Craft club topic of the month - knitting!

[gaijingirl]

I tried attaching the sleeves to the body of the jacket I'm knitting and there ended up being way more sleeve hole than sleeve (IYKWIM)... is there some kind of technique I'm missing here, or have I made a mistake with my sleeves?

 

[moose]

If the difference isn't huge, you may be able to sort it out with careful blocking - pin the armhole to your ironing board, checking it against the edge of the sleeve, and stretching it carefully to match. Press with damp tea towel under the iron, and then sew them together. I ususually check the armhole/sleeve top together frequently whilst I'm knitting to make sure they will fit.

 

[gaijingirl]

I've already blocked it though...

I have a horrible feeling I've knitted the sleeves wrong... I'll give it another go.... but it may have to be a "body warmer"

 

[RubyToogood]

And a pair of armwarmers for someone else!

 

[gaijingirl]

And a pair of armwarmers for someone else!

ooh yeah.... hadn't thought of it like that! Bargain!!

 

[innit]

It will be a beautiful body warmer. They will never need to know

 

[RubyToogood]

I'm sure you could actually re-block it and get it to fit (assuming you haven't knitted the sleeves wrong).

 

[eme]

Sock lessons..

Things I have learnt about socks:

Good
- Addi Turbo needles are the best needles ever! they are sooooo smooth and quick
- GGH Samoa Wool is lovely
- I have turned a heel
- I have made a sock!
- I am determined to learn about the Magic Loop now I know I don't like double pointed needles

Bad
- I don't like dpns
- I make ladders where the needles join (even after reading about how the avoid them!)
- I didn't swatch (have I ever? ) so the sock is enormous...
- the wool is about twice the thickness of what they recommended (see swatch bit above) and I bought it cos I went all funny when I went into the shop. I recognise this as the same thing that happens in large shoe shops - get overwhelmed, buy shoes that are very pretty, but I will never wear / hurt...
- doing one sock at a time is annoying - like second sleeve boredom but worse!

hum.... my findings so far!

 

[moose]

I'm the opposite - can't get on with circular needles at all, and only use them for things like necks. I love my little dpns
It's very frustrating that lots of nice patterns from the US use circular ones, especially as they're difficult to get round here in different gauges.

 

[RubyToogood]

Bad
- I don't like dpns

What is it about them that you don't like? The ladder thing I avoid by always knitting a stitch or two from the next needle along - it's always been obvious to me that you would surely get a ladder from changing needles in the same place every time.

I've put the skirt on hold for the moment to finally knit the fingerless gloves since my friend's birthday is coming up. I'm well chuffed with them . I couldn't get to the shop for wool and the only suitable thing I had in was kid silk haze, so I'm using a double strand of that, which is perfect and gorgeous. The pattern is great too - it's fairly easy to follow, nicely shaped, easy to adapt and the cabling is great. I'm doing them a good deal shorter, about 3/4 of the way to the elbow - all you need to do is cast on fewer stitches as long as they're a multiple of 4, and then follow the pattern as written - I cast on 48. They're satisfyingly quick to knit so I can foresee a few more pairs happening... perhaps in some of that new sparkly KSH...

 

[Mrs Magpie]

I don't know if it's really true, but I was told many years ago that the proper name for fingerless gloves is 'ticklers'.

 

[eme]

What is it about them that you don't like? The ladder thing I avoid by always knitting a stitch or two from the next needle along - it's always been obvious to me that you would surely get a ladder from changing needles in the same place every time.

see? annoying! fiddling around with stitches on multiple needles...
plus if you did that surely then instruction that assume you have X amount of stitches on needle Y go belly up....

or I am just not very good at using them yet...

the fingerless gloves look cool - bet they look amazing in KSH...

 

[Ms T]

I've just met a delightful Rowan rep in John Lewis who showed me how to pick up stitches in an incredibly easy way. I'm very excited -- not least to meet a male knitter at last!

I also bought some Kidsilk night yarn in a sparkly white that looks like a cloud.

 

[innit]

Wow! You'll have to show us all.

eme, I forgot to say how cool your scarf looks. I bet you're pleased it's finally over - congratulations

and ruby, I like the gloves - I reckon that might be a good way to use up my ksh stash which was left over from my shrug. Although I quite like the calmer I'm using at the moment, which would be less itchy but also less cozy...

 

[gaijingirl]

I've just met a delightful Rowan rep in John Lewis .

[lowering the tone]

Was he fit?

