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I've successfully completed my first scarf! (pictures to follow later) Now that I'm interested in other projects, I have lots of trouble estimating how much yarn I'll need to buy if I'm not following instructions from a pattern. An example: I came across a great sale online for Blue Sky Alpaca yarn that's 2 stitches to the inch and 45 yards per skein. For my previous scarf, I used 2 balls of Patons wool 223 yards at a gauge about 4" to 20 stitches on size 10.5 needles (I didn't really measure it yet  ). Then, how would I approximate this new change in using chunky yarn, and possible new needles? I know I should always buy some extra yarn in case, gauge differs by people, and stitch types would affect the amount of yarn used, but are there some general rules for yarn's stitch to inch plus needle gauge to approximate the square area I'll be able to get out of a skein? (like: a ball of worsted-weight 223 yards at 4" to 20 stitches on 7 needles would get me about a 12" x 36" rectangle swatch, etc.) Or is there really no good rule of thumb to follow, and I should just knit more and look at more patterns to figure out how to eyeball the number of skeins I'll need for a project? jomiel fucked around with this message at 22:57 on Feb 19, 2008 |
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Feb 19, 2008 22:54
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 20:00 |
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^^ that looks great! I'm looking at these bamboo needles on Amazon: circular & DP. These seem like a good deal--and I wouldn't need to buy a straight needle set because I can just flip my work on the circulars around, right? Is there ever an instance when I'd want to use single point needles?
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Feb 28, 2008 04:10
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2nd scarf: Beginning of my first sock:  It's going to be thick though, at about 5 stitches to the inch
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Mar 1, 2008 08:19
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Midnight Sun posted:jomiel: Cute scarf! And I love the colors on the sock yarn, what kind of yarn is it and where can I get it? I bought the yarn at my LYS, and the yarn is Crystal Palace Yarns Fjord in rose petal. The yarn thickness is very slightly irregular, and there's not much twisting into plys compared to my previous balls of Patons so sometimes I end up spearing the strand, but working with the yarn is pretty awesome because somehow the feeling of wool is really strong. I was surprised to find a deadknot in the middle of the ball--but I got to practice wet-splicing and that was cool. Thanks, everyone!  I am working on the heel turn right now and I love socks so far. I learned so much already from this sock and it's not even half done. I definitely learned a lot of techniques of frogging and how switches relate to one another, haha.edit: oh my god picking up stitches for the gusset sucks. jomiel fucked around with this message at 10:10 on Mar 2, 2008 |
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Mar 2, 2008 08:42
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Midnight Sun posted:The messenger bag is finished. Any tips about cleaning up the black fuzz on the white parts? That looks awesome. How did you make the black borders?
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Mar 3, 2008 22:48
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DPNs have been okay but I'm stuck on the Kitchener stitch and I just messed my toes up ^^^ Those socks look great! What yarn and pattern was it? jomiel fucked around with this message at 05:03 on Mar 5, 2008 |
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Mar 5, 2008 05:01
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They don't quite match and I totally messed the toes up, but still, first pair of socks and they feel wonderful!   Now I just have to step carefully to avoid slipping all the time...and of course, a second pair.
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Mar 8, 2008 12:16
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fap posted:I finished my Noro Striped Scarf finally! There's some pictures on my Ravelry page here. I think cabled gloves should work because noro yarn changes colors so gradually. Plus if it's small cables it'd look really cute. I just bought some Lorna's Laces sock yarn on sale too! I'm with you on the yarn diet
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Mar 11, 2008 18:25
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I have the Vogue Knitting book, and it is useful for its expanded info--more type of how to knit, including left handers; several types of casting on, joining seams; pages of stitches. I also have the Stitch and Bitch book and I find its mnemonics easy to understand and use, like purl stitches look like nooses while knit stitches look like scarves. I haven't made anything from its projects and actually found them a bit daunting. Instead, I picked up Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks, and did a pair of sock as my first project after 2 scarfs--and now I'm on my second pair of socks!
