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knitting and crochet, nattering and sharing

(346 Posts)
karmalady Sun 09-Jan-22 08:09:00

I own up to being an old hand at knitting, I can knit fast and evenly but have learnt very many new skills, such as knitting top down jumpers, short rows, circular needles. My crocheting skills are very basic, just about enough for a simple blanket or an edging.

I love knitting but it is solitary, nice and cosy while watching a tv film, there must be thousands in a similar boat. I am going to try with a dedicated group on GN. It`ll be up to us, sink or swim

karmalady Wed 19-Jan-22 13:00:27

doodledog, I need to stop knitting cowls and scarves too smile

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.

Socksandsocks01 Wed 19-Jan-22 11:50:29

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

Doodledog Wed 19-Jan-22 11:44:29

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.

karmalady Wed 19-Jan-22 06:01:43

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

karmalady Mon 17-Jan-22 18:29:51

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

Doodledog Mon 17-Jan-22 18:21:12

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

Witzend Mon 17-Jan-22 16:57:32

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?

karmalady Mon 17-Jan-22 08:16:57

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Trixii Sun 16-Jan-22 15:48:34

Wonderful thread. Best wishes everyone.sunshine

BlueBalou Sun 16-Jan-22 13:27:48

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

karmalady Sun 16-Jan-22 13:00:01

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

Purplepixie Sun 16-Jan-22 12:52:27

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.

karmalady Sun 16-Jan-22 07:16:55

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

BlueBalou Sun 16-Jan-22 06:32:33

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.

Rosie51 Sat 15-Jan-22 23:01:37

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

Calistemon Sat 15-Jan-22 21:51:37

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

Calistemon Sat 15-Jan-22 21:49:32

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

Doodledog Sat 15-Jan-22 21:41:04

Thanks smile.

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.

Calistemon Sat 15-Jan-22 21:34:19

That's my type of sweater, Doodledog

Calistemon Sat 15-Jan-22 21:32:52

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.

Doodledog Sat 15-Jan-22 19:41:53

karmalady

Post withdrawn

Oh, I like that, karmalady. I've favourited it.

I am knitting this one, but doing it in the round rather than flat.

It is bottom up, which is not my preference, and I'm at the point where I need to make a decision about how long to make it. This will be hit and miss, as the body widens before joining up with the top of the sleeves, so I can't hold it against me to see the length.

(As an aside, the second photo from the top looks creased, doesn't it? You'd think the designer would have blocked or ironed it to advertise the pattern).

I have made a few Jojo Locatelli patterns. I like the finished result, but I wish she would write them out better. There is always a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and turning to a different page depending on the size or whether you are knitting in the round or flat.

Purplepixie Sat 15-Jan-22 19:33:14

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.

Ali23 Sat 15-Jan-22 08:40:06

Just looked at the nightscape pattern link. That would be the one for me, but at my speed I could be 90 by the time it’s finished!

karmalady Sat 15-Jan-22 07:43:49

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

karmalady Sat 15-Jan-22 06:16:55

Message withdrawn at poster's request.