Topic: calling all knitters

[small]

Queenbee, I have a jacket like that - I'm a size 6 and my 14 stone husband could wear it.....I'm going to undo it to re-use the yarn, but it's a beautiful fancy cable with a big shawl collar and I so enjoyed knitting it......

[queenbee]

Me too

[froglets]

All the women in my family knit, but then we are from the Scottish Borders,  home of tweed, Pringle, Lochcarron etc.  We used to get the end of run cones from the tweed mills so it was unwashed lanolin filled wool that made a mess of your skin, but it was free <cough> and plentiful < cough again>.  I also took up crochet (traitor) but haven't done much for years, usually only when someone takes it up and needs a bit of help to get going.
Last year I though about it but when I costed up some lovely yarn, a size 12  cardigan was going to cost £50 plus my time & it seemed a bit hard to justify given how much £50 would buy

Got me thinking now though.

Is this over the top & was i just looking at the wrong things?

[debster]

i didnt realise that wool had got so expensive for some of it, but the chunky i bought only cost me £15 so i did think for a jumper i really wanted in the right size colour etc and the pleasure i had making it was well worth it.
i have found our local charity shop sells 100g balls of lovely soft baby wool (all new) for £1.50 where i paid £2.50 per 50g in the wool shop
having to buy all my needles, stitch holders etc from scratch is adding to the cost but will only have to buy each size once

[landimad]

Ah, but still good value when you think of the cost of a good jumper which will not hold its shape or shrinks in the wash. Home made is thicker and a lot warmer than the ones that the OH tried me out on. Plus they never cover your back unless you get one that is three sizes to big for you. ;D

[sweetsaphie]

 i'm addicted myself to cross stitch i have done loads of angels  oh all sorts realy but mostly angels , i used to knit lots  but has worn off since i took up the stitching, at the moment though i was reading a book of knitting in the doctors, while i was waiting to see him and there was a bedspread in it needless to say i nicked the book and i have started knitting it its gorgeous, i will try and take a pic  let you all see it .

[plot51A]

Oooooh sholls, I love the beret. I'm going to have a bash. I love knitting with a passion but For some reason nothing ever fits. :-[. Maybe it's 'cos I'm a left hander, although I do try to knit right handed as it's easier to follow the pattern generally.

I'm a left handed knitter too. I always just follow the patterns anyway. It only makes a difference if you're doing a jacket or something and the left side comes out as right and vice versa. And a bit tricky sometimes with buttonholes  ::)

[debster]

when i was pregnant with my daughter 20 years ago my sister knitted a cardigan for her that i adored it was white v neck and instead of rib it had garter stitch a row of red, blue and either yellow or green not sure, i loved it and would love to knit one dont suppose anyone knows what i mean it is a very long shot
regards
debbie

[Squash64]

I think I must be due for an eye-test ..... I keep reading the subject header as 'calling all KITTENS'!

[debster]

can anyone help me im looking for a pattern for a bolero for a 2 year old child not too difficult to knit in double knit and not knitted on a circular needle, anyone know of one, i know its a big ask but would like to knit one for my little niece
thanks
debs

[landimad]

Debs,
OH will look over what can be sourced and let you know.

[Jeannine]

Hi Debster, I think I still have it. I should have  bolero  pattern for that age. It is very old,from the 40/50s, one my Mum used to make for little  bridemaids to wear in cold weather. It is made in the original Angora wool but I think it would be easy enough to adapt it by checking the needles suggested. I will try and find it if you think it would do, but don't want to search if not suitable as my patterns are tucked away in boxes under my bed..don't mind looking if it will do though, XX Jeannine

[carrot-cruncher]

I knit when I can find the time between gardening, cross stitching and crocheting (plus horse riding, house work and actual paid work!!!).

I have in my wardrobe a lovely chunky hand knitted arran cardigan with cabling and bramble stitch my mum made for me.   It generally only comes out in winter but it's soooooo warm and comfy.

After have completed crocheted blanket will be moving onto knitting a tunic in a cotton/silk blend.

CC

[PurpleHeather]

I can knit, crochet and sew anything. Honestly I can.

But the cost of the raw materials are horrendous. It costs a fortune to knit a jumper. Baby clothes, well the brats grow out of them before they have fit them as long as it takes to knit. It is, these days, so much cheaper to buy ready made.

I do still sew, on the machine. I alter clothes to fit. Make curtains and cushions because they are worth doing. Cost wise to get the match. Re upholstery on some things can be worth doing too.

