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NancyPants posted:^^^ hrrrrnggh that is beautiful. Is it done stranded or double knit or what? Double knitting. I wish I could get my head around Fair Isle but it always, always bunches up no matter what I do and it seems best suited to carrying the yarn two-handed where I have to do them both in the left hand or I get too angry. Edit new page here's some socks 
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Oct 22, 2017 20:40
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The trick to fair isle / stranded is you need to be a really relaxed knitter - a lot of people just knit everything real tight. I switched to pretty much entirely wood needles and not worrying about stuff slipping around or falling off seems to have made it easier to keep everything loose.
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Oct 23, 2017 02:01
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OldNorthBridge posted:I finished my first Geek-A-Long square! Seeing that I'm an old and have vivid memories of playing Oregon Trail in my elementary school library in 1980 (I was in 1st grade) on an Apple II, I went with this: Thanks for posting this, I was curious enough to google Geek-A-Long and I finally get double knitting thanks to the latte and llamas video. I made the nice little bookmark from the tutorial video and then I made it again with nice edges and a nicer cast off thanks to Sockmatician videos.  And a GAL square (with the boringest wool choice because that’s what I had): 
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Oct 23, 2017 08:25
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Ugh, it appears to be sock-mending season. The other day I saw one of my husband's socks sticking out of the dresser, and he somehow managed to get a hole in the top of the foot. I don't know how, and neither does he, but I went ahead and mended it for him. Wasn't the best or the prettiest job, but it should hold, and he's just happy to have warm handknit socks. The other day after work I took my shoes and socks off, and found that one of my socks had a whopping 5 ! holes in the cuff of all goddamn places. I swear they weren't there when I put the socks on that day.. I'm thinking maybe because I've been wearing them more often, and with my Dr. Martens, they've probably gotten more wear around the eyelets of the boots. Same sock had a hole on the bottom of the foot, while its mate only had one little hole on the heel. I honestly expected the toes to wear out first, since that's where all of my store-bought socks develop holes.. I mended a couple holes in one of my yoga socks a couple months ago, and I found a tiny hole in the cuff of another pair of socks last night. I don't mind darning socks, but drat, do they really all have to die at once? I get that all but one of these pairs is 2+ years old but it's still frustrating, especially because it takes time away from knitting new socks, and I was hoping to have a pair for my husband done before Christmas.. 
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Oct 23, 2017 13:38
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fuzzy_logic posted:The trick to fair isle / stranded is you need to be a really relaxed knitter - a lot of people just knit everything real tight. I switched to pretty much entirely wood needles and not worrying about stuff slipping around or falling off seems to have made it easier to keep everything loose. Got some wooden needles, I'll give it another go. But how to you keep the tension while knitting loosely?
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Oct 23, 2017 22:36
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Croisquessein posted:Got some wooden needles, I'll give it another go. But how to you keep the tension while knitting loosely? Sticky yarn will help a lot, shetland is basically designed for stranding, so is anything with a 'halo' like mohair. If the yarn sticks to itself it'll stay more or less where you lay it as you move the stitch along. I started moving my hands very far away from each other on the needles, so instead of choked up on the yarn where the actual knitting is happening, slide them way down to the other end of the needle, like where you would hold chopsticks. It feels really weird at first. I don't even really worry about tension so I'm not super helpful, but if you can practice letting go of the yarn entirely as you make the stitch you'll be surprised how well it goes without pulling on the strand (stick the needle into the loop, wind the yarn around, then let the yarn go and pull it through the loop). Eventually you'll get to where you're controlling tension with the needles, instead of your fingers directly, if that makes sense. If a loop is particularly wonky here or there you can give it a tug after the stitch is done. If you can keep one strand of yarn slack it's easier to do with two (I hold both at once but I barely hold them, I'm just lifting to where I can 'grab' the right one with the tip of the needle). This is just my personal method, I almost never touch the actual yarn, I try to manipulate it with the needles as much as possible, it makes things way more consistent. ed: sorry, looks like you were talking about floats! Drop the strand you're not using entirely. When you pick it back up don't pull at all, loop it on the needle and let go. The wood will help the needle hang onto it while you do the stitch. fuzzy_logic fucked around with this message at 06:58 on Oct 24, 2017 |
