Knitting

Stash-busting

2020-01-05T11:00:42Z

Posted by: glinda

*waves hello to the comm after a long absence*

Last year I set myself the task of reducing my knitting stash by half. I wasn't successful in that task but I did make a lot of projects last year using stashed wool. In fact, with the exception of the first two projects I made last year - which were made with wool I bought in the January sales - everything I made was with stash wool. I made lots of projects that used up a ball or two of odd wool I'd picked up in bargain bins, at wool swaps and had leftover from other projects.

If my knitting had a theme this year it was 2015. First I picked up and finished a project that I'd mostly knit back in 2015, part of it need re-knit and for a long time I couldn't face doing it. However, I finally frogged the part that needed frogging, re-knit it up, and then assembled the cardigan. It took me less than a fortnight from restarting it to getting it finished and now it's no longer hanging over me! We had a really nice summer this year and I got a great deal of pleasure being able to actually wear it!

Most of the rest of my knitting in the first half of the year involved wool that I picked up at a yarn swap when I first joined the knitting bee I'm part of in Inverness, I made a small throw out of leftoveer sock yarn that was lots of fun, used up some random chunky wool as a hot-water bottle cover, knitted two kerchiefs - discovering along the way that I'm not really a kerchief wearer - and made a small cowl out of the leftovers from a kerchief that has been the single most useful knitted item I've made all year. I may not be a kercheif wearer but I'm definitely a cowl wearer, so I'll be making more of those!

I made my first pair of double-knit socks this year which despite having chosen a somewhat confusing pattern I actually finished in a short enough time that I actually wear said socks - mostly as house socks but they get worn. My last project of the year was a cosy hat, as I lost the hat I had that matched my duffle coat so I made myself a waffle hat with leftover wool from a tunic I made a couple of years ago which was satisfying on lots of levels.

Also my first completed project of the new year was actually started in November and was my single biggest stash project, as it was a jumper that I bought the wool for in the sale a couple of years ago and hadn't got round to. I've still got a couple of ongoing stash busting projects - I'm making a patchwork cushion and a striped throw that are both projects that use up odds and ends of wool - but mostly in the year ahead I want to tackle the sweater volumes of wool I have in stash that I bought years ago in over-ambitious hope of knitting something with them. I want to give them a concerted effort and either knit a finished project with them or pass the wool onto someone else who will. (Some of them were bought over a decade ago so both my knitting skills and preferences and my own style have changed considerably in the intervening period.)

What successes have you folks had in stash busting over the last year? Or conversely what's the oldest/longest lurking wool in your stash and what did you originally intend to knit with it?

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I Finished My First Hat!

2019-03-30T19:43:03Z

Posted by: varianbetweenstars

Yesterday, I took my first hat (and non-flat project) off the needles!

This was a gift for a family member, and he loves the hat. I knit it in about 8 hours or so, spread out over 4 days. I knit it using the City Beats pattern [link] and using Lion Brand super bulky yarn in navy blue. The pom pom is made of yarn leftover from another project.

The pattern was very easy to read, and the written instructions were very easy to follow. I’d gladly use a pattern from this designer again. The only area I had difficulty with was at the ending, when I had to decrease at the crown of the hat (but that’s more because I’m new to hat knitting, not any fault of the designers’.)

I learned a new stitch, the mistaken rib stitch. It was an easy stitch once I got into the rhythm of it, and it was easy to read if I accidentally lost my place (which I did a few times.) The hat knit up fast, due to the bulky yarn and needles used, though knitting two stitches together could be difficult because of how bulky the yarn was.

I’m very happy with how my first hat turned out, and I can certainly see myself using this pattern again in the future. I’d recommend this pattern even to new knitters, due to how easy it was to follow.

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Boucle Yarn, Never Again

2019-03-24T13:33:12Z

Posted by: varianbetweenstars

Years ago, I bought some boucle style yarn because it was on sale (I was very new to knitting.) Over the weekend, I tried to start a blanket out of it and, well, I realized what a mistake that was.

