Craft club topic of the month - knitting!

[wayward bob]

i'm three and a bit socks in

my short rows are now a thing of beauty but i hate bobbles more than anything.

first pair survived the wash really well - which is a shame cos i'd erred on the looser side expecting shrinkage second pair are spot-on for size, in a much plainer heather grey which highlights the fancy stitching more. have an order for my next pair from my french auntie, those will be purple

 

[RubyToogood]

Is that one side only or in the round? After 94 of them, I almost lost the will to live...and found the hundreds of end threads a nightmare to weave in so just knotted a lot of them...which now keep poking through to the other side of the seat cover.

You can incorporate the ends as you go (and join the squares as you go too). Makes life MUCH easier.

Meanwhile I have finished this and love it. It's perfect for this weather.

I did abandon the stripy thing and knitted a small shawl instead which perked me up as I normally embark on these mammoth projects that take months to finish whereas this was over pretty fast. Am now continuing the policy of knitting from stash and going 80s with this pattern: Ravelry: Fuzzy Dot Cardigan / Fuzzy dottejakke pattern by Anna & Heidi Pickles
I've had a load of green Kidsilk Aura in my stash for years which is a good match, except that it's a bit finer which means it won't be quite such a hairy monster. And again it's going fairly fast. I think I just knit more when I can see a chance of actually finishing something in the not too distant future.

 

[campanula]

i'm three and a bit socks in

Stroll on - multiple pairs! I just had to knit 4 ear shapes...and while the first and second are OK, I am fed up by the time I have done the third and have to slap myself into activity to get the 4th one done. Still, the first 'doe cap' is finished with enough yarn to knit another one for grand-daughter (I ended up using 3 strands at a time on 3.75mm needles so done over a weekend

You can incorporate the ends as you go (and join the squares as you go too). Makes life MUCH easier.

I have taken to doing this since finding some excellent needles at artyarn - metallic coloured aluminium with a bent plastic 'eye' so threading is a piece of cake and mattress stitch has also been a joy, eliminating splitting. Even so, it is still a lot of threads..and I am now unable to go back to my old slapdash ways of just tying off now I am used to finishing properly. One reason I won't have an iron in the house (since everyone gets addicted to smooth clothes).
Sincerely hope to never do another granny square blanket again.
About to cast on (a lot) for daughter's fairisle beret, also in kidsilk haze and various silk and merino 4ply yarns - 8 colours including my last hoarded metres of the most beautiful yarn I have ever used in my life - the gorgeous Woolfolk Tynd. Truly beautiful and a joy to handle. At £16.50 for 50 grams, I can't see a jumper being made any time soon...but will be putting out massive hints for Xmas - any colour will do.

 

[RubyToogood]

I have taken to doing this since finding some excellent needles at artyarn - metallic coloured aluminium with a bent plastic 'eye' so threading is a piece of cake and mattress stitch has also been a joy, eliminating splitting. Even so, it is still a lot of threads..and I am now unable to go back to my old slapdash ways of just tying off now I am used to finishing properly. One reason I won't have an iron in the house (since everyone gets addicted to smooth clothes)..

No I mean you can crochet them in as you go, just catch them in with the stitch you're crocheting into. No need for a needle.

 

[wayward bob]

Meanwhile I have finished this and love it. It's perfect for this weather.

are those bobbles? is there a knack?

 

[RubyToogood]

are those bobbles? is there a knack?

They're bobbles. Bobbles aren't particularly tricky. You just knit several (usually 5) into one stitch and then in some way decrease back to one again. In this instance you immediately turn back and purl them all together.

 

[wayward bob]

it's the knitting 5-into-1 i have massive problems with - getting the tension right to do that single step. it's always a cursing 7 attempts

 

[RubyToogood]

it's the knitting 5-into-1 i have massive problems with - getting the tension right to do that single step. it's always a cursing 7 attempts

This is true. These were actually 3 into 1. And I just tried to knit them loosely. It was fine.

 

[wayward bob]

i think i'm prolly doing it wrong, i should check a how-to-vid before i get back to them

 

[RubyToogood]

i think i'm prolly doing it wrong, i should check a how-to-vid before i get back to them

You're probably not, I seem to remember it is a bit of a battle with 5. I'm a really loose knitter (I always have to go down 2 needle sizes from what the pattern says) which probably helps a lot.

 

[wayward bob]

heh i think i tend to veer to the tight side - it took a lot of practice just to be able to slide the stitches along the needle

 

[moose]

I knitted a beautiful mohair jumper in the 80s with bobbles on the front, and the first time I wore it, a man shrieked 'PIG NIPPLES' at me, and it was forever consigned to the cat basket.

 

[RubyToogood]

I knitted a beautiful mohair jumper in the 80s with bobbles on the front, and the first time I wore it, a man shrieked 'PIG NIPPLES' at me, and it was forever consigned to the cat basket.

