Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with knitting

Help husband find wife knit stuff for xmas

bleucube — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 06:09:53 -0800

This year my wife has gone full out knit crazy. She has accumulate a lot of tools but wishes more for xmas. She gave me a list which I plan to order from knitpicks.com, but would like additional suggestions for those in the know. Her list as follows:

blocking mats
knit sock blockers; small 8.25 inch
knitting yarn ball winder
knitting yarn swift
needle felting mat
needle felting tool
Book: spin control: techniques for spinning the yarn you want
Book: sock Innovation
Needle: Size 15
Needle: Size 13

She fallen in love with the whole knitting process. She'd love a wheel but claims it would cost $700 for the one she wants.

Any suggestions?

The acrylic...it burns!

echolalia67 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:31:28 -0800

I'm trying to teach myself to knit/crochet and have found that one of the major barriers to learning is the yarn - acrylic yarn to be exact. It irritates my skin. Seriously, it's feels like extra-fine steel wool against my skin and the tips of my fingers are beginning to crack, something they are prone to in wet/cold weather. Since I'm new to the whole knitting/crochet thing, I don't want to invest a whole lot of money into yarn in case it turns out that I don't have the knack for it. Is there any way to make the yarn less irritating to my skin while I learn enough to see if knitting/crocheting and I are meant to be?

knitpicky.

violetk — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:01:40 -0800

does anyone know where i can get the knitting pattern for this? i'd like to knit something for my very pregnant friend and she came across the above baby bag/sock and absolutely loved it. it's definitely doable with my skill level but i will need the pattern instructions to create the opening properly. hope me, obi-wan! help me knit her something she will love for her new baby!

Help me be a better knitter!

ThaBombShelterSmith — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:06:15 -0800

Knitting filter: Help me get my yarn unstuck from my circular needle. I am currently working on this hat and I have gotten my yarn stuck on the needle while decreasing. This is my first time ever using circular needles, and Google-fu and Ravelry are failing me. It seems that my stitches have gotten tight as I've decreased and now they are so small that I can't move them onto the ends of the needles without potentially ripping my yarn. Can any experienced knitters help me get out of my quandry? Thanks so much.

Knit one, purl one, turn the plastic handle?

sabotagerabbit — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:48:10 -0800

My grandmother just gave me some of her old knitting and sewing supplies, including what appears to be some sort of plastic knitting machine. Tell me more about it and how to use it! I'm pretty sure it's a knitting machine/toy of some sort, but my Nana's not verbal enough these days for me to ask her how to use it. I've googled a bit, but I don't really know what to call it. I want to know if it's worth me keeping for my crafty pursuits!

Before Etsy: What was that DIY trading community from way back when?

junkbox — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 08:16:20 -0800

Years ago (2002? 2003?), long before Etsy, there was an online community for DIY/crafty blogger types to trade materials and maybe handmade goods as well. What was it called, and what happened to it? I remember the background was a dark red color, and it might have had the word "thread" in the title or maybe not. It was popular with the personal blogging set, which was in its heyday at the time, with everybody trading knitting yarn for beads or jewelry hooks or homemade lip balm. I only made a couple of trades, then wandered away and lost track of the thing entirely. Anybody else remember this? What was it called?

Stitch 'n' Bitch party of one? I hope not!

Diagonalize — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 10:45:40 -0800

Can a novice in Boston turn casual crafting into a social outlet? Growing up, I was never very crafty and never really hung out with anyone who was, so even though I'm not especially shy or introverted, crafting has always been a solitary activity for me. While I'm probably most in need of a crafty Obi-Wan to mentor my clueless self, what I'd really like some company to keep me from feeling like a crafty hermit. Is there somewhere in Boston/Cambridge where I can meet other crafters who won't snicker at my newbie attempts?

I'm not really looking to become a hardcore crafter, but it seemed like a good way to meet more female friends to balance out all the geeky science guy-types I tend to hang with. (I'm a non-science girl.) I guess age is something of a factor, since I don't fall into the grandmother or even mom bracket, but I'm probably also getting a little too old to hang with the high school kids or even undergraduates. Is there even a crafting niche for clueless 20-somethings? Online communities like Craftster have been great, but I suspect I spend too much time on the computer as it is, and creating a Meetup group when I'm the clueless one seems a little weird.

Crafting cred: My non-English speaking grandmother taught me the basics of crochet when I was very young, but the language barrier made it hard to get any more complicated. Attempts to teach myself knitting have generally been pretty tragic, but I recently picked up embroidery, which has been fun, but I'm still very much a noob. I don't have a sewing machine, and scrapbooking kinda scares me.

