Knitting - moving on from scarves??

[teenyweenytadpole]

Hi, would love some ideas for good pattern books for children's knits (girls), I am a beginner knitter really but have mastered knit, purl, rib, increasing and decreasing. I can also do basket stitch. Am not very good at keeping track of where I am in a pattern (I lose count of my rows!) but I'd love to progress from scarves and wristwarmers. I was thinking of little cardigans and things for my DD's aged 9 and 6 so not baby patterns but something that looks fashionable, not like granny knitted it! I don't have an awful lot of money to spend so am not sure if a pattern book such as Debbie Bliss is a better bet or just to buy individual patterns? Have looked in the library but nothing grabbed me. Also, does anyone have good suggestions for how to get cheap but nice wool? I have seen the cashmerino types on e-bay and the prices look pretty good but would rather have a pattern in mind before buying. Any advice gratefully received....

Have you joined Raverly yet? They have hundreds if not thousands of free patterns.

Wow that was quick! Thanks yes I have just joined but finding itg hard to find my way around. How does the free pattern thing work, do you print them off or follow the instructions on screen?

I would get some Debbie Bliss books from the library first then buy if you want to keep one, as I have found they look nice but there is only one or two patterns in a book I actually fancy.

I found going into my local wool shop and browsing through the folders of patterns, (while telling the shop owner I needed something easy) was the easiest way to start, they can often tell you which yarns would be suitable if you don't want to use the one specified.

I bought Purls of Wisdom book after it was recommended on here and it is fab, a good range of simple projects with very clear instructions. I found understanding the patterns to be as hard as learning to knit! I am quite new to it too, just learned late summer

For keeping track of where I am I use a little row counter on the end of my needle like this

The free pattern thing can either link you to a web page or you can download a PDF which you can choose to view on your computer or print out.

Raverly does take a bit of time to get used to but it's well worth the effort it's a fantastic resource.

Here's how to get free patterns:

1. click on the PATTERN tab at the top of the page.

1. On the left hand side just under the search box, click on the 'pattern browser and advance search'

1. Look at the left hand side go down to AVALIBILITY tick the FREE box.

It will then automatically load all the free patterns.

Just click on the photo the pattern you want and from that you can either click on a link to the pattern or download a PDF.

If you want to search something specific then
Type whatever you want like Hat into the search box and it should bring up all the free hat patterns.

I would second Ravelry (I use it quite a bit these days) but I would also suggest the Coats website here for free projects. Coats also do the Moda pattern booklets particularly Moda 8 and Moda 6 if you have girls. They have a lot of colour!

Great, thanks so much for the info, I can see I need to spend a bit more time looking round Ravelry. I also go to a Stitch and Bitch and the person who runs it has a good selection of books, I will rifle through them! Stitch counter looks fab - must get one of them!

If you have an Ipod Touch, Iphone or Android phone you can download a stitch counter app (free) which works well.