Knitting

Katiehound

Not particularly good quality yarn but sometimes very cheap is in Aldi, especially if the packs have been on sale a while and they want rid!
That's when you might get a real bargain
They also had recently a knitting accessories pack- cable needle, thread holders etc. Didn't sell all that well and got slightly reduced.
It's always worth a look in there , if you have a branch near you, of course!

THIRZAH

Aldi DK and Aran is ok-it's acrylic but I've had worse cheap yarns. I use it a lot when knitting for charity.


The chunky yarn is very thick more like a bulky yarn than a chunky.

dandy-candy

Start simple, buy some dk acrylic (about £1.50 a ball) and a pair of 3mm needles. Join Ravelry (online community) and start with the free patterns. Small items can be fiddly, so not necessarily easier. I'm never without my knitting while watching tv, it's a great hobby!

PipneyJane

THIRZAH wrote: »

Aldi DK and Aran is ok-it's acrylic but I've had worse cheap yarns. I use it a lot when knitting for charity.


The chunky yarn is very thick more like a bulky yarn than a chunky.

Lidl have been known to do wool-blends, cotton and even an alpaca-blend, but when they stock them is very unpredictable and the colour range is small (and often not to my taste). However, it is cheap and great quality. I’ve knitted multiple pairs of socks and a jumper from their wool-blend sock yarn (75% wool, 25% polyamide). I’ve also knitted two jumpers from their Zettl Alina wool blend chunky.

- Pip

maddiemay

Once you have practiced a little on some double knit yarn doing knit, purl and rib stitches a nice little project would be some wrist/hand warmers like THESE using some self-fair isle yarn such as Sirdar Crofter DK, loads of colours to choose from, pleasant to knit with and very effective. This pattern is for stripes, but would look great in Crofter or a self-striping double knit.:D

[Deleted User]

dandy-candy wrote: »

Start simple, buy some dk acrylic (about £1.50 a ball) and a pair of 3mm needles. Join Ravelry (online community) and start with the free patterns. Small items can be fiddly, so not necessarily easier. I'm never without my knitting while watching tv, it's a great hobby!

HI,

Sorry, but for DK wool you need to use 4mm needles - these would be the best size to buy.

dandy-candy

Spider_In_The_Bath wrote: »

HI,

Sorry, but for DK wool you need to use 4mm needles - these would be the best size to buy.

I find 3mm is best for me but it's down to personal tension. I forgot to mention to OP that she should always do the tension square on the pattern first. It makes all the difference!

Katiehound

dandy-candy wrote: »

I forgot to mention to OP that she should always do the tension square on the pattern first. It makes all the difference!

Absolutely essential to do a tension square if you are making a garment. I think my second ever garment was a jumper with a fairisle yoke and I 'carried the threads' far too tightly! Result- beautiful too tight jumper.

Once you have knitted a few items you will know if you knit 'to tension'. I knit more tightly so use 1x size larger needles always.

If you are wanting to meet knitters I wonder if there is a way you could advertise locally?
Put a card on Wilco's (or similar) board with the title:'Wanted: knitting buddy for beginner'

[Deleted User]

Hi I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't knit I have been clicking away for the best part of 70 plus years My late Mum taught both myself and my two brothers to knit almost as soon as we were old enough to hold needles

Growing up during and after WW2, everyone knitted ,I think it took her mind of the problems of the times .

Back then often things were unpicked (usually Saturday morning jumble sales were where you did your best to snaffle a jumper for a shilling (5p) if it was a decent size .Irrespective of colour, as wool was hard to get hold of back then.
It came in 'Hanks' not balls, so usually the youngest ('me') my two brothers could pull a great vanishing act when Mum needed wool winding . My very young arms would ache holding this hank up so Mum could wind into balls .
I have unpicked and rewashed and dried and re-knitted umpteen things over the years

Grey wool was highly sort after in jumble sales as you could make sock.A job I wasn't keen on, as grey is such a depressing colour and they were made and often remade as the boys grew out of them or the holes in the heels got unrepairable.My late Mum taught me how to 'turn' the heel

My Mum once got hold of some bright yellow wool, but not enough to make me a jumper so she striped it with brown and for ages I had to wear this awful yellow and brown striped jumper ,looking like a very cross little wasp.I loathed this jumper and dreamed of the day it would be too small for me :)

I have two daughters and two of my grandchildren are girls and not one of them either knits or sews.My eldest DD will do a cross stitch at times but she too is left handed, and never ever learned to knit My youngest DD although she has had five children can't sew a button on, and I have been designated knitter and button sewer for years

I love knitting and I cannot just sit and watch TV unless I have my knitting on the go I knit for two separate charities, and also make poppies for the British Legion in October .

I like to listen to the wireless or an audio book while I am knitting as well I am at the moment making a 3D effect blanket for my grandsons wife Hayley who lives in New York. It will go out there in February when my DD goes over for a visit

I have knitted for all of the family and all my grandsons have had 'blankeys' in their favourite football teams colours The worse was my eldest DGS Danny who is a West Ham fan and he took his blankey when he moved to the USA two years ago.

My advice would be find your local library, there is a good chance there will be a knit and natter group and if you want to learn there will be lots of folk there to help .Or ask in a local old folks home or pensioners church or council run pop-in parlour Lots of ladies of a certain ...age like myself will be only too willing to give you a hand and you will make lots of friends as well. Being an old duck myself passing on skills that we learnt many years ago makes us feel useful and needed.

Although I have lost count of the hundreds of things I have knitted over the years as yet I STILL cannot get the hang of crocheting My oldest friend has tried umpteen times but I just can't get it at all, but knitting is basically just two stitches Knit or Purl and the fancy stuff comes with practice I must say though beware of US patterns as the use slightly different terms than we do and their abbreviations are different as well.

I often get lots of oddments of wool in charity shops or even in the summer at bootsales (very useful for plain white double knit) which I use to edge my baby blankets. usually lots of first size baby cardigans can be bought for 10-20p at a boot sale taken home ,unpicked washed dried and rewound into balls a new ball of wool can cost p to £1.50-95 whereas two outgrown baby cardies can cost me 40p for the same amount of wool. As I use a lot of wool for the charity blankets that go to The Linus Trust ,every blanket goes to all four corners of the world where there is a child in need of heat and comfort I have seven warm well-fed grandchildren, and if my hobby has kept a child, living on a dump somewhere in the world warm tonight I am more than happy to help. The blankets only go to children in need and when the last big Tsunami happened a few years ago they sent 68 tonnes of handmade blankets to children who only had the clothes they stood up in.

its a hobby that costs me very little but give me so much satisfaction.

So anyone who is interested go find a ball and a couple of needles and start to practice,all you need is a comfortable chair, a cup of tea, and a lot of patience but it is so worth while

CRANKY40

I've just knitted a hat out of Aldi aran yarn and there's plenty left so I'm making a hat for my sister too. 400g was £3.99. I've also used pom pom wool from aldi in the past and that was good too.

I crocheted a bedspread for my best friend for Christmas. It's a wave design in 3 colours of blue and he is absolutely chuffed with it. I like the sound of the Linus trust thing Jackie - I might have a look at that once I've finished the few hats I have been asked to do.