How do I go about getting more knitting work?

ishotjr — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:15:17 -0800

Seeking tips on finding more pattern testing and sample knitting opportunities (preferably compensated in money or goods). I'm an experienced hand knitter. Currently, I occasionally test patterns/knit samples for an online yarn store, who gives me free yarn in return for my work. I will be reducing my work schedule soon at my job and will have more time to knit. Some of this time is going to be devoted to starting to design my own patterns, but I would love to get more testing and sample knitting jobs to either make a little money or to get free yarn/supplies to use while working on developing my own designs.
An unpaid gig would be worthwhile if it was for a magazine, book, or designer that would look especially good on my knitting "resume." Otherwise, I would really only be willing to do compensated work since I already have experience doing so.

Ravelry has given me some tips (which is where I found the business that I currently knit for sometimes), but I haven't come up with many ways other than knowing pattern designers personally or being a quasi-well known craft blogger/designer. I don't think the local yarn shops are seeking any testers because their samples all seem to come from the major yarn companies, not in-house knitters. (In case anyone was going to suggest any crochet-related advice, I can't crochet at all beyond trimming knits).

Does anyone have any tips for getting more opportunities in pattern testing and sample knitting?

Exotic fibers needed as gift for fiber artist.

reticulatedspline — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 05:01:57 -0800

What kinds of exotic fibers should I get an expert weaver as a gift, and where can I buy them? Mother's day is coming up and I wanted to get my mom a nice gift.

One of her big hobbies (verging on a part-time profession) is weaving. She spins her own thread from raw fiber material, then weaves it on one of several different looms she has around her house. Sometimes she knits or crochets too. I've seen her use cotton, sheep wool, alpaca wool, and she also once collected hair from brushing her cats and used that to knit part of a sweater, so pretty much any type of raw fiber you bring her, she can turn it into cloth.

I'd like to get her some really cool and unusual raw fiber as a mother's day gift. Something way beyond the ho-hum of normal animal hairs. Something unique and exotic. I don't really know enough about spinning and weaving to know what would be a cool and unique fiber to get her which would still be attainable. Bison hair? Lion's mane? Unicorn locks?

Furthermore, I would have no idea where to purchase it. I'd prefer to order it online, but any stores in the New York City area which sell raw fiber would be fine too.

Please help, hive mind.

Knitters: Need scarf help

HotToddy — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 19:13:47 -0800

Knitters: I want to knit a scarf 60" long. I have 174 yards (two 87-yard skeins) of yarn. The information on the label says needle size US 8-10, and the little swatch thingy says a 10 x 10 swatch is 16 stitches by 22 rows. I am planning to just knit in garter stitch. Is there a way to figure out how many stitches I should cast on in order to make this yarn last until the scarf is 60" long? I don't care how wide it is.

Helful tools for sewers and crafters with chronic pain?

palmcorder_yajna — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:26:52 -0800

My mother-in-law loves to sew and knit, but fibromyalgia is slowing her down. Can you recommend any tools or gadgets that might help her? My mother-in-law has been suffering from fibromyalgia for quite some time. When she has a good day, the first thing she does is bust out her sewing machine. She also loves to knit. The trouble is, the repetitive motion involved in sewing and knitting is really hard on her body, and it exacerbates her symptoms. The day after a bout of crafting, she aches like she's run a marathon.

Can any of you crafting, stitching, and knitting gods and goddesses recommend some tools that might make her hobbies a little easier for her? For instance, are there especially gentle and well-designed scissors out there? Ergonomic knitting needles? Etc.?

I'm not much of a DIY-er myself: I have a bare beginner's understanding of sewing and no knowledge whatsoever about knitting, so I don't even really know how to look for this kind of thing.

Thanks so much for your help!

How do I knit with multiple strands of yarn?

timetoevolve — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:19:41 -0800

My knitting pattern directs me to knit with multiple strands of yarn held together, but I keep ending up with a mess. What's the best way to do this? I am the moistest newborn in knitting, and this snuggly throw is my first non-scarf project. I am using the same yarn and supplies mentioned in the pattern (different colors, however), but I'm a bit lost on the holding-four-strands-together business. I have the yarn wound into four separate center-pull balls, but how do I keep it from becoming a snarly mess?

I don't care so much about the strands being perfectly separate - it's just a throw, and I think the colors are supposed to blend together. At the moment, I have the balls inside a plastic shopping bag tied together at the top, and I have been pulling a yard or so of each ball out at a time. Is there a better way?

Thanks in advance (from my cold, blanketless feet).

Looking for a good chemo cap pattern

geekchic — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:22:44 -0800

Experienced knitter seeks tried and true hat pattern to be made with wool and love. My grandpa has been diagnosed with Leukemia and is currently receiving chemotherapy. My mother, who knows I love knitting nearly as much as I love grandpa, thought it would be nice for me to make him a hat or two since the winter months around here can be awfully cold.

