The Knitters Thread

Careful_with_that_Axe

Hello. Another new knitter here, having been taught by a friend this summer.

Just about to start knitting a top for a baby and the wool I am using is dire - splitting so much that it took me half an hour to cast on 77 stitches. Any tips to help stop it splitting please?

mrs_moneyspinner

hello - can I join you all - I am a beginner and have one pair of needles/one ball of wall, learning stitches at the moment so might ask the odd question when I get stuck - thanks.

jennyjelly

mrs_moneyspinner wrote: »

hello - can I join you all - I am a beginner and have one pair of needles/one ball of wall, learning stitches at the moment so might ask the odd question when I get stuck - thanks.

Hi mrs moneyspinner, it's always good to see the love of knitting spread, and trust me it is very addictive!

If you have any questions there are some very experienced and helpful knitters on here so they will soon sort you out and you'll be knitting for England in no time.

jennyjelly

Careful_with_that_Axe wrote: »

Hello. Another new knitter here, having been taught by a friend this summer.

Just about to start knitting a top for a baby and the wool I am using is dire - splitting so much that it took me half an hour to cast on 77 stitches. Any tips to help stop it splitting please?

Hi CWTA, welcome to the thread.

What are your needle tips like? I find it harder to avoid splitting the yarn if I use very sharp pointy ones, so you could try using some with blunter, more rounded ends and see if that helps.

If it's because of the wool I don't think there is anything you can do about it, I'd just give up and buy something else!

jennyjelly

Annie021063 wrote: »

It's nice to be knitter again. Although I don't have grandchildren yet I'm still enjoying socks. Thanks to all who gave sock advice I have now sorted it and one sock it nearly done, I will take piccie and post when finished.
On another note..... I have bought an Aran hat pattern on ebay which says that tension is : 18sts and 26rows to 10sq.cm using 4.5mm needles
I have seen some nice wool which states It knits 18 sts and 22 rows to 10cm on 4.5 mm needles. What do I do? to get correct tension?

Hi Annie.

I'd say knit a tension square and see how it works out, then go up or down in needle size as necessary. You might find you need to use 4mm or 5mm to get the tension stated in your pattern. Tension squares always seem like an awful waste of time and effort but believe me they are well worth it if you are knitting something where the final size matters.

jennyjelly

angel81uk wrote: »

I used silvers sock class to learn to knit socks, it is very straight forward and clearly explained so do give it a go. I soon found though that I preferred to use magic loop or two circular needles as I find it less fiddly. Don't give up on knitting in the round until you've tried all the options!

So would you say it's easier to use circular needles than dpns? The magic loop thing looks complicated but I haven't tried it yet and I imagine it's really easy once you get the hang of it, and best of all there are no extra needles to get in the way.

If it's easier to use circulars I will invest in a pair.

Seakay

jennyjelly wrote: »

Am I the only person in the world who just can't get to grips with knitting in the round? I have tried using dpns of several different sizes (yes I know the principle is the same but I thought it would be easier with bigger ones!) but it all seems terrribly difficult and tight and I end up with what looks like little ladders where the needles meet and I just get all in a mess and can't hold it properly. I'm a reasonably experienced knitter and this failure is SOOOO shaming!

I'd love to join the sock revolution but don't like the idea of socks with seams in, and I'm sure if everyone else can manage it I should be able to.

So why cant I?

One way of avoiding the ladders thing is to knit one stitch off the next needle each time you get to the end of the stitches on each needle, ie if 16 stitches on each needle knit 17 so that the gap keeps 'moving'.
Of course, this does mean that you really have to have markers for the beginning of the round etc.

blueberrypie

jennyjelly wrote: »

So would you say it's easier to use circular needles than dpns? The magic loop thing looks complicated but I haven't tried it yet and I imagine it's really easy once you get the hang of it, and best of all there are no extra needles to get in the way.

If it's easier to use circulars I will invest in a pair.

See if you can borrow some first and have a go. It's very much down to personal preference - I can knit on circulars (including magic loop) but still generally prefer using dpns. (Having said that, my dpns are Quills, which are lovely to knit with, and that might be part of why I prefer them.)

Careful_with_that_Axe

jennyjelly wrote: »

Hi CWTA, welcome to the thread.

What are your needle tips like? I find it harder to avoid splitting the yarn if I use very sharp pointy ones, so you could try using some with blunter, more rounded ends and see if that helps.

If it's because of the wool I don't think there is anything you can do about it, I'd just give up and buy something else!

Thank you for the welcome. I was a very lucky girlie and friend who taught me gave me a starter kit if Knit Pro circular needles. I may try again in daylight and see if it's easier to knit. If not, shall give up as you suggest.

Have been knitting since July and already have a stash of about 25 balls with projects planned. :rolleyes:

Flat_Eric

I haven't knitted in ages but a chance remark by a friend has sparked my interest so I have dug out all my knitting bits and pieces and am determined to get back into it.

My friend is using the fairview wool to make a beret :T and I quite fancy using some of this wool to perhaps knit a scarf ? Can anyone recommend any good wool websites please where I can stock up on my wool supplies ??? many thanks