I started knitting early 2013 on a rectangular loom my friend had. It was a quick and pretty easy scarf, and because loom knitting is so easy and pretty quick I got a huge sense of accomplishment. :)
I learned how to knit on needles after that (knitting 1 or 2 plain swatches), but put them down for the summer. I then started up again in September 2013, doing serious knitting and using YouTube and Ravelry to learn new techniques, stitches and how to read patterns.
Now well over a year later I've actually written two patterns of my own and I'm readying myself to start a sweater dress as soon as the yarn I ordered comes in the mail. :D
Currently I have a shawl/wrap on my needles, a charted dishcloth, a garter stitch cat blanket and a tea cozy with embroidery of my own design and chart. I'm getting close to finishing all of them, and then I'll start knitting a MLP plushie for my guy alongside my sweater. Then I'm going to find a nice pattern for thigh-high stockings to match the sweater dress (or I'll design my own).
What do you have on your needles? Do you loom knit and/or crochet too? What projects are you planning on knitting in the future?
I started knitting early 2013 on a rectangular loom my friend had. It was a quick and pretty easy scarf, and because loom knitting is so easy and pretty quick I got a huge sense of accomplishment. :)
I learned how to knit on needles after that (knitting 1 or 2 plain swatches), but put them down for the summer. I then started up again in September 2013, doing serious knitting and using YouTube and Ravelry to learn new techniques, stitches and how to read patterns.
Now well over a year later I've actually written two patterns of my own and I'm readying myself to start a sweater dress as soon as the yarn I ordered comes in the mail. :D
Currently I have a shawl/wrap on my needles, a charted dishcloth, a garter stitch cat blanket and a tea cozy with embroidery of my own design and chart. I'm getting close to finishing all of them, and then I'll start knitting a MLP plushie for my guy alongside my sweater. Then I'm going to find a nice pattern for thigh-high stockings to match the sweater dress (or I'll design my own).
What do you have on your needles? Do you loom knit and/or crochet too? What projects are you planning on knitting in the future?
I'm a fairly casual knitter. I started it years ago with a children's diy set, but I haven't gotten much past scarves and the basic stitches. That being said, I've made a lot of different patterns on my scarves, including The Last Airbender symbols, Pokeballs, and I'm currently working on an Umbreon thing for a friend. I recently found
Chart-Minder,too which has helped IMMENSELY.
I really wanna try my hand at a sweater soon, branch out and stuff. Heck, I've had a "Learn Knitting book for years that goes into lace stitches, so there's little reason why I shouldn't try.
BTW, you got any tips for avoiding curling on stockinette?
I'm a fairly casual knitter. I started it years ago with a children's diy set, but I haven't gotten much past scarves and the basic stitches. That being said, I've made a lot of different patterns on my scarves, including The Last Airbender symbols, Pokeballs, and I'm currently working on an Umbreon thing for a friend. I recently found
Chart-Minder,too which has helped IMMENSELY.
I really wanna try my hand at a sweater soon, branch out and stuff. Heck, I've had a "Learn Knitting book for years that goes into lace stitches, so there's little reason why I shouldn't try.
BTW, you got any tips for avoiding curling on stockinette?
I'm a knitter! Currently I'm working on a nice simple scarf of my own design, and finishing off a really gorgeous cardigan -
Sylvi, for those of you on Ravelry! (It's not as hard as it looks!)
@
EmilyParagraph - I don't think there's any cure for stockinette curling, it's just the nature of the fabric -
see here. Blocking it by soaking it and then pinning it flat to dry can help a bit, though?
I'm a knitter! Currently I'm working on a nice simple scarf of my own design, and finishing off a really gorgeous cardigan -
Sylvi, for those of you on Ravelry! (It's not as hard as it looks!)
@
EmilyParagraph - I don't think there's any cure for stockinette curling, it's just the nature of the fabric -
see here. Blocking it by soaking it and then pinning it flat to dry can help a bit, though?
