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Wandering Knitter posted:You don't know what a friendship bracelet is? Amen, that made me feel old as gently caress.
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Nov 3, 2009 03:25
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I remember those... specifically I remember not having anyone to make one for, and no one to make one for me.  baby goonette!
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Nov 3, 2009 03:45
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philkop posted:Well im 19 and male, so when i was a youngin i was more into picking my nose and putting it on all the girls in the classroom who were fooling around with yarn ;D. But yeah these seem incredibly complex for a child fad.. These are like mind blowingly hard to me, still trying though. I'm 19 too and we sure as gently caress made friendship bracelets. I taught my entire group in Religious Education how to do them for a charity fair thing we had to do in year 8 and we raised the most money  They're not really hard at all. I second Threefish's motion to go and get the Klutz book because that has a really nice set of patterns in it. My mum found it in a charity shop for £1 (she collects friendship bracelet books because she works with kids and nothing shuts them up like throwing them a bunch of string and telling them to get busy).
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Nov 3, 2009 16:56
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madlilnerd posted:I'm 19 too and we sure as gently caress made friendship bracelets. I learned them at Jesus Camp (not like the scary Jesus Camp in that movie, it was way more normal than that and we mostly rode horses around and such). I remember learning how to make one with a Jesus fish on it and being so drat proud of myself.
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Nov 3, 2009 17:16
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We made them at non-religious camp, too. When there was nothing else to do all the girls would sit at the picnic tables and spend hours making them for each other. Every now and then I make an easy one out of leftover yarn scraps whenever I need a a little  to get through the day.
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Nov 3, 2009 18:19
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I have a few friendship bracelets kicking around from my middle(???) school days... unless it was elementary school. It all kind of blends together... I was never very good at it, but I also only knew one or two ways to make them, and those were both pretty bland looking. Does anyone else get pain in their thumb (leading up from the wrist) from knitting? It's generally my right thumb. It probably doesn't help that in my off time I'm always either knitting or playing video games. It makes me paranoid that I'm developing tendinitis or something. I was thinking about getting some of these gloves to help support my hands, I don't know if it would help with my thumb at all. I know I hold my hands at a weird angle, I always do and always have, but it may not be helping with hand pain.
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Nov 3, 2009 22:37
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One good exercise I learned years ago is to stop once an hour and take five minutes to stretch by putting one arm out in front of you, palm up, and then use your other hand to press your fingers down and back, hold for a bit, then switch arms. You can feel it pulling in your wrists. Don't hurt yourself, but bend your hand back till you can feel it. Over time, you'll be able to stretch further. I can't say whether that stretch is responsible, but I have remarkably little trouble with my wrists on all but the very busiest days.
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Nov 3, 2009 22:53
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justFaye posted:I have a few friendship bracelets kicking around from my middle(???) school days... unless it was elementary school. It all kind of blends together... I was never very good at it, but I also only knew one or two ways to make them, and those were both pretty bland looking. I almost want to make some friendship bracelets now, for nostalgia's sake. I do still have all the leftover embroidery floss... I don't get pain in my hands, wrists, fingers or thumbs, but I get shoulder pain (in my right, specifically) after I knit for a while. It's really strange. I must really be putting my shoulder into it. One of my knit night friends has a repetitive use injury from knitting so much. She doesn't use gloves, but she times herself when she knits so that she doesn't spend too much time all at once knitting and re-aggravate her injury. I think she's also had to go through some physical therapy  Another one of my knitting friends says she gets pain in her knuckles after a while. I think some people are just more prone to such injuries than others. Maybe I'm just used to typing and using my hands in general, but I've never really had an issue with any wrist/joint pain or any numbness or tingling.
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Nov 3, 2009 22:56
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Me: Hey, my boyfriend wants me to knit him a hat with a sort of pattern on it. Can you teach me Fair Isle? Mom: You have to learn how to knit continental-style first. Me: augh augh I hate my life Is this true, or is she just trying to sucker me into learning continental style? She wouldn't shut up about it when she learned how.
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Nov 4, 2009 01:04
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You don't have to learn it, but fair isle is easier if you know both English and continental. That way, you can hold a strand of yarn in each hand, as opposed to picking up the yarn and putting it down again and getting everything tangled every few stitches with English.
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Nov 4, 2009 01:29
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Z Is Overrated posted:You don't have to learn it, but fair isle is easier if you know both English and continental. That way, you can hold a strand of yarn in each hand, as opposed to picking up the yarn and putting it down again and getting everything tangled every few stitches with English. Well gently caress.
