knitting and crochet, nattering and sharing

Purplepixie

I knitted a very complicated cardigan and I had my doubts about it when I got half way through it. Why I didnt pull the thing out I do not know. But I did have to finish it. Yes, it was way too big and now it is in the bottom of my wardrobe just waiting for the day when I pull the whole thing out. I will try and post a photo at a later date.

Oh no!

I tried to finish a cabled jumper I started years ago but can't fathom the cable (it's complicated) and if I do ever finish it it probably won't fit.

That's my type of sweater, Doodledog

Thanks .

I hope I get the length right. I am also planning to add the sleeves to the shoulders, rather than pick up for them and do them as additions, as I am making my sweater in thin stripes, and the sleeves would be striped in a different direction, and the stripes would come out much wider if I do them in the round with a much smaller circumference than the sweater.

I was going to make a V neck, but I think the combination of the different sleeves and fiddling the stripes will be enough to contend with without changing the neckline as well. I wouldn't know where to start the V, anyway, because of the shape of the body.

I haven't knitted anything for me for years but the DGC don't want knitted things any more.

I did knit a poncho for DD but it was very simple.

I've just seen this one on the sidebar of the one you're doing Doodledog added to favourites.... I shall never get around to all those I'm adding lol

www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lattice-or-braid

karmalady

oh heck. it looks as though it is going to be a challenge

www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/viburna

I must carefully read all the posts and comments about the projects

That is a really lovely design, far too daunting for me sadly.
I have decided that I don’t enjoy knitting jumpers or cardigans for myself, the finished article always disappoints me.

I still haven`t decided which pattern so am working on socks, first sock 1 was finished yesterday. Then I remembered that I have a mini interchangeables kit, especially made for small diameters like socks and dolls clothes and I have never tried 9" circulars to make socks. I put the 2" tips on the 5" wire and I started, all rib done and 20 rows of stockinette, so I gave it a fair go but went back to 6" dpns, which felt much more comfortable last night

During the night I woke with index finger joint ache. It may have been the circulars, they felt awkward at first, while I was using them. Absolutely grand for short sessions though and especially good for putting into a small handbag when travelling or while sitting in a waiting room somewhere.

Then again I pruned 24 roses yesterday, so was using secateurs with that hand for 4 solid hours, could have been that and several stems were very hard to cut through. I think I will rest my hand today and try the mini circulars again when I have finished this sock. I might well be blaming the circulars unfairly

I have a yarn skeiner and a wool winder, I really dislike winding up balls of fine yarn and can use the skeiner and wool winder together. I put the skeins on the back of chairs and do them by hand. Unfortunately I absolutely cannot get to the far cupboard where I keep the skeiner but will perhaps wait to wind more balls until after the painter has been and I am sorted again. I bought the skeiner ages ago, used it for skeining my spun yarn. I just saw it via google and had no idea how much it now costs. My crafting stuff must be worth a small fortune. Perhaps I will make an inventory one day, so the children don`t go taking all this valuable stuff to get rid, they have no idea as they don`t craft.

I have beautiful sewing machines (plural) 4 spinning wheels an electric wheel, a jumper blocker stand and all my beautiful knitting needles and other things. A very big investment over a very long time

This is the cardigan that now rests in the bottom of my wardrobe waiting to be unpicked. It is a sideways knitted type and I can wrap it around me nearly twice and I ain’t no stick! Oh well, that is a definite lesson learned.

purplepixie, I don`t envy you, it is going to be difficult to unpick while keeping the colours apart. If it is wool, you could set the stitches and cut it to make something else or what about felting it a bit, which would turn it into a smaller and useful jacket

Gosh Purplepixie, that’s a lot of work to end in disappointment ☹️, I do know exactly how that feels.

Wonderful thread. Best wishes everyone.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Purplepixie

This is the cardigan that now rests in the bottom of my wardrobe waiting to be unpicked. It is a sideways knitted type and I can wrap it around me nearly twice and I ain’t no stick! Oh well, that is a definite lesson learned.

