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Arts and crafts

Discover knitting, crochet, scrapbooking and art and craft ideas on this forum.

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Original poster

Knitters' Thread ...

141 replies

NotQuiteCockney · 08/07/2006 19:40

I have started knitting again. I've finished two baby hats (one with a four-eyelet design, another with panels of a fern-looking lace) and am working on one with a simple all-over lace.

I figured lace made sense for this weather.

What is everyone else working on?

OP posts:

tamum · 13/07/2006 22:51

Oh god, sorry, that would be warthog.

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 13/07/2006 22:54

No kits here, warthog. Frankly, I can't even work from patterns, any more, never mind letting someone else choose the colour, yarn type etc etc.

OP posts:

housemum · 13/07/2006 23:16

Warthog - sorry, been fiddling around with other stuff - the Knitting & Stitching show was good for sewers but not much that inspired me in the way of knitting - I expected there to be a lot more knitting stands. The ground floor show was all sewing - loads of kits & equipment, I bought a great new cross-stitch frame, and some unusual kits. The upper floor (this was Olympia that I went to) was the cafe, Cards/Scrapbooking and Knitting - most of the stalls were papercrafts. Only knitting thing that inspired me was the pattern & yarn I bought:

link{http://www.getknitted.com/acatalog/Patterns_using_Opal_sock_yarn.html\cute cardi}

housemum · 13/07/2006 23:18

cute cardi

Trying again!

warthog · 14/07/2006 10:32

wartnog,

i saw a kaffe fassett kit that was nice. was quite tempted because normally it's really hard to get the colours he suggests. they always seem to be discontinued. was wondering how much extra wool they give you in case you want to make adjustments / make a mistake.

hmmm housemum, that does sound disappointing re the show. i wonder if there're any exclusively knitting shows.

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 19/07/2006 06:58

Finished another baby lacy hat, with a pattern that was supposed to look like bottles (but not baby bottles, just wine bottles, so I figure that's ok?). Lots of centered double decreases, and a bit of stitch wrapping, which was new (to me).

I still can't get that pattern to work as a panel. I tried to chart it yesterday and ended up v frustrated. The # of stitches changes from row to row, it's a hell of a pattern.

Anyway, I'm working on a new one with zigzaggy flames, but left it in the park (a friend has it) so I've started another with a bumblebee lace, with huge holes in it (double YO). Looks cute, though. Also works up fast, I hope. Even if you're using the same yarn, there's a big difference between knitting on 3s and knitting on 3.75s.

OP posts:

warthog · 21/07/2006 20:18

Never tried lace. Always imagined it was really tricky and slow going.

The phone line stopped working so didn't have mnet for days! Finished dd's scarf which I was using to learn holding the wool in my left hand. Much better! Starting on THE SOCK now on 2.5 mm needles. Taking ages!

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 21/07/2006 20:30

OMG 2.5mm needles would be deathly. I'm working on 3mm sometimes these days, but that's a fair bit easier.

Lace isn't hard, actually, and it's pretty fast, what with all the holes. It just has to be perfect.

The bumblebee pattern doesn't really look like bumblebees, but it is looking cute.

OP posts:

warthog · 21/07/2006 22:54

do you have a link to it?

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 22/07/2006 07:24

Naw, it's Barbara G. Walker.

I need to start photographing my knitting again and putting it on my blog, but I don't have a macro lens digital camera, so they always looked like ass.

OP posts:

warthog · 23/07/2006 23:31

you have a blog? wow!

yeah, you need a macro lens.

the sock is going really slowly - i'm nearly at the heel and wondering how i'm going to do it. am using one circular needle, while the pattern calls for 4 double pointed needles... i sense a rocky time ahead. hopefully it'll just WORK!

tiktok · 24/07/2006 17:09

I had never done lace before, but just started doing it once I realised basic lace was just yarn overs and knit togethers. So....I made a triangle with a kidsilk-haze yarn lookilikey doubled, increasing one stitch at the start of every row. I put it on circulars but knit back and forth ('cos circulars are nice & long), just made it up as I went along, some lacy rows, some twisty rows. Then I stopped when I got bored

I then made a little bag from it - took the points up to the central point which made a square, and sewed up these sides, which made a nice diagonally patterned bag. Sewed up the bottom. Lined it. Made an i-cord drawstring and threaded it through the holey bits. Sent it to my SIL who's in hospital - she can use it for hair ties and bits and pieces or something.

