wellway
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Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Jan 9, 2021 13:00:10 GMT
gar just say the word and we can make a few (read many) suggestions! Maybe something way smaller than a blanket but using lovely yarns might reignite your interest.
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Post by gar on Jan 9, 2021 13:18:03 GMT
Maybe something way smaller than a blanket but using lovely yarns might reignite your interest. Yes, maybe - I definitely love yarn. Back in the summer my Dad passed on bags and bags of yarns, embroidery threads, knitting needles, buttons etc that Mum wouldn't ever have been able to use again and I found 3 half finished jumpers I'd started when I was still living at home in my early 20s   I had a happy hour just looking though and remembering those projects  I thought I might take a lead from lainey and try some socks. Back in the day I knitted lots of complicated patterned jumpers for myself but I always hated the cuffs and rib that went baggy and anyway I'm out of practise for something like that I think. lainey - are the socks you make really comfy and nice to wear? |
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sueg
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Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jan 9, 2021 13:40:10 GMT
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Post by gar on Jan 9, 2021 13:53:01 GMT
Thanks sueg - that's good to know  Do you use wool or a mixed yarn? Or will that become obvious when I start doing some looking into it? |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jan 9, 2021 13:59:03 GMT
I feel so left out not posting on this thread!  Obviously I need to find a new craft/hobby/project so I can join in! Please do stay. This is one of the best threads on this board. It's all just lovely and nice in here. |
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Post by gar on Jan 9, 2021 14:03:14 GMT
I feel so left out not posting on this thread!  Obviously I need to find a new craft/hobby/project so I can join in! Please do stay. This is one of the best threads on this board. It's all just lovely and nice in here. That is certainly very appealing  |
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Deleted
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Nov 23, 2024 8:57:45 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2021 14:07:06 GMT
lainey - are the socks you make really comfy and nice to wear? Really comfy and as Sueg says very warm. I never used to wear socks much but my handknit ones get worn every day, I can't explain the difference but it's definitely there. Sock yarn is usually 75% superwash and 25% nylon. The nylon makes it hard wearing. I always do a twisted rib which I think looks neater and holds it's shape much better. I really recommend having a look at the Winwick Mum sockalong, she explains absolutely everything about making your first socks. |
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Deleted
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Nov 23, 2024 8:57:45 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2021 14:11:39 GMT
I feel so left out not posting on this thread! Obviously I need to find a new craft/hobby/project so I can join in! Yes, yes, yes!!!! It's the thread I come and read and enjoy the most. I skip 75% of the rest of the board. I love this thread each and every month. Thank you everyone for making this a nice place to come multiple times a day! |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2021 14:13:01 GMT
This is Wool Warehouse's selection of sock yarn Wool Warehouse I like the Drops Nord, it's soft and has a slight halo, it does need to be hand washed in cool water though (I felted a pair using too hot water) Stylecraft Head Over Heels is nice and washes well. King Cole Zig Zag is good for colour range and I do like the socks I've made with it but it isn't as soft as other yarns, I can feel the difference on my thumbs when I'm knitting with it. Cascade Heritage is a delight to knit with but I've only used it for shawls, Drops Fabel is good but slightly thin, Drops Delight is horrendous and I don't recommend it at all.
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Post by gar on Jan 9, 2021 14:16:39 GMT
This is Wool Warehouse's selection of sock yarn Wool Warehouse I like the Drops Nord, it's soft and has a slight halo, it does need to be hand washed in cool water though (I felted a pair using too hot water) Stylecraft Head Over Heels is nice and washes well. King Cole Zig Zag is good for colour range and I do like the socks I've made with it but it isn't as soft as other yarns, I can feel the difference on my thumbs when I'm knitting with it. Cascade Heritage is a delight to knit with but I've only used it for shawls, Drops Fabel is good but slightly thin, Drops Delight is horrendous and I don't recommend it at all.
