It's Crochet, Knit & Natter 10: New Year, New Yarn, New Thread!

[QuantumWeatherButterfly]

Time for a new thread for all the lovely yarn crafters!

Old thread here: http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/artsandcrafts/4557189-its-crochet-knit-natter-9-so-many-projects-so-little-time-oh-well-i-almost-made-it-rhymee_

@SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound I haven't started yet; my attention span's been shocking while I've been poorly & I didn't want to muck up. I'll report back when I do start over the Easter hols.

Since it's held double strand, are there any tricks I need to know? I've seen beads used to help hold them together , which I'll try - anything else?

@Mumtothreeandadog one of the first things I made was a toy octopus, using this pattern:

blog.bellacococrochet.com/mini-crochet-octopus/

It is really simple, and the tutorial is very clear. I got on fine with it as an early stage beginner, but I did learn that toy making is really not my thing!

Thank you LancreWowhawk

Mostly keep them separate to stop them tangling @lucysmam! Sometimes I use a box with holes in it, but generally I chase them around the floor and spend ages unwrapping them from each other…

I jinxed myself by posting about earlier. The cardigan is currently winning. Curses.

@Mumtothreeandadog one of the first things I made was a toy giraffe.

On the squares/blanket qs, it depends how big the squares are! I made a blanket from 9 squares. But they were quite big.

Ooh CrochetBug a giraffe, what pattern did you use?

I have attached a photo of my square, how many should I make for an average sized baby blanket? I have a month to go. Still got to join and maybe add a border?

@Mumtothreeandadog it was a kit i bought in hobbycraft, so probably not available anymore unfortunately. It's this one here

How big is that square? 4x4 inches? A pram blanket would usually be 30x36 inches apparently. So maybe 7 squares wide by 9 squares long. Plus a border.
TBH a baby blanket can be as big as you want!

Hi all, new to posting in this section. I'm hoping for a little knitting/yarn advice please. I'm at home recovering from a hip replacement and my lovely work colleagues have sent me a knitting pattern book as they know I love to knit. The pattern I want to do is a tunic jumper thingy for me. The patten says worsted merino yarn and to use 5mm needles. I've googled and that's aran weight here. However I want to knit it on cotton or cotton merino as always find full wool too hot! I'm looking at this yarn in storm Blue probably. If I knit with this on 5mm needles will it be a slightly looser knit than with aran, will I need to adjust much for sizing? Thanks 😊

@Mumtothreeandadog amigurumi mostly uses the same stitch and I found it a bit easier to do than a granny square (having done granny squares first). Some of the first toys I made was a bunny and a chick for an Easter basket. However, I also made this Easter bunny Garland. You make the body for the bunny in a similar way to how most amigurumi starts but I found the sewing up easier. If you don’t make it to the Garland, the bunnies make a sweet little toy regardless, especially if you have young children.

@Fairislefandango FB keeps showing me videos of spinning and you’re sharing all your pictures. It’s making me want to start spinning! So I might need to leave this group now!

Welcome to the thread @Cumberlover76! Hope you’re recovering well. Ooh, that’s going to need a swatch really to test what kind of fabric you’re going to get. I’d knit a swatch and wash the way you will the finished tunic then measure it and see how it compares to the gauge in the pattern. It’s a pain when you want to get stuck in but so worth it in the end.

@WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally they are so cute!

I utterly detest the way the pattern I’m making is written. It could be so easily improved for readability in so many different ways but instead it’s just text, text, odd heading names and more text.

FB keeps showing me videos of spinning and you’re sharing all your pictures. It’s making me want to start spinning! So I might need to leave this group now!

It's fun! And it's one of those things where when you first start, and produce a lumpy, misshapen, over-twisty rope, you genuinely can't imagine ever being able to create proper yarn.

I'm still at the stage where the spinning is an end in itself, rather than a way of producing tailor-made yarn for specific projects I want to make, but I feel like I'm nearly there now with my most recent effort!