At first I liked the warm, drape-y texture. But then knitting two stitches together was a *nightmare*, and the pattern I picked required picking up stitches, and I couldn't see the stitch I was supposed to be picking up. Then I tried to bind off, and it's like the bind off *shrank* as I did it.

Overall, 2/10, would not recommend.

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Anyone Want Some Yarn?

2019-02-09T17:30:55Z

Posted by: varianbetweenstars

I have five balls of Rowan felted tweed yarn to give away. It’s lovely yarn, a bit rougher than some others I’ve worked with, but knits up very soft. Due to being associated with a family member that passed away (the yarn was for a project that was going to be a gift for for him) I can’t keep it anymore, due to painful associations.

Each ball of yarn is 191 yards, making this around 955 yards total. There’s one ball of yarn I’ve used part of, but not very much; however, I’m unsure of the weight of that ball, or exactly how much yarn is left.

The yarn is a DK weight, and knits up very soft. It’s a blend of wool, alpaca, and rayon. It has a felted effect when it’s knitted, and has a tweed-y texture to it. It’s a deep red, almost rust colored, with flecks of blue and white in it.

I’ll happily send the yarn to whoever wants it, or trade for another yarn if anyone wants to set up something like that. Either comment here or email me (between.stars.unknown@gmail.com) if you’re interested.

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Knitting with Thick and Thin Yarn??

2019-01-13T18:28:00Z

Posted by: varianbetweenstars

I need help finding a pattern for this yarn.

I have two skeins (220 yards) of this yarn [link] in a lovely variegated green color, and unfortunately this yarn has been discontinued. This morning I tried to do a simple ribbed pattern with size 11 needles, and found that it was awkward to knit with, because the thick-and-thin texture of the yarn.

I'd like to make a scarf, since I only have 220 yards of this yarn. Does anyone know any scarf patterns that work well with thick-and-thin yarn?

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My First Hat

2018-12-22T18:01:19Z

Posted by: weedpizza

Just wanted to show off this bad boy, my first-ever hat! Made with help from my mom, for a dear friend's baby girl.

The last thing I knit (before this) was a simple scarf, 10+ years ago! Glad to be knitting again!

I know it's really nothing special, but being the type who's easily sidetracked/distracted/frustrated and frequently gives up on projects like this - I'm pretty impressed with myself for completing it!

I used a size 9(US) needle on circular needles. The yarn used is called Lavender Sparkle, and I believe I got it from Hobby Lobby. I'm not sure if it's really visible in the picture, but there's an iridescent sparkle throughout! ✨✨

Looking forward to making her more and more hats as she grows, and as I grow as a knitter as well!

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Project: Hot Mess Update

2018-12-10T01:50:41Z

Posted by: patelyne

I know it’s only been a day since I posted my WIP, but, for all the good sports guessing on my last post, I’ve revealed what pattern I’m using to knit it over here.

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Holiday Knitting

2018-12-08T16:58:29Z

Posted by: patelyne

Anyone else feeling the time crunch on their gift knitting? Two gifts in two weeks is totally doable, right??

Here’s a peek at what I hope to finish by the end of the weekend

(sorry for the repost, I’m out of practice here and had a link fail)

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Introduction

2018-12-08T03:25:32Z

Posted by: varianbetweenstars

Hi, my name's Varian. I'm new to Dreamwidth (here because Tumblr is exploding) and I've been a knitting for about 4 years now. I'm currently working on this shawl (https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/stratus-wrap) and have gotten to the point that each row takes a long time to do, but I'm still having fun with it.

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Finished Objects of 2016

2017-02-12T16:47:28Z

Posted by: glinda

Last year, could best be described - from a knitting perspective - as the year of projects started and never finished. I spent most of the first 6 months of last year working on one project, an enjoyable but slow-moving fair isle, double-thickness - ie. knit in the round - scarf. Before getting distracted by other projects. Which is probably a good thing, otherwise I might never have actually got anything but that finished last year. The second half of the year was marked by me having a bad case of 'oooh shiny' and starting lots of different projects, most of which I never actually finished. I realised when I started making this post that I actually only finished 3 objects last year. Admittedly one of those was a large chunky cardigan, but that was actually a really satisfyingly quick knit that I made in about 6 weeks.