@
EmilyParagraph
Oooh, interesting! How do you make those patterns? Do you alternate knits and purls, or do you embroider or knit intarsia?
That chart minder thing is AWESOME, thanks!! I use the
Stitchboard Pattern Wizard to turn images into knittable patterns, but I think that Chart-Minder's purpose is a little different from that.
As for stockinette, it always curls. You can add a garter border which can prevent curling, but in most cases you need to block it after you finish. If you use animal fiber yarn, you can soak it in some cold water, carefully squeeze the water out and then lay it to dry flat on a foam board, an ironing board or any other surface (preferably on a towel). You can pin it down to the desired shape too - especially for lace it helps to open it up and make it look pretty.
Acrylic yarn needs to be steam blocked, but doing this basically melts the fibers together to stay in the desired shape and can alter the texture - I suggest steam blocking a swatch to see if you like the results. Sometimes washing it and drying it into shape helps, but not always.
@
EmilyParagraph
Oooh, interesting! How do you make those patterns? Do you alternate knits and purls, or do you embroider or knit intarsia?
That chart minder thing is AWESOME, thanks!! I use the
Stitchboard Pattern Wizard to turn images into knittable patterns, but I think that Chart-Minder's purpose is a little different from that.
As for stockinette, it always curls. You can add a garter border which can prevent curling, but in most cases you need to block it after you finish. If you use animal fiber yarn, you can soak it in some cold water, carefully squeeze the water out and then lay it to dry flat on a foam board, an ironing board or any other surface (preferably on a towel). You can pin it down to the desired shape too - especially for lace it helps to open it up and make it look pretty.
Acrylic yarn needs to be steam blocked, but doing this basically melts the fibers together to stay in the desired shape and can alter the texture - I suggest steam blocking a swatch to see if you like the results. Sometimes washing it and drying it into shape helps, but not always.
@
nemaline
That's a gorgeous pattern! Would love to see what yours will look like. :) Cable knitting is next on my to-do list but I imagine it can't be too hard at this point.
The shawl I'm knitting right now is
this one. It's a hot mess on my needles right now since I can't stretch it out after it reaches a certain size, so I've no updated pictures. I'm only 12 rows away from binding off though!
@
nemaline
That's a gorgeous pattern! Would love to see what yours will look like. :) Cable knitting is next on my to-do list but I imagine it can't be too hard at this point.
The shawl I'm knitting right now is
this one. It's a hot mess on my needles right now since I can't stretch it out after it reaches a certain size, so I've no updated pictures. I'm only 12 rows away from binding off though!
I knit, but not particularly well. My grandma taught me the basics, and I kind of stalled there. Right now, I'm looking for super easy baby blanket patterns so that my kid can have something that I made them. Everyone else in my family is super crafty, so they'll have lots of fun handmade stuff, but it'd be nice if just one thing actually came from me. XD
My bestie also got me a really great book last Christmas called Knits for Nerds, and I'd love to get good enough to actually make the stuff in there...
I knit, but not particularly well. My grandma taught me the basics, and I kind of stalled there. Right now, I'm looking for super easy baby blanket patterns so that my kid can have something that I made them. Everyone else in my family is super crafty, so they'll have lots of fun handmade stuff, but it'd be nice if just one thing actually came from me. XD
My bestie also got me a really great book last Christmas called Knits for Nerds, and I'd love to get good enough to actually make the stuff in there...
@
Spartacus
My friend got me that same book! The sweater dress I'll be making is the Real Genius sweater in the last section of the book. :)
Why did your knitting stall after the basics?
@
Spartacus
My friend got me that same book! The sweater dress I'll be making is the Real Genius sweater in the last section of the book. :)
Why did your knitting stall after the basics?
