# calling all knitting Divas-a knitting dilemma



## kr7 (Jun 13, 2007)

OK, so I love knitting, but I hate establishing gauge. It's a torturous process for me because somehow I always mess it up.  The dilemma seems to be that no matter how carefully I measure my swatch, when I start to actually knit the project, it always turns out to be off (either not quite enough, or too many stitches for the required width).

Obviously, I am doing something wrong here. I have tried using plain measuring tape, knitting gauge, and even a ruler, but I just never get it right. My swatch size is usually around 4 inches square, and I take my measurements roughly in the center. Is there something I'm missing here, or is this just a regular part of knitting? I find it hard to believe, though, that the whole process would be so trial and error. Can any knitting Divas/Goddesses shed some light on this?  Thanks much!

Chris


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## ripley (Nov 20, 2007)

Is it Lilly that is the master knitter? Perhaps she knows!


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## stan_der_man (Nov 20, 2007)

I'll 'fess Chris... I don't know squat about knitting, as a matter of fact, my spell checker just told me that it starts with a "k".

I can sew things and repair fabricks (apparently "fabrics" doesn't have a "k"...), but my sewing isn't pretty, it's industrial strength and will out last the material which I attach together, but I can't emphasize more... it's nothin' to look at.

I just wanted to offer you some moral support here towards helping solve your knitting problem and bump this thread up for the moment in hopes of someone more knowledgable (and a better speller...) finding this and offering you the assistance which you seek.


fa_man_stan




P.S. You are welcome.


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## sweet&fat (Nov 20, 2007)

I have the same problem! My swatch shows that the gauge is right, but then my sweaters are still way too big. And I know I'm not a loose knitter. Hmm.

I've found the site http://www.knittinghelp.com to be very helpful- there's all sorts of forums where you can post questions and get very prompt/knowledgeable replies.

Hope this helps...


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## kr7 (Nov 21, 2007)

fa_man_stan said:


> ....I just wanted to offer you some moral support here towards helping solve your knitting problem and bump this thread up for the moment in hopes of someone more knowledgable (and a better speller...) finding this and offering you the assistance....



God Stan, you are so unbelievably adorable. Don't worry, I'll teach you how to knit, and crochet, and spell. You'll be able to make nice things for your wife and kids in no-time. And you'll be able to write really nice love letters to your wife too. 



sweet&fat said:


> I have the same problem! My swatch shows that the gauge is right, but then my sweaters are still way too big. And I know I'm not a loose knitter. Hmm.
> 
> I've found the site http://www.knittinghelp.com to be very helpful- there's all sorts of forums where you can post questions and get very prompt/knowledgeable replies.
> 
> Hope this helps...



Thanks sweet. I've been messing around with this, and so far my solution is to make really big swatches. I think the bigger the swatch, the more likely you will get an accurate average gauge. Mine were only 4" square, which on reflection, are probably way too small.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 21, 2007)

It's hard to give a difinitive on any of this, even on the same skein of yarn per person because everyone's hands work differently, everyone knits differently, etc. The completed garment will always be off somehow and usually by a considerable margin. You can only generalize which never works for everybody, especially plus sizes.

I'm a freestyle kinda girl usually but when I really need to know I make a sample swatch. I take my needles and my yarn and cast on a row of 10, then I begin knitting and/or purling for six rows. You can knit and purl, purl and purl, knit and knit, etc. - according to what stitch you plan on using for your project. If you are making something that works in a design pattern, like a cable stitch for example, I would make my swatch to consist of one completed section of cable stich. Then I just measure the swatch which gives me an idea of what I need to get the size/measurments for the finished product. Then I round things off to the proper number according to the knit size I want. Read through the pattern to see if it requires any additions, adding of stitches and subtracting of stitches later in the project and anticipate your moves in advance. From there I can see if the pattern can be changed or tweaked. 

Once you get used to how you knit you won't have to do this always but in the beginning I had to do this before I began ANY project because mine rarely came out according to the promises made in the pattern. Plus I always wanted variations in size and dimensions according to who the item is intended for, usually me.  

What are you working on?!? TELL TELL!! :batting::bounce::batting:

http://www.knitty.com/


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## kr7 (Nov 22, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> ........What are you working on?!? TELL TELL!!.....



As always: a bunch of things. I think I have ADD when it comes to knitting projects.  Right now, I really want to finish a cabled scarf for my dad for X-mas. I hope I have enough yarn. It's a hand-spun merino/camel/silk/cashmere, so I really hope I don't run out. I might not have enough time to spin some more. 

Luckily, I already finished my mom's scarf. That one was lace, and it was from hand-spun merino/quiviuk. I'm very proud of the darn thing too, bcs it won 1st place in category at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. :blush:

Other than that, I have a half finished sweater that I'm making for myself. It's very preppy. It's a raglan. The yarn is store-bought cotton-silk. The background is kelly green, and the front has a single diamond of pink and yellow argyle down the center. Told ya it was preppy.  I think I'm going to make it short sleeved.

So, are you working on anything???????????

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 22, 2007)

kr7 said:


> As always: a bunch of things. I think I have ADD when it comes to knitting projects.  Right now, I really want to finish a cabled scarf for my dad for X-mas. I hope I have enough yarn. It's a hand-spun merino/camel/silk/cashmere, so I really hope I don't run out. I might not have enough time to spin some more.
> 
> Luckily, I already finished my mom's scarf. That one was lace, and it was from hand-spun merino/quiviuk. I'm very proud of the darn thing too, bcs it won 1st place in category at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. :blush:
> 
> ...



Congratulations on winning! That really is cool. None of my projects will win any prizes I'm afraid but I truly love making these things.

But yes yes yes! I'm like you, I have knitters ADD. It is actually a very common ailment, having several projects going on at once to break up the boredom. Right now I'm working on a scarf. I was intending to give this scarf as a gift to a guy I was seeing but that relationship is in the shitter so I haven't decided quite what to do with it yet. Maybe I'll keep it for myself, regift it or sell it if the finished product looks worth it.





This is a basic boucle yarn meant for size 10 6mm needles. I prefer to use circular needles as it makes it very easy to stop a project on the commute and carelessly toss it back in the bag quickly without worries of it ever coming unraveled or missing my stop. It's a space dyed yarn.





It's a Lion Brand Homespun yarn of 98% Acrylic/2% Polyester but it feels so soft and natural. I wanted it to be something you could spill beer and cigar ashes on and just throw it in the laundry with the jeans and fleece hoodies without any special care or instructions. Plus I wanted it to have a very bohemian non-structured look.





The ends are a knit 2 purl 2 pattern for 9 rows, then it's knit one way, purl back the other. I'm experimenting with a funky edge to give it that rough at the edges look and also reinforce the structure. When I finish a row I cast on 1, then when I go back I kint the casted stitch with the last stitch in the row, purl 1 then knit through the rest of the row. I do the opposite going back: cast on, go back and purl 2 together, knit one and then purl through the rest of the row. An odd flourish but I like the effect. I may use it again. I'm almost finished with this scarf so I will begin the knit 2, purl 2 pattern for 9 rows and then it's done! 

P.S.: This thread might be better in the clothing/fashion forum.


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## kr7 (Nov 22, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> Congratulations on winning! That really is cool. None of my projects will win any prizes I'm afraid but I truly love making these things......



Thank you! :blush: Actually, you might be pleasantly surprised. I was really shocked that I got any prize at all. I entered it more bcs I wanted to have something that would make me finish a project, for once. LOL!



> .....But yes yes yes! I'm like you, I have knitters ADD. It is actually a very common ailment, having several projects going on at once to break up the boredom. Right now I'm working on a scarf. I was intending to give this scarf as a gift to a guy I was seeing but that relationship is in the shitter so I haven't decided quite what to do with it yet. Maybe I'll keep it for myself, regift it or sell it if the finished product looks worth it.....



Oh Lilly! I love you more each day! :wubu:

I love the colors and the yarn in this scarf. It looks soooo soft. I also like your idea of the undulating edge. That's very cool! I think it's a keeper! 



> ....This thread might be better in the clothing/fashion forum.



Yeah, I was thinking the same thing (after I already posted it here  ). Maybe I can get a mod to move it.

So, what else are you working on? I know you're probably busy since it's Thanksgiving, but can you post more pix when you get a chance? Pretty please!!! I'll post some pix later.

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 22, 2007)

Thank you so much to the Moderator Fairy Godmother or Godfather who moved the thread for me. Yay! 

Chris


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## Sandie S-R (Nov 22, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Thank you so much to the Moderator Fairy Godmother or Godfather who moved the thread for me. Yay!
> 
> Chris



You're welcome Chris.  Funny thing, I was just thinking of starting a knitting and crocheting thread yesterday, but didn't get around to it. (Like minds and all that.)

In a few minutes I am going to post some pics of my current projects, and answer your question about gauge and size. So keep an eye on the thread. 

Happy Thanksgiving!!


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 22, 2007)

I've got a couple of sweaters I've been working on and some hats I've finished. I will post photos later but I just thought of something I was going to mention but got so excited about my pictures that I forgot. I'm kind of a perfectionist in the knitting category. As I was knitting this particular scarf I made a mistake in the stitching. I have exactly 34 stitches but when I counted later in the project I had 35. I don't know how the heck I did this but this threw the whole project off for me. I was going to just bind off one to another and forget about it but I just couldn't get over it so I undid the whole thing down to where I made the mistake and started to rebuild from there. 

Now because I'd been knotting the yarn at the end of each row I had these interesting intervals of knots in the yarn that worked as markers in the project as I started knitting again and I had to undo them as I went along. The knots did not fall in the same places they did the first time I knit through. As I went along eventually the knots appeared quite a few stitches after I had begun a new row, etc. I'm just telling you this because it indicates that there is no way you can be 100% accurate what you'll get at the end of your project by measuring in the beginning. Something done from hand is going to have variances. You could do a project twice using the exact same procedure and have to use less yarn in one than you did in another and so fourth. It's very hard to get absolutes in guaging. 

Now I'm off to go get some turkey at Ma's. Happy Thanksgiving! :eat1:


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## Tina (Nov 22, 2007)

Lilly, that's beautiful!! My great-grandmother taught me to knit when I was a little girl, but I've forgotten how a long time ago. And even then, my skills were the skills of a child, and could not imagine being able to knit a sweater, though I would love to! The colors in the scarf are gorgeous and it looks so soft. Great going.


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## Sandie S-R (Nov 22, 2007)

Here are some of my current projects (all Christmas gifts)...





A beanie with pom that I just finished. I have a matching scarf that I didn't take a pic of because I just blocked it, and it's drying. Love this hand spun and hand painted NewZealand wool. 





A beanie for the grandson in Lion Brand Wool Ease. I use this for stuff for him a lot because it's warm, and also machine washable and dryable.





A scarf I'm working on in white Wool-Ease with a multi metalic thread running through it (hard to see), in a window payne pattern.





A matching beanie and scarf for the grandson again, this time in Lion Brand Suede. The color is moonlight, which is a pretty muted blue/grey. It's bulky and very soft. 

I've got a couple of big projects that I want to start after the holidays. I'm doing a king size blanket for our bed in HomeSpun, and a kimono style sweater. I've bought the yarn for both, but am waiting for more down time to sit and knit. 

Now about the gauge and size matching problem. In my experience, the biggest problem with gauge and size is the tension you keep on your yarn. There is no wrong way to hold your yarn for proper tension, except not to do it at all. And it is critical in having your gauge match your size perfectly is to keep tension perfectly the same all the time, which for a lot of us is hard to do. Keeping tension perfectly even (for pretty stitches and accurate sizing) is always a big challenge for me, and one that I am always working hard at. I am guessing that maybe you might be finding it the same challenge that I do.  The more often you knit however, the better you tend to regulate your tension, so practice really does help. 

I hope that helps a little.


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## Tina (Nov 22, 2007)

Beautiful! Sandie, you are so multi-talented. Anything you cannot do?


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## kr7 (Nov 22, 2007)

Sandie S-R said:


> Here are some of my current projects (all Christmas gifts)...



Wow! You're a prolific knitter. I don't know how you do it. I can barely finish the one scarf for dad. The one for mom took me like a year! LOL! 

Love the yarns. The one in the first photo is especially pretty.

Thanks so much for the hint. Will try to keep it in mind. The scarves are no biggie, as far as gauge goes, but the sweater.....well, that has been a source of nightmares. I will post a pic tomorrow of whatever I got so far, but it isn't very far. 

In the meantime, I hope that others will post pix of their projects. Maybe this could become our knitting question/answer/sharing thread. 

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 22, 2007)

D'oh! :doh: As I was driving to Ma's I realized that the knots were off because I was eliminating an extra stitch in the pattern so as I went along I was getting more and more slack. *sigh* I can't believe I missed that. I still believe in the theory somewhat, just probably not as pronounced as I expereinced due to the nature of how I was correcting a mistake.

Sandie your stuff is gorgeous! I really like the white scarf you are working on with the window payne pattern. Very nice. If you get a chance I'd love for you to explain blocking and how you do it. I work with wool and mohair at times but I mostly work with acrylic yarn because of the ease and simplicity of care. How do you actually block something long like a scarf? 

Tina I've never actually finished a sweater. I've started two and have some yarn stockpiled for another idea I have in sweaterdom but I just haven't been able to do it. Who has the time to sit around knitting? My knitting takes place during down time in waiting rooms, the commute, travel, etc. so elaborate designs and long projects usually don't make it very far.

I'll post some more of my stuff tomorrow. Thanks for starting this thread kr7! 





LillyBBBW said:


> I've got a couple of sweaters I've been working on and some hats I've finished. I will post photos later but I just thought of something I was going to mention but got so excited about my pictures that I forgot. I'm kind of a perfectionist in the knitting category. As I was knitting this particular scarf I made a mistake in the stitching. I have exactly 34 stitches but when I counted later in the project I had 35. I don't know how the heck I did this but this threw the whole project off for me. I was going to just bind off one to another and forget about it but I just couldn't get over it so I undid the whole thing down to where I made the mistake and started to rebuild from there.
> 
> Now because I'd been knotting the yarn at the end of each row I had these interesting intervals of knots in the yarn that worked as markers in the project as I started knitting again and I had to undo them as I went along. The knots did not fall in the same places they did the first time I knit through. As I went along eventually the knots appeared quite a few stitches after I had begun a new row, etc. I'm just telling you this because it indicates that there is no way you can be 100% accurate what you'll get at the end of your project by measuring in the beginning. Something done from hand is going to have variances. You could do a project twice using the exact same procedure and have to use less yarn in one than you did in another and so fourth. It's very hard to get absolutes in guaging.
> 
> Now I'm off to go get some turkey at Ma's. Happy Thanksgiving! :eat1:


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## kr7 (Nov 22, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> ....How do you actually block something long like a scarf?......



Oooh, oooh, I know that one. When I blocked my lace scarf, I used my ironing board to pin the scarf to. I stretched it very drastically, bcs lace kind of puckers up after you have knitted it. Then, I pinned it with like 100 pins on the edges, stuck straight down into the ironing board. Then, I steam-ironed it, and let it air dry. I did half the scarf first, bcs my ironing board was too short to accomodate the entire length of the scarf, then I repeated the process for the second half. When I was steaming it, I kept the surface of the iron off the scarf, so as not to burn it. I only let the steam touch it.

BTW, the steaming method is not good to use on any knitting that you want to remain elastic (like ribbing, for example), bcs it makes the yarn loose it's "memory".

For stuff you want to block that need to remain elastic. You wash your knitting, wrap it in a towel to squeeze out as much water as you can, then lay it flat and let it dry. You can use pins to secure any unruly edges, as well.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 22, 2007)

Thanks Chris! I've never blocked any of my items but I may try a few things this winter.





This is a hat I made last year. It's wool I bought at a fancy schmancy yarn shop. I think it's merino wool from New Zealand, I'm not certain. I made two but gave one away to a woman I met on the bus in a snow storm.





It was knitted on American size 8, six inch circular needles and is a knit 4, purl 2, knit 4, purl 2 pattern where every other knitted 4 strip is cabled. It was relatively easy and quick to assemble, things I really value in a knitting project. I don't have the patience to keep up with things that take a lot of numbering, marking, counting and mathematics. The results would be monstrous given my poor attention span.




kr7 said:


> Oooh, oooh, I know that one. When I blocked my lace scarf, I used my ironing board to pin the scarf to. I stretched it very drastically, bcs lace kind of puckers up after you have knitted it. Then, I pinned it with like 100 pins on the edges, stuck straight down into the ironing board. Then, I steam-ironed it, and let it air dry. I did half the scarf first, bcs my ironing board was too short to accomodate the entire length of the scarf, then I repeated the process for the second half. When I was steaming it, I kept the surface of the iron off the scarf, so as not to burn it. I only let the steam touch it.
> 
> BTW, the steaming method is not good to use on any knitting that you want to remain elastic (like ribbing, for example), bcs it makes the yarn loose it's "memory".
> 
> ...


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## Sandie S-R (Nov 22, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> Sandie your stuff is gorgeous! I really like the white scarf you are working on with the window payne pattern. Very nice. If you get a chance I'd love for you to explain blocking and how you do it. I work with wool and mohair at times but I mostly work with acrylic yarn because of the ease and simplicity of care. How do you actually block something long like a scarf?



Thanks Lily! My blocking technique is below...



kr7 said:


> For stuff you want to block that need to remain elastic. You wash your knitting, wrap it in a towel to squeeze out as much water as you can, then lay it flat and let it dry. You can use pins to secure any unruly edges, as well.
> 
> Chris



Lily, Chris is right, I just tweek it a bit more. I have a lingerie bag (for washing stockings in the washing machine. What I do is put the wool scarf to be washed folded neatly in the bag, and wash on the handwash/delicate cycle in the washing machine, warm water and woolite. I give it an extra spin to take out all the moisture. I then lay towles out on a big bench cushion that I have, and gently block (lay out evenly) the scarf without stretching it. I use straight pins to pin it down, then let it dry. See pic below of the scarf that matches the first beanie in my post above. 

Hope that helps.  

View attachment scarf.jpg


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## Sandie S-R (Nov 23, 2007)

Tina said:


> Beautiful! Sandie, you are so multi-talented. Anything you cannot do?



Hey Tina. Yeah there are a lot of things I cannot do. Like...fractal art. 
I was just raised in a knitting, sewing, crocheting family of women so I learned early on, and have always enjoyed it. I started making serious stuff when Rachael was a baby and I had nothing else to do (cause I was a stay at home mom). So I made her lots of little baby clothes, knitted sweaters, blankies, and bonnets. 



kr7 said:


> Wow! You're a prolific knitter. I don't know how you do it. I can barely finish the one scarf for dad. The one for mom took me like a year! LOL!
> 
> Love the yarns. The one in the first photo is especially pretty.
> 
> ...



LOL, yeah Chris I guess I an a little prolific at my knitting/crocheting. I probably knit or crochet about 4 hours a day. It's a real Zen thing for me. I do it while I am watching TV in the evening and sometimes when I watch my soap in the afternoon. I usually have 4 different projects going at any one time. In the last month I have finshed 4 beanies, 4 scarves, and one afghan. So, yeah I tend to knock them out pretty quickly.  But it is very relaxing and I love it.


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## cherylharrell (Nov 23, 2007)

I haven't a clue how to knit even tho my grandma tried to teach me as a kid. She & an aunt of mine taught me how to crochet so I crchet. No as good as you guys crochet or knit tho. I am in hte middle projects like some blankers for some baby nieces & nephews & one for my mom & leggins for a stuffed reindeer I have. And then theres the afghan I started for my mom in the early 70's & never finished. I also want to crochet some doilys for the arms of the courch & charis in the living room. I may be dead before anything gets finished lol...


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> OK, so I love knitting, but I hate establishing gauge. It's a torturous process for me because somehow I always mess it up.  The dilemma seems to be that no matter how carefully I measure my swatch, when I start to actually knit the project, it always turns out to be off (either not quite enough, or too many stitches for the required width).
> 
> Obviously, I am doing something wrong here. I have tried using plain measuring tape, knitting gauge, and even a ruler, but I just never get it right. My swatch size is usually around 4 inches square, and I take my measurements roughly in the center. Is there something I'm missing here, or is this just a regular part of knitting? I find it hard to believe, though, that the whole process would be so trial and error. Can any knitting Divas/Goddesses shed some light on this?  Thanks much!
> 
> Chris




Ok Chris, 

As you can see from my avatar, I *AM* a knitting goddess :batting:

A couple of suggestions--

First of all, are you washing your swatch? You should treat your swatch *exactly* as you plan to treat the finished garment. That means you wash it and it is even very beneficial to *weight* the swatch to see if it will grow while/once knit. This is probably what is happening to you! Next time knit up your swatch and you use a couple of clothespins to hang it from a hanger THEN hang a couple of clothespins off *the bottom of the swatch*! Let it hang 24 hours and recheck your gauge and see if the fabric is growing! If it is, it indicates you need to knit a firmer fabric (smaller needle!)

Secondly often many people loosen up their gauge as they are knitting a garment. To assess this, you need to knit a *BIG* swatch! Instead of a 4 inch swatch, you need to knit more like an 8 inch swatch! Now this is a pain and may seem counter productive but having a sweater that fits is worth it!
Many knitters use knitting a sleeve as their *large* swatch...then you can see if your gauge is loosening up and you don't have to rip a whole sweater!

If you need more help, PM me!

And just to show I am a knitting diva, here's some of my latest creations:






Here's another:





And one more - this is the finished beaded tank that's in my avatar!


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> OK, so I love knitting, but I hate establishing gauge. It's a torturous process for me because somehow I always mess it up.  The dilemma seems to be that no matter how carefully I measure my swatch, when I start to actually knit the project, it always turns out to be off (either not quite enough, or too many stitches for the required width).
> 
> Obviously, I am doing something wrong here. I have tried using plain measuring tape, knitting gauge, and even a ruler, but I just never get it right. My swatch size is usually around 4 inches square, and I take my measurements roughly in the center. Is there something I'm missing here, or is this just a regular part of knitting? I find it hard to believe, though, that the whole process would be so trial and error. Can any knitting Divas/Goddesses shed some light on this?  Thanks much!
> 
> Chris




One more thing I wanted to mention --

There's a new knitting website that is just *INCREDIBLE* if you are into knitting! It's called Ravelry (www.ravelry.com) 

It's kinda like a My Space for knitters without the creepy pedophiles and it's not full of kids (or pedophiles, lol) looking for a hook up!

It's still in beta so it's by invitation only to be allowed to post on the forums, ect. but there are over 30,000 members already and growing every day! 

It's so amazing for organization, stash swaps, camaraderie, and TONS of info - we even have a knitting Wiki!! 

So if you're interested, check out the link and put your name in the queue, it's truly a wonderful place!


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> It's hard to give a difinitive on any of this, even on the same skein of yarn per person because everyone's hands work differently, everyone knits differently, etc. The completed garment will always be off somehow and usually by a considerable margin. You can only generalize which never works for everybody, especially plus sizes.
> 
> I'm a freestyle kinda girl usually but when I really need to know I make a sample swatch. I take my needles and my yarn and cast on a row of 10, then I begin knitting and/or purling for six rows. You can knit and purl, purl and purl, knit and knit, etc. - according to what stitch you plan on using for your project. If you are making something that works in a design pattern, like a cable stitch for example, I would make my swatch to consist of one completed section of cable stich. Then I just measure the swatch which gives me an idea of what I need to get the size/measurments for the finished product. Then I round things off to the proper number according to the knit size I want. Read through the pattern to see if it requires any additions, adding of stitches and subtracting of stitches later in the project and anticipate your moves in advance. From there I can see if the pattern can be changed or tweaked.
> 
> ...



Actually Lily, most patterns are written for the gauge IN STOCKINETTE unless they specify that they gauge is to be obtained *in pattern*!

This could be a reason why many garments don't fit as you hope they will, because if you swatch and measure gauge in pattern when the written instruction calls for stockinette, you're gonna be *way* off!!

If you carefully measure a swatch, there is no reason you can have a perfectly fitting garment, even in a plus size! I even upsize "skinny" patterns and have no problems!


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> I work with wool and mohair at times but I mostly work with acrylic yarn because of the ease and simplicity of care. How do you actually block something long like a scarf?



If a project is very big like a scarf you can block it diagonally across a bed or on a towel on the (carpeted) floor.

Sometimes my shawls and stoles are so big I have to block them by folding them in half! 

Unfortunaltely, you can't block acrylic. It's synthetic and therefore will not "open up" or hold it's shape like natural fibers do.

There are wool yarns that are washable (and blockable) called *superwash*. The wool is specilly treated to be machine washable and dryable and still have all the properties of untreated wool. 

Here's one of my shawls blocking on my bed:






This shawl is actually laceweight linen:






I LOVE this thread, can ya tell?? Knitting is my passion 

And just to give equal time to the thing I knit most often, here are some socks!!

I'm knitting these now:






and I just finished these:


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## cherylharrell (Nov 23, 2007)

Wow,that is some nice stuff ya'll have knitted. Wish I could do that...


