and a half. (Attempting unsuccessfully) lacework for 5 of those years on and off because of mistakes, ripping, restarting and frustration. I am just now learning about this and it has me excited about lacework again. This time without as much worry about ripping with educated guessing. Underutilized and severely underrated.

[@knitpicksOfficial]

Yay!

[@DeborahParsons]

This tip should be the first thing taught to beginners. It takes all of the fear out of knitting to know that you can so easily go back without having to start over completely. :) LOVE KevKevAllen's tip to use the Options cable as a lifeline.

[@avacastro3557]

Agreeing with other viewers, the yarn through the hole in the interchangeable needles is brilliant! Bless you for that time saving magical trick!

[@dmunchow]

This might be the best tip I've ever come across, especially for the lace project I'm currently working on. Thank you so much.

[@orul8273]

What a life saver! (I can't believe my needles are even MORE awesome than I already thought they were) :-)

[@m.kehler9943]

I have had these needles forever and never knew this. I always fished scrap yarn through the row after it was knit. This is a game changer! Thanks. :-)

[@joanpedersen4505]

Thank you so much for this tutorial, exactly what I needed! Very well explained and shown! Cheers 😊

[@ifellinahole35]

How clever! I never would've thought of that - gonna do this on my project today!

[@HappyHeathen-JD]

Great video - and now I am SOOOooo glad I chose these needles!! I knew about lifelines but it never dawned on me to thread yarn or floss through that hole - fabulous! Thank you!

[@dvines972]

This is a Wonderful Tip.... I always hate having to take the time to put in a life line. This saves that time and is so easy. Thanks a bunch for this idea !!!!

[@KevKevAllen]

When adding a life line, make sure not to thread through a closed ring stitch marker... Ask me how I know this.

[@daveburrows9876]

Nice; thorough, and professional, your video had just the information for which I was looking.

[@mslaceyrose413]

Thanks. Wow, this is another great thing about the Options Interchangeable needles I just ordered! I'm working on my first lace scarf and have been manually threading a lifeline after completing each 12 row pattern repeat. I've had to rip back to my lifelines a LOT, and have been dismayed occasionally to find that I had missed a few stitches while running the lifeline, or that I'd pierced the yarn of one or more stitches with my tapestry needle, and it was a MESS! All of those problems will be eliminated by using the method in this video.

[@Marny5580]

I have also used another needle with cord ... after knitting the lifeline row, I unscrew the needle, cap off both ends of cord - and continue knitting with regular needle. If/when lifeline is needed, I can frog to the cord, replace cap with needle, fix error, and continue knitting - until I can use regular needle to continue.

[@jmurphy7141]

Great tip and excellent advice and set out very clear and concise. Thank you

[@knittinghoney]

Wow!! What a life saver! This is just what I was looking for! Best tip ever! Thanks!

[@BohemianThings]

I am a beginner and this is a WONDERFUL! tip to know as I become a more advanced. Thank You!

[@NunayoBisnez]

Wow! This is great. I have a set of KnitPicks interchangeable needles and am about to start my first lace project.

[@ShatteredRippleBooks]

Great tip so helpful thanks ☺

[@maosdevera]

Oh my God, this is so smart! Great tip :)

[@nbenefiel]

I made the mistake of threading my lifeline through my needle when I had placed markers. The scrap yarn (of course) went through the needles. Now I do them with a tapestry needle after a purl row.

[@EleanorOster]

Actually I like having the markers on my lifeline. I use the technique of using the little hole as shown in this video. When I go to work the next row, I just drop the marker to either the front or the back of the row, so that they're hanging on the lifeline, not on the needle at all. I replace it with a new marker and keep going. That way if I do have to rip back to my lifeline, I know where my markers are supposed to be.

[@DeborahParsons]

Brilliant!

[@bbstar7970]

Love this... thank u

[@CathieH88]

what a brilliant idea!

[@nanaxoomy]

And how to skip the close marker? If I skip them that means I pull out the stitch marker from the needle? Can u make a video of it? Thanks

[@icebeautike]

Great tip!

[@veryredknit3470]

Thanks for sharing

[@tobyredhead4054]

If using a single point needle how do I know which side to start putting stitches back on the needle? From left to right or right to left. I hope that makes sense. I don't want the right side being knitted on the wrong side.

[@CatFromFL]

Toby Redhead place a marker on the RS early on a different color or marker type than your project markers

[@voyager9028]

Just check which end of the row has the working yarn attached. Pick up the stitches from the other end. If you do it incorrectly, you won't have to worry about right and wrong sides. You won't be able to continue knitting at all!

[@MrsEmilyStraw]

GENIUS! Thank you!

[@AlpacaMyYarn]

Oooo brilliant.thank u.

[@nbenefiel]

sorry, I meant the yarn went through the markers

[@Kittehz1]

genius!

[@nanaxoomy]

And how to skip the close marker? If I skip them that means I pull out the stitch marker from the needle? Can u make a video of it? Thanks