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While we're on the topic of sweaters we'd love to knit, I present the following, which is what I vow to do some day: Click here for the full 1000x600 image. It's the Henry VIII classic sweater. You have to buy both the yarn and the pattern together if you want to do it though. I've only just started stranded knitting and have only been able to do continental at all for about a month, so I'm setting my sights high on this one, I think. Some day, hopefully sooner than later. (ha!) Also to contribute in the "recently completed projects" department, a felted owl:  Which brings me to a question about felting--is there any sort of rule about what felts well and what doesn't? This owl is made of entirely 100% wool and while the feet and beak felted well, the body and wings would barely felt at all. I eventually had to stop trying or else the feet/beak would have gotten way too small. The body was wool tweed though, does that make a difference? It wasn't pre-shrunk or anything.
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Dec 4, 2009 20:31
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Genpei Turtle posted:While we're on the topic of sweaters we'd love to knit, I present the following, which is what I vow to do some day: I dunno, it probably looks more difficult than it is. Most of these crazy looking colorwork patterns are only two or three colors per row. I'd say the hardest thing is just the sheer endurance you'd need for that fine gauge. As to felting, there really isn't a hard and fast rule, other than it has to be animal fiber of some sort and obviously it shouldn't be superwash. Even sometimes withing the same brand of yarn, two different colors will felt slightly differently. It's all down to the little scales on the hairs of the wool, they open up when agitated/heated and then close down on top of each other when felted. So any kind of treatment of the fibers - like dying - can change that.
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Dec 4, 2009 20:51
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Genpei Turtle posted:
Often white or bare colors don't felt well or at all because of bleaching processes. Even if they're 100% non-superwash wool.
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Dec 4, 2009 20:58
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hollaback grandma posted:Often white or bare colors don't felt well or at all because of bleaching processes. Even if they're 100% non-superwash wool. It's true. Every year I forgot this and make a snowman for someone only to wind up with a half-felted monstrosity.
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Dec 4, 2009 21:15
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hollaback grandma posted:Often white or bare colors don't felt well or at all because of bleaching processes. Even if they're 100% non-superwash wool. Ah drat, that explains it. I didn't even want to make it in a light color to start with, it's just that the pattern called for a double strand of fine mohair + wool, and given the yarn selections I had it was either down to white or a hideous mismatched combination. Oh well, live and learn. I doubt its recipient will care one way or the other.
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Dec 4, 2009 22:36
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As an aside, I've found that Lion Brand wool (in winter white) felts just as well as the other colors in the line.
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Dec 4, 2009 22:54
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Okay, I finished knitting Knitty's Lace Ribbon Scarf a few months ago and it occurs to me that Christmas is coming and I better block it one of these days. But now I'm running low on time and all I have is metal pins that I've been using for blocking, and I've knit it in a cream-coloured mercerized cotton. I'm worried about getting rust stains on the yarn. And I'm a little low on time to order plastic pins from knitpicks (and I'm averse to the idea of spending $20 on pins and $8 to ship them up here to Canada for such a small item). So what's going on in these two pictures from earlier in the thread? Is threading another piece of yarn through the edge a good solution to block out a straight edge? Is this a good way for me to minimize the amount of metal pins? Amykinz posted:Talise posted:
My last effort solution will be to buy a pack of plastic paperclips from the dollar store and bend them funny ways to act as plastic pins. 
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Dec 4, 2009 23:45
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Firequirks posted:So what's going on in these two pictures from earlier in the thread? Is threading another piece of yarn through the edge a good solution to block out a straight edge? Is this a good way for me to minimize the amount of metal pins? I ran a length of some pinkish mercinized (whatever that is,,, shiny cotton, not fuzzy cotton) cotton yarn WAY loving LONGER than the outer perimeter of my blanket, and then pined out the corners of the loop. I stabbed about 6 pins in a star on my bed, and wound one corner of the string loop in that a few times... like tying up a boat, and then pulled the string tight and pinned down the next corner, farther out than I thought I would. Then, i pulled out the opposite side of my square in the same manner, where I thought it should be in the blocking. Then I pulled out the two 'side' sides, to make a square. That probably made no sense.. so read this too: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/blog/archives/2005/08/23/walk_around_the_block.html
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Dec 5, 2009 01:25
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Do any of you guys do any needle felting?
