Some very stupid questions from a knitting beginner

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

I have taught myself to knit! Something I've been wanting to do for yonks, I have fond memories of my DM clicking away with her knitting basket in front of the tv or radio.

I thought I'd start with a striped scarf.

I can knit a basic garter stitch and I'm casting on fine, here comes the silly part,

How do I go onto another colour?
To do a stripe?

[tribpot]

Have a gander at this

For a scarf, unless you are going to do an edging all round it, you'll need to cut off the unused colour, do your stripe, and then attach the original colour again for the next stripe. I'd do quite wide stripes as all these ends will need sewing in at the end.

[piemashandliquer]

Hi, I am new to knitting too, and loving it (mostly, when it goes right!) can I recommend a beginners book I'm loving - knotty gritty by Anita Patel. Easy but very pretty basic projects and good advice. Happy knitting!

[piemashandliquer]

Sorry, knitty, not knotty!

[Dutchoma]

I think tribpot means the used colour, not the unused one.

If you have not already started on your scarf may suggest you start first on a dish cloth. Have a look on Ravelry (ravelry.com) to find a pattern for that. The trouble with a scarf for a beginning knitter is that 1. it takes forever, unless you do one for your teddy and 2. you are likely to make mistakes as a beginner. Nothing wrong with that, but it will never be a perfect thing you have made and it may be discouraging. If you do a dishcloth you can still use it if the holes are not in the right place.

And no questions are stupid. Best of luck.

[tribpot]

yes, Oma is right - I meant used in the sense of 'you have just used it and now it is unused'.

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

Thanks everyone

I should have out that I spent a good 2-3 evenings just knitting as it came off the needles, I have few pieces of 'holey' knits.

I have started scarfs because my goal is to knit a beautiful set of Harry Potter - Hogwarts House scarfs

Currently I have knitted about 30cm of scarf in great and blue, random thick stripes. No holes so far!

I have been using a technique of just grasping the beginning of the new colour in line with the tail of the old colour and continuing to knit if that makes sense, I'll weave the tails in at the end. I was just wondering if that was right? Or if there is a better, neater way?

I will get a book of beginners projects although I can't get to grips with pearl stitch at all so maybe I'm destined to scarf and dishcloths?

What I was also going to ask,

1. While practicing I kept starting with 20 stitches and gaining random ones here and there although it's not happened this time, can anyone tell me why it happens?

1. Is there any type of wool that's easier to knit with? I'd live something thick and chunky for when I do my Harry scarves but will of be harder to do?

1. My edges are a bit tatty, is there a way of making them beautifully uniform?

I'm really enjoying it, my kids are desperate to sport a new scarf this winter already.

[Dutchoma]

You are doing incredibly well, more power to your elbow.

Your questions:
1 If you are gaining random stitches, you probably don't make sure the stitch you are knitting comes right off the needle. At the end of a row count what stitches you have and 'tink' (knit backwards) until you have 20 stitches again. Should not be more than one row.

1. I do find it harder to knit with thick wool and thicker needles, but you get used to it and your work grows quicker.

1. I start every row with a slipped stitch, purl wise (hold the thread in front of the pin, stick the needle in from right to left without doing anything to it apart from moving it from one needle to the other, then move the thread back and carry on knitting) if you are knitting in garter stitch (every row knit) but there are contrasting views on this. I have a feeling tribpot and I don't quite see eye to eye on this.

Purl stitches are not that hard to do, but if you are struggling have a look at the baby surprise jacket on Ravelry, that is all in garter stitch, although it has some other techniques that go a bit beyond scarves and dishcloths.

I prefer to add new colours in at the beginning of a row on the right side and have a very neat way of weaving the ends in. There is probably a YouTube demonstration of it as it is far too complicated to write down.

[TitsalinaBumSquash]

Thankyou for replying and answering my questions.

I used the Wikihow guide to get the basics, I will get on to YouTube to see what else I can learn.

[afsanehlarimi]

hello
is there anyone who knows Norwegian?
I have a really nice pattern of a doll but I can't translate it. I really want to knit it so I need to translate it to English. please help me. please!

