Knitting - help and advice super thread!

wmpdd3 · 05-07-2014 3:15pm

Oh thats great, they are both within 2 hours of my house, I'll get onto the them and see if they have what I'm after.

EDIT: There you go, just what I was after:

http://www.craftspun.ie/craftspun-100-cotton-dk-cone-bleached-white.html

TOMP · 16-07-2014 6:58pm

Is this the only road sign in Ireland with a pair of knitting needles on it?!!!

wmpdd3 · 16-07-2014 10:29pm

Nope, there one on the road to Cork from Waterford, before the dodgy looking bridge with the chipper van!

Gatica · 17-07-2014 10:57am

What on earth do those road signs mean? A knit-along? :rolleyes:

LoonyLovegood · 19-07-2014 9:30am

Woollen mills, I think

kandr10 · 31-07-2014 3:37pm

Just curious...how many of you knit gauges before getting started on a project? Do you always knit a border around the swatch and wash and dry it before measuring? I have been known to lazily knit a swatch and measure it still on the needles (shock horror!) do you think it makes a big difference if it's washed and dried or blocked first?

ABajaninCork · 31-07-2014 3:56pm

I always knit a tension swatch. I add a few stitches on at either end, but I do take it off the needles to measure!

LoonyLovegood · 31-07-2014 4:11pm

I take it off the needles, and if it's in stocking stitch I'll pin it down to measure it.

kandr10 · 31-07-2014 7:35pm

That's typically as far as I go when I'm not being lazy about it. I've never had the patience to wash and dry the swatch cos I'm always so obsessed about getting the new project started

interesting to see how others approach it!

Gatica · 02-08-2014 4:16pm

Always do a swatch but don't have patience to block it. I'd say it makes a big difference especially for clothes.

wmpdd3 · 02-08-2014 6:39pm

I do a swatch, pin and block it. keep saying I'll knit all the swatches together into something but never have. I have had to rip back swatches as I have ran out of yarn at the end of a project.

Trying to knit a dress at the moment and its driving me berserk, the tension is changing as the dress is so heave that its dragging it down. I'm using Tivoli Maxi, I have just ripped t all back and will start again on my next night off from work.

mrsmiawallace6 · 24-08-2014 7:00pm

Hey guys

I am stuck on a pattern and was hoping for some help. The pattern is for a romper suit and I am about to shape the right armhole, here is the pattern

k15, turn and complete this side first for right front.

I have no idea what they mean by that.

Please help

kandr10 · 24-08-2014 7:36pm

Literally when you knit the 15, turn your work as if at the end of the row and continue the pattern. It's one of those things makes sense when you do it.

mrsmiawallace6 · 24-08-2014 7:43pm

nope sorry still dont make sense. When i turn my work i have the 15 in my left hand and my remanding stitches in my right. But my stitch with my working thread is in my left hand so how do i contuniue.

sorry if this is really easy but i am just not seeing it

kandr10 · 24-08-2014 7:50pm

mrsmiawallace6 wrote: »

nope sorry still dont make sense. When i turn my work i have the 15 in my left hand and my remanding stitches in my right. But my stitch with my working thread is in my left hand so how do i contuniue.

sorry if this is really easy but i am just not seeing it

No it's totally confusing but it will make sense when it's done. What's the next bit of the pattern that might help explain a but more

Gatica · 24-08-2014 8:10pm

You can put those extra stitches on a separate needle - those that close like a safety pin.
Knit the side that the instructions tell you. Probably bind off, then come back to the other stitches and start with a new thread and knit that side.

kandr10 · 24-08-2014 8:16pm

If you knit 15 you'll have those stitches on left kneedle. As Gatica says pop the remaining stitches on a holder. When you turn your work you then have the 15 on the left needle with the yarn at the start of the line so you shouldn't need to break it off and rejoin.

mrsmiawallace6 · 24-08-2014 8:28pm

ok, so i knitted the 15, now i have my remaining stiches a small gap and the 15 all on one needle the.

The next bin in pattern is
worl=k 11 rows straight, thus ending at front edge.

Do I work the 11 rows with all my stiches now. that would make sense as it forms the front of romper and the back

kandr10 · 24-08-2014 9:04pm

If it says 'knit this side first' I'd have thought it means to work on the 15 alone. Hard to tell without seeing the pattern. Is there anything further on that refers to working the other side?
As far as I can tell you would need the remainder on a separate needle or holder.

mrsmiawallace6 · 24-08-2014 10:25pm

hey

ye it was the 15 i needed to work.
The next bit has me stuck too

Cast off 2 st at beg of next row
Dec 1st at neck edge on next 2 rows then foll 1 alt rows

Do i dec the 1st stitch on the end that I took the 2 prev from.?
Then what does what does 1 alt row mean?

