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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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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 love my set I have of that brand, the threading is inconsistent and some needles are almost impossible to screw on. The cords also kink like crazy for me. I prefer metal needles so I've supplemented my set with the Knitter's Pride Nova Platina needles and cords since they're interchangeable with the Options sets and I like the NPs better. They also go down to smaller sizes. I believe the Dreamz would be Knitter's Pride's wooden interchangeable equivalent, but anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
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Nov 13, 2017 03:06
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Finished this: I ended up making it two-layered and reversible so it would be extra warm. Wasn't too happy about that yellow after I got working with it, but I knit it for a friend and he loves it so c'est la vie. I double checked all my stitches against the chart and didn't have any errors (I actually had messed up the first time and had to frog the entire band), so I think the goofy appearance is due to tension/needing blocking.
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Nov 14, 2017 06:02
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Aerofallosov posted:Chiagoo is pretty awesome, and nearly the same price point. They do have a bamboo circular range, though I don't think it comes in a set. I have a few of them and can try to pass them along if you wanted to try a pair. Thank you and effika for saying nice things about my hat. Friendo is in love with it now that he has it. As with anything, I pick the fiber based on the intended use of the finished product and the pattern I'm using. I don't like acrylic (or any synthetics) for anything that will require blocking to look good (so no openwork patterns and nothing with a lot of visible picked up stitches--mine usually look like rear end) or for baby/child clothing/blankets because acrylic is a nightmare in fire temps if you're wearing it or under it. Cotton is much easier to launder if it's for a baby, too, though your color selection may be limited and the price may be a little higher. For able adult use, I love soft acrylics for blankets and throws. I don't know if you can beat the cost, the available colors are great, it's easy to launder, and it's usually easy to knit. Unless you're particularly messy, it's not going to be something you're laundering constantly and modern acrylics just start off better and hold up better than the nasty poo poo you're going to find in Goodwill sweaters. I currently have Red Heart Soft, Red Heart with Love, and Caron One Pound in my stash that I really like. My standard caution though is not to buy any acrylic from Walmart if you want the soft stuff, because they consistently get bad quality yarn; I have matched lot numbers from Walmart and other retailers where the color and texture were completely off.
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Nov 26, 2017 23:35
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Killingyouguy! posted:No pics because my camera is shot right now, but after over 2 years, I've finally finished my own Star Wars scarf. It'll be a Christmas gift for my father, who's a big Star Wars fan. Congrats on your FO! Regular knitting is going to feel weird, too thin, and like you're skipping a step. You might not like it. E: oh poo poo I didn't even see your link! That looks sick af and I don't even like Star Wars BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Dec 4, 2017 |
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Dec 4, 2017 17:47
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endolithic posted:^^ Love that hat! Hrrrngh, love it. Came out beautiful. E: Say, any designers in the thread? I rarely follow patterns exactly as it is, but I think I'm starting to get to the point that I'm making things that are different from what I see, where it would be fair to start writing up and selling patterns. Considering some of the basic poo poo I see that people put into patterns and either charge for or say "no you can't sell things you made with your materials and your time," I'd be well past that threshold. This is disregarding the obvious fact that if you don't put up an online store no one will catch you, I'm mainly talking about the ethics of it. How do you determine whether something like an asymmetrical triangle shawl is different enough from another asymmetrical triangle shawl to publish? BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Jan 13, 2018 |
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Jan 13, 2018 18:08
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Torgover posted:Consider whether the main appeal for the design/pattern from the point of view of the buyer is your own original work as opposed to whatever you might have based it off of. This is usually pretty subjective and case-by-case, but I'd say if the common element is something you could have worked out on your own, or if the improvement you make is dramatic and fixes what you might have considered a glaring flaw in the original, you should be fine. Thank you, I feel like that's a pretty clear guide. Now I can let my heart lead the way, lol.
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Jan 15, 2018 07:16
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Wow Bob, that handspun is really gorgeous. Rocknrollmachine, that spectra gradient knocks my socks off. So here's my unblocked turd:  I haven't woven in the ends yet either because I'm still on the fence about it. I know I need to unpick the cast off and redo it looser/on bigger needles because it's too tight. I'm sort of thinking of redoing it with the lace sections beginning in the gray sections to make the color transitions a bit softer (and making the first blue section thinner). I do like it a bit more the more I look at it, I think it's just unsophisticated.
