More knitting chat ...

[NotQuiteCockney]

Ok, new pictures, photobucket.com/albums/c176/NotQuiteCockney/?sc=6 . I like both new hats, although the photos are rubbish. (Am I not holding the camera still?)

Not sure what to do next, am slightly uninspired. Thinking about tubular knitting? DH has a colleague whose wife is having a baby, so I should do one for them ...

MP, was it fully wool? Maybe it's worth trying Mad Montse's suggestions for hand-felting?

I am working on tiny pieces for our bark-licking friend, to use in her bark-licking sessions. This has been fun - I did some cabling, and took pictures, to try to illustrate my neat quilting trick. Dunno if the explanation makes sense, can anyone tell me? It's \link{http://knitonepurlonefrogone.blogspot.com}.

I also tried picking up stitches to start from, making a thing out of different types of yarn, lots of i-cord joined together. And I tried a three needle bind-off too.

And I did some tubular knitting, made a little bag, put it on the blog.

And this evening, I made a mitred corner! I'd never done short rows before, well, not on purpose, anyway.

I am thinking about making a seamfree cardigan with the slubby stuff. Raglan sleeved probably. Maybe a copy of a cardigan I have and already like? Not sure. I'll probably keep the stitches simple, as the slubbiness will add enough interest to it ... visually, anyway. The tiresomeness of the knitting might drive me bonkers.

Oh, and I'm working on learning the Norwegian Purl! Which is continental, and very cool. You keep the yarn behind the needles!

Oh, tamum, my albatross is Jaeger Matchmaker, which is 4-ply merino. After doing most things in that, knitting in 4mm feels like I'm working with broomsticks! Things knit up so fast!

I have a Jaeger Matchmaker Fair Isle cardie on the go at home for dd at the moment, and my train project is a Rowan Denim stripy cardigan for her. As NQC says, the difference is immense - poncing along in ballet slippers at home and seven league boots on the train.
So MP, you maybe won't be trying the Denim embellishment stuff in the latest Rowan mag then? At least you gave it a go, flirting with a cable needle is as adventurous as it gets for me!
PS how is the childcare situation now...

Blimey, NQC you're like Montse reincarnated! What an impressive range of techniques. I am still avoiding 4 ply, wimp that I am. Ridiculous really, I like knitting with thicker yarns, but I really like wearing fine knit stuff. Bummer.

Thanks to the fiddling about with random techniques, I have a very very interesting hat idea, which is much more original than my usual stuff. I'll have to have a big fiddle with it, but I'm quite excited about it.

And I've almost finished that bloody yellow hat.

Doesn't owning Montse oblige you to try every technique in the book? Or am I missing something here?

No, it merely obliges you to read the first 30 pages, flick through the rest, realise she is a goddess, and then lure other people into buying it.

Ah, I missed that bit of the instruction.

Does this mean I am alone in my goal of learning every cast on and off in the book?

tamum, it does take a bit longer to make things with 4-ply, but not that much longer.

Think of it this way, you get more knitting fun for your ££.

Hello all. Well, I made the Colinette jacket I linked to earlier - and made it very well I might add. BUT I don't like it! It sits badly on the shoulders and looks really eighties.

Thing is, it's £80-worth of wool (a present) - and lovely wool too. Do I frog it? It took me hours to do...

Pruni, frog it. If you don't love it, and won't wear it, frog it and reuse the yarn. You can steam it, or gently wash it, I think, to unkink it.

I hate it when that happens, rotten luck. I would frog it too, Colinette stuff is too expensive not to reuse
Knitterati, I need HELP. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good dk (cotton for preference) guernsey pattern for men? I made ds an excellent Debbie Bliss one but am not sure about scaling it up because of the neckline. I am sure there is something somewhere but not in any of my Rowan books or mags?

The bugger is, I had lovingly sewn in all the ends, as with Point Five yarn they all poke out. A lot of work to undo!

Might try to love it...

Marina, I'd love to help, but I'm not sure what a "guernsey" is? Isn't it some sort of cow?

Pruni, you can give it a good chance, but if you don't like it at first, are you likely to change your mind?

Marina, would Rowan Denim be any good? There are some lovely Guernsey patterns in there. I will keep thinking, meanwhile.

Pruni, what a shame. Frog is my advice, although give yourself a wee break. I have started to be ruthless about this- too many unwearable garments hanging around otherwise.

NQC, you are right, of course, and I do use 4 ply for gloves and things, but it will take me a while to steel myself to do a jumper, I think!

I've just realised, I'm going to go \link{http://www.knitsnbytes.com/paris/paris.htm\here}! Doesn't it sound cool?

tamum, a list of knitting \link{http://www.knitsnbytes.com/featured-review/200205-essentials_books.htm\books} for you. I think \link{http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561582654/ref=ase_knitsnbytes/104-5396004-9719952?s=books&v=glance&n=283155&tagActionCode=knitsnbytes\this} one sounds up your street ...

Looks fantastic, NQC!

Marina- there are some likely looking candidates \link{http://www.britishwool.com/knitting_patterns.htm\here} for a couple of quid each. It might be worth checking your library too- if you look out for books by Alice Starmore, or Beth Brown Reinsel there should be something. Our old friend \link{http://www.texere.co.uk/yarns.php?category=9&subcategory=16&display=10&PHPSESSID=4ee6d578246fd679496e61f0c3e6ead3\Texere} seems to be selling the same patterns as in the first link too, but you won't be wanting to visit that site again, now will you? :)

Hmm, thanks NQC! I had that one on my wish list at Amazon, but I went for the Maggie Righetti one instead. Maybe I should reconsider (she says, guiltily remembering that Alterknits and A Gathering of Lace are currently en route....)

But tamum, it is vitally important (and eminently sensible) that you own lots and lots of knitting books.

(For one thing, it makes my collection of knitting books look more normal ...)

Thank you NQC, you're a woman after my own heart :)

Thankyou SO much Tamum and arf to you NQC! Cow, indeed...
I think I will wait for my first skipload of goods from Texere to turn up (imminent) before pestering them for those, but they look great and I will also check out the Rowan denim books as I am doing Cotton Candy for dd from Pipsqueaks and I love the yarn. Cough! Rather £££ though :)
I knew you'd know XXX

Marina, I was serious! I thought it was a typo? What is a Guernsey then, when it's not a cow? Is that how you spell "jersey"?

Guernseys are fishermen's sweaters, boxy in shape but not too loose, embellished with simple ribbing, moss stitch motifs and sometimes cable. Usually done in dk wool, but I use cotton because I have wussy men who whinge about wool round their dainty little necks.
so yes, like Jerseys, but subtly different. :)

Is it pronounced like the breed of cow?

which is the cotton candy one marina? (I love the MIMI one, btw natch)