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I've always been a pretty blue collar kinda guy, I worked as a mechanic for a while, had a million trade jobs, despite going to college and being rather worldly, always wound up working with my hands. Most recently, I was managing a brewery until one day last february, when got on the wrong side of a broken beer bottle and cut the flexor tendon in my right thumb. Four surgeries and a shitload of time later, I'm finally healed and cleared to work. I am still, however, having a little trouble with the range of motion of my right thumb and general hand dexterity. Long story short, I made the mistake of bringing my mother to PT the day that my therapist recommended that I take up knitting to help work towards a better recovery. Also, being unemployed, what's a better present than something you've made yourself? Here's what I've got so far. They're just scarves, but you have to remember that I'm pretty gimpy right now.  The red and yellow (dubbed 'dragon scarf' by the GF) was the first one I've done, you can see that I started with the end that is on the right, it took me a while to get the hang of the corners. It's all single crochet. As far as the colors? They were the colors I had which were best suited to try and figure out just what the crap was going on with the stitching. It's on the way to my hip rear end sister. The striped one is an attempt at not only creating something that my mother might actually wear, but creating something that I'D actually wear. It's double crochet, and I've done it all since dinner tonight. Should have learned double from the start. If you didn't read that wall of text, know this- knitting/crocheting is an excellent way to rebuild the dexterity of injured hands. E: new page, hope this enough to get this page up and running. I know these are just scarves, but for me they're NOTHING I'd ever thought I'd be doing with my time. Maybe someday I'll end up like Rosie Greer, but I doubt it.
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Dec 24, 2010 05:51
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| # ? May 9, 2024 10:22 |
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glyph posted:
The way I "reason" (not that I need to) is that like any other hobby, whether its knitting or something stereotypically manish like cars, its all in the satisfaction of looking at something and saying "I made that".
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Dec 24, 2010 07:55
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broknits
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I don't know how to say this without sounding like an arsehole trying to chase you away, but if you want some crochet help we have a crochet thread too. Also I'm really glad we have some male fibre crafters here. Need to find myself one so I can get a sweater made for me...
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Dec 24, 2010 15:24
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glyph posted:I'm glad that you've got something you can do with your hands. I know how hard it is when you feel like you can't. I hope you keep recovering well, and I'm glad you can make something for your family. 
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Dec 24, 2010 16:48
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Volcano posted:6. post photos of awesome-sounding knitted praying mantis But of course!   This is easily the coolest thing I've ever knit, and I kinda want to keep it for myself and get my nephew underwear or a box of tissues or something.
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Dec 24, 2010 22:43
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Bob, that is awesome.  I didn't realize it was going to be so big! I really need to knit some more out of that book.Christmas knitting update: not finishing at all close. I've decided getting the largest item (mom's cardi) done by January 1st is the best I've got. I'm buying something for the boyfriend, and the socks will be a birthday present most likely. This gives me time to finish up another pair of socks. At least I know, so now I finally have time for Minecraft again.
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Dec 25, 2010 00:11
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I made a thing. Not technically an xmas knit, but I have owed my friend it for a long time. I'll have decent pics tomorrow:  I kinda fudged the decreases, and if I had time I would've started the big cable so it came out of the ribbing more naturally.
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Dec 25, 2010 06:25
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Yeah about 2 weeks after deciding I'm not going to knit anything for Christmas, and about 2 hours before midnight, I decided I would. So I started on this scarf.
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Dec 25, 2010 09:57
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Ok see what I did there was not have enough yarn to do the whole thing. So I stayed up all night to do half a scarf and of course I can't get more yarn until Monday. e: It turned out around 40" and stretches quite a bit so it'll have to do. Didn't come out as bad as I thought. Still can't believe it took six hours, it was only 107 rows of 21 stitches. Xerol fucked around with this message at 12:50 on Dec 25, 2010 |
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Dec 25, 2010 12:05
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Anyone else get knitting related loot this Christmas? I got a ball winder, a swift, and a stranding guide all from knitpicks 
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Dec 25, 2010 16:57
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zamiel posted:Anyone else get knitting related loot this Christmas? I got a ball winder, a swift, and a stranding guide all from knitpicks I got some random balls of yarn and a bunch of crochet books. That's kinda knitting related, right? I did get two fingerless gloves from my best friend. They don't fit right, and the yarn's itchy, but it's the only gift I got this year that was made with love. I'll treasure them forever. ...though what's a good way to wash a soy/wool blend? They are itchy. 