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Jan 26, 2018 17:08
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Thanks for the input and compliments guys. I was thinking of a border to bring it all together, problem is I think black would be too much and I'm out of both the mid gray and deepest teal so a bit SOL on which yarns to use. Might leave this as babby's first design attempt, lol. Sehkmet that lace gives me life. It's gorgeous.
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Jan 28, 2018 15:59
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rocknrollmachine posted:I love the color scheme. I think once you block it it will look very chic. Hm, never heard of that method before, I would think it would really bulk up those sections too. I was thinking of alternating each color for like 4 garter ridges or so coming up to each transition so it has the same effect as dithering on old 8 bit graphics. I wonder if that's what they were describing? left_unattended posted:Stumbled across this in the MadTosh Rav group. Thoughts? Personally I'm firmly in the, "It's loving yarn, who cares what the name is and it fits the inspiration" camp. If I ever start selling my hand dyed yarn, y'all can bet your sweet buns that I will be giving it ridiculous names. And my yarn don't run.
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Jan 29, 2018 02:03
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Someone once told me that if you want to "blend" the colors of a gradient together you can knit with two strands of the yarn for ~4-5 rows or whatever your preference is prior to starting the new color and it makes the transition a little softer. I've never tried it though. I would think the two strands would make that particular section noticeably bulkier than the rest of it.
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Who takes a gauge off a washed and blocked swatch? How do you adjust your needle size if you need to wash and block it before you measure?
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Jan 29, 2018 03:32
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FelicityGS posted:I pretty much always do gauge off a wash and blocked swatch for any designing I do, even if the pattern is just for me. That way i know the yarn will behave and if the stitches still look right after. Dr. Kloctopussy posted:I knit a few small swatches (1.5" Sq), wash/dress/measure, and then make a big swatch (6" Sq) with the one that looks closest. Measure, then wash, dress, measure again. If it's not right, either knit another big swatch, or adjust the pattern. If it's pretty close I might also just go up or down without making a new big swatch. Or make a medium swatch. All of this makes perfect sense to me because it's why you swatch, especially when you're designing. I always do a gauge swatch even if I just need it to figure yarn requirements, but if there's no pre-blocking gauge given, isn't there a figure missing? Is it common in garment patterns to give only the blocked gauge? I use a gauge swatch to know if I'm on target, but without a pre-blocked gauge I'm just stabbing in the dark.
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Jan 29, 2018 16:02
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if you are using a heavy yarn, it's worth it to hang and weight your swatch as well, because the weight of the yarn can cause the garment to stretch vertically when worn. -- if I were doing a scarf or shawl or something, I would probably not bother to swatch at all though.
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effika posted:I don't hate purling. What I do hate is switching back and forth as a thrower! I'll do miles of purl no problem, but give me 1x1 rib and it'll take so long and I'll complain about it constantly. That's exactly why I learned to knit Continental, actually. I can't stand switching back and forth.
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Feb 19, 2018 18:20
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keyboard vomit posted:Am I weird in that I like moving the yarn around when switching stitches? I made a skirt that was entirely linen stitch last year and found it very meditative to wrap all the stitches. I think process-oriented knitters probably enjoy it more, where product-oriented knitters are probably more annoyed by it. I don't mind it terribly when I'm doing linen stitch since it's part of the stitch, but I always knit english in one hand and continental in the other when I knit stranded or double. I'm very product-oriented.
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Feb 20, 2018 00:15
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left_unattended posted:Thanks for the reassurance. Have a terrible cell pic of what I'm working on! Pātiki Cowl with hat to follow. daaaaamn that's looking good, your tension is so even. Dat stitch definition doe
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Feb 21, 2018 18:06
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left_unattended posted:Thank you! It's merino/silk and I was worried it would be too slippery for stranding, but touch wood *knocks on head* it's going well. God help me, if it turns to poo poo when I block it I will throw the biggest tantrum. I'm sure if you're gentle with it, it will be fine. It's quite nice as is, will you even need to do more than lay it flat and mist it with water?