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Mar 13, 2008 22:40
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The Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book, though I think I've read a review somewhere that you can buy the Vogue Knitting Quick Reference guide instead for a smaller version of much of the most important stuff. Knitter's Review gives some recommendations for books, as well. (The author of knittersreview.com also does yarn, and though I've found it helpful, I like ravelry's handy wiki-system references between yarns and people's projects a lot. Edit: I have a sock question: In Ann Budd's Getting Started Knitting Socks book, in the heel portion of each stitch directions, there is a line like "k10(11,12,12,14) then turn around and p20(22, 24, 26,28)" and then supposed to use these stitches to do the heel flap. But the expanded explanations with diagrams in the front section of the book doesn't have this. Is this additional half-row on the left supposed to compensation or the additional half-row that comes in the short rows for the heel? If I do this, would my heel look a bit lopsided? And does it matter if I do this additional row or not? jomiel fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Mar 14, 2008 |
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Mar 14, 2008 03:53
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Micomicona posted:Well, I guess on the plus side you've got a cool little elf-boot foldover effect going on there... Yeah I thought that fold was pretty cute I finished my second pair of socks this weekend (Manos del Uruguay wool+silk blend). Going to give it to my mom.  And now to make a pair for my brother. Going to make it out of this Jitterbug yarn:  The yarn is 4 ply and my previous two socks have been made out of 1 ply yarn, so I'm adjusting to its different stretchiness. After I bought it in my LYS, I read some reviews on ravelry and wish I had bought Smooshy sock yarn instead
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Mar 17, 2008 21:53
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Hahaha. Now I want to try to make a felted bag too. I was thinking about Knitty's french market bag as a lunch bag--but I haven't felted anything before. If I make substitutions with some Patons or other wool, would matching up the gauge of the swatch be enough? And as for felting, do I just reach into the washer water and fish up the bag to see how far it's progress? Or how would I do it? Also I'd like to try out lace, but it's not really my style to wear shawls or wraps. What other applications can I do lace besides making pillows and table coverings? jomiel fucked around with this message at 01:25 on Mar 20, 2008 |
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Mar 20, 2008 01:22
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elbow posted:Obviously I'm no expert, but I'd make a swatch beforehand and felt that, just to make sure that it shrinks at about the same rate as the yarn in the pattern. Thanks for the link!
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Mar 20, 2008 18:18
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Thanks for bag pattern, Midnight Sun. That does look really cute  Maybe I can needle felt a face on it...And Deety, that scarf looks great! My blue socks are taking forever at 7 stitches an inch and I'm making it for my brother so it's longer and bigger than my previous socks
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Mar 21, 2008 08:40
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Here are some amigurumi links from Ravelry: penguin & elephan and other animals: http://www.lionbrand.com/content-crochetPatternIndex.html?d=Children snail: http://www.fortheloveofyarn.com/Issues/Spring06/patterns/spring06_snail.shtml acron!: http://www.planetjune.com/blog/free-crochet-patterns/amigurumi-acorn/
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Mar 23, 2008 20:39
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Midnight Sun posted:Yet another bag (bear with me here): Do you line the bag or is it thick enough to be on its own? I haven't been knitting these last few weeks so I didn't get to make mine yet, but I am not confident of my sewing abilities and want a bag that would be able to carry around heavy things. What kind of yarn do you use?
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Apr 11, 2008 18:23
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Midnight Sun posted:Try these! That looks awesome!
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May 21, 2008 01:05
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How about http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter05/PATTkate.html ? And awesome work as usual, Midnight Sun! Have you tried adding beads? I think some clear or silver beads would look great in that scarf--like dew drops on leaves. I haven't been doing any knitting at all Too much gaming recently.
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Jun 10, 2008 21:52
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Patons Wool is a good value, but felts really easily, so I think it would be great for a felting project but probably not that great for an intarsia project that would want to be more clear in its different colors. edit: to Anne: I jumped right into socks after a couple of scarves, and I think the challenge of a more complicated project helped me learn a lot about knitting. (I just got my Favorite Socks book when I ordered my Starting Strength book, so hopefully I can start doing socks again!)
jomiel fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Jun 23, 2008 |
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Jun 23, 2008 23:41
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Bad Mitten posted:Have you looked at Knitpicks.com? It's not a local store, but they sell wool in lots of colors for starting at 1.99 a skein. I bought the color cards to keep as reference. They were cheap, a few bucks. I have been pleased with what I have gotten from them so far. Thanks for the suggestion. Their yarn colors on the website looks so dark that I've been afraid of ordering
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Jun 24, 2008 21:19
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Menolly posted:Jacquard Acid Dyes are incredibly easy. You can use them just like Kool-Aid powder, except that you need to add vinegar and can use a cheap enamel pot like the blue-speckled tamale pot things they have at wal-mart (I paid all of $8 for mine, and a gallon of vinegar will last you a long time and will only set you back $2). I have three primary colors, turquoise, and black. I've never had a problem making any color I want. Emerald green and black can be accomplished with a bit of blue, yellow, turquoise, and obviously black. This is good for dying yarn as well, right? Do you guys have any experience dying your own yarn? How easy/hard is it to get a decent result? (Pictures please  ) Lorna's Laces and all those specialty yarns look so yummy.
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Jun 28, 2008 00:57
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knittedsister posted:My favorite knitted item is socks. I have only a few current finished ones and six more on the needles.
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Jul 16, 2008 22:03
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ellabella, that looks really cute! And Windy, that looks great!
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Jul 25, 2008 06:11
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RubySprinkles posted:Knit and felted Warhammer 40k Ork laptop cozy. This is the most recent problem I've worked on. It's also the most complex. This was my first real project with intarsia work! That is so awesome. I want to make my own companion cube!
