knitting and crochet, nattering and sharing

One of my craft group posted this on our site. Thought you crafty ladies would like it.

Thanks ladies for the quick response

Hiraeth

Does anyone know which wool I should buy to knit womens winter socks ?

I use Opal, West Yorkshire Spinners (WYS) , independent yarn dyers on Etsy - I have a sizeable stash!
Ideally you would use 75% wool/25% nylon for durability. Super wash yarn is best ?
I’m addicted to knitting socks, I’ve probably made more than 40 pairs now!

Hi Hiraeth I have forgotten the name of a very good quality sock yarn I used a few years ago, I think it's a German make, mainly wool, and a ball went for miles. I didn't make socks but have bought it since for other hard wearing items. Comes in both plain and patterned yarn.

Hi, I quite like using square knitting needles. They look strange but I find them quite comfy to use. I'm a really tight knitter and these seem to improve my tension without needing to change to a different size . I've got a few pairs of quite expensive wooden needles but tbh I'm not really a big fan and although I think I already have most sizes, if I ever do need to buy new needles I don't think I'd go for wooden again. I tend to stick to plain-ish patterns that I can knit in front of the tv.

Does anyone know which wool I should buy to knit womens winter socks ?

I’m pleased with my 2nd mega stash buster* blanket so far - size 8 circular needle and a strand of chunky plus one of DK. It’s obviously growing much faster than the other and feels very cosy.

*Though not strictly a stashbuster, since I’ve had to buy chunky. One 100g ball (used with different colours of DK) is only lasting for about 4 inches.
190 sts - it was supposed to be 180 but I evidently wasn’t concentrating!

I’m hoping that this time, since it’s going to a charity, it’ll be finished in time for the approach of winter - the other wasn’t finished until the daffodils were out. ?

Totally trivial I know but...
On BBC Breakfast, reporter in Stockport looking at crocheted Jubilee post-box-topper tells us that it was 'knitted by locals'! Aargh
DGD when she was 3 would call crochet 'knitting with one stick'. Two years later when I quoted it back to her, I got the reply that it wasn't knitting. And she rarely sees either being done.
Is it so difficult to tell the 2 apart?

I am knitting a gansey after finishing a chunky cable v neck for one of the grandchildren in Australia. I just posted scarves to them too. For Easter I enjoyed crocheting a lamb, bunny, basket and eggs. I have attended a library group, but ideally I’d love to have a weekly knitting group in my house. I have made a dress and a child’s apron using the sewing machine, but it is much more effort for me! These crafts definitely have helped when missing family and feeling low. I retired 5 years ago and have missed the camaraderie at work.

Lovely thread! I enjoy knitting when watching television with my group. I also crochet. I love to see what others are making and I have 2 sweaters on the go right now.

I must say that I have been plodding away, just a few rows a day, it is the approaching summer, I seem to lose my knitting mojo after winter. The pattern is breslin, which is a gansey using falklands 4 ply merino. It is beautiful and easy. I want to finish it and then put it into a moth proof bag for summer.

The knitting love does not go away forever, I made a pair of soacks the other week, easy and quick and familiar but the love does get dormant.

My aim is to just keep my jumpers topped up over time and to do some very satisfying knitting. I bought a new knitting book today with 20 beautiful patterns. Called strands of joy. The patterns are really nice and having a quick look at rav reviews, are getting 5 stars. The cheapest was from wild and woolly, in their sale. It ends up at £25 instead of £35, that includes p and p. I shall enjoy browsing and to be fair, it is cheap per pattern

I need not have worried about the amount of yarn wrt breslin, I am going to have at least a full skein over and can add that to my other wool 4 plys. I can just use those random colours in an odd job stripe sequence to make a breslin without the pattern, if I like the fit on me

I hope you are all good and well and looking forward to summer

Very sweet! Someone is going to be very happy to find it!

Thank you. ?

That corgi is amazing. So clever. I love it.

https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202203/medium-460545-wheres-winnie-tag.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202203/medium-377119-20220330-105449.jpg https://www.gransnet.com/uploads/talk/202203/medium-266740-20220330-105011.jpg

First one completed, pics attached! Also pic of the label. It is a fun knit, so I'll do more.

Yes, do please post a pic!
Maybe I’ll give one a go after all - I’ve got plenty of corgi-coloured oddments to use up.

Or should I say tag, (label sounds big). I've nearly finished the first one, will post a pic when it's done.

Hi Witzend yes there is a label to print to attach explaining what it's all about . The WI that started it will be hiding one with a golden tag - and for which there is a prize for the finder.

I hadn’t heard of this, but probably won’t be making any, since I already have a few projects on the go - including a very big one I’m itching to finish.

Sounds fun, though - I’m sure you’ll enjoy making them, and your little Gds will enjoy helping you find places for hiding them! Do you attach anything to say what they’re for - in case anyone thinks they’re a child’s lost toy?

Anyone else knitting the WI Corgis as part of the Jubilee celebrations? ???

The suggestion is to make them, tag them, and leave them about for people to find. The pattern comes with the explanatory tag. Installation art? I'm making a couple and my little grandson and I will hide them - hopefully to be found!

www.thewi.org.uk/education-and-training/education/activities/get-creative/projects/wheres-winnie-craft-competition

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!

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. ?

I love it!
And no calories either.

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.

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.