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^^^ Haruni is an awesome pattern, I've made it twice. Another dudeknitter checking in, though I have not done much lately as I've been focusing on the Tour de Fleece. Now that that's over I can get back to working on my dozens of UFOs. 
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Jul 30, 2013 04:06
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 07:58 |
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Malabrigo yarns tend to felt if you so much as look at them wrong, too, especially the lace. I've heard of people felting their projects in Mal lace just by gently swishing them around cold water.
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Jul 31, 2013 12:28
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wtftastic posted:Any advice on finishing a project from hell? I'm making a basket weave baby blanket using baby weight yarn on a set of size 6 circular needles. Its supposed to be a 2 skein project but I just started the second skein, the baby is here and my hands hurt so bad after even one row. Is there anything I can do to make it easier on my hands? Would I be the world's worst cousin if I just said "gently caress it" and made it a small blanket? Are you using metal needles? If so, try switching to bamboo or other wood needles, they can be nicer on your hands and wrists.
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Aug 2, 2013 18:32
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When you transition to the new color, do one row of knits with it before you begin or resume purling. This way, all the tops of the stitches that would make purl bumps on the front in the old colors are in the back. And as long as you don't block it really hard vertically, the knits will about 99.8% hide themselves. So you can do this if you have ribbing in stripes of color or something, or like that hat at the very top of the rib. I learned this trick on one of Nancy Bush's books, I believe it was Folk Socks.
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Aug 27, 2013 03:34
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I've never used Berocco tweed myself and that sounds like it won't get very good stitch definition, but that it'll be warm as balls and would make a great cold weather hat, scarf/cowl, or mittens, in plain stockinette or rib. Also, sup fellow dudeknitter! Totally awkward trips to the LYS 
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Aug 30, 2013 10:07
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It also helps if you have slightly adventurous tastes in clothing. I have lots of very lacey scarves and shawls/shawlettes I wear as scarves (or around my waist like a kilt thingy, looks drat good) in fairly masculine or neutral colors and have gotten nothing but fawning compliments on them from all the women at fiber conventions or LYSes. (Unfortunately I like dudes so it does me no good in the romance department  )
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Aug 30, 2013 16:26
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PVC pipe is usable too if you put a cap on the ends. Speaking of knitting on those giant needles, don't fall for the "knit a rug/blanket with roving!" thing. It looks neat and goes super quick, but that poo poo falls apart if you look at it wrong. Roving just isn't meant to be used that way, even if you felt the hell out of it to give it some strength. V: Oh yeah, I know you meant yarn. I'm just ranting about all the people I see who knit these 3" thick blankets out of roving (one person I know spent four hundred dollars on about six pounds of 100% alpaca combed top for one one of those blankets). Yeah, show me that thing again in a year. Also, have fun melting underneath six pounds of pure alpaca blanket. Safari Disco Lion fucked around with this message at 23:46 on Sep 2, 2013 |
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Sep 2, 2013 23:15
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I have the bamboo set (the smaller one too, so about $80) and love it. Only thing I don't like is the steel set comes with a nylon-coated braided steel cable that I like MUCH more than the pure nylon cable the wood set comes with. But you can buy the pieces individually to do that if you want rather than get it all in one go.
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Sep 3, 2013 19:35
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Depends on what I'm doing, though usually it's just what I have on hand in that size. If I use a set of straight needles for whatever reason, I knit like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kArQ2jpaKw So I don't have problems with the weight of the needles or wrist strain or anything. But it's not practical for things like lace or colorwork (for me anyway, I haven't been doing it nearly as long as The Yarn Harlot), so for that I get out the circulars.
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Sep 4, 2013 04:30
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You could just work it in a smaller gauge than called for, or leave off a couple rows at the end. Also, I miss when Stephen West was sane.
