Tamum and Marina request assistance...or, KNIT SQUARES - with apologies to NQC

[Marina]

If you can knit AT ALL could you please CAT either of us?

We are making a blanket present with a Mn connection and would love as many people as feel willing and able to contribute a 15cm square, plain or fancy as you like, in cotton double knitting yarn. We can help with sourcing suppliers.
More details available off-board.

It's a surprise for the person in question, so please, please contact us for more info rather than make guesses etc on here...it's in an extremely good cause.

Very many thanks to anyone who feels able to help. XXX

MP, I'm sure it's including border.

INCL border, as MP says, thanks MTS.

I have switched to "full" dk green moss stitch for my latest oeuvre.

NQC I'm using Rowan Handknit Dk on 4mm needles. I've cast on 30 st and that seems to make 15cm.

NQC, I have tension issues with pure cotton, too. I am also a sweaty betty when knitting and I can almost hear some of my rows shrinking!

I'm running at about 28 stitches for 15cm. I'm having problems with the height, though - I'm actually trying to make a 30cm square (long story) and the pattern I have seems to make a bit more than that, even without a border. And it's not an easy pattern to change, to put it mildly.

If nec we can run up some special teenier squares to surround yours and make it fit, NQC. Tamum and I are expecting to do a few filler jobbies as with so many contributors there are bound to be some squares that might be slightly bigger or smaller.

But I've had a look, and proper DK seems to suggest 3.75-4mm which means it's got to be a bit thinner than this stuff.

I'm sure Rowan handknit is fine, just not for this particular goal. (Also, I'm not sure I've got enough of it to do a 45cm x 30cm "square", which is the other obvious option. I think I could stick a few extra rows into the pattern, no problem. But I think that would take more than one 50g ball.)

I do want to go to Loop, I feel remiss for not going before. I should do more stash reduction before then (not least because I just got a giant bag of Mystery Wool from my inlaws), but hey, I'll cope

Wouldn't the ideal solution be to find some crochet fanatic to do the filler? (Or am I misguided in my impression that crochet is something easy to do to fill up weird gaps?)

I think both Debbie Bliss and Rowan Handknit "dk" ARE thicker than average dk, NQC. That's my perception and I think bundle thinks so too somewhere else on here.
We can have a lunch rendezvous with tape measures and wine in due course...

Crochet fanatic = bundle.

I know, Marina, I was just being polite, hoping she might volunteer herself ...

(She might prefer the term "enthusiast" over fanatic, now that I think about it.)

Oh no, fanatic is the word we are seeking. She does it in public with drink taken...

Oi, I knit in public! All the time!

Generally without booze, but that's because I don't want my knitting getting all smoky.

Someone got kicked out of the Savoy for knitting recently.

I have the opposite problem - the dk I've bought seems to be rather thin to me. One is sirdar (which is OK and on the label says 25 stitches to 10cm) and the other is something else and is 28 stitches to 10cm and seems a bit flimsy to me. Oh well, I'll knit it up anywayand see how it works out....

i knit in public too
just seen this thread. id love to do some squares. when do you need them by? and who do i send them to?

I am a public knitter too, on the train. I get sneery commentaries from idiot commuters sometimes so have taken to wearing headphones. at being turfed out of the Savoy for doing it NQC.

Pph, I've done a square in cotton glace yarn which is, in the cold light of day, noticeably flimsier than the ocean liner hawser Debbie Bliss dk I am now using, but the finished glace square (garter stitch) is fine for a blanket, so I am sure your lighter-weight dk yarns will knit up fine too

stitch, sorry, please CAT me for more details. Thanks

hope so! if not just tell me it is marvellously useful and then bin it

did someone mention crochet?

I've almost finished my first 15cm square. I only started it today, after several false starts. And (sigh) just for the greater good and all, I'll have to go to Loop tomorrow. Poor me.

I've done 4 and a half...
but I REALLY don't like the yellow cotton, it is much too thin and floppy so I've only done one of those I'm afraid. Can someone cat me the address to send these to?

Have finished my first but think I want to get another colour before the next few!

OK going to pick up supplies this morning and make my first foray into knitting for ....rather a long time.

Whilst I'm out can someone please remind me how to cast on I'm sure it will all come back to me when I start, but just in case.....

I used to help my mum knit and sell jumpers, but that was on a nice modern machine. She could run up a jumper in 20 minutes that way, the last time she handknit me something it took 2 years! I promise to finish this a bit quicker though

And I've undone my square and started over. Grr. It really wasn't 15cm unless you tugged quite hard. I might have been able to block it to 15cm, but I'm guessing cotton doesn't give that much?

Here are some casting on instructions. It's not the caston method I use, but it is a method.

tamum is the casting on expert, and knows loads of ways (or at least has a book with loads of ways).

Thanks NQC, that was perfect - it seems really familiar so I think thats the way I knew iyswim.

I hope I've got the right stuff, Allders seemed to have loads of wool and acrylic, but I managed to get some Wendy Supreme which seems to fit the bill. I saw somw very nice wool there which would be lovely for a scarf for DD so let's see where this leads.....