This year I've set myself the target of finishing five projects I'd already started. Some are big projects (like the fair isle double-thickness scarf) and others are small (like the socks where I'm half-way through the second sock of a pair, but have mislaid it somewhere in the house...). Some are relatively new (currently working on a cushion cover that I started over Xmas) and others have been sitting half knitted for considerably longer (there's that lovely lacey jumper that I started in 2008). So there's quite a variety of projects to pick from. I just need to resist the urge to cast on something new...

( things I actually finished! )

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My Fandom Knitting (not what you think)

2014-04-02T18:05:40Z

Posted by: untonuggan

I am currently knitting SweaterBabe's Covetable Cape.It is a lovely pattern, and I cast on with some trepidation as I was watching Downton Abbey Season 4 Christmas Special while knitting a new pattern (i.e. counting, adding stitch markers, etc.) that also included a large cable pattern and two lace sections. It went swimmingly. I even watched about half of X2 and got about 15 rows into the top-down pattern without any major errors. (OK, so perhaps I missed the first row of the button band -- no one will know that kind of thing.)

Then I went to Knit Night -- the place where I tend to get tons of knitting done -- and things went downhill quickly. I purled where I should have knit on the cables; I lost track of where I was on the lace and cable charts even though I was marking it down on the pattern (somehow that didn't match up to my actual knitting); I dropped stitches; in attempting to fix things everything got worse. My attempts to insert a lifeline were very frustrating.

Yesterday I finally yanked out the needle and re-cast on. I decided to try watching Tin Man, a fantasy miniseries about Oz. Again, things went swimmingly (except somehow the cable is now on a garter stitch background instead of reverse stockinette, but that's less annoying to knit, so I'm good with that as it still looks great.)

Today I sat down with the Madonna Pandora station on, and I tried knitting the next row. Just the next row. It took about 20 minutes to get through the first lace section (somehow I had one too many stitches, I could not figure out why, eventually I fixed it with the time honored tradition of knitting two together ;) ). Then I got to the cable section, and OMFG. I dropped a stitch, found it, tinked agonizingly back (tinking is not kind in cables), knit again...and there was another dropped stitch. Found it, tinked back again, the same thing happend.

At this point I yelled (literally) at my knitting that if it didn't behave it was going in the closet for a week while I knit hats. From handspun. So there.

I fixed the dropped stitch (which took time, it was cantankerous), and finished the row with no further problems.

This seems very odd to me, because it's completely opposite of my usual knitting experience. TV = mistakes ; knitting people = progress; late nights = waking up in the morning to regret and bizarre knitting errors and wondering what the heck I did the night before.

I can only draw one conclusion from this turn of events:

My knitting has gained sentience, and it (she?) enjoys late nights and watching geeky TV. To optimize the knitting of this project, I should take her to the new Captain America movie and leave an assortment of comic books in my knitting bag for when I'm not able to knit.

That way, we'll both be happy. And there'll be no need for closet exile.

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Intrepid Adventures into finding lost projects (and finishing them!)

2013-12-11T17:11:18Z

Posted by: peaceful_sands

I'm what's called a slow knitter... In the case of these items though, slow took on a whole new meaning. They were both part done projects for more than two years. But no Longer! I have finally finished them and in time for a friend who's expecting a baby in the New Year.

One was a simple baby jumper in white with patches of pink, green, purple and blue with a simple cable up the front and two stripes where the knit becomes purl to create a relief pattern (Is there a technical term for that?)

( Cut for further projects and pictures )

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Color Affection/Infection/Affliction - just in time for a cold snap

2012-10-09T13:24:41Z

Posted by: untonuggan

I just finished knitting Color Affection, which I know most people do in a lot of different colors...however, I picked lots of shades of blue with some variegations of purple and green mixed in. Why? (1) Stashbusting. (2) Zomg blue is my favorite color and it will match a lot of my wardrobe. (I did end up buying the third color, because I couldn't find a set of three that matched in my stash.)