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Sep 8, 2013 03:25
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For a submission based online magazine like Knitty, I do not understand how things like Double Rainbow get in. It's just a 100% plain, simple, zero effort to design sweater that has rainbow stripes on the sleeves. I always consider Knitty to be some of the best independently designed, original, unique patterns. Interesting constructions, patterns, designs, creative ways to do things, etc. etc. But for the last two years or so it seems like it's turned into the place people dump their sweater patterns that, if available through Ravelry, would be free. I mean, this pattern is free for God's sake and I guarantee Sivia Harding put at least twice as much work into that pattern as the designer of Double Rainbow did. Maybe I'm just grumpy that there are NEVER any men's designs in Knitty, either. The last one I remember was a pretentious sweater by a pretentious designer in her pretentious (and also loving crazy expensive) yarn she was pimping out. Knitty just seems to be slipping lately. I haven't been really impressed with anything from them in a long time. That said, I do like Theobroma and may cast on for it this weekend. I have a good yarn for it, though the yarn is deep wine red and about half my stash/FOs are red. Oops. eta: I take that back slightly, there's been a few in back issues I forgot about. Nothing I liked though, and they're all basically ribbed sweaters or cables. Safari Disco Lion fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Sep 13, 2013 |
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Sep 13, 2013 01:17
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That's weird that it doesn't explain the stitch. Oh well. Since it's a purl background I'd actually just treat it like a 1x1 cable. IE, for right twist, put the next stitch to the back on a needle to the back of the work, knit the second stitch, purl the stitch from the cable needle. Left twist, put the next stitch on a cable needle to the front of the work, purl the second stitch, knit the stitch from the cable needle. Might be good practice too to learn to cable without a needle, which is what I do 90% of the time unless they're very big crossings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6DB6WhAKvY
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Sep 14, 2013 18:24
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Do you mean you're knitting like this? With the right side facing inward and you're knitting on the far edge from you, but still right to left?
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Sep 17, 2013 13:00
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How chunky? My first sweater was Saranac from Knitty. Very easy, interesting enough to keep my attention. It's written for worsted-aran ish yarn though, I did mine in Lion Brand Wool-ease.
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Sep 20, 2013 02:10
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If your gauge is that close and the size 8s are too far, you can block the rest into shape.
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Sep 27, 2013 16:33
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I don't use them for stranded colorwork, but for double knitting, the little knitting thimble things are great, either the wound wire kind or the plastic clippy kind.
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Oct 2, 2013 23:19
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Handmade socks, if done right (good sock yarn (tightly plied, 3+ plies, nylon or silk content), tightly knit, fitted well), will also last much MUCH longer than a storebought sock. I can go through one of those in literally one or two wearings, but I've yet to go through a sock I've knit so long as I catch a weak spot and reinforce it before it becomes a hole. And that's the best way to maintain them too, patch them up BEFORE a weak spot becomes a hole.
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Oct 15, 2013 19:47
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My faaavorite cheapo spindle (and the one I've used the most still at this point even though I have a few $30-50+ ones in my collection) is the Schacht Hi-lo. Very very good balance, you can try it as both a top or bottom whorl (I use mine as a bottom) to see which you like more, and only about twenty bucks. Only thing is the smallest one is 1.1oz, and they go up to like 3oz, so they're not the lighest ones out there, but 1oz is great for learning on. A lot of the spindles in learn-to-spin kits are REALLY heavy for some reason, like 2oz+.
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Oct 16, 2013 18:03
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I have the ChiaoGoo wood set and really my only complaint was the joins, a couple of them were slightly iffy. But I got one of the very first batches and I've heard they've worked that out by now.
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Oct 16, 2013 22:06
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Yeah, new Knit Picks needles are rear end. Knitter's Pride, however, are great.
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Oct 17, 2013 06:30
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Right now and for the next several hours, Norway is broadcasting a national knitting event that you can watch here. Lots of talking to knitters, famous or non, showing different kinds of knitting or precursors to knitting like needle binding, talking about some techniques, lots of fun stuff. Hopefully there will be VODs at some point too in case you miss it or want to rewatch a section.
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Nov 1, 2013 22:51
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I have a couple of these and they're awesome. They just secure around your DPNs and keep them nice and safe. They're expensive but very nice, and there's other people who make cheaper ones out of plastic or cardboard. I believe KnitPicks sells one.
