| Author | Content |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 10, 2007
10:38 PM Post #4282478
| I am very new to knitting, and I'm trying to knit a scarf. Things started out well, but now I've realized that it is longer(or should I say wider) than when I started with my cast on stitches. After looking at it, it appears(I'm using a kinda fuzzy yarn) that one side is straight, and the other one increases with each row. How exactly have I done this? I can't figure it out! Thanks if any one can help me figure out why I can't even knit a scarf!
Kristie |
drivenbonkers
Perth,, ON
(Zone 5a)
December 11, 2007
09:18 AM Post #4283667
| Kristie, if the scarf has become wider on one side, you could have inadvertently increased stitches on that side, or your tension has eased off a bit. Both are common for beginner knitters, and can be easily corrected.
How many stitches were cast on to begin the scarf? Do you have the same number now?
What stitch (or pattern) are you using for the scarf? example: garter stitch, stockinette or a lacy pattern?
The answers to these questions will help determine the cause of the scarfs change in the width.
|
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 11, 2007
12:08 PM Post #4284121
| Thanks for the reply! I think I may have figured it out. I definately had more stitches at the end then when I started...I ripped it all out and started again, making sure to count as I went. I am using a garter stitch...I think what I was doing was grabbing not just the loop on the needle, but the one under it as well or something, making two loops. I had noticed as I was going there seemed to be two loops attached to the same place, but I thought I had just gotten off because my yarn is fuzzy. I found online somewhere that says that you can pick up extra stitches in the middle if you're not holding your yarn behind your work(for garter stitch). I'm pretty sure I never had it in the front, but I did notice as I was going that the yarn seemed to move up on top of my needle(if that makes sense)...so I've been trying to remember to push it down as I go. I think its because I'm knitting loosely and because my yarn is fuzzy? I don't know, so far so good, I have maybe 6 rows done now without any extra stitches! Any hints or techniques are definately welcome!
Thanks
Kristie |
drivenbonkers
Perth,, ON
(Zone 5a)
December 11, 2007
02:41 PM Post #4284546
| good that you have it sorted out,
practice, practice and practice... patience |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 11, 2007
08:29 PM Post #4285576
| lol...definately patience...I got going on it again after I figured it out...only to find I had dropped my first stitch without knowing it...because I had picked up an extra stitch to make up for it! lol, I'm on my third go now, so far so good...thanks for the encouragement!
Kristie |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 11, 2007
08:31 PM Post #4285584
| Oh, and I just realized you said that increased stitches are easily fixed...did you mean to prevent doing it again, or is there an easier way to correct what you've already done...WITHOUT ripping the whole thing out and starting over?
Kristie |
drivenbonkers
Perth,, ON
(Zone 5a)
December 12, 2007
09:40 AM Post #4287288
| it does depend on what you are making... sometimes you can unpick a couple of stitches down a few rows, then knit them back up...
being aware of how you end up with extra stitches tends to prevent it happening, but sometimes ripping out and starting over is the only way =(
I've been knitting for quite a few years, and can honestly say that I've probably ripped out more than I've finished... but learning the different techniques and methods has been most rewarding =)
happy knitting!
|
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 12, 2007
12:37 PM Post #4287797
| Lol...thanks! |
elsie
Lafayette, NJ
(Zone 6a)
December 15, 2007
03:21 PM Post #4297790
| Kristie, are you using one of the "eyelash" yarns? They are good yarns to hide mistakes but they are also very easy to make a mistake because of the "eyelashes". I've been knitting for quite a long time and I still add extra stitches with the eyelash yarn. I count my stitches about every 10 rows. If I have an extra stitch, I make a decrease in the middle of the row. You can sometimes tell you are knitting in the wrong place - the stitch feels tighter than the rest.
Do you have a picture of the work in progress?
This message was edited Dec 15, 2007 2:21 PM |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 15, 2007
06:45 PM Post #4298324
| I think I have some eyelash yarn, but the yarn I am using now isn't. The label says "Bernat(assuming that's the brand, lol) Soft Boucle' " I guess its more of a bumpy yarn. I keep counting every row or every other row, so far I haven't messed up too much. I was getting into the loop from the row below the one I was working, and it was causing two loops. How do you decrease? I have been just doing two loops together to make one new loop, I don't know if this is a good way to do it, but because the yarn is fuzzy/bumpy, it doesn't appear to make a difference. I don't have a picture of my scarf, if I had a digital camera, I'd upload in a heartbeat. But, it is almost halfway done, although I don't think I'm going to have enough yarn...its supposed to be 5 foot long, and I'm not sure I'll get it that long. But, its for me, so close is good enough! Thanks for posting!