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Oct 24, 2017 06:53
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I've been trying a little and I am having a hard time. I don't know what it is. I ended up getting a 13 needle and bulky thread so I could follow a certain video. I cast on just fine but I can't get through one complete knitted row. A lot of the times I drop a loop and I know that there are ways of putting it back together but I just have no idea what happened so I don't know what goes where. After I start knitting it just looks like a jumbled mess but I learned to just keep going and it works out. I sort of got through a complete row once and started on the second but it just kept looking more and more screwed up. I keep dropping stuff left and right and sometimes something just doesn't pull right or feel right and I have no idea what happened. I'm going to start practicing again right now. I'm using an idiot proof video and yet I am still struggling. Anyone else have videos or sources for not just a beginner but a loving moron? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HHjftEZQxNc
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Oct 26, 2017 02:38
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I've been trying a little and I am having a hard time. I don't know what it is. I ended up getting a 13 needle and bulky thread so I could follow a certain video. I cast on just fine but I can't get through one complete knitted row. A lot of the times I drop a loop and I know that there are ways of putting it back together but I just have no idea what happened so I don't know what goes where. After I start knitting it just looks like a jumbled mess but I learned to just keep going and it works out. I sort of got through a complete row once and started on the second but it just kept looking more and more screwed up. I keep dropping stuff left and right and sometimes something just doesn't pull right or feel right and I have no idea what happened. In the Before Times, when we didn't have YouTube and I was too proud to ask my mom to reteach me how to knit, I really liked Knitting Help . Maybe they will give you a different perspective that works for you.
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Oct 26, 2017 03:09
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I've been trying a little and I am having a hard time. I don't know what it is. I ended up getting a 13 needle and bulky thread so I could follow a certain video. I cast on just fine but I can't get through one complete knitted row. A lot of the times I drop a loop and I know that there are ways of putting it back together but I just have no idea what happened so I don't know what goes where. After I start knitting it just looks like a jumbled mess but I learned to just keep going and it works out. I sort of got through a complete row once and started on the second but it just kept looking more and more screwed up. I keep dropping stuff left and right and sometimes something just doesn't pull right or feel right and I have no idea what happened. Don't worry about your dropped stitches and don't worry about it looking ugly. It's going to look like poo poo for a while. It's going to take a while for you to learn to knit the correct number of stitches; most people tend to knit into their last stitch twice without meaning to, so they create an additional stitch each time (this is called an increase) and the knitting grows wider with each row. You don't ever need a specific type of needle and thread to follow a certain type of video. There is no such thing as an idiot proof video. There is no such thing as "the perfect video" because everyone learns differently and most people need to see the same technique different ways, especially when first starting out. Have you looked at multiple videos on youtube of "how to knit" or written tutorials with pictures before deciding that you're a loving moron?
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Oct 26, 2017 03:13
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NancyPants posted:Don't worry about your dropped stitches and don't worry about it looking ugly. It's going to look like poo poo for a while. It's going to take a while for you to learn to knit the correct number of stitches; most people tend to knit into their last stitch twice without meaning to, so they create an additional stitch each time (this is called an increase) and the knitting grows wider with each row. I've looked at a few. I just did 3 rows now and I guess it just looks bad but I might be doing it somewhat correctly. I think I'm having an issue with tension. I'll keep practicing for a while.
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Oct 26, 2017 03:35
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I've looked at a few. I just did 3 rows now and I guess it just looks bad but I might be doing it somewhat correctly. I think I'm having an issue with tension. Tension takes forever to get right. Play around with needle materials and ways to hold your yarn.
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Oct 26, 2017 03:48
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Ok so I made to get it through about 5 rows. I guess a lot of what was holding me back was how clumsy it felt and looked. But when I stretch it out a bit in my hands I can see things are happening. Also, I think I started off with possibly 10 casts and now have 11. I can't remember though. Anyway, it's progress!. 