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 23, 2007)

cherylharrell said:


> I haven't a clue how to knit even tho my grandma tried to teach me as a kid. She & an aunt of mine taught me how to crochet so I crchet. No as good as you guys crochet or knit tho. I am in hte middle projects like some blankers for some baby nieces & nephews & one for my mom & leggins for a stuffed reindeer I have. And then theres the afghan I started for my mom in the early 70's & never finished. I also want to crochet some doilys for the arms of the courch & charis in the living room. I may be dead before anything gets finished lol...



Cheryl, I have always wanted to learn how to knit. I tried a few times but it just seemed too complicated for me to figure out and I didn't have anybody to teach me. I was teaching a Sunday school class and went to a button shop to get some cheapo buttons to use with the kids for a project. I saw on the shelf this kit that was made to teach 7 year olds how to knit. It was $10 but I didn't really have the money for it. Eventually I went back and got it and that is how I learned how to knit. I bought a whole bunch of yarn on ebay and started messing around with ideas and everywhere I went there was this undercover society of knitters who came out of the woodwork. They were examining my stuff, giving me pointers and answering all my questions. I'm kind of a knitter mutt, a lot of what I do is made up of a lot of different schools of thought and some things I made up myself.  

I don't have the time to patiently learn to get as fancy as Half Full though, WOW!! What gorgeous stuff and a great eye for yarns, Half Full. I figured I wouldn't be able to finagle too much with a synthetic yarn, especially when someone in my travels mentioned using a steam iron. Acrylic+heat=bad news. Despite having the virtues of natural fibers drilled everywhere I go I still love working with the acrylics when I can find some that looks nice.



LillyBBBW said:


> It was knitted on American size 8, *six inch circular needles *and is a knit 4, purl 2, knit 4, purl 2 pattern where every other knitted 4 strip is cabled. It was relatively easy and quick to assemble, things I really value in a knitting project. I don't have the patience to keep up with things that take a lot of numbering, marking, counting and mathematics. The results would be monstrous given my poor attention span.



I meant to say SIXTEEN inch circular needles.


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

Half Full said:


> ......As you can see from my avatar, I *AM* a knitting goddess.....



OMG Half Full, that is the understatement of the year! Your stuff is absolutely immaculate. Excuse me, while I pick my jaw off the floor. Are you a professional?

Keep on posting pix of that eye-candy of yours!



> .....often many people loosen up their gauge as they are knitting a garment. To assess this, you need to knit a *BIG* swatch!.....



That's exactly what I figured! Ha! I feel so validated.   Oh, I'll be PM'ing you, alright. Trust me! LOL!

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

cherylharrell said:


> Wow,that is some nice stuff ya'll have knitted. Wish I could do that...



Cheryl,

I'm sure you could learn.  I taught myself, only a few years ago. Mostly out of frustration, bcs it's nearly impossible to get a sweater to fit my very narrow shoulders, and very big ass, all at the same time.  I'm also a spinner, and I could not see much point in making a bunch of yarn with no purpose in mind. So, I picked up a really "bare-bones" how to book and some cheap yarn, and I gave it a try. I actually made a hideous acrylic yarn sweater that ended up being more like a dress on me, but I learned the process in the process, so to speak, even though the sweater itself was basically unwearable. LOL!

If you decide to give it a try, I would give you these suggestions from my own experience:

1) Start with a scarf. It's vastly simpler and quicker than a sweater, and by the time you're finished, you'd have mastered the basic stitches. And, guess what? Knitting consists mostly of just 2 basic stitches. That's all! They are just worked in different sequences to obtain pattern and shape.

2) Try getting a natural fiber yarn, or acrylic that feels soft against your skin. It will motivate you to keep on trying. Stay away from cotton, linen, silk, and other inelastic fibers, at first. They are harder to work with.

3) Do not use very slick needles (liked polished aluminum). They tend to make stitches slip off. Great for people who are very fast and proficient, not so good for people who are just starting. I recommend wooden needles. They give you just the right amount of control, and they can be very pretty.

Most importantly, don't give up. It's a very relaxing activity once you get past the learning curve. 

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> .....This is a hat I made last year. It's wool I bought at a fancy schmancy yarn shop. I think it's merino wool from New Zealand, I'm not certain. I made two but gave one away to a woman I met on the bus in a snow storm.....



Awwww. Lilly, you are such a sweetheart. That was really nice of you. 

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 23, 2007)

*More Stuff!*​




Something I was really into not too long ago was combining two different yarns together. I liked seeing how the blend changed the color and the texture of the finished product.





This particular blend here is an Australian wool in grass green and a mohair in chartreuse.





The finished product is going to be a sweater for my niece. When I first started I thought this color combo was awesome but now I think it's ugly. I have a finished scarf made in this combo that I've been wearing for two years now. I'm possibly bored with it hence the reason my opinion has soured on the combo.





This is a random hat I made out of Lion Brand Homespun acrylic yarn.





This is a sweater I've been working on and a hat I finished this past summer. They are both made from the same spaced dyed acrylic yarn only the hat is combined with a solid red acrylic made to simulate mohair.















Another synthetic blend. This is an unfinished sweater I started so long ago I forgot I even had it. It's a black sport weight acrylic with an acrylic mohair.










Black is so hard to photograph.


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

Alrighty then. Here are my projects. Can I just say one thing. Photographing knits is really dificult, as is photographing cats. BUT.....photographing knits in a house full of cats....well....that's near impossible!  

First up is the quiviut/merino lace scarf that won the blue ribbon:

View attachment 31237



Here is the merino/silk/camel/cashmere, cabled scarf I'm working on:

View attachment 31239



Up next is the preppy argyle sweater to be:

View attachment 31238



Finally, a really crazy, lumpy-bumpy scarf I made from some coredale wool I spun into thick/thin yarn, then dyed with madder root. The color is much nicer in person. It's a really pretty salmon pink:

View attachment 31240


Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Alrighty then. Here are my projects. Can I just say one thing. Photographing knits is really dificult, as is photographing cats. BUT.....photographing knits in a house full of cats....well....that's near impossible!
> 
> First up is the quiviut/merino lace scarf that won the blue ribbon:
> 
> ...



CHRIS!!! Those are FANTASTIC!!! Wow. I love the prizewinner -- I love EVERYTHING. I'm so glad you could get those minxes settled down long enought to post these. They're beautiful.


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

Chris!! Your knitting is LOVELY!! I can't believe you're self taught! WOW! 

Thank you for the compliments on my stuff too!

Did you get over to Ravelry and look around? It's just so wonderful!!

Stitch n Bitch right here at Dimensions, who woulda thunk it?


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

Lily - 

Thank you too for the sweet compliments!

Your knitting is lovely as well but girl, you GOTTA STEP AWAY FROM THE ACK-RYLIC!!!!! LOLOLOL!

Seriously, why would you want to knit with what amounts to a Hefty Bag? That Homespun, while pretty, is squeaky as all get out and nothing but petrochemicals! If ease of care is your motivator, why not use superwash wool? It's lovely stuff and comes in the same beautiful colors and *doesn't squeak!* plus it's machine washable and dryable _just like ack-rylic!_

And if you want *amazing* color and don't mind double stranding yarns, 99% of all sock yarns are superwash...2 strands held together = sportweight, 3 strands = DK/worsted weight. 

I fully believe ack-rylic has it's place....cotton is very tough on your wrists cause it has no elasticity or memory (nor does alpaca!) but mix in a bit of acrylic and voila! Soft, lovely cotton that doesn't hurt to knit with! And a bit of acrylic/microfiber makes the yarn infinitely more durable!

Get thee over to a yarn shop and find some Rowan Cashsoft -- a buttery soft merino, cashmere and microfiber superwash blend thst is like knitting with what an angel's hair must feel like! Ok I had to throw in a bit of hyperboyle, LOL, but it's my favorite yarn and it's a dream....it's what I used for the orange fingerless gloves up there ^^^^

Once you go Rowan baby, that hefty bag, oops I mean Homespun will be just a memory


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

Quiviut huh? Did you sell a kidney to buy that? 

It's gorgeous, Chris! Congrats on your win, you deserve it!


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 23, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Lily -
> 
> Thank you too for the sweet compliments!
> 
> ...



*"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Half Full again"*​
LOL!! OMG, you gave me the biggest belly laugh.  You know, maybe it is time for me to graduate up to more natural fibers. I'm notorious for getting a notion to do something, spending tons of money on materials and then losing interest. When I got started I stuck with sticky cheap stuff for fear I would lose interest or ruin the projects. I didn't want hundreds of dollars worth of tangled ruined cashmere on my conscience. I'm still thinking in that mentality and maybe it's time to take a few timid steps outside of the box. 

I'll get myself over to Windsor Button and check out the Rowan Cashsoft. Is it expensive?


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

LOL!!!! I think we should demoralize Lilly, by sending her some yummy natural yarn. What could be more wholesome. :batting:

Thanks for the compliments! :blush: I hope the sweater turns out right. Because of my gauge problems, I think I re-knit the back at least 3 times, maybe even 4. LOL! I'm getting a bit tired of it. I think I might throw it out the window if it turns out that it does not fit, or that it fits poorly, after all this!

I'm saving looking at the knitting website for after chores. Otherwise, nothing will get done.  Even now, I am desperately trying to throw my ass outdoors, so I can do some stuff before the freeze that's forcasted for tonight. I better get my butt out there. *sigh* Awww, and all these fleeces are beckoning.....organize me....organize me.....*double sigh*

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Quiviut huh? Did you sell a kidney to buy that?.....




Hahahaha! I know what you mean. I went to the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck this October, and I saw these tiny 1/2 oz skeins selling for something like $60-$80!!!! :shocked: I almost passed out. Then I touched them, and I was really shocked. They were much rougher to the touch than mine! But, that wasn't the most shocking event of the day. That came when I saw some quiviut/silk scarves and shawls for sale. They sold for around $600- $800!!!!! :shocked::shocked::shocked: I had the strongest desire to run home and call my insurance to get the darn thing on my policy. LOL!

My skein was comparatively cheap, since it's a 50/50 blend with merino, and I handspun it myself. I bought the fiber for $25 per 1/2 oz baggie. I bought 2 bags, and I still have enough left to make another scarf, or some small project. I don't know if it's the handspinning that made the difference, but my yarn is beyond buttery soft. Personally, I have never felt anything softer in my life, and I have cats!!! From the comments I got at the competition, the judges were also really impressed with the feeling of the yarn. They told me that they couldn't put it down, which was just a huge, unbelievable compliment. :blush::blush::blush:

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

Oh btw, here is the photographic proof of what I have to overcome in order to knit:

View attachment 31247


She's on my stomach, right in my face, to make it as difficult as possible to do any knitting. The least she could do is hold my instructions for me.  Of course, that's only one of them. There are 4 more, plus the dog. *sigh*

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

Get it at WEBS (www.yarn.com) -- you can get it at a 20% discount! 

It's expensive compared to hefty bags, LOL, but it is worth EVERY STITCH....it's luscious!
Great stitch definition and just a dream on the needles!

You're never gonna wanna finish that scarf you know :::evil enabler grin:::


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Hahahaha! I know what you mean. I went to the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck this October, and I saw these tiny 1/2 oz skeins selling for something like $60-$80!!!! :shocked: I almost passed out. Then I touched them, and I was really shocked. They were much rougher to the touch than mine! But, that wasn't the most shocking event of the day. That came when I saw some quiviut/silk scarves and shawls for sale. They sold for around $600- $800!!!!! :shocked::shocked::shocked: I had the strongest desire to run home and call my insurance to get the darn thing on my policy. LOL!
> 
> My skein was comparatively cheap, since it's a 50/50 blend with merino, and I handspun it myself. I bought the fiber for $25 per 1/2 oz baggie. I bought 2 bags, and I still have enough left to make another scarf, or some small project. I don't know if it's the handspinning that made the difference, but my yarn is beyond buttery soft. Personally, I have never felt anything softer in my life, and I have cats!!! From the comments I got at the competition, the judges were also really impressed with the feeling of the yarn. They told me that they couldn't put it down, which was just a huge, unbelievable compliment. :blush::blush::blush:
> 
> Chris



Wow, that's great!! Your spinning is lovely as is your knitting!

I personally DO NOT have the spinning gene! I have no desire to be mucking around carding some smelly, daggy fleece and the phrase "spinning in the grease" makes me throw up in my mouth a little every time I hear it....blargh!

Gimme plump, processed *clean* skeins of yarn and I'm good 

And please, call me Debi


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> LOL!!!! I think we should demoralize Lilly, by sending her some yummy natural yarn. What could be more wholesome. :batting:
> 
> 
> Chris



No, no, no...Ms. Lily needs to buy some of the big girl yarn herself!! She needs to experience the ecstasy of walking into a yarn shop and sniffing a fresh, beautiful new skein that she can't multitask for use as a potscrubber (homespun, lol!!)

She needs to get the *fever* herself!


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 23, 2007)

Half Full said:


> No, no, no...Ms. Lily needs to buy some of the big girl yarn herself!! She needs to experience the ecstasy of walking into a yarn shop and sniffing a fresh, beautiful new skein that she can't multitask for use as a potscrubber (homespun, lol!!)
> 
> She needs to get the *fever* herself!



I don't know about that Debi. I've been to plenty of yarn shops and mom & pop places and was enthralled with what I saw till I took a gander at the price tag. :shocked: If I were into it more than what I am, maybe I might think to invest more but right now I have too many irons in the fire to catch the fever in the yarn department. I reserve the right to re-examine the possibility later though once other things in my life settle down some.


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## pinuptami (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Oh btw, here is the photographic proof of what I have to overcome in order to knit:
> 
> View attachment 31247
> 
> ...



She looks like my little yarn thief, hah.


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

pinuptami said:


> She looks like my little yarn thief, hah.



Oh yeah, it's that whole cats/yarn thing. Somehow, they just go together (sometimes a little too much ). Oh, and they vastly preffer natural fibers. The more expensive, the better. LOL!

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> I don't know about that Debi. I've been to plenty of yarn shops and mom & pop places and was enthralled with what I saw till I took a gander at the price tag. :shocked: If I were into it more than what I am, maybe I might think to invest more but right now I have too many irons in the fire to catch the fever in the yarn department. I reserve the right to re-examine the possibility later though once other things in my life settle down some.



That's why I recommended WEBS(www.yarn.com ) great prices!! And believe me, I know knitting ISN'T cheap!! 

Some other really good online places are www.smileysyarns.com
and www.discountyarnsale.com and www.littleknits.com and www.theknitter.com and www.sonnyandshear.com ....those are all my favorite haunts for more cost effective knitting and many offer free shipping too!

Knit on!!


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Oh yeah, it's that whole cats/yarn thing. Somehow, they just go together (sometimes a little too much ). Oh, and they vastly preffer natural fibers. The more expensive, the better. LOL!
> 
> Chris



I have a picture on my blog of my cat Pumpkin, um..."falling in love" with a skein of cashmere!

Yeah, the cat's a yarn snob too


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## kr7 (Nov 23, 2007)

Half Full said:


> I have a picture on my blog of my cat Pumpkin, um..."falling in love" with a skein of cashmere!
> 
> Yeah, the cat's a yarn snob too



I'm intrigued. May we have a link? 

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> I'm intrigued. May we have a link?
> 
> Chris



Ask and you shall receive....

http://fluffyknitterdeb.blogspot.com/2006/02/secrets-socks-and-pumpkin-takes-lover.html

Maybe this should be on the Paysite Board? :shocked::shocked::shocked:


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## pinuptami (Nov 23, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Oh yeah, it's that whole cats/yarn thing. Somehow, they just go together (sometimes a little too much ). Oh, and they vastly preffer natural fibers. The more expensive, the better. LOL!
> 
> Chris



Oh don't I know it, she tore up a scarf I was making with Noro. Naught cat!


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## indy500tchr (Nov 24, 2007)

Can I just say I am sooo envious of all of your talents ladies! My sister started taking knitting classes a few months back and my grandmother used to knit all the time. I had so many sweaters and hats and mittens when I was a little kid from her. The only thing I have from her now is a throw she made for me for my 16th bday.


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## Half Full (Nov 24, 2007)

indy500tchr said:


> Can I just say I am sooo envious of all of your talents ladies! My sister started taking knitting classes a few months back and my grandmother used to knit all the time. I had so many sweaters and hats and mittens when I was a little kid from her. The only thing I have from her now is a throw she made for me for my 16th bday.



Don't envy us, join us!! No reason you can't learn too with so many resources available in books, on the Net, and possibly in person (not sure where you live?)

Knitting it *very* popular right now so it's a great time to take up the needles!

Go for it!


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## Tooz (Nov 24, 2007)

I wish I could knit like Lilly. :smitten:

... I wish I could knit, period.


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## kr7 (Nov 24, 2007)

As Debi (Half Full) said, don't just wish you could do it. Join us!  Sure, there is a learning curve, but it's very do-able. As I mentioned earlier, I taught myself with a bare-basics book, some super cheap yarn and a pair of no-frills needles. Thinking back, I do wish I would have treated myself to a nicer yarn, but when push comes to shove, it does not have to be expensive to start with. Once you learn the two basic stitches, you won't believe how very rewarding and relaxing it is. And if you ladies have any questions, one of us is surely going to be able to help. So, grab your sticks, ladies, and go to it! 

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 25, 2007)

Ladies, I am beyond excited! On Tuesday, I shall be making a trip to Massachusetts, to visit the WEBS wearhouse! :bounce: I have never been there, but I hear it is huge and full of yarn. Need I say more? I also hear that they have some unbelievable bargains.

I am letting my husband pick whatever he wants for a sweater I plan to knit for him. I think something in a cashmere/merino blend. Anyway, I can't wait!

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 25, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Ladies, I am beyond excited! On Tuesday, I shall be making a trip to Massachusetts, to visit the WEBS wearhouse! :bounce: I have never been there, but I hear it is huge and full of yarn. Need I say more? I also hear that they have some unbelievable bargains.
> 
> I am letting my husband pick whatever he wants for a sweater I plan to knit for him. I think something in a cashmere/merino blend. Anyway, I can't wait!
> 
> Chris



Get out of here! Where is this place? It's right here in MA? Great for you Chris!


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## kr7 (Nov 25, 2007)

WEBS  Americas Yarn Store
75 Service Center Road
Northampton, MA 01060

I think that's west-central MA. It's probably about 3 hrs away from me. I am soooo excited, and a little scared that I will just buy EVERYTHING I lay my eyes on.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 25, 2007)

kr7 said:


> WEBS  Americas Yarn Store
> 75 Service Center Road
> Northampton, MA 01060
> 
> ...



A while ago somebody was telling me about some kind of textile factory or something or other where you could go and get all kinds of marvelous yarn. I wonder if the place you speak of is one and the same? At this point I still dont feel confident enough in my skill to invest in fancier yarn. To this day I have successfully read and completed exactly 1 pattern. Most of the others I've seen are still Greek to me and attempts have resulted in a marled mess worthy of only being shown to a priest. Sinfully bad. I still have a few kinks to work out.

I do hope you plan on sharing what you've bought with us when you go. :bounce: Post pix plz!


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## Tooz (Nov 25, 2007)

*Gets out crochet needles* May not be knitting, but this thread is making me itch to try this again!


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 25, 2007)

I learned a littel about crochet when I was a preteen. I made a pot holder and that is about as far as I got with it. I recently made a baby blanket for my nephew and embelished it with a crochet border and roses I glimpsed in a book. 

Speaking of books, one of the easiest books to understand on how to knit I found at a Borders bookstore outlet for $5.99. It's a colorful spiral bound book called 'Kintting The Easy Way' by Terry Kimbrough which has the best illustrations I've seen thus far. I payed $5.99 but I see it's selling at Amazon for $19.98. I haven't had a chance to sit down and do anything with it but I believe if I'd found this book first I would have learned a lot more in a shorter length of time.


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## Sandie S-R (Nov 25, 2007)

Tooz said:


> *Gets out crochet needles* May not be knitting, but this thread is making me itch to try this again!



Hi Tooz...

Glad to see you jumping in. I love to crochet as well as knit. I've mostly crocheted afghans and christmas stockings, but it's fun to be able to knit and crochet. Be sure to post pics of your yarn and works (either in progressed or finished). W'd love to see what you are doing!

So glad to see this thread take off!


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## kr7 (Nov 25, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> ......At this point I still dont feel confident enough in my skill to invest in fancier yarn......



Actually, this is the reason I want to visit WEBS. They supposedly have unbelievable discounts on really fancy-shmancy yarns. Their closeout bins are supposedly legendary, especially when it comes to stuff they only have a few skeins of. So say you wanted to do a scarf in cashmere, you'd only need like a skein or two. So even if your project didn't turn out great (which I doubt), you'd only be out $4-$8, but if (more likely than not) you ended up with a finished scarf, you'd have a real cashmere scarf for only $4-$8!!! 

I saw some of the closeouts on their website, where a skein of cashmenre blend that retailed for something like (gasp) $14, was only $4!  Needles to say, I have great expectations for Tuesday. 




> ......I do hope you plan on sharing what you've bought with us when you go......



Oh honey, you will get the whole story with graphs and pie-charts. LOL!



Tooz said:


> *Gets out crochet needles* May not be knitting, but this thread is making me itch to try this again!



YAY!!!! :bounce: Pick up a copy of The Happy Hooker: http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Bitch-Crochet-Happy-Hooker/dp/0761139850/ref=cm_lmf_img_3_rsrsrs0. It's a ton of fun! You'll love it!



LillyBBBW said:


> .....Speaking of books, one of the easiest books to understand on how to knit I found at a Borders bookstore outlet for $5.99. It's a colorful spiral bound book called 'Kintting The Easy Way' by Terry Kimbrough.....



I also like The Knitter's Companion by Vicki Square: http://www.amazon.com/Knitters-Companion-Expanded-Updated/dp/1596680016/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196016573&sr=1-1. It's very pared down, basic book that simply defines the stitches (how they are made). It has decent drawings, that I think are particularly helpful if you know just the basics of knitting and nothing more. I was able to do all of my projects by looking up stitches in this guide.

Another really good one is Stitch and Bitch by Debbie Stoller (author of The Happy Hooker mentioned above): http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-N-Bitch-Knitters-Handbook/dp/0761128182/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196016235&sr=8-1. It's aimed at a more "hip" market, but the greatest thing about it is that it has extremely clearly written instructions. I think this is a great book for absolute beginners. And, it's a really fun book.

Lilly, don't be intimidated by more complex projects. I have never done lace, before I knit my lace scarf, and when I looked at the instructions it was all Mandarin Chinese to me, until I actually started knitting it. All I did is to look up the different stitches that were new to me as I came to them (which was like all of them except for knit and purl! LOL!). Seriously, I would read a row of instructions like: k4, p4, yo. So, I'd knit 4, purl 4, then have to look up "yo", cause I had no clue what it meant. But after a few rows, there would be no more new things to look up, and I'd just follow the rest of instructions.

Now, I'm in the same boat with cables. I'm making that cabled scarf for my dad, and I have never done any cables before. I tought it would be sooo difficult, but again, after a few rows, I know all the new stitches.  So, don't be afraid. It always seems much more complicated if you're just reading the directions. Once you start knitting, things fall into place.

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 25, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> Get out of here! Where is this place? It's right here in MA? Great for you Chris!



Yes silly, it's in the great state of Massachusetts, why do you think I recommended it? I think WEBS was my first online purchase 5 years ago when I started knitting again. Steve (the owner) is wonderful!! And even if you can't make it to WEBS in person, they have a great online discount program of up to 25% off on ALL YARN!

GREAT NEWS CHRIS!!! I hear it's totally overwhelming but an amazing experience! Better wear gloves, your Visa might be red hot!


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## Half Full (Nov 25, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> I learned a littel about crochet when I was a preteen. I made a pot holder and that is about as far as I got with it. I recently made a baby blanket for my nephew and embelished it with a crochet border and roses I glimpsed in a book.
> 
> Speaking of books, one of the easiest books to understand on how to knit I found at a Borders bookstore outlet for $5.99. It's a colorful spiral bound book called 'Kintting The Easy Way' by Terry Kimbrough which has the best illustrations I've seen thus far. I payed $5.99 but I see it's selling at Amazon for $19.98. I haven't had a chance to sit down and do anything with it but I believe if I'd found this book first I would have learned a lot more in a shorter length of time.



Knitting for Dummies by Pam Allen is a great learn to knit book too....it's written in the same vein as all the other "for dummies" books so it's very user friendly!

Pam Allen is currently the creative director for Crystal Palace Yarns and was the Editor of Interweave Knits Magazine for years so she knows her craft and conveys it very well!


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## kr7 (Nov 25, 2007)

Sandie S-R said:


> .....So glad to see this thread take off!



Me too!!! 

Post pix of your crocheted stuff, as well, Sandie. BTW, love your avatar, oh Fairy GodMod. 

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 25, 2007)

Actually, there are only TWO stitches in knitting, KNITS and PURLS. Once you master those, you can do ANYTHING because what you make is simply a matter of how you *configure* thise knits and purls.....want a cable? Use a cable needle to manipulate one stitch behind another (and then graduate to cabling without a cable needle ) Want some knitted lace? Wrap your yarn around the needle before or after a knit or purl stitch-voila, you have lace! Want ribbing or other fancy stitches? Just combine knits next to purls and fancy stitches are yours!

And the one of the nicest things about knitting is how forgiving it is! If you mess it up, you simply rip it out and start over! Now how many things can you say that about? 

