The Knitters Thread

shazrobo

some of my friends who hold their needles under their arms prefer longer ones.
my mum prefers the shorter ones, as she likes to sit in armchair, and longer ones seem to catch on chair arms.
myself i judge needle length, by size of item i am knitting, and have all lengths.
sorry probably not much help

jennyjelly

Thanks LD, I will contact Colour Mart and ask them for a sample card. I don't mind paying but if they offer a freebie I won't say no!

Have you decided on your yarn and colour yet?

lynseydee

Just looking for a yarn at the moment. Will probably go with plain old black as then it will go with everything. Also the dress I have bought the colour is loganberry but has a black belt.

I have found six blacks, one is called pirate

http://www.colourmart.com/eng/layout/set/popup_img/cashmere_silk/100_cashmere/lace_weight/2_28nm_and_2_36nm_lace_weights/2_28nm_lace_weight_cashmere_pirate

and the others are just called black.

Now I'm really confused as they all look alike (I know they should as they're all black but I don't know if it's my eyesight but the pirate seems to look not so dull).

angel81uk

lynseydee wrote: »

JJ, just to let you know I got a response back from Colourmart and he suggeted for 2ply laceweight yarn which I would need to buy he said it would be one of their 2/28 yarns or similar which has helped narrow it down for me. He's also going to send me a sample pack with the various weights which he said is free so don't know if it's the same thing that angel was talking about. It might be worth getting in contact with them. They came back to me the following day (7.25am in fact) and have been really helpful.

That will be the same sample pack. They just put together a few different yarns in different weights, mostly unwashed (as they're commercial yarn ends most of them are oiled for machine knitting) and a small amount of washed yarn so you can see how it blooms.

I'm glad to hear they've sent it to you for free though. I know on ebay they charge a small amount for the sample and then refund the amount from your next order. I'm guessing they have to charge something in the first place so the system sees it as an order. From what I've seen on ravelry if there is a particular yarn you're interested in you can ask them for a sample too.

angel81uk

lauhen wrote: »

I wondered if anyone can help, I want to do my mum a knitting hamper for Christmas, she already knits but all her bits are very old. She has arthritis, so I am getting her bamboo needles and crochet hooks. But what length needles to I get, is there a standard length and does it matter. I can't look at mums as I live to far away and if I ask she will wonder why etc etc, please can someone help.

It really is down to personal preference I'm afraid. However I've heard quite a few people with arthritis say they prefer to knit with circular needles as they weight of the project then rests on their lap rather than holding the entire weight on the needles. There are some great interchangeable circular sets out there where you get a set of needle tips in various sizes and different lengths of cables that join them together so one set can be used for almost any purpose.

I have a couple of sets, denise and knit pro. (The denise link is just an example I've not used the company, the knit pro link is a company I have used numerous times and recommend them highly). I like both types for different reasons, the denise are a little more flexible and super quick and easy to connect (twist and click connectors) whereas the knit pro have thinner cables which are better for techniques like magic loop knitting however you have to screw the bits together firmly using a fiddly "key" or paperclip.

jennyjelly

lynseydee wrote: »

Just looking for a yarn at the moment. Will probably go with plain old black as then it will go with everything. Also the dress I have bought the colour is loganberry but has a black belt.

I have found six blacks, one is called pirate

http://www.colourmart.com/eng/layout/set/popup_img/cashmere_silk/100_cashmere/lace_weight/2_28nm_and_2_36nm_lace_weights/2_28nm_lace_weight_cashmere_pirate

and the others are just called black.

Now I'm really confused as they all look alike (I know they should as they're all black but I don't know if it's my eyesight but the pirate seems to look not so dull).

That one looks nice LD, it has a lovely soft sheen to it. I think you will probably notice the difference more than anyone else (as you say, black is black!), so I would go for the one you think will feel the nicest, as you will be the one wearing it. Good luck with your shawl - please will you post a pic when it's done? I'd love to see it!

lynseydee

Thanks JJ, that's what I thought, the others just look dull. As they're all the same price I might go for that one. Just have to get knitting now! Will try to post a pic once I've finished.

blueberrypie

Has anyone seen a pattern to make a jumper like the shirt that Chuckie on Rugrats wears? It's basically blue with a red collar and cuffs and a picture of Saturn on the front - like this - and I'm sure I can find a basic pattern and adjust it, but if someone's already done that, I could save myself the bother...

I've checked the usual places (i.e. Ravelry and Google ) but haven't found anything.

Annie021063

Hello
I have just got into knitting (socks at present) and was wondering if you might be able to help with the best places to buy yarn, needles etc and of course decent modern patterns. Is ebay a good place for decent priced bits?
Thanks

foxgloves

I love knitting socks and have done several pairs for presents this year. I usually use the Regia wool, either 4-ply or occasionally 6-ply. Our local wool shop has a good range of colours and sells it at 2 balls (enough to knit a pair of socks) for £6.99. However, you can find it cheaper on ebay although you don't always get such a good range of colours. It's definitely worth looking though. There's a seller called Aileen who sells from Stockport and I've bought from her before because she seems to have various Regia yarns for £1.75 or £1.95 a ball. I seem to remember that once you've paid the initial postage for the first ball, any extra balls are charged at 20p postage. Anyway, whatever it was, I know it was cheaper than what I had previously been paying locally. I do still use the local wool shop too though, as I'd hate for it to close, as so many of our specialist shops seem to be doing at the moment. Even when I knit socks for my partner....he has Size 11 feet, I still have a bit of wool left over, so I'm thinking that as I have so many part-balls of interesting colour mixes, I might see if Aileen the ebay seller has any plain black sock wool, as I could buy some of that & use up some of my bits & pieces in stripes, or knit the ribbing, heel & toes in a different colour. I just use a basic Regia pattern that a friend gave me, but there are several books of sock knitting patterns, so it'd be worth going to the library or checking their online catalogue to see what's available........tho' that's never as useful as actually seeing the books yourself.