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Are you on Ravelry? You can do a search on shawl patterns there and there are lots that are gonna be pretty simple. What kind of climate are you in/what kind of shawl does she want? If you're in like Florida and she just needs something for when ac is too much stick with lace weight/fingering but if it gets cold where you are and she wants something more substantial you could use worsted. On Rav you can search for patterns by recommended yarn weight. As for materials, I would stick with something like wool or alpaca over cotton or acrylic, especially if you pick something with some lace. Acrylic doesn't really block so you won't get the amazing transformation from pile of snot to something beautiful! Best of luck! Shawls really aren't difficult, just will be a longer project than what you've been doing. 
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Nov 23, 2015 16:04
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Phishi posted:Are you on Ravelry? You can do a search on shawl patterns there and there are lots that are gonna be pretty simple. What kind of climate are you in/what kind of shawl does she want? If you're in like Florida and she just needs something for when ac is too much stick with lace weight/fingering but if it gets cold where you are and she wants something more substantial you could use worsted. On Rav you can search for patterns by recommended yarn weight. We live in western North Carolina (Charlotte), so it can get fairly cold in winter. Those are the kinds of questions I hadn't even thought about, and something I definitely needed to put into the equation. I'll ask the Mrs. What she is looking for. Thanks!
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Nov 23, 2015 16:57
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djinndarc posted:We live in western North Carolina (Charlotte), so it can get fairly cold in winter. Those are the kinds of questions I hadn't even thought about, and something I definitely needed to put into the equation. I'll ask the Mrs. What she is looking for. Thanks! I've found that Pretty Basic is a good beginner pattern, as it only gets to yarn overs. Hitch hiker's shawl is fun, but probably not super bridelike. Bigger yarn knits up faster, but there's no real advantage or disadvantages. Just depends on the look and colors you want. I wouldn't suggest fingering if you're new, though. I found it a bit fiddly.
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Nov 23, 2015 19:32
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Dangling Conversation is another good easy pattern with just yarnovers and some simple decreases. vvvv THIS IS CORRECT. I still curse Homespun for keeping my sister from getting into knitting. There are a lot of better choices for a bulky and none of them are boucle. PERMACAV 50 fucked around with this message at 00:19 on Nov 24, 2015 |
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Nov 24, 2015 00:05
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For the love of God and all that is holy do not use Lion Brand Homespun for your shawl. "But it looks so warm!" You'll say, "And I love all of the colors!" It's a horrible trap set by Lion Brand to crush your soul as the yarn pulls apart AGAIN because you pulled it too tight and your needles just broke through the yarn again and oh God there's puffs everywhere where did all of these puffs come from they're in my lungs send help.
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Nov 24, 2015 00:13
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When knitting a shawl it's a good idea to use stitch markers and by that I mean a gently caress ton. I normally use them to mark the edges, any section repeats and the spine of the shawl, if the pattern has one. I always tend to check and double check stitch counts as needed but that's more because I make mistakes easily and have trouble counting stitches when they begin to rack up to the hundreds. Scrumptious lace by Fyberspates is a really nice lace weight yarn which I've used for a couple of shawls. It's silk and merino and you get a little shy over 1000 yards for a skein. ( I think it's around £15 for one.) It's a good option if you end up going for a yarn of that weight and the colours are pretty nice and intense. I have another skein of a nice deep red colour to use at some point.   Sorry for the bad picture quality. This is the lace in purple.
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Nov 24, 2015 01:33
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Wandering Knitter posted:For the love of God and all that is holy do not use Lion Brand Homespun for your shawl. My favorite relative asked me to knit her a poncho for Christmas when I asked what she would like. "Sure, I can do that!" I replied. Then she told me she knew just what she wanted because she saw the perfect yarn for it. I was never the same. She loved the poo poo out of that poncho, though.
