Knitting people

[lionhearted]

I am a real beginner at this knitting lark but I have just finished knitting a patchwork blanket with some cheap wool (by way of a warm up) and now need to more on to something a wee bit more challenging, or that requires more skill/different stitches/new techniques, etc. The blanket was just squares sewn together. Any suggestions for what to do next? Must it be a bobbly hat?
I would be very grateful for some advice please ...
(Some of the other threads have already been helpful. I've ordered a couple of books that were recommended, and found out where to get the wool).

No, it doesn't have to be a hat! I think a plain jumper would probably be easiest. What kind of thing do you fancy?

Gosh, that was quick! Perhaps a jumper for a small person (or does size not really matter here!?) I haven't done anything that even involved the basics such as increasing or decreasing. I did sneak a peek at some patterns but took fright ... it looked like they were written in algebra. Is there a particular kind of wool that is better for a beginner?

Maybe the best thing is to get one of the books like Debbie Bliss's How to Knit? They will have patterns that correspond to the thing they've just taught you to do, if you see what I mean, so it should be easier to follow as you won't have to do lots of new techniques at once. I think you might have to do some increasing and decreasing though if you want to do anything other than scarves :)

I would go for a yarn with a bit of give in it, a bit of elasticity, so wool rather than cotton to start with. More forgiving.

Get yourself acquainted with the lingo is my advice. A learn to knit book should hopefully teach you new things as you go along -
ie chap 1 knit a square,
chap 2 learn to decrease and increase
chap 3 knit a pig with multicoloured waistcoat :o

Knitting instructions I understand
Crochet patterns are complete goobledigook to me - cant crochet either

I think it really is something you have to take the trouble to learn - like a language

HTH

Re knitting people try Jean Greenhowe - Her patterns were mega fashionable in the 80s - still gorgeous now imo - although not origonal - examples of knitted and thrown out greenhowe dolls in charity shops everywhere :o

They are incredibly fiddly for a beginner though! I have a few of her patterns but never got further than a fireman :)

(That was about Jean Greenhowe by the way, not Rowan Babies!)

I am v. jealous of your weekend SueW

Thank you. I have ordered Stitch and Bitch and a Montse Stanley book from Amazon (I think they were suggested on another thread as a useful starting point for the clueless and slightly less clueless, respectively).

I don't really mind having to become attuned to another language (honestly!), although I foresee a time when lots of cursing and flapping will result from misunderstanding/mistranslating the instructions.

I'm willing to concede that I must indeed learn to increase/decrease 'cos there can't be that many things you could make with just squares and rectangles (although as a child of the seventies I do have flashbacks involving garments that almost exactly fit this description ).

I also wondered whether something like \link{http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1570762228/qid=1146520541/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-7234880-6026045\this} -- might be useful. Perhaps it would teach lots of different stitches etc, a sort of knitting equivalent of a sampler?

I've got that book, and it's lovely but doesn't have any actual instruction, just charts of intarsia (colour work) and cables and so on. Definitely one for later, I would say. The Montse Stanley is fantastic but may be a bit overwhelming at first as it has so many different ways of doing the same thing. To be honest most decreases are knit 2 together, or you can get away with that for a while anyway. Increases are pretty easy too. The Stitch and Bitch book is probably your one- there's a few baby things there, although as cat64 says, it might be easier to do something big so the ratio of knitting to fiddly bits is increased!

TBH I find it strange that others find knitting greenhowe or equivalent people etc fiddly

I have always enjoyed the fact new colours and the number of stitches changes so often. Knitting jumpers etc would bore me senseless - same colour wool for ages and ages and ages and ages and ages.........

Perhaps I just like fiddly stuff - I like cross stitch and hama beads too!

That's useful to know (although maybe I could buy it anyway, for an imagined time of future competence, or even for the pretty pictures) ... (You see, intarsia, it is another language).

And small is not necessarily better and might be more fiddly.

Right, so that means, it should probably be a jumper for a big person, elasticky wool (does that mean partly synthetic?), or maybe a small fireman, or a pig (with or without multi-coloured waistcoat depending on the nostalgia/retro factor)?

Elasticy wool means wool. Animal fibres have give, while synthetic and vegetable (cotton etc) don't.

S'n'B is your book, I think. There are some jumpers in there, and the instructions are very easy to follow. If you don't mind sewing up, I'm sure you'll be fine.

I learned to knit from S'n'B, less than 1.5 years ago. I make up my own patterns now, although they are mostly (non-bobble) hats.

If you're interested in different textures etc, there are some lovely Barbara G. Walker books out there. I'd recommend the second treasury of knitting patterns. It's all about different textures, and they're easy to apply to simple patterns.

i am also fairly new to knitting & find that sirdar do some really simple things, particularly for children. small jumpers are good as they don't bog you down for ages, and you get to practice increase/decrease. also sirdar wools are quite cheap so you're not spending £100 on somthing you might mess up!

Lots of useful advice and suggestions on here so thank you very much everybody--I will read the books, find the wool and the pattern and get on with knitting something that isn't square.