I'd like to make him two hats - one with a fun, funky pattern (maybe some ear flaps or pom-poms - he has a good sense of humor and would enjoy a silly hat), and another more suitable for things like going to church and visiting with family. All the patterns I've been able to find are too feminine and don't look very warm.

Can anyone out there suggest a good, manly, warm and functional hat pattern? Book titles or links to web sites are perfect. I'm a fairly experienced knitter, so skill level shouldn't be an issue. I've checked the Head Huggers site, but didn't find much there that I absolutely loved.

Thanks much!

The fuzzums! They're everywhere!

giraffe — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:58:32 -0800

Can you recommend a yarn that won't make me feel sick? It seems that every time I knit, a bunch of tiny fiber fuzzums fly off the yarn, directly into my face. As a result, my eyes and cheeks itch, bits get inhaled and choked on, and my day is pretty much ruined. I have worked with exactly one yarn that has not caused this reaction and it was Moda Dea's Bamboo Wool, which did not shed at all for some unknown reason. I guess acrylic yarn doesn't bother me, but what I have tried has left this weird sticky residue on my fingers, and that's just gross.

I was thinking that maybe I was allergic to wool or something, but a soy/cotton blend did the same exact thing to me a few days ago. Google seems to think that I could be allergic to whatever the yarn is being treated with, which doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Oddly enough, I can wear knitted things once they're done, it's just actively working with the yarn that bothers me for some reason. Knitting with a bandana over my mouth and nose stopped the inhalation problems, but still made my exposed face itchy (and made me worry that someone would mistake me for a train robber).

So, 1) can you recommend specific yarns that will not go all fuzzy on me? and 2) can you teach me how to figure out if a yarn is going to make me sick before I buy it? The soy/cotton yarn seemed perfectly innocuous and solid until I started working with it. I would like to figure out how to make cables without condemning myself to an itchy, fuzzy grave.

knitwits, please hope me!

piratebowling — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:35:28 -0800

Help me find an interesting knit scarf pattern. I'm about to relocate for a couple years to a colder climate than I am used to, and by a stroke of good fortune, I also came across some beautiful heather grey bulky weight wool and mohair yarn (about 185 yards of it). To help with the nervousness of relocating, I want a knitting project that will calm me, and keep me a bit focused on the task at hand.

I tried searching but was not able to find a pattern I really liked. So, I turn to metafilter once again. I want a scarf that is not of the standard knit-every-row variety. I don't think I want pain ribbing either. Something with dropped stitches or cables are fine. Nothing with pom poms, and I'm not sure how I feel about tassels. I have a fairly wide variety of needle and crochet hook sizes at my disposal. Sorry for any fussiness in my desires.

How can I get a custom sweater pattern developed?

braveterry — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:47:19 -0800

I'm asking this one on behalf of my wife: "How can I get a custom pattern developed/made for a sweater that I want someone to knit for me?"

What fictional evil has great corporate branding?

cowbellemoo — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:09:22 -0800

What fictional evil has great corporate branding? I'm knitting myself sweaters and want to use the merchandising logo of fictional and cinematic dystopian/corrupt/evil corporations or organizations. A few examples I've thought up with a great deal of satisfaction:

Black Mesa from Half Life
Aperture Science from Portal
Umbrella Corp. from Resident Evil
uNorth from Michael Clayton
Three Bees from The Constant Gardner

I'm really interested in a fully-realized brand identity, not just any old evil corporation/organization. Ideally they'd have a nice little logo design and have short names, since it'll look better knit. It takes forever to knit up sweaters, but patterning out different logos keeps me really excited about them. Thanks!

To Knit or Not to Knit?

heavenstobetsy — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:12:43 -0800

Should I learn to knit? Or crochet? I work a desk job, on the phone all day. I've been looking for something I can do whilst on the phone that will occupy my hands. Knitting or crocheting seems perfect. But which is better? My grandmother tried to teach me to knit when I was a kid, but I'm left handed and/or didn't have a long enough attention span so it just didn't take. What are the pros and cons to each? I've heard crocheting can be easier. Would that be more appropriate for someone who isn't the most coordinated person or does it even make a difference?

Any helpful links you may have would be appreciated as well. I've perused both the knitting and crocheting threads and found some good links, but can't hurt to get more!

What colour is octarine?

web-goddess — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 17:30:29 -0800

Pratchett fans: I need to knit something for a Discworld fan. I thought it might be fun to do an octagonal washcloth out of octarine cotton. The only problem, as I understand it, is that octarine is only visible to wizards and cats. So how would I, a mere human mortal, best approximate this colour? OR - can you think of anything else suitably Discworld-ish? According to Wikipedia, octarine is a "greenish-yellow purple." So I'm thinking of using one strand in lime and one in purple, with maybe a silver thread as well (for magical shininess). Or is there a better description elsewhere in the books?

