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Enfys posted:Wow, lucky recipients Do you need another recipient? Asking for a friend 
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Dec 23, 2020 07:18
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| # ? May 13, 2024 23:35 |
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Boxman posted:Any recommended resources for learning to knit and starting the craft more generally? There are, of course, a billion hits on youtube and google for "how to knit" but it's all a bit overwhelming. A vouched-for content provider or two would be nice...or even better, a book or kit or something that gets me up and running, especially as someone who hasn't tried much in the way of crafts since junior high. I can find a million videos of how to cast on or whatever, but, like, "this is knitting, here's a good first couple set of needles, here's a rundown on yarn, here's 3-4 different stitches, here's babbys first knitting project" would be great. There’s a thrift store locally near the senior Center, it might be run by some hospital or another. Doesn’t matter though, it’s a smallish place and they regularly have yarn and needles there on the cheap. I’m high risk so I’m not haunting the place but sometimes you come across some really nice stuff there. Folks here seem super helpful but I have to agree about YouTube. Lots of great help there. If I am needing to “short row” I’ll go watch a few videos and find one that clicks. Ok and I HAVE to say this. Before I had confidence in my knitting, I took for granted that every pattern was smarter than me and would sometimes get very, very frustrated with them. Invariably, I would take the pattern to my local fiber arts goddess and lament my inability to understand or execute. More often than not, the pattern was just written poorly. DO take the time to look at what the pattern is asking you to do, and then how did your stitches turn out? Does it look like you expected? If it’s NOT working, check for errata on the pattern or I also go to Ravelry and search for the item, then read the comments. Short version: learn to read your knitting and believe the pattern might be the problem(it also might not but hey, cut yourself some slack .
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Dec 23, 2020 07:28
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Speaking of spinning and dyeing, I completed my second sweater of the year Saturday. The oatmeal color is a blend of merino and camel down that I made with a cheap blending board from Etsy then spun on an Electric Eel Nano wheel and plied on a spindle. The red and greens are american merino all spindle spun and plied. I like the wheel OK but really love spinning on a spindle. I get my roving from RH Lindsay which has been awesome because I can get enough to spin a sweater from but it isn't super expensive and they let you get as little as a pound. This sweater weighs a tiny bit over a pound. The yarn weight is dk/worsted depending on where you measure. I might be addicted to making my own sweaters. This one I started in May, but took a break to make my husband some hats. I really love all of the steps, especially the ones that have wet roving or yarn drying in the sun. Awkward christmas bathroom selfie:  Sirius Jayne posted:Fantastic! Thanks for the insight. I was fortunate enough to get a Jenkins Swan spindle, and I think I’ll give that a go. Right now I’m knitting Christmas Balls with Arne & Carlos, but once we get past the new year I’m planning a spinning holiday (ok a long weekend to play with fiber). I may or may not have already fallen down the rabbit hole of preparing my own fiber. My black lab is blowing his coat and as I’m brushing off his weight in fur nightly, I’m eyeing it, wondering if i should stash it in a bag somewhere until I come across something pretty but maybe too slick for me and wondering how adding a pinch of lab would turn out. . . I will NOT dye my own fiber. There. I said it. Now if I go back on that I’m a liar. I hate liars! Hahahaha Dyeing really is great. My dyeing equipment is a metal colander, pot and lid all from Goodwill. I paid under tenbux for it all. I wrote "for dye only" on them in sharpie, and I just steam away on the stovetop. Sometimes I get great results, sometimes I get mud or unexpected combos, but that can be over-dyed too  I have a bag of my late dog's undercoat that I will spin someday. I don't have a lot, so I haven't committed to anything with it, but I am glad I thought to keep it. If you can gather yours, why not!
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Dec 24, 2020 00:04
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That looks AMAZING  The fact that you made it from scratch, yarn and all, just blows my mind. I really want to try my hand at spinning someday, it sounds so interesting.
