The Knitters Thread

PipneyJane

Everhopeful09 wrote: »

Hi All,

After a bit of advice, friend has asked me to knit a blanket for her premature baby, born at 25 weeks, now 27 1/2 wks, so little fighter so far. Anyway is it ok to use baby wool or better to use cotton or another blend?

EH xx

You can use virtually anything, so long as a) it is very soft, b) it doesn't prickle, and (most importantly), c) it can go through a washer and dryer. Most baby wool is created to cover all three bases, so I'd start looking there and reading the ball bands for care instructions. If you find something you like but the shop doesn't have the colour you were after, you can always order it through them.

If you find something in cotton that you prefer, it should be perfectly OK. Be warned, though, that some cotton yarns shrink when washed at high heat, while some blends will stretch(!). I'd test knit a couple of swatches bung them in the washing machine and see what happens.

You can even use a pure, superwash wool but I'd avoid anything with mohair, alpaca, angora, spun into singles or a brushed wool. You need a smooth, plied yarn so that it doesn't prickle/irritate the baby's skin. (If you know a spinner, the phrase I'm thinking of is "worsted spun".)

The yarn companies used to have really helpful customer service that you could phone for advice so it may be worth calling them once you have a favourite. (Note: the last time I did that was in 1995, so I don't know if they're still as helpful.)

HTH.

spirit

Hi, I hope i can jump on to your thread? I've not had chance to read it all just yet. I used to knit a lot when my kids were small but haven't done anything for a little while.

I fancied making something for a friend's daughter who is expecting a baby early next year. I can remember there being at least 2 wool shops in town but they seem to have gone. I went into the department store and found something to get cracking on, but the choice in patterns was really limited.

so i've started making this blanket now but would like to make other things. Does anyone buy online patterns and/or wool and have any recommendations please?

cuddles123

spirit wrote: »

Hi, I hope i can jump on to your thread? I've not had chance to read it all just yet. I used to knit a lot when my kids were small but haven't done anything for a little while.

I fancied making something for a friend's daughter who is expecting a baby early next year. I can remember there being at least 2 wool shops in town but they seem to have gone. I went into the department store and found something to get cracking on, but the choice in patterns was really limited.

so i've started making this blanket now but would like to make other things. Does anyone buy online patterns and/or wool and have any recommendations please?

Welcome

Ravelry is free to join, thousands of free patterns and a great online community offering help and support in the forums.
It's a big site and takes a bit of time to find your way around, but well worth it.
Good luck :cool:

https://www.ravelry.com

OrkneyStar

Zingy now has a sleeping bag:

mrs-moneypenny

Everhopeful09 cant remember what its called but the yarn that knits up like fairisle. anyway they do a baby version. i did my twin nieces a blanket each using 4 balls. i knitted them corner to corner so it was marled more than fairisled, my nieces were born at 27 weeks and 8 months later one is still in hospital and still using the blanket i knitted it has been washed loads obviously and my bro says they are the girls fav blankets so are either in use or in the wash. i must say it felt really soft and lovely so alough the wool was not cheap im glad i used that one.
one was a brown/coffe/cream mix the other pale ble/lilac/white
HTH
wishing the little one all the very best

Mikazaru

I love your Zing Orkney - it's great!

I'm knitting a baby blanket for someone. Initially I was going to do individual squares; one with a boat, one with a train, one with duck, one with an elephant. However only the boat has worked, the others don't look right (I'm doing them just so the pattern is done in the opposite stitch so it stands out). I tried doing it in intarsia but that's far beyond me. So does anyone have any ideas of other things I could try? I thought of things that would go with a boat theme so may do a fish. But so far we can't think of anything else to do. ANyone got any suggestions?

spirit

Mikazaru wrote: »

I love your Zing Orkney - it's great!

I'm knitting a baby blanket for someone. Initially I was going to do individual squares; one with a boat, one with a train, one with duck, one with an elephant. However only the boat has worked, the others don't look right (I'm doing them just so the pattern is done in the opposite stitch so it stands out). I tried doing it in intarsia but that's far beyond me. So does anyone have any ideas of other things I could try? I thought of things that would go with a boat theme so may do a fish. But so far we can't think of anything else to do. ANyone got any suggestions?

have you made up the pattern yourself Mikazaru? what about a starfish, a shell? bucket and spade/sandcastle. sunshine, crab,

Apollonia

Mikazaru wrote: »

I love your Zing Orkney - it's great!

I'm knitting a baby blanket for someone. Initially I was going to do individual squares; one with a boat, one with a train, one with duck, one with an elephant. However only the boat has worked, the others don't look right (I'm doing them just so the pattern is done in the opposite stitch so it stands out). I tried doing it in intarsia but that's far beyond me. So does anyone have any ideas of other things I could try? I thought of things that would go with a boat theme so may do a fish. But so far we can't think of anything else to do. ANyone got any suggestions?

Try browsing the patterns for dish cloths on Ravelry. There are lots with pictures and you can adjust the border stitches to maintain the size of the squares. The link takes you to a search I did for 'free, dish cloth, textured' :

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#craft=knitting&query=dish%20cloth&page=2&view=captioned_thumbs&availability=free&pa=textured&sort=best

Page 4 has a turtle and a yacht.

ETA there are also ducks, frogs and an angel fish

Mikazaru

Apollonia wrote: »

Try browsing the patterns for dish cloths on Ravelry. There are lots with pictures and you can adjust the border stitches to maintain the size of the squares. The link takes you to a search I did for 'free, dish cloth, textured' :

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#craft=knitting&query=dish%20cloth&page=2&view=captioned_thumbs&availability=free&pa=textured&sort=best

Page 4 has a turtle and a yacht.

ETA there are also ducks, frogs and an angel fish

Thank you both! I didn't think of searching like that I only looked at baby blanket patterns. I shall have a go at some of those, if only people were pregnant for a lot longer...

Keiss_21

Orkney, love your Zingy!!

Isn't Ravelry such a wonderful resource...hope you find what you need Mikazaru.

So who else is finding this hoo-hah about the lady knitting while watching the tennis at Wimbledon, quite rediculous!! I hardly ever sit down to watch TV without some knitting in hand. I think this lady has been perfectly sensible in taking something to knit...I certainly would. I've knitted when watching a cricket match, so why not tennis? It's not as if she wasn't watching the tennis, those people playing with their phones/i-pods/pads wouldn't have been concentrating half as much as she would have been.

I am taking a friend to the hospital tomorrow morning for numerous tests, so my knitting is certainly coming with me.

Sorry for the mini-rant