Knitting and Crocheting

[Brianna]

I recently discovered cable stitch. Rock on.

Anyone have a good pattern for kittens that already use? I could google it but I am having a hard time finding one that I can understand.

[Cath B]

I spotted your post right after returning from my knitting group.

Not sure I understand what you're looking for though.

[Brianna]

I spotted your post right after returning from my knitting group.

Not sure I understand what you're looking for though.

A mitten pattern that someone has actually done.

Patterns are nice but it is always nice to use one that someone has some familiarity with.

[Cath B]

Oh a mitten pattern, not a kitten pattern :D

I haven't made any mittens in yonks and yonks.

I've got a pattern for multicoloured gloves which I bought in Norway with instructions in Norwegian.

That was around three years ago but I haven't tried to tackle them yet.

I've inherited my mother's pattern collection and I think there are mittens there. I haven't tried any of them myself but I could look and see if there's anything there you'd like me to scan and send if you like.

[Brianna]

Oh geesh. :) yeah, not a kitten pattern! :cheeky:

[reddhedd]

I'm a knitting loom-er. I have tried for years to master needle knitting...just can't seem to do it. too tight, too loose, backwards (I'm a lefty), dropped stitches, lost count..<sigh> Gave up last year...and then found round and long looms. WOOT!

I got started in Dec, and have already made 15 hats, some neck warmers (like a turtleneck without the sweater) and two baby blankets. I'm working on a door snake now, and hope to try socks next.

I'm eager to make gloves, too, but I want to work my way up. ;)

[Sticky Beak]

I've just bought a "teach yourself to knit" kit! I want to knit something cute and easy for my friend's baby, due in December. I suspect that by December, I'll decide to knot the bits of wool up, chuck it around her neck and insist it's a scarf a la Phoebe from Friends.

[Zygote]

I've been making fingerless (open finger tip) gloves for several years now from a book called Not Just Socks. There is a sequel that has a gloves with very short, open top fingers and with a mitten flap that can be pulled over the fingers. When not in use, it buttons out of the way.

[ofro]

I spotted your post right after returning from my knitting group.

Not sure I understand what you're looking for though.

A mitten pattern that someone has actually done.

Patterns are nice but it is always nice to use one that someone has some familiarity with.

Isn't it a bit late for that now, or are you getting ready for the next winter? :D

[Brianna]

it is never a bad time to knit.

I can whip out a wash cloth during a movie.

[Worldtraveller]

I'll pay good money for anyone to make me something like this (http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/06/cthulhumas_came_early.php)!!

Seriously, PM me or post here and we can discuss terms. :)

[Christina]

That's crochet and I can do it but the picture isn't great. What's under the appendages?

[DMB]

Yes. It's hard to be 100% certain, but I'd say it's crochet. In some ways crochet is better than knitting because you don't need two/three/four needles, and when I used to do it I found it a lot more portable than knitting.

[Worldtraveller]

That's crochet and I can do it but the picture isn't great. What's under the appendages?

His face? :cool: Seriously, I have no idea the question yer asking. :dunno:

[Christina]

You know those ski masks that cover your whole face and just have eyeholes? I'm trying to figure out if it's one of those where the mask itself goes down over your chin and then the dangling things hang from the nose area, or if the mask goes all the way down low over your neck. I suppose that it only matters which you want. Does that make more sense?

[Worldtraveller]

You know those ski masks that cover your whole face and just have eyeholes? I'm trying to figure out if it's one of those where the mask itself goes down over your chin and then the dangling things hang from the nose area, or if the mask goes all the way down low over your neck. I suppose that it only matters which you want. Does that make more sense?

Oh...well, I dunno, whichever is easier? :p There's a few of us in that thread trying to get the maker to spill with a pattern, or talk her into making a few of them in varying colors.

[Christina]

I'll mess around with making the face mask part out of yarn that I have and see how it comes out. If it fits Joe's face right then I'll add the appendages. If it ends up looking right to you I'll write out the pattern and make it out of whatever kind of yarn you want. Crocheting is much faster than knitting so this isn't a lot of work. One that is fitted to your face under your chin is how normal ski masks look, and one where the mask comes all the way down to the top of your shoulders will keep your neck warm too. You're going to have to pick one once I get past the eye holes :). If I can't make it fit right then no money is wasted on nice yarn until I find a mask that I can use as a sizing pattern.