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Dec 24, 2020 00:21
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HungryMedusa posted:Speaking of spinning and dyeing, I completed my second sweater of the year Saturday. Two sweaters and you spun the drat yarn too. I'm definitely curious about the eel, I'm considering getting one. I have a hard time with a spindle because I can't get a groove going, but I don't have the drafting skill yet to work a treadle, so it's not worth buying a normal wheel yet.
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Dec 24, 2020 01:18
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HungryMedusa posted:
This is fantastic, you are fantastic.
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Dec 24, 2020 06:13
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The EEW nano is really finicky, so it's not great to learn on because it's not clear to beginners how much is the wheel's issue vs. your own or how to fix it. The EEW 6 is supposed to come out in 2021, which is another step up in price, but hopefully more reliable (or maybe wait for the 6.1...) I agree learning on an espinner is the easiest way to do it because you're only learning one new skill at a time. I think the ideal would be to borrow a friend's or guild's good-quality espinner that's set up correctly to start with. Other brands of espinner are significantly more expensive, so probably not something you want to buy without being sure you'll be into it. Hungry Medusa, that sweater is awesome, and Midnight Sun, those mittens! Colorwork mittens are exactly up my alley and those are perfect  Sirius Jayne posted:I’m pretty sure you just got me into trouble hahahahaha! Thank you
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Dec 24, 2020 06:24
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i like nice words
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The main problem with dying with Kool-Aid is that you only get Kool-Aid colors. I've been saving my onion skins for experimenting with natural dying sometime, though it sounds like you still need special pots you're not going to eat from to do it.
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Dec 24, 2020 07:31
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For onion skins, it depends on whether you're using a mordant that isn't food-safe. Onion skins by themselves are fine obv. But natural dyes mostly do need a mordant afaik and a lot of the historic ones are poisonous. For Easter egg dyes, you just use vinegar as a fixative. It is possible to get some nice subtle colors with Kool-Aid -- this now-defunct site is encyclopedic -- but it does take more effort.
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Dec 24, 2020 09:07
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People out there spinning and dyeing their own yarn, I'm so impressed. HungryMedusa, that sweater is awesome!
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Dec 24, 2020 10:03
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HungryMedusa posted:Speaking of spinning and dyeing, I completed my second sweater of the year Saturday. Gorgeous!! I am SO impressed and the colorwork is top notch! Thanks for the tip about where to get good fiber (aside from, you know, eating more fiber. Ha!) I’m impressed by their site and I think at those prices I should just dive in and get some. I’m hoping they have some pencil roving or at least something that’s good for noobs to start on. Now I just need to find the right TV series to binge on and get some fiber through my hands!
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Dec 24, 2020 10:40
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Thanks everyone! Fiber stuff is the only creative thing I could bring myself to do during this stressful rear end year. Especially spindle spinning felt really meditative and in the moment. And also something you can do outside while drinking beer which helped.
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Dec 24, 2020 18:15
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Dyeing wool with natural dyes, you say? I have just the thing: this 1974 pamphlet from Kansas State University! It was free at the local craft thrift store    
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Dec 25, 2020 04:22
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Ohhh now that sounds like something that could go with: https://www.drunkyarn.com/ Maybe when the weather gets warm again I’ll play with some of that!
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Dec 27, 2020 06:27
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I learned that woad grows naturally and is practically a weed in my part of the state, and I've been obsessively planning how i could find some & make my own indigo dyes. I suspect this will end in disaster but it'll probably be fun edit: I once dyed a hat with kool aid for a friend and she hates it because it still smells like grape candy.
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Dec 27, 2020 20:09
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stab stabby posted:I learned that woad grows naturally and is practically a weed in my part of the state, and I've been obsessively planning how i could find some & make my own indigo dyes. I suspect this will end in disaster but it'll probably be fun It could have been worse, you could have used ‘Flavoraid’ and signed it with initials: JJ” just for giggles. (Too soon?)
