knitting and crochet, nattering and sharing

Who do you make the jumpers for, Nannina?
Is it Knit for Peace? I’ve made scarves and soft toys for them, and my big blanket will eventually go to them too.

I can tell that my knitting mojo is dying down, it cycles with the hibernation preparedness and then emerging for spring. I only did 3 rows on my jumper yesterday and one at a time. It won`t end up as an ufo but from now is going to be a considered effort

I have a gap shortly, after the painter has been and finished, end of february at the earliest, when I can at last get my house straight. I think that, when at a loose end, from march onwards, I will be going through all my knitting paraphenalia and stash. Fortunately I do have a dedicated tall cupboard but I am going to check inside each box. Tidy mind etc. Maybe I will actually tape a list of stash and projects on the inside of the door and label each box. They did get chucked in there when I moved

This morning I popped on a top that I made 2 years ago, 4 ply wool and 2 row stripes, also it was a very difficult construction. It was designed to be boxy ie with 10" positive ease and short. I never liked it but hey all that work,it took me a long long time to make. So I wore it and never got to like it, although it did keep me warm

I just finished frogging it and have luckily found the spare yarn that I had put into a labelled zip lock bag. I may well have to use a little more, maybe not because I am no longer looking at myself 2 stone heavier as I was then. It will have to be stripes because colour work will be too warm and thick. It might be colour blocking as in different sections in different colours but it will have to be my next project. I dislike this sort of re-making, hence I need to get working on it as soon as possible or I could leave it forever

I am glad I frogged, glad that I won`t waste that wool yarn. Today I am wearing a previously frogged afterlight top, I re-made it smaller size just a few short months ago. It is lovely, I am wearing that over a very thin long sleeved longer top. Exactly how I had envisaged it. So frogging can be very worthwhile, satisfying really

I’ve just finished knitting a jumper for my small granddaughter- I’m wondering if I should wash the garment before blocking it, I’ve never done that before. Do you hand wash before blocking - I’m worried it’ll distort the shape. Any advice please would be welcome.

grannyme, the ball band will give washing instructions. Yes do wash it, knitteds always even out afterwards and look better. If in doubt, hand soak and squeeze, rinse in approximately the same temperature. Roll in a towel to take most moisture out and dry flat after patting into shape. You may not need do anything more

I’ve just frogged the blinking yoke on the baby’s cardigan for the third time ?
It’s very close to being shoved into a cupboard and ignored, I just hope great-niece isn’t growing quickly!

Thank you karmalady. That’s most helpful.

Hi. I'm new to GN and would definitely like to be part of this group. I've been knitting since I was seven and crocheting for nearly as long. I also like sewing, tapestry, and have made lace for a number of years, although I don't do that any more. Probably I've tried most crafts over the years but crochet is my favourite, although, as already said, this can be a lonely pursuit when done indoors in front of the tv. At the moment I'm trying to use up my huge stash - don't laugh, or ask how big that is!

Hi rainbowqueen, and welcome to the gang.

What are you working on at the moment?

I am making a boxy jumper out of 6/28 cashmere (roughly equivalent to 3ply in ‘old money’), and I’ve realised I split a stitch about 15 rows down. I have knitted up the extra stitch, and where I dropped it back there is a ladder. I can’t decide whether to hope it neatens up when iI block it, or cut my losses and rip it back ( there are 400 or so stitches on each round, so it’s a lot of work. I think I know what I have to do though ?

ooh doodledog, I faced almost that exact same desision yesterday. I spotted a mistake involving one stitch short in between two curving cable patterns. I had a fleeting thought about undoing 6 rows x 300 stiches. I decided to find a strand that I could take up the rows, I managed it and any slight difference will disappear when I soak and the wool blooms. Good luck with that, I suppose I would also rip it back if I was doing a stockinette pattern

It is hard for me to be working on my knitting now, the weather is improving and it is nice being out. I will persist and get this top finished before summer

Cressida

If anyone wants to try a simple top down pattern this one on Ravelry is the first one I did.

www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/all-in-one-baby-top

If you're like me and love knitting but don't like sewing up top down is great especially if you can knit the sleeves with double pointed needles.