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Feb 23, 2018 17:28
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DrunkenDolphin posted:haha, i do love when someone does a colorswapped variant of the Marius pattern, which is the most NORWEGIAN of patterns, and calls if fair isle or Icelandic, its double fun if you have an older norwegian person in the knitting-group, you can hear their bloodpressure go up. I love this. I know in the US at least Fair Isle has become synonymous with the stranded technique rather than the motifs, a little like how everyone says Xerox when they just mean a photocopy or Kleenex when they mean tissue. I sympathize with stress when people are wrong. I can't take a good photo to save my life but I made this for a friend's kid:  The brim is double knit and the pattern is just k4,p4, you cast on a multiple of 8+1 and go to town. It doesn't have that bell shape on the head, thankfully. I used a US4 on the brim and US6 on the body, but I think if I made another in this yarn I would consider a US7 instead and/or increase 8 stitches from the brim for a slouchier body.
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Mar 12, 2018 16:32
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DrunkenDolphin posted:Oh i love the color, a good black-pink combo always pops! Thanks, it's Lion Brand Scarfie. I always buy it 50% off so it's cheap and p easy to work with and quite soft for acrylic. This last year they actually got some good colors in addition to the garbage it launched with. I made a long rear end infinity scarf out of another skein in a different color way and it's the one I wear all the time, despite studying for my yarn snob certification.
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Mar 14, 2018 21:35
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ButtsFromTheSky posted:Recently picked knitting back up after a long hiatus and here's what I've made in the last month and a half: Did you guys see this one? https://m.imgur.com/r/knitting/BFDONrQ
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Oct 27, 2018 21:06
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That dude is my hero. I'm about to pull the trigger on level 1 of the Knitters Guild Association master course (just waiting for my sign on). Anybody done this or know someone who's done this?
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Oct 28, 2018 04:13
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Anne Whateley posted:YMMV but it seems like paying a bunch of money to have tiny martinets crab and nitpick about your paperwork and bullshit hoop-jumping more than actual knitting. Thanks for the link, I always forget about the Rav forums. The folks in the level 1 thread seem like their skill set is not necessarily English comp and/or reading, unless the material is that much of a mess. One of my local community colleges does a lot of non-credit classes in arts and crafts and I'd love to teach knitting and/or basic dyeing. I feel like after 15 years of doing this, I'm qualified to teach up to intermediate but not necessarily advanced. If I get something out of the master class, great. If I don't, well, slapping that certificate down on people who don't know any better might make it easier to get the job 
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Oct 28, 2018 05:33
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Anne Whateley posted:It sounds like the directions are super extensive and not the clearest. Going through the Level 1 thread, people with questions include scientists, technical writers, someone with her own copy of the Chicago Manual, etc. -- they don't sound generally clueless. I genuinely appreciate your perspective. It does seem like they're doing a bit of gate keeping or trying to pretend it's like a college program which has me like  but if I truly got some academic knowledge from it, I'd be happy.I can't tell if it's stupid nitpicky bullshit or if they're just particular sperglords like me, tbh. My people tend to take that poo poo to a weird, unpleasant level. Yesterday I checked out of the thread after hitting the 'which yarn to use, which needles to use, how to get gauge' freakouts because I think these are things any knitter who is attempting a master class should know. There is particularly one poster in there who I think asks stupid questions and shits it up with feelings which makes it much harder for me to sort tl;dr from material errors/omissions. Granted, I don't have the material so I can't tell for certain what's going on, and from at least a couple answered questions it does seem like the material is not perfect (10/10 would do as instructed and cite it because I'm that kind of person). I don't love that they seem to leave pastel open to interpretation, but if you asked me about that green and rose yarn in that one post, I'd say def no on the rose and maybe on the green depending on lighting (looked neon to me). I was confused about the question from the scientist and you'd know more about this than me, so I'll ask you: the bib layout the chair posted looked like bog standard APA (idk why they're using APA but w/e). Is there a situation in APA or Chicago in which you would not cite or note inline? It occurs to me they might be making their own weird mishmash style and I'll probably ask them about it once I slog through this thing. For now I'm