Kristie |
elsie
Lafayette, NJ
(Zone 6a)
December 15, 2007
07:24 PM Post #4298452
| Kristie, that is how you decrease. Now I know the yarn you are using. I like that yarn. I'm sure your scarf will be great.
I make very narrow fancy scarves. They are done when I run out of yarn. I have one at work, one here at home and one in the car for my doctor's appointments. I have to get my act together and finish a couple of them. |
ViolaAnn
Ottawa, ON
(Zone 5a)
December 17, 2007
03:16 PM Post #4304385
| kls_01 - just found this thread. I'm fairly experienced as a knitter (though I haven't done anything overly intricate other than mitts), but some yarns are definitely more difficult to knit with. I did a boa last winter to wear with my Red Hat gear and used one of those "eyelash" yarns and had a dickens of a time. It's very easy to pick up an extra loop and knit it w/o realizing it. I tended to count the stitches at least every few rows to ensure I still had the same number. Also found out that if I took it apart, it had to be stitch by stitch. It wouldn't just rip out. But as someone mentioned above, it IS easy to hide mistakes and I also used a loop of yarn to tie together and disguise a hole I found somewhere in the boa and nobody would be the wiser unless they inspect it carefully.
I did a large mohair shawl for my daughter's wedding since the ceremony was outdoors in Vancouver in March and it was a LOT easier to work with. Mostly I do mittens with left-over wool from crochet projects and give them to charity.
Ann
This message was edited Dec 17, 2007 7:46 PM |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 17, 2007
07:15 PM Post #4304974
| Wow, I figured out how to decrease on my own...I'm impressed with myself. I have a book I'm using to learn by, I hadn't read the decreasing section yet. I tried to read the increasing section, and got a little overwhelmed. There seemed to be a milllion different situations that required different techniques(depending on the stitch and if you wanted the increas to be raised or "invisible"). I like the yarn I'm using too, it looks pretty good knit...
Viola, good to hear Mohair is easier, I have some of that too. Next time I won't run out and buy a whole bunch of difficult yarn to work with! I also like the idea of knitting for charity...I have read about it on a few sites. I think once I get good enough, I will start doing something like that. I've also seen where they knit/crochet squares to send in and make blankets. I think its a great idea!
Thanks everyone for the comments, I need all the help I can get! I want to learn to knit socks, are they easy or difficult to do? They seem a little hard. I wonder if tube socks are easier(or toe up? are they the same?). Thanks again!
Kristie |
cpartschick
Gladwin, MI
(Zone 5a)
December 18, 2007
08:55 AM Post #4306495
| I have been knitting for years and made a shawl for DD with a knubby yarn with loops. It is really pretty, really soft and really a pain to work with. I was adding stitches with the loops looking like stitches. I would have never wanted to learn to knit with this yarn that is for sure.
Sounds like you are doing well and having fun. That is what it is all about. |
drivenbonkers
Perth,, ON
(Zone 5a)
December 18, 2007
09:37 AM Post #4306570
| what I found helpful was to use a plain worsted weight yarn to practice new patterns (lacy, cables or working with many colours) with. the stitches were large enough to plainly see the pattern, and if any errors were made, easy to unpick then knit back up.
If you can to the basic knit and purl increases and decreases (and you can!) socks are possible. Last winter I made up some really nice linen/wool socks as Christmas gifts...
I have found that with some patterns the written instructions can sometimes be confusing and having a practice piece to work with helps.
I've been working on a couple of stockings for Christmas with Santa's duplicate stitched on them.
(will post pics when I get them done)
The pattern is written so that the stocking is done flat, then sewn together up the back... Since I don't care to sew up knitted stuff, but I have done them up 'in the round'...
happy knitting! |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
December 18, 2007
11:57 AM Post #4307001
| Well, I had about half a roll(?) of yarn that I can't really make anything with that is just normal yarn. I practiced knitting with that before I started with my scarf. I did the knit stitch and figure out stockinette and purl(obviously). I was just going to practice by using that yarn and switching stitches after I had gotten the hang of the others...is this a good way to practice? So, basically it looks like a scarf with blocks of different stitches. And, knitting "in the round" scares me to death! That looks so complicated...heck, double pointed needles look complicated, let alone putting a whole bunch of them together! My big project I'm hoping to work up to is to make sweaters for my girls...with two colors. After I finish this scarf, I may make another with two colors to practice that...knitting is addictive, even if I don't know what I'm doing!
Kristie |
drivenbonkers
Perth,, ON
(Zone 5a)
December 18, 2007
12:36 PM Post #4307119
| lol, Kristie, knitting in the round only looks complicated... once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly...
happy practicing! |
ViolaAnn
Ottawa, ON
(Zone 5a)
December 18, 2007
12:51 PM Post #4307153
| drivenbonkers - be sure to post pics of those socks. I haven't done socks, but maybe someday I will...
kls_01 - should also say "Hi" to Cham-bana and the UI. Going to the Rose Bowl is big stuff. I did my graduate degree there in 66-67 and met the Canadian who dragged me up here. He was doing his PhD in Applied Mechanics.