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Nov 4, 2009 02:12
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it's not that hard to keep them untangled if you knit English - I've done it several times with good results and I still can't knit continental to save my life. It's a lot easier if it's only two colors per row, and all you have to do is keep one yarn always "over" the other one - it will make sense when you're doing it. If you're knitting a pattern that doesn't have any long stretches of color you won't have to twist the yarns around each other at all. If you do have to twist them to tack down floats I find it helpful to pick up the whole ball and bring it under the other one.
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Nov 4, 2009 03:15
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Look Under The Rock posted:OH MY CONTINENTAL Weeeell, I've found after some practice I got pretty good at KNITTING in continental, but I can't PURL to save my life, but as hats are in the round, you don't have to purl! I obviously don't know what you've tried before, but maybe you can eventually get the hang of knitting continental style, minus purling. It kinda sucks cos you're basically starting over with learning, but I keep telling myself that it'll be better in the long run... Maybe I'm just masochistic? My left hand isn't dexterous at all beyond the keyboard, so if I can do it, you can too!
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Nov 4, 2009 08:28
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Phishi posted:Weeeell, I've found after some practice I got pretty good at KNITTING in continental, but I can't PURL to save my life, but as hats are in the round, you don't have to purl! I obviously don't know what you've tried before, but maybe you can eventually get the hang of knitting continental style, minus purling. It kinda sucks cos you're basically starting over with learning, but I keep telling myself that it'll be better in the long run... Maybe I'm just masochistic? My left hand isn't dexterous at all beyond the keyboard, so if I can do it, you can too! I have this exact same problem. Using some of the tutorials on knittinghelp I've been able to do a little bit of purling continental-style but wow is it difficult and slow to do. Also the tension gets to be way, way off, which is a pain because I can do English pretty well; it destroys all motivation to do anything in continental when the end result is much nastier than if I tried the same thing with English. Is there anyone here who went from English to continental and if so, how long did it take you before you could produce stuff that wasn't hideous abominations? I'm wondering if I just shouldn't buckle down and do my next few projects in continental. I've only been knitting for a little less than a year so I guess it wouldn't be too hard to un-learn everything I've done until now...
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Nov 4, 2009 15:51
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Well.... on right side (knit) rows I use my right hand to carry the yarn and on wrong side (purl) rows I use my left for it. I've always been able to purl with both hands but I only recently learnt to knit with it to make creating wrong side rows smoother. Generally, it's majority rules- so if the row consists of "p 5, k 1" then I'll go with lefty and vice versa. It took me a few attempts to get used to knitting with my left hand- just practice.
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Nov 4, 2009 17:14
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I really would like to learn continental but the thing that trips me up is tensioning the yarn. When I usually knit, I don't really wrap it around my finger or anything, I just sort of drape it over my index finger one time. Anything else is just too tight for me, for some reason. But when I try with my left just draping it over means it keeps flying away somewhere, I can't keep it where I need it to pick it up with the other needle. Maybe I have weirdly sticky fingers or something, I can't figure out how other people can wrap the yarn around their hands so many times and still keep it moving.
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Nov 4, 2009 17:26
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I knit English, too, and my knitting get together group decided to pick a fair isle mitten as a KAL. I am *really* trying to knit continental for the 2 handed fair isling, but my hands just refuse to do it properly. After lots and lots of false starts and just trying to bumble along at it, I can sort of do it, but as I'm trying to get the knit stitch done with the left yarn, I apparently am pulling the last stitch done with the right yarn super tight. So tight that I can't move any of the stitches at all. I've tried everything to try and stop it- I'm just a huge failure at this.
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Nov 4, 2009 17:34
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Genpei Turtle posted:Is there anyone here who went from English to continental and if so, how long did it take you before you could produce stuff that wasn't hideous abominations? I'm wondering if I just shouldn't buckle down and do my next few projects in continental. I've only been knitting for a little less than a year so I guess it wouldn't be too hard to un-learn everything I've done until now... I've only been doing continental regularly now for maybe a month and my projects are coming out just fine! For the Hey Teach sweater I'm making I use combined knitting, because it's back and forth, and for the ribbing on socks I've started using the Norwegian purl. The great thing about the Norwegian purl is that the yarn is still held in back, and all the weird gymnastics are done with the right needle, not the yarn in your left, so it was easier for me to get the hang of. Still took a little while and it was frustrating as all hell (dropped stitches, ripping back alot, etc.) but so worth it! I've also done stranded knitting (one color in each hand) and picked it up fairly easily after just a few months of knitting, so I may not be the best example, but I will say that I tried using English only the first repeat (Endpaper Mitts) and it took soooooo loooong compared to the other method and I'd never have the patience for it. ThreeFish, don't lose hope! I'd practice doing the knit stitch with continental on it's own for a little while before doing another stranded piece... it helped me a lot! Then you'll be more used to it and won't be as tense. 
