Support thread - new blankets

[tribpot]

I'm starting to pull together some ideas for our new blankets, very sadly knit for MNers who have both lost a beloved baby recently :(

You will have instructions from Pistey about wool colours and some suggested shops to buy from - personally I buy mine from McA Direct and have found their service excellent, but there are lots of alternatives out there. Warning: Hobbycraft do not generally stock the required yarns.

The question of how many stitches to cast on comes down to the question of gauge; how tight or loose your knitting is with the yarn in question. Best way is to knit a sample (or a plain square); just measuring how wide it is once you've cast on won't be a very reliable measure because it stretches out once you start knitting. Equally, if it's already more than 6" wide you're on a hiding to nothing. For most people, on 4mm needles, 33-ish stitches and about 45-ish rows should give you a 6" x 6" square but don't do a whole one if you're not sure or a slow knitter, as it's mega-frustrating to have to pull it all back down again.

What follows is mostly links to patterns that we've done or revised in earlier blankets, or ideas for things you might want to try. I know there are some specific pattern requests for these two blankets and I'm looking those out. Warning: many of these are links to patterns on Ravelry, which is like the Facebook of knitting. Registering is free and 100% worth it, although it may mean you start sending your salary direct to your yarn shop of choice at the start of each month as you discover more and more amazing things to knit.

If you want to start with something more adventurous than garter stitch (knit every row) or stockinette (knit one row, purl the next, and so on) why not try the Chinese waves pattern? (Non-Ravelry link). Or maybe stars - this is a bit more difficult - (Non-Ravelry link).

Birds have been specifically requested so we're starting with this lovely Owl pattern - this involves cables and ends up looking a bit like this.

Note, though - before having a go at these patterns you need to know what your gauge is, so you can modify the pattern (so in the case of the owl, cast on fewer stitches / chop out a few rows in terms of length for example) or change needles to get it close to the 6" size.

If you want to follow our adventures in trying to get a particularly devilish heart pattern right, please see the support thread in which Team Heart did battle with hearts, trees and elephants.

More to follow ...

Right, starter for ten for RedRosie, and Purple (if she isn't too fed up) - smaller size sheep chart.

I've scaled the borders down and thus the rows to make it match (now 35 stitches wide, 45 rows tall) but before I write out the instructions, let me know how many rows (roughly) you typically do for a 6" square so I can add some back in top and bottom if needed.

Moley, it's morning from peer gynt - perfect for drifting off!

Trib! Star!

My last six inch square with the lovely wool was about 45 rows I think ... Does that sound likely?

Yup, sounds good, Rosie. I shall make you a written asap, or så snart som mulig as they say in Norwegian. Or rather, as Google translate tells me they say in Norwegian.

Evening

45 rows sounds good. The square I have just done was 35 stitches by 44 rows, and looking at another one I do is 34 stitches by 43 rows.

Pidgin - just looked at it properly! Just gorgeous. Only caught the hand bit first time so thought it was a funny animation . Thank you! Have done three successful rows now.

I love that piece of music. Used to be able to play it on my flute and it was the only real tune I was ever able to play on the piano (with one hand, no chords).

Thanks Trib.

You and Pitsey and Knotty are all amazing and lovely and kind.

Loving the Chinese Waves pattern but my tension is definitely different with it. Normally 33 stitches is fine for me but am using 37 stitches for this one. Just a warning for everyone else to dig their measuring tape out.

Same here Pastabee! 35 for a plain kit for me, but 41 for the chinese waves gets me the 6 inches.

I'mhoping my wool arrives tomorrow because I'm finished my left overs from the last blankets

In other news, my local garden centre now has a craft shop, wool gallore and I can walk to it! They don't have the cashsoft or cashmerino for the blankets though!

Trib - can you PM me as well as post my instructions on here when they are done? I have to be out of the office for a couple of days at meetings at different ends of the country which is bonkers but true and means nine hours on trains in two days, oh woe is me.

I mostly MN on my phone and when these threads get long I struggle to find stuff ... Also, when they reach 700 posts I can't post on them any more although I can read them. Very odd.

glaikit - I'm off to John Lewis tomorrow to get some casmerino. Feed up of reading about the knitting and not able to do any.

Must try and organise a meet-up. I'm Glasgow - whereabouts would be good for you?

Rosie - will do, I dunno if you want to see if you can access them now, was gonna save them in my Google docs rather than lose them in a post on here.

Half-finished instructions.

I'm hoping you can then download the file to your phone. If not, I'll maybe c&p the instructions into a PM if such things are allowed.

Glaikit - first garden centre purchase has to be a wheelbarrow. Handy transport for all of your money to be spent on crafty things :)

I've just ordered some of the yarn from deramores along with a pair of 4mm needles. MrsY's story really touched me and I'd like to at least try and knit a square or two in time for the send off date. I've bought three balls, two of one and one of the other, would that be enough for a few squares? I've stuck with blues too as I couldn't really tell how the other colours would look IRL as opposed to online, I had a lot of trouble with my hayfield bonus DK over Christmas and the colours being different to what they seemed online!

I've not knitted squares before and have never really had to do anything to size so hopefully it'll work!

Hello Pixie - you can get two or three squares out of a ball of wool, so you have plenty

Squares are 6"
Blues are perfect

Hello Pixie

You should get 2-3 squares out of a ball. Depending on the pattern obv. We suggest casting on 33 as a rough guide but if you know you knit tightly you may need a few more.

Snap

Trib - Would you try the c&p into a PM? No massive hurry as I'm still on my double moss stitch square ... You are lovely.

Pixie - good luck! Do a few rows before you measure as it gets about 50% bigger than the cast on row ...

Thanks to you both :)

And thank you for the link to Greengoose's story on the PM Piste, I can't imagine what both families are going through :(

Redrosie: Thanks for the tip!

Well, the lovely music did the trick-Norwegian fir flowing now - no more munch style screaming. Could be something to do with three sleeping dc

Too sleepy to do much now, so shall carry on with granny tomorrow

Thanks for that tribpot. I am pretty new to having a smart phone and I can get the chart on it. I will make a start on it tomorrow instead of a granny square

No probs, Purple. I'll finish the written instruction and then you'll have both. I can't guarantee it'll be error-free, charting it is much easier as you can obv see the design. Mind you, even charting it I still managed to duff up the tree pattern I wrote out for Minnie last time! Bloody complicated cables were the problem there, though.