I'm open to other Discworld ideas as well. The only problem is that the recipient is a knitter as well, so I figure she's probably seen the more popular existing patterns (like the Death of Rats. So I'm really looking for something simple but clever (and useful too, if possible, which is why I hit upon a washcloth).

Where to find an old pattern for a knit Christmas stocking?

otherwordlyglow — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 10:32:41 -0800

Help me find the pattern for the knitted Christmas stocking of my youth! My mother knitted Christmas stocking for all four of her children when we were young. We're all in our 30s and 40s and I would like to continue the tradition. She can't remember when she got the pattern and my guess it that it was a kit. The pattern/kit would have been available in the mid-60s through the early 70s. It features Santa Claus in the chimney on the front and a moon on the back. The top edge includes a space to add each child's name. It looks like this: Front Back Close-up

I'm sure if I put my mind to it, I could make the pattern but I'm lazy and don't have time. I've spent hours searching online for it and have gotten nowhere. I once saw another one and asked that person where she had gotten hers and it turns out she bought it at a garage sale. Maybe I need info on good knitting forums for asking this same question but if anyone has ideas of where to find the pattern that would be the best!

How big is a 4-cup coffee press?

web-goddess — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:07:51 -0800

How big (in actual dimensions) is a four-cup coffee press? Something similar to this one. I need to knit a cozy for one and I can't find a clear description of the dimensions anywhere. This is for a swap on a knitting website I belong to (but thankfully I'm pretty sure my secret Swap Pal isn't a MeFite). I've been able to get her to confirm that her press looks like the Bodum model I linked to, but I haven't been able to get any actual dimensions out of her. (She's sick at the moment so I think she has other considerations.) I don't have one that I can measure myself. Googling turns up several different sites selling them, but they all list different dimensions. And even when several of them agree (7.9" x 6.1" x 4.7" seems to be the most common), I have no idea whether that includes the handle or not. (It seems like it must, because otherwise the width and depth would be the same, right?) Really I just want a definite circumference and a height for this thing (and ideally the handle location) so I can make a pattern for it.

Does anybody have one? Can you give me all the relevant dimensions for it? You might even get a super kitschy Tiki Coffee Cosy out of it if you can help!

Soup-themed knitting

robinpME — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 07:09:16 -0800

Knitting projects with a soup theme? I'd like to knit something for a charity arts/crafts auction which will support the Empty Bowls project. The item should have a soup or bowl theme, although plays on either word would be fine. Any ideas?

Help me find cheap-but-comfy yarn brands?

cowbellemoo — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 07:29:29 -0800

What yarn brands give the best quality for the price? I'm interested in designer yarn as well as more economical yarns. I'm new to knitting and find myself in a bit of a jam: the yarn stores around me tend to either carry super-cheap yarn (chain fabric stores) or super-pricey yarn (boutiques). So while I'm willing to get it all online, I'm overwhelmed by the many brands that are available. And since my local shops' offerings aren't diverse, I can't touch and feel my way to a few trusted brands that I can seek out online.

So far, I'm in love with Rowan, but can probably only afford it for special projects and whenever it's on sale. Knitpicks seems like a good economy brand, but I'd rather not just start buying sight unseen without some advice. What are some cheaper, but still comfy brands that I can knit up for friends without wanting to charge for materials?

In case you wanted to know: I'm interested mostly in scarves and hats, but may try a sweater soon if my confidence is up. So I'll be looking for bulky weight wool and alpaca yarn in earth tones.

Help with Albanian knitting terminology?

bitter-girl.com — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 00:42:14 -0800

Do you know Albanian knitting terminology? (No, seriously...) Alas, Albanian's not covered in the Margaret Heathman classic "Knitting Languages." There's a lovely Albanian lady who lives across the street from my shop. I asked, through her son, who's royally annoying and doesn't know anything about knitting anyway, if she'd be interested in knitting some sample items for me and she said yes. Ideally, I'd like to cut him out of the communication equation altogether and get some questions and knitting terms written out so I can communicate what I need to her directly.

Any kind MeFites speak both Albanian and know how to knit?

Can you identify this antique?

Pater Aletheias — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 08:01:34 -0800

Can you identify this antique? It's something my uncle found while cleaning out the home of a deceased relative in West Virginia. The four expandable arms rotate around the center axis. Other items found in the home were as much as 100 years old or older. We have some guesses, but no definite knowledge. Does someone know exactly what this is?