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Oct 26, 2017 03:54
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edit: ^^^ oh hey, you are doing fine already. Ok, so first off, knitting usually takes a lot of practice at the beginning, and the problems you are describing are completely normal beginner problems. Most of the time I find diagrams much more useful than videos, so definitely try looking at some of them, too vs. just following videos. After a fair amount of poking around, I think these from Lion Brand might be the clearest: http://www.lionbrand.com/how-to-knit-knit-stitch. Ideally they would have used a different color to distinguish between the yarn you're messing with and the yarn on the left needle, but alas. Tech Knitting's are ok, but could use a few more of the intermediate steps: http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2006/12/english-knit-stitch.html You could also try switching to continental style (yarn held in left hand). I find the motion of half-dropping the right needle to swing the yarn up and around a strange and impossible motion that I do not understand. With continental, needles and yarn mostly stay in the same place. I couldn't get the hang of knitting until I switched. Knitpicks has tutorials for it in both video and pictures/written instructions: http://tutorials.knitpicks.com/knit-stitch-continental/ Also, while I agree with Nancy Pants that you don't need to worry about dropped stitches for now, you might find it helpful to look at these diagrams showing how to fix them (and a few other problems): http://www.vogueknitting.com/pattern_help/how-to/learn_to_knit/correcting_common_mistakes. I think these pictures might be useful to you b/c they make the construction of the knit fabric a little clearer than a video tutorial does. Understanding how knitting "works" really made it easier for me. If it is confusing and freaks you out, just ignore all of this. You might also try starting out with crochet. I found that easier to manage than knitting when I was a beginner. It's nearly impossible to drop stitches!! From crochet, you get used to holding thread and manipulating thread with a stick. It might be easier to then add in a second stick. And finally, if you can afford it, look for local knitting classes. There is a good chance they offer them at wherever you are buying the needles and yarn. If you can't afford it, and are comfortable talking to strangers, look for local knitting groups. I've never known of a knitting group that didn't have a person who was willing to help people learn.
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Oct 26, 2017 04:07
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I attempted to hand-wind a hank of yarn and it somehow got hitched and turned into a huge gordian knot, what are the chances I could take it back to the store and get a new one? edit: nvm i managed to get it fixed. holy poo poo that was annoying!!!!! Magic Hate Ball fucked around with this message at 07:16 on Oct 26, 2017 |
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Oct 26, 2017 04:28
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When I started knitting, someone advised me to use size US7 or 8 needles and wool yarn. I ended up with 7s and some awful four-ply yarn, and needless to say I never finished the big uggo garter-stitch scarf I tried making with them. I also had a problem with thinking I had dropped stitches, and trying to pick them up. Years later I realized I was probably just having tension issues and the bars between stitches were so loose I thought they were dropped stitches.. 
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Oct 26, 2017 06:34
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Bees on Wheat posted:When I started knitting, someone advised me to use size US7 or 8 needles and wool yarn. I ended up with 7s and some awful four-ply yarn, and needless to say I never finished the big uggo garter-stitch scarf I tried making with them. I also had a problem with thinking I had dropped stitches, and trying to pick them up. Years later I realized I was probably just having tension issues and the bars between stitches were so loose I thought they were dropped stitches.. I checked another site before and they said to start with a size 8 needle as well so I picked up that and size 4 yarn and had lots of trouble with that. Well at least I think I did. Could have just been the tension. This video recommended the size 13 and bulky yarn so it's easier to see what I'm doing, I suppose. I think it's the tension issues that are really throwing me off and I'm assuming that will just get better with time. btw, thanks for all of the help guys. I really need a new and creative hobby. This is all for severe mental health/addiction issues so it's important for me to stick with at least something.
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Oct 26, 2017 13:56
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It's looking like perfectly normal beginner knitting to me! Keep it up.  When I first started I kept knitting the last stitch of the row twice - the end stitches sometimes get pulled forwards on the needle and that makes the two legs of the stitch look like two stitches. I still remember how infuriating it was to wind up with extra mystery stitches.
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Oct 27, 2017 02:33
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I'm knitting my seventh sweater, and I just found an extra stitch in the front panel. IT NEVER ENDS. Also, I hope you grow to enjoy knitting as much as I do, Pennywise. I find it very soothing. Knitting and listening to audiobooks keeps me occupied on many nights when I would otherwise be getting hosed up.
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Oct 27, 2017 02:57
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Dr. Kloctopussy posted:I'm knitting my seventh sweater, and I just found an extra stitch in the front panel. IT NEVER ENDS. That sounds like a fantastic idea. Turn off the TV and let my hands work away.