BTW, crochet ROCKS too! I am much more a knitter than a crocheter but I do the single needle thang every once in a while too! Here's a throw I finished in the spring....


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## kr7 (Nov 25, 2007)

Half Full said:


> ......GREAT NEWS CHRIS!!! I hear it's totally overwhelming but an amazing experience! Better wear gloves, your Visa might be red hot!



All I know is that tomorrow will be the longest day ever! I'm not going to even mention the night. I probably won't get any sleep! LOL!

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 25, 2007)

Half Full said:


> .....Here's a throw I finished in the spring....



It's so pretty. I absolutely love the colors! I remember seeing this on your blog, cause I spent a big chunk of last night drooling over all of your projects you have on there.  Your cat is adorable, BTW. I just want to smush his little cheeks, and pet his tiny squashed nose. :wubu:

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 25, 2007)

kr7 said:


> All I know is that tomorrow will be the longest day ever! I'm not going to even mention the night. I probably won't get any sleep! LOL!
> 
> Chris



I am so excited for you Chris!! I can't wait to see what goodies you come home with!!


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## Half Full (Nov 25, 2007)

kr7 said:


> It's so pretty. I absolutely love the colors! I remember seeing this on your blog, cause I spent a big chunk of last night drooling over all of your projects you have on there.  Your cat is adorable, BTW. I just want to smush his little cheeks, and pet his tiny squashed nose. :wubu:
> 
> Chris


 
Thanks for the crochet love! Next time you visit my blog, leave a COMMENT so I know you've visited!

I really enjoyed crocheting this throw and I love, love, love the yarn...it's Knitpicks Shine, one of my favorites! A shiny, machine washable cotton/modal blend that's as soft as an old, well-loved T-shirt!

Hey, that reminds me- two other GREAT online resources are www.elann.com and www.knitpicks.com. Both have their own line of discount yarns so *Lily*, you can find some natural yarns at *very low prices!*

I also *must* add that while I am only partial to a very few of Knitpicks yarns (I already admitted I'm a total yarn snob!) I have to SHOUT the praises of their new needle line! 

I am an addi turbo lover (and addi natura, their bamboo line) but those needles are *super spendy!!* Knitpicks just came out with a line of *very* inexpensive yet *very* nice circular needles. Thier metal circs come in both fixed and interchangeable and are as slick as addi but pointier and with softer, more flexible cables at *less than half the price of addi!!* They have a really new hardwood line too that I'm hearing raves about but haven't tried yet myself. I have the fixed needles cause I have so many circs my needs are covered but for newish knitters just starting to collect the needle tools of the craft, these interchangeable sets are a godsend!

Knitpicks makes equally nice metal and wood double points but I don't think anyone here has caught the sock knitting bug yet 
And truth be told, I pretty much knit all my socks on one long circular now, using the Magic Loop method. ( I couldn't post the vid itself but here's a link to the vid on youtube - www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtBSmxGomPk )

I forgot to add, thanks for the Pumpkin love, he's my good boy!!


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## kr7 (Nov 25, 2007)

Half Full said:


> ....that reminds me- two other GREAT online resources are www.elann.com and www.knitpicks.com.....



I second knitpicks.com. Good yarn at really decent prices. Not too fancy, but pretty decent.



> ...I am an addi turbo lover (and addi natura, their bamboo line) but those needles are *super spendy!!* Knitpicks just came out with a line of *very* inexpensive yet *very* nice circular needles. Thier metal circs come in both fixed and interchangeable and are as slick as addi but pointier and with softer, more flexible cables at *less than half the price of addi!!* They have a really new hardwood line too....



Personally, I can't warm up to addi turbo or any other polished metal needles. I just feel like I loose control of the whole project. Now wood, on the other hand, is my LOVE. Currently, all my needles are wood. I love the feel, the look, and the control. I am mixing up the brands as I acquire them, so that I have all different kinds. Instead of keeping them in a needle case, I keep them displayed in an redware jar, with their assorted finials pointing up like a buquet of funky flowers. I love the look.

And speaking of wooden needles. I found these beuties on: http://www.booksyarnmore.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BYAM&Category_Code=1c-knittn:

View attachment 31341


View attachment 31342


View attachment 31343


I am lusting after these like you would not believe!



> ....thanks for the Pumpkin love, he's my good boy!!



That cat is so adorable! He's turning me into a drooling idiot. I am such a pushover! 

Chris


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## persimmon (Nov 25, 2007)

For those who, like me, tend towards small projects and have more time and enthusiasm than skill, the unravelry of thrift-store sweaters is a fantastic source of yarn. I may have spent $60 on yarn this morning, but it's in the form of ten adult-size sweaters. Yarr!

I made some fingerless mitts for my co-worker who's always whinging about being cold, an entrelac scarf for the husband, and I'm working on pieces for a needle case now--they'll be felted to death before assembly. And I'm halfway though the binary scarf for my brother, but it's...resting. I need to come up with some good text to convert to ASCII for the second half.

p


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## Half Full (Nov 25, 2007)

Chris - your needles are gorgeous!! I love beautiful wood!!

You should check out the Knitpicks Harmony circs, they are colored wood and very pretty. 

Altho your straights are beautiful, I won't use straights anymore!! I want my wrists to keep me knitting til I'm ancient and straights are much harder on your wrists than circs beacuse with circs, the weight is distributed more evenly! Maybe your straights can be eye candy and you can check out the Harmony circs for *business*?

I have 4 amazingly beautiful, hand turned exotic wood darning eggs that I use for grafting my sock toes so I know the siren song of beautiful wood...I mean who needs FOUR darning eggs??  Actually, the truth is 2 of them were gifts from the artist to "thank me" for all the business he's gotten from being linked on my blog!! You can check out Phil's amazing stuff here: http://www.west.net/~harley/wood/index.htm

Now watch out cause if the last Pumpkin pic turned you to mush, this one's gonna kill ya!


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## Half Full (Nov 25, 2007)

Yes, I've heard some real finds can be had at the thrift store! It's a great source of luxe yarn on a serious budget!


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## cherylharrell (Nov 26, 2007)

Ya'll are reminding me I am so far behind in my crocheting. And decorating for Christmas doesn't help. I would love to learn how to knit but it is so confusing...


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## kr7 (Nov 26, 2007)

So, my husband decided that he wants a tennis sweater. Really retro. Really classic. Really cricket club. I don't have any patterns for men's sweaters, but I think I can wing it without a pattern, BUT....I don't know how much yarn I will need, and I want to pick up the yarn for it tomorrow at WEBS! Whaaaaaaa!



Crap! Does anyone know how to guestimate this? I'm thinking sport weight or DK.

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 26, 2007)

What size is your husband? 

If you're planning cables, cables EAT yarn!! I think you'd be much better off finding a pattern while you're at WEBS cause if you're "just winging it" you could come up very short!

Depending on your husband's size and if you want cables or not I would say you need at least 2000 yards.


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## kr7 (Nov 26, 2007)

Half Full said:


> What size is your husband?
> 
> If you're planning cables, cables EAT yarn!! I think you'd be much better off finding a pattern while you're at WEBS cause if you're "just winging it" you could come up very short!
> 
> Depending on your husband's size and if you want cables or not I would say you need at least 2000 yards.



He's 47" in the chest. That's his widest part. He tapers down from there. And yes, he wants cables. Damn. I think DK, at this point. Damn. Damn. Damn. *paces around room* Oh, hey! Maybe I can download the sweater wizard software!

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 26, 2007)

I did the sweater wizard thing, and it told me 1700 yds without cables. So, I think your suggestion was very "on the money", Debi. I think the 20% extra will be enough. Lets hope.

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 27, 2007)

kr7 said:


> I did the sweater wizard thing, and it told me 1700 yds without cables. So, I think your suggestion was very "on the money", Debi. I think the 20% extra will be enough. Lets hope.
> 
> Chris



I still suggest you pick out a pattern similar to what he's looking for...even if you do your own design, at least you'll have an idea of how much yarn any sweater in his size with all over cables takes!

Then I would buy at least 2 more skeins than you think you need 

You can always use the leftovers for mittens, a hat, wristers even if you have to overdye it...better safe than sorry!!

You must be so excited!!


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## Fascinita (Nov 27, 2007)

Your creations are so cute. I'd wear most everything I've seen posted here as pics. I only wish I had the patience to knit. Nice work.


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 27, 2007)

Half Full said:


> <snipped>.....Hey, that reminds me- two other GREAT online resources are www.elann.com and www.knitpicks.com. Both have their own line of discount yarns so *Lily*, you can find some natural yarns at *very low prices!*....<snipped>



Debi, thanks for turning me on to elann. I've had a notion to try a few things but I couldn't find the materials. They were all there at elann and the prices were fantastic. I've got some stuff on order. I'm really nervous about messing it all up. :blink: As they say, you'll never get there if you don't start walking so here goes. Thanks!

One more honorable mention for knitting and crochet books. Before you make that purchase at Amazon take a look at Overstock.com. I've found some of the highly acclaimed books recommended on Amazon are being offered at Overstock for less including some of the books mentioned in this thread, and the shipping is only $2.85 on all orders no matter how large. It could save you a few coins, all the more money left over to encourage getting rediculous with your notions and materials.


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## Cat (Nov 27, 2007)

OH my gosh! You all do such beautiful work!! Thanks for the inspriring looks into your craft!


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## Half Full (Nov 27, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> Debi, thanks for turning me on to elann. I've had a notion to try a few things but I couldn't find the materials. They were all there at elann and the prices were fantastic. I've got some stuff on order. I'm really nervous about messing it all up. :blink: As they say, you'll never get there if you don't start walking so here goes. Thanks!
> 
> One more honorable mention for knitting and crochet books. Before you make that purchase at Amazon take a look at Overstock.com. I've found some of the highly acclaimed books recommended on Amazon are being offered at Overstock for less including some of the books mentioned in this thread, and the shipping is only $2.85 on all orders no matter how large. It could save you a few coins, all the more money left over to encourage getting rediculous with your notions and materials.



I'm so happy you like Elann! I can't wait to see what you got and I am always here to help you if you need it!! I have faith you'll do fine tho  

Like I said, knitting isn't cheap but there are some wonderful resources available to make the craft more economical!! Just a small caveat...since you can't touch the yarn, you need to be aware there are some "low lying fruits" hanging from some discount yarn store trees!  There are resources where you can read a review of different yarns like www.wiseneedle.com and www.yarndex.com before you buy.

I speak from experience - since I have no local yarn store, I had some real doozies in my stash that looked lovely on my monitor and looked like dreck in person so yarn reviews can be invaluable!

Unfortunately, the public's *perception* of handknits is still that it's cheaper and a way to save money...um hello, a simple tank I just made for a fluffy friend cost me close to $100!! So NO ONE gets my hand knits if they don't recognize the worth and appreciate my skill! 

A knitting friend told me a funny story....she was sitting in her Volvo service area waiting on an oil change and knitting away on some socks...A middle aged guy was stealing furtive glances the whole time and finally he was blatantly staring. She meets his eye and he asks what she's doing and she replies "I'm knitting a sock" and he answers "why? are you poor?"  

It costs me, on average $20 to knit a pair of socks and yes I know I can buy 100 socks for $20 at WalMart but there is NOTHING like hand knit socks!


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 27, 2007)

I saw some patterns I wanted to try which required specific types of yarn. One was definitley an Elann brand but the other I couldn't find anyplce. It's a stretchy cotton/acrylic blend and I *think* I've found a close match but I won't be sure till it gets here. The other items were suede soles for a pair of slippers I've wanted to make.

I've just discovered that possibly one of the reasons most of my attempts at patterns have had some issues is because I knit backwards. I use the continental method AND I knit from the back, purl from the front. Many people have watched me knit and tilted their heads trying to figure out what I was doing. They told me that I was doing something a little off but no one could specify. I didn't care though, for me the bottom line was results. I tried to knit the correct way today and I'm not comfortable doing it that way at all. Saps the fun right out of it and slows me down considerably.




Half Full said:


> I'm so happy you like Elann! I can't wait to see what you got and I am always here to help you if you need it!! I have faith you'll do fine tho
> 
> Like I said, knitting isn't cheap but there are some wonderful resources available to make the craft more economical!! Just a small caveat...since you can't touch the yarn, you need to be aware there are some "low lying fruits" hanging from some discount yarn store trees!  There are resources where you can read a review of different yarns like www.wiseneedle.com and www.yarndex.com before you buy.
> 
> ...


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## kr7 (Nov 27, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> .......I've just discovered that possibly one of the reasons most of my attempts at patterns have had some issues is because I knit backwards. I use the continental method AND I knit from the back, purl from the front.......



Lilly, I think I might know what is happening here. I knit in the continental style (also called German), and trust me, this does not mess up your ability to reproduce patterns. Just to make sure we're on the same page: do you wrap your yarn, with this big, fancy movement involving your whole arm? If yes, you knit in the English style. If not, if all you do is a small movement to catch the yarn with the tip of the needle - you're doing continental style.

Now, if your style is continental, and you have problems, from what you are describing it sounds as though you are twisting your knit stitch. If you poke your needle into the back of the stitch (which I also used to do, bcs it feels so damn comfortable), on the side of your left needle facing away from you, that's actually not a regular k stich. It's called knitting in the back loop, and it's abbreviated kb (usually), and it gives your stockinette a kind of rougher appearance. It will mess up the appearance of certain patterns, as well.

The regular knit stitch is made by poking your needle into the loop from the left side of the stitch, from the front of your left needle (the side facing you). It does not feel as good as the kb, but once you practice it, it is just as easy and fast.  

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> I saw some patterns I wanted to try which required specific types of yarn. One was definitley an Elann brand but the other I couldn't find anyplce. It's a stretchy cotton/acrylic blend and I *think* I've found a close match but I won't be sure till it gets here. The other items were suede soles for a pair of slippers I've wanted to make.
> 
> I've just discovered that possibly one of the reasons most of my attempts at patterns have had some issues is because I knit backwards. I use the continental method AND I knit from the back, purl from the front. Many people have watched me knit and tilted their heads trying to figure out what I was doing. They told me that I was doing something a little off but no one could specify. I didn't care though, for me the bottom line was results. I tried to knit the correct way today and I'm not comfortable doing it that way at all. Saps the fun right out of it and slows me down considerably.



What is the yarn you were looking for? Perhaps it's been discontinued - subbing yarn is no big deal as long as you consider gauge and drape. I sub 99% of the time cause either the yarn is far too spendy, or it's fugly 

I noticed when you posted the close up of your hat that you are twisting your stitches. It doesn't *look* bad but it can cause problems when it comes to following a pattern. It also affects ribbing a lot because knitting thru the back loop as Chris described is A LOT less elastic than regular ribbing which can leave you with limp, shapeless collars, cuffs and bands.

I too knit "continental" I keep the tension with my left hand and "pick" the yarn up and wrap it to form a stitch. When knitting English, you "throw" your yarn with your right hand around your needle to form your stitch.

Think of the stitch this way ....it looks like a V that has a right "leg" and a left "leg". When seated on your needles, the right leg should be up front with the left leg behind the needle. When you make a knit stitch, with the yarn in back you come from the front, thru the right leg to the back then wrap your yarn counter clockwise around the needle and pull it thru your stitch.

To purl, again the right leg is in front, left leg behind the needle. With the yarn in front you put your needle into the right leg from back to front, wrap your yarn counter clockwise and pull it thru the stitch.

The bottom line is if you knit with your feet while standing on your head eating a chocolate covered avocado, as long as *YOU* like the finished product, there is no right or wrong way.

I finished my cabled sock and while it dries I'm knitting myself some slippers too  Great knitters think alike!

PS - there are a TON of videos of knitting available online if you want to see someone "in action". Google Knitting Help for a great resource and also YouTube has a ton too!


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 28, 2007)

You and Debi hit the nail on the head. All this time I've been knitting in the back loop and never knew anything else, the perils of being self taught from a 3"x5" pamphlet in small print. I figured it out from watching some demonstration videos on youtube. I won't change from continental as my main mode but I'm going to try to correct my method otherwise. One of the problems I have is that I make my stitches way too tight which makes it difficult to get my needle in. I have to start all over. It's just going to take some practice but I may keep the back loop stitch as an option if I ever want to whip something up quick. Another concern I have is that continental may hamper my ability to incorperate other colors in my knitting. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. 

As for my knitting projects, one of them requires 3-4 balls of Elann Esprit and the slippers call for one skein of Rowan Calmer. I can.not bring myself to pay close to $20 for 1 skein of Calmer + shipping. I did find the suede soles though so I took a chance and got them anticipating that at some point I'll find the slipper yarn at Windsor Button. I may wander over to WB today on my lunch break. 





kr7 said:


> Lilly, I think I might know what is happening here. I knit in the continental style (also called German), and trust me, this does not mess up your ability to reproduce patterns. Just to make sure we're on the same page: do you wrap your yarn, with this big, fancy movement involving your whole arm? If yes, you knit in the English style. If not, if all you do is a small movement to catch the yarn with the tip of the needle - you're doing continental style.
> 
> Now, if your style is continental, and you have problems, from what you are describing it sounds as though you are twisting your knit stitch. If you poke your needle into the back of the stitch (which I also used to do, bcs it feels so damn comfortable), on the side of your left needle facing away from you, that's actually not a regular k stich. It's called knitting in the back loop, and it's abbreviated kb (usually), and it gives your stockinette a kind of rougher appearance. It will mess up the appearance of certain patterns, as well.
> 
> ...


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> .....All this time I've been knitting in the back loop and never knew anything else, the perils of being self taught from a 3"x5" pamphlet in small print.......



OMG, you and I are such knitting-twins!!! LOL! That's exactly what happened to me. It took me years to figure out that I was doing that. 



> .....Another concern I have is that continental may hamper my ability to incorperate other colors in my knitting. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it....



I do color work all the time. The continental method does not hamper me, in the least! I have done fairisle. I just taught myself intarsia. I even did double knit. I think that probably covers all the techniques you would ever come across, and I had no problems. 

I'm getting a feeling that you might think that continental is an odd or a rare method. So, I just wanted to tell you that it's actually very common. I think most people, in fact, knit continental. You're not doing anything that will require you to jump through hoops, just because you knit in this style. It is not any more difficult than English.



> .......I can.not bring myself to pay close to $20 for 1 skein of Calmer + shipping.......



Awww, I just saw a bunch of Calmer at WEBS. It was like $12. They also have a policy, that if you buy $100 worth of non-closeout yarn, you get 20% off!!! That place is insane. I will write more about it after school 

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 28, 2007)

kr7 said:


> <snipped>...... I'm getting a feeling that you might think that continental is an odd or a rare method. So, I just wanted to tell you that it's actually very common. I think most people, in fact, knit continental. You're not doing anything that will require you to jump through hoops, just because you knit in this style. It is not any more difficult than English.....<snipped>



It's not so much that I think continental is odd. I was observing someone knitting with two colors interchangeable and she had one strand in one hand and the other in her right hand. In talking with her she made it seem as though for switching colors there was no other way to do it which made my hands and my brain ache just thinking about it. Now that I think about it, it seems holding two or even three different yarns in my right hand is doable so it's possible I've been worrying over nothing. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened.


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> It's not so much that I think continental is odd. I was observing someone knitting with two colors interchangeable and she had one strand in one hand and the other in her right hand. In talking with her she made it seem as though for switching colors there was no other way to do it which made my hands and my brain ache just thinking about it. Now that I think about it, it seems holding two or even three different yarns in my right hand is doable so it's possible I've been worrying over nothing. Wouldn't be the first time that has happened.



Oh absolutely. You can hold all the color strands with just one hand. I do it all the time. I keep my skeins resting in my lap, and I either hold all color strands in my left hand, or I hold just the one I am knitting with at the time, while letting the others just hang there.

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

Alrighty! So, here is my WEBS trip story. It took us like three and a half hours to get there. When I first walked through the door, it was almost disappoiniting. I mean it looked like a regular size yarn shop. Oh, I don't know....maybe the size of an average McDonalds restaurant dining room. I mean, not small, but not what you would expect. But then, you realize that there is this doorway in the back wall that leads to this area that's at least twice as big as the shop, which is filled with rows of 7 foot high shelves, stuffed with CLOSEOUTS! 

The shop itself is pretty well stocked. I would say that they carry more than an average shop. To me, it was a bit disorganized, but it could just be me. I always have problems shopping in places that are not highly ordered. I just feel overwhelmed.

This place is definitely no frills, as far as, decor, ambiance, etc. It's just a bunch of shelves, some wire bins, fluorescent lights, and LOTS of yarn. I would say that the light did bother me some, because it was hard to tell the true shades of the yarn colors. I am very anal about color, though.

I arrived with a very definite idea of what I wanted. First, I wanted yarn for my husband's tennis sweater. I knew that I wanted a certain blend of natural fiber. I even had a few potential brands picked out. Second, I wanted some Cotton Fleece by Brown Sheep Co. and a specific pattern from Nashua to make in that yarn. Lastly, I wanted some Rowan Felted Tweed for a cardigan that I have a pattern for.

All I can say, that I have no idea what happened, but when I got there all my plans went out the window. It turned out that I hated the colors of the Cotton Fleece, so I just didn't bother with it. The Rowan yarn was very itchy on my skin, so I decided to find a substitute.

In the meantime, I was trying to get the yarn for the tennis sweater, but since I have no pattern for it, I had to find some similar pattern to get an idea of the yardage. Luckily, I found a Debbie Bliss book that had one. They even had the exact yarn in the store that was used in the book, but needless to say, it was just not expensive enough....er....I mean nice enough for us , so we had to find a substitute. That took a long time, especially since we wanted to check through all the closeouts.

By the time we got the sweater yarn, I still haven't found anything to substitute for the Rowan Tweed, and that was an hour and a half after we got there. I finally just gave up. I decided that I had so many projects going on that it would just sit there forever anyway. So, I checked out with the Debbie Bliss book and 36 natural color, 25 gram skeins of CashSilk by Laines du Nord, and two 50 gram Cashmerino skeins by Debbie Bliss in navy.

Ladies, let me tell you, when they rang up my purchases, and gave me my total, I almost passed out. It came to $206.14!!!!! I don't know why, but although I was totally aware of how expensive all these things were, somehow I just didn't expect them to add up to so much. I am still in complete shock over this!

So, how exactly did this total break down? Well, Cashmerino (55% merino, 33% microfiber, 12% cashmere) was $8.50 per skein, but with a 25% discount, which I received, it was About $6.40 per skein. The book was $19.95. The CashSilk (50% extra-fine merino, 25% silk, 25% cashmere) was $4.79 per skein, about 50% off on closeout (if you can believe it).

It was a great trip, all in all. I mean, I would normally probably never ever spend that much on yarn for a sweater, but this is a combined Christmas gift for both me and my husband. I get to play with the yarn, and he gets the sweater he wanted. So, as a rare treat, it was worth it. I learned that I probably shouldn't buy yarn over the internet or mail, since judging from the two yarns I thought I would really like and ended up hating in person, it's too risky. I guess I really need to see the colors and feel the yarn in person.

As far as going to WEBS again.....since it is very far for me, I would say that the next time I go would be if I have something very luxurious in mind (like this tennis sweater), that will require expensive yarn, that I will know they have at a discount. I will definitely be better prepared, though, having picked a pattern ahead of time, and having decided on possible yarn, and several possible substitutions in case I have problems once seeing the yarn in person. I also think that it probably isn't worth the trip unless you need at least $100 worth of yarn, since their volume discount on non-closeout yarn starts at a purchase of $100, at which time you receive a 20% discount.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 28, 2007)

Wow. Thanks for the review Chris. At this point I don't know enough about yarn to go poking around, plus I'm not very extravagant unless you're talking colors. I went to Winsdor Button shop today and spent an hour grazing, touching and looking at all the yarns. Just to show how ignorant I am, after a while of staring at wall cubby after wall cubby of different yarns they all began to look the same to me. I didn't end up buying anything at all since they didn't have the yarn I was looking for anyway. Grrr  They never even heard of it. That means if I really want to make those slippers, and I do, I have to order the Calmer online. Both WEBS and Jimmy Beans sell it for the same price but Jimmy charges less for shipping so I went with them. I bought two skeins in Garnet. 

Ruby slippers! Must.... have.... <evil cackle>


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> .......after a while of staring at wall cubby after wall cubby of different yarns they all began to look the same to me....



I know what you mean. That's exactly how I felt yesterday. I think it depends on what kind of yarn shopper you are. There are people who go into the store, and they just feed off of the different textures and/or colors. They get their yarn, then match patterns to them.

Then there are people like me, that have a specific pattern or project in mind that they want a specific yarn for, so it's almost too overwhelming or superfluous to walk into a store full of yarns, except to make sure it feels nice, and the color is right. 

Chris


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## supersoup (Nov 28, 2007)

<---- jealous of all you knitting mavens.


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> You and Debi hit the nail on the head. All this time I've been knitting in the back loop and never knew anything else, the perils of being self taught from a 3"x5" pamphlet in small print. I figured it out from watching some demonstration videos on youtube. I won't change from continental as my main mode but I'm going to try to correct my method otherwise. One of the problems I have is that I make my stitches way too tight which makes it difficult to get my needle in. I have to start all over. It's just going to take some practice but I may keep the back loop stitch as an option if I ever want to whip something up quick. Another concern I have is that continental may hamper my ability to incorperate other colors in my knitting. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.
> 
> As for my knitting projects, one of them requires 3-4 balls of Elann Esprit and the slippers call for one skein of Rowan Calmer. I can.not bring myself to pay close to $20 for 1 skein of Calmer + shipping. I did find the suede soles though so I took a chance and got them anticipating that at some point I'll find the slipper yarn at Windsor Button. I may wander over to WB today on my lunch break.