Thank you! I was just on the website and didn't really know where to start but this will definitely help! While I'm asking, if you don't mind - anything to watch out for when choosing a pattern? |
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sueg
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Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jan 9, 2021 14:18:21 GMT
Thanks sueg - that's good to know Do you use wool or a mixed yarn? Or will that become obvious when I start doing some looking into it? I mainly use the basic German sock yarns, like Regia and Opal, which are 75%wool/25% nylon. They are also spun with a fairly tight twist. Both the nylon and the twist help with the socks lasting longer. These yarns come in so many fun colours, so you can just knit plain stocking stitch socks and they look much like you have put much more work into them. If you do decide to venture into cables or lace on your socks, plain colours work better though. |
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sueg
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Posts: 8,571
Location: Munich
Apr 12, 2016 12:51:01 GMT
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Post by sueg on Jan 9, 2021 14:22:29 GMT
This is Wool Warehouse's selection of sock yarn Wool Warehouse I like the Drops Nord, it's soft and has a slight halo, it does need to be hand washed in cool water though (I felted a pair using too hot water) Stylecraft Head Over Heels is nice and washes well. King Cole Zig Zag is good for colour range and I do like the socks I've made with it but it isn't as soft as other yarns, I can feel the difference on my thumbs when I'm knitting with it. Cascade Heritage is a delight to knit with but I've only used it for shawls, Drops Fabel is good but slightly thin, Drops Delight is horrendous and I don't recommend it at all.
Thank you! I was just on the website and didn't really know where to start but this will definitely help! While I'm asking, if you don't mind - anything to watch out for when choosing a pattern? I would start with a simple stocking stitch pattern, so you can learn the structure of a sock without worrying about fancy stitch patterns at the same time. There are a lot of basic beginner patterns around if you look. One of the big differences in patterns is how the work the heel - I prefer flap and gussets heels, but many people like short row heels. There are differences in fit, so maybe try both and see what works best for your foot. When it comes to the heel part, just blindly follow your pattern - when you first read it, it might not make sense, but it will work out and then you will feel so clever. |
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Post by gar on Jan 9, 2021 14:24:22 GMT
Thank you! I was just on the website and didn't really know where to start but this will definitely help! While I'm asking, if you don't mind - anything to watch out for when choosing a pattern? I would start with a simple stocking stitch pattern, so you can learn the structure of a sock without worrying about fancy stitch patterns at the same time. There are a lot of basic beginner patterns around if you look. One of the big differences in patterns is how the work the heel - I prefer flap and gussets heels, but many people like short row heels. There are differences in fit, so maybe try both and see what works best for your foot. When it comes to the heel part, just blindly follow your pattern - when you first read it, it might not make sense, but it will work out and then you will feel so clever. Great advice - thank you! Off to start choosing |
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Deleted
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Nov 23, 2024 8:57:45 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2021 14:29:19 GMT
These yarns come in so many fun colours, so you can just knit plain stocking stitch socks and they look much like you have put much more work into them. If you do decide to venture into cables or lace on your socks, plain colours work better though. I agree with every word of this |
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
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Post by ellen on Jan 9, 2021 14:32:03 GMT
My husband just came in from the porch with a big box in his arms. “It’s wool” he said with THAT look. If Wool Warehouse would send things in brown packaging I could have said it was for the business.  He has no problem with what I buy but I still feel guilty. I always feel guilty too. And I don't know why. Jeremy never says Boo about my yarn. But I always think, surely he must think I have enough already. Why would I need more at this very minute? LOL! I will never come close to spending the amount of money my husband spends on his hobbies - hunting and fishing. He made a smart ass comment once and I started calculating the true cost of a fish dinner. If a fisherman ever gifts you with a bag of fish they caught, they are handing you a little bag of gold. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2021 14:34:48 GMT
These were made with King Cole Zig Zag and the yarn does all the striping itself so it's just a plain vanilla pattern
These are Drops Nord and a much more complicated pattern (these are my most favourite pair!)
