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GabrielAisling posted:My school got a pair of 3D printers. They will be available for student use in short order. My first thoughts on what to make? Sock Blockers. Because they're a nice, easy first project to render in 3D. After that we're gonna try Russian spindles and maybe straight needles that could be tips for the Chiao Goo interchangable set. Very interested in seeing those sock blockers. I'm going to try KnitPicks' tutorial for using a set of coated metal hangers soon. You could also try differently shaped stitch markers. I would love to see star shaped ones!
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Jan 31, 2013 08:10
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I don't like laceweight yarn. I hate winding it, and I don't like knitting with it. It's light and it's pretty, but I'm terrified of breaking it by pulling too hard and my tension is all over the place. I knit much looser, and more unevenly. And I make so. many. mistakes. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it likely to go away as I get more experience with laceweight? Lace patterns are fine as long as the yarn is heavier, and I don't seem to have problems with my tension.
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Jan 31, 2013 10:03
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left_unattended posted:I don't like laceweight yarn. I hate winding it, and I don't like knitting with it. It's light and it's pretty, but I'm terrified of breaking it by pulling too hard and my tension is all over the place. I knit much looser, and more unevenly. And I make so. many. mistakes. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it likely to go away as I get more experience with laceweight? Lace patterns are fine as long as the yarn is heavier, and I don't seem to have problems with my tension. Yeah, getting the tension right with thin yarns is a pain for me. Heavy yarn forever 
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Jan 31, 2013 10:11
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zamiel posted:Very interested in seeing those sock blockers. I'm going to try KnitPicks' tutorial for using a set of coated metal hangers soon. You could also try differently shaped stitch markers. I would love to see star shaped ones! Oh! I hadn't even though of that. 
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Jan 31, 2013 10:40
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Admiral Goodenough posted:Yeah, getting the tension right with thin yarns is a pain for me. Heavy yarn forever On that:  Wrapped this bad boy up the day before weather is in the teens(it was 65 two days ago, and negative 10 a week ago  ). It's so warm
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Jan 31, 2013 14:56
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left_unattended posted:I don't like laceweight yarn. I hate winding it, and I don't like knitting with it. It's light and it's pretty, but I'm terrified of breaking it by pulling too hard and my tension is all over the place. I knit much looser, and more unevenly. And I make so. many. mistakes. Does anyone else have this problem? Is it likely to go away as I get more experience with laceweight? Lace patterns are fine as long as the yarn is heavier, and I don't seem to have problems with my tension. I learned something interesting the other night! It's apparently called Navajo knitting, not because they used it (I don't think...) but because it's basically on-the-fly Navajo plying and then knitting with it. You make a slipknot and finger crochet a chain, then knit with it. It creates a tripled up yarn that's great for thickening up laceweight. It might be something to look into if you like laceweight but want it to be a bit thicker.
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Jan 31, 2013 17:11
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If I had access to a 3D printer, I would be making custom glove blockers immediately. Plenty of places sell sock blockers in a range of sizes, and they're pretty easy to DIY with a hanger. But durable plastic glove/mitten blockers in my exact size? (I know you can theoretically DIY glove blockers with cardboard and trash bags and duct tape...but that's not happening.)
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Jan 31, 2013 19:30
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i like nice words
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I have exactly one set of sock blockers. They're great, but I don't want to pay for more than one set. However, sometimes I wish I could wash all my handknit socks at once. I just can't find drat wire hangers ANYWHERE. Every single store sells exclusively plastic. It's like Joan Crawford is haunting the entire state or something.
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Jan 31, 2013 21:07
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:I have exactly one set of sock blockers. They're great, but I don't want to pay for more than one set. However, sometimes I wish I could wash all my handknit socks at once. I'm pretty sure every wire hanger I've ever owned came from the dry cleaner. I bet you could even go to your friendly local dry cleaner and just ask to buy a bunch.
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Jan 31, 2013 21:39
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So, after trying to make a scarf as my first project... I'm putting it on hold. Jesus it takes a while.  I'm gonna pull the whole thing and restart and double knit it with some chunky wool when I do pick it back up, just so I can actually see progress!For my next project I tried some circular needles, wow they're awkward. I tried my girlfriend's set of them out and it's really weird, gonna head to the shop tomorrow and buy myself a set so I can make a hat in the round. Anyone got any advice for trying to get used to them?