Kropp:
Legg opp 100 m på rundp nr 5½
med lime og strikk 10 riller frem
og tilbake (= 20 p r). Fell 4 m
jevnt fordelt ved å strikke 2 m r
sm, strikk riller som før og gjenta
fellingene på hver 4. p til det er
12 m igjen. Strikk 3 p uten
felling og strikk på neste p 2 m r
sm p ut. Klipp av garnet og trekk
tråden gjennom de resterende 6
m. Trekk godt sammen og sy
sammen i sidene, fra toppen og
ca 18 riller ned (= bak på høna).
Bunn:
Strikk opp 100 m med lime langs
oppleggskanten på strømpep nr
5½. Strikk rundt 1 omg
glattstrikk, Fell på neste omg 8
m jevnt fordelt slik: Strikk 10
m, 2 r sm, 11 m, 2 r sm, gjenta
fra - omg rundt. Gjenta
fellingene på hver 2. omg og
med 1 m mindre mellom
fellingene for hver fellingsomg til
det gjenstår 20 m. Str 1 omg
uten felling. Fell på neste omg
ved å strikke 2 m r sm omg
rundt. Klipp av garnet og trekk
tråden gjennom de resterende 10
m. Trekk godt sammen og fest
tråden godt.
Vinger:
Legg opp 3 m med lime på p nr
5½ og strikk riller fram og tilbake
samtidig som det økes 1 m i
den ene siden på hver p til det i
alt er 29 m på p (= 13 riller). Fell
av. Strikk den andre vingen lik.
Hanekam:
Beg foran på toppen og hekle 1
fm med oransje garn og heklenål
nr 4½. Hekle 20 lm, 1 fm helt
inntil den forrige fm, gjenta fra
- 8 ggr. Fest trådene på vrsiden.
Pynteknapper:
Lag 4 pynteknapper, en i hver
farge med 5 riller mellom hver
pynteknapp. Den nederste etter
15 riller. Stikk heklenålen under
en m og trekk opp tråden. Ta 7
kast på nålen, stikk nålen ned i
samme m og trekk tråden
gjennom løkkene. Trådene
stikkes ned på vr-siden og
knyttes godt.
Montering:
Hekle en rad fm med heklenål nr
4½ langs høyre side bak slik:
Beg øverst på kroppen og hekle
2 fm (1 fm i hver m), 4 lm,
hopp over 2 m (= knapphull), 4
fm (1 fm i hver m), gjenta fra
- i alt 4 ggr. Hekle videre kjm
til det er 2 cm igjen fra
oppleggskanten (God klaring til
tappekranen). Sy sm de 2
nederste cm.
Sy på vingene. Beg ved samme
høyde som den øverste
pynteknappen.
Toving:
Vask plagget i maskin på 40
grader med vanlig vaskepulver
(ikke spesialpulver for hvitvask)
på et vanlig vaskeprogram.
Dersom plagget ønskes tovet
sterkere, vask igjen!
Ta plagget ut av maskinen og
form det til mens det er vått. La
det tørke.
Bruk vinposen i en vin-kartong
og form høna i fasong mens den
enda er våt.
Etter toving
Ben:
Klipp opp 7 tråder med oransje
garn à ca 110 cm. Brett trådene
på midten og tvinn en snor.
Knytt en knute i enden. Knytt en
knute ca midt på snora til kne.
Lag det andre benet likt. Sy bena
til kroppen, midt foran med ca 2
cm mellomrom.
Nebb:
Klipp et nebb i oransje filt (ca 5 x
3½ cm). Brett på midten og sy til
midt foran, ca 8 cm ned fra
toppen. Sy på øyne og sy på
knapper til lukking bak.

[Dutchoma]

You may have more success posting this on Ravelry, look for a Norwegian group (ravelry.com)

[Knit2togtbl]

Dial it into Google translate.

[afsanehlarimi]

Thank you Dutchoma and Dutchoma, I tried google translate but it did not help!

[marissab]

This is what i do. Finish my row in red for example. Cut the yarn but leave a few inch hanging. Just start knitting in green but leave a tail at the beginning. Tie the red and green tails together in a little not and weave em in. Do this all the way up.