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Dec 5, 2009 01:53
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Ozma posted:Do any of you guys do any needle felting? I do!  I highly suggest the needle felting tools made by Clover. Also, be very careful when needle felting if you're holding the item in your hands. 
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Dec 5, 2009 04:39
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Wandering Knitter posted:I do! I haven't been holding it in my hands, but I think I'm doing it wrong because even when I'm working it on a piece of foam I'm constantly jabbing myself with the drat needle.  I tried to make a little mushroom and it looks, well, like a 2 year old made it or something.
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Dec 5, 2009 05:03
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Ozma posted:I haven't been holding it in my hands, but I think I'm doing it wrong because even when I'm working it on a piece of foam I'm constantly jabbing myself with the drat needle. No, you'll do that. A lot. Like a lot a lot. Ozma posted:I tried to make a little mushroom and it looks, well, like a 2 year old made it or something. If it helps I finally found out after doing this for years that Clover sells heavy weight and light weight needles. And here I just thought I kept randomly getting "bad" needles.
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Dec 5, 2009 05:14
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I do some needlefelting and wet felting, though I probably know more about wet felting. And yes, you will stab yourself a lot starting out :< Wandering Knitter posted:If it helps I finally found out after doing this for years that Clover sells heavy weight and light weight needles. And here I just thought I kept randomly getting "bad" needles. So, what's the actual difference between heavy weight and light weight? I saw them and just bought the light weight because I wasn't doing any intense needle felting, but I wasn't sure why I would need a heavier weight.
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Dec 5, 2009 05:29
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Shnooks posted:So, what's the actual difference between heavy weight and light weight? I saw them and just bought the light weight because I wasn't doing any intense needle felting, but I wasn't sure why I would need a heavier weight. I swear the light weight needles aren't as sharp as the heavy weight ones. Maybe it's for thinner projects? Like maybe a thin scarf or something? I'm not too sure.
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Dec 5, 2009 06:01
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I am making this scarf as a Christmas gift for my mother... it is my first time doing a lace-ish pattern! For some reason when I first started it, I kept messing up and had to re-start it like eighty times, but now I have the pattern memorized and it is knitting up really quickly. This is the first thing that I've made that I'm going to block - can you just use any sort of pins to do it? It seems like you would need a lot of them - if you space them out a lot wouldn't it give the scarf a weird shape? And how do you find the space to do it? Oh no!!!
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Dec 5, 2009 08:32
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Yeah, I do some needle felting, you can see some of my finished items on Ravelry, I'm Midnattsol there. I've just done simple shapes like hearts. Yes, there will be a lot of stabbing yourself.
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Dec 5, 2009 13:22
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Space Cooter posted:I am making this scarf as a Christmas gift for my mother... it is my first time doing a lace-ish pattern! For some reason when I first started it, I kept messing up and had to re-start it like eighty times, but now I have the pattern memorized and it is knitting up really quickly. Generally you block it on your bed and sleep on the couch.  I actually have an old mattress that I drag up from the basement when I'm blocking something big but it's kind of a pain because the dog natrually assumes it's a giant full size bed just for him. For that scarf I wouldn't use pins - there's basically no way to get a good straight edge with pins, no matter how many you put in it will be scalloped. That's fine if the thing you knit is supposed to have scalloped edges but not so much if it isn't. For that I would use a strand of cotton yarn threaded through each long edge and attach the cotton to pins. If you do ever use pins for blocking something just make sure they're stainless steel. Otherwise they'll rust and leave stains on the yarn and you'll have to shoot yourself.