Enough talking. Moar knitting picturez!

Color Affection shawl in blues being modeled by yours truly, front view
( You want even moar knitting picturez? Sure! )
Note that I was unable to get gauge, despite swatching twice. Apparently when I knit large, heavier objects it really messes with my gauge, and I don't know how to compensate for this.

It's a fun knit, I got to practice carrying yarn and learned the difference between "make 1 right" and "make 1 left". (Side note: if you do make this, it does take a concerted effort to have your make 1's be loose while you're carrying the yarn. This is worth the effort.)

\o/

cross-posted to my journal

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gail shawl

2012-02-15T17:00:20Z

Posted by: vampirefan

i started this shawl in march of 2011 and it got worked on occasionally while i finished various other projects but i'm finally done! and OMG I ONLY HAD ABOUT 12 - 15 INCHES OF YARN LEFT OVER! although i had done my best to measure/estimate how much yarn i would be using toward the end of the project, i was so worried that i had calculated wrong so i was freaking out as i finished binding off, watching that tiny ball of yarn get tinier and tinier, but it worked out perfectly! \o/

i love the subtle variegated colors and it works out perfectly for this lacy design. you can see my project notes and more pictures here: ravel.me/vampirefan/gan (or you can click on the picture to visit flickr and see the pictures in full size). i plan on getting more pictures of it off of the blocking wires.

( on to the pictures! )

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Success!!!!

2012-02-14T17:19:32Z

Posted by: rileybear67

There is a scarf pattern that someone posted on their FB page and I picked it up.

I have been wanting to learn Entrelac for some time and this looked like a great simple project to start with. The pattern page included a link to Very Pink where she explains how to make this scarf in simple easy to understand terms.

Yesterday I completed the first pattern repeat for the scarf. It is loose and messy, but I get it! I understand how Entrelac works now!

And to make things even better, I get how to pick up stitches! This means that heel flaps for socks suddenly make sense to me!

I have 5 projects that I want to get done first, but this scarf will be sitting in the sidelines waiting and I have ALL these sock patterns that now do not seem so daunting anymore!

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One down - one to go!

2011-12-20T19:38:14Z

Posted by: rileybear67

I finished one of the Totoro mittens.

It is my hand in the picture, since the lady I am making them for has hands about the same size...

Here is the back of the hand:

And this is the palm:

The stranding makes for an interesting fit, but I hope she likes them...

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Playing with yarn

2011-12-16T15:59:09Z

Posted by: untonuggan

I cast on with some Malabrigo that had had an unfortunate tangling accident, so I wasn't too sure how things would turn out. I was initially intending to make a manly ribbed hat until I realized the yarn had a lot of purple hues mixed in with the blues. It ended up being this cowl:

(For basketweave pattern and a close-up of the stitch check out my Flickr stream.)

Which is super duper comfortable, and I am so close to not giving it away. I wore it all afternoon after I finished it. I had some yarn left, so I decided to make a matching headband. I cast on what I thought was 90 stitches (as the pattern requires a multiple of 6). I realized it was actually a multiple of 6 minus 2, but I was curious as to what stitch that would make if I just kept knitting around (and let the pattern rotate around.) It makes this:

Which is lovely and super stretchy and I want to make more. (For the curious, it's K4, P2 on a multiple of 6 stitches minus 2. So when you get to the end of the round you start with P2...and keep rotating around. It's fun!)

Unfortunately I had not cast on two less than I needed as I blithely thought (and didn't check for some bizarre reason unknown to me). So I ended up with this:

Which is at least 26" long and too big for a human head. But at least I found a new stitch. And now I can rip it out and recast on the correct number of stitches.

Does anyone know what the above stitch is? It's some sort of mistake-stitch-double-seed-stitch something. Any help would be appreciated.

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Knitting Fits....

2011-12-13T21:05:19Z

Posted by: rileybear67

I am discovering an interesting trend to my knitting and I am hoping that it will actually go away...

I knit in fits and starts. I'll go like a week and knit every day for a couple hours and then I won't touch any projects for like another week or so.