[Christina]

Hey Lane - when I was googling around for ski mask measurements I found a link that says that there is a pattern for that hat on another site. There is a day turnaround for the registration and then it looks like the pattern only costs a few bucks. They have pretty good pictures here (http://thingsandideas.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/squamous-and-eldritch/). Even without the pattern these pictures help a lot.

ETA: I changed my mind. Those are knitted and the one you showed me is crochet and doesn't need all the patching together. I'm just going to wing it from the picture. It's about yarmulke size now.

[Christina]

Well it looks like WT lost interest in the weird ski mask. I have to admit that I didn't understand why he wanted it in the first place. Where do you wear something like that?

I need a new project and the only thing I have a lot of is cotton thread. I don't want any lacy things here and I've already made my mom drapes, bedspreads, tablecloths, several dozen doilies and just about every other lace thing she can think up. I'm thinking of either making her placemats for her Christmas stocking because they don't have to be as frilly as her normal taste or of making lace edging for towels because it's really challenging.

If I make placemats I'm thinking of either this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/multi-colour_pdf/1002.pdf) or this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/opelace_pdf/2014.pdf). I think that the first one is probably more conventional and pretty but the second one has a more interesting texture and will be much more complicated and interesting to work on.

If I do the towel edging I like this one, (http://www.mypicot.com/download/coledg_pdf/3002.pdf) this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/coledg_pdf/3017.pdf) and this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/coledg_pdf/3007.pdf).

Do any of you like this kind of stuff and have an opinion on which patterns look best to you? I can't really understand why anyone would want towels that had to have the edging blocked and ironed after each washing.

I hope that no one minds that I'm sticking crochet in here but so far I think that I'm the only one that does it.

[DMB]

I used to do both crochet and aran knitting. Don't do either now. I liked the first placemat pattern, with the overlapping shell effect.

[miss djax]

Well it looks like WT lost interest in the weird ski mask. I have to admit that I didn't understand why he wanted it in the first place. Where do you wear something like that?

I need a new project and the only thing I have a lot of is cotton thread. I don't want any lacy things here and I've already made my mom drapes, bedspreads, tablecloths, several dozen doilies and just about every other lace thing she can think up. I'm thinking of either making her placemats for her Christmas stocking because they don't have to be as frilly as her normal taste or of making lace edging for towels because it's really challenging.

If I make placemats I'm thinking of either this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/multi-colour_pdf/1002.pdf) or this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/opelace_pdf/2014.pdf). I think that the first one is probably more conventional and pretty but the second one has a more interesting texture and will be much more complicated and interesting to work on.

If I do the towel edging I like this one, (http://www.mypicot.com/download/coledg_pdf/3002.pdf) this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/coledg_pdf/3017.pdf) and this one (http://www.mypicot.com/download/coledg_pdf/3007.pdf).

Do any of you like this kind of stuff and have an opinion on which patterns look best to you? I can't really understand why anyone would want towels that had to have the edging blocked and ironed after each washing.

I hope that no one minds that I'm sticking crochet in here but so far I think that I'm the only one that does it.

i think the mask was supposed to be of cthlulu, and it was a christmas gift..i think it was meant to be cheeky

[Christina]

I don't mind making it for fun but I still wouldn't want to wear it.

I think that my mom will like that one best too DMB even though it's very simple and a little boring to make. It has a better texture for a placemat too. She might like the edging on guest towels better. She's big on things that look functional but are too fancy to allow anyone to touch.

[Worldtraveller]

Oh, I would wear it around here in the winter time. :D And yeah, it's supposed to he Cthulu-ish.

[Christina]

It will be easy and I'll make it for you but you have to make a few decisions. The one that PZ is wearing (http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2009/06/cthulhumas_came_early.php) is a more open stitch that will be softer and more comfortable but not as warm as a tighter stitch. This one (http://thingsandideas.wordpress.com/2008/12/07/squamous-and-eldritch/) is a very ugly knit copy but it shows you what I mean by a tighter stitch. It doesn't let as much air through but it's less soft.

Then you have to decide what you want it made out of. Yarn ranges from cheap acrylic that isn't warm at all and will give off sparks under the right conditions and relatively expensive wool that is very warm. There are also blends that range in price between the two. If you were only going to wear it as a costume I'd say go for the cheap stuff but not if you expect it to keep you warm.