@
nemaline Ok, thanks. I've been trying to look for a solution for years, but I guess I just have to accept that there isn't one. >:C
@
DaftThoughts I use a reference picture to "draw" the picture out (which is why Chart Minder is a godsend. I'd been using the Mac spreadsheet program before, but I accidentally drowned my Mac about a year ago and have Windows now, and Excel is crap for knitting). I tend to use just stockinette for the whole thing, but I've been wondering about using different stitches to create interesting textures with the pictures, especially since it might help with the front/back issue that comes up with scarves
As for creating it, I tend to strand the heck out of them.
Front of a project I just need to weave the ends in of.
Back.
But, it's obviously messy-looking for a scarf, so I've been thinking of different ways to go about it with textures or knitting a reverse side (which might even help with the curling).
@
nemaline Ok, thanks. I've been trying to look for a solution for years, but I guess I just have to accept that there isn't one. >:C
@
DaftThoughts I use a reference picture to "draw" the picture out (which is why Chart Minder is a godsend. I'd been using the Mac spreadsheet program before, but I accidentally drowned my Mac about a year ago and have Windows now, and Excel is crap for knitting). I tend to use just stockinette for the whole thing, but I've been wondering about using different stitches to create interesting textures with the pictures, especially since it might help with the front/back issue that comes up with scarves
As for creating it, I tend to strand the heck out of them.
Front of a project I just need to weave the ends in of.
Back.
But, it's obviously messy-looking for a scarf, so I've been thinking of different ways to go about it with textures or knitting a reverse side (which might even help with the curling).
(@
platypusquack)
Ooh, yes, I knit!!
I knit a simple scarf before, now I'm knitting a blanket. I really only know the basics, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun as heck! :3
(@
platypusquack)
Ooh, yes, I knit!!
I knit a simple scarf before, now I'm knitting a blanket. I really only know the basics, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun as heck! :3
@EmilyParagraph
Ooooh, awesome! That Chart Minder thing would have been really helpful when I was designing a blanket for my friend's wedding >.> That scarf looks so great, though!
As far as I know, the best way to deal with curling on a scarf like that one is to either a) get some fabric - polar fleece is good - and sew it on as a backing, or b) knit it in the round as a tube scarf. I'm actually doing a stockinette scarf like that at the moment. Because it's a tube of stockinette, instead of a flat piece, it can't curl on itself. And of course all the strands are hidden inside. (Also wow your strands look neat!) It is twice as much work, though!
[img]http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r158/cyropi/IMG-1413747380227-V.jpg[/img]
Oooh, or, have you heard of [url=http://www.knittinghelp.com/video/play/double-knitting]double knitting[/url]?
@DaftThoughts
That shawl looks great!! It looks like such a clever pattern, too - relatively easy but a gorgeous result! I really need to find some good shawl patterns, I have a ton of yarn for shawls and no patterns to go with them. Annoyingly, I don't think any of them would suit that pattern!
I'll definitely try to get some decent pictures of my cardigan project tomorrow - it's kind of hard because it's so big!
@
EmilyParagraph
Ooooh, awesome! That Chart Minder thing would have been really helpful when I was designing a blanket for my friend's wedding >.> That scarf looks so great, though!
As far as I know, the best way to deal with curling on a scarf like that one is to either a) get some fabric - polar fleece is good - and sew it on as a backing, or b) knit it in the round as a tube scarf. I'm actually doing a stockinette scarf like that at the moment. Because it's a tube of stockinette, instead of a flat piece, it can't curl on itself. And of course all the strands are hidden inside. (Also wow your strands look neat!) It is twice as much work, though!
Oooh, or, have you heard of
double knitting?
@
DaftThoughts
That shawl looks great!! It looks like such a clever pattern, too - relatively easy but a gorgeous result! I really need to find some good shawl patterns, I have a ton of yarn for shawls and no patterns to go with them. Annoyingly, I don't think any of them would suit that pattern!
I'll definitely try to get some decent pictures of my cardigan project tomorrow - it's kind of hard because it's so big!