Unfortunately there is no sub for Calmer, it's a very unique yarn! I'll bet you can find an odd skein on sale sometime soon because it's very definately a summer yarn and the shops will put the leftover oddments on sale! 

And BTW, it should be *easier* to add color once you stop twisting your stitches plus your stitches will loosen up!

Lastly, once you start working with natural fiber, your tension and stitches should loosen too because natural fiber has elasticity and memory where acrylic doesn't.

I've heard great things about Windsor Button plus there are lots of yarn stores in your area....lucky!!


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

kr7 said:


> OMG, you and I are such knitting-twins!!! LOL! That's exactly what happened to me. It took me years to figure out that I was doing that.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Actually at WEBS if you buy more than $60 worth of what they call "discountable" yarn (meaning it hasn't already been discounted) you get 20% off too! It's 25% for over $100.


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Oh absolutely. You can hold all the color strands with just one hand. I do it all the time. I keep my skeins resting in my lap, and I either hold all color strands in my left hand, or I hold just the one I am knitting with at the time, while letting the others just hang there.
> 
> Chris


It's a personal preference Lily. Some do colorwork or stranding with one hand, some with 2...there's even a little gadget you can put on your finger that has seperate compartmants for each color of yarn and automatically strands it for you!


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Alrighty! So, here is my WEBS trip story. It took us like three and a half hours to get there. When I first walked through the door, it was almost disappoiniting. I mean it looked like a regular size yarn shop. Oh, I don't know....maybe the size of an average McDonalds restaurant dining room. I mean, not small, but not what you would expect. But then, you realize that there is this doorway in the back wall that leads to this area that's at least twice as big as the shop, which is filled with rows of 7 foot high shelves, stuffed with CLOSEOUTS!
> 
> The shop itself is pretty well stocked. I would say that they carry more than an average shop. To me, it was a bit disorganized, but it could just be me. I always have problems shopping in places that are not highly ordered. I just feel overwhelmed.
> 
> ...



I'm not surprised at your total, knitting can be VERY expensive!! But it sounds like you had a good time and got to see stuff you haven't seen before. 

The Felted Tweed knits beautifully but it has alpaca in it and I am VERY allergic to alpaca!!

As I posted earlier, the WEBS discount on line starts at over $60 and is for 20%...25% if over $100!

So now Chris, SHOW ME THE GOODS!!!


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

Don't be jealous, join us!! And I'll gladly be your mentor, I've always wanted an apprentice


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

Chris, you said you wanted eye candy....

Here are my finished cabled socks, I'm so happy with how they came out!


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

Half Full said:


> I'm not surprised at your total, knitting can be VERY expensive!! But it sounds like you had a good time and got to see stuff you haven't seen before.
> 
> The Felted Tweed knits beautifully but it has alpaca in it and I am VERY allergic to alpaca!!
> 
> ...



I think the reason I was a little taken aback by the $$$, is that up until now, all the "luxury" yarn I used, I spun myself, and no matter how you slice it, it just comes out a heck of a lot cheaper to make it yourself. I mean: my whole Moorit Merino fleece was about $70. That's like at least 5 lbs of super-fine merino!!! I have a pound of cashmere that cost me $30! I once even got a free small bag of quiviut/silk fiber, when I bought a second-hand carder. Of course, the caveat is that you have to invest the time to spin it yourself.

The Tweed yarn was very pretty, but no way would I want to wear anything made out of that. I actually have several bags of alpaca fiber for spinning and it is buttery soft. Almost like cashmere. I wonder if the reason you have reactions to alpaca is because you have only come across rougher quality fiber. Do you think that might be a possibility, or have you had the same problems with the softer kinds, as well?

I can take a pix of the yarn, but I gotta warn ya....it's not the look that is exciting. It's the touch. It's pretty tame to look at, in fact. Just some off-white, untextured yarn, and couple skeins of navy. But the touch....oh, it's heaven! 

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Don't be jealous, join us!! And I'll gladly be your mentor, I've always wanted an apprentice



Ha! You can start with me, Debi! I want to know all your tricks and secrets for making everything so immaculate. I swear to God, your stuff looks as though you just lifted some pix from yarn companies' websites. Allright missy, from now on I want proof that you're actually doing all this work.  I wanna see pix of you working on the projects, and of you with the finished project, holding your picture driver licence for identification purposes. 



Half Full said:


> Chris, you said you wanted eye candy....
> 
> Here are my finished cabled socks, I'm so happy with how they came out!



As you should be! Once again, they are immaculate! *goes off to burn her own inadequate projects*

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

kr7 said:


> I wonder if the reason you have reactions to alpaca is because you have only come across rougher quality fiber. Do you think that might be a possibility, or have you had the same problems with the softer kinds, as well?



No sadly, it's all the alpaca I've ever touched....i start to itch all over, get hives and my nose closes up immediately! Alpaca = bad!



kr7 said:


> I can take a pix of the yarn, but I gotta warn ya....it's not the look that is exciting. It's the touch. It's pretty tame to look at, in fact. Just some off-white, untextured yarn, and couple skeins of navy. But the touch....oh, it's heaven!
> 
> Chris



Hunny yarn, pr0n is yarn pr0n!:shocked::shocked::shocked:

I don't really have tips and tricks, I'm just an anal retentive Virgo 
I do read about knitting A LOT and visit blogs/websites/videos that can teach me something. Plus I feel it's important to have the best accouterments you can afford to make your knitting experience the best it can be....like the blocking board you see under my socks, or the sock blockers, or great needles and yarns....but I swear, *I* am doing all the knitting you see!  

So...have you learned to cable without a cable needle yet?


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

Half Full said:


> ....I don't really have tips and tricks, I'm just an anal retentive Virgo ....



Hey, I'm an anal Virgo, yet somehow this doesn't seem to help.



> ...I swear, *I* am doing all the knitting you see!  ...



I still want pictorial proof, and don't forget the driver licence. 



> ...So...have you learned to cable without a cable needle yet?



No. I want to, but...you know...it's been like a week since I learned to do cables, period. So, I'm just glad I can do cables at all. But hey, if say...you wanted to "share" some of your expertise, who am I to try and stop you. 

I will post pix tomorrow, bcs among things I am incredibly anal about, light used for photography is one (just ask Jes). I don't like the way photographed objects, or people look when flash or artificial light is used, so I have to wait till I have daylight. Oh yes. I have driven some people crazy with this.

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Hey, I'm an anal Virgo, yet somehow this doesn't seem to help.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Unfortunately, here in Florida if I had to wait for good daylight I would never take a pic from June to December! It was cloudy and nasty today when I took the sock pic. 

If you google "cabling without a cable needle" you'll find some good videos...my two favs are here: 

Wendy Knits

and here:

Knitting Help scroll down a bit.

Once you learn it's an absolute ephiphany!


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Unfortunately, here in Florida if I had to wait for good daylight I would never take a pic from June to December! It was cloudy and nasty today when I took the sock pic.



But of course, cloudy is the best kind of day for taking pics. Confidentially, I think that even if you took your pix under a street light, those damn socks would still look sublime. Honestly, girl, you make me want to use my knitting for kindling. Sheesh!

I'm off to google cabling without a needle. Thanks for the links. I'll be sure to look at those, as well. Then, I think I shall pop over to your blog to oogle all that gorgeousness, and to drool over a certain orange and white feline.

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 28, 2007)

kr7 said:


> But of course, cloudy is the best kind of day for taking pics. Confidentially, I think that even if you took your pix under a street light, those damn socks would still look sublime. Honestly, girl, you make me want to use my knitting for kindling. Sheesh!
> 
> I'm off to google cabling without a needle. Thanks for the links. I'll be sure to look at those, as well. Then, I think I shall pop over to your blog to oogle all that gorgeousness, and to drool over a certain orange and white feline.
> 
> Chris



I'm not gonna post about the socks til Friday so I fear it's kinda boring but I'm testing knitting some socks for a friend and it has to be hush hush so I'm trying to spread out my blog posts! Yopu can look at my tutorials and my past finished objects (all on my sidebar)

And STOP disparaging your knitting, it's BEAUTIFUL!!! 

Pumpkin loves the accolades too


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## kr7 (Nov 28, 2007)

Half Full said:


> ...Pumpkin loves the accolades too



Tell Pumpkin that if he convinces you to move up North, I will let him sleep on my cashmere sweaters.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Nov 28, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Unfortunately there is no sub for Calmer, it's a very unique yarn! I'll bet you can find an odd skein on sale sometime soon because it's very definately a summer yarn and the shops will put the leftover oddments on sale!
> 
> And BTW, it should be *easier* to add color once you stop twisting your stitches plus your stitches will loosen up!
> 
> ...



I've quickly gotten the hang of knitting the proper way thought the potential to accidentally go back to the old habit is still there. Purling is a whole other matter. It's not really that bad but I am fumbling a bit trying to purl the right way. I do notice that my stitches are a lot looser even on the acrylic yarn I've been practicing with but overall, having to change my method is turning out not to be as horrible as I imagined.

Windsor Button was pretty good. There's a lot to choose from even though it's a very small store. I noticed as the sales people were helping customers that they had limited supplies of certain colors and materials. In helping the customers none of the sales people offered to order something in the color/style/brand that the person was looking for so I assume what you see is what you get. A disappointment if you really need something. I was there a half hour after they opened and there was a steady stream of people. The cost for yarn was pretty much what you'd expect if not better. I really loved what I saw, some of the colors were magnificent but I was hesitant to purchase anything. Without any projects in mind that I could apply the yarn to it just seemed silly to buy a yarn without intent especially since I was still on the lookout for the Calmer.


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## kr7 (Nov 29, 2007)

Half Full said:


> ....If you google "cabling without a cable needle" you'll find some good videos...Once you learn it's an absolute ephiphany!



So, I learned the cable without a needle technique last night. The small cables are a breeze. Problem started when I got to a big cable. Normally it's knit like this: sl 8 onto cable needle and hold in back, k4, sl 4 from left side of cable needle onto left knitting needle and knit, k4 off the cable needle.

I find that this cable is impossible to manuver like this without a cable needle. Am I missing something?

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 29, 2007)

BTW, does anyone know if you're supposed to block cabled items, and if so, how?

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 29, 2007)

kr7 said:


> So, I learned the cable without a needle technique last night. The small cables are a breeze. Problem started when I got to a big cable. Normally it's knit like this: sl 8 onto cable needle and hold in back, k4, sl 4 from left side of cable needle onto left knitting needle and knit, k4 off the cable needle.
> 
> I find that this cable is impossible to manuver like this without a cable needle. Am I missing something?
> 
> Chris


No, for cables with more than six stitches, I use a cable needle usually.

To block cables you can lightly steam them, never stretching or patting them like you would with plain stockinette. If it needs a true washing, block it inside out and try to fluff of the cables and not flatten them down. The ultimate way to block an Aran sweater is with a Woolly Board. That allows the sweater to dry without mashing the cables.


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## kr7 (Nov 30, 2007)

Half Full said:


> No, for cables with more than six stitches, I use a cable needle usually.
> 
> To block cables you can lightly steam them, never stretching or patting them like you would with plain stockinette. If it needs a true washing, block it inside out and try to fluff of the cables and not flatten them down. The ultimate way to block an Aran sweater is with a Woolly Board. That allows the sweater to dry without mashing the cables.



Thanks Debi! You really are a gold mine of knitting information.  And now, I soooo want The Wooly Board! I don't know how I managed to live this long without it. 

I just realized that I probably have a "thing" for wooden tools (judging from what I have sitting around me). I have been known to even buy antique woodworking tools for my husband, bcs I liked their feel and their construction. I suspect that knitting and fiber arts, in general, would not hold as much appeal to me, if the tools involved were not available in wood. Yup. All my needles are wood, as is my spinning wheel, and all fiber prep stuff (carders, combs, wpi tool, swift, diz, etc...). So, no wonder I immediately started drooling over the Wooly Board.

Chris


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## kr7 (Nov 30, 2007)

As promised, here is my yarn pr0n. Rather than taking pix of a pile of 36 skeins, I took one of a representative sample:

View attachment 31617
View attachment 31618



This is the book I got, and a pix of the sweater pattern from the book that I used as a guide for yardage:

View attachment 31616
View attachment 31615



Ironically, I doubt it if I will actually use this pattern. I feel it is too "sloppy" for the look we are going for. I really dislike the idea of having drop shoulders here, and the whole sweater just looks too baggy.

Instead, I think I will do a swatch (in pattern), then use those measurements to create a pattern in Sweater Wizard. We shall see....

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 30, 2007)

If your hubster is handy, I image he could whip up a Woolly Board pretty easily. In fact if you google, I believe there is a how-to recipe somewhere.


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## kr7 (Nov 30, 2007)

Half Full said:


> If your hubster is handy, I image he could whip up a Woolly Board pretty easily. In fact if you google, I believe there is a how-to recipe somewhere.



Oh, I'm sure he not only could, but he'd love to! He absolutely adores working with wood. But....I'm not going to even ask. He works 12 hours a day, and many a week, 6 days. If I'd ask him, he would enthusiastically say yes, but then he would end up feeling guilty and horrible, bcs he'd never have the time to get around to it.

There is a certain black walnut dough bowl that (2 years since it was started) is still basically a large block of black walnut wood. It sits in our living room by the staircase, until it can be finished someday. I know he feels bad eneough about that, so I wouldn't want to add to the stress.

On the other hand, there is no reason whatsoever that *I* couldn't make it. I'm a decent carpenter (one of these days, I should post a pic of an "end wall", or a colonial style panelled wall, I made mostly out of scrap wood). I'm only limited by the type of tools needed, since I don't own a lot, nor do I want to invest in too many at this time. 

Chris


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## Half Full (Nov 30, 2007)

Well of course if your husband isn't a string bean like the model, the sweater won't be so baggy! I'm pretty sure you could find a pattern like that with set in sleeves on the Net tho.

Be careful with sweater wizard tho because while it is wonderful for basic knits and modifying existing patterns it does not that cables (or lace for that matter) into account when decreasing!

The yarn is lovely BTW, gotta love those plump, delicious skeins!


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## Half Full (Nov 30, 2007)

I think it looks pretty basic, I don't think you need major carpentry skills to do it!

I had to really hunt for this and use the Wayback Machine but here's a link to instructions to a homemade WoollyBoard


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 1, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Well of course if your husband isn't a string bean like the model, the sweater won't be so baggy! I'm pretty sure you could find a pattern like that with set in sleeves on the Net tho.
> 
> Be careful with sweater wizard tho because while it is wonderful for basic knits and modifying existing patterns it does not that cables (or lace for that matter) into account when decreasing!
> 
> The yarn is lovely BTW, gotta love those plump, delicious skeins!



I was going to say the same thing. It's probably not a good idea to judge how this sweater is going to look on your husband unless your husband is built exactly like poser boy there. If he has wider shoulders and a bigger chest it will change the drape of the whole sweater. Too bad you can't make a dummy sweater first just to see how it's going to fit on your hubby. In sewing you can do that but in knitting it's not as simple.


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## kr7 (Dec 1, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> I was going to say the same thing. It's probably not a good idea to judge how this sweater is going to look on your husband unless your husband is built exactly like poser boy there. If he has wider shoulders and a bigger chest it will change the drape of the whole sweater. Too bad you can't make a dummy sweater first just to see how it's going to fit on your hubby. In sewing you can do that but in knitting it's not as simple.





Half Full said:


> Well of course if your husband isn't a string bean like the model, the sweater won't be so baggy! I'm pretty sure you could find a pattern like that with set in sleeves on the Net tho.
> 
> Be careful with sweater wizard tho because while it is wonderful for basic knits and modifying existing patterns it does not that cables (or lace for that matter) into account when decreasing!
> 
> The yarn is lovely BTW, gotta love those plump, delicious skeins!



Poser boy? String bean? Oooooh, you girls have claws!!!  

Seriously, though, he is very broad in the shoulders, and tapers down from there pretty dramatically. So, I guess you could say that he has an athletic build (I know...poor kid ). I'm not too concerned about fitting the shoulder/chest, but (from experience) I know that whenever something fits him well in the shoulders, it's huge on him in the stomach/butt area. Sort of like the exact opposite of me! 

As for the sweater wizard, I thought that I would first knit a very large swatch in the rib/cable pattern. Measure that. Then, enter those measurements into the program as my gauge. I figured that the way the program works, it would take that gauge into consideration when creating increases/decreases. No? I've never used Sweater Wizard before, so I could be completely, tragically wrong here.

I know that someone told me that you gotta be careful with the program, bcs sometimes when it creates a pattern, it messes up some of the measurements of the finished garnment. I figured, though, that I would double check each and every measurement of the drawing they have of the pattern pieces, and adjust them if necessary. So, similarly, I thought that if I enter my "in pattern" gauge, and the finished pieces' measurements are reasonable, I'd be OK. I can check the measurements against an existing sweater to make sure. Does that sound like a reasonable plan, or am I just delirious?

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 1, 2007)

I've found Sweater Wizard to be ok as long as you look at the numbers on the schematic (the name for the "drawing") and make sure they jive with what you want.

For example if you are making a sweater with a 44" chest each piece, front and back, should measure around 22". Sometimes the schematic will give you a measurement that's way outta line.

What sweater wizard doesn't do is incorporate your pattern into the shaping of the sweater. If you designed it by hand you would make allowance for where the cables fall in relation to the shaping/increases/decreases for the armholes, neckline, ect. Sweater Wizard isn't capable of "thinking" like that.


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## kr7 (Dec 1, 2007)

Half Full said:


> I've found Sweater Wizard to be ok as long as you look at the numbers on the schematic (the name for the "drawing") and make sure they jive with what you want.
> 
> For example if you are making a sweater with a 44" chest each piece, front and back, should measure around 22". Sometimes the schematic will give you a measurement that's way outta line.
> 
> What sweater wizard doesn't do is incorporate your pattern into the shaping of the sweater. If you designed it by hand you would make allowance for where the cables fall in relation to the shaping/increases/decreases for the armholes, neckline, ect. Sweater Wizard isn't capable of "thinking" like that.



Yeah, I did notice that.  But, I think it will be OK, bcs the cable pattern is not a complex one, so I feel like I can figure out where do I want them to fall on my own. The thing that I will be very grateful to the Wiz for, is its ability to spit out instructions for all the increases, decreases, and the inset arms. I probably can deal with the increases and decreases myself (although the Wiz makes it infinitely easier), but the inset arms I have no experience with whatsoever. 

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 1, 2007)

"inset arms" = set in sleeves - you are so cute Chris...learn the vernacular Dood!! :doh:

Yeah, designing a sleeve cap that actually fits into the armscythe is no easy task and for that, SW is the shizznit! (there's some serious vernacular for ya!)


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## persimmon (Dec 2, 2007)

Yay! I finally got into Ravelry.

Now I have to go wallow in other peoples' yarn for a few weeks. Huhh.

p


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

Half Full said:


> "inset arms" = set in sleeves - you are so cute Chris...learn the vernacular Dood!! :doh:
> 
> Yeah, designing a sleeve cap that actually fits into the armscythe is no easy task and for that, SW is the shizznit! (there's some serious vernacular for ya!)



Ha! You think that's funny? Wait till you meet me in person (someday). Not only do I say things grammatically backwards, but also, I have a funny accent! My personal favorite is when I accidentally use a foreign idiom in English. That's a hoot! I can entertain people for hours on end, just by running my mouth!!! 

Chris


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

persimmon said:


> Yay! I finally got into Ravelry.
> 
> Now I have to go wallow in other peoples' yarn for a few weeks. Huhh.
> 
> p



I'm still waiting.  Only 6000 people to go.  All I have to say is that I hope people don't expect me to get a lot of things accomplished at school and at home, the week I get in.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 2, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Ha! You think that's funny? Wait till you meet me in person (someday). Not only do I say things grammatically backwards, but also, I have a funny accent! My personal favorite is when I accidentally use a foreign idiom in English. That's a hoot! I can entertain people for hours on end, just by running my mouth!!!
> 
> Chris



I speak a little bit of German and a little bit of Spanish. Both of them very rusty so when I find I suddenly have to speak either I come up with a perplexing form of Germish.


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 2, 2007)

kr7 said:


> I'm still waiting.  Only 6000 people to go.  All I have to say is that I hope people don't expect me to get a lot of things accomplished at school and at home, the week I get in.
> 
> Chris



How do you know where you are on the que to get it? Yeah, I'm waiting as well..... :blink: It does look like a fun site to spend time at. Does anyone know the average time waiting to get it?


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

Sandie S-R said:


> How do you know where you are on the que to get it? Yeah, I'm waiting as well..... :blink: It does look like a fun site to spend time at. Does anyone know the average time waiting to get it?



They have a link on their home page to a waiting list checker, but here is a link direct: http://www.ravelry.com/antsy. It takes about 1 day per 1,000 people in front of you, from what I observed. I have 4-5 more days to go! Yay!

Chris


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 2, 2007)

kr7 said:


> They have a link on their home page to a waiting list checker, but here is a link direct: http://www.ravelry.com/antsy. It takes about 1 day per 1,000 people in front of you, from what I observed. I have 4-5 more days to go! Yay!
> 
> Chris



Thanks, Chris!

I love that they call the checker "antsy". Yeah, we're antsy! 

Like you, I'm in in about 4-5 days. (Clearing my schedule on Thurday and Friday for some Ravelry browsing.)


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

Sandie S-R said:


> ....Clearing my schedule on Thurday and Friday for some Ravelry browsing.....



You and me both! I am seriously afraid of the consequences of this.  I just *hope* they don't sell any knitting related stuff on there!  Damn you, Debi! *shakes fist at sky*

Chris


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

View attachment 31742




Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 2, 2007)

kr7 said:


> View attachment 31742
> 
> 
> 
> ...



roflmao!! That is too funny. Where did you find that?


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> roflmao!! That is too funny. Where did you find that?



Queer Joe's Knitting Blog: http://www.queerjoe.blogspot.com/. Scroll down the page a bit. 

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 2, 2007)

kr7 said:


> View attachment 31742
> 
> 
> Chris



This should be your wallpaper Lily!!


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## Half Full (Dec 2, 2007)

kr7 said:


> You and me both! I am seriously afraid of the consequences of this.  I just *hope* they don't sell any knitting related stuff on there!  Damn you, Debi! *shakes fist at sky*
> 
> Chris



Be prepared toots, there is a TON of adverts over there, soooooo many temptations! Plus lots of discount codes! 

Plus there is Ravelry swag too 

I don't have any of my stash posted, I only have my 2007 FO's listed since I already have a photobucket account for all my knitting pics from 2005. Plus all that is documented on my blog.

I also don't need the needle organization capability cause I own every needle I (and the rest of the planet) might ever need - yes my name is Debi and I have a little needle problem 

What I LOVE LOVE LOVE about Ravelry the most is being able to enter a pattern name and with one click see how many (hundreds!) of knitters have interpreted that very same pattern, what problems they had, plus you can see it on a REAL body, not a model! You can see REAL yarn colors, not perfectly lit color cards that bare no resemblance to the actual yarn.

Plus there are TONS of groups to join and lots of activities on the forums! Lots of Swaps too!

While you wait for your invite, you can prepare by getting a Flickr account and taking pics of your stash.

I warn you, it's addictive and a HUGE time suck, but a very very fun one!


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

Well....the coupons might come in handy, and might soften the blow.  I don't really have a "stash" of yarn, beyond the 3 or so projects I am working on, so I'm not going to do the photography thing. I think at first I'll be doing more lurking than publishing/posting anyway. It does sound like a lot of fun. 

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 2, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Be prepared toots, there is a TON of adverts over there, soooooo many temptations! Plus lots of discount codes!
> 
> Plus there is Ravelry swag too
> 
> ...



Is an acrylic rehabilitation clinic section? I've got bushels and bushels of the stuff in all the colors of the rainbow. :batting:


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## kr7 (Dec 2, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> Is an acrylic rehabilitation clinic section? I've got bushels and bushels of the stuff in all the colors of the rainbow. :batting:



Hmm....maybe you could swap a bushel of the ack-rylic for a skein or two of something nice and natural. I mean you're not using the stuff for anything....it's just sitting there, and you are trying to get rehabilitated....

So how far on the ravelry waiting list are you?

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 2, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Hmm....maybe you could swap a bushel of the ack-rylic for a skein or two of something nice and natural. I mean you're not using the stuff for anything....it's just sitting there, and you are trying to get rehabilitated....
> 
> So how far on the ravelry waiting list are you?
> 
> Chris



Dead last. I haven't even looked over there yet. I'm still waiting for the skeins of stuff I ordered to see if I can be reinspired. Till then I'm sitting here with my hands folded waiting. I finished that acrylic scarf and I'm really not all that enthusiastic about the other things I had going on, hence the reason they've been lying around all this time. lol


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## Half Full (Dec 2, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> Dead last. I haven't even looked over there yet. I'm still waiting for the skeins of stuff I ordered to see if I can be reinspired. Till then I'm sitting here with my hands folded waiting. I finished that acrylic scarf and I'm really not all that enthusiastic about the other things I had going on, hence the reason they've been lying around all this time. lol



All kidding aside  acrylic does have it's place and there are some nice acrylics! (sorry Lily, Homespun is *not* one of them, way too squeaky  )

There are acrylic lover groups on Ravelry and many many knitters use stuff like Red Heart eek: - Homespun's crispy half sister!!) and Caron Simply soft. 

