Learning to Knit

mirakl

Ok I blame you all! I'm addicted. Every spare minute I have I'm adding a couple of inches to my scarf. :T

I can't wait to get it finished.

pigpen

I love knitting. I learned when I was 5 and have done it ever since. Can I heck as like crochet though!!

I am just about finished on a poloneck sweater for my 9 year old. she picked the wool (I think it will be itchy) Just have 1 sleeve and the last inch of collar to do!

My oldest girl (12) knits and my 9 year old is leanring slowly too.

It is a dying art and in years to come you can teach your small people to knit and they can make a fortune because noone will be able to do it any more! .. investing in their future and all that!! lol

tawnyowls

hazzie123 wrote:

Doesn`t that clicky sound drive you mad?It did when I was younger and my mother was knitting.I could of been sat there reading and all I can hear is click click click click click click.?

You can get plastic needles, which are a lot quieter, but as with most things, it's very hard to make a noise that will annoy yourself! So everyone else may be driven mad, while you're lulled into that sort of semi-conscious alpha state.

BlueSkyDay

Hi All

Our local Co Op was rumoured to be closing down last winter and was selling Jaeger wool very very cheaply. I bought a couple of packs and started knitting away (used to knit a lot). I chose a complicated pattern as I get bored just doing knit / pearl, and off I went. It took AGES to do each bit but I persevered (I'm not a quick knitter). Anyway, by March I had almost finished it - just half of one sleeve and the collar left - when I stopped smoking. I stopped knitting as this was a big trigger for a smoke. My poor cardi has sat in my bedroom all spring and summer, just waiting to be finished. Now that there's no danger of me going back to smoking (well, hardly any), I'm thinking about taking up knitting again. This is good news, yes?? No!! I've been eating chocolate like it's about to be banned and now I've gone from a slim size 8 to a 10/12!!! There is no way my cardi will fit me now.

I'll have to use it as an incentive to "lose lbs as well as ££s" and just crack on with it. If not, I'll sell it on Ebay!

Blue

Gryfon

I learnt to knit again earlier on this year. So I taught myself from sites on the internet...though learning purl stitch was interesting as I didn't realise to start you had to take the wool to the back etc :rofl:

I made my son a bright red jumper he wanted which cost me about £5, then my daughter a pink cardigan cost about £8 or £9...and then I made me a big blue cardigan but that cost about £25! However I love it and I made it...although I'm having a slight button problem as none of the ones I've seen over here are right!

Those were all chunky knits which are faster than double knitting I find and I use plastic needles if I can as don't like the sound of metal ones.

Got a blanket to crochet at the moment (reminder to self get more wool) and then I might knit hubby a jumper

Shortie

mirakl wrote:

I'm toying with the idea of learning how to knit.

Hands up, this was me a few weeks ago but I took the plunge and learnt and it's sooooo easy (okay I'm on a really basic stitch :rotfl: ).

I find it really relaxing too

jellycat40

I knit scarves, last Xmas I knitted several with the fluffy wool that is so fashionable at the mo. The wool cost me £2.95 a 50g ball last year. This year I have paid 50p a ball for it! So everone is getting a nice new scarf this year as well. My daughter keeps complaining that I do not make them long enough but if I make them too long they get tricky to knit as the scarf becomes heavy and twisted!

I have got a book today from Sainsburys called a girls guide to knitting which is very basic. I may try something else than a scarf. I am going to give the book to someone for Xmas so I will have to be careful with it!

Louise

shona_2

tanith wrote:

hand knitted things don't seem to be too popular

I'm afraid THAT, I would totally disagree with!!
Have you been to the shops recently - scarves ar everywhere, chunky, knitted ones, lots of tops are knitted style, even men's jumpers!

Knitting is trendier than it has been for years!

rainbowrisin

The basics of knitting are fairly simple. The more complex bits are really about getting the tension right, particularly if you are doing fair isle or some of the cabling stitches.
I would suggest starting off with a simple cushion cover made of say 3x3 knitted squares using DK (double knitting wool) - if you knit the squares on the diagonal they hold shape better, and you get practice at increasing and decreasing. Also, using a straight forward DK rather than one of the trendier "fluffy" yarns means that you can see your mistakes. DK is also more forgiving if you have to unravel it a few times if you've made a boo-boo. The fluffy stuff gets a tad dog earred after a few unravels.
Once you can cast on, cast off, increase, decrease, knit and pearl then there are piles of easy but effective patterns out there now. There is a huge market now for things which grow quickly and which aren't too complex, and the range of gorgeous yarns now is staggering.
Good wool is expensive, but worth it IMHO if you are bothering to hand knit, as the 100% acrylic stuff doesn't hold shape very well. I find 70% wool / 30% synthetic a good mix, as it holds shape and is warm, but more hard wearing than wool and less inclined to "felt" if you put it in the wrong wash temp.
Initially I would suggest you buy new wool, as then you know what you are buying and are sure it's the right stuff. Once you do a little more you'll soon be able to distinguish the different types of yarn, even if they don't have labels - quite a lot of the second hand yarn I get has lost its label along the way. I get my wool from free cycle, jumble sales and the odd find at a car boot of charity shop. I also hunt for hand knitted garments past their best, unravel them and re-knit them as something else.
I've been knitting for over 30 years (I started young) and really enjoy it. It's excellent if you've stopped smoking / drinking / eating biscuits or whatever, as it gives you something to do with your hands.
Enjoy! It's a really worth while, productive hobby.

shinydriver

I learnt to knit today! Have done 3 rows and dropped 2 stitches :rotfl: I'm not sure I am a natural!