Any knitters out there?

cuckoo · 19-08-2005 3:50pm #1

Anyone else like to knit? I picked it up again last year having read that it can be calming, sort of like a productive meditation.

So far my main productions have been hats.

newgrange · 19-08-2005 3:53pm

I used to knit a lot. I used to like knitting Aran sweaters, and children's soft toys.
I found it very helpful when trying to stop smoking, as good and all as I was, I couldn't knit and have a fag at the same time.

snorlax · 19-08-2005 5:07pm

woman's weekily is a good source for knitting designs.

knitting jumpers is a complicated buisness, i once succeded in making one of the Raggy dolls but it took around 3months to do!

my mom used to knit me jumpers when i was small

Nevyn · 19-08-2005 5:14pm

I dont knit but I do chrochett.
Shawls and ods and ends, biggest peice ever was a series of squares each
about 2ft that I then assembled into a large very warm winter bed throw.

lemon_sherbert · 19-08-2005 9:18pm

i'm a quasi-obsessive knitter. I was a nervous fidgetty child and my mom taught me to keep me still at the age of 6 and I've been doing it ever since. I love hats, toys and I'm in the middle of a very ambitious patchwork quilt.

Bamboozled · 20-08-2005 12:45am

I knit (little soft toys) and I crochet (throws, baby cardigans, buggy blankets, etc) and to top it all i'm a left hander and have to do it backwards and upside down at times.

I took them up to stop smoking but i didnt succeed.

tSubh Dearg · 30-08-2005 12:15am

I knit most winters, just to have something to do with my hands when watching tv.

I'm mainly a scarf knitter but maybe I'll move onto something a bit more ambitious this year.

I'd love to know how to crochet.

Bamboozled · 30-08-2005 8:21pm

tSubh Dearg wrote:

I'd love to know how to crochet.

There's loads of sites out there that have text and images for teaching yourself.

Google is your friend.
The needles are only about €1.50 and any old scrap of wool will do (as you already know how to knit and might have some lying around)

It will take some practice to get even stitches but after a while you'll wonder why it might have been so hard.

Why not give it a try.

squiiish · 31-08-2005 12:16am

I started last year - having not knitted since I was 8.
I've since knitted a fairly large Eeyore and a Tigger ( kits purchased from argos).
I've also started sewing and cross stitiching.
Needle crafts seem to have gone out of fashion. Every one's jaw hits the ground when I tell them that I've gotten really into it. My mom insisted on taking the teddy's into her office to show them off ( I'm nearly 23!)
It's sad that it has died out so much - I'd like to teach it to my kids how to do them if I ever have any. So many of the wool stores have closed down and Hickeys wool selection is tiny. I buy most stuff off of the net now.

moonasola · 31-08-2005 11:44am

Hi Girls,

I knit, crochet and started to do a bit of quilting , my next ambition is to try and cross stitch !!! I love needles (In this sense of the term)!! Am 24 and i also think this is a pity that these crafts are growing out of fashion but I'm sure one day it will come back, nowadays you can find loads of groovy patterns !!
You can check this website for yarn http://users.telenet.be/phildar/English_site/frame_welcome.htm , they are not too expensive and the shipping to ireland seems to be reasonable enough.
This one is cool too but is only in french http://www.bergeredefrance.fr , also found this one the other day their yarn is fantastic but quite deer http://www.yarnmarket.com ...
Hope you'll find stuff that you like !!
Mel

Bamboozled · 04-09-2005 12:38am

It's not that unusual really. Its just thought of as embarrassing or shameful and as such not many talk about it.
I'm 27 and have been knitting since I was about 7 or 8. I was fascinated at my mother making Aran jumpers for Blarney Woollen Mills when I was a kid so I wanted to learn.
She's a left hander and made that part easier.

No one could teach me how to crochet because of being a left hander, so after a stint in hospital, I decided to try teach myself out of boredom. It's fairly easy to pick up but when I'm reading patterns that are the ones made out of graph paper/squares, I have to do it backwards. I started that about 17 or 18.

Thanks for the links. I usually get my wool in two local shops but when I lived all around the country, it was hard to find a shop that sold a proper selection of wool.

smileygal · 04-09-2005 8:03pm

tSubh Dearg wrote:

I'm mainly a scarf knitter but maybe I'll move onto something a bit more ambitious this year.

Scarf knitters of the world unite!! did 2 last winter and proud of it as my return to knitting. Never was expert but great to make something not in the shops.

What would ye recommend as next step (but still uncomplicated) to move onto after scarves?

cuckoo · 09-09-2005 2:59am

It is difficult to find wool shops, isn't it? The selection in Hickeys has shrunk, and most of the ones in the Dublin city centre seem to have closed.

I recently made the trip out to this place http://www.springwools.com/ in Walkinston, Dublin 12, and they had the best selection i've come across in a Dublin shop so far.

I have the ingredients of a cardigan (for me!), but i'm procrastinating on starting it...