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Dec 25, 2010 18:00
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I imagine you can still handswash them. I don't think the soy will dissolve.
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Dec 25, 2010 18:08
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FelicityGS posted:I imagine you can still handswash them. I don't think the soy will dissolve. I meant if there's any special detergents I should/shouldn't use. I'm a little worried about hurting them.
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Dec 25, 2010 18:31
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I got the new Cookie A book and my dad made me a bunch of buttons out of an antler! yay! Merry christmas and winter holidays, knitting goons!
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Dec 25, 2010 19:01
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I had a knitters christmas. My lessons start in 2 weeks, and everyone got me knitting things! I got a mini needle cozy, a circular case and the little box in Hot Pink from Namaste, and their Black Monroe bag was supposed to be under the tree, but didn't quite make it. I got two books, first knits and knitting 24/7. I got 3 balls of polar fleece yarn from polar knits in 3 shades of blue to make a sweater for my fiance. And bamboo needles for it. I also got 1 skein each of 3 kinds of Alpaca wool, Aslan trend royal alpaca in crimson and grey, and a chunkier one of undyed alpaca wool(name eludes me and the bag its in is being sat on by the cat) Lastly I got a set of Bamboo needs for the polar fleece, and birch ones to knit the alpaca wool. Also a first aid kit, including lots of little things like a guage ruler, things for the end of my needles and other things. And 2 sets of stich markers, one for knitting one for crocheting.  And theres still a knitting needle case to come from etsy, but that was only ordered when my fiance realised I needed one to keep the needles safe from kitties. Which happened when my little Llama(Cat who is shaved and next time his wool will be spun) made off with one of my knitting needles.
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Dec 25, 2010 20:53
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I got a $50 gift certificate to my favorite LYS, $30 gift card to hobby lobby, and five skeins of white worsted wool (I guess I'm making a sweater, no idea what to do with that much white wool). Really excited about the gift certificate, it's been a while since I knitted with anything but crappy yarn.
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Dec 25, 2010 21:40
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This is my haul: 100g of kureyon and the Noro Men book. I have no idea what I'm going to do with 100g of yarn that thick, but I guess something will come together. That said though, I'm still partway through a triangular scarf and I have a hat to go ahead of me for (now late) christmas knitting.
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Dec 25, 2010 23:08
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Dru posted:And theres still a knitting needle case to come from etsy, but that was only ordered when my fiance realised I needed one to keep the needles safe from kitties. Which happened when my little Llama(Cat who is shaved and next time his wool will be spun) made off with one of my knitting needles. Is cat hair even nice enough to use though? I mean they feel fine petting them and all, but I don't know that I'd wear something made from it. Also my mom said she was thinking about getting me a gift certificate to my LYS, but looked at everything else and said "Yeah, thats enough". Christmas is ruined.
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Dec 26, 2010 01:32
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I didn't get any knitting stuff! I got an IOU for new glasses 
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Dec 26, 2010 01:51
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Fooley posted:Is cat hair even nice enough to use though? I mean they feel fine petting them and all, but I don't know that I'd wear something made from it. Schizzie has an odd coat for a cat. He feels much more wooly than any cat I've know, even though he's an indoor cat. He's not silky at all, he feels like...like one of those fluffy Alpacas at the petting zoon. Its more an expiriment in 'CAN WE DO IT?' than a 'This is a great alternative' I'd likely use the resulting wool in something non-wearable, like some sort of amigarumi crocheted thing.
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Dec 26, 2010 02:31
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I just started to learn how to knit. I'm using US 10 size needles and was trying to make a basic scarf. I did the Long Tail Cast-On (got that from knittinghelp.com) and it was fine! So I moved onto the knit stitch for the next rows and started going. Unfortunately each line is slightly wider than the last which is leaving me with a 3 inch knitted piece that is smaller on the bottom and wider on top. Any suggestions to fix this? Should I just practice? Would using a bigger needle to cast-on and then smaller to do the knit stitch help? Thanks!