Has anyone else experienced this? How did you get past it? I want to be able to finish my projects in a more timely manner, but I get stuck in this rut.

Anyway, just musing.
Thanks.

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Totoro Mittens - progress...

2011-12-05T22:32:17Z

Posted by: rileybear67

I got a little further on the mittens today.

Here is where I am at now. Once I get into a groove, the faire-isle actually goes rather well and the way I am knitting them, I can check for sizing and stretch as I go...

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Totoro mittens...

2011-12-04T04:42:09Z

Posted by: rileybear67

My next project is to finish a pair of mittens for a friend of mine.

She doesn't knit and found the pattern, so I said I'd make them. They are faire-isle done in a Totoro pattern... SO cute.

Here is about as picture of where I was when I stopped to make the sleep sacks. I am a little further now but haven't taken another pic yet.

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Just finished a project...

2011-12-02T15:32:50Z

Posted by: rileybear67

A friend of mine now has twin girls at home and I have made two sleep sacks. I am just finishing the second, but I did remember to take a picture of the first.

The colors were selected by the parents and I wanted to make something nice.
Someone told me that the one looks like an eggplant and now I am a little self-conscience about it.

Anyway, I would post a picture, but there doesn't seem to be an option to select from computer and I don't have it posted anywhere...

I'll look into putting some stuff up on Flickr for this...

EDIT: Now that I have created a group on Flickr...
The completed Sleep Sack (eggplant version 1)

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Rather Remiss of Me

2011-11-05T14:49:18Z

Posted by: glinda

So I actually remembered to not only take some photos of the scarves I've been making recently, but also to take them off my camera. I thought I celebrate by posting them here and realised that I haven't actually posted here since several people here were kind enough to answer my puzzled questions about scarf patterns months and months ago. Thus a scarf pictures post!

( Irish Hiking Scarf )

( frilly efforts )

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Stitch markers

2011-10-19T00:55:05Z

Posted by: untonuggan

I realize I'm probably opening up a whole kettle of fish by asking this, but I am new to knitting and wonder whether it's worth it to bother buying stitch markers. Right now I'm just using a loop of a contrasting scrap yarn as a stitch marker. It can be a little cumbersome, but I don't have to worry about losing it (can always get more small bits of yarn). Annoyingly, the acrylic yarns tend to fray a bit.

I've read that it's much smoother and faster to use the commercially made stitch markers, but I do wonder (a) if that is just slick marketing, (b) about the wasted plastic/shipping/processing costs to the environment, (c) about what happens when I lose the expensive little things.

Thoughts?

UPDATE: Thanks for all the suggestions and input, folks! I think I will go crazy if I try to respond to every reply, so I'll just say thanks here!

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How to knit WWI Army socks

2011-10-15T16:03:05Z

Posted by: untonuggan

During World War I (and I believe World War II as well) people at home were asked to knit socks for soldiers. I don't know all of the hows and whys because I still haven't started the knitting history book I checked out of the library.

However, I do know where you can find a book about it written in 1915. With instructions. So if you ever wanted to know how to knit socks for soldiers (which I assume would have to be sturdy), there is a guide out there for you. It is entitled How to knit socks: a manual for both amateur and expert knitters by Maud Churchill Nicoll, and if that alone doesn't make you want to view it for free I don't know what will.

As I have not knit socks myself, I don't know how good the guidelines are. (Full confession: I haven't read all of it either, as I'm working through library books first so I don't get fines). I'd be interested in hearing what other folks think of it.

crossposted to crafting_the_past

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Question about knitting for charity

2011-08-12T22:47:51Z

Posted by: rokeon

I'm brand new to knitting, but I learned when I got into making chainmail that my ideal project is not one that has an overly firm due date; I'm the sort of person who starts a project, forgets it exists for six months, then finds the supplies buried under a stack of books and sits down to finish the whole thing in two days without sleep. So I'm looking for charity programs that either accept donations continuously or reoccur every year.

I can find a million search results about charity knitting, but some of them (like helmetliners for soldiers) seem to be defunct and others are just hard to judge from their webpages. Does anybody have any organizations they'd recommend?

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