Support thread for 3girlies' blanket

[tribpot]

Following on from our previous support thread please check in here if there's any help, particularly (but not exclusively) knitting help, you need for the squares for 3girlies, who sadly lost her beloved 6-year-old dd Flora recently.

The details of the blanket project are here and it directs you to the Crafting Guide on Woolly Hugs, with specific sections for crocheters and knitters. I am still maintaining the original document mostly because I haven't got around to separating out the stuff that's already on Woolly Hugs now from the newer suggestions we've had in the last few weeks. So please, by all means do send me suggestions for new patterns or ideas.

For those of you on Ravelry and participating in the Ravellenic games, I think squares could be entered under a number of categories such as balance beads, doubleknit boxing, lace longjump among possibly some others.

They are super-easy, Glaikit, you just have to keep the faith when the pattern appears to have you knitting a rather wonky rectangle and then suddenly announces 'hey, time for the neck' and you're like: WTF, how can this be the neck?

You do have to pick up a few stitches around the edge but that's probably the hardest bit. Oh, and knit 2 together but I assume you can manage that now!

K2tog ? We are old friends now!! I will have a look once the gnome hat is done. How much wool does it use for a newborn sized one?

I've decided to attempt doing some entrelac. Probably won't manage to get it finished for this blanket.

Big Fat Knitting book's (hereafter known as BFKB) instructions aren't very good. Am having to supplement with internet support. Once it has been described more clearly I can see what the BFKB is trying to say - but it is missing out/assuming bits that make it impossible very difficult to follow as a beginner trying entrelac for the first time.

I got as far as the first full square on the alternate colour before frogging it as I realised the square was going to be far too large. Am now trying it with 5 8 stitch triangles to start with.

Bird - I think that's could end up being too big, to be honest. I learnt from the videos on YouTube, highly recommended. From what I recall, they have good, clear instructions. It's quite a loose design, not massively suited to a 6" square.

Glaikit - the first one I did used just over 2 balls, although I think with the one I'm doing now with the Sirdar Baby Crofter might only need 2. I was going to do an icord edging though, which will obv need more. (This is very optional!). I'll PM you.

I'd only got as far as casting on, so I'll frog 8 stitches! :)

What is entrelac?!

(I could Google it I suppose but I'll probably get a better, more understandable response on here)

It's a sort of basket weave effect, created by knitting squares diagonally in two different directions.

here is a picture

It is a lovely pattern, I've done a couple of scarves in it. Looks a lot more complicated than it really is, but it does involve quite a lot of picking up stitches and casting them off!

Re Glasgow meet-up, I could do Mondays. Tramway was lovely so happy to go there again.

My stitch book came today, will have a look and see want I want to do for this blanket. I am half way through a starfish square but i don't think it's going to fit in with flower theme.

Morning

More lovely squares for 3g have arrived safely

I hope to get mine posted this week, done 3 and then I think 10 little crocheted hearts!

I may have just had a eureka moment ladies. Whenever I am doing stocking stitch I have to knit through the back of the loop when doing the knit rows. I knew this was wrong but didn't know what I was going wrong because to knit through the front of the loop was far to difficult to be normal. So a question.

What way to you wrap the wool when purling? Clockwise or anti clockwise??

Anti-clockwise, Glaikit. I think you might be doing some Eastern European knitting there? and . Nowt wrong with that - it ends up looking the same because you sort of 'untwist' the knit through the back of the loop by doing the same on the purl row.

Or are you doing ? (Ignore how she is holding the yarn in her left hand, that's not really the issue).

Trib, you are a genius! I'm a combination knitter! No idea how I ended up doing it like that though! So if I need to k2tog on a row after purling a row can I do all that through the bak of the loop?

I knew I was doing something different but didn't know what! And my mum is an eastern European knitter too. No wonder I couldn't learn from her!!

Ah, there a note in the text that a combination knitter k2tog is actually an ssk and vis versa. It all makes sense now!!

I'm sure in the olden days no-one would have tolerated your non-standard way of knitting, Glaikit, and you would have had it beaten out of you Fortunately we live in more tolerant times and celebrate your diversity!

This looks like a good blog on combination knitting - I think you do knit 2 tog through the back of the loops, because the leading edge of the stitch is behind the needle rather than in front? Ker-azy! This article notes how useful it is for stockinette, which is exactly where you've spotted it.

Also some interesting info here and this article makes a good point about knitting in the round - because there are no purl rows to undo the madness of the row before, you need to knit differently to get the right result. Anyway, that can wait for a later time!

Yay for my cack handed knitting! When mymum said she had never seen anyone knit like me I thought she was being a bit ott, but she was probably telling the truth!

In olden days my left handed grandma had her left hand broken by her teacher to stop her writing with it . She was a very talented knitter too. She knitted gloves for a living and I have yet to see anyone knit as fast as she could, while holding a conversation, drinking a cup of tea and reading the paper all at the same time!! But I can't remember if she knitted left or right handed. She never tried to teach me, so maybe she was a lefty knitter. Will have to go through all my old photos see if there are any of her knitting.

Ok I purl in the combined way but knit the normal way. And only knit combined if I'm purling before it. Does that make sense?

Have i invented a new way of knitting? Can we call it the Glaikit method? I could be the next Her Zimmerness!

Wang it in Wikipedia before anyone else gets a chance!

:o

Hello - went on holiday and fell off the thread! But I have come home to some lovely wool which I will be using to make lillies and daisies (hopefully!) It has to travel to London with me on Monday though as I will be attempting the first Paralympic gold medal in square knitting :)

This was my London project! Hope you have a fab time, droitwich.

I'm really pleased by how this Baby Surprise Jacket has turned out (as you may gather from the essay I've written in the project notes).

Lovely! I've got som adrifil in Botticelli to do my bsj Trib. Tis lovely and snugly! It will have to wait a while though as I have loads of donated wool left to use for 3Gs blanket.

On that, I've done a lace square from my book and it's more of a rhombus than a square. I'm guessing the weight of the others will pull it into shape but just wanted to make sure that was ok?