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Dec 28, 2020 11:23
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Sirius Jayne posted:It could have been worse, you could have used ‘Flavoraid’ and signed it with initials: JJ” just for giggles. (Too soon?) Definitely doing this next time
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Dec 28, 2020 16:10
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drat, this thread is HARDCORE. At this point, I fully expect someone to post about their genetic modification/cloning project to create a rainbow sheep from which they will shear, wash, card, spin, wind and then knit a simply gorgeous fairisle sweater 
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Dec 28, 2020 18:23
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Isn't that basically getting the right Shetland sheep? Other possibilities would be Jacob or CVM. I haven't processed a Shetland fleece yet, but I got a Jacob off a goon a couple years ago and had a lot of fun dealing with it. You can get really fine with the color variations.
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Dec 29, 2020 04:34
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Do we have a spinning thread anymore?
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Dec 30, 2020 23:12
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It was closed. Someone should start a new one or maybe mods can re-open the old one? I would start one but I have 0 experience with actual spinning wheels.
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Dec 31, 2020 02:10
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Had anyone deliberately shrunk wool mittens, especially a patterned piece? I'm making patterned mittens (two colors evenly distributed over the whole hand), and I know they're going to turn out slightly too big but I can't be hosed to unravel it and get smaller needles now. It's a thin, two-strand pure wool yarn. I'm thinking I could maybe put the mitten on my hand and submerge it in lukewarm water once it's done and then dry it flat to see what happens.
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Dec 31, 2020 08:24
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Last knitting project of this cursed year, but at least I got a lot of really nice yarn out of it thanks to The Blue Brick. Pattern is Neverwhere and is sort of a scarf-meets-shawl thing - kind of a brainless knit, but sometimes that's what you want, and I loved the result. It's knit in the 2020 Mammoth Shawl club exclusive colourway 'Leslie St' from The Blue Brick. I love her yarn, it's gorgeous quality and the colours are amazing, goddamn. Also Martin is helping hold the shawl down. Seriously I laid it out for a picture, turned around to get my camera and the little poo poo was sitting on it in a heartbeat. He wasn't even IN the room when I turned around. rear end.   
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Dec 31, 2020 19:52
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2020 gave me plenty of time to take up knitting after I learned about six years ago. Aside from this pile of pretty basic cowls and scarves everyone got for Christmas, I finally took on some hats.   Now that I've got the hang of it, I've been looking for lighter-weight hat patterns so I'll have some that'll be good for spring time.
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Jan 2, 2021 17:51
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Those are all awesome. I like the purples.
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Jan 4, 2021 00:10
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Those are awesome! I am starting NOW on knitting and wool gifts for this year. I gotta, no more room for “pandemic support your LYS shopping”! No complaints here, it’s a good problem to have. Anybody doing the Casapinka re-release of Botanique? I’ve only JUST got my color schemes down for Sharon’s Glamping Blanket, but it’s hard to go wrong with a casapinka pattern. Usually comes with a mixed drink recipe too! What’s not to love? And also - I think we need a :knitting: smilie. How do we make that happen? 
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Feb 2, 2021 12:34
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When you find yourself frogging a UFO, singing Cotton Eye Joe while you try to find the loving ends, and yelling at your colonists for being stupid, it might be time to put down the whiskey, turn off the computer and go to bed. I know why you should alternate indie-dyed skeins, but my god they're a royal pain in the arse to frog.
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Feb 3, 2021 09:45
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My boss decided we are all taking a four day long, online class about IT and my colleague are complaining about how boring it is to just sit and watch. Meanwhile I am making so much progress on my mission to knit socks for my entire family  I love having simple projects that I can do almost on autopilot while I watch something else. Knitting pretty things with patterns, lace or complicated proportions is also satisfying, but being able to make a pair of socks every week makes me feel like I'm actually accomplishing something.
