Knitting

Hello fellow knitters! After years , ( grandchildren all. grown up) not knitting I resurrected a knitting bag and some old yarn from deep in the loft last year and made a strange pullover! That woke up a sleeping ‘bug’ and by Christmas 15 hats for presents and by now 3 sweaters for myself and partway through a couple for said grandchildren , it keeps me awake but I think It’s becoming an obsession, should I form Knitters Anonymous ??

The only jumper I’ve knitted in ages was a plain, oversized style in super-chunky, that looked lovely when finished.

But unfortunately I had a new washing machine ? that didn’t have a straightforward ‘just spin’ cycle, only a ‘rinse and spin’ that you have to faff with, to spin only.

So after the first hand-wash (pure new wool) I mis-faffed and it came out half the size. Over £70 worth of wool down the drain.

I knit loads, but it’s nearly all been items to be sent to e.g. refugees (scarves, soft toys, currently a blanket) and last year a number of Christmassy things for Gdcs and their school Christmas raffle (e.g. a Nativity set) - raffle went ahead anyway last Christmas, online.

I don’t knit jumpers for Gdcs because the other granny is prolific in that department, and very good at it.

In the not too distant I shall be making C-word things again, inc. another Nativity set, since I embarked on a 2nd last year that never got anywhere near finished - I have just one poor lonely shepherd who needs all the other figures to keep him company.
Oh, and a ‘Worry Monster’ at the moment.
I keep the blanket for mindless TV knitting - anything needing closer attention is reserved for radio only.

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Oh dear! I bought some handknitted alpaca socks for a friend who does a lot of rambling - they were sold as 'walking socks'. I wonder if he got lots of shedded alpaca yarn all over his feet

I did read somewhere that if you are knitting socks (which I have never done) it is best to use yarn which is part wool, part nylon for hard wear.

People put items like that in the freezer before they wear them, apparently it helps, or even in the fridge, in a plastic bag. I have never tried it though. You would think that it would be a bit chilly to put on, which rather defeats the object, but appparently not. It keeps them in place for long enough for a day's outing, supposedly.

Aah, that's a shame, Indinana. Perhaps the alpaca would like it back?

rosequartz I bought some alpaca yarn in Cornwall, somewhere near Launceston it was. I went there especially for the yarn and it was very reasonably priced at the time, around £3.50 for 50g (think it's a bit more now). I brought it home and knitted an infinity scarf with it, BUT, as gorgeously soft and warm as it is, I couldn't wear the scarf as it sheds so badly. All the while I was knitting, I was getting covered with fluff and in the end I had to resort to laying a sheet over me while knitting . Once finished, I washed the scarf to see if it improved it. It didn't. So I washed it again.... and again.... and again. Probably about 6 washes in total, and it was still shedding. I gave up.
I still have several balls of it sitting there all sad and unloved

Thanks, janerowena. You are a mine of useful information.

You click on the individual yarns, such as this one

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GORGEOUS-SOFT-CASHMERE-LAMBSWOOL-PETROL-250g-CONE-5-BALLS-PURE-NATURAL-WOOL-YARN-/271969595955?hash=item3f52a6b233

Scroll down to the bottom, and it says it is 3-ply.

I think it means petrel rather than petrol, too!

It usually says so right down at the bottom of the pagee, if not I google the yarn, or see what size needles are recommended and do a deduction from that! Not all ebay sellers remember to think of everything.

Thanks janerowena

janerowena - ooh, thanks for that, it's very interesting - and good prices. How do you know, though, what ply it is? I don't think it says.

Usually, yes, such as fifilabonk and Debbie Bliss. Sometimes it's the companies themselves selling of stock because they have changed shades, so you have to be sure you have bought enough.

nottooold when the yarns are on sale they are often cheaper than really cheap horrible nylon from the pound shop (although some of the acrylics they sell are really very good).

Can you see this?

www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2060353.m570.l1313.TR7.TRC1.A0.H0.Xcashmere+yarn.TRS0&_nkw=cashmere+yarn&_sacat=0

There is all sorts of cashmere yarn, if I haven't come across a brand before I google it. When you think a pair of cashmere socks costs around £20 in the shops, it can be a cheap way to make a nice present.

Is the cashmere yarn OK from ebay, janerowena, is it a known make?

I like the sound of the 20% wool/80% acrylic, janerowena, especially at £1.95 a ball. I'd be a bit concerned to pay a lot of money for, say, cashmere as I'd worry the garment might turn out wrong. I'm not that brilliant a knitter!

Yes, I buy mine online, Deramores is a very good site and they have lots of offers. Loveknitting send an email most days, so for dbh's that I am knitting currently, I think it is a free pattern from Deramores using Rowan yarn that is 20% wool, 80% acrylic. 100g balls that cost only £1.95 in a sale.

I often buy the cashmere on Ebay, because I can bid for it and hope no-one else wants it.

I found a shop not far away that sells local Alpaca yarn; I know alpaca is very warm.

There are lots of online shops to buy yarns; Blacksheep, Deramores, fabulousyarn, loveknitting etc etc

Just google 'cashmere yarns'
Of course, you have to rely on the pictures for the feel and the colour.

I do knit in a synthetic yarn for DGD1 as she gets a bit of eczema; the others are OK with wool. However, as they get chucked into the washing machine frequently I think something like Sirdar Snuggly is good for children (even older ones) as it is very soft.

One thing I have noticed is that, using pure wool for a garment, be very careful to calculate how much you need if you don't use the yarn specified in the pattern. Because wool is heavier than acrylic or acrylic/nylon mix, you get less yardage in each ball. So check that you buy the correct yardage, not just the correct number of balls.

Where do you buy pure wool or cashmere for hand knitting, janerowena? My lovely local wool shop doesn't have any. I wonder if wool/acrylic might wash better than all wool? Also, wool can be itchy sometimes although I agree it is much warmer.

monica I have seen pure wool jumpers for well over £100. I had been balking at the price of wool, thinking it would cost too much to make a jumper nowadays, but once you get back (after acrylic) to wearing cashmere, merino and pure new wool there is no going back, and with sales of wool on online sites it does mean that you can make a jumper far more cheaply now.

Thanks for the link Grannyknot. I don't know when I'll have time to make some of these with all the other stuff I'm in the middle of, but I definitely will at some point!

A really good quality wool sweater costs a fortune if you want to buy one. DH bought me one some years ago. It is deliciously warm and saw me through the cold winters beautifully but it left him very little change from £100.

The sweaters I have bought in the last few year on the High Street, may have looked chunky but I need to wear a t shirt under them because you can see through the holes and in cold weather I need long sleeved thermal vests under them and more cardigans on top in order to keep warm.

In the 1950s and 60s all Jaeger knitwear was hand knitted and a friend of my mothers passed their stringent quality test and knitted for them and tried to recruit my mother to join her.

Some hand knitted clothes do look awful, but really well knitted sweater to a carefully chosen pattern with good quality material can look very good indeed.

Those are very fashionable, also the knitted headbands with a bow on the side.

Handknitting is very fashionable at the moment. Our knitting club is currently knitting xmas jumpers for our OHs, and with most of them you would never know they had been knitted by hand. A good steam press will sort out the others!

Here you go:

www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bow-knot-scarf

I wear mine with the upper edge turned over like a collar. I always get compliments on it

Drag they seem to have taken the pattern down. Will try and find it elsewhere.