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Nov 4, 2009 20:06
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I'm an English-style knitter but I have successfully forced myself to learn Continental-style. I made myself do an entire baby hat (just in knit stitch) and most of a baby blanket, though I kept going back to English-style when I got tired. It took longer to get the hang of purling with Continental but it helped that I am not good at purling in English-style either... though it turns out I was doing it wrong the whole time, so now I've fixed THAT problem. Anyway, then I made a pair of gloves and did a simple Fair Isle section with one colour in my left and one in my right, and it worked great so I felt it had been worth all the effort. It's still harder for me to control tension with Continental. I keep having to unwrap the yarn out of my fingers and re-"loop" it around then it seems to just get kind of stuck after a while. I still prefer English-style, as I can do it without thinking, even if Continental does seem faster.
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Nov 4, 2009 22:44
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You guys, I actually finished something!  I haven't been knitting since March, but suddenly I got inspired again, and I've been knitting for the last few days and have actually churned out some good stuff. First I finished this wine bottle cozy that's been on the needles since March:  Then I quickly made this wham bam thank you lamb! neckwarmer:  And I've finished one Irish Hiking Scarf Armwarmer:  Feels good to be knitting again! (Well, my arms don't feel too good, though.)
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Nov 7, 2009 13:57
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I've got a question. I learned Magic Loop (though I flirted briefly with using two circulars as well) so that I didn't have to deal with DPNs. Now I'm not really sure how to convert stuff for use with Magic Loop vs DPNs. I'm getting the impression that there are just some thing you really can't do with Magic Loop and it would be pretty cool if somebody could explain to me if I'm wrong or not. One example would be gloves. Can you make a pair of gloves with fingers using Magic Loop? Or do you have to switch to DPNs for the fingers?
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Nov 9, 2009 04:42
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I don't use magic loop very often, but I just finished a pair of mittens with 2 circs, the thumb holes finished just fine. I'm sure loop should do the same job.
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Nov 9, 2009 14:14
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I've made gloves with magic loop before, and had no trouble with it. It's honestly easier for me than trying to keep a small amount of stitches on dpns.
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Nov 9, 2009 15:56
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I'm teaching myself to knit. First project was a stocking cap: I really wanna make another one, but like Schwartz's:  Every year I watch the Christmas Story marathon and I always think to myself "I WANT THAT loving HAT". Now I know how to make it!
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Nov 10, 2009 12:18
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That hat reminds me of lime sherbet, yummy
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Nov 10, 2009 14:07
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Cute hat, Hobo.
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Nov 10, 2009 14:40
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I so want a stocking hat but I already have a few dozen handknit hats. 
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Nov 10, 2009 19:23
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Hobo Camp posted:I'm teaching myself to knit. First project was a stocking cap: Oh god I want one of those too, but I'm still afraid to knit with more than one color yarn. How hard was the green and white cap to make?
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Nov 10, 2009 22:30
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With stripes you're really never knitting with more than one color...The only extra thing you'd have to do is twist the yarns around each other at the beginning of each round to carry the yarn you're not using up the side until you're ready to use it again. Far easier than stranded colorwork or intarsia!
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Nov 10, 2009 23:48
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Wandering Knitter posted:I so want a stocking hat but I already have a few dozen handknit hats. Ha! Hats are the reason why I started knitting. I love hats and wear hats every day of my life. Hats are amazing and the more you have, the better. Windy posted:Oh god I want one of those too, but I'm still afraid to knit with more than one color yarn. How hard was the green and white cap to make? It's SO EASY! Once you're ready for a new color, you just grab a strand of the new color and start knitting with it. Whenever you get to the start of a Right Side row, you just bring the old color up the new row by wrapping it around the new color. So basically what you do is drag the old color up the side of your knitting. But if you're done with the old color, you can just drop it and continue with the new color. So. Freaking. Easy. There are a LOT of videos on YouTube that show how to do this. Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjMcVXXf9ss
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Nov 11, 2009 06:10
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Oh my God that does look easy. I'm just such a clumsy knitter when it comes to new stuff. I'm still trying to get purling down, but it's a real bitch. I'm working on a scarf now that is half purling, so by the time I finish I should be a pro.