Then you need to show me a sample of the color that you want and decide if you want any weird details like red rimmed eyes or something.

[Christina]

(Split from here (http://www.secularcafe.org/showthread.php?p=42948&#post42948).)

I figured out what to do about yarn. A few years ago I made a sweater for a friend who passed away before I gave it to her. It's been in a box in my closet ever since. I couldn't wear it because it's way too big for me and I couldn't bring myself to give it away so it just sits there out of sight. I remembered it earlier and it's made of beautiful deep blue tweed wood that my sister sent me from Ireland. Sue would think I was nuts to be sitting here complaining about having no good yarn while letting the sweater sit there like some weird shrine that I never look at. I'm starting to deconstruct it all and rewinding the yarn from the front panels and sleeves. The only part that's a pain in the ass is getting all of the ribbing off of the edges because one yarn in it is chenille that breaks when you pull it out. There's enough yarn there to make a thigh-length coat for myself. I'm saving the back panel because there's a complicated design in it that I like so I'll have to figure out how to reuse it. That will be hard and fun to figure out. Than I can wear my shrine and look at it instead of hiding it away. If she was alive she would have liked that idea much better.

[Worldtraveller]

Yer giving me some ideas....hrmmmm. :D

I was thinking a sorta dark purple or burgundy-ish color. Not sure which design I like better. I imagine even the open one would be pretty warm since it covers the whole head.

I think I like the look of the one PZ is wearing a little better.

[Cath B]

Yesterday I flopped, spending the afternoon in bed and generally lazing around after mooning around my husband's grave a bit in the morning.

Today I'm feeling more rested, the sun is shining and once I've sorted a few household chores I'm getting stuck into gardening.

Christina, I can see where you're coming from with your knitting story. I made my husband a couple of jerseys thirty years ago or so but when the children were little I gave up knitting for years. A while back I took it up again, made a jersey for each of my appreciative daughters (my sons would NO WAY wear hand knits!) and when I was knitting a second jersey for one of them my husband asked when I was going to make him one. I said I'd do it as soon as I'd made a second one for both girls. He died before I'd started one for him. :( I can imagine that if I had started knitting for him it'd still be sitting there. But at least he'd have had the pleasure of seeing me making him something.

[Cath B]

I've also got some knitting I started - a complicated cable pattern - for my Mum who died before I finished it.

And my mother always kept a partly knitted baby jacket posted from Australia after the knitter, the mother-in-law she'd never met, died before the baby (my brother, the first of many grandsons she never knew) was born.

I guess any future knitting stories should be posted in the knitting thread rather than this one!,

[Christina]

I'm going to split the knitting out to another thread now.

[Christina]

Yer giving me some ideas....hrmmmm. :D

I was thinking a sorta dark purple or burgundy-ish color. Not sure which design I like better. I imagine even the open one would be pretty warm since it covers the whole head.

I think I like the look of the one PZ is wearing a little better.

I do too. The other one looks like a little kid's ski mask to me. Now you have to decide whether you want me to use cheap or expensive yarn or at least give me a sense of what you want to spend on it, and pick the color(s). Then I can look for the yarn to order.

[Worldtraveller]

Yer giving me some ideas....hrmmmm. :D

I was thinking a sorta dark purple or burgundy-ish color. Not sure which design I like better. I imagine even the open one would be pretty warm since it covers the whole head.

I think I like the look of the one PZ is wearing a little better.

I do too. The other one looks like a little kid's ski mask to me. Now you have to decide whether you want me to use cheap or expensive yarn or at least give me a sense of what you want to spend on it, and pick the color(s). Then I can look for the yarn to order.
Well, what's 'expensive' thread? I will actually wear this out in the winter, so it should be able to stand up to getting a little moist from snow. :)

As for colors, I'm torn between a deep burgundy, or a green similar to the either of the pics, with red or burgundy eyebrows. Should I start a poll? :cool:

[Zygote]

Christina - regarding the crochet edging, I like the first one because it shows up more from a distance as well as being interesting up close.

I've crocheted lace edgings for my Dutch mother in law. It's traditional there to have crocheted ruffles (but not very gathered) at the tops of every window, even on their boats. They also put crocheted edges on their display shelves so I've done some for her corner cabinet and her sideboard. It looks very old world.

