It's crochet, knit and natter thread 11. So much yarn we need a yarn barn.

[CrochetBug]

Oh my, the last thread got full! Hope you all find me. The title is rubbish.

Anyway. I'm off to decorate the thread.

[GlowWine]

Sorry I posted the last message yesterday and wasn'tsure about starting a new one. Link to previous thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/arts_and_crafts/4710230-its-crochet-knit-natter-10-new-year-new-yarn-new-thread

[AllProperTeaIsTheft]

Hello! Thanks for starting a new thread, @CrochetBug - liking what you've done with the place. Nice decor! I like the title too - it's certainly accurate!

[StillNiceCardigan]

I was just catching up with the last thread after being on holiday and found that it was full. Thank you for starting a new one @CrochetBug . Here’s my failed easy cushion to decorate. I have decided to redo it fair isle styl.

[CrochetBug]

Oh I'm glad you've found me. I hadn't even noticed the last thread Was nearly full, until I tried to post on it.
I haven't really done anything exciting crochet wise, just been working on Sophie.
I've been concentrating on the embroidered piano hanging for Church. I decided last minute to go for flowers not just running stitch. I must be mad
I've got a huge area to fill in

@StillNiceCardigan I started knitting a cushion cover when we did I KAL on here. I managed about 2 rows!

[AllProperTeaIsTheft]

I'm still just plodding along slowly with dd's cable jumper and ignoring all my other projects! Last week was the first meeting of the year for my knitting and crochet club. As last year, I had a big influx of year 7 total beginners (about 30!). This time they all wanted to learn to crochet, which was a relief, as trying simultaneously to teach 15 to crochet and 15 to knit from scratch is a bit of a challenge!

[StillNiceCardigan]

Lovely embroidery @CrochetBug my KAL cushion was quite successful and it lives in the hallway. The new cushion is going to sit next to it when I've sorted it out.

@AllProperTeaIsTheft 30 year 7's! You must have the patience of a saint.

[LancreWowhawk]

Checking in for more hot yarn crafting action!😀

Not actually done any crochet for about 2 weeks, I really do need to pull my finger out and crack on with the hat before I start anything else <eyes gorgeous yarn bought for next project with ill-concealed longing>

[SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound]

Checking in! There was so much I missed and needed to catch up on that it was feeling like another WIP, I was glad to see this one I did look at all the photos to admire all the lovely projects on it though, there was some beautiful work!

I was swamped and not paying attention to the last thread because I was updating my CV and doing interviews and now I’ve got a job I’m torn between excitement and panic. It’s not craft related, it’s going off on a tangent to my old line of work but I’m really looking forward to it.

So now, I’m sorting childcare, trying to get the house in order because it’s not like I haven’t had 7 years to do that or anything and of course, starting a new weaving project

[GlowWine]

Hey that's great news @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound ! Wishing you every success! And the weaving looks nice too.

@LancreWowhawk surely you can have more than one thing on the go? But agree, I also want to finish these socks before I start the MKAL- first instructions coming on Thursday. Maybe I'll just declare the socks finished and cast off the cuffs tonight, they're long enough I was just hoping to use the whole ball of yarn.

[Sitoff]

Joining for inspiration. Problem is I look at posts and add another project to my list of things I would like to try. I am self taught and keep trying new techniques rather than improving those I have learnt.

Love the completed cushion @StillNiceCardigan and intrigued by the failed cushion so a couple of new ideas.

[AllProperTeaIsTheft]

Massive congratulations on the new job, @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound ! I very much identify with the feeling of realising I should have got more stuff sorted while I had plenty of time to do it!

Work is absolutely swamping me at the moment, and I'm feeling a bit run-down. Hopefully it's just tiredness, but a close colleague just tested positive for covid... I wish I had more time to knit, but I'm bringing work home every day atm, even though I'm there until 5:30.

@AllProperTeaIsTheft30 year 7's! You must have the patience of a saint.

I teach 90 of the little angels every week in MFL lessons, so another 30 mins of Y7 madness is no problem <tears hair>.

[AllProperTeaIsTheft]

I am self taught and keep trying new techniques rather than improving those I have learnt.

Oh that sounds very familiar! In normal life I'm not very adventurous or ambitious, but with knitting I seem to throw caution to the wind!

[SparkleHard]

I thought I’d lost you all! I’m just back from holiday where I thought I’d get lots of knitting done, but I ended up doing very little 😬 I’m struggling with my needles a bit (interchangeable circulars) - there’s endless bunching, which makes me want to give up after a couple of rows.

I usually knit on DPNs, so this is a new thing for me. Would a fixed circular needle be better? I am a very tight knitter, which probably doesn’t help either.

I am self taught and keep trying new techniques rather than improving those I have learnt.

Yeah, that’s me too. I’m also a serious hobby-hopper. I’ll do something for a bit, get reasonably good at it, lose interest and move onto the next thing. I’d love to stick to one thing, but don’t think I have it in me!

[SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound]

Thanks @GlowWine and @AllProperTeaIsTheft

Its fantastic your craft club is thriving @AllProperTeaIsTheft, I would have loved one when I was in school!

I did a silk spinning workshop at our guild meeting last night. It was really interesting but as far as silk goes, I think I’ll stick to pre prepared fibre, I’m a bit too squeamish for the gloopiness of wet cocoons.

Have you more knitting than cable @SparkleHard? I tend to try to match my cable length to my knitting or go shorter but if you knit tightly it might be that making it hard. If it sticking going over the join between needle and cable then a fixed circular would be easier. I found knit pro weren’t great for the joins and moved to addi turbos and chiagoo fixed length ones.

[GlowWine]

Hooray, I have finished my latest pair of socks and am very happy with the result, they're comfy to wear.

[SparkleHard]

Yeah, it is sticking over the join @SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound . The needles are KnitProz interchangeable. Sounds like a fixed needle would be a good investment in this case. I will get on with that right away!

Nice socks @GlowWine . I can’t quite get my head around socks without heels, but they look like a great fit. Does that mean heels are an unnecessary addition?!

I impulsively ordered some mystery yarn in September and it’s finally arrived. It’s so pretty…and I have no idea what to do with it 😂 It’s 5 mini skeins of gradiated sock yarn. Any ideas?

[WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally]

@SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound congratulations on the job!

I found you!

And I’ve still not moved. Still not finished a project. So I’m mostly just commenting so I don’t lose you all.

[Sitoff]

Fascinated that I am not the only one who is more adventurous with my crafting than in life!

I have tried heeled socks using Winwick Mum patterns thinking the fit would be best but those look very cosy @GlowWine . Very banana like without the feet!

[Cephalaria]

Hello can I join?
Self taught (well, YouTube taught) crocheter.
Never done craft in my life but took it up when I was ill and surprised myself by loving it.
I'm trying to resist looking ahead to the next project but to just enjoy the current one. I made a poncho in German shell stitch and I love it so much I'm making another.

[GlowWine]

hi @Cephalaria and welcome. That looks amazing! Crochet is so intricate. Lovely colour too.

Regarding the comments from @Sitoff and @SparkleHard regarding the 'banana socks'. Yes they're comfy, because the horizontal ribs allow the fabric to bunch in a controlled manner, opposite your heel, at the point of maximum stretch (one more picture, sorry). But of course you're going to get a much better fit from properly heeled socks. And the choice of heel will also affect that, I've only mastered short-row heels so far, without a gusset & heel flap (I think that's what they're called). But my handknit heeled socks fit me well and I regularly wear them to work inside my normal lace- up shoes.

[SpinMeRightRoundBabyRightRound]

Oh wow, they are gorgeous @SparkleHard! I really really love my Nightshift and The Shift by Andrea Mowry, they’d look fantastic in something like that.

Thanks @WeCanLiveLikeJackAndSally I’m sorry to hear the moving isn’t moving though.

Wow@Cephalaria! that’s beautiful! It’s such a lovely combination of stitch and colours.

They look brilliant @GlowWine ! I tend to default to my favourite heel eye of partridge heel flap but it’s very tempting to try out no heels ones…
I’ve never actually managed to finish a winwick mum sock pattern @Sitoff I think it’s one of the patterns I have a weird mental block for.

[ImAKnitter]

@SparkleHard
” I’m struggling with my needles a bit (interchangeable circulars) - there’s endless bunching, which makes me want to give up after a couple of rows.

I usually knit on DPNs, so this is a new thing for me. Would a fixed circular needle be better? I am a very tight knitter, which probably doesn’t help either.”

You say the stitches are bunching up. Is this because they can’t pass smoothly over the join? Some interchangeables screw together and the join can easily start to unscrew, so stitches get caught in there. Others click together, but the transition from cable to needle isn’t tapered so stitches don’t pass smoothly along and get stuck at the bump.

There are brands of interchangeables that don’t have this problem, though. What make are you using?

[SparkleHard]

I’m using Knit Pro interchangeables. It’s odd because I remember knitting a blanket a few years ago and not having that problem to the same extent. I guess the yarn I’m using at the moment is also a bit more grippy.

The join is definitely not unscrewing. I’m obsessive about checking after having that happen once while I was in the middle of a row on a complicated lace & cabled pattern. Not an experience I’m keen to repeat!

I’ve ordered a fixed circular needle, which will hopefully arrive either today or tomorrow. I went with KnitPro again, which sounds like it may have been a mistake, if the fixed ones don’t have the smoothest join either. I saw that post a little too late!

[Cephalaria]

I love those socks!

[NonMiDispiace]

@SparkleHard i knit everything on Knitpro Zing fixed circular needles and never had any problems.
I found the interchangeable ones very frustrating because of the join, I tried several makes and still had the same problem.
Good luck!