knitting and crochet, nattering and sharing

There are many different ways of knitting, and all are equally valid. It makes sense when you think that people would be working out how to make fabric from wool in different places and learning from their neighbours rather than books or videos ).

The Vikings did Nailbinding, which is a sort of blend of knitting and crochet with the use of a bodkin, or large-eyed sewing needle. I'd like to have a go at that one day.

I can't imagine why the German woman gave up knitting because of a rude comment about the way she did it . Continental knitting is usually faster than English knitting, as the English way 'throws' the yarn around the needle, whereas the Continental way 'picks' it from behind the loop. I can't explain this very well, but if you are interested, there are videos on YouTube - the 'thrown' move is the one we were taught as 'over', as in 'In, Over, Through, Off'. I tried to master Continental, but the 'throwing' method is too ingrained in me, as I've been doing it since I was 7.

I think the Shetlanders knit in a similar way to the Continental manner (although traditionally they used very long double-pointed needles held at one end in a knitting belt so that they could knit as they walked), but I don't know if there is a general Scottish, Welsh or Irish way of knitting, or if 'English' in this sense covers the UK.

So long as you produce some sort of fabric, what does it matter if other people think you do it in a 'funny' way?

Loving your birds gillyknits.

Winwick Mum has a great site for starting socks with circulars or dpns. If you Google her name, it’ll come up first SAS01. I have her book but suspect postage to you would cost an arm and a leg.

I don't knit however I do sew and mostly self taught with lots of help from YouTube...It does me the world of good esp now I have a Grand-Daughter to make for

I’ve been knitting for over 60 years, now mainly for charity- I’m a member of an online form. I attended 2 weekly craft groups pre pandemic but they’ve still not resumed meeting and I really miss them. Currently making Easter chicks and bunnies for hospice fund raising and hats for Innocent Big Knit (great for using up all my odds and ends in between knitting larger boys jumpers for refugees. I knit quickly and hate circular needles as they slow me down. I’m a needle under arm knitter and can’t seem to get the same rhythm with circular. Love complicated Aran patterns. I do read/occasionally contribute to the Arts and Crafts forum but would welcome a dedicated woolly one

I knit and crochet. I've done both since being a kid but never tackled difficult stuff. Never knit socks. I've used circulars twice for hats but I'd love yo do socks and fair isle things

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I really enjoyed knitting and crochet but had not been inspired to make anything for a while. I felt as if something was missing! Then my sister bought me The Twelve Birds of Christmas for my birthday. I have made two Peter the blackbird and a John The woodpecker so far. They are fun to make.

Just don't unravel!

My Mum taught my sister and I to knit when very young, and I can remember knitting an emerald green and red tea cosy at school when I was around 6 or 7 years old. I've just learned to crochet during lockdown - a toy for our new granddaughter. I love to either knit, crochet, cross stitch or embroider in the evening in front of the tv. During the day I'm usually sewing garments. I love to be creative.

It’s lovely to be amongst such talented ladies who generously share so much information and outstanding knowledge. The projects displayed are amazing and inspiring. Thanks to you I have followed a tutorial about Tunisian crochet and might have a go myself.
The top down lace baby cardigan I love to knit was published in 1950 and I have added similar patterns thanks to Ravelry. Nowadays I prefer to work this way as sewing up seams is not something I relish. I can recommend a good pattern on Rav which I use for the prems (it can be sized up) in addition to the ventilator hats.

Forgot to add that this is an American site, so crochet terms are different.
Copy and paste any paste the pattern into Word etc and do a find and replace to change them to British - ie search single crochet (sc) and replace it with double crochet (dc) and so on.

Ravelry.com- an online knitting and crochet forum and source of patterns has loads that you can download for free - you just need a username and password [ no bank details]. Be warned it is addictive and you can lose hours looking at all the lovely patterns and trying to decide which one to do next.....

I love knitting although I don't spend as much time on it as I would like to. I also have a large stash which takes up a lot of room, but I am a firm believer that you should buy it when you see it. I have got about 4 projects on the go at the moment.

Can't knit to save my life but quite good at crochet. This site has lots of knitting and crochet patterns plus a lot more:

www.thesprucecrafts.com/single-crochet-stitch-patterns-978806?utm_campaign=artcraftsl&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cn_nl&utm_content=26296844&utm_term=

I just wish I could do either
Tried numerous tutorials to no avail

Another knitter here! currently knitting very small baskets which I fill with tiny Easter Eggs which I like to give out to family and friends. I also knit dolls clothes, hats for premature babies, just about anything really.

They are very good Witzend. I tried to make some but they were not as good as yours so I am sticking to making cannula sleeves which are gratefully received at the local hospital.