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Post by gar on Jan 9, 2021 14:42:20 GMT
They're fab lainey! I will do as sueg suggested and start with a basic pattern and see how that goes and who knows...I might be trying some more complex ones down the line! |
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ellen
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Post by ellen on Jan 9, 2021 14:45:13 GMT
 I always enjoy going through the craft thread and mean to be a better contributor. It’s inspiring. I finished this blanket last month. I used the Attic24 Dune pack, but used the Dahlia pattern. It’s a graduation gift for my daughter. We already bought bedding for her dorm and this will go nicely with it. I was working on this when she was in bed or at her boyfriend’s place. Hard to do a secret project when someone lives with you. I’ll be curious to see if she knew about it. I often just put another blanket on top of my work basket. eta - sorry about the size, I used my phone and went with what it said was the best option. I'll go smaller next time. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jan 9, 2021 14:46:10 GMT
I always feel guilty too. And I don't know why. Jeremy never says Boo about my yarn. But I always think, surely he must think I have enough already. Why would I need more at this very minute? LOL! I will never come close to spending the amount of money my husband spends on his hobbies - hunting and fishing. He made a smart ass comment once and I started calculating the true cost of a fish dinner. If a fisherman ever gifts you with a bag of fish they caught, they are handing you a little bag of gold. I hear you! Jeremy got a 4 wheeler and a camper last year. My yarn doesn't even touch that. And it's not so much for me about the money persay. It's more about how much I'm having on hand not being consumed. I donated a ton in 2019. Stuff that I was most likely never going to use. My tastes have changed over the years. So I'm trying not to be wasteful. Be more intentional with what I buy. And be realistic about the time I have on my hands to crochet. I signed up for Jimmy Beans monthly shawl club. It's $15 a month. That doesn't seem like a lot of money on a monthly basis. But it only makes one shawl. So at the end, it's a very pricey piece. I just thought it would be fun to have a surprise each month and do a bit at a time. So for me really it's less about the money and more about hoarding and waste. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jan 9, 2021 14:47:15 GMT
It's beautiful ellen I think the dune pack colorwise is one of my absolute favorites. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2021 14:49:33 GMT
The kitchener stitch instructions are great and I felt so proud the first time I did it  |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jan 9, 2021 14:51:34 GMT
With that blue pair lainey you can definitely see how much your skills have increased. They are beautiful. |
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ellen
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,806
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Post by ellen on Jan 9, 2021 14:54:03 GMT
I will never come close to spending the amount of money my husband spends on his hobbies - hunting and fishing. He made a smart ass comment once and I started calculating the true cost of a fish dinner. If a fisherman ever gifts you with a bag of fish they caught, they are handing you a little bag of gold. I hear you! Jeremy got a 4 wheeler and a camper last year. My yarn doesn't even touch that. And it's not so much for me about the money persay. It's more about how much I'm having on hand not being consumed. I donated a ton in 2019. Stuff that I was most likely never going to use. My tastes have changed over the years. So I'm trying not to be wasteful. Be more intentional with what I buy. And be realistic about the time I have on my hands to crochet. I signed up for Jimmy Beans monthly shawl club. It's $15 a month. That doesn't seem like a lot of money on a monthly basis. But it only makes one shawl. So at the end, it's a very pricey piece. I just thought it would be fun to have a surprise each month and do a bit at a time. So for me really it's less about the money and more about hoarding and waste. I was going to order the new Attic 24 blanket and then spent a little time in the room where I keep all my yarn. It was ridiculous. I'm not going to buy any yarn until I make a serious dent in what I have on hand. I am currently working on using up all the yarn that is left over from my Attic 24 blankets. I'm just doing a big continuous granny square. It's getting pretty big and I still have quite a bit of yarn to put into it. I love it. It's so simple and I can easily watch tv without having to think at all about what I'm doing. I've also been making some little dog sweaters. I am going to make some smaller blankets to give to people to just keep in their car. I'm not going to worry too much about making them pretty. I'm just going to view them as functional blankets. When I've done enough I am going to order that yarn pack. |
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Post by gillyp on Jan 9, 2021 14:54:22 GMT
I will never come close to spending the amount of money my husband spends on his hobbies - hunting and fishing. He made a smart ass comment once and I started calculating the true cost of a fish dinner. If a fisherman ever gifts you with a bag of fish they caught, they are handing you a little bag of gold. This is my problem! I'm storing though, not hoarding. I have far more yarn (and embroidery floss, scrapbooking supplies etc. etc.) than I am likely to be able to use and I only ever buy with a project in mind nowadays but I always end up with less time than I expect so the projects build up. |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jan 9, 2021 14:58:39 GMT
ellen do you have a pattern for crocheted dog sweaters? My DD has a tiny, not even 6 lb, chihuahua and she loves dressing him up. I'd love to make him some sweaters.