Looks lovely though - was that multicoloured yarn?

They look great, karmalady. Fingerless gloves are very useful.

I finished one mitt and it is absolutely gorgeous, the hardest bit was looking for my tiny dpns for the thumb. I even weighed the grey and mid grey to divide equally as the amount of cream started to look doubtful for 2 mitts, so I went up to thumb start in cream and then did 2 wide stripes in the greys. One mitt weighs 19g so 50g would easily make the 2 mitts, even allowing for denser yarn.They are a perfect stash buster for presents. I would use anything between 4ply and dk. I made the medium size

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I have made those too, karmalady, and had a phase of making lots of Holdens. I have both the free and paid-for patterns, but much prefer the small ones that I made from the free one. I still use them, as they tuck into the neck of my coat, on the rare occasions I wear a coat these days!

I've moved off neckwear other than for presents, as I have so many cowls, shawlettes and scarves; but they make great presents and are good for people new to knitting, as well as for using up single balls of beautiful yarn.

I'd like a plain simple cardigan pattern for myself but they are all in small sizes the ones I have

doodledog, I need to stop knitting cowls and scarves too

socksandsocks01 take a look at ravelry at the advanced pattern section, you can be specific about size, yarn weight etc

I have acquired 2 more jumper amounts of excellent yarn via rav, good prices from someone selling stash. They will go into ziplocks when they arrive and are likely to be for next winter, it will be one in and 1 out, I have a few things to donate to the charity shop.

Very interesting thread, thank you OP.

I knit and crochet and have done since I was very young. Mu gorgeous Gran taught me to crochet and Mum taught me The weird thing is Gran couldn't knit and Mum couldn't crochet. Gran also made beautiful lace

I have been using circular needles for a few years now and much prefer them to straight ones.

For those of you looking at knitting from the top down, you can get hundreds if not thousands of patterns from

www.Garnstudio.com

and they are all free!

The majority of their garments are worked from the top down on circular needles. They are the producers of Drops yarns.

There are patterns for all ages plus blankets, accessories and even toys, both knitted and crocheted, and for all abilities.
There are many video tutorials too.

When I first tried to knit a jumper in the circular I was a bit put off by the number of stitches that would be on the needles, but the garment knits up just as fast and no seams to sew up.

Drops yarn, its very good value and garnstudio patterns are nice

I have been slowly plodding away on a sock today, turned the heel and am going to now slip it onto a 9"circular for the foot. I got used to that size circular when making the iris mitts, no joint ache whatsoever, I just hold the tips loosely

The yarn I bought from a stash is by my favourite mill, john arbon so I am delighted. I made a decent offer, which was accepted

Yarncraft is a perfect winter occupation, I cannot knit during the warmer months but I do sew then and that keeps my enthusiasm for knitting as it is something I look forward to doing, during the hibernation months

It is a full moon and I am normally wakeful during this time. I have to recommend gentle knitting in bed, just my tiny sock circular, a very small package. The rhythm must set my brain into sleep mode because thoughts of the day disappear and sleep comes. I was wary of those tiny needles but honestly, I recommed that size now. It is so easy to slip a small make into a little bag and so easy to hold them, with relaxed fingers

It seems as though everyone I know will be getting home made socks this year, starting with my neighbour who has cancer. My other house, my neighbour got bowel cancer and loved his new socks, he called them his lucky socks. I made them in bright colours to suit his personality

I just found a knit and natter group, only a walk away but it is in an evangelical chapel and I don`t do religion, having gone through a lifetime, up to age 40 being a catholic. I am not going to that one. I am still looking,

Who else ends up buying yet more yarn for a stashbuster project, even though there’s plenty of stash left?

The other day I bought 2 x 100g balls for my big blanket (5 foot by 6 foot if I ever actually finish it) just to be sure I have plenty of nice bright colours for each (double strand of different colours DK) row.

I’m doing it in 3 x 2 foot sections, just over halfway through section two at the moment.
Good mindless TV knitting though, just garter stitch.