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Feb 5, 2013 03:40
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Magic loop, look it up on Youtube, it is your friend, and they are awkward, but then one day you just get them...oh and don't get a lovely pair, there are cheap ones out there that are not lovely, and some expensive ones that are, but nothing will put you off knitting in the round like having to deal with instant kinks. If you really are a total newbie though, try starting with dish cloths, they're a great way to figure stuff out, good start project, fast, cotton is thick, you do them on a set of 5s, and even if the first few are a little wonky, you give them to your mom and she will genuinely (not even faking) love them because they are awesome and very practical, and then for the rest of her life when you're in a pinch on Christmas gifts you just knit her a set of 7 and she'll love you. So many problems solved.
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Feb 5, 2013 04:27
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Dishcloths are weirdly satisfying to knit. I usually make mine with Lily Sugar n' Cream yarn on size 7s (4.5mm). Last year I made a couple of mitered dishtowels with matching washcloths in some really garish yarns, and I'm still using them all the time. I used this pattern for my towels: http://www.canadianliving.com/crafts/knitting/knit_a_pretty_vintage_hand_towel.php It can be a little bit obnoxious doing the first few rows because they're mitered. Basically, you're casting on a ton of stitches, then slowly decreasing the amount of stitches on the needle to make the bottom point and edges of the towel. I'd suggest using a circular needle for that part (just cast your stitches onto it and use it like a pair of straight needles). The flexible cable will allow the stitches to move around a bit, and if you want you can always switch to straights later. Pics are kinda terrible, but this is what they looked like when I finished. They're not nearly as vibrant anymore because I've washed them so much, and some of the dyes they use aren't totally colorfast:  The pattern for the dishcloths was improvised, based on the towel pattern. I think I cast on 60 stitches for them, and instead of making a buttonhole I just sewed the end of the tab down.  I think these are kinda fun to make, and I'm thinking of doing another set but I really don't need them. One warning though, if you knit really tightly, you will hate cotton yarn. One of my friends is the type of knitter that always has to go up a needle size because she knits so tightly (and neurotically). She absolutely hates cotton yarns, even cotton blends, because they have no stretch and make her hands cramp up really bad.
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Feb 6, 2013 02:19
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Surprise T Rex posted:For my next project I tried some circular needles, wow they're awkward. I tried my girlfriend's set of them out and it's really weird, gonna head to the shop tomorrow and buy myself a set so I can make a hat in the round. Anyone got any advice for trying to get used to them?
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Feb 6, 2013 07:48
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Okay, so my local craft shop is like 8-4 mon-fri, and I work during those hours. Where is a good site online for ordering supplies like a set of needles or such?
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Feb 6, 2013 22:41
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I'm going to assume you're in the US, and my top picks are http://www.knitpicks.com http://www.jimmybeanswool.com and http://www.yarn.com/ Sometimes you can snag a good deal on http://www.discontinuedbrandnameyarn.com/shop/ but IMHO they've gone downhill since last year.
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Feb 7, 2013 14:27
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Supplies (other than yarn) are pretty easy. You can get them from a specialty supplier like Knitpicks if you need something unusual, or you can find basics like needles at Amazon. If you can make it to a big craft store like Michaels, Jo-Ann, etc., then you can pick up plenty of counters, stitch markers, and decent needles. Starting off with bamboo is a good idea since it's less slippery, more controlled. I like Clover Takumi, which you can get pretty much anywhere.
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Feb 7, 2013 15:46
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Yeah, the nearest Michael's is like an hour away. I was hoping to find a set of varying sizes of DPNs at the local shop, but they are only open during hours normal people work.
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Feb 7, 2013 16:29
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I don't think there are a lot of big DPN sets. You can definitely get a cheap DPN set (of multiple sizes) on eBay from China, but you don't know what the quality's going to be like. I would recommend trying out a metal set and a bamboo set -- a set meaning 5 needles of one size -- to see what you like (or if you prefer circs after all); you can get those on Amazon, maybe a book and the shipping should be free.
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Feb 7, 2013 18:05
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Check my post history in this thread. Not long ago I posted a run down of all my needles and I bought some U-NITT? DPNs and love them. Not too expensive, either, and thru Amazon. I'd look it up but I gotta run out the door.
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Feb 7, 2013 20:16
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Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks friend! Your dog is adorable. Also, I saw you from Pitt, I've been meaning to head up there some weekend from Motown, so if you have any local shops to waste money at, let me know.
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Feb 7, 2013 20:46
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Finished a couple of projects this weekend. A pretty basic cardigan that is knit all in one piece. You don't have to sew any pieces together including the sleeves. I linked to it earlier, but I'll do it again.  I made this one loosely based on a pattern from a book and since I wasn't really following the pattern I wasn't thinking much about sizing. It doesn't fit me or my husband, but I think it turned out okay. Knitting the color pattern made me realize that not all yarns are created equal.