There is a spot for every and any knitter on Ravelry!


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## pinuptami (Dec 3, 2007)

Half Full said:


> All kidding aside  acrylic does have it's place and there are some nice acrylics! (sorry Lily, Homespun is *not* one of them, way too squeaky  )
> 
> There are acrylic lover groups on Ravelry and many many knitters use stuff like Red Heart eek: - Homespun's crispy half sister!!) and Caron Simply soft.
> 
> There is a spot for every and any knitter on Ravelry!



I have to admit, I love Simply Soft, Red Heart Soft, and Bernat Satin. They are great for when I make things for the pets, the boys have a sleepy sack made of a mixture. Ferrets + Natural fiber = bad idea. If you have ever had a ferret you'd know...need things to be machiene washable!


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## persimmon (Dec 4, 2007)

So, my yarnhead sisters who have sat through the waitlist, what are your usernames on ravelry?

I'm the same username, same photo. Can't miss me.


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## kr7 (Dec 5, 2007)

persimmon said:


> So, my yarnhead sisters who have sat through the waitlist, what are your usernames on ravelry?
> 
> I'm the same username, same photo. Can't miss me.



I haven't gotten in yet, but when I do, I think I'll stick with the same av and user name as here. I'll let you all know if I decide to change it.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 6, 2007)

My books have arrived!!!  I ordered The Knitter's Companion by Vicki Square and Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr. I haven't had a chance to digg in because I'm still waiting for my friggen' YARNS to come through!  *shakes fist bitterly*

And if I ever get over to ravelry I'm going to claim JustSomeLady if no one has already.


You signed up on Today 
You are #67110 on the list. 
7511 people are ahead of you in line. 
2 people are behind you in line. 
88% of the list has been invited so far


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## kr7 (Dec 6, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> My books have arrived!!!  I ordered The Knitter's Companion by Vicki Square and Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr. I haven't had a chance to digg in because I'm still waiting for my friggen' YARNS to come through!  *shakes fist bitterly*
> 
> And if I ever get over to ravelry I'm going to claim JustSomeLady if no one has already.
> 
> ...



Yay! Knitting books! I am officially not allowed in the knitting sections of any bookstores or libraries, bcs I tend to....well....just move in. The clerks have to force me out while brandishing large, blunt objects. 

And speaking of the ravelry waiting list, I have 2,000 people in front of me, so I have only 2 more days to go! :bounce:

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 6, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> My books have arrived!!!  I ordered The Knitter's Companion by Vicki Square and Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr. I haven't had a chance to digg in because I'm still waiting for my friggen' YARNS to come through!  *shakes fist bitterly*
> 
> And if I ever get over to ravelry I'm going to claim JustSomeLady if no one has already.
> 
> ...



The Knitter's Companion is a GREAT book!! I love mine! Besides Knitter's Companion my *must have* books for knitting references are: 

Vogue Knitting
The Big Book of Knitting by Katarina Buss
The Knitter's Handbook by Montse Stanley
Sweater Finishing by Nancy Weisman

I've never seen the scarf book but Scarf Style by Pam Allen is wonderful!

Looks like you have about a week, 10 days to get into Ravelry and your yarn will definitely be here by then too! EXCITING!!


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## Spanky (Dec 6, 2007)

OMG. Knitting and no one invited me? Geeez. 

Thanks for the hint Half Full. I forget the compliment, but damn, you deserve another. I posted a number of my sweater wares about 8 months ago. 

What great projects you all make! Has anyone ever done an e-knitting session?? 

But alas, I am not a Diva. 

I can knit up a little storm in the winter when I have the time. 

Half Full, do you knit the American (English) way or the Continental (German) way. I was taught by a Swiss woman many years ago, and ladies are confounded trying to see how I knit the way I do. Everyone here has to let go of one needle to wrap the yarn over. I never have to let go of the needles. 

-Spanky


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## Half Full (Dec 7, 2007)

Spanky said:


> OMG. Knitting and no one invited me? Geeez.
> 
> Thanks for the hint Half Full. I forget the compliment, but damn, you deserve another. I posted a number of my sweater wares about 8 months ago.
> 
> ...



Hi Spanky, thanks for the compliments  Please call me Debi!

I knit Continental so I am a "picker" rather than a "thrower" and never let go of my needles or yarn to make my stitches.

So, please elaborate on what you would want from an e-knitting session?


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## Spanky (Dec 7, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Hi Spanky, thanks for the compliments  Please call me Debi!
> 
> I knit Continental so I am a "picker" rather than a "thrower" and never let go of my needles or yarn to make my stitches.
> 
> So, please elaborate on what you would want from an e-knitting session?



Oh, sometimes I wish I could go to a Knitting group. It is a bit difficult for a man. Maybe a group online meeting weekly keeps people on task and the ease of pictures can keep everyone motivated with progress. 

Never thought I was a "picker". But yes, we live in a "thrower" land.


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## Half Full (Dec 7, 2007)

Spanky said:


> Oh, sometimes I wish I could go to a Knitting group. It is a bit difficult for a man. Maybe a group online meeting weekly keeps people on task and the ease of pictures can keep everyone motivated with progress.
> 
> Never thought I was a "picker". But yes, we live in a "thrower" land.


I'm sure we could set something up if there was an interest....you know meet at a specific time in a chat room or something?

But if there is a local knitting meet up, you should go!! There are plenty of male knitters like Kaffe Fasset, Brandon Mabry, and Martin Storey. Plus, you'll be the center of attention! I'll bet the women would be thrilled to have you and would make you feel right at home. My best friend knits and he's a Y-chromosome too  

Besides,in Minnesota you're so lucky, there must be an LYS on every corner


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## kr7 (Dec 7, 2007)

Spanky said:


> Oh, sometimes I wish I could go to a Knitting group. It is a bit difficult for a man......



Oh, are you kidding?! The ladies would love that! Debi is right. You would be the center of attention. Do you even know how rare is it for a guy to have fiber art interests? It's not unheard of, but hen's teeth come to mind. 



Half Full said:


> I'm sure we could set something up if there was an interest....



That would be fun! We have a weekly meet-up thread for those of us that watch Project Runway, right here on Dims. We all "meet" every Wed. at 9:30pm. It's a hoot! We could do something like it with a knit-along. All we would need to do is to agree on the time and day, and how exactly we'd want to go about it. 

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 7, 2007)

Do y'all have a chat room? Or do you just start a thread or PM each other?


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## kr7 (Dec 7, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Do y'all have a chat room? Or do you just start a thread or PM each other?



For the Project Runway get together, Jes started a thread (right here in the clothing/fashion section). We just periodically jump in and post our thoughts and reactions to the show (usually some scathing commentary ), as the show goes on. Here is the thread if you want to check it out: http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30427.

It would be easy enough to create something like that for a knit-along. I'm not sure how many people would be interested, though.

Chris


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## Spanky (Dec 8, 2007)

kr7 said:


> For the Project Runway get together, Jes started a thread (right here in the clothing/fashion section). We just periodically jump in and post our thoughts and reactions to the show (usually some scathing commentary ), as the show goes on. Here is the thread if you want to check it out: http://www.dimensionsmagazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30427.
> 
> It would be easy enough to create something like that for a knit-along. I'm not sure how many people would be interested, though.
> 
> Chris



That might be fun. If the time is right, count me in. Just to decide if I am worthy, here is a vest I knitted a while back. I still love to wear it.


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## Half Full (Dec 8, 2007)

Spanky said:


> That might be fun. If the time is right, count me in. Just to decide if I am worthy, here is a vest I knitted a while back. I still love to wear it.



The vest is very handsome Spanky but you would be worthy even if you're knitting a washcloth! As long as it pleases *you* knitting is knitting!

Have you heard about Ravelry yet and have you signed up?


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## Spanky (Dec 8, 2007)

Half Full said:


> The vest is very handsome Spanky but you would be worthy even if you're knitting a washcloth! As long as it pleases *you* knitting is knitting!
> 
> Have you heard about Ravelry yet and have you signed up?



I have read and re-read the thread and I don't know what it is. So, what is it?? What does it do? It sounds like there is a lot of waiting involved!

I think I am considering working on some socks again. I made a pair about a year ago for my wife and she loved them so much, she wore them out using them as evening sock slippers. Next time, I will double up on the yarn under the foot.


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## Half Full (Dec 8, 2007)

www.Ravelry.com 

Go have a look.


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## kr7 (Dec 8, 2007)

Spanky said:


> That might be fun. If the time is right, count me in. Just to decide if I am worthy, here is a vest I knitted a while back. I still love to wear it.



It's a great looking vest! Your stitches look soooo even. Nice work! As Debi pointed out, you don't have to "qualify" to join our thread. However, we do appreciate you posting pics of eye-candy. We all love seeing other people's work! 



Spanky said:


> I have read and re-read the thread and I don't know what it is. So, what is it?? What does it do? It sounds like there is a lot of waiting involved!....



There is a waiting list, bcs (from what I understand) for now, they have the capability to add only about a 1000 people per day. On average, the wait to be added is about a week to 10 days.

The site itself is a fiber art site. From what I can glean about it, it is sort of like a blog format except it's much more visual, bcs it involves people sharing pics of their yarn stashes, projects, and details of how they made them. It's sort of like Dimensions, but for fiber art enthusiasts. 



> .....I think I am considering working on some socks again. I made a pair about a year ago for my wife and she loved them so much, she wore them out using them as evening sock slippers. Next time, I will double up on the yarn under the foot.



Well, aren't you a nice guy. I'm sure your wife must have dug those socks! Have you considered making socks with removable soles? Back in the old country, that's what women did. Then, when the bottom got worn out, they'd just un-attach it, knit up a new one, attach the new bottom to the sock, and voila! I know there were a few versions of these type of socks. Some had only the toes and heels made so they could easily be removed, others had the whole sole made that way. It could be something to consider. 

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 8, 2007)

kr7 said:


> The site itself is a fiber art site. From what I can glean about it, it is sort of like a blog format except it's much more visual, bcs it involves people sharing pics of their yarn stashes, projects, and details of how they made them. It's sort of like Dimensions, but for fiber art enthusiasts.



Actually, it's more like My Space for knitters and crocheters without the underlying sexual component (well, so far anyway ) It's really not like a blog at all altho it does have a blog reading cabability. It's just a very cool place for knitters to connect and share.




kr7 said:


> Well, aren't you a nice guy. I'm sure your wife must have dug those socks! Have you considered making socks with removable soles? Back in the old country, that's what women did. Then, when the bottom got worn out, they'd just un-attach it, knit up a new one, attach the new bottom to the sock, and voila! I know there were a few versions of these type of socks. Some had only the toes and heels made so they could easily be removed, others had the whole sole made that way. It could be something to consider.



The two resoleable patterns I know of are in Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman and there is one in Favorite Socks by Interweave Press, edited by Ann Budd. I'm sure a google search would produce many more!


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## kr7 (Dec 8, 2007)

Half Full said:


> .....The two resoleable patterns I know of are in Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman and there is one in Favorite Socks by Interweave Press, edited by Ann Budd. I'm sure a google search would produce many more!



I was hoping you'd chime in on the resoleable socks.  I've been racking my brain, trying to remember where I have seen a pattern for these recently. Thank goodness for Debi!

Chris


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## Shosh (Dec 8, 2007)

Spanky said:


> OMG. Knitting and no one invited me? Geeez.
> 
> Thanks for the hint Half Full. I forget the compliment, but damn, you deserve another. I posted a number of my sweater wares about 8 months ago.
> 
> ...




You knit Spanky? That is wonderful. Do you really like to knit, or is it just an in with the ladies? But seriously I can knit ok, but not great, because I find that I don't have the patience to actually finish a project.
It is called Attention Deficit Disorder with me, as I often have a number of projects on the razz at one time, and jump from one thing to another at the drop of a hat.
Patience is a virtue and all that.
Spanky it has made me smile knowing that you knit. Never stop.


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## Half Full (Dec 8, 2007)

Susannah said:


> You knit Spanky? That is wonderful. Do you really like to knit, or is it just an in with the ladies? But seriously I can knit ok, but not great, because I find that I don't have the patience to actually finish a project.
> It is called Attention Deficit Disorder with me, as I often have a number of projects on the razz at one time, and jump from one thing to another at the drop of a hat.
> Patience is a virtue and all that.
> Spanky it has made me smile knowing that you knit. Never stop.


See what I mean Spanky? Nine pages of posts and Susannah posts for the first time in response to *your* post!

It's gonna be the same at any knitting meet up you attend...you're gonna be the cock in the henhouse so to speak 

*_no offense to you Susannah, you're just illustrating a good point _


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## Spanky (Dec 9, 2007)

Half Full said:


> See what I mean Spanky? Nine pages of posts and Susannah posts for the first time in response to *your* post!
> 
> It's gonna be the same at any knitting meet up you attend...you're gonna be the cock in the henhouse so to speak
> 
> *_no offense to you Susannah, you're just illustrating a good point _



Oh, Susannah and I like discussing football when we are not knitting. 

I learned in Switzerland and basically it filled in the time while I was looking a job there. I also didn't have much of a social life living in a rural area with a family (this is 1989-1990). The mother of the family gave me some needles and had me start on a sweater right away. When i was at work, she showed my knitting to friends in the village. She was astounded by the consistent stitch I could produce. I attached a pic of the sweater I knitted with my first try with her teaching me. I have always had nervous habits, tapping, biting nails, etc. Knitting just was a great way to use fingers. 

In our neighborhood, ladies do come asking for my help with bad stitches, lost stitches and casting off. They ask my wife first. 

The surge of women knitting in the past few years is so great. It is just a shame that the last generation did not pass on the knowledge. Hopefully it can be picked up and passed on. Of course my 11 yr old son has been learning. He is pretty good. The concentration is not there yet so scarfs and neck warmers are good. I just love to see ideas from others and what they are doing. 

I think that I am more of an anomaly not being a "thrower" than being a male knitter sometimes. Even my mother has not idea how I knit the way I do. 

I am looking to start a big cabin throw that will consist of pattern squares of different yarns and perhaps different patterns, all the same size (I hope) to stitch together into a larger throw.


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## Shosh (Dec 9, 2007)

Half Full said:


> See what I mean Spanky? Nine pages of posts and Susannah posts for the first time in response to *your* post!
> 
> It's gonna be the same at any knitting meet up you attend...you're gonna be the cock in the henhouse so to speak
> 
> *_no offense to you Susannah, you're just illustrating a good point _




Ha Ha. Sorry

Let me pay homage to all the knitting divas here also. I hope 2008 will be a wonderful year for all of you ladies.


Spanky, Knit one, purl two mate!


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 9, 2007)

Susannah said:


> Ha Ha. Sorry
> 
> Let me pay homage to all the knitting divas here also. I hope 2008 will be a wonderful year for all of you ladies.
> 
> ...



Susanna grab a set of drum sticks and some bulky yarn and join in hun. Improvise!


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## kr7 (Dec 9, 2007)

Susannah said:


> You knit Spanky? That is wonderful. Do you really like to knit, or is it just an in with the ladies? But seriously I can knit ok, but not great, because I find that I don't have the patience to actually finish a project.
> It is called Attention Deficit Disorder with me, as I often have a number of projects on the razz at one time, and jump from one thing to another at the drop of a hat......



I can so feel you on this. I'm the same way. I have to say, though, that knitting actually helps with this, somehow. So, I would say that you just need to grab some sticks and some yarn, and join in.  Listen to Lilly. 

Chris


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## kr7 (Dec 9, 2007)

Spanky said:


> .......I think that I am more of an anomaly not being a "thrower" than being a male knitter sometimes.....



Nah, you just think you are. There is just as many people knitting Continental as English. I do. So does Lilly, and she (like you) was convinced she was doing something odd. 

Chris


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## persimmon (Dec 10, 2007)

Spanky said:


> I think that I am more of an anomaly not being a "thrower" than being a male knitter sometimes. Even my mother has not idea how I knit the way I do.



My mom learned from her mom, and I learned from my mom, and we all throw with the right hand. And yet when I went to my local Ravelry/SnB group last week, I was the only one there who wasn't knitting Continental.

The humour in this comes from my grandmother being decidedly Chinese, and not English.

p


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## Miss Vickie (Dec 10, 2007)

Hey guys, just wanted you to know that all this knitting talk has rubbed off aaaalllll the way up here and I've started learning to knit. Now for me it was a pretty potentially traumatic experience. When I tried to learn as a child it was a disaster and involved tears and throwing needles (not me, my mom, who had her... um... issues). So I never picked up needles again until this week! I talked to a nice midwife I work with who encouraged me, then talked to a nice lady at a yarn store, who encouraged me more, and as a result I'm starting on a felted knitting bag. I like the idea of felting at the beginning since my stitches are uneven, and it's really a lot of fun! It'll give me something to do while I'm laid up and the colors -- shades of sapphire, purple and pink -- are gorgeous.

I'll post pictures later, but for now I'm just a few rows into it and am having a blast. Today I had lunch with a friend, mentioned my project to her, and she insisted on following me to the yarn store and she picked up the stuff for HER first project - the same as mine, but a different color palette.

I'm totally into felting, even though it's cheating in a way, because it has that nice, soft fuzzy quality to it. They offer a class to make felted clogs and I think I'll make me some. 

And thus... a yarn whore is born.


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## kr7 (Dec 10, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> .....And thus... a yarn whore is born.



Yay! Don't you just love it that you can demoralize people with yarn? LOL!

I love felted projects. It's so much fun! I have made a whole bunch of felted slippers for my family. They are so easy and so satisfying to make. They are a bit addictive. I am planning on whipping up a new pair for myself, once I'm done with the Holidays. 

Chris


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 10, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> And thus... a yarn whore is born.




LOL - welcome to the club, Vick!


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## persimmon (Dec 11, 2007)

hee hee, Miss Vick. I must concur, felting is awesome.

I discovered there's a yarn shop about six blocks from me that (save me!) has a sales wall. I am making a top-down cardigan, in a mesh/net pattern, from bright teal cotton/rayon.

I have never made a sweater before.

p


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## Half Full (Dec 11, 2007)

persimmon said:


> My mom learned from her mom, and I learned from my mom, and we all throw with the right hand. And yet when I went to my local Ravelry/SnB group last week, I was the only one there who wasn't knitting Continental.
> 
> The humour in this comes from my grandmother being decidedly Chinese, and not English.
> 
> p



That is pretty funny


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## Half Full (Dec 11, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> And thus... a yarn whore is born.



Welcome and it's about time!  After all, who has a greater need for warm woolies than someone living in Alaska!

Felted bags are way cool cause they do hide all the little boo boos you want hidden but for me, sometimes felting can be such a pain!! It's so inexact! Sometimes I've put 2 slippers in the machine, only one gets felted! Wtf? :doh:

It can be really hard to get the item to be exactly what you want too....I have made about 10 pairs of felted clogs...I just whipped up 2 more pair, one in a new yarn that came out like muppet feet instead of slippers :doh: and the other in a yarn I have used for felting many many times following the exact same pattern, I can't get em felted small enough to not fit Sashquatch!


Here is a pic of a successful bag tho:







Felted Entrelac - this was fun to do and I blocked it over a popcorn can so it was pretty easy to get to look right!


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## kr7 (Dec 11, 2007)

Half Full said:


> .....Sometimes I've put 2 slippers in the machine, only one gets felted! Wtf? :doh:
> 
> It can be really hard to get the item to be exactly what you want too....



Oh, I feel ya on that. It can be a bit random. I find that having proper blocking forms helps a lot. For slippers, I got some cheapo adjustable shoe trees on eBay. They're the kind that stretch both length and widthwise. The slippers turn out so much better on these!

Oh, and if I get one slipper that felts and one that doesn't, I block the one that felted, and throw the unfelted one back into the washer, then block it once it comes out appropriately felted.

I also find that the shoe trees give you a lot of leeway. If you make a mistake and shrink your slippers a bit too much, it is very easy to stretch them back out again on the shoe trees.

Chris

PS
I finally got into ravelry!


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 11, 2007)

kr7 said:


> PS
> I finally got into ravelry!



Yeah!!! Me too...double yeah!!!!


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 12, 2007)

I just finished another scarf and matching Calorimetry from Knitty.com. This is a Christmas gift for my daughter. The Scarf is my own pattern. I did them in an Angora blend that is really pretty but was hard to capture accurately. Purple is a tough color to shoot. Just thought I would share. 

View attachment purplesm.jpg


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## kr7 (Dec 12, 2007)

Sandie S-R said:


> I just finished another scarf and matching Calorimetry from Knitty.com. This is a Christmas gift for my daughter. The Scarf is my own pattern. I did them in an Angora blend that is really pretty but was hard to capture accurately. Purple is a tough color to shoot. Just thought I would share.



Pretty colors! Very lucious. 

So how (in all that is clean and bright) is it that everyone cranks these projects out so fast? Damn it. Meanwhile, I am still working on that cabled scarf from like post #3. Am I challenged, or what? 

Chris

PS
I just want to let everyone know that my handle on Ravelry ended up being: "sheepandwool". Just in case anyone wants to connect over there.


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## Half Full (Dec 12, 2007)

Cute set!!


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## Jack Skellington (Dec 13, 2007)

Malabrigo yarn is good stuff. That's all I have to say.


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## kr7 (Dec 13, 2007)

Jack Skellington said:


> Malabrigo yarn is good stuff. That's all I have to say.



Hey Jack! *waves* Do you knit or crochet?

Chris


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## Jack Skellington (Dec 13, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Hey Jack! *waves* Do you knit or crochet?
> 
> Chris



I'm learning to knit. I'm going to make yarn toys for my little poodle Wolfie. Little bunnies and bears. Stuff like that. 

I forgot to mention, Wolfie is a bit of a yarn snob. He just doesn't like the acrylic yarns. It's Malabrigo or nothing for the Wolfster. His sister Mina is not so picky.


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## kr7 (Dec 13, 2007)

Jack Skellington said:


> I'm learning to knit. I'm going to make yarn toys for my little poodle Wolfie. Little bunnies and bears. Stuff like that.
> 
> I forgot to mention, Wolfie is a bit of a yarn snob. He just doesn't like the acrylic yarns. It's Malabrigo or nothing for the Wolfster. His sister Mina is not so picky.



That's cool! I hope you'll come back and post pix of your projects.  I'm planning on making these for my cats:

View attachment 32456


http://www.knittingonthenet.com/patterns/petsmouse.htm

Although, they will be in natural merino, and stuffed with organic catnip, needless to say.  I feel you on the yarn snobbery thing. LOL!

Chris


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## Miss Vickie (Dec 14, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Yay! Don't you just love it that you can demoralize people with yarn? LOL!
> 
> I love felted projects. It's so much fun! I have made a whole bunch of felted slippers for my family. They are so easy and so satisfying to make. They are a bit addictive. I am planning on whipping up a new pair for myself, once I'm done with the Holidays.
> 
> Chris



I'm going to tackle slippers after my surgery. In the meantime I'm already scoping out the yarn for a second project. I'm almost done with my first bag, just have to finish it off and make the handle. I just need help since the only thing I know how to do is the knit stitch.



Sandie S-R said:


> LOL - welcome to the club, Vick!



Thanks! I have to admit I'm totally bowled over by everyone's projects. They're gorgeous!



persimmon said:


> hee hee, Miss Vick. I must concur, felting is awesome.
> 
> I discovered there's a yarn shop about six blocks from me that (save me!) has a sales wall. I am making a top-down cardigan, in a mesh/net pattern, from bright teal cotton/rayon.
> 
> ...




Yeah I told Burtimus I'm going to make him a sweater. I figure I should warn him so he can start working on his "pretending this dreadful thing i wearable face". 



Half Full said:


> Welcome and it's about time!  After all, who has a greater need for warm woolies than someone living in Alaska!
> 
> Felted bags are way cool cause they do hide all the little boo boos you want hidden but for me, sometimes felting can be such a pain!! It's so inexact! Sometimes I've put 2 slippers in the machine, only one gets felted! Wtf? :doh:
> 
> ...



I LOVE that bag! How do you get that pattern? I'm really interested in doing something like that someday. My pattern is just knitting in the round but in three different shades of purple and fuscia. The colors are lovely; it'll be interesting to see what happens to them when the bag is felted.


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## Jack Skellington (Dec 14, 2007)

kr7 said:


> I'm planning on making these for my cats:



Those are SO cute! Looks hard to make though. 

I'm going to try making this bunny. 

http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny-pattern.shtm


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## Half Full (Dec 14, 2007)

Thanx for the compliments Vicki!

The pattern is called The Market Square Bag by Linda Cyr. It's from an old, out of print copy of Knitter's Magazine but it was reprinted in the book "Bags - A Knitter's Dozen" by XRX publishing so maybe you could find a copy in your library if you didn't want to buy the book (altho it's a great book!)