Dementia patients often pull out their cannulas and the sleeve has safe 'twiddles' to keep their fingers busy. (Handmade for Dementia)

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For anyone who might be interested in making one, here’s one of my ‘Toothy’ Worry-Eating monsters, and a worry-eating dog - both patterns on the Knit for Nowt website, and good for using up oddments.
The dog was supposed to be knitted all in chunky, but I mostly used double strands from my stash, instead.

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Here are some examples of tunisian crochet. My blanket is made in different stitches and shades of pink and purple.
The little hat is done in the round. It is just a practice piece, but I was quite happy with the result.
I really must go to the wool shop tomorrow and buy some more yarn. I have nothing to work on, and I'm not happy!

My mother taught me to knit when I was little but I don't do it much because my work is always so uneven. Crochet is better because it is more even within itself and the results are more presentable.

Another reason I don't knit is because - did you know? - German and French women knit differently from each other and again from British knitters. An expat friend of mine was knitting once in the doctor's waiting room and a German lady said to her "don't you knit funny?" She has never knitted since. It's too much of a bother explaining.

My system is very cack-handed: I have to take my hand off the work to bring the wool round. Perhaps this is because I learned when I had little hands and short fingers.

Did anyone see University Challenge this week? They had questions on knitting. The students were as hopeless as they were a few weeks ago on embroidery stitches! It was so frustrating!

I’ve always got knitting on the go, but never learned to crochet and can’t be bothered to learn now. TBH I do prefer the look of knitting anyway. I think I was put off crochet back in the 70s by a housemate who was forever crocheting seriously garish ponchos - she was such a nice girl so of course I pretended to think they were lovely, but lived in dread of her presenting me with one - and being obliged to wear it!!

At the moment I have a big stashbuster blanket on the go, finished size will be about 5 foot by 6 foot, knitted in 3 sections, double DK on a 4.5mm circular needle.
That will eventually go to Knit for Peace. I have also made scarves, little teddies and dolls for K for P.

Then I’m about 1/3 of the way through a 3rd or 4th (I’ve lost count) ‘Toothy’ Worry Monster for Knit for Nowt.

I used to make the odd jumper for Gdcs but the other granny is a superb knitter and makes such a lot for them, they always have plenty anyway.

I’ve also twice made several items for elder Gdcs’ school Christmas fair raffles - Christmassy things that are fun to make and have always gone down well.

Pre Covid I also made Twiddle Muffs for dementia patients at the local hospital - I was also asked to make ‘knitted knockers’ for their midwives to use in breastfeeding demonstrations!

just to say that I watch those youtube videos on my tv

Every time I did a new pattern from rav, I needed new circular needles, this was before I discovered chiaogoo interchangeables. Keeping the circulars in order was becoming increasingly difficult. Then I found a fabric holder on a clothes hanger. Just channels with the needle sizes on one side, now my fixed circulars are all in there, neat and tidy. Definitely can be home made with numbers written on the sides.

Can I recommend youtube for knitting channels, I have seen a few very nice patterns that I added to my rav library list. The very best youtube channel in myopinion, only discovered 2 days ago, is called fruity knitting. I accidentally saw one of her videos and went straight into the search box, entered fruity knitting, made sure I subscribed and then scrolled through the many videos she made. Yesterday, I watched her podcast 1, made in 2016. It was an hour and 20 long with no adverts. Lovely to watch, she described from her early days and the money in metal cylinders that went whizzing across the shop, I remember those from childhood. She is a proper good knitter and lovely to listen too

oh thank goodness, we have a community, it made me very happy to read all your posts

I made several pairs of socks three years ago, on karbonz size 2 dpns, then my right hand thumb joint really started to hurt. That was very upsetting because suddenly my lifeline knitting hobby was in jeopardy. I found several things on the net eg carrying a full plate in one hand puts great strain on that very joint.

I found some thumb supports that I had to put into hot water and mould them to my thumbs, they have a strap and worked very well, I used them a lot in the day while my joint was healing. I found some very good hand and thumb supports on a physio site and I wore them at night, my hand was fully velcroed in

I bought general hand support gloves from quilting sites, they were good for support while knitting. The result is that I have no pain at all now and no nobbly thumb joint. I keep tham all in a box, know exactly where they are and I would be going straight to them if I feel so much as a twinge again. My best daytime gloves, have a solid support along the thumb, they have short fingers with holes for fingers and thumb

Top down does work nicely, I used my sewing dressform.

Thank you Doodledog, I'd never heard of top down knitting but have Googled it now. I used to live in Liverpool and was fascinated by the amount of yarnbombing that went on there, something I'd like to do with others here (Cornwall). There's a road in our town where the owners of the terraced houses have yarnbombed the uprights to their porches, great fun.