Help me knit a hexapuff, please.
August 7, 2012 11:44 AM Subscribe
Help me knit a hexapuff, please.
I am trying to make this. I am following the directions, but I still get stuck at the same place. I am using double pointed needles, so:
1. Cast on, so that there are 10 stitches on each needle, alternating.
2. Knit one side and then knit the other.
3. Add one stitch to the first side, knit, and then stop 2 stitches before the end of the row and add a stitch. Repeat on the other side, and keep repeating until there are 20 stitches on each side, and then do the reverse to make the hexagon shape.
I know how to inc 1 and M1 but the issue I am having is where does the working yarn go after step 2? I know it's supposed to go behind, but I am doing something very wrong and I'm not sure what. Instead of having a nice, weaved, diagonal line for the side of the hexagon, I have one long piece spanning it. It's not getting weaved in.
I can take pictures if necessary to clarify.
Thank you!
I am trying to make this. I am following the directions, but I still get stuck at the same place. I am using double pointed needles, so:
1. Cast on, so that there are 10 stitches on each needle, alternating.
2. Knit one side and then knit the other.
3. Add one stitch to the first side, knit, and then stop 2 stitches before the end of the row and add a stitch. Repeat on the other side, and keep repeating until there are 20 stitches on each side, and then do the reverse to make the hexagon shape.
I know how to inc 1 and M1 but the issue I am having is where does the working yarn go after step 2? I know it's supposed to go behind, but I am doing something very wrong and I'm not sure what. Instead of having a nice, weaved, diagonal line for the side of the hexagon, I have one long piece spanning it. It's not getting weaved in.
I can take pictures if necessary to clarify.
Thank you!
Are you sure your cast on is correct? I didn't do the cast on the way it says in the pattern, but I'm guessing if the casting on goes wonky, nothing after will work out.
Oh, on preview, I did exactly what sparklemotion linked to, Judy's magic cast-on is tons easier than the pattern's instructions.
I think it might take me ten years to make a blanket out of these things, but they're good "take with me and wait while my kid is in the dentist" sort of work.
posted by upatree at 11:56 AM on August 7, 2012
Oh, on preview, I did exactly what sparklemotion linked to, Judy's magic cast-on is tons easier than the pattern's instructions.
I think it might take me ten years to make a blanket out of these things, but they're good "take with me and wait while my kid is in the dentist" sort of work.
posted by upatree at 11:56 AM on August 7, 2012
I also don't own this pattern, but it seems very similar to starting a toe-up sock. If you're knitting on DPNs, check out the very end of the JMCO tutorial -- you want your stitches spread across four needles, not two, so you can knit in the round.
Here's the Ravelry thread for hexipuff help!
posted by in a dark glassly at 11:59 AM on August 7, 2012
Here's the Ravelry thread for hexipuff help!
posted by in a dark glassly at 11:59 AM on August 7, 2012
When you say "it's not getting weaved in" are you talking about the tail of the yarn? The part that's left over from casting on, not the part connected to the ball of yarn?
Can you post a video of your attempt? Photos are helpful, but video is so much more useful, because seeing how you got from point a to b tells much more.
If you're looking for a funsock scrap yarn project, might I tell you that I'm making the mitered square blanket from Mason Dixon Knitting? They used Tahki Cotton Classic, but I'm using sock yarns. We won't talk about exactly how long I've been working on this blanket.....
posted by bilabial at 11:59 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]
Can you post a video of your attempt? Photos are helpful, but video is so much more useful, because seeing how you got from point a to b tells much more.
If you're looking for a fun
posted by bilabial at 11:59 AM on August 7, 2012 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: I don't mean the tail. I will try and make a video and post it here!
posted by DeltaForce at 12:01 PM on August 7, 2012
posted by DeltaForce at 12:01 PM on August 7, 2012
Does this youtube link help? casting on hexipuffs.
I am a magic loop/single circ girl, otherwise I'd try showing you how I do my hexies to see if that helps but nthing the rec for Judy's magic cast on in general, as there's a lot of tutorials for that cast on and that's what I use on my circs.
posted by halcyonday at 12:41 PM on August 7, 2012
I am a magic loop/single circ girl, otherwise I'd try showing you how I do my hexies to see if that helps but nthing the rec for Judy's magic cast on in general, as there's a lot of tutorials for that cast on and that's what I use on my circs.
posted by halcyonday at 12:41 PM on August 7, 2012
Hmmmmm. I'm having trouble picturing it (photos would help), but it sounds like maybe something's going on where you're not working in the round? Hexipuffs can be tricky because the pattern is worked in the round, but the stitches are held on only two needles. (I find the two-needle method just fine, but some knitters can't stand it.) So you knit to the end of the first needle, flip your work so the second needle's closer to you, knit to the end of that needle, flip, &c.
Or, possibly, there's a laddering issue? Some of my puffs ladder, and I just cheat at the end by stitching the loose edges together with the yarn tail to reinforce them.
Or it might be a cast-on issue. As I recall, the pattern's cast-on instructions say to cast twenty stitches on one needle and then divide them up on two: odds on one needle, evens on the other. I find this way easier than Judy's Magic Cast-On (which I do use and love for toe-up socks), so use whichever method feels best to you. When you're done casting on with either method, the two needles should be parallel and held reasonably firmly in place by the stitches.
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:00 PM on August 7, 2012
Or, possibly, there's a laddering issue? Some of my puffs ladder, and I just cheat at the end by stitching the loose edges together with the yarn tail to reinforce them.
Or it might be a cast-on issue. As I recall, the pattern's cast-on instructions say to cast twenty stitches on one needle and then divide them up on two: odds on one needle, evens on the other. I find this way easier than Judy's Magic Cast-On (which I do use and love for toe-up socks), so use whichever method feels best to you. When you're done casting on with either method, the two needles should be parallel and held reasonably firmly in place by the stitches.
posted by Metroid Baby at 2:00 PM on August 7, 2012
i second metroid baby that you may not be working in the round.
as a side note, i found that these are really beastly to make using DPNs because they just don't give you the flexibility you need on a very tiny, flat thing. i'd suggest trying it with magic loop/1 circ because the cables make things much easier.
posted by marshmallow peep at 2:02 PM on August 7, 2012
as a side note, i found that these are really beastly to make using DPNs because they just don't give you the flexibility you need on a very tiny, flat thing. i'd suggest trying it with magic loop/1 circ because the cables make things much easier.
posted by marshmallow peep at 2:02 PM on August 7, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks for the answers everyone. I actually found this video which is very clear, even though the hexagon she is making is not a puff.
bilabial, that quilt looks amazing!
posted by DeltaForce at 2:04 PM on August 7, 2012
bilabial, that quilt looks amazing!
posted by DeltaForce at 2:04 PM on August 7, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
That being said, I don't own the pattern, but how you describe it looks like she is starting you off with something akin to Judy's Magic Cast-On, which is detailed with lots of pictures here.
Though the absolute beginning is different, it looks like you might be getting tripped up by the setup in the picture for Step 8?
I actually might recommend just ditching whatever the designer wrote for the cast-on and going with JMCO for the whole thing, just plan to have 10 stitches cast on, and increase like she does for the toe of a sock until you are at 20.
posted by sparklemotion at 11:51 AM on August 7, 2012 [1 favorite]