[/lowering the tone]

I may have to go and have a look for myself... I've been meaning to buy a zip for that little jacket (or possibly body warmer) for a while now. Maybe I can get him to sew it on for me...

 

[Ms T]

[lowering the tone]

Was he fit?

[/lowering the tone]

Camp as Butlins, I'm afraid. I invited him to be a guest knitter at our next stich and bitch but he went all shy.

 

[gaijingirl]

Camp as Butlins, I'm afraid. I invited him to be a guest knitter at our next stich and bitch but he went all shy.

Oh dear... that would have been fun, but may also have damaged our campaign to get more urban lads knitting...

I reckon you should get that knitting picture lady round!!

 

[gaijingirl]

Talking of which.. this was in my knitty.com email today:

It's quite pompous of knitting women to assume knitting is all about us. Because let me tell you, sisters, it ain't. There may be more of us at the moment, but knitting men are everywhere. Some of us are married to them. Some of us are friends with them. And a lot of them are friends with each other...just like women hang together to knit and chat, the guys do the same thing. Cool knit shops like The Point in New York have boy-only knitting nights where a knitting-newbie-man will feel no embarrassment in asking for help casting on or cabling. Not that they should be embarrassed, but every new knitter I've ever met is highly self conscious until they get the hang of things. I can't imagine that being the only guy in a room of women wouldn't add a little extra pressure to their learning experience.

Guy knitters are multiplying, and people are finally noticing. I have it on good authority that at least two major publications [only one of them knitting focused] will also be turning their attention to men who knit before the year is out.
We like guys; guys who knit, doubly so.

 

[Ms T]

And funnily enough I was reading a five-minute interview with a guy who's in a cool band (Razorlight?) who said the last book he'd bought was "Stitch and Bitch" and wouldn't it be nice to knit something for a friend even if it was crap.

 

[gaijingirl]

Maybe we should have a "boys open evening stitch and bitch"... seducing the lads with the offer of our company (and beer) and then sneakily, teach them knitting when they're at their most vulnerable....

 

[Callie]

The sparkly kid silk wool I saw was actually kid silk spray rather than haze so maybe its not new at all?? still pretty though - it also comes in black and red

 

[liberty]

Here is the wool I got

I have just received the wool as above.. If use bigger needles and less stiches will it look funny if I then sew the squares in with finer wool knitted on smaller needles?

Anyone ever done this...?

Cannot wait to start all those different colours in the same wool

 

[innit]

I have never mixed up types of wool like that but I think it would look lovely

 

[moose]

I have just received the wool as above.. If use bigger needles and less stiches will it look funny if I then sew the squares in with finer wool knitted on smaller needles?

Anyone ever done this...?

Cannot wait to start all those different colours in the same wool

If you use drastically different weights of wool, you'll get a huge difference in thickness of the finished project and it won't hang too well. What are you making? Could you do the thinner stuff double?

 

[liberty]

If you use drastically different weights of wool, you'll get a huge difference in thickness of the finished project and it won't hang too well. What are you making? Could you do the thinner stuff double?

I'm making a blanket in squares.. I started to knit with the wool with 7 1/2 mm needles and although it looked ok I have ordered some 12mm needles as it was a little hard to knit with.

I just thought the odd square of the wool would look nice.. There are already different thicknesses in teh wool used so far but nothing as thick as the point 5

 

[madzone]

Anyone got a good online pattern for socks made with chunky wool?
I've spun this and I want to make some socks with it.

 

[innit]

Did you dye that? It's pretty.

I'm getting on ok with my Rowan cardi, finished the back last night and am making good progress with the front left panel - I'm getting through it really quickly because it seems to be the right size for a doll I'm making the 34" version, and my swatch was correct once I switched to smaller needles - but I don't think it's going to fit me! I'll have to give it to my doll-size sister.

 

[madzone]

Did you dye that? It's pretty.

No, that's the colour of my sheep
Thanks, yes, it's acid dyed, then carded and spun. The 'guild' ladies would have a pink fit if they saw it so I won't show them. I want some house socks iykwim as my feet are feeling are autumn chill already, but I'm having trouble finding an online pattern for chunky wool

 

[toggle]

No, that's the colour of my sheep
Thanks, yes, it's acid dyed, then carded and spun. The 'guild' ladies would have a pink fit if they saw it so I won't show them. I want some house socks iykwim as my feet are feeling are autumn chill already, but I'm having trouble finding an online pattern for chunky wool

try this site

 

[madzone]

Thanks toggle. I looked at that site but most of the patterns don't have pictures. Guess I'll have to bite the bullet and actually buy a pattern *sigh*