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Dec 26, 2010 02:35
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Dru posted:Schizzie has an odd coat for a cat. He feels much more wooly than any cat I've know, even though he's an indoor cat. He's not silky at all, he feels like...like one of those fluffy Alpacas at the petting zoon. Its more an expiriment in 'CAN WE DO IT?' than a 'This is a great alternative' Cat hair definitely felts (cats get mats!) so I don't see why not...I imagine it would be rather difficult to spin though since it's probably pretty short staple length. Anyway, certainly I have seen people spinning and knitting things out of dog fur so why the hell not? digitalscribbles posted:I just started to learn how to knit. I'm using US 10 size needles and was trying to make a basic scarf. I did the Long Tail Cast-On (got that from knittinghelp.com) and it was fine! So I moved onto the knit stitch for the next rows and started going. Unfortunately each line is slightly wider than the last which is leaving me with a 3 inch knitted piece that is smaller on the bottom and wider on top. I would count the stitches and see if you have more than when you cast on - it's a very common problem for new knitters! Sometimes when you start the first stitch of a new row it gets kinda...pulled down weird, and you'll see both "legs" of the stitch going over the needle which makes it look like two. It COULD be that you're loosening up or your cast on was really tight too, but I'd count. And congrats on learning to knit! Bob Shadycharacter fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Dec 26, 2010 |
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Dec 26, 2010 02:46
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:I would count the stitches and see if you have more than when you cast on - it's a very common problem for new knitters! Sometimes when you start the first stitch of a new row it gets kinda...pulled down weird, and you'll see both "legs" of the stitch going over the needle which makes it look like two. I've counted and I have 25 still which is what I started with. The video I was learning from said to just slip the first loop over the second needle instead of completing a knit stitch with it. I hope you understand (or anyone) what I mean by that. Maybe I should try knitting the first loop? Sheesh...I know nothing about this language or how to explain this. Crocheting wouldn't work for me because I could never get it right. I have a knitting loom (Knifty Knitter) but I can't do much on it. I figured by learning, my stuff would look nicer, I could stop being jealous of what people post in this thread and maybe I could eventually make a nice blanket or something. I'll keep trying and start over. I've done that a bunch....I figure that's the only way to really learn!
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Dec 26, 2010 02:54
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I got a Knit Kit and a $30 gift certificate to the LYS. Pretty handy! Everyone seemed to appreciate my gifts to them as well, though I'm not sure if I ever want to bead something again after making two sets of Rani wristwarmers in as many weeks. It's not much compared to anyone else here, but I was so sick of making those by the third.
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Dec 26, 2010 02:56
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digitalscribbles posted:I've counted and I have 25 still which is what I started with. The video I was learning from said to just slip the first loop over the second needle instead of completing a knit stitch with it. I hope you understand (or anyone) what I mean by that. Maybe I should try knitting the first loop? Sheesh...I know nothing about this language or how to explain this. Yup, that makes perfect sense - slip the first stitch is a common instruction. It makes a neater edge up the side of the work. You're probably just knitting more loosely as you go, which is not necessarily a problem! You'll have more even tension as you practice and improve.
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Dec 26, 2010 03:16
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No knitting loot for me, but everyone in the family donated towards the spinning wheel, so my mom has offered to pay the other half as my birthday present. Woo hoo!
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Dec 26, 2010 03:38
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Dru posted:Schizzie has an odd coat for a cat. He feels much more wooly than any cat I've know, even though he's an indoor cat. He's not silky at all, he feels like...like one of those fluffy Alpacas at the petting zoon. Its more an expiriment in 'CAN WE DO IT?' than a 'This is a great alternative' Yeah I didn't mean to come down hard on the idea or anything. Just that cat wouldn't be my first choice. And as far as odd fibers go, I've had an idea for a long time to make it out of paper bags. Melt them down, push them through a die to make fibers, then spin into yarn. Would this be possible? If I were to do it, how long should they be?
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Dec 26, 2010 03:59
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It's possible, but it would make some pretty rough yarn. Do you mean paper bags or plastic? With plastic, you can just cut them into strips, and then add twist to make them stronger. I don't know how you go about setting it--maybe a tiny bit of heat to make it melt together? If you do it in tiny lengths, then at least 3" makes it a lot easier than to do shorter than that.
