KnitWit - the ultimate knitting thread

seconding the beautifulness

Gerstekorrel!

I'm going to call it that from now on! Tell us some other Dutch terms! I will try and catch up with G and see how her cardie is getting on too.

I don't actually think the colourwork Texas will be that bad to be honest! The "bumpy" bit is only on one side so you'll just be changing colours pretty much twice on each row apart from one section - just sort yourself out with yarn on some bobbins and I think it will be a lot easier than you think!

You have no idea how happy it makes me to be learning a craft where I get to use the word 'bobbins' in a real actual sense!

There's so many!
Knit = Rechtse steek
Purl = Averechtse steek
Decrease = verminderen
Increase = vermeerderen
DPNs = Naalden zonder kop
Needles = naalden
Crochet = haken (verb)

That's it for today. I'll be testing you NEXT WEEK! ;-)

http://www.breienmetplezier.nl/breisteken.htm

One I hadn't heard before:

Luie Wijvensteek: Lazy Bitches stitch!

I'm EXTREMELY tempted to enroll in the lacemaking clas (and use BOBBINS). Should I? My husband thinks it's a HIDEOUS hobby. (As in VERY unsexxee.) Hmm what to DO.

Last night I was delirious after so much seaming and I'm also down with a bit of a cold, so hence the weirdo post. But now I'm FRESH and EAGER to start a new thing. I think I'll drop in the LYS and look how much that LANA GROSSA yarn costs for that sweater. Maybe I'm a bit too optimistic and I will fail miserably at it? One can only try! :-) Gotta learn from your mistakes.

:-)

When I'll be in Japan, I'll be stocking up on bamboo needles and SPECIAL yarns. OH YEAH. :-)

mm, I used Lana Grossa for the ugly cardigan I mad for my mother. It wasn't the yarn's fault, just my poor color-picking skills.

My husband thinks it's a HIDEOUS hobby. (As in VERY unsexxee.)

welcome to MY world.

Ooh, that dress looks really nice! No mistakes that I can see (but I love the idea of those smug fancy stitches giggling at us, the little pricks!)

I shipped out most of my holiday knitting last night and cringed at some of the things I did just a few months ago. I think it's just part of the learning process.

Nathalie, I'm very jealous of your Japanese yarn expedition! They have such fantastic stuff, weird funky textures and all that.

Do these men realize that we're armed with multiple sharp pointy sticks when they criticize our fun?!

I'm going to get a ball of this and make A RUFFLED CRAVAT (from the last knit1) and PANTALOONS from cut off leggings. Absolutely utterly awesome. I think the Wendy knitit is similar in scope to the Lion Brand ruffles they recommended.

It is important that I have a cravat.

SARAH! We learned to make this in class! I mentioned this on the previous thread? I can't remember. But yeah GO FOR IT. I'm uh sort of currently trying to finish one for my MIL. I already made one for my mum (in Japan) and she LOVES it. Very easy to make but somewhat tedious process (as are all scarves... so far.... in my experience).

Anyway, I already uh started something new. I'm a bit stupid. Made the swatch but the gauge is not exactly the same so I just started something for Ophelia when she'll be 18 months. :-) We'll see how it works out. I really need to buy yarn that's specifically for a pattern instead of going "ooh looks cute, I'll just buy it and find something I can make with it." I'm not advanced yet so unable to do that. :-) One day... one day.

Oh my husband doesn't mind me knitting - he's actually a bit in awe of it - but HATES lacemaking. He calls'em klip klop bitches. :-)

Yes! Japan! My mum even met Hirose, the Japanese Knitting King. They *vaguely* know eachother. How fucking cool is that? Very, I think. :-)

I really am tempted to go buy some Lana Grossa yarn. Must. Resist. Unless I get loads of cash from mes parents. Then I'll NEED to buy some. I wanna make that sweater for my mum. Hmmmm.

maybe we should do a stash swap and I could offer some of my leftover lana grossa to nath to play with.

:-) I have tons of that sock yarn. Heck, you can have a couple for free if you like! You don't even need to send me anything in return except some experience and karma. :-)

I would be happy to trade some. I'll try to take a picture of current drawer-languishing yarns in the next couple of days and post it.

Ah heck, just send me your postal address! I'll chuck in some yarn and you can do whatever you like (once you get the package). How many skeins (or whatever you call'em balls?) do you need of that sock yarn (it's the one I used for that first dresss I made for Ophelia).

email address: stevienixed @ gmail dot com

This site is a miracle of the interweb. I'd been trying to work out how to do a bar increase for days. This is just like having a gran to show you!

http://www.knittinghelp.com/

nath, I will mail you. I only have 2 balls of lana grossa but maybe I'll throw in some debbie bliss for good measure.