I have corrected loads of people's knitting and crochet when they have problems with a pattern or in a couple of cases I have crotchet around the neck of a baby garment to 'bring it in' when the new to the task, the knitter has cast off too big.

My mother and grandmother left to me so many embroidered table cloths and cushions, not to mention the beautiful tapestries  too fine to hang on the walls for decades in case they faded which I have now had framed and are hanging up, there is no need for more. I have silk lace my great grandmother made which is over 100 years old.

If you find it suits you to do this, as a hobby carry on and enjoy it.

I got put off when I heard about a woman who knitted and every year her husband, for her birthday, bought her a knitting pattern and the yarn to make him a jumper..Because she loved knitting.

I supposed that the same man would think it was a generous gesture to buy his wife a new washing machine as a Christmas present.

Any one knitting pure wool socks? Let me know how you get on with the heels. That is a real skill. But they are incredibly warm.  No chilblains , ever.

[Jeannine]

I knit John socks, I have for years and years, from a really old pattern, 3 ply and 4 ply pure wool, I have no problems with heels although I must admit I never do remove the hell and reknit  when it wears out as my pattern suggests, I do darn for a while. He adores his hand knitted socks, as far as he is concerned there is nothing else, although I do put my foot down when he really doing mucky work he has to wear store bought!!

I tend to only knit things that are traditional, baby coats are always 2 or 3 ply, I don't like knitting in thick wool, shawls are always 1 ply.Socks as above. I do knit John's sweaters but he is good with them so don't need to do that often, always use wool/cashmere or cashmere/silk yarns.

I knit bedsocks for me.

Alan Dart and others toys for fundraising , ditto teacosies.

Sometimes when the mood takes me I crochet granny squares for old age home down the road but I am not a crochet person sadly, I have never been able to do it good enough.

Thank you for the prompt..I need to start socks, usually do about 6 pairs then I am all socked out, got some hints last week from John!!


I  enjoy knitting fine wool,  or things on fine needles.
XX Jeannine

[landimad]

Debs,

I do not know whether these patterns will do.
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m570.l1313&_nkw=child%27s+bolero+pattern&_sacat=See-All-Categories

But the Oh is busy at present and only suggested you try these out.

[debster]

thanks landimad i have contacted th sellers for more information thanks for that
debs

[debster]

im knitting myself a chunky jumper from a sirdar pattern 5807 with snowflake shaped patterns on it,
i am at the stage where i have put some of the stitches on a holder and im working up one side of the neck at the front decreasing at the neck edge whilst trying to keep the pattern correct.
my problem is that the patterns are only given for the front and back but you are told to decrease whilst following the pattern. i can do it quite easily when the right side of the garment is facing me as i start at the front of that pattern line, my problem is when i have to turn and come back how do i know when to start as effectively i am in the middle of a line
for example i am currently on line number 6 and only have 27 stitches on my needle
line 6 is as follows

P2, k1, p3, * p2, k1, p8, k1 p3, rep from * to last 7 sts, p2, k1, p4

[PurpleHeather]

wow it is a long time since I heard some one was using 3ply and 4ply wool. I have only ever seen double knitting and a variety of gimmicky yarns for years.

It reminds me of the fairisle sleeve less jumpers, well they were more tank tops but by a different name (which I can not remember) My mother and grand mother knitted them from darning wool. Seemingly darning wool was not rationed during WWII, so they made up their own designs. A little racy in those days which was probably why the garments lasted so many years,  they were only worn when it was really very cold as an extra layer. Left in tissue paper and moth balls the rest of the time. Sadly, none survive.

We were all taught to knit at infant's school. Boys and Girls alike. Dish cloths...It did not matter if your knitting was not perfect for dish cloths. But it was a good training for dexterity and concentration.....In..round...through.....off...We recited as we sat there, over and over. Then when a stitch was dropped a queue was made for the teacher or her helper to pick it up for the pupil and if you were lucky. A few extra rows were knitted for you.

As we got better at knitting the next stage was to make two squares, One larger than the other the small one was sewn on to the middle of the larger one and these were for using when the kettle handle got too hot. Could do with one for the lottie kettle now come to think of it!

Raffia table mats were made as tea pot stands. By boys and girls got to make their own apron in needlework.

Is teaching children to make something useful like that done today?

[froglets]

I remember being in the Brownies and having to knit squares for blankets for the "Old Folks".  sooo boring as my mum, gran and auntie had me turning sock heels and knitting fair isle and cable by then.  My auntie did piece work at home for one of the mill shops knitting cream cable sweaters, which she did whilst watching telly and talking to the rest of us.  I could never knit without looking at my needles.