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wellway
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Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Jan 9, 2021 15:01:57 GMT
ellen and gillyp I laid all my yarn out the other day, using the wool warehouse bags I now have them sorted by colour, mostly blues, mostly green etc. There wasn't a crazy yarn lady amount but there was enough for me to say, need to stash bust. It's my plan to shop at home before I buy more yarn. I found three 50g balls of white cotton, after a look though Ravelry, I'm planning a yoga mesh bag. Just the right amount of yarn and useful too.
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Post by gar on Jan 9, 2021 15:12:02 GMT
The kitchener stitch instructions are great and I felt so proud the first time I did it  Printing the pattern as we speak We're going out for a walk then this will be my afternoon's reading with a cuppa when we get back |
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ellen
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Post by ellen on Jan 9, 2021 15:20:47 GMT
ellen do you have a pattern for crocheted dog sweaters? My DD has a tiny, not even 6 lb, chihuahua and she loves dressing him up. I'd love to make him some sweaters. I use this one. I've made enough that I feel the cost of the pattern was well worth it. It would take you an hour to make one that would fit a dog that size. It's easy. If you were to buy this pattern, I'd recommend that you make one change to it. I use a single crochet foundation chain to start. If you don't, there is no give to the neckline and it makes it hard to get over a dog's head. Recently I've made a couple for the dog of my daughter's boyfriend's family. He's little and gets cold. The sweaters they got for him were loose and he'd pee on them when he was out on walks. These fit a little closer and have good wiener clearance for male dogs. A couple years ago I was making a dog sweater a day to give to the dogs of my coworkers. Dog Sweater Pattern |
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Post by jeremysgirl on Jan 9, 2021 15:23:37 GMT
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desertgirl
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,646
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Post by desertgirl on Jan 9, 2021 15:45:19 GMT
lainey (and anyone else) - I would recommend the Isolation Journals to start. linkhttps://www.suleikajaouad.com/the-isolation-journalsThese come weekly and consist of a prompt that is unlike any other I've used. If you go to the link above and click on LEARN MORE, you can see another button ARCHIVE that has a lot of options for journaling, some older ones, too. I have passed by several bc they don't appeal to me, but with the 100 day challenge, I deliberately picked a couple that initially did not click for me, but I liked once I started them. The prompts are given weekly so you have time to do the initial assignment and then delve into it further, if you wish, as the days go by. Some can lead to discomfort and I have dropped them. It depends on my mood. The thing is, you make them your own. No prompt police anywhere. I've written since I was a kid, but I resist a lot of prompts (Pretend you are a tree) or catchy ways to write. You seem to me to be a thinker/analyzer and I think you'd like this approach.
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Do you use wool or a mixed yarn? Or will that become obvious when I start doing some looking into it?
Obviously I need to find a new craft/hobby/project so I can join in!
Obviously I need to find a new craft/hobby/project so I can join in!
He has no problem with what I buy but I still feel guilty.