I do slightly feel this about this cardigan. A male friend was looking at it while I was knitting it and started absent-mindedly fingering the bobbles in an unmistakable way...

 

[moose]

I do slightly feel this about this cardigan. A male friend was looking at it while I was knitting it and started absent-mindedly fingering the bobbles in an unmistakable way...

Eww! Don't let it put you off - my mistake was to have them in obvious rows
And pink...

 

[polly]

Hello! I've been lurking on this thread a bit. I only started knitting in the late summer really (unless you count a garter stitch scarf I made last year, when my 7yo asked me to teach her to knit, so I had to learn myself) so when I do come here I end up feeling like I have a very long way to go, but wanted to say you're all my knitting heroes and I may come back now and again and ask for really basic advice, if that's ok.

So far I've made a few scarves, some wrist warmers (standard), a hat, a cowl using a circular needle for the first time and recently a pair of mittens using the dreaded and feared dpns. And fucking LOVE it

 

[Siouxsie]

It sounds like you are well on your way polly
Keep it up and fell free to ask anything, even if you feel it's a silly question, we all started somewhere!
Everyone is happy to help

 

[polly]

It sounds like you are well on your way polly
Keep it up and fell free to ask anything, even if you feel it's a silly question, we all started somewhere!
Everyone is happy to help

Thanks Siouxsie I don't know how anyone got anywhere without youtube tbh.

 

[Siouxsie]

Thanks Siouxsie I don't know how anyone got anywhere without youtube tbh.

It is a God send...especially at the times when you're going goggly eyed by written instructions that just don't break through....that wonderful lightbulb moment when you actually see something making sense before your very eyes!.... I've been there so many times and probably will again

 

[wayward bob]

i have yarn disparity

first ball was enough for one full sock and a little to spare. second ball isn't going to stretch, even using the spare. there should be laws about this kind of thing

eta: heh, scrap that, turns out i bought 3 balls not 2 \o/

 

[Biddlybee]

Post some pics polly

 

[polly]

Post some pics polly

I'm a bit embarrassed! Every time I look at this thread I leave with a feeling of utter inadequacy I'll take some later though.

 

[polly]

Wrist warmers



Riddled with error mittens for my girl As you can see, I have some trouble with rib stitch But she's so sweet she wears them anyway.


Rather massive fleece lined scarf made for son without pattern Husband has stolen it.


Hat and wrist warmers made for a friend. Knitted on straight needles.


Also got some basic scarves. The chunky seed stitch cowl I made on a circular needle was probably the nicest thing I've done, though very basic, but it was for my best mate and has gone off in the post.

 

[Siouxsie]

They are wonderful polly
I can't see anything with your rib!
Your moss stitch scarf is beautifully neat and even.

 

[innit]

Colour work halp!

Having dodged it almost entirely for over a decade, I'm making a fair isle sweater for my toddler which means I have to learn to knit English (I'm normally Continental all the way). How am I doing? Some of my crosses look a bit blobby.

I've been holding the main colour for each row in my left (confident) hand, so swapping back and forward - is that the right thing to do for best tension?

 

[wayward bob]

Wrist warmers

View attachment 119974

god i wish i had more wrists you're distracting me from my socks

 

[wayward bob]

wish i could remember any fairisle innit is there no way to do it continental?

 

[wayward bob]

I knitted a beautiful mohair jumper in the 80s with bobbles on the front, and the first time I wore it, a man shrieked 'PIG NIPPLES' at me, and it was forever consigned to the cat basket.

sorry moose but this is still making me giggle

 

[innit]

wish i could remember any fairisle innit is there no way to do it continental?

Needs to be a strand in each hand, so one continental and one English

 

[polly]

They are wonderful polly
I can't see anything with your rib!
Your moss stitch scarf is beautifully neat and even.

Oh, you are too kind! Thank you for saying that, I feel slightly less pissed off with my rib abilities! You give good praise

god i wish i had more wrists you're distracting me from my socks

Ha! I wish I could do socks but suspect my brain would pop. Such a cool thing to be able to create - woolly socks are the best.

innit Obviously I'm in no position to advise, but it looks really impressive so far. I wasn't aware that you had to use both English and Continental to do Fair Isle

 

[8115]

Wrist warmers

View attachment 119974

Riddled with error mittens for my girl As you can see, I have some trouble with rib stitch But she's so sweet she wears them anyway.
View attachment 119975

Rather massive fleece lined scarf made for son without pattern Husband has stolen it.
View attachment 119976

Hat and wrist warmers made for a friend. Knitted on straight needles.
View attachment 119977

Also got some basic scarves. The chunky seed stitch cowl I made on a circular needle was probably the nicest thing I've done, though very basic, but it was for my best mate and has gone off in the post.

I have been knitting for 15 years and you're way way better than me already.