The Knitters Thread

ginnyknit

Lambanana am loving the purple wool, looks amazing! And thank you for stopping me swearing at my cable needle, stress free cabling :j:j:j

Dizzylizzy am off to start the fingerless mitts now they were just what I was looking for. Went to the woolshop I found just before Christmas as I wanted some acid colours for a blanket for DGS and the shop was shut - they seem to shut randomly - guess business is slow at this time of year so I am sulking now

lambanana

There is a tutorial for magic loop on this webside http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/advanced-techniques in the small diameter circular knitting. I'll admit I'm a pretty recent convert and I still love my DPNs as well, they are both good ways of knitting in the round.

blueberrypie I know I could do 2 at a time magic loop on one needle but I prefer to do them like this, I know full well if I tried the other way I'd get in a dreadful tangle and I often take my knitting with me and prefer to just take the one sock and stash it in my handbag. I don't know...I'm happy with the way I do it but it's probably from the habit of knitting 2 at a time on DPNs I'm just used to using 2 sets of needles. Perhaps I should try 2 together on magic loop.

Ooh this is another good magic loop tutorial for photos and text instead of a video AND she shows how to do 2 at a time magic loop as well

http://knittinggiraffe.blogspot.com/2008/09/magic-loop-tutorial-part-1.html

PepPop

blueberrypie and lambanana thanks for the links, I'll check them out :beer:

blueberrypie

lambanana wrote: »

blueberrypie I know I could do 2 at a time magic loop on one needle but I prefer to do them like this, I know full well if I tried the other way I'd get in a dreadful tangle and I often take my knitting with me and prefer to just take the one sock and stash it in my handbag. I don't know...I'm happy with the way I do it but it's probably from the habit of knitting 2 at a time on DPNs I'm just used to using 2 sets of needles. Perhaps I should try 2 together on magic loop.

It's really no more difficult than what you're doing. What I do is put the two balls of wool into a small bag that has snap-fasteners across it, thread one through each side and close the snaps between it. You could do the same with a ziploc bag, with one stand of yarn coming out at each end of the zip edge, or even just making two holes in it and letting the strands come out there.

Some people knit socks from the toe-up and use each partly-knitted sock to hold the ball of yarn for itself. (I usually knit toe-up, but I don't usually put the yarn in the sock. Just habit.)

I find two-at-a-time much easier to keep track of - there's no row-counting needed, I can tell if my socks match, I only have to look at the pattern once for each round and then follow the instructions for that round twice.

If you're happy with your way, that's fine :-) - I'd just encourage you to try taat :-)

OrkneyStar

Really need to watch magic loop videos soon........sounds fun!
I am desperate to knit more cape but been a busy day lol!

lambanana

Thanks blueberrypie, I promise I shall give 2AAT magic loop a try and see how I get on, I can see the reasoning behind doing it I suppose I'm suffering the usual fear of the unknown! I am willing to try anything once though and I've promised my husband socks next which will be plain stockinette so a good way to practice 2AAT I think.

Learning new knitting techniques is good for me and no one dies if I get it wrong...this is an important thing for me to remember!

OrkneyStar

lambanana wrote: »

Thanks blueberrypie, I promise I shall give 2AAT magic loop a try and see how I get on, I can see the reasoning behind doing it I suppose I'm suffering the usual fear of the unknown! I am willing to try anything once though and I've promised my husband socks next which will be plain stockinette so a good way to practice 2AAT I think.

Learning new knitting techniques is good for me and no one dies if I get it wrong...this is an important thing for me to remember!

Really ? Are you sure ? So it is ok to make the odd mistake .
(phew feel much betterer now!).
xx

lambanana

I know, when I accepted this it was something of a revelation...that and it takes a while to get the hang of things and I probably wont be good at them straight away, it's shocking but true

kinkine

Hi everyone, sort of fell of the planet recently! Hello to everyone and welcome to all new posters - it's been interesting reading!

I put an order into the Bamboo Knitting and Crochet Centre and can recommend her. She had excellent communication, and was very fast at dispatching my order - a purple silk roll and some new needles (treat for myself!).

Anyway, I have a discount code for 5% off if anyone is interested. Enter code BC08 at checkout on the website. Hope this is helpful to someone. There doesn't seem to be an expiry on it. The website is www.bamboo-knitting-centre.com

lambanana

I finished a pair of socks



And a cardigan (excuse poorly lit photo, I finished sewing it up last night and had to take a quick picture before bed!)



It took me forever to sew up the seams on that flipping cardigan! I wanted to make sure it looked as neat as possible and didn't want to rush after putting so much effort into the knitting but oh my goodness... It's the first time I've knit an adult sized garment (I've knit baby things which don't take long to sew) and yeah...I think my next cardigan or jumper will be from a seamless pattern so all I have to do is weave in the ends and sew on some buttons!! I do love my cardigan though, it's soft and snuggly and fits me. It's open at the front but looks nice closed with a pretty pin. You can't really tell that I had to use a ball of yarn in a different dye lot at the end of one of the fronts so I'm relieved about that!