Thank you for this pattern Cressida. I am knitting for my new grandchild, expected in April and this pattern is lovely for a Spring baby.

I finished the crochet shawl for my husband's cousin and posted it off to her this morning.
I'm now on to the fifth panel of a tunisian crochet yoga blanket for my daughter. It will consist of twelve panels in total with narrow joining panels between.
I have no plan or pattern for it. I'm making it up as I go along.

That sounds lovely, Minimoon, do post a pic when it’s finished. You do sound very expert at crochet - I do now and then wish I’d ever learned but CBB now.

Last night I measured 6.5 inches of the 3rd and final 2 foot section of my ‘Will I ever finish it?’ big blanket. Luckily it’s mindless TV knitting, very long rows of just garter st.

The only thing I have to think about, is which 2 random colours of Dk next, hence two bags of my mega-stash cluttering up the sitting room since obviously I can’t go upstairs after every 220 st row. Excellent exercise though it’d undoubtedly be!

I posted a couple of weeks ago and mentioned that I was currently crocheting Winnie the Pooh. Witzend asked me to post a picture.
Well, he is finally finished and here he is.

He’s gorgeous, CraftyGranny!

Thank you Witzend

On FB I have just seen this crochet pattern for a mini sloth and had to post it. www.thetwistedcrocheter.com/patterns/crochet-amigurumi-baby-finger-sloth-pattern-free

A real one. Edinburgh Zoo has them.

What a delightful little sloth, Elegran - pity I can’t crochet! I did try not long ago but I fear too old and dozy now.

This morning I measured 10 inches of the 3rd and final 24 inch section of my mega stash buster blanket - 220 sts - I see from an earlier post that it was 6.5 ins on 27th Feb so I’m getting there, but oh dear, it’s so slow!

It’s mostly reserved for mindless after dinner TV knitting, so would come on faster if I did some in the afternoons too, but I’ve got 2 other WIPs needing a bit of concentration then.

I will be heartily glad to get it finally finished, wrapped and posted though!

I learnt to knit as a child - simple stitches. I knitted a jumper for my husband (then boyfriend) when I was 21. I knitted it so tightly that he had to squeeze himself into it - must have been love. I haven’t knitted since then - over 40 years ago. I recently decided I wanted to start knitting wrist warmers for the knitformentalhealth charity. I couldn’t even remember how to cast on but with the help of YouTube and a very patient knitting friend I have this evening just produced my first pair! That’s not counting the rejects ? The game changer has been being able to read my knitting. Whenever I made a mistake before I just had to start again. Now I can knit back because I can recognise a knit/purl stitch and I can work out where I am. I just need to work out how to pick up stitches now. I think I may be hooked. ?????

That also happened to me until I used the funny little metal thing. That's used to tighten them up. It makes sure they don't come loose until you want them to.

Well done Libman!

Don’t all laugh, but I’m knitting hot cross buns - as requested by one of the staff at the pre-school elder Gdcs attended, and where the youngest will eventually go.
She knows I knit so the request came via dd.

They’re a bit of a fiddle but the pattern seems unnecessarily complicated to me - French knots for the visible fruit, and i-cords for the cross bits, but I’ve made do with much simpler (to me, anyway) just cast on and off for the crosses, and a few sts on top of each other for the fruit.
I finished the first earlier, it looks OK to me. But in any case, it’ll have to do.

I love it!
And no calories either.

Talking of HCBs, making this made me really fancy one, so I yesterday I ordered some supposedly ‘artisan bakery’ ones from the milkman - to be delivered this morning.

Very disappointing - well within date but very dry, and twice the price of good old Asda ones.
I’d thought they’d be like the really yummy ones I remember fetching from the bakery early on a Good Friday, with my father. ?

Posted these off yesterday, phew.
Spent much of the weekend making them, so the intended inch per day of my mega stash buster blanket didn’t happen.
I will be so glad when that is finally finished and posted!