Well, you'll HAVE to wait until you get my package and then you can send me whatever you like. :-)

How's everyone holding up out there?

I'm finally back home after traveling to see relatives all week, ugh. I'm straightening up the knit/sew room since xmas has left it a mess. I'm also making room for new sewing furniture and new CAT! woohoo.

Only one up till midnight evening of crafting and I got all of my gift projects done. Here's the tally:

Sewn:
2 fleece throws
6 pairs of pajama pants

Knit:
2 scarves
3 purses
4 hats

*cue Rocky theme*

pictures forthcoming when I put new batteries in my camera.

back to stash sorting.

Still awaiting yr address! :-) Do you prefer multiple skeins (or whatever you call'em in the US) or single (and thus more) ones?

Oh sorry: WOOHOO on new cat! :-)))) How old/young is s/he? NEED PICS of purring kitty. :-D

Me? I'm doing this lacy type shawl (straight, yarn is for 4 mm needles but doing it with 9 mm ones so it looks lacy). Visited another yarn shop which was a MAJOR dud. :-(

I'm doing this raglan cardigan. Probably finish it in a week or so. I do need to start using yarn that's meant for the pattern instead of trying something that *sort of* matches. I'm not that advanced yet and won't be for another DECADE or so. :-)

I'm fascinated with those knitting machines (for kids, but aren't we all). Looked for one but only found french ones which seemed @$$. I want something that goes faster yo. :-)

Bought a Marie Claire Knitting Stitches book (just under 10 euros) and tried some last night only to discover/have reaffirmed: I'm stupid (figured out that multiples of 7 + 1 + 2 means mult of only 7) and that I have all thise nice MULTIcoloured yarn that doesn't work when you want to do *fancy sts*.

I'm SO READY for that Lana Grossa sweatah. I wanna make something for me me me. :-)

Also trying to finish scarf for husband but I ph34r working on order is not my thang, baby.

I emailed you a few min. ago, Nath. Send whatever you want, I'm putting some things aside for you.

you are all over cardigans/sweaters. I need to attempt another big project like that soon. starting on my malcolm x tote now, v. excited.

I really don't understand knitting machines.

no kitty yet, we're going to get him/her next weekend. I'm just arranging my room for new litterbox, condos, etc. I threw all of qtip's old stuff away.

my xmas crafts:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/misery/tags/xmas/

Sam, so industrious are you! Your xmas gifts (including pajama pants!) look GREAT!

While trying to avoid my family, I knit a bunch of dish cloths to give to people, one including my 84 year old grandma. She loved it!

A while back, I knit one of the ball band dishcloths for some friends, and they have yet to use it. They said it's too pretty to be used. While that's flattering, I kept thinking, "dudes, you will not understand its full potential until you experience its cleaning glory!" Oh well.

This is crochet but hey, I want to get in on the season of gifts as well...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/61998082@N00/336485887/

that is completely wonderful!

I want to do another one but with another animal - I can't help it, those sock monkeys are STILL SCARY LITTLE BUGGERS.

granny square + scary sock monkey = best blanket one could hope for.

goldfish would be neat!

starry, that blanket is awesome. especially the monkey faces.

boy gave me a stack of various knitting/sewing books for xmas and said "I don't think one of those is what you do. I wasn't sure." It was a crochet book but still welcome.

He also gave me a $100 gift certificate to the LYS which I used to buy an assload of Cascade 220 for my felted Malcom X tote. hurrah!

so sweet! awesome present!

Oh jesus guys, I just got thee stitch 'n' bitch book & knitty supplies for the xmas. And I would love to knit but I am TERRIFIED I will suck ass at it! You have no idea how terrified I am. I've always had developmental problems re: corrdination and it's kind of stuck with me, the FEAR has. It took me five years to get the manual dexterity to TYPE decently. I have no manual dexterity at all! I am seriously far more nervous about this than public speech or any usual bugbear.

Someone plz tell me that if I suck and it takes 3 years to figure out, that I am not a Bad Person.

Abbott, knitting will increase one's coordination skills, if anything! Ok, I'm not entirely sure about that, but it sounded nice. Don't even worry about it! I taught my mom how to knit at that woman has TERRIBLE manual dexterity skillz. The Stitch'n'Bitch books (mainly the 1st one) give GREAT instructions which are really easy to follow (for the most part). As long as you keep at it, it'll get easier. Learning to knit can be a bit frustrating ("why are my stitches so tight?" or "Why do I keep gaining stitches!?"). It's totally normal. "Practice makes perfect" really does apply here, so if your first attempts are nightmare-ish, that's completely normal.

practice will improve you abbott, don't give up. When I started I often threw my needles across the room b/c I just couldn't get the hang of holding them. you can learn it.