It's a really cool technique that looks much harder than it is...you get the little squares by changing the direction of your knitting. "Entrelac" actually means "basketweave" in French and the technique gives you that basketweave effect.

You'll get there someday Vicki


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## kr7 (Dec 14, 2007)

Jack Skellington said:


> Those are SO cute! Looks hard to make though.
> 
> I'm going to try making this bunny.
> 
> http://www.heartstringsfiberarts.com/bunny-pattern.shtm



Every time I take a first look at a pattern, I want to run screaming for the hills. They all look Greek, on first inspection, but.....once you actually start knitting, it turns out that it really is no biggie. Most of it is a bunch of knit or purl stitches. The rest; a variation thereof that you can look up on a "need-to-know" basis.

I've never made these before, but I figured, worse comes to worst, I'll look things up (this should be my mantra). 

I *love* the bunny. It is absolutely adorable. I'm tempted to try it myself, but I know my cats would completely destroy it within seconds. Good thing about the mice is that they are felted, so a bit sturdier. 

Chris


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## Spanky (Dec 20, 2007)

Anybody read this? It was in the WSJ. 

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119766934184930123.html?mod=blog


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 20, 2007)

Spanky said:


> Anybody read this? It was in the WSJ.
> 
> http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119766934184930123.html?mod=blog



EXCELLENT!!

EDIT: By the way, while I'm sifting through the univers looking for good yarn I decided to try and knit some handwarmers I'd seen online, using some of the acrylic I had lying around. *shakes head* I don't know what I'm doing wrong but the end of my projects always look so bad. It's that last stitch, it never melds the project together properly and always looks like this uneven gap.  I'll have to post a picture when I can shake off the shame.


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## Spanky (Dec 20, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> EXCELLENT!!



I have a couple of days before Christmas and I am going to try to speed knit a pair as a surprise for Mrs. Spanky. She loves hand-knitted socks. You know, "love in every stitch". The chicks really dig that stuff. 

<exit stage right!>


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## kr7 (Dec 20, 2007)

I just did. That is so insane. I mean, it sounds like it can be a hoot if that's what you want to do, but I would never want knitting to become like this for me. It's my ultimate escape, and I do not want even a shred of stress to creep into it. So, are there any "extreme" knitters among us?

Chris


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## kr7 (Dec 20, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> .....It's that last stitch, it never melds the project together properly and always looks like this uneven gap.  I'll have to post a picture when I can shake off the shame.



Post a pic, and I'm sure we can figure it out. It's hard without actually seeing it. Is it the very last bind-off stitch? Is it sticking out?

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 21, 2007)

I made it into Ravelry! I'm JustSomeLady.


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## Miss Vickie (Dec 24, 2007)

Hey guys, can I ask one (okay, two!) knitting questions? I'm just about done with my first project, a felted bag and have naturally started the second one, which is a lap robe for Burtimus.

Anyhoo, my questions about felting are thus:

1) And this is more of a general knitting question -- how do I get my little ends tucked in and stuff. I assume I use a tapestry needle and weave 'em in? If so, how far do they go in? And what'll happen to them once they're felted?

2) For felting it says to use a mesh bag, like you'd use for lingerie. I don't have such a bag (I'm a pleb, I know). Is there something else I can use? Like a pillow case? Or is it really necessary?

Thanks so much, folks. I'm so excited to be nearly done!  If it's in any way presentable, I promise I'll take a picture and post it for your amusement.


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## Half Full (Dec 25, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> Hey guys, can I ask one (okay, two!) knitting questions? I'm just about done with my first project, a felted bag and have naturally started the second one, which is a lap robe for Burtimus.
> 
> Anyhoo, my questions about felting are thus:
> 
> ...



Lucky you, I happen to have hideous insomnia 

Actually if you google "weaving in ends in knitting" you'll get a ton of images of how to do it. With felting you don't have to be so careful because the felting will absorb most of the ends and any that stick out, you can just cut (felted knitting will *not* unravel.)

Actually it's *BETTER* to use a pillowcase! You can felt without anything however many wools shed A LOT during the felting process and you can really stuff up your washer! So obviously a full of holes lingerie bag isn't gonna do jack! I use a pillowcase and I close it with a rubberband on the end - the agitation of the machine will often cause the pillowcase zipper to open so use a rubberband to keep it closed. 

The things you want to facilitate the felting process are "shocking" and agitation....shocking as in washing in really hot water and then shocking by washing with really cold water. Be prepared tho, sometime it takes many trips thru the wash cycle to get the end product you desire. I felted my clogs this afternoon and after five hot/cold cycles on "superwash" they *still* need at least one more trip thru! 

For agitation above what the washer provides, I often toss in a pair of white tennies (keds) that will agitate but not shed into the felted material. Many people use a pair of old jeans for this too. Be careful tho, if you material can shed in any way, the loose bits will be permanently felted into your felted fabric.

You need to check the fabric frequently during felting cause when it finally happens it can really happen fast! I learned the hard way when a pair of felted clogs for my Mom became a pair of felted clogs for my 6 year old neighbor!:shocked:

Hope this helps!


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## Miss Vickie (Dec 25, 2007)

Thank you so much! Your timing is perfect. I'm working on working in my endie bits, and have sewn the handles on and put the gusset in the bottom. Now I'm terrified, though, to do the actual felting. I just feel like it's going to come out looking like sort of obscene stuffed circus animal, or will fall apart or something. I think I'll hold off until morning, and will post pictures no matter now it turns out. Heck, you guys need a laugh, right? Consider it my Christmas gift to you. 

Of course, if nothing else I love the color -- shades of fuchsia, mauve and a deep bluey purple. 

Thanks again for the excellent advice! Hmmm, I wonder, would tennis balls would be good to add some agitation to the water?

Hope you're getting some good rest!


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## Half Full (Dec 25, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> Thank you so much! Your timing is perfect. I'm working on working in my endie bits, and have sewn the handles on and put the gusset in the bottom. Now I'm terrified, though, to do the actual felting. I just feel like it's going to come out looking like sort of obscene stuffed circus animal, or will fall apart or something. I think I'll hold off until morning, and will post pictures no matter now it turns out. Heck, you guys need a laugh, right? Consider it my Christmas gift to you.
> 
> Of course, if nothing else I love the color -- shades of fuchsia, mauve and a deep bluey purple.
> 
> ...


Tennis balls are great as long as their fuzz doesn't come off! 

BTW, I put my clogs thru wash #6 and I'm seriously thinking there will be yet another one! I want a really firm fabric and I've gotten it before with the very same yarn but this time it's taking forever. Like I warned, it's a very inexact process!

BTW, it will not fall apart!


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 26, 2007)

Just sharing my current project. While waiting for some yarn to get here for a sweater I plan to knit for daughter, I decided to make myself a pair of wristers (fingerless gloves). My hands get cold easy, and I've really wanted a pair, but they all seem to be designed for skinny women. So I decided on a pattern I liked, pick out some yarn from my stash (some pretty oatmeal heathered merino wool), and I am improvising a pattern (also posted in my Ravelry projects) for my plus sized hands with an 8.5" wrist. Here it is in progress...


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## kr7 (Dec 26, 2007)

Hope everyone is having a great Christmas! I see you guys have been busy over the Holidays!



Sandie S-R said:


> Just sharing my current project. While waiting for some yarn to get here for a sweater I plan to knit for daughter, I decided to make myself a pair of wristers.......



Neat. I find that I prefer to improvise patterns, rather than try and scale them up. Ultimately, it seems easier (at least to me). 



Miss Vickie said:


> .....I'm just about done with my first project, a felted bag and have naturally started the second one, which is a lap robe for Burtimus............I'm so excited to be nearly done!  If it's in any way presentable, I promise I'll take a picture and post it for your amusement.



Yes, pls post pix! I'm sure your projects will turn out great. 

Chris


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## kr7 (Dec 26, 2007)

I too have been busy. Here are the gifts I knitted up for my cats (mice), and dog (bunny from Jack's link above):

View attachment 33207


View attachment 33208
Thanks for the link, Jack! My dog is loving it! 

And of course, the scarf I've been working on forever. It was a gift for my Dad. I am heartily glad that it is finally done. I think that I am seriously scarfed-out for now! 

View attachment 33209


Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 26, 2007)

kr7 said:


> I too have been busy. Here are the gifts I knitted up for my cats (mice), and dog (bunny from Jack's link above):
> 
> View attachment 33207
> 
> ...



The pet toy's are very cute but that scarf is totally dreamy!


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## Half Full (Dec 26, 2007)

Sandie S-R said:


> Just sharing my current project. While waiting for some yarn to get here for a sweater I plan to knit for daughter, I decided to make myself a pair of wristers (fingerless gloves). My hands get cold easy, and I've really wanted a pair, but they all seem to be designed for skinny women. So I decided on a pattern I liked, pick out some yarn from my stash (some pretty oatmeal heathered merino wool), and I am improvising a pattern (also posted in my Ravelry projects) for my plus sized hands with an 8.5" wrist. Here it is in progress...



Sandy - I have TWO free patterns on my blog (with links in Ravelry) for wristers that will accommodate larger hands/wrists. In fact both my patterns cover a range of sizing. Just simple knitting but cute 

Are you knitting yours flat? Or are you using DPNs? It looks like you're knitting yours flat.


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## Half Full (Dec 26, 2007)

Here's my latest....I finished these socks for a fluffy friend.






I've knit and felted 3 pairs of felted clogs since my last "FO" post too but as they are winging their way to their new homes as I write this there are no pics 

Now I'm currently working on a "Mystery Sock". I'm the test knitter for the January Mystery sock for the Socknitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry...it's a *really* cute pattern altho it's kinda weird just knitting along, not knowing what the "FO" is gonna look like


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 26, 2007)

A good opportunity to segway into the toil and chrubble that is my life as I'm still a little incomplete in my skills with knitting. I made an attempt at a wrister I saw online and while I feel I get the basic concept, there are still some bugs in my technique that I need to figure out. Please, no beatings about me still using acrylic yarn. Had I done this with cashmere or angora I would be pissed. I'll continue to experiment with acrylic till I feel like I won't ruin it.






I made this wrister before according to the direction and it was infinitley too small. I decided to use a thicker yarn and bigger double pointed needles. Sorry for the picture quality. I was going to wait for better lighting but I knew I would never get around to doing this if I waited any longer.






I'm not horribly disappointed. Overall I feel okay but it's in the details...






.... like this. I know that I am missing some vital piece of information that is causing me to end my projects in complete disaster. I'm not connecting things properly and haven't been able to find anything that shows me what I'm doing wrong.






And then the beginning of the project. You can't see it clearly here but there is this big strange gap that appears where I join the two ends in the beginning. I think I'm linking things tight enough but then as I go along there is this gaping loop.






And the same tragic ending occurs here at the thumb. *shakes head*​


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## Jack Skellington (Dec 26, 2007)

kr7 said:


> I too have been busy. Here are the gifts I knitted up for my cats (mice), and dog (bunny from Jack's link above):
> 
> View attachment 33208
> Thanks for the link, Jack! My dog is loving it!



Whoa! That is SO cool! Not to mention cute. Very nice.


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## Half Full (Dec 26, 2007)

Ok Lily, a few things...I won't beat you up for using acrylic but you also have to realize it has no bounce. Your fabric looks kinda dead and stretched out before you even wear it! I totally agree, you don't wanna be making all these test runs with cashmere or other spendy yarn but get yourself some cheap WOOL like Brown Sheep Naturespun or Lambs Pride or Cascade 220. It's under $7.00 per skein ( you can find it on sale a lot and for a lot less! ) and you'll be working with a fiber that actually cooperates and doesn't break the bank! It *will* make things easier, I promise! 

Now what kind of cast on do you use? and when you join in the round, what method do you use? I pass the first stitch on the right needle to the left needle then I pass the first stitch on the left needle OVER the stitch I slipped over from the right needle...then I pull the "tail" to make sure I have no gaps or holes. I make sure to snug up my first and *second* stitch on every row to minimize that gap.

Here's how to close the gap at the cast off....knit your last bind off stitch then cut your yarn and pull it thru the last loop. Then thread the leftover tail onto a tapestry needle and with on a tapestry needle, insert into first bind-off chain to the left of the first st. Go under both loops of that chain, then insert the tapestry needle back down into last chain (the place where the tail popped out of to begin with). Pull slightly to even this out, then weave in the end on the "private" side of the work.

Does this help?


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## Half Full (Dec 27, 2007)

Lily- I just wanted to let you know JoAnn's has Paton's Classic wool on sale for $3.99. It's really nice wool, not cheesy or of poor quality at all! It's a nice big 220 yard skein, JoAnn's has nice colors in stock and best of all, it's wool!

For $3.99 a skein you can afford to "experiment" with some decent natural fiber!

Here's a link to the sale online!


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## kr7 (Dec 27, 2007)

Half Full said:


> The pet toy's are very cute but that scarf is totally dreamy!





Jack Skellington said:


> Whoa! That is SO cool! Not to mention cute. Very nice.



Thanks guys!  Jack, when you make your toys, post pix here. I'd love to see your version of the bunny. 



Half Full said:


> Here's my latest....I finished these socks for a fluffy friend.......Now I'm currently working on a "Mystery Sock". I'm the test knitter for the January Mystery sock for the Socknitters Anonymous Group on Ravelry...it's a *really* cute pattern altho it's kinda weird just knitting along, not knowing what the "FO" is gonna look like



Beautifull, as always. The colorway is very pretty too. The mystery sock project sounds like fun. I swear, Debi, ever since I "met" you, I am itching to make socks. I wonder why. 



Half Full said:


> Lily- I just wanted to let you know JoAnn's has Paton's Classic wool on sale for $3.99. It's really nice wool, not cheesy or of poor quality at all.......



Lilly, I second that. I made some cute felted slippers using different types of less expensive brands of wool, and the Paton's was best of the bunch (IMO). It was actually nicer to work with than the Nature Spun, I thought.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 27, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Lilly, I second that. I made some cute felted slippers using different types of less expensive brands of wool, and the Paton's was best of the bunch (IMO). It was actually nicer to work with than the Nature Spun, I thought.
> 
> Chris



I've worked with Lamb's Pride before, it's what I used to make that green hat. I really love the colors they have but I'm aching to work with something a little softer. I'm still going around feeling yarns to see what I want to play with but in the meantime I'm still trying to clean up my skills.


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## kr7 (Dec 27, 2007)

LillyBBBW said:


> I've worked with Lamb's Pride before, it's what I used to make that green hat. I really love the colors they have but I'm aching to work with something a little softer. I'm still going around feeling yarns to see what I want to play with but in the meantime I'm still trying to clean up my skills.



Just treat yourself to 1 skein of something soft and luxurious. Even if it's $20, one skein won't break the bank (and most likely, it won't be that much). You can make something small (like the wristlets), just to get the feel of what it's like to work with a "luxury" yarn, and just to see the difference it can make in your knitting.

Also, even if you decide that your item did not turn out right, you can always frog it. Even luxury yarn stands up to a little frogging. I did just that with the hand-spun merino/cashmere/camel/silk I used for the scarf above. It started out as a sweater, which I kept on unraveling and restarting, bcs I wasn't getting the right gauge. I finally decided to not make the sweater, so I unraveled it again, washed and dried, and re-knit into the scarf. No damage to the yarn. 

Chris


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 27, 2007)

kr7 said:


> ...snip...And of course, the scarf I've been working on forever. It was a gift for my Dad. I am heartily glad that it is finally done. I think that I am seriously scarfed-out for now!
> 
> View attachment 33209
> 
> ...



Chris, the scarf is gorgeous! No wonder it took you a while. Those are come intricate cables! Well done.

:bow:


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## Miss Vickie (Dec 27, 2007)

Wow, guys, your projects are amazing. I am truly humbled by my very raw attempts to learn to knit.

Okay so here's the bag I made. I used Lamb's Pride wool, and while the pattern called for using "novelty yarn" at the top, instead I mixed two colors together and got a neat effect with it. It's wider than it is long since I didn't stretch it much but it's perfect for my needs -- my new knitting bag!

Please... be kind.






I'm now making a lap robe for Burtimus. It's got two shades of grey -- one light, one dark -- which gives it a heathered effect. It's got ribbing, but the pattern is so easy even I can do it. Mostly. I'll post pics when it's done.


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 27, 2007)

Miss Vickie said:


> Wow, guys, your projects are amazing. I am truly humbled by my very raw attempts to learn to knit.
> 
> Okay so here's the bag I made. I used Lamb's Pride wool, and while the pattern called for using "novelty yarn" at the top, instead I mixed two colors together and got a neat effect with it. It's wider than it is long since I didn't stretch it much but it's perfect for my needs -- my new knitting bag!
> 
> ...



I think it looks great Vickie! Very pretty colors. Nice job.


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## Half Full (Dec 27, 2007)

Vicki!!! There's no need to "be kind"! It's a lovely bag!! Made even lovlier to know it's your first "FO" (that's knitterese for "Finished Object" as opposed to a UFO which is an project that gets no love and remains unfinished for an indefinate time)

Well done, knitter


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## Half Full (Dec 27, 2007)

Well then, why don't you toots? Socks are easy and can be as plain or as fancy as you like!

You can join the Sockdown on Ravelry too!


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## kr7 (Dec 27, 2007)

Sandie S-R said:


> Chris, the scarf is gorgeous! No wonder it took you a while. Those are come intricate cables! Well done.
> 
> :bow:



Thank you very much! 




Miss Vickie said:


> Wow, guys, your projects are amazing. I am truly humbled by my very raw attempts to learn to knit.
> 
> Okay so here's the bag I made......Please... be kind......



Thanks for the compliment, MV.  Now, what's all this about being kind? Don't be silly. It's a wonderfull bag! I love the colors, and the felting looks just great. Very nice job! 



Half Full said:


> Well then, why don't you toots? Socks are easy and can be as plain or as fancy as you like!
> 
> You can join the Sockdown on Ravelry too!



Get thee behind me, Debi! Do you know what I did the better part of the afternoon? I spend hours trying to find more Jamieson & Smith lace weight yarn online, for my (hopefully soon to be) Estonian socks. Now, I'm going to be cranky for weeks, trying to get the gauge, then scale up the pattern to actually fit around my calves, then find the right needles (cause I never seem to have the right ones when I start a project). Then there are the weeks of knitting and frogging, and re-knitting and re-frogging. I hope you're happy, missy!

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 27, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Get thee behind me, Debi! Do you know what I did the better part of the afternoon? I spend hours trying to find more Jamieson & Smith lace weight yarn online, for my (hopefully soon to be) Estonian socks. Now, I'm going to be cranky for weeks, trying to get the gauge, then scale up the pattern to actually fit around my calves, then find the right needles (cause I never seem to have the right ones when I start a project). Then there are the weeks of knitting and frogging, and re-knitting and re-frogging. I hope you're happy, missy!
> 
> Chris



Well forgive my presumption but why on Earth are you "starting" with microgauge socks? And in J & S laceweight? That stuff's not very soft, I don't think I'd want it on *my* feet! Did you ever hear of just dipping a toe in the water to see if you like it before you end up plunging into a freezing cold lake that's way too deep for you? :doh:

I don't believe in inhibiting knitters from being fearless but what if you *hate* knitting socks?


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## kr7 (Dec 27, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Well forgive my presumption but why on Earth are you "starting" with microgauge socks? And in J & S laceweight? That stuff's not very soft, I don't think I'd want it on *my* feet! Did you ever hear of just dipping a toe in the water to see if you like it before you end up plunging into a freezing cold lake that's way too deep for you? :doh:
> 
> I don't believe in inhibiting knitters from being fearless but what if you *hate* knitting socks?



Because it's me. That's why. I am a completely insane individual, who is not satisfied unless she undertakes some gargantuan task or other.  Most of all the tasks in my life start with me saying: "how hard can it be?". Then, all sorts of things happen. I can't help myself. I'm built that way.

But srsly, I am doubling up on the yarn, so the gauge will (hopefully) be that of one required in the pattern (quite a bit thicker). I picked the shetland yarn, bcs I wanted something sturdy, and (to me) this yarn seems to be that. I don't think the texture will make a huge difference to me, bcs I don't seem to have particularly sensitive feet. At least that's my reasoning behind all of this. Whether or not any of this will prove to be true, is quite another story. Honestly, I have no clue about socks, so I plan on rolling with whatever happens. 

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 27, 2007)

kr7 said:


> Honestly, I have no clue about socks, so I plan on rolling with whatever happens.
> Chris



Ok here's another monkey wrench in your plan....Shetland yarn is not made for socks - do you want to do all the work of Estonian patterned socks just to blow out a heel or a toe with 2 or 3 wearings? It won't wear well and will probably felt horribly....why do you think it's so easy to cut steeks in Shetland sweaters? The yarn is grabby cause the cuticle is open - perfect conditions for felting.

I'm done Chris, you're a smart woman and if despite my guidance you want to knit these socks, enjoy the ride


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 28, 2007)

Chris...

I've got a couple of suggestions. I recently bought some Knitpicks laceweight 100% merino yarn that is soooooo soft and yummy, and it is on clearance. So if you've got your heart set on lace weight, take a look at these:

Knitpicks Shadow

and...

Knitpicks Gossamer

I really thought these were both lovely, and I got quite a bit that was on sale. Hope that helps.


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## kr7 (Dec 28, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Ok here's another monkey wrench in your plan....Shetland yarn is not made for socks - do you want to do all the work of Estonian patterned socks just to blow out a heel or a toe with 2 or 3 wearings? It won't wear well and will probably felt horribly.........



Nooooooo! Crap. See, I told ya I don't know anything about socks. OK. Back to square one then. There are a few patterns I like in the Folk Knitting in Estonia book, and they tell you what yarn was used, but all it says is that they are "100% wool". Well geez, no kidding. BUT what kind of wool?

They give you the brands (Tuna-350yds/100g, Satakieli-357yds/100g, and Rauma Finullgarn-180yds/50g), but I have never heard of them, seen them, or know what they are like. Of the three, I can only find Satakieli for sale online (within the USA), and I still don't know anything about it. I once read somewhere that Tuna is great for socks, bcs it is Shetland-like.  But you just said that Shetland sucks for socks, so what gives?  OK, so have you ever heard of any of these? Should I go with Satakielli? Or can you recommend a substitute? What kind of wool should I be looking for?



Sandie S-R said:


> Chris...
> 
> I've got a couple of suggestions. I recently bought some Knitpicks laceweight 100% merino yarn that is soooooo soft and yummy....



Thanks Sandie. Problem is, that any time I use merino for something that will take some abuse (like footwear), it just falls apart after just a couple of wearings. That's why originally I was thinking Shetland.

Chris


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## Spanky (Dec 28, 2007)

Half-way done. Here is a pic. The wool knitted up thicker than expected. It is what I had and the socks are used more as foot warmers in the house. 

I really need a suggestion for wool/cotton/blends for socks and neck gaiters. Any recommendations??


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 28, 2007)

Spanky said:


> Half-way done. Here is a pic. The wool knitted up thicker than expected. It is what I had and the socks are used more as foot warmers in the house.
> 
> I really need a suggestion for wool/cotton/blends for socks and neck gaiters. Any recommendations??



Just wanted to say that looks like a very cozy sock, Spanky!


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## Half Full (Dec 28, 2007)

Ok Spanky and Chris, seriously if you google "sock yarn for knitting" you'll get a bajillion hits, I promise! 

Chris - you can sub any fingering (sock) yarn for those you mentioned, you don't have to use those specifically. As an aside, Nancy Bush has a website and an online store...if she's around (not teaching) she's very friendly and accessable and if you call her, she'll be glad to help you find those yarns if you like. Also, I don't have her Estonian Socks book but I have all her others and I'm pretty sure she lists her yarn sources somewhere in the book as she does in all her books.

For longest wear, you want wool (or cotton) with a touch of nylon/polymide for strength and longer wear. You can knit socks without it but if you want your socks to last, it's a good idea.

When knitting socks you want a tight gauge for long wear too. 8 - 9 stitches per inch in fingering weight (sock) yarn is what you want to shoot for...you want a firm not bulletproof fabric. 7 inches in sport weigh if you want a heavier sock.

Laceweight yarn is far too delicate for socks even doubled. It just doesn't have the twist or tensile strength to stand the 700+ psi your feet absorb with every step. (and that's if you're *skinny!*)

Go have yourselves a nice google, look around and find something you like and then if you need help, just ask.


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## LillyBBBW (Dec 29, 2007)

Half Full said:


> Ok Lily, a few things...I won't beat you up for using acrylic but you also have to realize it has no bounce. Your fabric looks kinda dead and stretched out before you even wear it! I totally agree, you don't wanna be making all these test runs with cashmere or other spendy yarn but get yourself some cheap WOOL like Brown Sheep Naturespun or Lambs Pride or Cascade 220. It's under $7.00 per skein ( you can find it on sale a lot and for a lot less! ) and you'll be working with a fiber that actually cooperates and doesn't break the bank! It *will* make things easier, I promise!
> 
> Now what kind of cast on do you use? and when you join in the round, what method do you use? I pass the first stitch on the right needle to the left needle then I pass the first stitch on the left needle OVER the stitch I slipped over from the right needle...then I pull the "tail" to make sure I have no gaps or holes. I make sure to snug up my first and *second* stitch on every row to minimize that gap.
> 
> ...



