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I have a dyeing question. I'm getting some undyed silk, and I was wondering if there was a good method to dye it. The only dyeing I've ever done in the past is with Koolaid, and I imagine that wouldn't really work with silk.
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May 28, 2009 23:40
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I bought regular fabric dye for some yarn I'm going to dye. My grandmother owned a bridal store and we did custom dye jobs for shoes/handbags, and we had just plain fabric dye for the satin/silk. I would think that it would be the same for silk yarn.
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Jun 1, 2009 02:28
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 I made an alpaca beret!  Just in time for June.  edit: vvvit's a "Meret"! I got the pattern from ravelry (of course) hollaback grandma fucked around with this message at 08:21 on Jun 1, 2009 |
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Jun 1, 2009 07:11
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Wow, that beret looks great! What pattern is that? Don't worry, I'm sure winter will come again. 
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Jun 1, 2009 08:13
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I buy most of my yarn from Elann and KnitPicks. The closest LYS is over 80 miles away and I've just never bothered. All I have locally is Wal-Mart and Hobby Lobby. Wallyworld carries nothing but acrylic and cotton and Hobby Lobby used to be just as bad, but they are slowly getting in some nicer stuff. Though still not anything nice in the way of wools. They've picked up some bamboo and soy yarns which is nice, but almost all of their wools are still 50% acrylic or more. I'd really love to open my own yarn store here, but I have no idea how to go about it. It's a huge military town with about 300,000 people- surely I can't be the only one who wants nicer yarns. I'd really love to be able to touch and squeeze a skein before buying it, you know? I love that beret! I'm going to have to look it up on Ravelry!
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Jun 2, 2009 14:48
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Wandering Knitter posted:I have a dyeing question. Look for jacquard acid dyes--or any other type of acid dye, you usually have to add vinegar to them. Rit will sort of work, it's a universal dye, but the color will be muted. Acid dyes will be brighter. (I do a lot of wool/silk/cotton dying--too much  )
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Jun 3, 2009 18:50
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ARG, I'm so jealous of all of you. Almost four years ago I taught myself to knit and I still haven't had the courage to get past simple scarves or an insanely easy bag. How did all of you get to the point you are now? Some of the stuff you people knit is amazing!
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Jun 10, 2009 20:06
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Lackadaisical posted:ARG, I'm so jealous of all of you. Almost four years ago I taught myself to knit and I still haven't had the courage to get past simple scarves or an insanely easy bag. Just go for it. I started a sock within two weeks of knitting, and it's not because I'm a genius - just remember, there's really only TWO kinds of stitches, and you only ever do one stitch at a time.  You can do anything, it just might take longer than usual if it's super complicated.
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Jun 10, 2009 20:26
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Lackadaisical posted:ARG, I'm so jealous of all of you. Almost four years ago I taught myself to knit and I still haven't had the courage to get past simple scarves or an insanely easy bag. I'm not an advanced knitter, but I've done hats, socks, simple lace, and I'm working on a market bag right now. I had a lot of trouble moving out of scarves (and anything rectangular), but I picked projects that had me try one (or two) new thing(s) at a time. After scarves, I moved onto simple stockinette stitch hats--so I learned circular knitting (which is easy peasy, as it turns out) and how to decrease stitches. Then I did a pair of socks, which had me learn slipped stitches, short row shaping, and SSKs. Then I did a lace hat (which I screwed up, but I learned a lot from my mistakes!) to learn YOs. I still haven't worked up to shirts or anything, but I'm going to start one soon. I liked the gradual method because then I learn what things are supposed to look like, so then when I do something more complicated I'll be able to diagnose the problem. Or you can just dive in! But I would have gotten lost really quickly the first time I made a mistake.
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Jun 10, 2009 20:36
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Just look at projects and patterns on Ravelry, and find out what you want to learn next. Cables, lace, knitting in the round, whatever. Then head over to http://www.knittinghelp.com/ and check out the awesome videos there. That's how I went from garter stitch scarves via easy handbags to lace and cables. (Still haven't ventured into socks, but I'm sure I'll get there someday.)