Abbott, I thought just like you but then my husband said: why bother worrying and getting headaches, this is a HOBBY! if you don't like it, QUIT or start enjoying it.
trust me, it's so much fun! you can advance as much as you like. if you prefer to knit shawls until the next century, do so. or try this:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/157/341362410_9179752d04.jpg?v=1167688573

i just started knitting *properly* in july or something. :-)

I finished the scarf in time to give it to Stet for Christmas, and he actually wears it! I've begun this scarf three times and keep having to unravel it because I keep lose my place. Should I just fudge it the next time it happens and just carry on? I'm getting fed up.

are you using a row counter? I have to when i use complicated patterns.

No, but I remember OK which row I'm on. It's all the k3 ssk yo k5 [yo k1] 5 times stuff that I get lost in and the chart isn't helping. I'm thinking about making my own little chart that'll make more sense and keep me in the right place, but if I have to try and unpick anything I might as well unravel to the bottom and start again, it's so confusing. Ah well, I'll get there, with perseverence and faith!

ok, that post sounded so arrogant, like i was bragging. abbott, i just wanted to say: knitting is fun! :-)

i have always been and continue to be completely unco but i'm quite good at knitting. so i don't think the two things rely upon each other.

stitch markers help with doing lacework or any sort of repeating patterns

Ah, that's an idea I could try. Thanks!

i've never used stitch markers actually. i've wondered vaguely exactly how they work a few times... do they just stay on the needle to help you with the next row, or do they stay in the actual fabric and you pull them out later? i've never even looked at them even, can't picture what they look like.

I think knitting ones stay on the needles, but crochet ones are more like hooks so you can slip them on and off the yarn.

you can get solid rings, or ones that can open and close, so you can put them in the yarn (or you could use safety pins.)

they're also good if you have to cast on 200 stitches and don't want to have to recount 5 million times.

mine are shit: they always fall off. :-(

wow i never thought of the casting on thing though it seems dead obvious now you say it. i DO recount 5 million times as a rule. which is naturally extremely frustrating.

I like any excuse to buy more knitting accessories, really, especially Clover's. they are so cute.

I just registered at elann.com, oh dear.

I've gotten to where I just use bits of yarn for stitch counters. I tie on a bit of different yarn and then just slip it as I knit. Other stitch counters always seemed to jump or fall off in transit.

Lucy! The thing you need for lace is LIFELINES! Stick one in after each repeat and if you go wrong you only need to go back to the last place you're "safe" - here's a guide. Ripping back all of it = big bottom pain!

Have never really successfully worked with stitch markers either, they always end up falling off. Whilst I was finishing the clapotis which admittedly is fairly straightforward, I just purled the stitches where the pattern calls for you to add stitch markers but this probably wouldn't work so well in proper lace! I'd like to have a go at a lace thing too. I tried a lace pattern before but it was with regular dk weight with only 6mm needles so it only came out textured - should have gone really oversized but I have got un-used to those massive needles.

Speaking of massive needles I saw a jumper calling for 25mm needles - argh! However how fast must that knit up - cast on 30 sts to start :)

My friend made this cobweb shawl and it's fab! It only used 2 balls of Kidsilk Haze and none of us could stop cuddling it. Although it DID take her two years so I'm not going to attempt it for my first lace project!

Oh dear god, yes, that shawl is LOVELY. I'm partial to the shaped tube one in the far left picture, though, just as an office/meeting-room sort of torso warmer.

This seems like the worst idea ever though! I can imagine the spillages and the ridicule from here...

Still wrapping up the end of xmas knitting due to the last minute addition of some cousins to the list! Pictures will be up as soon as I get the better of my new year death flu :( I've heard from the folks who did get their stuff that for the most part it worked. One hat that was too short and another that was too small are the only casualties of my ignorance (and the too small one was snatched up by my sister with much glee).

I've got plans to do some lace shawls for family, and right now I've got a skein of that sari silk stuff that I've matched up with a part silk part merino yarn and am knitting them at a huge gauge. It lets the random ends of the silk really blossom and be soft, plus the thing is still warm.

Learning to cable is next on the list.

I've used little rubbery stitch markers from Clover and they have functioned very well--no matter what I've been making, either the bright green or bright purple stands out well enough.

Sam, perhaps we can start getting together next week? As far as I know Zoe is still in. Would Maureen like to continue?

I would like to get together too. haven't talked to mo in awhile but I can check with her.

sorry for the death flu! I'm still struggling with this death bronchitis I've had ever since Stitch! ugh. . .