Sorry I didn't respond to this sooner Debi. I sorta need to have a project in front of me that I can try your suggestions on to see how it goes down for me. The acrylic is really raggedy looking no matter what I do to it I agree but for now it's handy to test stuff out on. I've got some wool here to work with too, just not the right sized needles. 

As for casting on, I didn't know there were other methods. I use a standard cast on that I've seen demonstrated in a few places on Youtube. I learned to join the round differently than what you've described though. I start off by moving the first stich on the right needle over to the left needle as you do, then I knit the two stitches on the left needle together and the new loop forms the first stitch in my first row, if that makes any sense. This always looks sloppy though so I will try yours next time.


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## pinuptami (Dec 29, 2007)

Confession: I have never knit a sock.

Confession: I have never knit or crochet ANY garment. (I think it's because the patterns I like wouldn't fit me, but I could learn to modify them.)

I think in 2008 I need to branch out! I mahe a ton of scarves, blankets, household items, toys even...but no socks or garments.


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 29, 2007)

pinuptami said:


> Confession: I have never knit a sock.
> 
> Confession: I have never knit or crochet ANY garment. (I think it's because the patterns I like wouldn't fit me, but I could learn to modify them.)
> 
> I think in 2008 I need to branch out! I mahe a ton of scarves, blankets, household items, toys even...but no socks or garments.



That's a a great new year's resolution, Tami. Do join us in making stuff. Many of the sweater patterns are now being shown in sizes to 3X, and for us SSBBWs it's much easier to size up from there. I'm in the process of ordering yarn for a sweater that I am making my daughter for her birthday and she is a 2x. (It's my next project.) The instructions are easy and it should be a lovely sweater on her. 

Here is a pic of it (a friend of mine made this one)... 

View attachment Picture 1.jpg


View attachment Picture 2.jpg


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## Half Full (Dec 29, 2007)

I think that's why you're getting the "gap" at the start of your rounds...I hope my suggestion solves the problem for you


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## kr7 (Dec 30, 2007)

Half Full said:


> .....For longest wear, you want wool (or cotton) with a touch of nylon/polymide for strength and longer wear. You can knit socks without it but if you want your socks to last, it's a good idea.......




OK. I looked around in the book, and she also uses Koigu for another pattern. Out of all the possibilities, I really like that one. I saw the colors online, and they are really pretty, plus I like that they have a bit of a rustic look to them, due to hand dying. I think it would fit with the historical "folk" look of the socks. The gauge is very close too. Koigu is 176yds/50g, and the wool in the pattern I like is 180yds/50g. I think that it would work. Maybe I wouldn't even have to scale the pattern up, since it is a slightly heavier yarn? Or is the difference too slight to really make a difference? 

Now, here is the only thing I have doubt about. Koigu is merino. It's nice, but is it going to be strong enough? I think that depending on how it was spun, it could be fine. I have never seen it in person, so I have no idea, but it is being sold as a "sock" yarn. What do you think? Alternately, I could incorporate Jawoll reinforcement thread in the toe/heel area. Any thoughts?

Chris


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## kr7 (Dec 30, 2007)

Does anyone have any experience with using needle felting techniques to repair holes in felted slippers? If so, were the results satisfactory? Any tips?

Chris


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## Half Full (Dec 30, 2007)

kr7 said:


> OK. I looked around in the book, and she also uses Koigu for another pattern. Out of all the possibilities, I really like that one. I saw the colors online, and they are really pretty, plus I like that they have a bit of a rustic look to them, due to hand dying. I think it would fit with the historical "folk" look of the socks. The gauge is very close too. Koigu is 176yds/50g, and the wool in the pattern I like is 180yds/50g. I think that it would work. Maybe I wouldn't even have to scale the pattern up, since it is a slightly heavier yarn? Or is the difference too slight to really make a difference?
> 
> Now, here is the only thing I have doubt about. Koigu is merino. It's nice, but is it going to be strong enough? I think that depending on how it was spun, it could be fine. I have never seen it in person, so I have no idea, but it is being sold as a "sock" yarn. What do you think? Alternately, I could incorporate Jawoll reinforcement thread in the toe/heel area. Any thoughts?
> 
> Chris



Chris -

Koigu is a tightly spun 100% merino. Will it last forever? Probably not. As I said before, for durability you need a bit of nylon/polymide for durability cause socks take a lot of punishment.

I've knit with koigu for socks, yes but I handwash all my socks, no exceptions. Even so, the koigu felted slightly at the heel, it's just the nature of merino. As an aside, if you want to save yourself a bunch of bucks, the base yarn for koigu is Louet Gems Pearl. It's not dyed as colorfully as koigu but I'm guessing with a busy Estonian pattern you'd go with koigu solids anyway. (BTW, Claudia's Handpaint, Shibui, Fleece Artist and lots of indie dyers use the Louet as their base yarn too!)

Personally, for a first sock, I would go with Regia or Opal. Both come in lots of colors and wear like iron! Plus the both contain nylon and are not too expensive and very easy to find. If I spent all that time making such intricate socks, I'd want to knit them in yarn I could trust to hang in there for more than a few wearings.

Lastly, I don't know what the gauge is on the Estonian socks but two things...it may seem like not so much "thickness" but anything above fingering weight and you're gonna have a very hard time fitting them in your shoes plus with stranding, you've got double the weight of the yarn! You also want to knit socks at a very tight gauge - not so tight that they can walk by themselves  but tight enough so they wear well so you need to consider that when you take on a project....do you really want to knit complex socks on a #000 steel needle (which you *might* need to get gauge) For me, life's too short for that!

Honestly Chris, pick a simpler pattern and believe me they are legion out there, pick a pretty yarn you love and knit a simple sock to see how you love the process and how to tweak them for *your* feet!


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## kr7 (Jan 1, 2008)

Half Full said:


> ......Honestly Chris, pick a simpler pattern and believe me they are legion out there, pick a pretty yarn you love and knit a simple sock to see how you love the process and how to tweak them for *your* feet!



Debi,

You are a treasure! Is there something you don't know about knitting and yarn?  Thanks for all the suggestions. As for the pattern, I am sticking with this one, bcs I love it, and that is a rare occurence. Complexity does not scare me. In fact, I think it attracts me.

BUT......now I have problem #2. Nothing to do with socks. I have been playing around with establishing gauge for the tennis sweater (cream cashsilk with navy cashmerino stripes at bottom, neck, and cuffs), and I thought this would be a good time to see if the navy yarn bleeds. Well, it sure does! I washed a piece of yarn from each color together, and left them to air dry, and yes they certainly bleed. Is this normal? Or am I just lucky?

I have done color work before, and it bled as well. The only difference is that I found out about it the hard way....after the sweater was all done. I assumed then, that it was because of the incredible cheapness of the yarn I used, but if that were true, this should not be happening with cashmerino. Damn it.

Am I doing something wrong? Or not doing something right? Is there some way of *preventing *this from happening in the finished sweater? Would dry-cleaning the finished sweater, instead of washing, guarantee that the yarn does not bleed? HELP!

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 4, 2008)

Well it's been awful quiet in here. I thought I'd break the silence with yet another masterpiece whipped up from my bag of magic. I'm calling it a java cozy, something to give me a bit more digit mobility in my commute so that my whole hand isn't kept from getting things done. It's made with Noro Kureyon 100% wool. I'm calling the color "Fire & Brimstone" but it's listed as number 165 on the package.





Some of you folks may recognize this little number from the Knitty site though this is not the exact pattern, I made it up. I met some people on Ravelry and set up a meetup at a local Starbucks. I had the pattern all printed out and on my desk at work ready to take with me at the end of the day. A strange turn of events forced me to miss work that day and stay at my parents place, two people who use the same stereo system they bought back in the 70's. So there I was with all the knitting materials and no pattern and no way to get to a computer to duplicate the pattern for the meetup. I decided to go to the meetup and fake it and this is what I came up with.





So what do you think? I'm not crazy about this yarn. I like rough rustic things but this is a little too rough for my tastes. Plus the yarn is weak at points and actually separated in half at one point in the middle of my project. This thing took just over an hour or so to make, two tops. 

Point of trivia: EVERYBODY at the meetup was knitting socks. What is it with you sock knitters? One woman was knitting a hat and I was wrestling with this java cozy of course but the other 6 were working away at their socks. Great ladies they all were. We're meeting again next Thursday night, same place. ​


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 4, 2008)

Lilly!!!

You go girl! Your little Starbucks carrier is adorable, and I'm impressed that you just whipped it up yourself. So was the meet-up fun? Did you like all the women/men? Ravelry is a great community, and I sure am getting "invested" there. I'm knitting like a fiend, finishing up some small projects, so as soon as the yarn arrives for Rachael's sweater I can get it started. I just spent another $150 on yarn from KnitPicks. (Geez I love that place.) They have great yarn and the prices are very reasonable.

Anyway, good on you for your cute little cup cozy!


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 5, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> Lilly!!!
> 
> You go girl! Your little Starbucks carrier is adorable, and I'm impressed that you just whipped it up yourself. So was the meet-up fun? Did you like all the women/men? Ravelry is a great community, and I sure am getting "invested" there. I'm knitting like a fiend, finishing up some small projects, so as soon as the yarn arrives for Rachael's sweater I can get it started. I just spent another $150 on yarn from KnitPicks. (Geez I love that place.) They have great yarn and the prices are very reasonable.
> 
> Anyway, good on you for your cute little cup cozy!



Thanks so much Sandie, and thanks for the Rep Spanky!  I'm so pleased with myself over this, I'm not sure if I could even do it again. Within the last year or two a new Starbucks opened on the corner of the station where I wait for my bus to go home. I've never been in there but passing by I always thought it would be a great spot for a SnB. When I got on Ravelry I found a group based in my state and noticed a few people lived in the south shore area along the subway route. It was my first post ever in the group but I mentioned the Starbucks and asked if anyone was interested in meeting there. Turns out several people work in the area, two of whom live in my town. There was great enthusiasm for meeting there and I was thrilled. I even went out and bought new yarn, I was so excited.

When I got there at the appointed time all the ladies were already there knitting away. We were all looking forward to the meetup. There was small talk and lots of people were shy at first but knitting and the music playing and watching the people walk by through the window was really relaxing. The expereince was very positive for everyone and we are looking forward to meeting again next Thursday at the same place. They are all far more advanced in their knitting and have been knitting much longer than I have. There are a few spinners in the group as well. I counted 3 BBW's other than myself, a very well rounded group.  I'm so glad I Forrest Gumped my way into all of this, it's been such a great experience.

EDIT: Oh and Debi, ALL of your advice worked like a charm. Thanks so much!


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## kr7 (Jan 5, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> ......I'm knitting like a fiend, finishing up some small projects, so as soon as the yarn arrives for Rachael's sweater I can get it started. I just spent another $150 on yarn from KnitPicks.....





I can't wait to see all the stuff you've been working on. 





LillyBBBW said:


> ......When I got there at the appointed time all the ladies were already there knitting away. We were all looking forward to the meetup. There was small talk and lots of people were shy at first but knitting and the music playing and watching the people walk by through the window was really relaxing. The expereince was very positive for everyone and we are looking forward to meeting again next Thursday at the same place. They are all far more advanced in their knitting and have been knitting much longer than I have. There are a few spinners in the group as well. I counted 3 BBW's other than myself, a very well rounded group.  I'm so glad I Forrest Gumped my way into all of this, it's been such a great experience.
> 
> EDIT: Oh and Debi, ALL of your advice worked like a charm. Thanks so much!



I love your cup holder. It's so cute! And what a neat idea. 

Hey, the meet-up sounds like it was lots of fun. There is a small group that meets somewhere near me (I found out on Ravelry), but I haven't gone yet. Now, though, I really want to. 

BTW, Debi told me that she is not going to be able to hang out on Dims as much anymore, so she might not get to read your note. Just wanted to let you know, so you didn't think she was ignoring you. 

Chris


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## pinuptami (Jan 6, 2008)

Finally got into ravelry the other day, I am as excited as a kid at Disney World. Well...almost


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## Half Full (Jan 6, 2008)

LillyBBBW said:


> Thanks so much Sandie, and thanks for the Rep Spanky!  I'm so pleased with myself over this, I'm not sure if I could even do it again. Within the last year or two a new Starbucks opened on the corner of the station where I wait for my bus to go home. I've never been in there but passing by I always thought it would be a great spot for a SnB. When I got on Ravelry I found a group based in my state and noticed a few people lived in the south shore area along the subway route. It was my first post ever in the group but I mentioned the Starbucks and asked if anyone was interested in meeting there. Turns out several people work in the area, two of whom live in my town. There was great enthusiasm for meeting there and I was thrilled. I even went out and bought new yarn, I was so excited.
> 
> When I got there at the appointed time all the ladies were already there knitting away. We were all looking forward to the meetup. There was small talk and lots of people were shy at first but knitting and the music playing and watching the people walk by through the window was really relaxing. The expereince was very positive for everyone and we are looking forward to meeting again next Thursday at the same place. They are all far more advanced in their knitting and have been knitting much longer than I have. There are a few spinners in the group as well. I counted 3 BBW's other than myself, a very well rounded group.  I'm so glad I Forrest Gumped my way into all of this, it's been such a great experience.
> 
> EDIT: Oh and Debi, ALL of your advice worked like a charm. Thanks so much!



Lily! Your mobile tea cozy is adorable! Good for you for being a _fearless knitter!_ 

I could have told you about the Kureyon...yeah the colors are gorgeous but the yarn is dreck! Rough, thick and lumpy in some places and as thin as string in others plus for $8 a skein you would think they could card the straw, hay and other "organic" crap out of it. Noro just came out with a sock yarn that is Kureyon only really skinny. Can you imagine that stuff on your feet??? 

I'm so glad you have a Meet Up now! I love "hearing" the excitement in your voice! 

I'm also really glad my suggestions worked for you 

About the allure of sock knitting...they are portable (think something to do while waiting in line, for appointments, on public transportation), can be as simple or as elaborate as you want, there are so many stunning colors and delicious fibers and you can sample one for under $30 unlike the spendy commitment yarn for a sweater can be, you can indulge in luxury yarn that would totally break the bank for any other project cause you only need about 100 grams for a sock, you can really step outside your comfort zone and go crazy cause no one has to even see them if you don't want them to, they are fun to knit, there is nothing to compare the feeling of customized, handknit socks on your feet and lastly, most people have feet so it's a very well received gift if you choose to be so generous. 

As far as my not being around much, obviously, knitting is my passion so I'll always respond to posts in this thread and you guys can always contact me thru my blog or thru Ravelry.

Hope everyone had a great New Year and here's to lots of stitches in 2008!


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 6, 2008)

Half Full said:


> Lily! Your mobile tea cozy is adorable! Good for you for being a _fearless knitter!_
> 
> I could have told you about the Kureyon...yeah the colors are gorgeous but the yarn is dreck! Rough, thick and lumpy in some places and as thin as string in others plus for $8 a skein you would think they could card the straw, hay and other "organic" crap out of it. Noro just came out with a sock yarn that is Kureyon only really skinny. Can you imagine that stuff on your feet???
> 
> ...



Cheers! I just want to chime in and support what you've said about kureyon. I'm a color fiend which drew me to it in the first place but I wouldn't use this stuff to make anything you wear on your body. I would almost go so far as to say you could knit yourself a mild alternative to loofah mitts with this except for the occasional wood splinters and debris in it, the weak structure and I suspect this dye bleeds - it feels oily in places. I'm experimenting with it and using it as a practice yarn right now so I'm learning some interesting things with it. I'll post the results soon.


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 6, 2008)

pinuptami said:


> Finally got into ravelry the other day, I am as excited as a kid at Disney World. Well...almost



Aha!! Glad you got in. Now watch out, it is rather addictive. I'm Sandielou there, you can recognize my avitar. Be sure to join in some groups and have some fun!!


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## Jack Skellington (Jan 6, 2008)

LillyBBBW said:


> I thought I'd break the silence with yet another masterpiece whipped up from my bag of magic. I'm calling it a java cozy,



That's cool. Really nice use of color too.


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 13, 2008)

*bump*







I still have some of that Noro Kureyon yarn left, which by the way my SnB group loves. They agree that it's rough to the touch at first but they claim it softens up rediculously once it's been washed and the colors don't run. Maybe the green a little but the color stays true which is why they love it. They say it shrinks but only a little bit. Since it's handy I thought I'd give it another try for practice purposes.






My motivation here is that I've been mad hoppin' Rumplestilskin jealous over Chris's cable scarf so I decided to start practicing doing cables without a cable needle. I found this easy scarf pattern at Ravelry and thought I'd give it a go to develope a rythm.






Mixed emotions on this scarf. It has become signifigant to me because I made a knarly mistake on it. Somewhere along the line I lost a stitch in one of the cables. I didn't know where and I didn't know how. I decided to knit back to that section, unravel the section down and try to find the glitch. I found it but then that section became a mass of tagled loops and loose yarn. I hadn't thought far enough ahead to know how to fix it back the way it was supposed to go. Using a crochet needle and [sinister echo] the POWER of my MIND [/sinister echo] I was able to rework it the way it was supposed to be, including the cable twist, with the repair nearly undetectable. For me it's a proud achievement. :happy:






The other emotion involved is that I fear I won't finish the project. I've got a good rythm going but I'm finding I'm not enthusiastic about the colors in this scarf. I don't know, they seem kinda gloomy to me. I'm going to try to stick with it but as well as things are going, my disappointment in the color scheme is making this all a bit anticlimactic.

Just thought I'd share. I refuse to let this thread die!​


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## Miss Vickie (Jan 13, 2008)

Oh wow, Lilly, that scarf is LOVELY! You guys are so inspiring.

Right now I'm almost done with the lap blanket I'm making Burtimus. I'll take pics. Then I'll start on one of the three bags I have lined up for friends who have asked for one. I'm definitely diggin' this knitting thing!


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 13, 2008)

Lilly, that is a wonderful scarf and, I love the colors. They look very teal and ocean like...which are some of my very favorite colors in all of nature. The cables look very even and well done. I am beyond impressed at your tenacity with your repair. Not sure I would have had the patience...I'd probably have frogged it and started over. But good on you. Keep with it, I'm anxious to see you finish. Really, very pretty cables!


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## kr7 (Jan 13, 2008)

LillyBBBW said:


> ........Mixed emotions on this scarf. It has become signifigant to me because I made a knarly mistake on it. Somewhere along the line I lost a stitch in one of the cables. I didn't know where and I didn't know how. I decided to knit back to that section, unravel the section down and try to find the glitch. I found it but then that section became a mass of tagled loops and loose yarn. I hadn't thought far enough ahead to know how to fix it back the way it was supposed to go. Using a crochet needle and [sinister echo] the POWER of my MIND [/sinister echo] I was able to rework it the way it was supposed to be, including the cable twist, with the repair nearly undetectable. For me it's a proud achievement. :happy:.........



Holy crow, Lilly! Nice cables! Wow, you've never done cables before? They look perfect. If the part with the repair is somewhere in the pic, I can't tell at all. And I looked. Closely.

Hey, I think the colors are pretty cool. I can totally see the scarf being worn with a black dress coat, accessorized with peacock colored leather bag and matching leather gloves. You know what I mean? Subdued and elegant, but with just a pop of amazing color.

BTW, thanks for keeping the thread going, everyone. I'm not a fast knitter, so I wouldn't be able to sustain it by myself.  I'm swatching the tennis sweater right now. As soon as I have something interesting to post, I will.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 13, 2008)

I just noticed that the place where I goofed is not exactly plainly visible. It's in the central cable system at the top. I had to unravel that middle section down to where the turquios/aqua green cable twist is at the top of the work and rework it back up using my crochet needle. I have actually done cables before but:



I used a cable needle and
It was when I was still knitting in the back loop

I really felt like I neded to start over and learn again. It's a little fuzzy but it looks to me like I've got them all in the right direction.


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## kr7 (Jan 13, 2008)

LillyBBBW said:


> ......It's in the central cable system at the top. I had to unravel that middle section down to where the turquios/aqua green cable twist is at the top of the work and rework it back up using my crochet needle.......



Nope. Still can't see it. Looks perfect to me. 

Chris


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## kr7 (Jan 14, 2008)

OK guys. So, these are some things that I have been working on. First picture is of crocheted, felted slippers. I have been cranking these out like mad, bcs we like them a lot. They are comfy and you can make them fancy or plain. These all have been worn already. In fact, I just repaired some holes in two of these, by needle felting. We are also on second set of soles for some of these. The soles are really the worst part. They wear out fairly quickly. This time around, I used some extra strong wool, so hopefully they will hold up longer.






The next picture is of an older project. The sweater is actually purchased from Eddie Bauer, but I made the lace collar for it from a mohair yarn. I saw a similar sweater that I really loved in Anthropologie, and needless to say, they didn't have even close to my size, so I decided to find a way to make one. I didn't have the time to knit an entire sweater, so I was thrilled when I actually found a plain one that I could adorn.









And last, but not least, my photo of all the swatches I made thus far, for the tennis sweater. The needle sizes are #'s 4, 5, 6 and 7. So far, I am leaning towards #6 or 7, which (to me) feel HUGE! I am used to working with size 3 and 4.






Chris


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## cherylharrell (Jan 15, 2008)

Those are such cute slippers. I wish I knew how to crochet a pair of those. YOu did great on them & the sweater too...


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 15, 2008)

kr7 said:


> OK guys. So, these are some things that I have been working on. First picture is of crocheted, felted slippers. I have been cranking these out like mad, bcs we like them a lot. They are comfy and you can make them fancy or plain. These all have been worn already. In fact, I just repaired some holes in two of these, by needle felting. We are also on second set of soles for some of these. The soles are really the worst part. They wear out fairly quickly. This time around, I used some extra strong wool, so hopefully they will hold up longer.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Absolutely gorgeous! I'm liking the larger sized needles in the sweater too, it really brings out the texture and the softness. You've inspired me with the lace collar. I have some chartreuse mohair similar and had no idea what to do with it. Simply beautiful!


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 15, 2008)

Chris, your cables are beautiful! Very lovely work. I kinda agree with you and Lilly. I like the more defined stitches of the larger needles, especially since this will be a man's sweater. 

Thanks for sharing your goodies with us.


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## kr7 (Jan 15, 2008)

Awww, thanks, you guys! :blush: I have decided on the biggest needles-size 7. In addition to the definition, they also give the softest fabric, and I mean buttery.

As far as the lace collar is concerned, I really enjoyed the project, bcs I was able to get a really cute girly sweater out of the deal without spending the time on actually knitting a whole dang sweater (bcs it's not like you could actually buy a cute sweater in my size), or spending a fortune on yarn. This took only about 1/2 skein of lace yarn from Karabella. The sweater is cashmere...BUT...it was on clearance for like $30 or thereabouts. In fact I liked this so much that I thought of doing something similar to other plain sweaters, but maybe this time adding lace at the sleeves or something.

Chris


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## JoyJoy (Mar 6, 2008)

I'm jumping into the knitting pool here. I have loved this thread...thank you to everyone for sharing their pictures and tips!

I used to crochet a bit when my kids were young ones, but had never tackled knitting before January. I'm now a member of two active knitting groups here, as well as Ravelry. I've not had time to complete much, but I'm pleased with what I have done. I'm usually a slow starter, but I'm finding I have big ambitions when it comes to this. 

Here's my first completed project, a simple scarf for my daughter:

View attachment 37910
View attachment 37911


The yarn was given to me without a label, so I don't know the brand or material, but it's very soft!


Here's what I'm working on now, another scarf done in simple knitting:
View attachment 37912
View attachment 37913


The nylon material of the Moda Dea Ticker Tape has mixed reviews on Ravelry, but I'm in love with it - the feel of it and how easy it is (for me) to work with, and I love these colors. I think the bamboo needles (size 15) I'm using help - I like bamboo much better than metal or plastic thus far. I'm definitely keeping this one for myself. 

I haven't been adventurous with other stitches yet, but want to attempt cabling and still need to get purl down. I've also started a crocheted afghan project, which is turning into quite a challenge, but I'm determined to finish it!


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## LillyBBBW (Mar 6, 2008)

HA-HA! Another one bites the dust. Beautiful work Joy! I love the first scarf. Are the ends tasseled? I love it.




JoyJoy said:


> I'm jumping into the knitting pool here. I have loved this thread...thank you to everyone for sharing their pictures and tips!
> 
> I used to crochet a bit when my kids were young ones, but had never tackled knitting before January. I'm now a member of two active knitting groups here, as well as Ravelry. I've not had time to complete much, but I'm pleased with what I have done. I'm usually a slow starter, but I'm finding I have big ambitions when it comes to this.
> 
> ...


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## Miss Vickie (Mar 6, 2008)

Just started my fifth felted bag. *blushes at how into bags I've become* I still have to felt the fourth one but I'm just not feeling the love about dipping my hands into hot water so it's sitting.... waiting. I swear, ONE more bag after this and then I'm moving on. I'm finally starting to be so "over" the bag thing. I want to make myself a shrug. In some sort of luscious purpley yarn. I cannot wait!


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## kr7 (Mar 6, 2008)

JoyJoy said:


> .......Here's my first completed project, a simple scarf for my daughter......




Neat! I love the texture. 