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Jun 10, 2009 20:59
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Yep. Knittinghelp.com is THE place to be. Whenever I was doing something with a new stitch type I'd just watch that particular video over and over while I attempted a sample piece. If I screwed it up, I tore it all out and restarted the video. Over and over again. And in some cases over and over and over and over again. Even if you don't get a particular stitch type exactly right, doing it consistently wrong throughout the piece can still turn into something nice! How do you think new stitches get discovered?! Don't stress so much. I know I used to. But I decided to just enjoy the knitting journey and it's much more fun now!
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Jun 10, 2009 22:10
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Lackadaisical posted:ARG, I'm so jealous of all of you. Almost four years ago I taught myself to knit and I still haven't had the courage to get past simple scarves or an insanely easy bag. As soon as I got scarves down I just made more and more complicated items using squares and rectangles. Geometry class finally came in handy!  But the real step between knitting and awesome knitting is figuring out how to use double-pointed needles. After that the world is your oyster.
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Jun 10, 2009 23:13
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My conclusion on socks: fun but very time consuming. I will enjoy making more, but drat they take forever! (I generally don't use tiny needles can you tell :P )
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Jun 10, 2009 23:13
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I'm pretty sure DPNs are the Devil. I always want to gouge my eyes out when I try making something small in the round, so I guess socks won't be happening that soon... 
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Jun 11, 2009 01:38
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Midnight Sun posted:I'm pretty sure DPNs are the Devil. I always want to gouge my eyes out when I try making something small in the round, so I guess socks won't be happening that soon... I made my first pair with this pattern on ravelry. It uses two circs, no DPNs, and only a little teensy bit of knitting in the round. I also hate DPNs so fret not! They turned out pretty good considering I've never turned a heel or anything like that. Very easy to follow directions, highly recommended.
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Jun 11, 2009 02:11
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You guys are crazy, I never could figure out the two circs deal. I'll keep my DPNs thankyouverymuch! Seriously though, one of these days I'm going to knit a pair of socks. Every time I buy a nice sock yarn, I think, "what a shame to use this on my feet," and then I knit something else with it. Are hand-knitted socks really as awesome as people claim?
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Jun 11, 2009 04:24
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We'll see, these are a gift!
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Jun 11, 2009 04:58
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Aardvarklet posted:Are hand-knitted socks really as awesome as people claim? Absolutely. The wool ones are so warm! And socks are a really good if you want a portable project. You can just stick it in a sandwich bag.
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Jun 11, 2009 07:43
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teknicolor posted:I made my first pair with this pattern on ravelry. It uses two circs, no DPNs, and only a little teensy bit of knitting in the round. I also hate DPNs so fret not! They turned out pretty good considering I've never turned a heel or anything like that. It's actually quite embarrasing, my mom is an expert knitter and can knit a pair of (big!) socks in a day, without even looking. So I feel I should be genetically coded to be an awesome knitter, but somehow I think that maybe practice has something to do with it as well.
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Jun 11, 2009 10:16
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Aardvarklet posted:Seriously though, one of these days I'm going to knit a pair of socks. Every time I buy a nice sock yarn, I think, "what a shame to use this on my feet," and then I knit something else with it. Are hand-knitted socks really as awesome as people claim? I totally know what you mean--I have yet to buy nice sock yarn because of the same reason. But I really wanted to knit socks, so I compromised and got sock yarn for $2/ball and, because I only make ankle socks, I can get one pair out of one ball (give or take). So then I don't feel guilty about wearing them... at least around the house. I'm afraid to wear them with my clogs which like to stain the bottom of my socks. But so far, in my grand experience of *one pair* of socks, I have to say they are awesome--to wear and make! I like to stare down at my feet when I wear them. Knitting them is also great because the whole project will fit in my purse (and I don't use a giant purse).