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Nov 7, 2013 16:43
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That sounds completely awesome and I love that story, and I would love to see that pattern. I'm sure the socks are very plain, but still. I'll see if I can find the yarn for it too.
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Nov 15, 2013 20:56
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That's so neat, thank you! It's obviously a super plain sock but I love the pictures.
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Nov 16, 2013 01:03
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jomiel posted:Getting back into knitting after a couple of years. Initially I had some trouble with doing a rib since I would keep messing up the yarn switch for purls I wouldn't get KnitPicks. Their quality has gone waaaay downhill in the last two years and everyone I've talked to about it agrees the needles aren't nearly as good, and they've had their fair share of controversy as well. If you're looking for a good set of circular needles, check out HiyaHiya and Chiaogoo. I've used both and adore their needles. eta: ^ - Knitter's Pride, on the other hand, is great. I think what happened is KnitPicks started getting their products from cheaper, lower quality manufacturers after the son of the ex-president and his wife took over the company. Knitter's Pride uses the older, better quality products under their own new label. I haven't used their sets, but I have a few fixed circs and they're great. I'd love to get one of the square needle sets. Safari Disco Lion fucked around with this message at 23:07 on Nov 20, 2013 |
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Nov 20, 2013 23:04
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That Henry Tudor pullover is nice but I hate that collar and I'm not sure how easy it'd be to modify since that rib is tied into the whole thing. Maybe if it was decreased faster and longer to pull it into more of a traditional collar shape, but then I'd be worry about the fit around the top of the shoulders and chest.
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Dec 5, 2013 03:20
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I'm working on a hexipuff blanket myself and am not stuffing my puffs since I think the stuffed blankets just look stupid and unwieldy. I'm also going to sew it up properly and not the silly tie-at-the-corner method the pattern suggests. Yeah it'll take loving hours, but it'll actually hold up to wear and not be full of holes and with dangly ends everywhere.
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Dec 12, 2013 07:13
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I live in Chicago, so I'm certainly not in a hot part of the country. It is sock yarn, so the double thickness is about the same as if I was doing them in worsted weight in single thickness. And sock yarn is what a lot of people, myself included, have the most scraps of. However, I AM tempted to undo all the puffs (all 80 of them, so I'm not TOO far into the estimated 400something for the blanket size I wanted) and just do a 10-stitch blanket style thing instead. Garter stitch I think would be just as good as double thickness stockinette, and would go faster. And wouldn't have to be seamed.
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Dec 12, 2013 09:11
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Wandering Knitter posted:Okay, so I'm working on this dog sweater for a Christmas gift. And it starts off with a k1p1 collar that you button together...except that I got a bit distracted and forgot to put the button holes in. What's the best way to go back and put them in that isn't outright frogging in? You could snip a row and undo like 6 or 7 stitches or whatever the button hole calls for and put the stitches on DPNs, bind them off on each side to make the hole, then use the yarn of the stitches you undid (or an extra bit of yarn you weave in later) to reinforce it around the edges and to sew down the one odd stitch that won't have another stitch to bind off to.
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Dec 15, 2013 01:33
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The only thing I knit this year was this for my Grandmother (partially because that one project took FOREEEEVEEEEEEER). She almost cried. 
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Dec 25, 2013 00:35
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That's Hönkä. It's been on my queue foreeeveeeer, but I never got around to making it since the yarn I initially bought was way lower contrast than on the KnitShits website so you couldn't see the pattern, so that got set aside. Double knitting is great because you get super awesome colorwork designs but it's much easier than stranding. There's a couple small tricks for things like casting on, your edge stitch, and the like, but the actual knitting is pretty much just k1, p1 with different colors.