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Dec 5, 2009 15:12
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Longpig posted:Christmas knitting dump! Here's what I've got so far. I absolutely LOVE those slippers. They look so cozy  Also, that's a lot of projects! I wish I had that much motivation. I think I'm in way over my head with my DIY Christmas projects.
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Dec 5, 2009 17:48
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Genpei Turtle posted:While we're on the topic of sweaters we'd love to knit, I present the following, which is what I vow to do some day: Ha! I just bought Starmore's Celtic Collection. It's gonna be ace. I am also contemplating the Habu steel yarn to knit and under/over shirt for a possible buy- the Rodarte for Target skeleton dress.
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Dec 6, 2009 04:54
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Amykinz posted:blocking tips Thank you so much for this. In an ironic twist of timing, I just took the pins out of a different (non-lace) scarf I was blocking and realized that the scallopped edges in my pinning stayed scalloped, when it was supposed to be straight.  I guess I shoulda seen that coming, but it was my first time blocking with actual wool. Lesson learned, and I've spritzed down the edges and stretched them out flat and neat again. One more day of drying and I can mail that one out. I will definitely be trying the string method for the lace scarf. Thanks!!Is anyone else noticing that this particular winter season is extra-packed with knitwear everywhere? I had knit up a coffee cup holder a few weeks back and my friend in New York took a phone picture with Starbucks' version of the same thing.  We were in Payless yesterday and saw these, and some in-store counterparts that had knit ruffles instead of ties/bobbles:  I've also seen some stuff while walking by H&M that has pieces showing off colourways normally reserved for fancy sock yarns. I'm not one to normally appreciate some of the more variegated colourways for an everyday-wear item (some of the hats or scarves in ravelry just look too kitchy and "I MADE THIS  " to me -- may as well be fun fur), but apparently fashion trends this year disagree with me.
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Dec 6, 2009 21:58
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Firequirks posted:
I found a hat in H&M that looked knit with 50s (the broomsticks) and VERY VERY bulky yarn. It was about 25 rounds. I ain't paying no $20 for something I can knit in less than an hour. I'm also seeing a lot of striped scarves with the ends left hanging out of each stripe 
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Dec 7, 2009 00:02
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Anyone have a nice pattern for a men's sweater that zips up the front? Preferably something easy and simple-looking (no fancy cables or anything)?
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Dec 7, 2009 02:16
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^^ Blue Sky Alpaca has this cardigan that I plan to make for the boyfriend. Might be a bit pricey if you use BSA but anything with ~20-24 st gauge should substitute.
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Dec 7, 2009 06:10
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Drei posted:^^ Looks simple, but SPORT WEIGHT? Start it tomorrow and maybe you could give him that for a retirement present XD
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Dec 7, 2009 07:19
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Look Under The Rock posted:Anyone have a nice pattern for a men's sweater that zips up the front? Preferably something easy and simple-looking (no fancy cables or anything)? Just today, I was admiring the Biker Boy pattern on ravelry from the Son of Stitch 'n Bitch book. Check out the user projects -- plenty of people have knit it with different colours and without the skull motif, but the overall fit of the sweater looks just great in so many of the project pictures. Then if you decide to do it, go to the library to get the pattern from the book if you're a cheap bastard like me. 
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Dec 7, 2009 07:35
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Sex Hobbit posted:Looks simple, but SPORT WEIGHT? Start it tomorrow and maybe you could give him that for a retirement present XD BSA sport weight is a misnomer - it's actually between an aran and dk weight. No clue why it's called that. It is lovely yarn, thought.
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Dec 7, 2009 21:50
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:Generally you block it on your bed and sleep on the couch. Thank you for the tips! I am almost done with this scarf. Only two more to go! I messed up somewhere and am missing a stitch - I don't see a dropped one, so I am undoing it row by row until I find the mistake.  usually I am really good about not making mistakes. It is frustrating.