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Nov 11, 2009 07:14
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Windy posted:Oh god I want one of those too, but I'm still afraid to knit with more than one color yarn. How hard was the green and white cap to make? Hats are super easy to do color stripes on too because you don't need to worry about hiding the other color as you carry the yarn up over the other color(s) you're knitting with since it'll be inside the hat. No extra work!
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Nov 11, 2009 07:28
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I'm hoping someone with more knitting experience can help me with something. How hard would it be to knit diagonal stripes, like caution tape?
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Nov 11, 2009 21:44
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Lackadaisical posted:
Do you mean like this? 
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Nov 11, 2009 22:04
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I'm thinking about upgrading from my Denise Interchangeables to a higher quality set. It's been a good 5 years of not having to buy straights or circulars but I'm getting tired of the cheap feeling of plastic needles and awkward twisted cables. I think I've narrowed it down to Knit Pick Options Harmony or Addi Turbo Clicks. But I'm trying to determine the pros and cons and it doesn't seem to be a clear-cut winner. We sell the Clicks at work so I'd get a discount, though they're still a bit more than the Harmony ones, but I love the look and feel of the needles and the case is very sleek and cool now that they redesigned it. But the Harmony needles look lovely as well and I do like working with wood. Also, apparently the cables don't have memory so they don't retain coils or bends like the Denise and Addi ones. But I don't like the binder-style case with no labels. Can anyone else throw in their two cents on the sets?
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Nov 12, 2009 23:22
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Drei posted:I'm thinking about upgrading from my Denise Interchangeables to a higher quality set. It's been a good 5 years of not having to buy straights or circulars but I'm getting tired of the cheap feeling of plastic needles and awkward twisted cables. I have the Harmony set. I love it. I have some Addis (though not the set) and a lot of bamboo and even a lot of old aluminum ones, but I almost always use the Harmonies. For wood, they are a lot more slick than you might guess. I've never had a problem with any sort of yarn "sticking". I also have some of the metal ones from them in fixed circulars and they are pretty awesome as well. Their cables are super flexible and won't kink like Addis which is a huge plus for me. If I were you, I'd buy one cable, one set of tips in each the Harmony and the Options and try them out. The Options are nearly identical to Addis in my opinion. They also have the Zephyrs now, which a lot of people like after trying them. Knit Picks needles are very pointy and the cables rock and the price is right. I couldn't be more pleased with them. It is true that the bag sucks, though.
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Nov 13, 2009 01:42
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Well the Harmony set is currently on sale. I am getting a set of the metal ones for the holidays and I cannot loving wait. All I do is troll ravelry and dream  What do you guys have on the needles for presents? I am about one inch away from being done with a New York scarf for grandpa and still have a Goomba hat planned for my little brother. IF I have time I would LOVE to make my partner Exchequered, but man do i hate scarves. Good excuse to learn double knitting though, I guess. Rest of my projects are crocheted (we really should just merge the thread I think) and I am suffering from "too-lazy-to-weave-in-the-ends-itis." Mum recently sent me 3 skeins of Robin's egg blue Nashua Handknits Creative Focus Worsted and for the life of me I can't decide what to make with it. I'm ashamed to say it's the nicest yarn I have ever had, so I'm a little gun shy.
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Nov 13, 2009 07:30
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And, in the "stupid things to do with an excess skein of yarn" department: (Sorry, crappy cell phone photo) This is my friend's dog; though I normally find dog clothes a little weird she shivers like a leaf in winter and I had an extra skein left over after making a hood and scarf for myself. This didn't even take up half the skein. It's amazing how little yarn a small dog sweater takes. Genpei Turtle fucked around with this message at 02:12 on Dec 8, 2011 |
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Nov 13, 2009 18:40
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I have loads of scraps and half-skeins, so what is everyone's favorite scrapbuster pattern? I've been making tiny mittens for xmas giftwrap pizzazz, and I've made a few small giftbags too, but I'm getting bored with those, so give me what you've got please!
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Nov 13, 2009 19:39
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teknicolor posted:I have loads of scraps and half-skeins, so what is everyone's favorite scrapbuster pattern? I've been making tiny mittens for xmas giftwrap pizzazz, and I've made a few small giftbags too, but I'm getting bored with those, so give me what you've got please! Scrappy scarf.
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Nov 13, 2009 19:54
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