The Knitters Thread

OrkneyStar

claireish wrote: »

Thank you. Is there any specific brand of sock yarn you'd recommend?

I like:
Trekking XXL 4 ply (comes in 100g balls)
Opal 4ply (comes in 100g balls)
Regia 4 ply (comes in 50g balls).
Sorry if this reply is too late, not been feeling too well/been out.

clairewop

Could anyone help me? I need a simple beanie hat pattern for a 19 yr old boy in chunky with 8mm knitting needles I have looked online but cannot find anything

judexx

clairewop wrote: »

Could anyone help me? I need a simple beanie hat pattern for a 19 yr old boy in chunky with 8mm knitting needles I have looked online but cannot find anything

How about this ? It's plain and knitted on 8mm needles.

claireish

OrkneyStar wrote: »

I like:
Trekking XXL 4 ply (comes in 100g balls)
Opal 4ply (comes in 100g balls)
Regia 4 ply (comes in 50g balls).
Sorry if this reply is too late, not been feeling too well/been out.

Thanks for this (and I hope you're feeling better). I didn't see it until I got back but I'll keep it in mind for if there's a next time. I got King Cole Zig Zag purely because it was the cheapest sock yarn and I didn't want to spend a fortune on something that has the potential to end up in the bin after I've had a tantrum :rotfl:. Haven't started knitting them yet though. Mum said she had some dpns I could borrow, not taking into account that I knit stupidly tightly, I cast on the socks and my 6 year old Godson would probably have struggled to get them on so I've got to wait until the weekend to get bigger DPNs!

I did make a start on an Aran cardie thing for the 6 year old for Christmas. I think I spent more time yesterday unpicking the bits I'd done wrong than I did actually knitting! Will post pictures at a more decent hour.

OrkneyStar

claireish wrote: »

Thanks for this (and I hope you're feeling better). I didn't see it until I got back but I'll keep it in mind for if there's a next time. I got King Cole Zig Zag purely because it was the cheapest sock yarn and I didn't want to spend a fortune on something that has the potential to end up in the bin after I've had a tantrum :rotfl:. Haven't started knitting them yet though. Mum said she had some dpns I could borrow, not taking into account that I knit stupidly tightly, I cast on the socks and my 6 year old Godson would probably have struggled to get them on so I've got to wait until the weekend to get bigger DPNs!

I did make a start on an Aran cardie thing for the 6 year old for Christmas. I think I spent more time yesterday unpicking the bits I'd done wrong than I did actually knitting! Will post pictures at a more decent hour.

Feeling a lot better thanks.
I have used the ZigZag- found the non-striped variety a bit thin, but usable and fine enough. The striped version is thicker, well mine was, the blue/purple/green one.
I tend to use a 2.25mm needle for socks if they are plain, but go up to 2.5 or 2.75mm if they have lacey patterns or colourwork.

PipneyJane

claireish wrote: »

Thanks for this (and I hope you're feeling better). I didn't see it until I got back but I'll keep it in mind for if there's a next time. I got King Cole Zig Zag purely because it was the cheapest sock yarn and I didn't want to spend a fortune on something that has the potential to end up in the bin after I've had a tantrum :rotfl:. Haven't started knitting them yet though. Mum said she had some dpns I could borrow, not taking into account that I knit stupidly tightly, I cast on the socks and my 6 year old Godson would probably have struggled to get them on so I've got to wait until the weekend to get bigger DPNs!

I did make a start on an Aran cardie thing for the 6 year old for Christmas. I think I spent more time yesterday unpicking the bits I'd done wrong than I did actually knitting! Will post pictures at a more decent hour.

I found Zig-Zag was OK to knit with but it was a bit harsh on my hands. Had a tendancy to cut into my fingers. I suspect it's the nylon content. Also, if you normally pull your wool from the centre of the ball, it was really sticky and knotted up a lot. However, having said all that, I gave the socks to my sister and she raves about how soft they are.

What size were the DPN's? I normally knit socks on 2.5mm needles, casting on 60 stitches for me (wide size 5 feet) or 72 stitches for DH (wide size 11 feet). If you're buying some DPNs, I find the 6 inch long ones the best length to use - not large enough to be awkward but not so small your hands cramp.

[Deleted User]

I am so enjoying my return to knitting and have almost completed one sock, I think I only ever made one pair about 20 years ago. I am using 5" brittany dpns in 2.25 for the main work with opal yarn.

I must say that I love the sensuality of good yarn gliding over top quality needles. I have a some lovely sets of needles, collected over a long time and all kept in needle rolls. I started with metal and plastic, 50 years ago and have all the millward long needles, then I got a complete set of bamboo from a seller on ebay, made in china I think and although cheap, they are delightful to use and a top all round needle. I treated myself to lantern moon needles some time ago and they will be an heirloom

Other needles are knit picks and brittany and both are lovely to use. Back to my sock, I need to ensure that the sock has a `soft top` so I started with size 3.25 and graded down, size by size until I reached the 2.25, three inches or so above the heel and so far they do seem perfect, just a couple more inches to go before I reach the toe. I am amazed at the quantity of yarn left, I may weigh the socks and see if I can make any more, even a very short version to go inside my mules. The opal yarn is gorgeous and I got it from ebay together with a free pattern, which is knitting very well

Mikazaru

Beautiful shawl moo2moo, looks very intricate.
Treated myself to some wool today, some Sirdar Big Softie which I've wanted for ages, it's very soft
Also got some Katia Cometa which was half price, I'm not quite sure what to do with it now though, there are only a few projects on Ravelry and it looks like it knits up a bit different, so I may have to go for another scarf. Knitted quite a few rows of my jumper and then realised my cable was a bit wrong so had to unpick it all Think I'm even further behind than I was when I started!

MadelinesMum

Hi, I've recently taken up knitting again and I'm very pleased with what I have made but I would like to try my hand at crochet. I tried when I was younger but gave up because I just couldn't grasp the written patterns. I'd like to try again and was wondering if anyone knew of any good sites / books to help me.
Many thanks

jessie15

MadelinesMum wrote: »

Hi, I've recently taken up knitting again and I'm very pleased with what I have made but I would like to try my hand at crochet. I tried when I was younger but gave up because I just couldn't grasp the written patterns. I'd like to try again and was wondering if anyone knew of any good sites / books to help me.
Many thanks

The very best in my opinion is Attic24 totally inspiring with great tutorials. I only learnt to crochet around this time last year and its totally addictive. Also there is a crochet thread on here too.