You could always have a go with a drop spindle - they are relatively cheap, so not much of a commitment. I'm still a bit rubbish at using them though...

Hmmm, I think I may need to go up a hook size from the pattern for my top. I just cannot match the gague with the 3.5mm one 🤔

I'm rubbish with sizing and gauge @lucysmam ! I find it baffling. I can get gauge and then the size is off anyway . I'm currently 9 rows into the body cable pattern of dd's jumper. Gauge was fine, but I'm constantly wondering if it's going to be too big!

Do you crack on with the recommended needle size @Fairislefandango ? I have a feeling that, if I go up to the 4.5 hook, which it's looking like I'd need to do, it'll end up way too big for me 🤔

Suppose I could make the neck & try it on to see 🤷‍♀️ I just don't want to wreck the yarn.

Urgh gauge and tension is just shocking for me at the moment. DH’s jumper was too big (even though I checked the gauge) and I’ve still not got round to frogging it because I can’t face it. I’m making a baby blanket, it’s 5 inches wider at the top than at the bottom. I don’t know what is going on but I feel pretty rubbish about it.

@Fairislefandango I’m trying to not buy anything until we’ve moved because we’ll just end up moving it all. However, I will have my own little room and I’m spending a lot of time on ikea working out my yarn storage solutions. I’ve not told DH yet but I’m trying to work out how to buy some worktop and get it to be a double layer with a hinge so it can fold away but I can unfold it and use it to take photos and as somewhere out of the way for blocking. Obviously I’m obviously planning on getting lights in there somewhere so I make sure my photos look great. Well, when I actually sort my gauge and tension back out and I can actually finish something.

Could any of the crocheters on the thread help me with an instruction please?

Round 2
Attach next color with a slip stitch to any dc, chain 1, puff stitch in the same stitch and in each dc around. Join with a slip stitch to the first puff stitch. (16 puff stitches in total) Fasten off.

Does that mean you chain 1 between each puff stitch do you think?

With regards to size,I always made a stuff too big for me even if my gauge was spot on and then someone told me that if you’re big in the bust then use your high bust measurement for a better fit across the shoulders and neck and it does work much better for me. Otherwise it can be a bit maternity smocky…

@SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound for the broccoli hat, each puff st had a ch1 between. So does the For... blanket I'm slowly making. So, based on those two experiences, I'd say yes. But I've never used puff stitches before those so someone else may disagree.

I'm still undecided what to do about the hook size for the top. I've gone from 3.5 to 4, and then 4.5 & still none are right gauge wise so I might just risk it with the 3.5 as recommended.

I was going to make the s, rather than xs anyway, so I think it should still fit 🤔

@SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound most of the time I’ve done puff stitches, the stitch includes a ch 1. I think otherwise they would bunch together and lean towards one side.

Thanks @lucysmam and @WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally, that makes sense!

Do you crack on with the recommended needle size @@Fairislefandango?

No, the gauge was fine, but only once I'd gone down a needle size. And yet it still looks a bit big, which is weird because I don't normally knit particularly loose.

Hello all, new to Mumsnet and poking around various threads. Been knitting ten years or so now. Biggest project was a bedspread (which Cat #2 and I are currently lying on). Otherwise it’s all jumpers. Yay for winter coming on here in Australia!

Hi, @Catsmere! That blanket is gorgeous, and so is the cat!

Welcome @Catsmere! Lovely blanket, I love the colours!

I finally bit the bullet and this is what I’ve been doing today It’s coming up so clean and white and bouncy, I can’t wait to spin it!

Hi @LancreWowhawk (love the Discworld reference!) and @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound , thank you both! That’s Daisy, digger of holes in bedclothes, resting after a hard day sleeping.

Wow, what a difference in that fleece’s colour!

Hello all. After struggling on with my blanket and sore arm, I have noticed three stitches wrong about three inches back. I'm going to have to go back, aren't I?

I told my daughter I wasn't going to bother and sh said, 'Yes you will.'

Which one of us is right?