Lisa Toppin Knits

Lisa Toppin Knits I became a self taught knitter in 2009. Along the way, I opened a yarn store and became a knitting teacher.

Now, I share what I’ve learned on my fiber journey as a teacher, writer, and content creator.

Back at my desk for the first time in about two weeks. Between a truly majestic allergy season and the ear infection I’v...
05/27/2026

Back at my desk for the first time in about two weeks. Between a truly majestic allergy season and the ear infection I’ve been doing the minimum. Feels good to be back.

Measuring a swatch accurately is crucial. If I am off by just an eighth of an inch (3.175 mm to my metric folks), that’s...
05/15/2026

Measuring a swatch accurately is crucial. If I am off by just an eighth of an inch (3.175 mm to my metric folks), that’s going to result in my garment growing by several inches across an entire sweater.

My example swatch measured 4” across the width of a row of stitches. But when I measured the height of a column of stitches, my swatch measured 4 6/8 inches (12cm). This is fairly typical; we often achieve stitch gauge rather than row gauge.

If I were going to make a garment based on this swatch, I would have to knit fewer rows to reach the desired lengths.

We’re told that row gauge is not as important as stitch gauge. That 6/8 inch (1.9cm) difference in my row gauge would result in sleeves that were too long or a yoke that landed below my armpits.

Have you had length surprises in your knitting? Share your experience or tips in the comments below—let’s learn from each other!

Swatch Stats:
Yarn: Berocco Ultra Wool
Needle Size: 4.5mm
# Of Stitches: 26 = 4” (10cm)
# Of Rows: 27= 4 6/8” (12cm)

Today is the day! 🎉 My Knit Happy Summit session is live RIGHT NOW, and I would love for you to watch it.I am talking ab...
05/14/2026

Today is the day! 🎉 My Knit Happy Summit session is live RIGHT NOW, and I would love for you to watch it.

I am talking about Three Decisions that Make or Break a Pocket, and I have been looking forward to sharing this with you for months. If you have ever struggled with sagging pockets, this one is for you.

Head to the summit to watch for free - sessions are available for 48 hours. If you have not registered yet, grab your ticket right here and you can get started today:

https://knithappysummit.com/lisa

I did a little experiment today. I cast on the exact number of stitches recommended on my ball band and I worked the nu...
05/11/2026

I did a little experiment today. I cast on the exact number of stitches recommended on my ball band and I worked the number of rows recommended on my ball band.

Before measuring, I steam blocked the swatch and left it to dry.

Take a look at the picture did I get gauge? Let me know in the comments.

Swatch Stats:
Yarn: Berocco Ultra Wool
Needle Size: 4.5mm
# Of Stitches: 26
# Of Rows: 27

I’ve got something exciting to share with you…I’m one of the instructors inside the Knit Happy Summit: Beyond the Basics...
05/07/2026

I’ve got something exciting to share with you…
I’m one of the instructors inside the Knit Happy Summit: Beyond the Basics - a FREE 4-day virtual event happening May 14 – 17.

🧶 Build confidence with new techniques
🧶 Understand your knitting (instead of guessing)
🧶 Finally tackle the projects you’ve been dreaming about

I’ll be teaching a session on:
Three Decisions That Make or Break a Pocket

And I’d love for you to join me there.

🎟️ Grab your free ticket at the link below:
https://knithappysummit.com/lisa

It’s completely free, and you’ll have 48-hour access to each session.
Hope to see you there!

Sometimes things just don’t break your way. I ended up frogging my Outline Tank. I changed the yarn from a fi*****ng wei...
05/06/2026

Sometimes things just don’t break your way. I ended up frogging my Outline Tank. I changed the yarn from a fi*****ng weight to a DK. Everything was going fine until I dropped the stitches.

Drop-stitches release A LOT of yarn. Three times the width of the stitch to be exact.

At my gauge, each time I dropped a stitch I added an inch to the top. In total, I added 8 inches around and about 6 inches in length.

Cue the sad trombone.

Gauge isn’t really that tricky, you just have to make sure your swatch mimics your final fabric.

The second time I swatched for the Outline tank, I made sure to drop stitches in the swatch. So that I could see exactly how much my garment would expand.

The second time around fit so much better than my first attempt at this tank top.

Pattern: Outline Tank by Jessiemaed Designs
Yarns: Universal Yarn Cotton Supreme DK
Trail Head Yarns Cabot Trail Lace Weight Tercel

The weather is starting to turn firmly towards long, warm days that means it’s time to start getting my woolen hand knit...
05/04/2026

The weather is starting to turn firmly towards long, warm days that means it’s time to start getting my woolen hand knits ready to be put away.

Here I’m soaking my Marina hat by Wooly Wormhead. If you’ve seen my Marina before, you know she’s usually topped by a big, fluffy pom pom.

The only modifications I did on this hat were: using a removable pom pom installation, to make washing the hat without ruining the pom pom easier and I extended my Marina hat to accommodate the volume of my curls.

Is it warm enough where you are to start putting away your winter woolens yet?

Pattern: Marina by Wooly Wormhead

Yarns: Berroco Ultra Wool Worsted, 100% Superwash Wool
Ella Rae Silky Kid, 76% Super Kid Mohair, 24% Silk

05/01/2026

Undersanding ease takes the fit of a hand knit garment garment from one for the giveaway pile to one that you wear all the time.

If you'd like to get a better handle on ease, my latest youtube video: Same Body. Three Different Fits will give you the basics and show you examples of just how ease affects the fit of your garments.

Click the link to watch now: https://youtu.be/0XdSfkRsqW4?si=StPDZsQRWoO50wjw

You can follow the size chart exactly and still end up with a sweater that doesn’t feel right.That’s not a body problem....
04/29/2026

You can follow the size chart exactly and still end up with a sweater that doesn’t feel right.

That’s not a body problem.�It’s usually an ease problem.

Tell me — have you ever knit the “correct” size and still been disappointed?

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Mount Laurel, NJ
08054

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+16093009447

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