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Nov 24, 2015 01:38
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One of my favorite shawl type things I've made so far is "The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief". The pattern calls for DK weight which is nice since it will knit up quicker. It's simple but interesting and easily modified to be bigger so don't let the "kerchief" part make you think it won't be big enough- just keep adding sections until you're close to running out of your yarn. I added beads to mine but that is not in the pattern- I followed another Raveler's instructions for how she added them to hers. Another one of my favorite shawl type items was "Guernsey Wrap". It is a knit/purl textured stitch pattern wrap so really all you need to know is how to read a chart and how to knit and purl. It is a worsted weight item so also knits up pretty quickly. There is also a shawl version (triangle shaped)- "Guernsey Triangle" which I haven't made but want to- it is a fingering weight shawl. See the wrap I made: 
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Nov 24, 2015 03:06
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Wandering Knitter posted:For the love of God and all that is holy do not use Lion Brand Homespun for your shawl. I remember it well. Nigh on fifteen years ago, when I first decided to start knitting, I bought a thing of Homespun in Antique Red. It looked so soft and squishy, and like it would hide my mistakes and also magically make something fashionable even though that would have been what, 2000, and so no, definitely not? Anyway. I went through three moves, and in each apartment I would remember that desire to take up knitting, and I'd conveniently find that thing of Homespun tucked in the back of a drawer or at the bottom of a basket. It kind of haunted me. Increasingly, I realized that I could never make something I would like out of it, but I had it, so I felt like I should use it, and overtime I thought about knitting, it would just be there somehow. I moved a few more times, throwing stuff out with each move. Eventually, I went to law school and forgot all about knitting. In 2011, I packed up only the absolute essentials and moved to San Francisco. I couldn't find a job. I remembered knitting. THAT loving HOMESPUN WAS IN ONE OF THE BOXES. This story has a happy ending though. On December 14, 2014, I threw away that goddamn piece of poo poo. Yeah, I know the exact date. And I wouldn't be that surprised if I dig into one of my boxes of yarn one day and a bundle of Homespun comes out in my hand.......
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Nov 24, 2015 11:52
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I think it's a rite of passage for any knitter to have that one (or many) skeins of yarn in their stash that was bought with the best of intentions. 
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Nov 24, 2015 18:54
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My Mom asked for "a nice warm wrap" and picked out homespun for it. She never asked for anything before that, and years later she's still using it. Love you, Mom.
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Nov 24, 2015 20:40
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Serenity Dove posted:I think it's a rite of passage for any knitter to have that one (or many) skeins of yarn in their stash that was bought with the best of intentions. I had this and had bags and bags of yarn, and then I had a moth infestation in my closet and had to throw out all of it. Now I don't buy yarn unless I have a specific intention for it, no matter how pretty it is.
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Nov 24, 2015 22:25
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Serenity Dove posted:I think it's a rite of passage for any knitter to have that one (or many) skeins of yarn in their stash that was bought with the best of intentions. I have a ton of it in my stash. I had planned on crocheting an afghan with a bunch of strands held together but it was a nightmare to work with, so I didn't get far on it before frogging it. It looks pretty, why is it such a pain in the rear end to use?
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Nov 25, 2015 03:32
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I've met crocheters who swear that it's far less of a pain to crochet with than knit. So it might work?
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Nov 26, 2015 01:25
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Ehhh speaking as someone who crocheted an almost-fashionable hat out of Homespun, it's not all that much easier. And I guarantee that working with multiple strands held together is a recipe for tears.
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Nov 26, 2015 02:43
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Knitting project number 2 was a headband in Homespun. I thought I'd be making a whole skein's worth for presents, but that dream died around row 2. The headband is super soft and cuddly and I don't regret powering through, but I never touched that yarn again. A blanket would be amazing, but I don't think I'd get very far before I tossed it all in the river.
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Nov 26, 2015 05:25
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Does anybody really like Homespun at all? I haven't met anyone yet....
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Nov 26, 2015 09:55
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I kind of like it.. but I like terrible things. v vHonestly though, I've never really had a problem knitting or crocheting with it, but I do knit kind of bassakwards TBL, because I sort of taught myself and it just made more sense that way.
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Nov 26, 2015 14:26
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Never used Homespun and feel like I am missing out on something. Looks horrible though.
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Nov 26, 2015 22:47
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I have a co worker who had her scarf hanging with her coat and I could tell it was hand knit. I was excited, so I (maybe creepily) touched it. I was so sad to feel it was cheap acrylic! My name is HungryMedusa and I am a yarn snob.