definitely leaning toward doing it unless I find something that's just a glaring problem, but I'm glad you pointed this out because it gives me a better idea what to expect. Looking through the co-chair's blog, I actually know how to do most of if not all the techniques in L1, I mainly need critique on the finished product and would benefit from some structure in learning what I don't know how to do yet. I'm not really an executive functioning kind of person so I just learn techniques all scattershot and I think there are some holes. Plus, I intentionally haven't worked since 2015 so it might not hurt to be able to say 'yeah I did some study and look what I got' instead of being like 'yeah, you know, I knitted a bunch and learned a bunch of cool stuff'. In the interests of not making GBS threads up the thread entirely and because I love this thing so far:   It's based on Spring in September because I've never knit a sweater before and needed a place to start and uses Dither for the color work. It is huge because I am huge right now and wanted a long, tunic-like sweater with a cowl, and this season seems to be all about crop tops and vee necks which boggles my mind. It's a drop shoulder sweater and the original has the front and back ribbed at the top, then sewn together which is very cute but will not keep me warm, so I'm going to do either a three needle bind off or kitchener/other grafting for the shoulder seam and pick up for the cowl along the neckline. It's Caron One Pound because it's cheap, really soft, and knits up fast af. IDK if I can block out the tension problems in some of the stranded section, but I'll try. BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 04:02 on Oct 29, 2018 |
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Oct 28, 2018 20:31
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ButtsFromTheSky posted:What I've read about TKGA and the grading is that if you're already an intermediate to advanced knitter then the program gives you structure to learn things and take your knitting skills to the next level. I've considered doing it because I like having a goal to work toward and accomplish, and I think it would be neat to reexamine a lot of what I think I know about knitting. There's a podcast out there called Mastering the Knits that chronicles two women going through level 1. It's not the best podcast but it does give some insight into the process as they're doing it which I found interesting. Thanks for the tip and the input, I might have to see if they have some transcripts somewhere (I do not do podcasts). Aerofallosov posted:Good luck! I don't think I'm anywhere near that sort of awesome at knitting. I'd never consider myself awesome at knitting but people seem to be impressed with the crap I make, and I figure I'm at least competent after 15 years of it.
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Oct 31, 2018 05:49
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Midnight Sun posted:Thanks, guys! I started the pink top August 27, completed September 6. The jumper September 6 to October 6, and the dress October 8 to November 29. (I love Ravelry, the only way I can keep tabs on how long I work on a project!) I almost killed myself trying to finish the dress, though, I had to rip out the lace part three times before I figured out I had to put markers between the pattern repeats. Each of those is so pretty but man, that purple jumper 
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Dec 19, 2018 17:27
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Asiina posted:For so long a pattern would tell me to place a marker and I'd be all smug saying "pfft, no. I don't need to do that, I have eyes! I can count!" and then I started freely using markers this year and everything was so much easier. Hahaha this was/is me. It's a lot more pleasant to put them on now that I just make a poo poo ton of my own with jewelry wire and beads, and cheaper too.
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Dec 23, 2018 00:26
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GoingPostal posted:I just have loads of the little plastic safety pin ones you buy at the craft store. They work great and I don't like pastels much, so they stand out. My jewelry making friend has offered to make me a bunch of ones as a test batch for possible sale, but I'd be too paranoid to lose them when I take my knitting to work. No reason to worry. Simple ones can practically be made with your eyes closed and cost pennies to make. The ones with danglies cost a bit more, but if you try some out you can help your friend refine the design. Non-knitters don't necessarily know the sticking points on tools. I think I've given away half the markers I've made, lol.
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Jan 8, 2019 19:04
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Midnight Sun posted:Adventures in speed knitting! I made this cardigan in just one week, because I wanted to finish it before my daughter's photo day in kindergarten. I made it by the skin of my teeth, staying up until 5 am to finish it. I think it turned out pretty good! It's lovely, very spring-y. I'm surprised you can bear to put hand knits on a kindergartner; I'm learning equanimity regarding hats for my nieces and nephew (sometimes they just get lost) but it's a lot easier to write off a hat than a sweater, lol.