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Aug 12, 2008 03:49
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Part of Everything posted:I envy you knitters. I am knitting impaired. Youtube videos helped me to start (my mom also helped a bit)--though you might have to look around for videos that show a good close shot of the knitting and also use light yarn. And then I worked on a couple of scarves, then took a 1-hour training session with a knitting coach to learn how to hold DPNs and start a sock. You can do it too!
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Nov 12, 2008 00:14
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Midnight Sun posted:In other news, I've finished Sartjes Bootees for my godson:
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Nov 13, 2008 23:03
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I bought two sets of bamboo needles off Amazon: circular & DPNs. One heavily dyed sock yarn colored my DPNs a bit blue, but I think they are really good for the price.
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Nov 20, 2008 09:33
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Cuddlebottom posted:Does anyone know of a good online tutorial for socks? I took out a pattern book from the library, but it's sort of over my head. http://www.cometosilver.com/socks/ Also Ann Budd's sock knitting book is amazing. There aren't a lot of fancy patterns, but there are extensive directions about the basic sock, and instructions for 5 different sizes in 5 different gauges (4-8).
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Dec 8, 2008 21:37
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I was going to make some socks after finals but with the recent coldwave in SF I decided to make Endpaper Mitts instead. I've never done color work before though! Can someone point me to a tutorial on how to hold thread and carry over or whatever crazy thing I'll need?
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Dec 18, 2008 03:42
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That's pretty awesome! For some reason I keep trying to imagine it as a hood though, with an extra little cowl neckpiece at the top. My new sock project:  edit: a question: I bought the KnitPicks Harmony wood sock needles, and they are so much smoother than my bamboo DPNs. Does this mean my gauge will become looser than before, since I can't pull on the yarn as tight? jomiel fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Jan 10, 2009 |
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Jan 10, 2009 05:09
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Bob Shadycharacter posted:Ooooh...what pattern is that? Uptown Boot Socks from the Favorite Socks book.
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Jan 12, 2009 20:53
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Wandering Knitter posted:I don't know how many of you here are also nerds, but The Sun has the Sackboy (from Little Big Planet) pattern from Simply Knitting for download. I wonder if I can put in some foam to make the head a little squarer?... edit: I don't know how to crochet but if anyone does and wants to make Bender: http://stitch.hellooperator.net/free-patterns/bender-bending-rodriguez-amigurumi-pattern/ jomiel fucked around with this message at 05:02 on Jan 15, 2009 |
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Jan 15, 2009 04:13
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Hahaha! That is too cute
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Feb 24, 2009 09:27
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FINALLY finished my 3rd pair of socks: pattern: Uptown Socks from the Favorite Socks book Sadly none of them are for me so the next pair are for me
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Jun 25, 2009 06:51
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I have the set of Harmony woodsock DPNs from KnitPicks and am a regular-tightness knitter and they work really well!
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Jul 28, 2009 01:55
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Lackadaisical posted:So, I'm determined to knit socks for people this christmas, but I've never knitted socks or anything that involves knitting in the round. Can someone recommend a site or a book or a pattern or something thats good for beginners to teach me how to do this?
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Dec 4, 2009 01:00
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Stuzz posted:Has anyone used Dream in Color smooshy for a baby blanket? Do you think it would work or should I stick with cascade wool? My mom has made Dream in Color Smooshy socks and they are amazingly soft and cushy, so I think a baby blanket would be great! I haven't used Cascade though so can't compare, sorry.
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Dec 13, 2009 02:23
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Dogfish posted:This is my first attempt at sock knitting, in the form of a Christmas stocking. No, I don't usually knit things that look like you'd find them at a church craft fair; this is a gift for the little girl I nanny and as she has the great misfortune of being Dutch, I wanted her to experience how incredibly tacky a Canadian Christmas has the potential to be Hahaha, that looks great! edit for content: I'm going to bring knitting with me on my overseas trip: a little bag of sock yarn and KnitPicks wooden DPNs. I'm going to print out the FAA regulations page in case but does anyone have any other suggestions? jomiel fucked around with this message at 23:22 on Dec 15, 2009 |
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Dec 15, 2009 23:13
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Klams Jam posted:I've heard that having something actually on the needles helps - so cast on before you go. Maybe take them out of your hand luggage with your liquids etc? I already have a half sock on there from summer  You mean like take it out with my laptop, liquids, etc that I have to lay out? That's a good idea.
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Dec 15, 2009 23:50
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| # ¿ May 2, 2024 20:00 |
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I too love that squid and will start on it after I finish the current pair of socks. Which will probably be in a few months Instead of charging for the pattern I suggest that you submit to Knitty
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Feb 3, 2010 05:27
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