The Knitters Thread

Savvy_Sue

Wishing you well for the removal of PICC line @ PipneyJane ... 

Just a word of warning about 'vintage' yarns: they can become unusable. Among Mum's legacy were several balls of a sort of tweedy wool, with red and grey twisted together. it would have looked scrumptious knitted up - but it kept breaking! I wondered if it would be better if I tried working from the inside of the ball, it wasn't. I took it into my favourite wool shop and asked them if they had any advice: it was beyond redemption. 

I don't know how old this was. Nothing else has disintegrated!

PipneyJane

Savvy_Sue said:

Wishing you well for the removal of PICC line @ PipneyJane ... 

Just a word of warning about 'vintage' yarns: they can become unusable. Among Mum's legacy were several balls of a sort of tweedy wool, with red and grey twisted together. it would have looked scrumptious knitted up - but it kept breaking! I wondered if it would be better if I tried working from the inside of the ball, it wasn't. I took it into my favourite wool shop and asked them if they had any advice: it was beyond redemption. 

I don't know how old this was. Nothing else has disintegrated!

Thanks, @Savvy_Sue.

How heartbreaking!  Do you remember the composition?  I’m wondering if it was due to the fibres - some acrylics don’t age well - or because something had been having a surreptitious nibble.  Either way, that must have been very disappointing for you.

Does anyone else have a “Handbag knitting project” as well as their regular one, done sitting on the couch?  My handbag knitting is usually a sock.  Sadly, I have issues with the current pair, which I’m knitting from leftovers - there just isn’t enough yarn left to knit the second sock to match the first.  I’m already doing contrasting after-thought heels and toes, but I realised today that, unless I shorten both legs, there won’t be enough yarn to have the second foot even vaguely resemble the first.  That means frogging the toe of the first sock - already knitted in the contrast - and then ripping back until the 42nd round of the leg.  (On the second sock, that’s where I knitted in the waste yarn for the heel.).  

Fortunately, I haven’t knitted on the after-thought heel, but to say that I’m disappointed, would be an understatement.  Before I started, there were 37 grams left of the main colourway, which should be enough, but annoyingly isn’t.

- Pip

Savvy_Sue

PipneyJane said:

Savvy_Sue said:

Wishing you well for the removal of PICC line @ PipneyJane ... 

Just a word of warning about 'vintage' yarns: they can become unusable. Among Mum's legacy were several balls of a sort of tweedy wool, with red and grey twisted together. it would have looked scrumptious knitted up - but it kept breaking! I wondered if it would be better if I tried working from the inside of the ball, it wasn't. I took it into my favourite wool shop and asked them if they had any advice: it was beyond redemption. 

I don't know how old this was. Nothing else has disintegrated!

Thanks, @Savvy_Sue.

How heartbreaking!  Do you remember the composition?  I’m wondering if it was due to the fibres - some acrylics don’t age well - or because something had been having a surreptitious nibble.  Either way, that must have been very disappointing for you.

Does anyone else have a “Handbag knitting project” as well as their regular one, done sitting on the couch?  My handbag knitting is usually a sock.  Sadly, I have issues with the current pair, which I’m knitting from leftovers - there just isn’t enough yarn left to knit the second sock to match the first.  I’m already doing contrasting after-thought heels and toes, but I realised today that, unless I shorten both legs, there won’t be enough yarn to have the second foot even vaguely resemble the first.  That means frogging the toe of the first sock - already knitted in the contrast - and then ripping back until the 42nd round of the leg.  (On the second sock, that’s where I knitted in the waste yarn for the heel.).  

Fortunately, I haven’t knitted on the after-thought heel, but to say that I’m disappointed, would be an understatement.  Before I started, there were 37 grams left of the main colourway, which should be enough, but annoyingly isn’t.

- Pip

I'm not sure the unusable yarn even had ball bands on it, so no idea what it was: there were several balls of it, and they were all the same. 

These days I don't tend to have multiple projects on the go, but it's been known, and Mum always had several! There would the easy 'I can do this while I'm watching TV'; the 'this is small so I can take it out with me', and the 'I really need to concentrate on this one.' 

I used to have something simple and not for me to do in church, but that sort of fell away during Covid (although knitting in church hasn't ...)

The socks: you do know that odd socks are very fashionable in certain circles? I have one pair where one toe is a completely different colour, where mum obviously ran out of wool! 