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Apr 15, 2019 16:17
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I was shopping at a LYS yesterday and we got talking and one thing led to another: if she likes my samples I'm gonna start selling indie dyed yarn in her shop! This is so exciting.  I still can't take a photo to save my life tho so it's hard to show off what I've been making.e: the Master Hand Knitter materials are full of typos and there isn't even a loving table of contents. Whole thing is bullshit, I'm sure I'll be here to cuss them out again after I send in my binder and get misspelled feedback. PS Comprise is not a synonym for compose. BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 01:37 on May 3, 2019 |
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May 3, 2019 01:11
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effika posted:I admire you and your ability to do all the finicky stuff it asks for while also not sending back the materials corrected in red ink. Well actually... I need to make a linkable table of contents and reformat it for reading on a computer because the current design has like no white space and the heading situation is a mess. I'm sure people with normal brains can slog through it just fine, but I have ADHD like a motherfucker and basically no executive functioning, so with nothing that serves as an overview in this thing, to me it immediately dives into the weeds. I figured I'd share it to the forum without being overtly critical and if they adopt it, great (there is basically no chance of this, I'm certain the 28 co-chairs will get butthurt), and if not other people might still benefit from it and I'll have made my point. Obsession with doing things a certain way is diagnostic for my people so I've no problem with that, but don't step to me with a syllabus full of errors. e: VVV that's so reasonable and strategic I'd have never thought on it my own, will take that advice BonerGhost fucked around with this message at 23:55 on May 3, 2019 |
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May 3, 2019 17:22
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From taking a weaving class in the same space as an upholstery class I know that horsehair felt is definitely still used today in upholstery, but I couldn't tell you whether it's animal hair or a synthetic version. I think if it's curled, with enough heat and pressure you can felt just about any animal fiber, but I could be wrong.
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Mar 10, 2020 05:47
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That's really pretty. What accounts for the textured stitch, is that cabling? I'm on my phone so I can't see too great
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Jul 21, 2020 07:49
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I think I spend more time ripping out knits I don't like than I actually do knitting.
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Nov 2, 2020 00:55
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I don't know if malabrigo is still doing roving, but avoid it if you find it unless you can verify that it will actually draft. I've never seen a hank from them that wasn't half felted.
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Nov 30, 2020 07:08
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I do both but I still prefer separate knitting and crochet threads. Like Anne Whately said, they generally have different goals. If the crochet thread isn't very active, I don't see how folding it into the knitting thread would help it. If anything, crochet content would become harder to find.
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Dec 23, 2020 00:37
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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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Do we have a spinning thread anymore?
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Dec 30, 2020 23:12
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MarsDragon posted:I made another sweater (but didn't make the yarn this time). I think it came out really nicely. Pattern is Piper. Like that sweater. Where do you get your spinning fiber? What was your yarn weight and how did you ply it? I took up spinning around Xmas and I love seeing knits in this thread made of handspun.
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Mar 15, 2021 14:11
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MarsDragon posted:That particular spinning fiber was from The Farm at the End of the Road/Woolhalla, who I got in contact with because of the Shave 'Em to Save 'Em program. (great program, by the way! Please check it out!) She runs a little network of small shepherds in Arizona to get yarn/spinning fiber processed at a local mill, so she has a bunch of breeds available. I didn't know about crepe and cabled yarn before, that's really cool. When I can spin again I might have to try that. I've been mostly plying mine Navajo style because I like a round cross section. Thanks for the info and links, will definitely check that out.
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Mar 22, 2021 04:12
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That's a lot of good info, thank you. I dye yarn and dyed some commercial combed top already, which I've been blending with a hackle. Still trying to get the hang of dizzing it from there, but it'll probably be a lot easier when I can stand or at least sit upright. We're getting ready for an overseas move and I'm debating buying a bunch of undyed top and getting it dyed before we move to bring with me, since I don't know if I'll be able to bring my dyes along.
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Mar 23, 2021 07:27
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