The Knitters Thread

basketcase

Thanks for the responses about circulars and socks. (@Savvy_Sue The socks and handwarmers are lovely BTW).

What's the difference between the Addi CraSyTrio needles and a circular with a short cable?  Are they used differently?

Ah.  Just seen a video - the wonders of Giggle...

PipneyJane

basketcase said:

Still toying with the idea of sock knitting.  Could I ask a couple of very basic questions?

1  Is it possible to knit socks on circulars - or had I better get some DPNs?

2  Is there a reliable, easy, preferably free(!) pattern for chunky-knit longer length/slipper socks?

Thanks in advance.

1. Yes.  Have a look on YouTube for videos showing "magic loop sock knitting".  They probably work best with short row heels.
2. Winwickmum is really good but have you checked Ravelry?  There's over 5,000 free sock and slipper patterns on there, including some in aran weight and chunky yarn.  (The link will take you to a search I ran.  You can adjust the filters on the left for yarn gauge and pattern preferences.)

HTH

Pip

basketcase

Thanks Pip!

Can't you spend a lot of time on Ravelry browsing?!

MrsCD

Thank you Pip for the Ravelry sock link! Ooohh, I'm like a kid in a sweetie shop 😁

Savvy_Sue

basketcase said:

Thanks Pip!

Can't you spend a lot of time on Ravelry browsing?!

You can also spend a lot of time watching sock knitting videos - almost anything knitting videos when it comes down to it! 

PipneyJane

basketcase said:

Thanks Pip!

Can't you spend a lot of time on Ravelry browsing?!

Heavens, yes!

The advanced search in Ravelry is invaluable.  My knitting plans for 2020 included an attempt to only knitting from Stash.  Lurking in my stash were 18 skeins of worsted weight yarn, purchased for £1/skein from Hobbycraft in 2011.    Basically, I saw the price, went a little mad and bought the lot.  The problem is that it’s 9 skeins of red and 9 skeins of white, so 1,125m of each colour, which isn’t quite a sweater’s-worth.  I’ve spent years in denial because that’s not nearly enough to make the one colour cardigan that I had in mind.  (No stripes.).

Finally, last week, I turned back to Ravelry and searched on “knitting, sweater, worsted weight, in my library” followed by “knitting, sweater, worsted weight, free” and turned up two good looking patterns that will fit me.  (It’s a pity we can’t link to our blogs - there’s a post showing the jumpers.)

- Pip

basketcase

Good luck with the attempt only to knit from stash!  Does the lack of shows etc due to C-19 help with that at all?  Or does t'internet spoil your best intentions?!

PollyWollyDoodle

The jumpers look nice, I keep saying I’m going to try and knit something for myself. Apologies if this has been mentioned before, but do you have any recommendations for knitting podcasts? I listen to podcasts quite a lot but usually things like R4 Book of the Week. I hadn’t realised you could get podcasts about knitting!

PipneyJane

PollyWollyDoodle said:

The jumpers look nice, I keep saying I’m going to try and knit something for myself. Apologies if this has been mentioned before, but do you have any recommendations for knitting podcasts? I listen to podcasts quite a lot but usually things like R4 Book of the Week. I hadn’t realised you could get podcasts about knitting!

Thank you.  I'll let you know how I get on.  Only 50 rows to go on my current jumper.

I have listened to loads of knitting podcasts.  A lot of my favourites, sadly, have pod-faded but I can recommend the following:-

• The Knitmore Girls.  A mother-daughter podcast from California.  They do an episode a week and are up to number 590-something.  (I'm currently listening to episode 580 from 13th June 2020.)  Good conversation.
• Caithness Craft Collective.  Recorded in the far north of Scotland, Louise is a mum, a knitter and grows her own veg.  She's also a really nice person - I've met her.
• Wool Work.  Another Louise, who used to live on Shetland but now lives in Edinburgh.  This used to be called KnitBritish.  The focus is on knitting with British yarns or with yarns that are local to you, if you're overseas.
• Shinybees Podcast.  Now at episode 154, Jo started podcasting when she lived in South Africa.  For a while, she ran a yarn club.  She's now back in Wigan, having spent the last year living in China. 
• Knit.Spin.Cake.  This has just come back from a long - 5 year - hiatus.  I don't remember what it was like back then but added it into my queue.
• Knit-15.  This is a podcast from Wild & Woolly, a yarn store in London's East End.  They have a monthly knit night and talk, and podcast the talks.

That's about it now.  I used to listen to loads more but they've all pod-faded (CogKnitive, Yarn-in-the-city, Yarns From the Plain, Electric Sheep).

HTH

- Pip

PollyWollyDoodle

Thanks, Pip. I’m going to look for those.