Safari Disco Lion fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Jan 5, 2014 |
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Jan 5, 2014 01:50
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KnitPicks went to poo poo when the old owners (Kelly Petkun and her husband) stepped down and Kelly's stepson took over the company. He made a lot of budget cuts and went to new manufacturers and suppliers, while simultaneously raising prices, and their needles have been lovely since then. The cables in particular are awful now, they're much stiffer and the joins are pretty bad. And then they had the problems with CC numbers being stolen because their security devs were incompetent morons, and the owner issued a completely asinine non-apology about how they didn't actually do anything wrong, they just didn't explain things fully. The new website is a huge pain too and never works properly for me, especially trying to search for things. And I tried to buy a pattern from them the other day for the first time and it took two freaking days for my order to process and for them to email me the pattern, which looks like poo poo too by the way because it's just two colorwork charts but has a bunch of legal crap tacked onto it along with a full page symbol key the pattern doesn't actually use. Yeah I kind of hate KnitShits now. I was a huge fan of theirs before everything started going to poo poo, now I never buy from them unless they have yarn on sale. They've managed to not gently caress up my orders at least but they're usually smaller ones, just a couple skeins of sock yarn or lace or something. The yarn is still decent at least. Knitter's Pride, however, uses the old manufacturers that Knit Picks dropped, so it's the good old quality stuff and it's mostly compatible with KPicks tips and cables and things too. And the Karbonz are my favorite needles now, although the joins on them can be iffy since there's so many spots it changes material and there's tiny little jumps.
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Jan 9, 2014 02:06
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Yes, it works fine. The stitches still hold their shape, they don't all magically shrink down. The first couple might get pulled tighter a bit, but honestly that's a really, really good way to stop laddering, as the offending stitches all get pulled tighter.
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Jan 15, 2014 17:44
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They're interesting. Strange but interesting. The way I hold my needles makes me feel like I'm gonna break them because my hand rests so hard against the join, but some people love them.
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Jan 22, 2014 02:16
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It would have helped if the Felici self striping yarns had more than, like, nine colors. I never bought it because I never liked any of the colors they chose except a few more limited runs.
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Mar 8, 2014 17:26
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laertes22 posted:Apologies in advance if this is a stupid question(I have not had much experience purchasing yarns online). When I buy certain yarns (like malabrigo) at my LYS, I notice that in comes in hanks that I can't immediately use, and I have to have it wound into useable skeins or balls). Are there websites that when you order these yarns will wind it into useable skeins/balls before they ship it to you? I don't own a yarn winder, and Although I try to support the LYS, they are 2 hours away and if I could order online it would help a lot. I'd rather have them as hanks. You can wind them by hand (though yes it's tiring and takes a while), but storing yarn as a ball wound by hand or with a winder can be bad for it since it's under tension, and especially with a stretchy fiber like merino it can be sort of stretched out of shape until it's blocked, then it resets and might distort your fabric a bit. I mean, it's a very small thing, but you never know when it makes a project look strange.
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Apr 19, 2014 22:20
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Acrylic can't be blocked traditionally like wool can, it just sort of relaxes back into what it was before where wool has memory that is set in place by the hot water and tension. To block acrylic you have to "kill" it by getting it wet and then using an iron (through a towel or something) to almost very, very gently melt the acrylic just ever so slightly into place. It makes it a lot drapier and slightly softer, at least in my experience, but is not reversible like with wool, which you can just reblock if you don't like it. I'd also suggest making a gauge swatch, just a small one, with the same yarn and needles and then killing it to see if you like the fabric. Though there are those beads, which could be damaged by the heat. What are they made out of?
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May 26, 2014 00:25
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jomiel posted:Finally got a semi-decent picture of me wearing the Toulouse sweater. I made it purposefully oversize since I really liked it oversized on the model, but I think it might be a little too large on me... Not sure if I should rip back and make it cropped. I think it looks perfect. Good job!
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May 28, 2014 01:34
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Knitty's been the good place to go for some really interesting garments and unique, original construction methods or designs. But it seems like, for the last year or two, that's really fallen by the wayside in favor of "hey look, more lacey shawlettes! and some socks! and a few cute tops!" and absolutely nothing else. Maybe a men's plain stockinette or ribbed sweater if we're lucky.
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Jun 13, 2014 19:49
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| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 07:58 |
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I like this video here. She explains everything quite well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuRLFl36tDY I also started out knitting English style, then moved to continental after about a year. It was awkward at first, especially with purling, but I think I had a bit of an advantage because I started out with crochet before I was knitting, and continental style is much closer to how crochet works.
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Jun 27, 2014 19:59
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