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Dec 8, 2009 04:21
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Today must be a bad day for knitting. I'm making myself a hat and so far I've had to restart it FOUR TIMES. I guess I can't 1. count to 120 2. k2p2 without watching what I'm doing 3. continue a pattern. UGH
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Dec 8, 2009 06:37
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Oh god don't get it on me, I had some kind of loving brilliant idea to knit all but two christmas gifts...starting mid november. IDIOT.
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Dec 8, 2009 20:26
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:Oh god don't get it on me, I had some kind of loving brilliant idea to knit all but two christmas gifts...starting mid november. IDIOT. It's the loving holiday season. It makes us think we can do the impossible. I actually contemplated knitting a baby blanket yesterday for someone and thought "Yeah, I can finish one by Friday if I just work really hard..." I made myself turn around and march out of the yarn store before I did anything stupid.
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Dec 8, 2009 21:16
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Bolivia_is_Good posted:Christmas gifts! This stuff is all seriously adorable. I want a robot hat! Or to make a robot hat. And a kitty hat, except I guess I couldn't wear that out in public, being a boring grown-up.
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Dec 8, 2009 22:02
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:Oh god don't get it on me, I had some kind of loving brilliant idea to knit all but two christmas gifts...starting mid november. IDIOT. After years of doing this I learned the truth the hard way: Just make a lot of one type of item for everyone. It's the only way you can get through the holiday season in one piece and of sound mind. This year everyone's getting little plushie bunnies.
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Dec 8, 2009 22:43
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Wandering Knitter posted:After years of doing this I learned the truth the hard way: Just make a lot of one type of item for everyone. It's the only way you can get through the holiday season in one piece and of sound mind. But dear God if you decide to make that one item socks, don't wait until December to start 3 pairs.
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Dec 8, 2009 23:07
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Sigh. Yeah. Well, I've got two hats done, a third of another done, and a third of a lap blanket done. The one I haven't started yet is a pair of booties but the last pair I knit only took two days, three tops so I'm holding off on that. Lucky for me I've got sort of a small list.
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Dec 9, 2009 00:56
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I'm attempting Christmas gifts this season - A hat and a scarf. You guys are making me nervous Though I can knit up a hat in a day.
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Dec 9, 2009 01:58
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I started on gifts back in September. I have just a few more rounds on a plush kitty and then I'm done with everything! Of course I'd probably be working right up until Christmas if I hadn't quit on the bf's blanket (turned out uglier than expected - I'll let him decide if he wants me to finish it) and my mom's fingerless gloves (she never uses anything I knit her so I decided not to bother. Now I have the Silk Garden for myself ).
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Dec 9, 2009 02:06
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I have just learned to knit (only cast on and knitting, no purling yet) and would like to make my sister a baby blanket for her son that's due in April. Would it be easier to buy a circular needle and do one long strand, or to knit squares and sew them together. Thanks for the help, I love the knit animals in the thread. For now, it's garter washcloths for me.
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Dec 9, 2009 07:55
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I'd vote for one long bit on a pair of circulars. It's boring and tedious and 1 row can seem to take years, but I think it's the better option. Little squares have lots of instant gratification and you *think* it won't be so bad seaming them up, but after the first 5 you realize how very wrong you were. Plus, if your seaming skills leave a lot to be desired (mine do!), it can make the whole effort look sloppy and last minute.
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Dec 9, 2009 14:52
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I have no seaming skills so I'll go circular needles. Thank you.
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Dec 9, 2009 18:33
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It'll be a faster knit on the circulars anyway. If I'm not doing anything too complicated on circulars, I can knit up blankets fairly quickly. ps- garter washcloths are fine. When I get really bored and want something to do with my hands, that's what I do. I also make doubleknit cotton potholders, but to talk myself into thinking it's more sophisticated than it is, I start from a corner rather than a regular old horizontal row.
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Dec 10, 2009 01:24
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