Knitting a square & joining things.

[jackandahat]

(Forgive me, this is going to be a stupid question)

I'm trying to join some other pieces together by picking up a side from each and knitting a square in the middle, decreasing towards the centre.

But I'm struggling with the "How many and how often?" part of decreasing. Doing sl1 k2tog psso at each corner still gets me a lump in the middle.

How would you decrease to make a flat square?

Second, hopefully less daft question - how do you go about joining pieces using knitting? I'd like to make an afghan out of blocks, but I'd rather not do that amount of sewing if possible. Which is where I ended up on the problem above. All the patterns I've found so far are either log-cabin type where it gets bigger and bigger, rather than something you can work on in small pieces, or they're pieces sewn together after.

Comments

[jackandahat]

I don't have spare cash right now, but I'll write that one down for when I do, thank you - I've heard good things about it.

A pro tip re: zimmerman

[jazzypom]

She isn't the easiest read out there (Zimmerman tends to... chunder along). But if you've been around the knitting block a few times, she's aces.

Re: A pro tip re: zimmerman

[jackandahat]

Ahh, I'll keep that in mind - I haven't actually read anything of hers yet. I do get the majority of my info off the net - the only knitting books I actually own are Yarn Harlot ones.

"around the block" - I never know how to assess my skills. On the one hand, I did my leaves blanket while organising a major house move, and I'm cheerfully knitting lace while RP tagging. On the other hand... I just failed to knit a square. *facepalm*

Hmmm

[jazzypom]

Well, if you can read patterns, know more than knit, purl and garter stitch, you've moved past a beginner. In addition, you've done socks and cables, so I'd peg you for an intermediate. So if you know all that, and have knitted a garment or two, Zimmerman is for you.

I honestly can't say that I've liked her book (I have Knitting Without Tears). In an age of Ikea, where one has loads of diagrams, and pretty much instructions which are A goes into B, I find Zimmerman's Midwestern folksy, "Come in and sit a spell, and oooh, look how spunky I am" style really aggravating.

If you have a thrift shop near you and you sight a Montse Stanley book for knitters, I'd say get it. It's pretty simple and straightforward and I finally understood the mystery of short row shaping.

Re: Hmmm

[jackandahat]

Cables are the most recent thing - up until the other week with Fetching I'd done them once, hated them (that'll teach me to try in acrylic, though I didn't understand that at the time) and ignored them. There's a lot I can't do - like colourwork - but that's mostly because I haven't tried, I've been busy doing other stuff and haven't sat down to try and learn. I haven't yet hit anything that's totally thrown me once I've picked at it.

I don't know about the spunky, but I tend to find text-based (rather than diagram-based) stuff interesting at least. I might see if the library has it on loan - sadly, their knitting section seems to be three books on baby jumpers.

I'll keep an eye out for that, there are a couple of charity shops in town.

Lace is my bug bear

[jazzypom]

That's the only thing I really want to get, but I can't. I can't get my head around it, and that's the only thing I want to do. Boo.

Re: Lace is my bug bear

[jackandahat]

It's not my preferred stuff, I prefer stuff like this, don't know what to call it, but where there's a design shaped in but not lots of holes. But it is frustrating when the one thing you really want is taunting you. Evil lace...

Yeah, that's lace

[jazzypom]

I think the yarn thickness and the nupps (those raised balls) makes the lace a bit more muscular than we're used to seeing, but that's lace.

Re: Yeah, that's lace

[jackandahat]

Ahhh, I wasn't thinking of that as lace! I'm playing with it at the moment. (Have been for a while, but it's got to the point where it's too big to comfortably put on my lap and not get in the way of the laptop.) Thanks - I didn't know that one.