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Feb 11, 2013 02:44
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I'm planning to make a few things for a Chinese auction benefit for someone I know. I'm thinking one child's sized something and one adults sized something, unisex, but seeing as it'll be held in late April, I'm not sure folks would jump at a hand knit hat and scarf set as much as if this were being held in October or something. Or am I just being a worry wart? I really can't think of much else that has a wide appeal that's not a huge project.Stormageddon posted:Exactly what I was looking for! Thanks friend! Your dog is adorable. Glad I could help! Actually I live about an hour and a halfish north of Pittsburgh so I don't know of any in the city, but if you ever do get up near Grove City and the outlets there's a lovely yarn store there called Wolf Creek Yarns on Blair street. I took my learn to knit class there
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Feb 12, 2013 02:19
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I made some stuff for a friend's charity a few months ago - toys did very well. I made a little teddy bear with some synthetic furry yarn and it went for well above the minimum bid of $30.
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Feb 12, 2013 05:24
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I bought some Malabrigo yarn last month, my first really nice yarn purchase, and ran into an issue I've never experiened before - what do you do with the big, loose loops of yarn to keep them from tangling? I tried just keeping it laid out next to me, but eventually it got hopelessly tangled. After that I hand-wound everything into tidy little balls, but I'm not sure if there's an easier way, or if winding it like that is bad for the yarn or something. Also, I've been using wooden needles lately because I have issues with slipping on metal needles. But I just discovered that my cat thinks wooden needles are TOPS - he got near me for about a second before he viciously crunched one of the needles in his maw. So my brand new bamboo circular needle set is kinda splintery now. I'd like to prevent this happening again, and I'm wondering if I should just stop buying wood. Should I keep trying with metal needles, or is there a better material to use? I saw that Knit Picks makes acrylic needles, are those any good?
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Feb 13, 2013 23:46
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If you bought that Malabrigo at a yarn store, they should have wound it up for you. As for the needles, acrylic is VERY "love it/hate it". I've never met a knitter who is on the fence about acrylic. I don't know how well your cat learns, but mine knows the 'pssst' sound means he's about to get canned air sprayed at him, so he runs away. So if he starts messing in my yarn or trying to eat the needles, I can pssst at him. You might need to find another spot to knit, teach your cat that needles are off limits, or revert to using needles that can't be ruined by cat attacks. Acrylic would get teeth marks and get all snaggy if someone chewed on them, just like wood though. If your kitty insists on "helping", you might be stuck with metal.
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Feb 14, 2013 00:01
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dopaMEAN posted:I bought some Malabrigo yarn last month, my first really nice yarn purchase, and ran into an issue I've never experiened before - what do you do with the big, loose loops of yarn to keep them from tangling? I tried just keeping it laid out next to me, but eventually it got hopelessly tangled. After that I hand-wound everything into tidy little balls, but I'm not sure if there's an easier way, or if winding it like that is bad for the yarn or something. That is called a skein, and yeah. If you got a yarn store, you can ask them to wind it into a ball for you. Otherwise just hand winding it into a ball works fine too. If you're knitting it right then, no harm done. If you wind it into a tight ball and let it sit for a few months, that can make your swatches a bit off down the road, but it's really not a big deal.
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Feb 14, 2013 00:04
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Maybe you could spray some needles with that bitter apple stuff, until kitty learns that they don't taste too good anymore? Not sure if that would be bad to get on projects, maybe just put it on the broken ones or something? Oh man, the first time I got an actual skein I tried to knit right from it, without even untwisting it or anything. That lasted about ten seconds before it got hideously tangled...
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Feb 14, 2013 00:16
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Urgh, how do you know if you have enough yarn for a project if you're knitting something without a pattern? I want to knit a sweater based on an old favorite, which is basically just a boxy body with two arms attached. But I want to wear it in the summer so I'm using cotton instead of whatever mohair blend the original is, so I can't just weigh the original to get yardage. The yarn I'm using was on sale when I bought it, so I'm not sure there is going to be more
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Feb 14, 2013 01:14
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:Maybe you could spray some needles with that bitter apple stuff, until kitty learns that they don't taste too good anymore? Not sure if that would be bad to get on projects, maybe just put it on the broken ones or something? I got about a foot into a striped scarf I was making before I learned my lesson. I had to cut the yarn, there was no helping it. Then I learned that two skeins of varigated yarn do not necessarily look nice together! So I had a scarf that was 1 foot of green and purplish striping, and 1 foot of green and pale blue-yellowish striping. I finally conceded and unraveled the entire thing last night. It was one of the most hideous things I have ever laid eyes on - I blame the woman that owns the yarn shop - she persuaded me to get green for my solid stripes. So now I'm making a cowl out of the varigated yarn and I'm going to find another use for the green yarn.