The Dutch frequently use filet crochet, a combination of chain and double crochet to make open and solid blocks, so designs can be mapped on graph paper and can make silhouette images. Here's an example (http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2182/2138634052_832f3a51e3.jpg?v=0) I found on the web. One advantage to the edging is that you work back and forth along the narrow dimension, so you don't have to know your finished length in advance and you can roll your finished work up as you go and keep it out of the way. It's totally mindless, though, so best done while chatting or watching a movie. I got a lot done while people watching on my train commute.

[Christina]

I worked 2 pattern reps of each of them and even with the thinnest thread that I have and a size 13 metal hook they're still at least 3 inches wide before they're even blocked and pressed and very loose and open. It was fun to work on something that was narrow and I like how easy it is to be able to measure it against the material as you go but they're too big to go on anything but full-size bath towels without being overwhelming. They would be a good tablecloth edging though. Doing easier ones is just boring so I abandoned that idea. I've done a fair amount of filet crochet but burned out on it after making 8 cafe curtains covered in birds and flowers for my sister.

Then I decided to reconstruct that sweater that I made for my friend and remake it to fit me while keeping the back design intact. I can do that by having part of the back wrap around, maybe putting in a fake seam at the sides and then doing some sort of wide placket type thing to fill in the front. After looking at it for a while I decided that I like the motif on the back but it's very large and out of proportion to what the new size of the sweater will be. It would be better as wall hanging or rug but it doesn't go with anything here and I'm choking on the idea of putting real wool on the floor to be a toy for 4 cats. So, I packed that all up and set it aside for awhile to think about it.

Then I went down to admire the basement that Joe just cleaned out and came across another big bag of yarn from my sister and mom that I forgot all about. It's all boucle and half of it is a garish color pink that I would never wear and the other half is fine guage baby boucle in pastels that I never found a use for. Since my sister obviously loved the garish pink stuff I'm making her a cardigan out of it. Hopefully by the time I'm done with that I'll have decided what to do with the back of the other sweater. I might just rip it out.

I also found a sweater that I did in afghan crochet but packed away when it got too big to wear. Now that I'm always cold I can wear it with 2 layers underneath around the house. I should visit the basement more often.

[Christina]

Well, what's 'expensive' thread? I will actually wear this out in the winter, so it should be able to stand up to getting a little moist from snow. :)

I can look around online for sales once I know what colors you decide on but I doubt that I'll be able to find enough to do it with for under $50. Wool is expensive. Cotton is cheap but has no give (stretch) to it and would be like wearing a bag over your head.

Most acrylics are in the same price range. This (http://www.discountyarnsale.com/pd_tlc_essentials.cfm) and this (http://www.discountyarnsale.com/pd_bernat_satin.cfm) are examples. Under the picture is a link to view the color selections. This (http://www.discountyarnsale.com/pd_bernat_berella.cfm) is a slightly more expensive one that looks more like wool. There's probably enough in one bag of any of those to do the whole thing for under $20.

This (http://www.discountyarnsale.com/pd_plymouth_encore_dk.cfm) is the best blended yarn I could find. It's 25% wool and 75% acrylic and there's enough in a $29 bag to finish it. I might have to spend a little on detail colors if I don't have something around that will work. I think that this is the best compromise between price and warmth.

Should I start a poll? :cool:

Sure, start two. The second is free as long as you abandon the first one before it closes.

[Zygote]

Where to start? First of all, thanks to all for your appreciation. I'm beginning to forget my dark thoughts as I wrestled with one error after another.

But Josie, I'd hate for this to contribute, even in the smallest way, to you feeling less wonderful about your afghans. Weaving has always struck me as cheating a bit when it comes to making blankets and stuff like that. Here's this big piece of machinery automating so much of the work that it feels like factory production sometimes. The two processes and products are so different, it's like comparing handmade sweaters and designer dresses. Honestly, I'd rather have the sweater.

[Josie]

I've always been fascinated by weaving, then I actually saw a loom, and all the work that goes into it, and thought "Oh hell, no."

I am pretty proud of my afghans, they do turn out nice. This is the nicest one I currently have, most of the others I've made have been given away.