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Nov 27, 2015 06:31
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All together now, "Hi, HungryMedusa." You're among friends.
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Nov 27, 2015 11:41
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I've been on an amigurumi kick and have used nothing but Simply Soft for the past month or two 
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Nov 27, 2015 17:22
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Sounds normal to me. I don't understand people who use pricey yarn for amigurumi/bowls/etc. Scraps yeah, but not full skeins. You paid good money for it, use it somewhere it will be appreciated.
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Nov 27, 2015 22:03
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It made me twitch when I bought an amigurumi book and they mentioned using alpaca yarn for children's toys.
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Nov 28, 2015 06:36
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Ms. Happiness posted:It made me twitch when I bought an amigurumi book and they mentioned using alpaca yarn for children's toys. Why the nutsacks would you use alpaca for amigurumi period? poo poo, amigurumi is the one time acrylic yarn is preferred because it doesn't have much stretch and doesn't pill or felt.
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Nov 28, 2015 06:57
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Not only that, but acrylic's one of the few guaranteed machine-washable things, making it ideal for stuffed animals and children's things in general. I can't imagine giving my 5-yo nephew anything made of alpaca, let alone a toy.
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Nov 28, 2015 08:43
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Ms. Happiness posted:It made me twitch when I bought an amigurumi book and they mentioned using alpaca yarn for children's toys.  why on earth would you do that? I have 3 skeins of 80/20 alpaca/silk mix and it's the most luscious yarn I've ever petted. I'm hoping to get some of the un-dyed version to make Bord de mer.
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Nov 28, 2015 10:42
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I knitted a tiny alpaca with some leftover alpaca yarn once?
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Nov 28, 2015 13:00
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^ ok, so there's one time when it's
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Nov 28, 2015 13:23
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Safari Disco Lion posted:Why the nutsacks would you use alpaca for amigurumi period? poo poo, amigurumi is the one time acrylic yarn is preferred because it doesn't have much stretch and doesn't pill or felt. FWIW I actually prefer animal fiber (usually just wool not alpaca though) for amigurumi because I like felting them. I'd probably stick with acrylic if I was making something for a small child that needs consistent washing though.
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Nov 28, 2015 13:41
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Ms. Happiness posted:Does anybody really like Homespun at all? I haven't met anyone yet.... I have a weaver friend who says it works well for weaving, so I guess that's who.
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Nov 28, 2015 16:13
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I finished a thing. Pattern is Swept Away, yarn is my handspun. (but not hand-dyed) Now I can make a lot of shorter projects because holy gently caress that took forever.
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Nov 29, 2015 01:20
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Love that green, it's gorgeous. I always have half a dozen projects on the go at one time for that exact reason - big ones just take too long.
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Nov 29, 2015 02:43
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People are posting finished Doodlers all over instagram, and as for me...  Jobs suck.
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Nov 30, 2015 08:01
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It looks like a wonderfully beautiful dragonfly wing.
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Nov 30, 2015 08:20
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Re: shawls, I knit a vineyard scarf a while ago and it was pretty simple! I also discovered that one of the yarns I'm going to be making fingerless mitts out of is Homespun. How much trouble is this going to be? I shamefully admit I got it because it was pretty.
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Dec 1, 2015 04:21
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Mad Hamish posted:Re: shawls, I knit a vineyard scarf a while ago and it was pretty simple! Keep your gauge loose and it might not be too bad. Homespun makes really great projects, it's just that it is also is a fuzzy splitting mess.
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Dec 1, 2015 04:59
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Sex Hobbit posted:People are posting finished Doodlers all over instagram, and as for me... High five, Doodler buddy, here's mine.  I don't know when/if I will go for clue 3. The idea of picking up 250 stitches or whatever is making me twitchy. I will have no excuse not to after I finish one quick xmas gift, but I feel like this thing is going to sit for a while.
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Dec 1, 2015 16:46
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I just picked up 175 stitches for a sweater button band, and it can go gently caress itself.
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Dec 1, 2015 17:02
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i like nice words
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The Dude sweater I made asked for 319 for the button band/collar. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck that.
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Dec 1, 2015 18:29
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