I am going mad i am stuck lol, when i picked up pattern i thought i could do it

Gatica · 24-08-2014 10:57pm

Dots it give you a stitch count?
It sounds to me like you were knitting back and forth because the suit had an opening on the front (for buttons or zip or whatever) and then separated out the front right to create the arm hole finishing on the WS. Now you need to create the arch for the neck starting with the RS.
Just a guess but the cast off 2 at the beginning of the row is to do a reduction - is there any indication they're trying to get you to slip stitch over the cast off stitch thus reducing by 1? Otherwise I don't see what else you could be doing with those cast off stitches on the end of the next row..
Alt row, could it mean every alternative row, i.e. every second row?

kandr10 · 25-08-2014 5:21pm

mrsmiawallace6 wrote: »

hey

ye it was the 15 i needed to work.
The next bit has me stuck too

Cast off 2 st at beg of next row
Dec 1st at neck edge on next 2 rows then foll 1 alt rows

Do i dec the 1st stitch on the end that I took the 2 prev from.?
Then what does what does 1 alt row mean?

I am going mad i am stuck lol, when i picked up pattern i thought i could do it

I'd say when you cast off two stitches that shapes the side. The decreases should be the other end of the row to shape the neck.
Foll 1 alt rows means following 1 alternate row.
It makes a difference whether to do the cast off and decrease in the same line. When it says to cast off does it say to knit to end or anything or as Gatica said is there a stitch count?
With the neck decreases, work the decreases on two rows, then knit the next row without decreasing, then the 4th row will have the decrease again and that will give you the alternate row.

So it could look like this:
Row 1: cast off two and decrease at end of row.
Row 2: decrease at start of row
Row 3: knit
Row 4: decrease at start

Or, if you don't work the cast off and decrease in the same row it could look like this:

Row 1: cast off 2
Row 2: decrease at neck edge (start of row)
Row 3: decrease at neck edge again (end of row)
Row 4 knit
Row 5: decrease at neck edge

Does that help at all? Kinda hard to explain!

Ashereene · 31-08-2014 7:36pm

Hi everyone, hope its ok to post this.
Im trying to knit the legs of a teddy bear pattern.
The pattern at 'Shape Foot' is confusing to me.

So working off 16 rows of 6 sts it then says:
Cast on 12 sts at beginning of next 2 rows.

I cast on at the row start and then knitted across the row (18 st)
I then cast on another 12, which would be at the other side
However, then once I knit across again I have one extra row on the first side of 12 sts

I cant find any videos that could help me, so I hope this makes sense.

If anyone could let me know, thanks!

kandr10 · 31-08-2014 9:17pm

Ashereene wrote: »

Hi everyone, hope its ok to post this.
Im trying to knit the legs of a teddy bear pattern.
The pattern at 'Shape Foot' is confusing to me.

So working off 16 rows of 6 sts it then says:
Cast on 12 sts at beginning of next 2 rows.

I cast on at the row start and then knitted across the row (18 st)
I then cast on another 12, which would be at the other side
However, then once I knit across again I have one extra row on the first side of 12 sts

I cant find any videos that could help me, so I hope this makes sense.

If anyone could let me know, thanks!

What you did sounds fine. I'd say once you continue with it the difference won't be visible. I don't know how else you could follow that instruction.

mrsmiawallace6 · 03-09-2014 10:01pm

Hey peeps

I am not a fan of using circular needles but want to make this pattern

http://http://www.instructables.com/id/Jaynes-Cunning-Hat/?ALLSTEPS
EPS

Am i right in thinking i can just knit it with normal needles and just sew up the seam myself?

ABajaninCork · 03-09-2014 10:06pm

Can't see the webpage...

From what you've said, the hat's knitted in one piece? Can you use double points? Or a shorter circular needle?

mrsmiawallace6 · 03-09-2014 10:09pm

the only place that has the size circles i need only have one kind. It is only one piece its an easy patt with just some dec and inc

ABajaninCork · 03-09-2014 10:12pm

You can get short circulars on eBay. That's where I got mine. Or use DP's...

wmpdd3 · 05-09-2014 12:19am

After years of being afraid of circulars I bought some off ebay and mastered the 'magic loop' from youtube. Since then I havent bothered with seams or DP.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC7f9fn9wfk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mqIqRdJc68

Really, trust me just have a look at youtube before you start the hat, if you can get it at all, it will result in a much better looking hat.

But yes looking at the link, you could knit this hat flat.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Jaynes-Cunning-Hat/

Gatica · 05-09-2014 8:37am

Have attempted to use the magic loop with limited success. All it did was damage the plastic cable on my circulars when turning knitting sides

I switched back to DPNs after that. I dunno, but I just find DPNs easier.
As long as you mark your first stitch and maintain it on every row, after the first 2 rows, knitting in the round becomes quite easy.

Knitting - help and advice super thread!

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