The Knitters Thread

nannygladys

Thanks for the advice, and I will have a go at crocheting the border, I will post a piccie when done but that will probably be months away yet:rotfl:Im not very quick, especially as its a Xmas present and at the moment Ive run out of wool so will have to wait until I go into the town again.

Ive just started a jumper for myself, the first Ive attempted in years and quite forgot how many stitches I would be knitting, not sure how its going to turn out as I have had this wool for years, but theres plenty of it so I have enough to knit the whole thing!!

A friend of mine bought me some cones of wool a while ago and Ive using it to knit socks but its a bit hit and miss on the washing front, the last pair shrunk and now would fit my DGD:rotfl:

Anyway thanks again for the help and I will keep reading even though I may not post often
Jxx

Mikazaru

The knitted Olympics look fantastic, must have taken a long time.

Have finished my baby blanket,
Thanks again for the tips on patterns, not sure what to do for my next project now. May attempt some socks after I brought some sock wool months ago.

OrkneyStar

Mikazaru wrote: »

The knitted Olympics look fantastic, must have taken a long time.

Have finished my baby blanket,
Thanks again for the tips on patterns, not sure what to do for my next project now. May attempt some socks after I brought some sock wool months ago.

That is really lovely, the yarn looks nice and soft too.

mardatha

Looking for online UK wool shops who sell Cynet wool rich anybody? Or alternatively solid sock wool because I hate bluddy stripes!

OrkneyStar

mardatha wrote: »

Looking for online UK wool shops who sell Cynet wool rich anybody? Or alternatively solid sock wool because I hate bluddy stripes!

Patons Diploma Gold 4 ply is ok for socks and comes in solid shades, it is also possible to get some solid/semi solid shades of Trekking XXL and Regia online.
I have only every got Cygnet wool rich second hand, though it is nice.

mardatha

Ok pet, thanks ! Will go and look at them and drool some more..

PipneyJane

homealone wrote: »

firstly can i please have a copy of the pattern for these socks they are brilliant and a great way to use up those odds and ends left over, but never enough left over to make something worth while and such a waste of money. this in fact brings me to a question. i very, very rarely buy the wool recommended for the said pattern as it always makes the item so expensive. today i became very tempted when i saw a wonderful pattern for a dressing gown that was in the art of knitting that needed 19 balls of wool, i shopped around and the cheapest i could find it was in a sale reduced from approx £5.50 a ball to £3.50 a ball and that didnt include postage. so i wondered do you all also use imitations due to cost or buy the original and what is the most a project has cost to make it will be my secret honest

I don't think I have ever used the yarn specified in a pattern - no, hang on, I've done it twice in 30+ knitting years. These days, that is because I usually find patterns for yarn in my stash, not go searching for yarn once I've got a pattern. (I have a huge stash, thanks to bargain hunting and shows.) In the past it was because the yarn specified was unobtainable in the UK or no longer manufactured (I knit a lot of American patterns and a lot of vintage stuff).

I had to learn to substitute. Here are my rules:-

• Match the weight/ply of the substitute to the original. This is easy, now with Ravelry since you can check the details of the original. Before, I had a chart where I could match stitch counts on specific needle sizes to yarn weights.
• Match like with like. Look at the pattern pictures and try to identify if the yarn is fluffy or smooth. Pick a yarn to match. Also what type of fiber is the original? Does the substitute fiber behave the same way? (Cotton is inelastic; wool elastic.)
• Always knit a tension square/gauge swatch. Do you get gauge? Is it too flimsy or dense/stiff?

It's possible to knit a jumper from three or four balls of sock wool, so you can get two or three months of knitting for less than £20.

Also, I prefer natural fibers to synthetics. I set a small amount of money aside each month for the yarn budget, so that I have the cash available when I spot a bargain (£5/month in 2012). My favourite online shop for bargains is Black Sheep Wools (sorry, on phone so can't paste a link). They often have pure wool DK or 4-ply for £2 a ball. I think they have free p&p at the moment too.

Keep a list of the details of your favourite patterns: yarn quantities, meterage, tension and needle sizes, so that if you find a bargain, you buy enough to make something with it. Lidl sometimes sell yarn and it is quite good quality. I have found bargains in John Lewis' sale, too.

mardatha

Idle question - does anybody have a fav yarn that's really light and cool and airy, and would do a summer coverup when you don't want warmth or bulk?

homealone_2

over the weekend in an attempt to have all the necessary bits i was surprised to see how much a circular needle was and just how many variations there were in size and length. then i saw these on ebay and wondered what my fellow knitters thought of them? has anyone bought any in past? also off topic but desperate to post a pic of the jumper i knit using up all my odd balls i just cant seem to figure out how to get off my pics onto this forum could someone please send me a fail proof way of achieving this, thanks

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/18pairs-60cm-24-circular-bamboo-knitting-needles-New-/280639461047?_trksid=p5197.m185&_trkparms=algo%3DSIC.NPJS%26itu%3DI%252BUA%26otn%3D15%26pmod%3D320749520201%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D788538973406024372&_qi=RTM1089356

OrkneyStar

I have bought my circulars gradually, over time as needed. I have lots of plastic/metal tipped in a variety of sizes/cable lengths, with the basic cables.
I also have more expensive ones that I mainly use for socks, with more flexible cables and some with metal and some with wooden handles. They are not inter-changeables though (one cable can swap with lots of tips) as I just prefer them not to be! The knit pro ones are lovely with a really nice flexible cable, which is needed for magic loop. I have used cheaper ones for socks though (Lidl ones in fact) and although the cable was more rigid, they actually were fine.