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k15/miorose/DSCI0033.jpg

Any guesses as to hubby's passion? :D

eww, I should have cropped that first, ignore the mess, please

[Zygote]

That is a gorgeous piece of work. Did you design it yourself?

Looms take a lot of time to set up, the equipment takes up a lot of space, and you can't take them with you to work on when you visit friends. I find the repetitive tasks to be somewhat meditative and peaceful. Those who find them burdensome or frustrating don't stick with weaving for very long.

It's a very different sort of process from crocheting and knitting. I knit fingerless gloves and take them along to work on when I go places.

[Christina]

That looks great, Josie. Do you graph out the pattern yourself or use software that does it from a picture?

[Josie]

That pattern was a major pain in the ass to do. So bad, that as soon as I put the last stitch in, I took the pattern outside, put it on the grill, lit it, and watched it burn.

To get it, I just photocopied a Red Wing emblem onto graph paper a couple of times, until it fit pretty close. That one took me about 4 years to complete, mainly because I'd get bored or frustrated with it, and put it away for months, but I've done a couple of baby blankets in the same style, and those I can do in about 5 or 6 months.

The body of the afghan is just single crochet, which gives you a nice square stitch, then I put the pattern on in counted cross stitch.

[Christina]

Someone gave me software called PM Stitch Creator and you can give it a picture, tell it how many colors you want it to use and what dimensions you want and it will graph it out with a color chart. I like it for things like that.

[Josie]

That would be cool. For the baby blankets, I use some patterns from a book, but those are designed for use with floss on fabric. I've had to make some changes to them, because there are so many color variations in floss that you don't usually find in yarn. I think one pattern for a teddy bear called for 10 different shades of brown, :eek: with yarn I used 3 or 4.

At least the red wing didn't require any color shading, but do you know how BORING looking at all that red, for that long, can be?

[Christina]

I've moved the crocheting posts above over from the Chuppah (http://www.secularcafe.org/showthread.php?t=2114) thread and renamed this one to include crocheting. I hope that I didn't confuse anyone while I was doing it.

[Zygote]

Or we could merge them all into one Handicrafts thread. There's so much exchange across all the yarn hobbies that they all blend well.

[Christina]

I was thinking that might be a good thing to do also. What does everyone else think?

[David B]

I was thinking that might be a good thing to do also. What does everyone else think?

I can see a case for separate threads for some big project or other, like the Chuppah one.

I don't see the necessity for all handicrafts to be in one thread, any more than having all gardening posts in one thread.

Maybe SC will get big enough at some point to have separate subfora for gardening, handicrafts etc. For now, though, I don't think we have the traffic to justify that, and that common sense (as in the case of keeping the chuppah thread separate) should rule.

David

[Christina]

I don't think that the Chuppah thread or any other particular project thread should get merged with the rest. This one has everything in it now so I think that we just need to change this thread title. 'Handicrafts' is a bit general but I'm not awake enough to think of a word that includes knitting, crocheting, weaving, embroidery and anything else that uses yarn or thread. Maybe something like 'Fiber Crafts' might work and that would include sewing also.

[Zygote]

Ladies' Sewing Circle and Terrorist Society - on my daughter's t-shirt

Threads - used for a magazine that used to cover everything having to do with fiber, then morphed into a couture sewing magazine so I left.

Stitch and Bitch - what my mom's group used to call our gatherings where we talked and worked on projects

Textile Arts - what I call my profession when I'm up against someone who doesn't recognize the educational advantages of children doing fiber projects.

Fiber Arts - what those in the field use to refer to the field - it covers anything having to do with raw fiber or yarn or cloth, especially the areas that go beyond sewing from a pattern. The "arts" part always feels a bit beyond me, since I see myself more on the craft/construction/functional side than the arts/aesthetic side of things.

Fiber Crafts - works for me.

[Christina]

Hmm. I love the first one but some guy is going to complain on principle even if he doesn't want to post in it anyway. I like Stitch and Bitch second best, The word art has the same effect on me since I have a hard time seeing most of what I do as rising to the level of art. I suppose some of it might be seen as folk art in 100 years.

Since there are only a few of us hopefully we can get away without starting a poll. My preferences are:

1) Sewing Circle and Terrorist Society (leaving off the Ladies part although I like it the best).

2) Stitch and Bitch

3) Fiber Crafts