The Knitters Thread

grannybroon

pink.1970 wrote: »

I didnt even think to look at the band on the wool!.... I got the pattern from Patons online sight, I was thinking maybe a 4mm would work, I really dont want to buy anymore wool if I can help it although I am looking on Ebay at some at the mo. Will have alook on Ravelry.

Thanks Kazz.

If the pattern is for chunky wool, use two strands of double knit together with your large needles. However, this may mean you won't have enough yarn to finish.

Edit: why not try two different colours stranded together. I had blue and white DK left over and knitted them together to a chunky pattern and it looked good.

grannybroon

Sitting doing a bit of knitting this morning before going for lunch and one of my bamboo knitting needles just snapped! Fortunately I was able to replace them with a very funky multi coloured pair of Knitpro Symfonie from a just newly opened wool shop! Quite expensive though.

Edit: sellotaped back the broken bit - don't want to change needles midway through garment just in case tension slightly different!

OrkneyStar

Keiss_21 wrote: »

Lovely scarf Orkney, is it the dropped stitch/sea foam pattern, difficult to tell without my glasses . Will go and check on Ravelry....yup, I was right...who needs glasses! :rotfl:

Yes it is, it is not a great photo to be honest :~}

This is a slightly better one:

Keiss_21

Lovely Orkney!!! I like the fringe

PipneyJane

pink.1970 wrote: »

Hi all,

I always use the two needle method, as I have never been able to get a hang of the thumb method, but then again I cant get the hang of crochet either as I always want to hold the wool the way i knit if you see what I mean. On another topic do any of you use different needles than specified for the pattern? I ask as I am looking at knitting a baby blanket for my first granchild due in May, it says to use chunky wool and size 6mm needles, but I want to use up some of my wool stash and when I tried to use the 6mm ones with DK it was very holey and I didnt like then look of it. Any suggestions as to the size of needles I could get away with using?

Any help much appreciated.

Kazz

Kazz, I always knit a tension square to determine whether I am matching the designer's tension as quoted in the pattern. When you are knitting garments, it's the only way to ensure your knitting will come out the correct size. All patterns will quote either tension or gauge (depending on the origin of the pattern), which will give the number of stitches and rows over (usually) 10cm/4 inches - I'll knit a six inch square and count my stitchs/rows on that. If the stitch/row count is too dense, I'll go up a needle size or two and try again; if it's too loose, I'll go down. I'm currently knitting a jumper on needles a whole millimetre larger than that specified in the pattern, because it was the only way I could match gauge.

However, having said all that: you are knitting a baby blanket not a jumper. And baby blankets do not need to be as specific size. You can use any needle that gives you the texture you want then rework the stitch count to fit. Here's how:

Knit a few tension squares in different needle sizes until you find one that gives you the texture you like. Then use that needle size. To get something approximately the same size as the blanket in the pattern, do some maths: if the pattern is quoting 20 stitches over 10cm/4 inches but you're getting 25, multiply up your stitch count until you get something that matches the measurement given for the full sized blanket. So if the blanket is meant to be 100cm wide, the original stitches to cast on would be 200 but you'd need to cast on 250.

HTH.

cuddles123

Well I have finished the mini-me version of my Guernsey.

This is Daddy's



This is son's (different sleeves but same stitch pattern)



ETA - same yarn used for both, but photos taken in different lights!

moo2moo

Taking a break from knitting a knee length coat to help with DD1s homework and so the green mostrosity is a not even vaguely to scale model of the bacterium Escherichia coli and the rather phallic object beside it is a spermatazoa.

Georgiegirl2012

grannybroon wrote: »

Sitting doing a bit of knitting this morning before going for lunch and one of my bamboo knitting needles just snapped! Fortunately I was able to replace them with a very funky multi coloured pair of Knitpro Symfonie from a just newly opened wool shop! Quite expensive though.

Edit: sellotaped back the broken bit - don't want to change needles midway through garment just in case tension slightly different!

Ive been AWOL for a while, and haven't logged in to MSE for 2 months. I've sold some stuff on ebay and have enough in my account to "invest" because an investment it will be, in the boxed set of Symfonie circular needles, along with the additional chunky ones.

If I choose not to do this, and go for the needles without the fancy box I will save about £25. Which is what my MSE side is telling me to do. But it's not real money because it's already in paypal. But if I don't get the boxed set I could probably get straight needles too.

Decisions decisions

Oh and in case anybody is a member of Create and Craft and hasn't seen the members gift of yarn, I'll come back with the numbers if they are still available.

anakat

moo2moo wrote: »

Taking a break from knitting a knee length coat to help with DD1s homework and so the green mostrosity is a not even vaguely to scale model of the bacterium Escherichia coli and the rather phallic object beside it is a spermatazoa.

Love the knitted bacteria Have your girls seen these?
http://brutal-knitting.tumblr.com/

OrkneyStar

Just finished this:
All the info on ravelry. Hope everyone is well. We had a few days of lovely sun but back to mist now (on the day I was hoping to take photos too!).