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Feb 14, 2013 01:19
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Admiral Goodenough posted:Urgh, how do you know if you have enough yarn for a project if you're knitting something without a pattern? I want to knit a sweater based on an old favorite, which is basically just a boxy body with two arms attached. But I want to wear it in the summer so I'm using cotton instead of whatever mohair blend the original is, so I can't just weigh the original to get yardage. The yarn I'm using was on sale when I bought it, so I'm not sure there is going to be more I'd knit a swatch, weigh it or unravel it to find out how much yardage that uses, then do the math to figure out from there. Alternatively, check Ravelry for patterns similar to that that use cotton and see how much yardage it took. That's my lazy route and it usually works for ballparks.
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Feb 14, 2013 02:49
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FelicityGS posted:I'd knit a swatch, weigh it or unravel it to find out how much yardage that uses, then do the math to figure out from there. Both great ideas, thanks!
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Feb 14, 2013 10:09
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When knitting from unwound skeins, it's helpful to sit in a chair, cross your legs, and drape the circle over your knee. When you need to pull more yarn out, don't just yank it towards you. Pull the yarn up away from the skein and follow the shape of the circle and only pull up one loop at a time. It's not perfect, but if you have to start knitting immediately, it works like a charm. When you're done knitting for the moment, twist the loop into a hank (with the working end sticking out somewhere) and go!
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Feb 14, 2013 14:47
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Knitpicks had a massive security breech. There are angry folks posting on their facebook about if they'd warned them, their #'s wouldn't have been compromised and used fraudulently. Unfortunately, if you used a debit card, not all banks have the same protections as a credit card. It seems like a huge liability not to send out an email to everyone at least I would think. And I see no way to know now if your account even HAD the numbers saved cuz they removed that from their accounts page if it was there before. I've only done 1 or 2 orders so I can't remember. https://www.privacyrights.org/node/55899 quote:Customers who had credit card numbers on file after using them at Knitpicks.com, ArtistsClub.com, or ConnectingThreads.com may have had their information exposed. A file on the Crafts Americana Group, Inc. servers was accessible for a period of time before being removed on January 25, 2013. The file contained names, credit card numbers, addresses, and phone numbers.
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Feb 16, 2013 15:04
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Well thanks for heads up! I'm going to have to check and see if I've ordered from them in the last month or two now.
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Feb 16, 2013 16:01
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It doesn't seem to matter when you've last ordered from them because my card had fraud on it last week and I hadn't ordered from them in at least 6-9 months. Wish KnitPicks had informed its customers because my husband and I had been searching for the reason my card was stolen. Also wish I'd been told because I just placed a new order with them this week and I probably would have reconsidered had I known. Now they have my new number...
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Feb 16, 2013 16:24
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I had lost my card and had to get a new one. So it does sort of matter to me; if I haven't ordered with the new one I don't need to worry about replacing it again.
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Feb 16, 2013 16:41
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Will they inform customers at all? I'm pretty annoyed. I don't remember if I had my cc info saved or not. Still, it's the least they could do. EDIT: Also, since I can't buy blocking mats from them anymore (cause f that), are there any other places you ladies like for blocking mats so I don't put holes into all my nice towels? ackapoo fucked around with this message at 17:40 on Feb 16, 2013 |
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Feb 16, 2013 17:16
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I did not have my credit card saved with them. I re-entered my info each time I ordered with them so for people that haven't had their card numbers changed recently saved info vs non-saved may not matter.
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Feb 16, 2013 18:29
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ackapoo posted:Will they inform customers at all? I'm pretty annoyed. I don't remember if I had my cc info saved or not. Still, it's the least they could do. Toy mats. You can buy toy mats for kids for cheaper that fit together like the knitpicks one do. Or garage mats. It's the same foam thing, the colours are just different.
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Feb 16, 2013 18:37
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I placed two orders recently, but I haven't had any weird things happen with my card. F5ing like crazy though. I usually don't let sites save my card info, but I don't remember if Knitpicks had a visible option not to save it -- anyone know?
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Feb 16, 2013 19:12
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