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Oct 27, 2017 03:44
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Ok so I made to get it through about 5 rows. I guess a lot of what was holding me back was how clumsy it felt and looked. But when I stretch it out a bit in my hands I can see things are happening. That looks great. You might find it's easier to cast on more stitches for your practice pieces so you spend more time knitting and less time turning. It also makes it easier to see the stitches due to the tensioning and because a little skinny thing is going to draw up on itself much more as it gets longer; the wider it is, the easier it is to see the fabric you've created. I'd say cast on 30 or so stitches for that size yarn if that's 10 and see if it feels a little easier. You're doing fine. It's going to be awkward because it's new. You just have to do it to learn it (and look at diagrams, they're much more useful for understanding the mechanics of a stitch than videos are). BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 04:33 on Oct 27, 2017 |
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Oct 27, 2017 04:27
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I don't have anything to add, just chiming in to say your knitting looks great and those issues really will get better with time. Audiobooks are a great idea, less distracting and easier to tune out than the tv, especially when you're beginning. I knit to help with mental health issues too and it's been an honest to god lifesaver. I don't know if it's an issue for you but I find that when my hands are busy my mind shuts up a little and I can get some peace. It also gives me something to concentrate on. Keep it up, you're doing awesome x.
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Oct 27, 2017 05:42
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Also consider podcasts, long-form panel discussions are my favorite.
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Oct 27, 2017 07:42
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I have a kindle that I never use and if you have Amazon Prime you can get some audio books for free. It's a bitch scrolling through all of them to find the free ones, which I've only found two, but I found Dracula. You also get Audible Channels for free. I guess it's a rotating audio book thing. I'm following what appears to be a murder mystery thing. It has an Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes book. So what I think I'm going to do tonight is turn off the TV, light a fire, and start trying to knit a scarf. The directions for one scarf I found is dead simple. Cast on 17 and go to town with the knit stitch until I feel it's long enough. I don't know why it's 17 though. I might do 20 for an even number. I want it to be a scarf I can wear so I'll be using that bulky dark gray yarn in the picture I showed. Well technically the pattern is knitting 14 rows of one color and 14 of another but I'm just going to leave that part out. Does that pattern seem like a good idea? Pennywise the Frown fucked around with this message at 14:02 on Oct 27, 2017 |
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Oct 27, 2017 14:00
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I have a kindle that I never use and if you have Amazon Prime you can get some audio books for free. It's a bitch scrolling through all of them to find the free ones, which I've only found two, but I found Dracula. You also get Audible Channels for free. I guess it's a rotating audio book thing. I'm following what appears to be a murder mystery thing. It has an Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes book. How many stitches per inch are you getting? Knitted scarfs tend to stretch vertically and shrink horizontally. I usually cast on about 1.5x the amount of stitches I think I'll like, width-wise, to account for that. Simple scarves are easy to adjust that way! But yes- overall it sounds like you've got a good plan to make a scarf!
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Oct 27, 2017 14:20
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effika posted:How many stitches per inch are you getting? Knitted scarfs tend to stretch vertically and shrink horizontally. I usually cast on about 1.5x the amount of stitches I think I'll like, width-wise, to account for that. Simple scarves are easy to adjust that way! I'm not entirely sure. It has a little box that says 4" x 4" and 15S on the bottom and 19R on the side with a size 10 US needle.
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Oct 27, 2017 20:02
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That means that on a size 10 needle, you should have 15 stitches and 19 rows in a 4" block of knitting. So work out how wide you want your scarf to be, and that will tell you roughly how many stitches you need .
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Oct 27, 2017 20:14
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I'm not entirely sure. It has a little box that says 4" x 4" and 15S on the bottom and 19R on the side with a size 10 US needle. I'd just count it up on the knitting you've already done, to get an estimate of how wide your scarf will be. Twenty stitches is probably a good place to start with bulky yarn.
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Oct 27, 2017 20:15
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I agree with counting what you've got. I don't seem to ever hit the listed gauge. Scarves are pretty flexible, though, so it won't matter if you are off by a little bit. For audiobooks, check your local library. I don't know if smaller cities have this, but both San Francisco and Seattle libraries have really big streaming audiobook selections. It's awesome. Sometimes I have to wait a couple weeks to get a popular one, but there is always SOMETHING interesting available. This is great for normal ebooks, too.
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Oct 27, 2017 20:47
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I checked another site before and they said to start with a size 8 needle as well so I picked up that and size 4 yarn and had lots of trouble with that. Well at least I think I did. Could have just been the tension. This video recommended the size 13 and bulky yarn so it's easier to see what I'm doing, I suppose. My shop's Beginning Knitting class recommends a size 8 needle (a 24" US 8 circular needle to be specific, because the instructor wants students to get used to circular needles) along with Worsted weight yarn, which is a 4 in that yarn weight category. They make washcloths and learn the basics of casting on, knit stitch, purl stitch, and binding off. But yeah, do whatever works best for you. The first thing I ever knit was a Sport weight scarf which would be a 2 in that category, and it turned out well enough to be a shop sample! What definitely helped though was having other knitters around to give a few pro-tips. Like others have mentioned I'd recommend either taking a Beginning Knitting class or at least checking local yarn shops for knitting groups that might be willing to show you some basics. I made a new thing! This is the Issa Cowl and Spincycle yarn:  Now it's back to finishing socks, Savvy Skeins yarn in colorway Doctor Strange:   I wound the yarn into two separate balls but started running out on the first sock right as I got to the toe, so I did the toe in Madelinetosh Twist Light - Posy which I actually really like!
