The Knitters Thread

Silvertabby

Most of my recent projects have been dolls house size (including a 1930s style fairisle tank top) on 1mm needles.

To give my eyes a rest, I knitted a full sized throw for the back of the conservatory sofa - a wheat coloured aran, in basic basket weave stitch with a garder stitch border. It was done in one piece, measures 48" by 48" and looks lovely.

Just wondering what to do next ......

YorksLass

PipneyJane wrote: »

YorksLass, have you seen the Top Down Raglan Sweater Generator on Ravelry? It's free. I've not tried using it but it is saved in my queue (at number 235, I might add).

HTH,

- Pip

Thanks Pip, that sounds interesting so I'll give it a read and see if I can cope with it. I thought my "queue" was bad but yours is waaay longer than mine!

[Deleted User]

PipneyJane wrote: »

While you can do this, it’s a right pain in the posterior. Cast on edges don’t rip back like active stitches/cast off edges do. Instead, you have to feed the tail of yarn through every stitch, under and over every part of the stitch above. (Cast on edges don’t unravel.)

Instead, I’d recommend cutting off the cuff, picking up stitches and knitting down. This video on YouTube shows how but, basically, you thread your finest circular needle through the row above the cuff, then find a stitch below and cut that, unravelling from there downwards. Slip your live stitches onto the correct needle to knit the cuff and then knit downwards until the cuff is the correct length.

HTH.

- Pip

I agree. If I need to add length I take my dressmaking shears and chop off the end. I don't bother threading a needle in before cutting . :eek:

I cut off the end, unravel until a whole clean row comes off. Then pick up the stitches and then 'knit a row backwards'. i.e. undo the stitches on the needles until I get a nice clean row to work from again. Or, if unravelling a complicated pattern I 'un-knit' until I can work out what row should be starting from.

Be warned cutting the end off always makes a mess - you'll need the hoover.

[Deleted User]

YorksLass wrote: »

...I usually knit sleeves from the top-down but have yet to take the plunge to do a complete garment this way! It's on my "learn" list...

Just note that garments knitted top down in the round are harder to adjust size wise for fit.

To give me extra space in the arm I sometimes knit the larger size sleeve one size up from the body size and then ease the sleeve to fit in the armhole when sewing up. This is not so easy to do with top down garments.

CAFCGirl

Hello All,

How are your projects shaping up?

I finished the lap blanket - very pleased with how that came out. Needs wrapping for gifting.
I was gifted a big caron cakes yarn from a friend so that was stitched up into a rectangle for making another blanket cardi. It's curled rather annoyingly. I plan on doing sleeves for this one. So that's currently sitting in my PHD pile (Projects Half Done).
Another good friend for in contact to commission me to make a blanket for her. So I'm steadily working through that, and have 10 more balls to go (13 in total LOL). At current pace I should have it done for end of august, and is told her by October so that's good.

I made a vest cardigan for my sister to gift to her friend. The friend asked for my email to contact me to make her another, slightly shorter in different colours so that's been a nice boost for my creative confidence. Just need to figure out pricing, wool costs etc.

Next on the project list is face pads and then dipping into crochet (ARGH) for shower scrubbies\puffs. Lots to keep me occupied over the dreaded summer months.

Happy_One

Good to see a comment on this thread, I’ve been having a sort out of my ‘works in progress’ and have finished off three tiny cardigans for the premature babies, all now pressed and buttons sewn on, each with a matching pull on hat. Have been buying yarn with a sparkly thread as like to make up a special collection for the Christmas babies. I take my small project knitting with me everywhere so am getting a nice collection done
Do want to make myself something chunky for the winter, have the wool but haven’t seen a pattern that I like, only had the wool two years!

Savvy_Sue

The mohair cardigan 'just' needs sewing up ... I've been taking it to groups where I can spread it out and sort it out, but I've had to miss two this month so not much progress.

Have started a pink balaclava for myself. :-)

PipneyJane

Happy_One wrote: »

Good to see a comment on this thread, I’ve been having a sort out of my ‘works in progress’ and have finished off three tiny cardigans for the premature babies, all now pressed and buttons sewn on, each with a matching pull on hat. Have been buying yarn with a sparkly thread as like to make up a special collection for the Christmas babies. I take my small project knitting with me everywhere so am getting a nice collection done
Do want to make myself something chunky for the winter, have the wool but haven’t seen a pattern that I like, only had the wool two years!

What did you have in mind? Do tell. We might be able to help. Have you searched Ravelry? You can search on the yarn to see what others have made and what their thoughts/comments are.

HTH.

- Pip

PipneyJane

Or not making in this heat wave? :rotfl:

I've got multiple things to sew up or that just need a little bit of finishing but it's been too hot to handle them. I did knit at Lords on Wednesday, where it got to 32C. Just another vanila pair of socks for my husband. We were very lucky with our seats - selected at random by me in the ballot - they were in the shade and in a breeze all day, so it wasn't massively uncomfortable to knit.



My other project is a jumper for me: Hand Knit Charm, which I'm doing in West Yorkshire Spinners' Signature Sock yarn (a 4-ply).



I've modified the pattern to knit it in the round. I've also charted it. The yarn is cool enough to handle that I managed to knit a couple of rounds last night in the oven that was our house. It's not hairy at all, thank heavens, so isn't sticky in your hands. I can't think of anything worse than handling something hairy like mohair in the heat. I made that mistake when I took some crochet with me to Oman. Two balls of mohair that was meant to become a shawl. Only left the suitcase once. (Once was enough!)

- Pip

CAFCGirl

I'm doing well on my blanket order, I've added another 2 balls to it over the past 3 days. It's kept my mind off the awful heat. I'm almost 50% through and should have it to her by end of aigust, well ahead of the October estimate I gave her.

I've got some headbands I'd like to try next, and am debating treating myself to a pattern, if I can't figure out how to do the stitch myself ,LOL