I also have yarn lust for this lovely wool , which they stock.

fjon · 09-09-2005 12:49pm

Just wondering - is everyone who answered this thread a girl?
I was taught to knit when I was in primary school. We had recorder once a week and knitting once a week. Everyone, boy or girl, eventually managed to knit a scarf.
I couldn't for the life of me remember how to do it now, but there must be one or two guys out there who can? Perhaps the stigma attached to a guy knitting is too great though

snorlax · 09-09-2005 4:26pm

i wouldn;t be bothered what people think of me if i enjoyed doing it. eg i like gardening (growing strawberries etc),also i once make a cabinet from scratch, and iv painted the bathroom before, it's never bothered me although they'r stereotypically male pursuits.

if you make something nice it's got to be worthwhile. what fella wouldn't want a nice pair of knitted gloves that theyv made themselves?

newgrange · 09-09-2005 4:34pm

Kaffe Fassett one of the world's best knitwear designers is a man and an accomplished knitter.
See : http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer05/FEATtopten.html

smileygal · 10-09-2005 7:56pm

Boys and girls in my primary had to do the knitting project - the star knitter was a boy , which surprised everybody, even him I think! He just found it very easy and was quicker than everyone else.

Pet · 11-09-2005 10:59pm

fjon wrote:

Just wondering - is everyone who answered this thread a girl?
I was taught to knit when I was in primary school. We had recorder once a week and knitting once a week. Everyone, boy or girl, eventually managed to knit a scarf.
I couldn't for the life of me remember how to do it now, but there must be one or two guys out there who can? Perhaps the stigma attached to a guy knitting is too great though

Yeah, everyone in my class learned how to knit as well, when we were in 1st class. I can't recall how to do it now, but I'd say it'd be easy to pick up again - muscle memory is a long-lasting thing! It is a very absorbing activity, but I doubt I'd have much time for it, and I don't really wear scarves anyway..

direbadger · 01-10-2005 9:16pm

Hi cuckoo!!
I love to knit. I've been doing it about a year or two and I'm obsessed. It's great.
A recent jumper:

lemon_sherbert · 02-10-2005 7:04pm

There's a good wool shop on Parnell Street, disguised as a sewing machine shop. There;s another one on Bray main street.

Loretta · 03-10-2005 1:24pm

Have a look at www.lavenderyarns.com. It's a new site including a shop, for Irish knitters in particular

direbadger · 03-10-2005 7:47pm

Loretta wrote:

Have a look at www.lavenderyarns.com. It's a new site including a shop, for Irish knitters in particular

That's interesting because even though there's two pretty good yarn shops in Limerick, there's no place to get "magic" sock yarn. Unfortunately I'm a vegan and don't use real wool. Otherwise I'd be all over the green Opal magic sock kit!

Loretta · 04-10-2005 10:59am

Hmmm, I've never thought about that....do you just use synthetics then? Or just not animal products. What about cotton? silk?

direbadger · 04-10-2005 5:33pm

Synthetics - yes
Cotton - yes
Silk - no

No animal products whatsoever. That includes my friends the bugs

It's a bit of a pain sometimes, especially when everyone in online knitting forums is talking about nothing but felting, kool aid dyeing, how horrible acrylic is, their new possum

yarn etc. etc.

Loretta · 05-10-2005 11:59am

Good on you. I admire anyone who lives what they believe. What is possum yarn? I'm Australian and I've never heard of it. Like angora maybe??

Cathyd · 10-10-2005 10:14am

Where exactly is the shop in Parnell Street? Do you know the name of it?

We knitters should get together and protest about so few wool shops. I remember when I first started knitting 20 odd years ago, you could get wool in most of the department stores.

Thanks

Cathy

addie · 10-10-2005 12:00pm

I swear by Springwools in Walkinstown; apparently it's one of the biggest wool shops in all of Europe!! I've certainly never seen anywhere with such a stock. I feel sorry for any Irish knitters that don't know about it; it's like a huge emporium. It's a shame that it's a bit off the beaten track but it's worth going out of your way to visit. I'd be embarrassed to tell you the amount of time (and money!) I spend there each visit.

I guess not everywhere can stock wool anymore because it's sort of a special interest item these days and staff need to be very knowledgable about wool and knitting in order to sell it. Personally, I would love if there was a knitting boutique in the city centre, like the sort of places there are the States (http://www.purlsoho.com/purl) ; just specialising in all the beautiful fashion yarns and none of the boring stuff for Grannies!

Pretty Princess · 13-10-2005 4:05pm

Hi Ladies!!
I am delighted to have found you! ADDIE & CUCKOO - many thanks for mentioning the nice shop in Walkinstown, will definitely check it out this weekend.
I am 28 and has been knitting & crocheting since 7. Oh, and I am Russian! It's a bit different back home, very popular amongst young people so nobody call me a granny there

I am about to finish a couple of really cute & sexy projects so hopefully they'll stop slagging me here as well...
I wanted to ask if anybody has ever heard of "Keitodama"? It's a Japanese knitting magazine, mostly diagrams so the language is not a problem. The designs are absolutely gorgeous. I was trying to find their site but, unfortunately my laptop has a problem with Japanese & wouldn't let me view any of their pages. Any suggestions?
Good luck with all your projects!

Pjays · 14-10-2005 12:57pm

I find knitting really therapeutic. i'll be honest when i say i love knitting. my mother taught me when I was about 8 and i've been at it since. In college we do it too and it's great. we did 3 hours there the other day. we probably won't be doing it again but it's great to be able to do something you like at least once in class.

snorlax · 15-10-2005 11:31am

after a certain time you don't even think about it, all the movements become automatic. great if you've got some classical music to listen to while doing it.

laurac2005 · 14-11-2005 11:01pm

Hi,

Sorry to infiltrate your forum, but I'm visiting Belfast, Dublin and Limerick next month and am desperate to find out where the yarn shops are!

I've heard about Springwools, but can anyone recommend any others?

Thanks!

Laura x

Any knitters out there?

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