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Feb 3, 2021 11:09
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Admiral Goodenough posted:My boss decided we are all taking a four day long, online class about IT and my colleague are complaining about how boring it is to just sit and watch. Meanwhile I am making so much progress on my mission to knit socks for my entire family niiiiice 
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Feb 3, 2021 11:49
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Admiral Goodenough posted:taking a four day long, online class Heaven on earth I love working from home for the same reason, no one can see that I'm knitting
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Feb 3, 2021 22:22
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Does anyone have any suggestions for what this yarn is? I picked it up for  for twelve balls in a big bag with no info on it. I thought it looked like lace (2ply or 4ply) but it’s six strands: three black, three silver but not twisted, just grouped. I did a little test knit with it and it seems roughly equivalent to 8ply so I definitely have plenty of uses for it but I’m just curious if this is someone knows what it is. My best guess is it’s some kind of novelty yarn but maybe it’s just something I’m unaware of. 
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Feb 11, 2021 06:42
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DRINK ME posted:Does anyone have any suggestions for what this yarn is? Besides pretty? You can get an idea what the fiber is by doing the burn test. Unless you're a pyro. Then don't do the burn test. I'm putting this disclaimer in here now because nobody should ever do a yarn burn test indoors and especially not if you have cats or small children around. or pyro friends.  Cotton burns rapidly, yellow flames, continues burning. Smells like paper, and the residue is brown-tinged and produces feathery ash. Don't stand too close or you'll catch the Feathery Ash! Linen burns slower than cotton, smells like rope and the ash maintains shape.Shapely Ash. Ramie burns slowly, smells like rope. The ash maintains shape. Shapely Ash. Rayon burns slowly, smells like paper or cotton fabric, very little residue. Suffers from a bad case of Fluffy Ash. Silk burns slowly, self-extinguishing (if high content), smells like hair. The residue is a crushable black bead. Wool burns slowly, self-extinguishing (if high content), smells like hair. The residue is a small, friable, black bead. Nylon, polyester, acrylic, and synthetics tend to melt and fuse, and they smell like chemicals. because: synthetics. They leave a hard bead or mass. In fact, i like to think of it as Hard Ash. 
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Feb 11, 2021 08:46
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Ahhh, a fellow pyro. I'm home
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Feb 11, 2021 09:32
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Sirius Jayne posted:Besides pretty? You can get an idea what the fiber is by doing the burn test. Unless you're a pyro. Then don't do the burn test. I'm putting this disclaimer in here now because nobody should ever do a yarn burn test indoors and especially not if you have cats or small children around. or pyro friends. Woah that's a neat breakdown. Sudden desire to go experiment with matches and bits of my stash
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Feb 11, 2021 10:37
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 If my apartment burns down I'm blaming SA.
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Feb 11, 2021 10:45
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Sirius Jayne posted:Besides pretty? You can get an idea what the fiber is by doing the burn test. Unless you're a pyro. Then don't do the burn test. I'm putting this disclaimer in here now because nobody should ever do a yarn burn test indoors and especially not if you have cats or small children around. or pyro friends. Thank you  It’s acrylic/synthetic, quick burn and melt up to a bead... Hard Ash. Should also be noted to cut it long enough to give you time to drop it, in case it is a synthetic that’s burns to your fingers super quick. Don’t be stingy with your pyro yarn.
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Feb 11, 2021 18:38
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"Don’t be stingy with your pyro yarn." should be the name of the thread. or A thread. Preferably before it's burnt.
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Feb 12, 2021 00:16
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Finland had a Metal Knitting Fest. And it's amazing.
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Feb 13, 2021 02:57
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Aerofallosov posted:Finland had a Metal Knitting Fest. And it's amazing. That’s one way to keep it from burning. . .
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Feb 15, 2021 04:47
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| # ? May 13, 2024 23:35 |
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WHAT ARE THESE, MITTENS FOR ANTS?! Felting gone wrong.   Hard to tell, there being no banana for scale, but I can get approximately four fingers into the hand hole in the finished mittens. And they are hard as balls.
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Feb 28, 2021 12:25
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