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Dec 26, 2010 07:00
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I got a $20 KnitPicks gift card from my sister, just enough for the Options tips and cables I need  edit: Oh man, that Chroma stuff wasn't there the last time I looked at the site.... PERMACAV 50 fucked around with this message at 10:35 on Dec 26, 2010 |
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Dec 26, 2010 10:19
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I did really well fiber-wise this Christmas! Mr. Longpig got me a ball winder and swift! I also got a couple balls of Sirdar Snuggly, some locally dyed silk yarn, a ball of double wound sock yarn (so I can knit 2 at a time and have them match), stitch markers, a beautiful raku yarn bowl, and a more portable plastic yarn bell. My friends are awesome. I also gave out a lot of knitting, but I think the thing I'm most proud of is the Scott Pilgrim hat I made for my husband...  
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Dec 26, 2010 17:31
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Longpig posted:I did really well fiber-wise this Christmas! Mr. Longpig got me a ball winder and swift! I also got a couple balls of Sirdar Snuggly, some locally dyed silk yarn, a ball of double wound sock yarn (so I can knit 2 at a time and have them match), stitch markers, a beautiful raku yarn bowl, and a more portable plastic yarn bell. My friends are awesome. I LOVE that hat! Did you follow a pattern or make it up on the fly?
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Dec 26, 2010 18:57
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I looked at the 'official' pattern on Ravelry but I'm cheap so I refuse to pay $5 for a pattern to knit a tube, so I winged it from pictures.
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Dec 26, 2010 19:01
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Re: Cat hair, It does felt! When I was in Japan there was some book I almost bought about felting poo poo for your cats out of their hair. I found it on etsy, here http://www.etsy.com/listing/51051412/cat-hair-felt-book-japanese-handmade I'm still waffling if I want to buy it or not. What the gently caress am I going to make out of my cat's hair, but on the other hand...a book on felting cat hair...
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Dec 26, 2010 19:18
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I think I saw a necklace on Regretsy not long ago that was made of felted cat hair. It was um...a little alarming really. Well, pretty in a weird sort of way, but not something I think I'd buy. I love the idea of making cat toys out of your actual cat. Why wait for them to make the hairball? Do it yourself!
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Dec 26, 2010 20:55
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My uncle has a hat my grandma made for him out of the hair of his persian cat. It's seriously itchy but looks awesome. I'd love that cat felt book, it promises the strangest things: * Cellphone Strap * Tie Pin * Stole * Muffler * Shoulder Bag * Business Card Case * Tie * Emblem, etc... I can't imagine it being much different from normal felting though.
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Dec 26, 2010 21:30
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Honestly, I know dru's cat, and what she's saying doesn't really do it justice... he's fluffy as hell, I think if it works she could pretty easily pass it off as angora to people who go 'you knitted your cat? eww'. I'll eat my hat if it doesn't felt, too*. *I will not actually eat my hat.
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Dec 26, 2010 23:58
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Sex Hobbit posted:I got a $20 KnitPicks gift card from my sister, just enough for the Options tips and cables I need Curses! If you hadn't mentioned this I would be avoiding KnitPicks like I'm supposed to because I need to be saving up for adopting kitties... but instead I have to buy Chroma in worsted... because worsted weight socks knit up seriously fast and they're in such fun colors! Or in the case of "fossil," nice and sedate for my friend's dad. My bank account hates you, but I say thank you!
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Dec 27, 2010 03:10
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Sex Hobbit posted:
Oh...poo poo. That wasn't there the last time I looked either...shiiiiiiiiiiiiit! IT'S SO PRETTY.
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Dec 27, 2010 03:55
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*drool* so gorgeous but out of my price range at the moment...ugh. I hope it's not limited edition like that rainbow sock yarn, drat them! So I'm addicted to making balls with my winder, and my boyfriend was also enamored with winding from the swift and watching it spin haha. I've even done center pull skeins oy... but I'm having no luck figuring out tensioning it either from the swift or redoing it from the ball so that I don't get this huge puffy thing even after watching a few tuts. Although it is fun to squish it with all that air. edit: oh i havent tried the pinch between fingers method. Been doing like I wrap when I knit which may be the problem? I'll find out when my b/f returns the clamp part. The sticky rubber part fell off in transit. zamiel fucked around with this message at 04:27 on Dec 27, 2010 |
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Dec 27, 2010 04:19
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| # ? May 9, 2024 10:22 |
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You need to put a little tension on the yarn to get a more tightly wound ball. I usually use my foot/a chair leg/some object x and wrap the yarn around it and then put the strand on the winder before I start. It doesn't always work, but it does work a lot of the time.
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Dec 27, 2010 11:43
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