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Oct 28, 2017 03:14
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Those are some great socks!! And I love your color choices for that cowl. Pennywise just chiming in to echo what everyone else has said. Tension and stuff will come more naturally as you go--the hardest part of knitting is building up that initial muscle memory.
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Oct 28, 2017 06:48
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 100 rows into my winter project. Final product is going to be this: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/akimbo-skirt ambient oatmeal fucked around with this message at 02:44 on Nov 6, 2017 |
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Nov 6, 2017 02:38
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Hi knitting goons! I've got a question that I could use some opinions on--how do you normally deal with steeks? I'm in the process of knitting a cardigan for Mrs. Turtle but the pattern calls for steeking around the front, arms, and neck. The instructions seem to call for sewing the cut steeks in place on the wrong side of the work, but I can't help but think that'll just end up with some big thick blobs of fabric around the armholes/neckholes/front edges that would feel weird when wearing. Is there a way to do this so that it's relatively flat, or am I going to have to unravel all the steek stitches and weave all the ends in on the wrong side when finishing? That would be...painful, as it would end up being about 800 separate strands to weave in. I'm also using fairly sticky yarn designed for floats and colorwork so unraveling the steek stitches themselves would be very time-consuming. Nearly everything I've seen online talks about how to prepare and cut steeks, but not a lot about what to do with those steek stitches once the cutting is done. Any suggestions?
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Nov 8, 2017 00:35
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Genpei Turtle posted:Hi knitting goons! You can either sew a ribbon over the cut edges (like here) or knit a ribbon ("belegg" in Norwegian, I'm not sure what the English term is, it looks like this.) This video is in Norwegian, but it shows the concept very well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOUuJF5e0Vo Midnight Sun fucked around with this message at 01:00 on Nov 8, 2017 |
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Nov 8, 2017 00:57
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So I've never done a steek before, but I usually find TechKnitter's instructions helpful. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
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Nov 8, 2017 03:25
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Those instructions are both helpful, thanks! I think I'm already too far gone on the project to incorporate TechKnitter's technique, but next time I do something steeked I'll probably try that because it looks really elegant. I'm going to try to do it the "knitted ribbon" way from the video this time. This is rapidly turning out to be the most complicated thing I've ever done but I'll post pictures if I finish it and manage not to mangle it in the process.
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Nov 8, 2017 21:03
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Anyone ever try knitting with chainmail scales from The Ring Lord? I saw some on Ravelry and decided to try it out. I made boot covers. I think next time they need to be a little bigger to let the scales lay more flat, but it was a fun experiment. Way easier than weaving them into fabric with metal rings chain mail style.
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Nov 9, 2017 19:22
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I've made dice bags and fingerless gloves with scales from TheRingLord, I love them! There should be some pictures if you look back through my posts in this thread.
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Nov 11, 2017 04:31
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suddenly cats posted:I've made dice bags and fingerless gloves with scales from TheRingLord, I love them! There should be some pictures if you look back through my posts in this thread. I looked back, thanks. Those mitts are pretty awesome. Next I am going to try figuring out how many stitches go between the large sized scales.
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Nov 11, 2017 20:06
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Still practicing my double knitting as we move into summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Poor scarf is going to hang in the closet for a solid 7 months now
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Nov 12, 2017 10:21
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Hello, knitting thread! I'm only just now discovering knitting as something I Can Do, and I'm looking at possibly getting a set of interchangeable needles. I'm looking at these right now, are they a good choice? https://www.amazon.com/Options-Inte...edle%2Bset&th=1 Right now I'm just using some cheap aluminum circular needles I got at Walmart and the biggest issue I'm having with them is where the plastic cord connects to the needle there's a bit of a... gap? And my stupid yarn keeps catching on it like crazy, no matter how loosely I try and tension. I'm hoping with some really nice interchangeable needles this issue will disappear, because that's the only thing that's interrupting my flow.
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Nov 13, 2017 01:20
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