Help me knit!

[raininginbaltimore]

I can knit, although have only ever knitted squares and scarves. I want to knit something for new baby (currently 27 weeks). Was thinking a blanket- could I just knit squares and stitch together?

Or does anyone have any easy patterns for a newbie?

Raining, can you knit and purl? If so, there are stacks of patterns for squares that just use those stitches. Ravelry is a knitting website that would give you more free patterns than you'd ever use. But a blanket of plain knit squares sewn together would be beautiful. I'd choose several colours that you like together and just go for it. The mumsnet blankets use debbie bliss cashmerino dk (not baby) or rowan cashsoft dk and I made my first dc's blanket out of 4ply cashsoft and it's still going strong for dc3. It is quite pricy, though.

There's a Debbie Bliss book called Baby Knits for Beginners - try the library? It's very step by step and the projects are adorable. There are loads of Debbie Bliss books

Blankets are great for babies as they don't get outgrown like clothes do. My 6 & 7yo's are still attached to their baby blankets.

Another easy pattern is the Log Cabin - it's just plain knitting although you may need someone to show you how to pick up stitches. here. The instructions are in the Mason Dixon knitting book, (with other gorgeous baby knits) as is the The Moderne Log Cabin blanket which by the look of it also comes as a free pattern.

I love multicoloured knitting and these are just a development of squares so you never have more than one colour at a time.

This is the one I made, still in progress. The beauty is there is no sewing up!

Got the Debbie bliss book from library this morning. Have just taught myself to purl!

Well done, raining

Can't seem to master knit one, purl one though. The yarn always seems to be in the wrong place!

Good for you raining. And I agree join Ravelry. There's also another very good site about knitting. It's Phoenix Knitting. If you post a query there you will always get a helpful answer.

Sorry didn't see your last post. You tube is really good for demos of those stitches.

If its knit one purl one you do have to pass the yarn from the back to front between each stitch. Yarn at the back for knit, front for purl. That's why I find knit one purl one for moss stitch or rib very slow!

Well done!

Argh, was doing moss stitch, and I have messed up so halfway through row it becomes rib as I must have done two in a row instead of alternate.

Can you unravel one row? Not sure I can bear starting again!

You can def unpick one row. I favour the take it all off the needles and unpick by pulling method, but you have to be careful to get the stitches back on the needles the right way round. Otherwise you could do them one by one-safer but slower! How many rows have you done?

Only 5! But it is 126 stitches so has taken a few hours. Maybe I should just start again!

Ooh-I wish this was RL-I'd give you a hand. If youve done five I'd give unpicking a go. You will get there-promise. Have you got an odd or even number of stitches? Odd number easier with miss stitch as you then begin every row with knit and it'll come out as moss stitch.

Btw, I reckon a lot of moss stitch is a hard way to start knitting and purling. If you do stocking stitch it's a row of knit then a row of purl. You can get into a better rhythm.

Thanks it is a pattern for a baby blanket my friend gave me, so it is 20 rows moss, for a border I think.

However I am considering a plain blanket now!

So I am thinking I should maybe just so a plain garter or stocking stitch for my first project.

What so you think would look best for blanket? It is a multi-colour yarn.

If it's a border you could maybe press on with it. I just remember seeing a whole blanket of moss stitch in a beginners book by Debbie bliss once and thinking how cruel that was! Up to you really-can you bear 20 rows of it? Otherwise, you could do squares and do some plain knit ones and some stocking stitch ones. Then maybe some moss stitch ones when you've got into your stride. The advantage of the moss stitch border one is that if it's all in one piece there'll be no sewing up or putting a border on afterwards. Does that help - or just give more decisions?

Does the pattern have a make and number on it? Could look at it then.

Sorry for lots of posts! The other thing you could do is plain knitting as the border instead of moss stitch on the pattern you've got. The problem with stocking stitch is that it'll curl up without a border. But it grows faster than garter stitch (plain knitting). I often do five rows of stocking stitch and then an extra row of garter stitch as row six. So knit, purl, knit, purl, knit, knit, then repeat those six rows. Gives a bit of texture but no harder than stocking stitch.

If you are going to start again, this is a very lovely heart blanket. I can see how doing squares is easier if you're on the move but the buggers all need sewing together at the end, which takes ages.

If you want to stick with the one you're doing, I would agree with Mole and just press on. Call it a design feature. BUT I think moss stitch is a pain of a stitch for a beginner as it's a right slog. To do it without counting really you need to know what the stitches look like so you can do the one that's the opposite of the one underneath - too much like hard work.

Personally I would rip it back and at minimum do a garter stitch border instead. If you're going to do stocking stitch, you'll need a border anyway as it will curl at the edges.

Thanks. It is from the stitch and Bitch book. It was 20 rows moss, then on each row 10 moss, 53 knit, 53 purl 10 moss.

So I think at end it should have border with 4 squares of knit and purl if that makes sense.

Ok, this pattern has been suggested on ravelry.

tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/free-knitting-patterns-for-baby-blankets2.htm

But I am confused by row 2. Where it says:

Row 2 (wrong side): Knit 8, (purl 8, knit 4) 9 times, purl 8, knit 8.

Do I do it all, even bit in brackets? So l8tr, purl 8, k4- 9 times then purl 8 and knit 8?

Thanks for all your help. I unravelled the whole lot I couldn't stand the mistake!

You knit 8 to start with and then do just the bit in the brackets however many times it says.

Then the bit after the brackets.