How expensive is kitting!!!!

[iPodthereforiPoor]

I really want to knot the toy snake in my knitting mag, but it needs 10 balls of DK handknit cotton - which at £3.50 a ball means the snake will be £35 plus stuffing!!! I just want to knit something nice for DS christmas but £35 is a bit too nice!

so, any ideas where i could get it cheaper, or what I could use instead?

I wil probably endup with a wobbly snake anyway - might be best to start cheap!!

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I've got a young free and single colleague who contributed some knitted sandwiches to the knitted wedding feast at last years Knitting and Stitching Show Fio - she moves in those sort of Casting Off trendy circles
I just get heckled by eejits on the 7.40 to Cannon St or have my idiosyncratic technique discussed by the odd older commuter who understands what knitting is!

Ha. A knitting basket.

I have two giant tower things full of bloody stash. And I am still knitting my way through the enormous 4ply albatross.

(Which reminds me, you can get a deal. The albatross is Jaeger merino 4-ply, and it was 50% off. I bought rather a lot of it, and expect to be knitting in it for the next 800 years. Or so.)

Actually you could easily get away with 5 or 6 colours and just repeat them more often, couldn't you?

NQC, I am so glad you said that about your towers...

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I beg your pardon

While we're all here, how cool are these dpns in their little tins?

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I knit in public all the time. And all the time, I hear, "look, NQC is knitting, just like gran!".

So no, my vote is still in the "not trendy" camp. Particularly in the UK.

where do you buy food dye pruni?

now i know you are a bit of a sly lentil weaver but really...

tescos should do it. in the baking section. AFAIR you have a reasonably comprehensice one on south park street (oooh I soooo want to go to edinburgh)

right

get some wool or nylon and wind into a skein.

phial of food dye(s) of your choice, cup full of vinegar (white distilled is better and avoid the cheap spirit crap cos it will make you cough). Put in a saucepan. Add a fair bit of water (enough to submerge the wool). Set to boil.

When boiling add the wool. You can bung a lid on at this point.

Boil til water is clear.

Let cool (massively important to avoid felting)

remove and wash

let dry

wind back into a ball.

The End

ps I think some people on craftster use microwaves but I don't have one.

(south park street? ...south clark street I mean)

(oh and if you or tamum need any more advice on where to find shops in the town that you live in, do feel free to post)

oh btw

you and your towers

i have two rickety wardrobes full of pre-dyed wool

(I ffs I keep seeing this thread and feeling the need to add it it. I shall go and tend my family now)

If you want to make toys of any description, have a look here

There are loads of special offers on, I've used them before and they've been very good. I go to charity shops/boot sales for my toy wool.

I'm afraid I am utterly addicted to my knitting and my house is bulging wool. My boys keep pulling my kneedles out of the stitches to use as swords. Ha ha!

tamum is the business when it comes to knitting.

my MIL has already got DD1 down the slippery slope - DD1 holds yarn for her and plays w/her knitting needles and yarn basket and pretends to knit.

when we went into St. Columba's charity shop near the top of Leith Walk - a treasure trove of yarn and needles, btw, DD1 went straight for the needles and yarn and shrieked, 'Oh, for my knittn'.

i tell MIL, 'oh, fgs, she's just a kid! she's only 3!'

don't you set dyes w/vinegar? i used to tea-dye stuff and set it w/vinegar.

you can get vinegar cheap as chips by the 5L container in Costco or in an Asian supermarket.

my dd keeps trying to 'knit' by pulling needles out of my basket, and threading them through the piece i'v already knitted, and shouting 'look, i'm knitting'
yes, it is VERY trendy, apparently. kate moss does it! although i haven't yet managed to convince anyone who knows me how trendy i am. they'll all be jealous when they see my new cardi.

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posh bars are?
the ivy?
no, but even vogue has said it is. can you tell, i've had teh p* taken out of me rather a lot, and i have all the answers ready?
some young student nearly died laughing when i told him that all i need is an ipod & some knitting & i'm happy! he thought they epitomised the polarity of my nature. ipod = young & trendy, knitting = NOT.
still, what did he know?

expat, I taught dd to knit yesterday and she loves it. The number of stitches on her needle seems to be varying wildly but she's so proud. She and your dd1 will have to get together for a mini SnB

oh bugger - found a good kniting shop in Truro....

Aw, tamum! DD1 is already in love w/it. She's such a helpful girl as it is, and can't wait to do it for real - well, she thinks it's for real just now .

Her gran is a skilled knitter, too.

I bought her some speciality wool in the farmer's market the other day as a present, b/c it was dear. Like dearer than John Lewis!

When dd was her age she tried to knit and was gutted to find out you have to do more than move the needles up and down and wait for a garment to appear (this is what happens on Maggie and the Ferocious Beast). She's been labouring away all afternoon again...