If I get my act together I'll post a pic. It was so easy and yet looks really intricate!

tiktok · 24/07/2006 17:11

I often knit continental on knit rows but can't get away with it on purl rows or on k1p1 or in fact on any rows which mix stitches.

Is there something I'm missing?

I still knit English style if I have a heavy item, as I tuck the right needle under my arm, and it's not so easy to do that with continental.

Continental is fabulously quick if you are knitting on circs, though, when obv you can't tuck needle under arm.

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 25/07/2006 21:53

tiktok, have you tried Norwegian purl? It looks like a solution, if you find the "normal" German purl tricky. It's very weird, though, you keep the yarn behind the needle, and sorta reach out and grab it with the right needle.

(I almost never purl, anyway, as am always making hats, always on circulars.)

My blog is here . As is a requirement with blogs, it's not been updated for a while ;-).

I finished my lacy hat that looked like bumblebees, and am very happy with it. I managed to do the reductions at the top just right, so they match the lace pattern, effectively.

And I'm back to working on my flames hat, using 3mm needles. Hard work, but getting done. It's all with make and k2tog or ssk. Not that complicated, but a bit fiddly to do in the round.

OP posts:

tiktok · 26/07/2006 10:15

Now, I had heard of this, NQC, and in my quest to find a quick purl, I may have tried it, but I will try it again and report back! It is quite possible I was trying it wrong!

warthog · 26/07/2006 10:32

Hi Tiktok, I also struggled with purl, but a mix of Norwegian and my own technique worked. It is a lot harder than the knit, but once you've got it that's it!

I used this site to learn.

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 26/07/2006 10:32

I think any "new" technique takes a while to get the hang of. I use a normal German purl, which works fine for me, but did take a while to get the hang of - I had to watch a German friend to it.

I think Norwegian purl sounds good, though, and better for fairisle work ... but I've still not really got the hang of it. I think you need to hold the old stitch quite close to the tip of the left needle for it to work.

OP posts:

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 26/07/2006 10:35

Hmm . This link shows Norwegian purling, and it's different from how I've been trying to do it. Frankly, you still seem to have to move the yarn strand around, so I don't really see the point. I think I'll probably stick to German (The knittinghelp people say it's the fastest way to purl ...)

OP posts:

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 26/07/2006 10:58

Grr. Have just re-examined flame hat, and it has 13 repeats of the pattern. What on earth was I thinking? Why would I use a prime number! I think the hat will be too big for a newborn (which is fine), but 13! Grr.

(If it's divisible by 2 or 3, I can just reduce every 3rd repeat etc etc to do the crown. Now I'll have to remove one on its own, and then do every fourth or something ... grr.)

OP posts:

tamum · 26/07/2006 10:59

I can't knit when it's this hot

Original poster

NotQuiteCockney · 26/07/2006 11:01

Do lace!

I shouldn't feel like knitting, but I am, just the same.

Is it hot even Up North where you are, tamum?

OP posts:

bundle · 26/07/2006 11:21

these days I am mostly crocheting

tamum · 26/07/2006 11:34

I am knitting lace but it doesn't make my hands any less sweaty, sadly. Yes, it was 28 or 30 yesterday, so pretty hot. Bundle, I have even gone so far as to buy The Happy Hooker, but haven't yet actually, you know, done anything

Pruni · 26/07/2006 11:41

Message withdrawn

bundle · 26/07/2006 11:44

tamum, brain has been scrambled by Americanisms (doubles being trebles etc - aagghhhh) but lovin' the funky patterns and dippy biogs

am doing squares like these, bottom right corner (from different book) but in turquoise, pink and purple. v therapeutic.

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