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Jun 11, 2009 19:18
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Lackadaisical posted:ARG, I'm so jealous of all of you. Almost four years ago I taught myself to knit and I still haven't had the courage to get past simple scarves or an insanely easy bag. Take the plunge and just go for it. Practice with lovely cheapo acrylic in horrible colours if you don't want to waste nice stuff. But I'm serious about taking the plunge. I literally went from that atrocious fishnet jumper (a few pages back) to the Razor's Edge poncho (made with Lambs Pride Bulky which is NOT cheap!!) in Stitch n Bitch Nation. The only way you can learn is by just doing it. The worst thing that can happen is that you have to unravel a bit and re-do it (although I just run with some mistakes and call them quirks).
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Jun 11, 2009 21:21
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Just cast off on aeolian. After my last experience blocking, I am simply terrified. I'll also have to wait until boy is out of town next weekend to block, because he doesn't get why a lump of sodden wool can't wait until later / why it has to stay out until dry.
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Jun 12, 2009 21:01
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Molly Bloom posted:Just cast off on aeolian. After my last experience blocking, I am simply terrified. Can't wait to see pics! I'm dying to knit aeolian but haven't gotten the courage up. Just saw the new Knitty's up...
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Jun 14, 2009 00:05
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Aardvarklet posted:Just saw the new Knitty's up... Knitty and I seem to have vastly different ideas on what would make a good Christmas present and what wouldn't. I don't even know where those split-mittens would come in handy. On the other hand I love that little crab 
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Jun 14, 2009 06:51
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Wandering Knitter posted:Knitty and I seem to have vastly different ideas on what would make a good Christmas present and what wouldn't. I don't even know where those split-mittens would come in handy. They're so you can knit the crab and then pretend you're the Lobster Boy.
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Jun 14, 2009 11:29
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Molly Bloom posted:They're so you can knit the crab and then pretend you're the Lobster Boy. Reminds me a little too much of that genetic disorder...ectrodactyly?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ectrodactyly Yeah, I can't see myself making those as a Christmas gift. Unless I knew someone with the disorder! Then I'd be crying tears of joy at that pattern.
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Jun 14, 2009 21:39
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Aardvarklet posted:Reminds me a little too much of that genetic disorder...ectrodactyly? Exactly- That's what Lobster Boy had, but I couldn't get waffleimages to work earlier. Here in lovely Scotland, they're apparently 'Partens' (crabs) or 'cleppies'
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Jun 14, 2009 23:50
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[Edit] NM, finished pattern revisions and got them posted
Zantie fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Jun 25, 2009 |
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Jun 17, 2009 05:11
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Here's my latest project that I have a picture of, which was a fun knit. (blurry picture, sorry) It's not wonderful but I'm proud of it, since I've only been knitting since mid-January. I learned solely so that I could knit a scarf for my girlfriend for Valentine's day, but enjoyed it enough that I've been knitting all sorts of stuff since. This was my first double-pointed needle project, and I just finished my first pair of socks; now I'm trying my hand at my first felting project. It's a remarkably good way to pass spare time.
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Jun 18, 2009 22:09
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What a cute turtle!  Do you have the pattern for it?
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Jun 18, 2009 22:14
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Midnight Sun posted:What a cute turtle! Sure do! http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter06/PATTsheldon.html
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Jun 18, 2009 22:30
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Genpei Turtle posted:Sure do!
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Jun 18, 2009 22:53
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Genpei Turtle posted:That is way too cute! Good job! How did I miss this pattern on Knitty? Am going to have to dig out my green yarn that never got used for its intended St. Patty's Day scarf!
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Jun 19, 2009 06:28
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New to this thread, I love that there are so many goon knitters! Do you guys get "Knitter's Block" in the summer? When it's cold outside, I am constantly knitting, practicing stitches, and experimenting with patterns. In the summer, I have zero interest. I have a box full of yarn and patterns waiting to go, but I am just so "meh" about it.