Savvy_Sue

Savvy_Sue said:

PipneyJane said:

Good idea @Katiehound.

@Savvy_Sue I had a look on Ravelry for a shawl knitted point up, and came across this one which was published in Knitty in 2012.  (The link is to Knitty.). Might be worth a try. 

Thank you, I shall take a good look at that: it looks absolutely huge so I am sure I would stop sooner ... and it would save me re-writing the pattern I have in reverse order. 

Several false starts later ... I went and browsed my local (and lovely) Yarn Shop, and found a really simple pattern, it's just YO K2Tog along one row, and P back the next, with a narrow K border and steady increases to get the shape. So yes it will be boring, but that's fine. I shall have enough wool left to do another fancy one if I ever feel really brave. Plus the pattern had some scarves: one more like a neck warmer which buttons across, and one which has a slit in it so you can tuck one end into the other. I can see both of those proving useful and I just wouldn't have thought of them. 

I forgot to say that after the cricket jumper, I finished* a stole which I'd been doing forever, partly because it was not only boring, it was also hard work - P3, then pass the 1st stitch over the other two in one of the rows. I'm not sure I shall ever wear it because it is the wrong kind of pink, and has sequins, but I am determined to enter it in the local Flower and Produce show. They get very few knitting entries, and I know I can't beat the competition, but I should at least get an honourable mention! :rotfl:

* for a certain value of finished ... Of course I still have to get rid of the loose ends!!! Oh, and I think it's meant to have a fringe, but I'm not sure I'd want one. 

MrsCD

@Savvy_Sue, you did make me chuckle with your knitting in church comment! Last year DD took her knitting everywhere, including church, because she needed to finish the scarf she was making for the Christmas shoebox she was putting together. She did put it away during the service, though!

annieb64

I have a " handbag knitting project" . It is also a sock on a small circular needle and I keep it in a little drawstring bag.

Savvy_Sue

MrsCD said:

@Savvy_Sue, you did make me chuckle with your knitting in church comment! Last year DD took her knitting everywhere, including church, because she needed to finish the scarf she was making for the Christmas shoebox she was putting together. She did put it away during the service, though!

Oh heavens NO, you take it to church and get it out during the sermon! The Archbishop of Canterbury said it was OK to do so, and who am I to argue? 

(This may have been when socks for the troops were needed, but I don't think it's ever been rescinded. There are a few of us in my church who do this, but I am generally too polite to do so when I'm visiting.)

annieb64

Must admit that when the sermon is long I do wish I had the courage to get out my knitting.

MrsCD

Savvy_Sue said:

MrsCD said:

@Savvy_Sue, you did make me chuckle with your knitting in church comment! Last year DD took her knitting everywhere, including church, because she needed to finish the scarf she was making for the Christmas shoebox she was putting together. She did put it away during the service, though!

Oh heavens NO, you take it to church and get it out during the sermon! The Archbishop of Canterbury said it was OK to do so, and who am I to argue? 

(This may have been when socks for the troops were needed, but I don't think it's ever been rescinded. There are a few of us in my church who do this, but I am generally too polite to do so when I'm visiting.)

Haha! I'm not that brave! I can't imagine the late Queen knitting in church, even for soldiers!😂

Savvy_Sue

annieb64 said:

Must admit that when the sermon is long I do wish I had the courage to get out my knitting.

Just do it! Find a friend and sit with them, I'm sure everyone will either be delighted or be too polite to say so!

Just make sure your wool isn't in a rustly bag ...

MrsCD said:

Savvy_Sue said:

MrsCD said:

@Savvy_Sue, you did make me chuckle with your knitting in church comment! Last year DD took her knitting everywhere, including church, because she needed to finish the scarf she was making for the Christmas shoebox she was putting together. She did put it away during the service, though!

Oh heavens NO, you take it to church and get it out during the sermon! The Archbishop of Canterbury said it was OK to do so, and who am I to argue? 

(This may have been when socks for the troops were needed, but I don't think it's ever been rescinded. There are a few of us in my church who do this, but I am generally too polite to do so when I'm visiting.)

Haha! I'm not that brave! I can't imagine the late Queen knitting in church, even for soldiers!😂

I don't recall ever seeing her late majesty ever knitting, but what else was in her capacious bag???