Support thread 2 - new blankets

[tribpot]

This is a continuation of our thread supporting MNers creating blanket squares for Woolly Hugs. All are welcome and I'm hoping to post a link soon to a collection of our fave patterns, pics and links to keep them all in one place. In the meantime, this new thread will allow phone-based MNers like RedRosie to return from Special Phone Exile where she goes whenever the thread has too many messages on.

This is a thread of peace where knitters and crocheters, donors and crafters are all equally welcome.

TwoJack I do squares like that the are the only square I knit that are actually square. I cast on one and increase by knitting front and back of the first stitch in each row until I have 47 stitches, knit 2 rows of the 47 then k2tog at the begining of each row until left with one again. That gives me and my tension a perfectly square 6 inch square with no casting on or off.

I'm glad someone appreciates me Pitsey ...

I wish I could knit as well as ... Err ... Well ... Almost everyone else on this thread. My squares are rather lumpy compared their fabulous efforts.

Lumpy squares are GOOD. Lumpy squares are ESSENTIAL.

Wow - so many posts! And lots of things going waaaaay over my head!
Well I have my wool....voila scrummy yummy. Such lovely colours. She was a lovely lady and suggested I tried circular needles...wow - I've already practised and done 5 rows whilst watching not really watching my daughter's swimming lesson. And she taught me how to cast off! Yay!
I'm going to do one more practise square in this lilac wool, then I'll get stuck into the real deal.

oh - and for Matilda's blanket, I thought I'd do a square in the blue and the green. Are they ok colour wise?

Lovely colours, bobkate! I must confess I'm not quite sure why the lady suggested circular needles - you don't need them to do the blanket squares at all, although it's perfectly possible to use them to them (and there's less risk of you losing one, or any stitches falling off the end of a needle!). But you might find them a bit constricting after using straight needles for your last square - see how you get on. Lots of straight knitting is done on circular needles, particularly if you have a lot of stitches to hold. So they will definitely be useful again in another project.

Blue and green will be great.

Oh and just another question. If I'm casting on 33 stitches, how mamy rows is it approx to make a 6" square? I'm thinking it's maybe 33 rows? or is that too obvious to be right?

One lumpy square made with love by a newby is just as fab as one made with skill by an expert

bobkate - 33 stitches may not be exactly right for you but it's a good starting point, you'll need to measure it when you've done five or so rows to see how wide it is. Row-wise, it could be anything from about 40 to 70! So again, you need to measure. But stitches aren't square, they're wider than they're tall. So it will definitely be more than 33.

Good job Pidj - as mine will be full of love but lacking in expertise I reckon! Thanks Trib, well my practise square is 33 stitches on my new funky needles so I'll go and measure in a mo

Bobkate - do a few rows before you measure. Depending on the cast on method, you knitting may grow up to a third after the cast on row.

Get me! Knitting expert. :o

your knitting may grow.

I've had to call it quits with the tardis for now as I'm too short of violently red yarn (not a trad colour for a tardis anyway) but a few pics of blanket square patterns at least!

My favourite kind, bob :)

I love the owl Trib . Well I'm about 10 rows in and I'm properly chuffed with my efforts! The green is such a lovely colour, I feel I may well be having to make some blankets for my own 2 dd's and the wool feels so nice and snuggly. I did 33 stitches and it's working out fine for 6". My 10 rows is equal to about an inch so another 50 to go I reckon! But thanks for the pointer RedRosie...
I'm loving these needles too - I'm finding them much easier to use. Very happy with my new hobby Just seen your post up above Trib about the needles...Maybe she didn't have any straight ones! But I'm finding them easier so that's all good

Thanks for the clarification on the crochet slip stitches STU. I had thought it was as it's where you join onto the already worked piece to shape the letters.

I'll look at that chart as well thanks :)

Apologies for lateness of my reply, I had to go to work earlier!

No problem Daisy :)
Do get used to the symbols then you can just take a picture on your phone of the pattern and don't have to buy the whole book

And a quick musing on needles. Since I started doing socks on DPN's and hats on 40cm circulars, I can't use normal length needles now, it's akin to eating with a shovel! So I use my circulars, 20cm DPN, child sized needles and some short bamboo needles that came free with a toy supplement in a magazine.

Lol, I never thought of that :o

I only use kids size needles for knitting that's why for any big projects I crochet them.
(I ended up tucking the needles under my arms the last time I used them, abandoning the project, frogging it and finding a similar pattern to crochet instead :o)

I remember my mum knitting with the needled tucked under her arm!

Morning all
Just replying to PMs, then off to work until lunchtime, will catch up then

My delayed-action sun poem upthread seems to have worked!

Rosie, who are absolutely gifted, can you now write one about how I win the lottery?

This sun poem was specifically for the south, I take it.

Pidj's 'I am sailing' translation is now available.

Off to work now.

Keep up the good work, lovely woolly folk

A poem for Pitsey so that she may win the lottery (disclaimer - this may take time)

The weather is sunny
And Pitsey needs money

Not to spend on herself?
No. Not that kind of wealth

She won't spend it on gin
She won't spend it on shellfish
She won't spend it on diamonds
She's just not that selfish!

Pitsey won't buy pottery
If she wins the lottery!

No. She will spend it on yarn
And needles and hooks
She will spend it on wool
'n self-help crochet books

Its not for the money
Its all for the cause
Its not for the glory
Pru's clapping her paws

So when knitting YOUR purls
(The poems nearly over)
Cheers all crafty girls
And Pitsey's in clover!

:o