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Jun 19, 2009 16:02
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The awesome thing about Sheldon is that he has a MILLION different outfits to knit as well! I distinctly remember a pirate outfit and a superhero outfit, among others. Are you a guy, Genpei Turtle? I'm not being rude- honest! I think it's wonderful for men to knit. Knitting was a no-women-allowed endeavor for quite some time and I think it's awesome when a man is secure enough in his masculinity to knit. http://knittingguy.blogspot.com/ is my favorite male knitter. He's a truck driver and really tall and likes to knit in bars after a long day on the road. He likes to knit sweaters. No joke! I think your Sheldon looks great! Better than I could do. When I knit in the round, I do something backwards which makes me knit inside out. The pattern turns out perfectly fine (after you flip it right side out, anyway) but trying to force myself to NOT knit inside out drives me crazy and frustrates me so badly that I usually abandon any projects in the round. I love knitting. I just suck at it. I still plod along, though. I just love the process of knitting. It's very soothing to me. Usually!
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Jun 19, 2009 16:03
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Twatty Seahag posted:New to this thread, I love that there are so many goon knitters! Do you guys get "Knitter's Block" in the summer? When it's cold outside, I am constantly knitting, practicing stitches, and experimenting with patterns. In the summer, I have zero interest. I have a box full of yarn and patterns waiting to go, but I am just so "meh" about it.
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Jun 19, 2009 16:21
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ThreeFish posted:The awesome thing about Sheldon is that he has a MILLION different outfits to knit as well! I distinctly remember a pirate outfit and a superhero outfit, among others. Haha, yes, I am a guy. We male knitters may be rare, but I've taken remarkably little crap for it--on the contrary, it's proven a great conversation starter with random people at the train station, passersby at the park, whatever; most people seem really interested and impressed rather than mocking, even if what I'm knitting at the moment is total garbage. The one thing that's a pain in the butt though is the relative paucity of patterns for men's clothing; I've found very little for stuff I'd be caught wearing, and I haven't knitted anything for myself other than scarves so far. For knitting in the round, I find that the first couple rows are always the toughest, especially if they don't start with many stitches. I think Sheldon started with only 6 stitches and I can't tell you how much I cursed and swore before I was finally able to get him started for real. The trick for me is to make sure all the loops are on the "inside" of the circle for the first few rows or so. Once you have a decent amount of fabric hanging down from your needles it sort of falls into place so you don't have to worry so much about knitting backwards. Seams, on the other hand--those give me trouble. It's not hard to sew two pieces of fabric together but I can't do it and not have it turn out looking like crap for the life of me. That's the one thing keeping me from trying my hand at a sweater. I hadn't heard of any clothes for Sheldon--getting him in and out of that shell is a pain, but do you know where I could find any of those patterns? I'd be curious, just to see.
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Jun 19, 2009 18:26
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Genpei Turtle posted:
Do you have a Ravelry account? If not, get one! Yesterday! If so, here's a link to the page with Sheldon accessories! http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search?query=sheldon Ravelry will also help you find a fairly good selection of patterns geared towards men. Thanks for the tips about my knitting in the round problem. It's funny becuase I've had a lot of women try to explain to me what I'm doing wrong and it's never clicked. You managed to do it in one sentence. Hah. That rocks! As for being afraid of a sweater- I was too. Especially with my inside out problem. But I had some cheap yarn I couldn't figure out what to do with and I decided to just go for it and try an easy top down seamless short sleeve tee type thing. I just resolved to follow that pattern one row at a time until I couldn't go any more because I messed it up beyond repair or couldn't grasp a particular instruction. That never happened. I finished it in 2 days. No one could have been more surprised than me! I say just go for it. You can always unravel it if you get too stuck to continue. And no matter what, you'll learn something new. I love this thread!
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Jun 20, 2009 01:48
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I FINALLY finished my very first real knitting project. Last November, I picked up knitting as a brainless, but productive hobby. I'm a software developer, so when I had a rough day at the office, the first thing I would pick up when I got home was the scarf. This is also technically my first crochet piece, if you're counting the edging. Woo!
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Jun 21, 2009 10:16
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I've been knitting since January and have but one FO, a preemie hat I knit for charity. I'm a few stripes away from finishing my Pride scarf just in time for this weekend, though. I'm dotmatrix on Ravelry and will definitely be joining the group!
PERMACAV 50 fucked around with this message at 12:42 on Jun 21, 2009 |
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Jun 21, 2009 12:34
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