Chris


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## kr7 (Mar 6, 2008)

Miss Vickie said:


> Just started my fifth felted bag. *blushes at how into bags I've become* I still have to felt the fourth one but I'm just not feeling the love about dipping my hands into hot water so it's sitting.... waiting. I swear, ONE more bag after this and then I'm moving on. I'm finally starting to be so "over" the bag thing. I want to make myself a shrug. In some sort of luscious purpley yarn. I cannot wait!



I think it's just fine to have a little, innocent, yarn-related obsession. I'm a little obsessed with the felted slippers I have been making. Hey, I can't help it if their fun to make and comfy, on top of that. 

Chris


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## Sandie S-R (Mar 7, 2008)

JoyJoy said:


> I'm jumping into the knitting pool here. I have loved this thread...thank you to everyone for sharing their pictures and tips!...snip...




Yeah, Joy!! (What Lilly said!) Prepare for the yarn obsession. Cute scarves, and they are in great colors. 

I'm happy that we were able to enable you.  

Here's an update on my current sweater project. I'm making a sweater for my daughter. It is not finished yet, I've gotten sidetracked with a number of things lately (including preparing our taxes for our accountant - yuk), however, it is coming along nicely... 

View attachment skb3b.jpg


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## Spanky (Mar 8, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> Yeah, Joy!! (What Lilly said!) Prepare for the yarn obsession. Cute scarves, and they are in great colors.
> 
> I'm happy that we were able to enable you.
> 
> Here's an update on my current sweater project. I'm making a sweater for my daughter. It is not finished yet, I've gotten sidetracked with a number of things lately (including preparing our taxes for our accountant - yuk), however, it is coming along nicely...



That is beautiful, Sandie. It looks like a fine cotton in the pic. What yarn did you use?

Kudos! :bow:


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## Sandie S-R (Mar 8, 2008)

Spanky said:


> That is beautiful, Sandie. It looks like a fine cotton in the pic. What yarn did you use?
> 
> Kudos! :bow:



Aww, thanks Spanky! It is actually 100% wool. I bought it from www.knitpicks.com which is where I've been buying all my yarn from lately. Very good prices and free shipping on purchases over $50. It is their Wool Of The Andes (100% Peruvian Wool) in Amethyst Heather. It is a gorgeous color, and the yarn is quite soft (not at all scratchy).


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## kr7 (Mar 9, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> Yeah, Joy!! (What Lilly said!) Prepare for the yarn obsession. Cute scarves, and they are in great colors.
> 
> I'm happy that we were able to enable you.
> 
> Here's an update on my current sweater project. I'm making a sweater for my daughter. It is not finished yet, I've gotten sidetracked with a number of things lately (including preparing our taxes for our accountant - yuk), however, it is coming along nicely...



Hey Sandie!

Haven't heard from you in a while! The sweater is coming along beautifully. Love the color!  I really like the waist in this pattern too. Nice and curvy.

Chris


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## LillyBBBW (Mar 9, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> Yeah, Joy!! (What Lilly said!) Prepare for the yarn obsession. Cute scarves, and they are in great colors.
> 
> I'm happy that we were able to enable you.
> 
> Here's an update on my current sweater project. I'm making a sweater for my daughter. It is not finished yet, I've gotten sidetracked with a number of things lately (including preparing our taxes for our accountant - yuk), however, it is coming along nicely...



My official jealousy post. I wish I had the patience to make a whole sweater. Yours is stunning Sandie. I love the color.

Well I made some more of my junk too. Lots of spiffy yuppie conveniences for cold winter commuter living.











This is a moderated version of the Hannah ponytail hat on Ravelry. I made the first one according to the pattern and it came out so tiny my 7 year old neice could barely fit into it. I made another one much larger using larger needles and fuzzy math. I also added some knitted flowers I got from one of Nicki Epstein's books.










My neckwarmer. The weather here is so weird. One minute it's cold and then the next it's warm, then you go indoors for shopping and all your layers are makeing you sweat like gangbusters. Dragging around a long scarf or having to stuff it into and out of my bag all the time for just in case was cumbersome. I saw the concept for this neck warmer and decided to make it but realized I was low on green yarn after I got partway into it. I filled the middle with red to even it out. I love this thing! Super warm.










Another coffee cozy. The first one I made got stolen within a day or so of first using it, I hadn't even owned it a week. Swiped right off my desk when I went to lunch. I made this new one only I added a button so I could button the handle on to the strap of my bag when the coffee/tea ran low or out. Rather than dumping the cup in my bag and soiling the contents or holding it in my hand the whole ride, the button allows me to travel hands free. When I reach the next waste receptacle I toss the cup in. My best friend on the commute.​


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## cherylharrell (Mar 10, 2008)

Wo, that is some nice knitting. Wish I knew how to knit. At least I can crochet but not as good as you guys...


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## Sandie S-R (Mar 10, 2008)

Lily...

Adorable stuff!! I love the flowers on the hat. Tres cute! The green is good on you too. Nice bright color for winter.


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## ashmamma84 (Mar 10, 2008)

LillyBBBW said:


> My official jealousy post. I wish I had the patience to make a whole sweater. Yours is stunning Sandie. I love the color.
> 
> Well I made some more of my junk too. Lots of spiffy yuppie conveniences for cold winter commuter living.
> 
> ...



Love it, love it, love it!!! The Dims women are so talented!

I need to tap into my creativity....::sigh::


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## kr7 (Mar 12, 2008)

LillyBBBW said:


> .....This is a moderated version of the Hannah ponytail hat on Ravelry.......My neckwarmer....



These are so pretty! I love the color combo. Adorable!



> Another coffee cozy. The first one I made got stolen within a day or so of first using it, I hadn't even owned it a week. Swiped right off my desk......



WTF! #$%@#!!*& What is wrong with people! On the other hand, I guess it just goes to show ya how cool your knits really are.

Chris


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## Sandie S-R (Aug 1, 2008)

I thought it was time to resurect this thread. So hey knitters, what's on your needles??

I just finished a summer sweater for my daughter. It is a simple little top down raglan with contrasting neck/sleeves and ribbed hem. Knitting for plus sizes is a bit of a challenge. The designers just enlarge patterns all over and don't take into consideration how real plus sized bodies are shaped. I find I have to do a lot of mods even on a simple sweater. I got this pattern "Twisted Penny" from Knitty.com. I used KnitPicks "Twist" yarn in Cotton Candy (lilac) for the main color, and a Cotton/Nylon blend from Jimmy Beans Wool in Celery. She loves it, and it appears that it fits pretty well. She lives in Ohio now, so no try-ons. I have to work with measurements only. 

Here is my latest finished project (before blocking).






Currently on needles are hats and scarves for daughter and grandson in black and orange pattern (my own design) in time for footbal season. Black and Orange being the grandson's highschool colors. It feels like halloween.


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## cherylharrell (Aug 2, 2008)

That is so cute!  Wish I could knit. At least I can crochet but I'm no expert at it lol...


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## LillyBBBW (Aug 2, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> I thought it was time to resurect this thread. So hey knitters, what's on your needles??
> 
> I just finished a summer sweater for my daughter. It is a simple little top down raglan with contrasting neck/sleeves and ribbed hem. Knitting for plus sizes is a bit of a challenge. The designers just enlarge patterns all over and don't take into consideration how real plus sized bodies are shaped. I find I have to do a lot of mods even on a simple sweater. I got this pattern "Twisted Penny" from Knitty.com. I used KnitPicks "Twist" yarn in Cotton Candy (lilac) for the main color, and a Cotton/Nylon blend from Jimmy Beans Wool in Celery. She loves it, and it appears that it fits pretty well. She lives in Ohio now, so no try-ons. I have to work with measurements only.
> 
> ...



Gorgeous Sandie, and I love Halloween. I'd love to see the black and orange when you're done.


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## kr7 (Aug 2, 2008)

Sandie S-R said:


> I thought it was time to resurect this thread. So hey knitters, what's on your needles??
> 
> I just finished a summer sweater for my daughter.......



Great color combo, Sandie! I also really like your "Simple Knitted Bodice" on Ravelry. It's coming along nicely.

I haven't done a lot, bcs of school. I am hoping to finish that tennis sweater within a month or so. I'll post pix when I'm done.

Chris


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## kr7 (Aug 2, 2008)

cherylharrell said:


> That is so cute!  Wish I could knit. At least I can crochet but I'm no expert at it lol...



Cheryl, you could learn to knit. It's not such a big deal, once you get started. All knitters start with zero skill, and they just build on it. Besides, you already crochet, so you already have practice handling yarn and a stick. LOL! You should seriously consider joining Ravelry. It's a great community for both knitters and crocheters. I can't believe all the stuff I learned without even trying, in the few, short months since I joined. If you want, I can send you an invite, so you can join. 

Chris


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## kr7 (Aug 2, 2008)

LillyBBBW said:


> Gorgeous Sandie, and I love Halloween. I'd love to see the black and orange when you're done.



Hey Lilly! Long time, no speak.  What have you been up to? I haven't see you add any projects to Ravelry. Anything "cooking" on your needles?

Chris


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## cherylharrell (Aug 2, 2008)

Thanks! I need to try & see if I can get the nag of it. My grandma tried to show me once in thet 60's but being a kid I couldn't make heads or tails of it but somehow was able to learn crochet from her...


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## Sandie S-R (Aug 2, 2008)

Thanks for the compliments everyone. I was happy with how it turned out. And I promise to post a pic of the black and orange for you Lilly. 

Cheryl, seriously you should join Ravelry. Knitting is easy, at least the basics are. And then you build from there. There are actually tutorials on You Tube and various other sites that would make it easy to pick up the basics. Let us know if you have questions.


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## thatgirl08 (Aug 2, 2008)

This thread has made me seriously consider trying to knit again. My Grandma taught me, but I got frustrated when I couldn't get it right. I think I'll try again! Some of this stuff is so cute! You guys are so talented. :]


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## kr7 (Aug 2, 2008)

cherylharrell said:


> Thanks! I need to try & see if I can get the nag of it. My grandma tried to show me once in thet 60's but being a kid I couldn't make heads or tails of it but somehow was able to learn crochet from her...



What Sandie said....srsly. If you need help, just ask. And the offer still stands for the invite to Ravelry. There is plenty of us on here that belong to Ravelry, so if you want to join in, there is no shortage of people who can send you an invite. 

Chris


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## kr7 (Aug 2, 2008)

thatgirl08 said:


> This thread has made me seriously consider trying to knit again. My Grandma taught me, but I got frustrated when I couldn't get it right. I think I'll try again! Some of this stuff is so cute! You guys are so talented. :]




LOL! I was the same way. I was taught in like 4th grade, and hated it, bcs I couldn't get the hang of it (plus, it was taught at school....and who likes schoolwork). Sides, what little kid has fine motor skills developed enough for "fancy-work" (OK, maybe in the 18th century, but not these days LOL). Yeah, you should definitely try it now.

Chris


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## thatgirl08 (Aug 2, 2008)

kr7 said:


> LOL! I was the same way. I was taught in like 4th grade, and hated it, bcs I couldn't get the hang of it (plus, it was taught at school....and who likes schoolwork). Sides, what little kid has fine motor skills developed enough for "fancy-work" (OK, maybe in the 18th century, but not these days LOL). Yeah, you should definitely try it now.
> 
> Chris



Haha yeah it was when I was pretty little too, so maybe I'd be better at it now. I'll keep you guys updated if I try anything out.


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## cherylharrell (Aug 3, 2008)

Thanks ya'll. Maybe I'll joinup after I finish my current crocheting projects...


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## Sandie S-R (Oct 14, 2008)

I just finished this cute dredlocs hat and scarf to put for sale in my Etsy store. Thought you would all like to see it. 

View attachment twirlset.jpg


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## kr7 (Oct 14, 2008)

Oh how cute! I didn't know you had an Etsy store.
Chris


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## cherylharrell (Oct 14, 2008)

You did great on those. Wish I could knit. At least I can crochet but I am too lazy top finish my project lol...


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## Sandie S-R (Oct 15, 2008)

kr7 said:


> Oh how cute! I didn't know you had an Etsy store.
> Chris



Hi Chris, yeah I've had it for almost a year now. I sell mostly my clothing jewelry and handbags, but I also put some knitwear in there as well. 



cherylharrell said:


> You did great on those. Wish I could knit. At least I can crochet but I am too lazy top finish my project lol...



Thanks Cheryl! You really should give knitting a try, it's not any harder than crocheting, and I honestly like it better.


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## Tracyarts (Oct 15, 2008)

I'm just learning to knit, my motherinlaw taught me the most basic steps one evening after hurricane Ike when we were staying with the inlaws until our power was restored. I can cast on and I can knit the hell out of the garter stitch, but that's it so far. I have three scarves in progress right now (I always tend to have multiple projects of whatever I'm working on at any given time). I will have to learn how to cast off pretty soon, as one of the scarves is just about as long as I want it to be. 

But, my goal for now is to learn enough to make simple things like hats, scarves, etc... The whole inspiration to learn to knit was so that I could make my dear sweetie a crazy wild scarf for Christmas. And I pretty much have accomplished that, so I'll just keep learning a little more here and there over time and see how far I can go with it. 

Tracy


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## Sandie S-R (Oct 15, 2008)

Tracyarts said:


> I'm just learning to knit, my motherinlaw taught me the most basic steps one evening after hurricane Ike when we were staying with the inlaws until our power was restored. I can cast on and I can knit the hell out of the garter stitch, but that's it so far. I have three scarves in progress right now (I always tend to have multiple projects of whatever I'm working on at any given time). I will have to learn how to cast off pretty soon, as one of the scarves is just about as long as I want it to be.
> 
> But, my goal for now is to learn enough to make simple things like hats, scarves, etc... The whole inspiration to learn to knit was so that I could make my dear sweetie a crazy wild scarf for Christmas. And I pretty much have accomplished that, so I'll just keep learning a little more here and there over time and see how far I can go with it.
> 
> Tracy



Good for getting started Tracy. I highly recommend joining Ravelry. It's an amazing community of knitters and crocheters. You can learn things there find patterns, ask for help. Great web site. I'm there under "KnitzyBlonde" if want to see other things I working on or have finished. We have several groups there for plus sized knitters. Especially good for help modifying patterns for our larger bodies. 

Good luck with your projects, and be sure to post pictures when you are finished.


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## JoyJoy (Oct 16, 2008)

I've posted a pic of this before, but I'm so thrilled I finally finished this scarf. I didn't do much knitting over the summer, so it sat for months, but last night I cast it off and I couldn't be happier with it. I'll be wearing it all winter!

View attachment 51712



My new project is learning to cable without a needle....I'm working on a scarf for my sister.


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## Sandie S-R (Oct 16, 2008)

JoyJoy said:


> I've posted a pic of this before, but I'm so thrilled I finally finished this scarf. I didn't do much knitting over the summer, so it sat for months, but last night I cast it off and I couldn't be happier with it. I'll be wearing it all winter!
> 
> View attachment 51712
> 
> ...



Joy, the colors are just perfect for you!! It's looks wonderful. You'll be styling this winter, girlfriend. 

Nice knitting job.


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## LillyBBBW (Oct 16, 2008)

JoyJoy said:


> I've posted a pic of this before, but I'm so thrilled I finally finished this scarf. I didn't do much knitting over the summer, so it sat for months, but last night I cast it off and I couldn't be happier with it. I'll be wearing it all winter!
> 
> View attachment 51712
> 
> ...



Gorgeous Joy! And I absolutely love cabling without a needle, it's addictive.


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## cherylharrell (Oct 17, 2008)

Nice job on the scarf. I made one for my hubby & one for my mom yrs ago...


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## Sandie S-R (Dec 31, 2008)

I started this sweater for Rachael last January, hoping to have it done for her by her birthday in February. 

Well, that didn't happen, so when the warmer months hit, I put it away in the drawer to hibernate. In november I remembered that I should finish it for her for Christmas, which I did. It's the Simple Bodice Pattern from Stitch Diva, knitted from KnitPicks Wool of the Andes yarn in Amethyst Heather. It is a size 2X - and was fairly easy to customize to fit her. I had to go strictly on Rachael's measurements, so no trying on as we went. But I think it turned out OK. Here's the finished picture. It was an easy knit and the chevron lace kept it interesting. 

View attachment rpurpsweater.jpg


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## HollyGirl (Dec 31, 2008)

thats so beautiful! 


so who wants to teach me to knit?


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 1, 2009)

HollyGirl said:


> thats so beautiful!
> 
> 
> so who wants to teach me to knit?



There are two basic stitches. Knitting and purling. Everything else is added from there. Google knitting tutorials, there are plenty of them out there. Also lots of tutorials on You Tube. It is quite enjoyable. A lot of us are members of the knitting site Ravelry. There are some groups there for plus sized knitters. Lots of good help for beginners on Ravelry as well. 

Holler if you have any questions or need any help.


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## cherylharrell (Jan 1, 2009)

Wow, that looks really nice. Wish I could knit...


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 1, 2009)

cherylharrell said:


> Wow, that looks really nice. Wish I could knit...



We've got to get you knitting Cheryl.  It is really easy. Learn the two main stiches and go on from there. As I mentioned above try the online tutorials.


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## Tracyarts (Jan 1, 2009)

Something I've been having a lot of fun with lately is using a round knitting loom. I have trouble with my hands sometimes, and since using the loom is a different kind of motion than knitting or crocheting, I will switch back and forth a lot between knitting projects, practicing crochet, and working on the loom. I have made several very basic but nice looking hats, and just this past week figured out how to tweak the process a little to make an open and airy mesh/net floppy hat or hair snood out of cotton yarn to keep my hair up and out of the way when it needs to be or when it's too hot to wear it down. You can do lots of other things with the looms besides making hats though. And there are different kinds of looms and different "stitches" you can work on the looms. But, the most basic technique is very simple and you can make a nice hat in less than a day. You wind yarn around pegs and then lift loops over the tops of the pegs with a pick tool. Seriously, that's all there is to it. 

Tracy


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 1, 2009)

Tracyarts said:


> Something I've been having a lot of fun with lately is using a round knitting loom. I have trouble with my hands sometimes, and since using the loom is a different kind of motion than knitting or crocheting, I will switch back and forth a lot between knitting projects, practicing crochet, and working on the loom. I have made several very basic but nice looking hats, and just this past week figured out how to tweak the process a little to make an open and airy mesh/net floppy hat or hair snood out of cotton yarn to keep my hair up and out of the way when it needs to be or when it's too hot to wear it down. You can do lots of other things with the looms besides making hats though. And there are different kinds of looms and different "stitches" you can work on the looms. But, the most basic technique is very simple and you can make a nice hat in less than a day. You wind yarn around pegs and then lift loops over the tops of the pegs with a pick tool. Seriously, that's all there is to it.
> 
> Tracy



I have a couple of knitting looms that my mother gave me and they did not come with any instructions. I have no idea how to use them. I wonder if there are demos on youtube.


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## Sandie S-R (Jan 1, 2009)

LillyBBBW said:


> I have a couple of knitting looms that my mother gave me and they did not come with any instructions. I have no idea how to use them. I wonder if there are demos on youtube.



I'm sure there are Lilly. Google knitting loom tutorials. The seem like they would be easy to figure out. Let us know how you do with it.


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## Tracyarts (Jan 1, 2009)

Loom knitting instructions:

http://springyknitting.com/_wsn/page2.html - Go to this page, you will see a header that says "how to cast on". You will want to click either the low or high bandwidth link under ProvoCraft, and there is a short video showing how to use a round loom. 

There are also a lot of great links on that page about how to use the looms to make things other than basic hats, different stitches, where to find books and videos, and there are a lot of links to patterns (all the ones I have clicked on so far are free). 

Tracy


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## Tracyarts (Jan 2, 2009)

Here's one of the loose and open knit hats/hair snoods I made on a round knitting loom. This one is made from cotton yarn. The drawstring in the brim was just crocheted as one long chain stitch. I can stuff my hair in the back and wear it as a snood, or just wear it as a loose and floppy hat. The top section is quite stretchy. 












I'll explain how I made it in my myspace blog, there should be a link to my myspace page in my signature below. So, if anybody wants to give it a go, they can.


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## olwen (Jan 2, 2009)

The timing of this thread popping up is perfect. I've knitted once before a long time ago, so I'm picking this up again, but I never knitted more than striped scarves. Anyhow, I got a knitting kit for xmas - yay - and I've decided to make leg warmers. I've been looking at patterns online, but I can't seems to find the answer to a question I'm wondering about - what's the stretchiest type of stitch or pattern? I don't want the leg warmers to be too tight or too loose...


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## IdahoCynth (Jan 4, 2009)

Hi Knitters.... I was wondering how hard it would be to make something like these or these big enough to cover these?





Would anyone be interested in trying? I have to wear these for like the rest of my life so I'd like to cover them from time to time and not wear long pants.


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## olwen (Jan 4, 2009)

Hi Idahocynth. The legwarmers I'm making will kinda look like the pictures. I figured out to do a rib stich for the ends (k1, p1 makes a stretchier rib stitch than k2, p2, which is what the socks in the pics look like) and just a basic knit stitch in the middle, then sew the ends together to make a tube. The hardest part was figuring out how many stitches to use. I knitted about 300 stitches before I realized that was way too many. I only needed about 100 sticthes to fit my calves, which are about 22 inches. I now understand the purpose of making a swatch. Had I done a 4x4 inch swatch it would have been easier to figure out how many stiches I needed. All you need to do after knitting the desired length is to sew on some buttons. It seems like it should be rather easy.


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 4, 2009)

olwen said:


> Hi Idahocynth. The legwarmers I'm making will kinda look like the pictures. I figured out to do a rib stich for the ends (k1, p1 makes a stretchier rib stitch than k2, p2, which is what the socks in the pics look like) and just a basic knit stitch in the middle, then sew the ends together to make a tube. The hardest part was figuring out how many stitches to use. I knitted about 300 stitches before I realized that was way too many. I only needed about 100 sticthes to fit my calves, which are about 22 inches. I now understand the purpose of making a swatch. Had I done a 4x4 inch swatch it would have been easier to figure out how many stiches I needed. All you need to do after knitting the desired length is to sew on some buttons. It seems like it should be rather easy.



I agree. It also depends what you want them to be made out of Cynth. Do you like wool, cotton?


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## IdahoCynth (Jan 4, 2009)

Thanks for your replys olwen and Lilly. I do not knit so I really dont know much about yarns or stitches. 

Lilly, I think wool might too hot since I am thinking of summer time skirts and shorts. This may sound dumb but is there a somewhat "stretchy" yarn or type of yarn with more give than others?


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## olwen (Jan 4, 2009)

IdahoCynth said:


> Thanks for your replys olwen and Lilly. I do not knit so I really dont know much about yarns or stitches.
> 
> Lilly, I think wool might too hot since I am thinking of summer time skirts and shorts. This may sound dumb but is there a somewhat "stretchy" yarn or type of yarn with more give than others?



There are sooo many different types of yarn textures and thicknesses...Lilly would probably know what to recommend. I'm using wool yarn with size 8 needles. It might help to find out if there is a yarn store near you and then go and touch the different types of yarn to figure out which one you want to use. I think if the yarn you choose is relatively thin you'd have to use thin needles and if it's thick you have to use thick needles..it just depends on how big you want the stitches to be. If you go to a knitting or yarn place the people there can give you advise too. Also if you are left handed, as I am, you might be able to find left-handed knitting books or free online videos to help you learn the stitches.


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## LillyBBBW (Jan 4, 2009)

IdahoCynth said:


> Thanks for your replys olwen and Lilly. I do not knit so I really dont know much about yarns or stitches.
> 
> Lilly, I think wool might too hot since I am thinking of summer time skirts and shorts. This may sound dumb but is there a somewhat "stretchy" yarn or type of yarn with more give than others?



I admit my knowledge of yarns is rather limited. I have a stretchy elastic cotton yarn I use called Elann Esprit that is pretty good. The only problem with this yarn is that it is kind of thin. Knitting leg warmers of the size you want would take forever unless you were to double it but it would be somewhat costly. An elastic yarn might be the ticket but most of the ones I know are made for socks which would make the leg warmers a daunting task.

PS. They also sell elastic in spool form. One could feesably pick just about any yarn they like and knit it together with the elsastic to get the stretchyness they desire. I've never tried this myself so I don't know how the finished product would look. It's an idea though.


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## Miss Vickie (Jan 4, 2009)

I'm not sure you'd get "stretch" in the yarn itself, but in the actual knit stitches in the garment. There are some really nice bamboo (yes, bamboo!) yarns that are very lightweight and feel really soft. I haven't worked with them (yet) but you'd never know they were bamboo. For true!


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## Sandie S-R (Feb 19, 2009)

Hey everyone - 

Just thought I would let you know that I published a blog post about knitting for plus sizes. A lot of it is likely stuff you knitters will know, but you may find a new nugget or two there. Check it out...

http://zaftigdelights.blogspot.com/


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## olwen (Feb 19, 2009)

Sandie S-R said:


> Hey everyone -
> 
> Just thought I would let you know that I published a blog post about knitting for plus sizes. A lot of it is likely stuff you knitters will know, but you may find a new nugget or two there. Check it out...
> 
> http://zaftigdelights.blogspot.com/



Thanks Sandie!!! I'll definitely check out all the links.


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