I think we generally talk about balls of wool. But it sounds like a great way to learn and practice stitches. Knitting in the round isn't really difficult. Mostly, you need a marker to show where your rounds start and end. And for stockinette stitch, all you do is knit since you are always working from the same side of what you are knitting. If an item is large enough, uses a circular needle or 4-5 smaller ones depending on the size. I've found British patterns seem to use 5 needles. North American, more likely 4. Not a bad idea to have an extra set of needles in the same size and just use an extra needle if it gets awkward to hold.
As always, practice is the key. Doing scarves is a really good way to get the hang of knitting - keeping it even, etc.
There are a bunch of tutorials that you might like to look at here:
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/instructions...
And if you haven't already done so, try out Continental style knitting at some point. I knit that way after a neighbour who was mentoring me when I was in my late teens insisted, I should learn it and I do think it's faster and more even. I think some of the videos deal with it as well.
Good luck with your projects.
Ann |
audreyannewert
Athol, MA
January 02, 2008
12:58 AM Post #4350453
| I've been knitting for quite awhile and I personally don't like working with the boucle yarns. If you're using large needles, boucle stretches alot and it's very difficult to see the individual stitches. I wouldn't reccomend it for a beginner. I have a hard bound book that I purchased back in the 70's called Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Needlework. It's fantastic and has everything you would ever want to know about knitting or crocheting. I have seen them listed online recently. If you're working with mohair or something like that and large needles and you accidently drop a stitch, it's possible to just drag the stitch up a few rows without ripping it out. |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
January 02, 2008
01:13 PM Post #4351674
| Audrey,
Funny you should post...I hadn't been knitting with the holidays, and just picked it back up today. So far I haven't had too much trouble with the boucle; I've just made the stitches loose and so far it looks good. And, I think the boucle helps cover up any mistakes I have made. Which, is so good if you're trying to learn how to knit, but I don't think I've made any horrible errors yet. That being said, I don't see how anyone could crochet with boucle. That's why I learned to knit so I could use my yarn.
Oh, and even more ironic, my aunt gave me the Reader's Digest book that I've been using! lol. It is a great book...it is really inclusive...I'm left handed and I like that it has instructions for both left and right-handed people. I went to the library to try to find more books and patterns, and some of them(for crocheting) were anti-lefty's. It said that the best way to teach a left-handed person was to teach them to do it right-handed...if they couldn't figure it out then they were out of luck...but there were FEW books out there that dealt with left-handed crocheting they could pick up. Is being left-handed really so bad? lol.
Kristie |
audreyannewert
Athol, MA
January 02, 2008
07:55 PM Post #4352998
| Here are a few websites where you can find free knitting and/or crocheting patterns: http://knitting.about.com. http://cache.lionbrand.com
http://www.berroco.com
This message was edited Jan 6, 2008 6:44 PM |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
January 03, 2008
12:18 PM Post #4356155
| Thanks for the links...you've saved me some time searching!
Kristie |
audreyannewert
Athol, MA
January 03, 2008
05:35 PM Post #4357256
| Could someone please tell me what a "hyperlink" is? A couple of days ago I posted 3 websites for free patterns. Two of them posted as hyperlinks, one didn't. Just curious. |
elsie
Lafayette, NJ
(Zone 6a)
January 03, 2008
05:53 PM Post #4357311
| Hi Audrey,
When you are at a website and go up to the address and highlight it and copy it and paste it here one Dave's it is a hyperlink.
http://www.berroco.com/
If you preview and the link does not show up as a hyperlink in brackets, the address is probably wrong. If you copy and past within a sentence and put a period at the end - the period will alter the link. |
ViolaAnn
Ottawa, ON
(Zone 5a)
January 03, 2008
06:00 PM Post #4357345
| The hyperlink on DG MUST have the http:// before the www or it won't work. But you can often get away w/o it on today's browsers. That MIGHT have been why one of them didn't work.
Ann |
ecrane3
Dublin, CA
(Zone 9a)
January 06, 2008
01:39 PM Post #4367506
| Audrey--looking at your links above, the one that doesn't work is missing a colon after the http. If you edit your post and put that colon in, then I bet that link will work too. The other thing that can mess up links is if you don't leave a space before and after them when you're typing. A lot of people will type something like "Here's a link:xxxxxxx" and don't put a space between the colon and the link, then the system won't make the link properly. And you actually don't need to type the http:// part, the system will put that in automatically if you just type the "www.whatever.com" part. |
garden_mermaid
San Francisco Bay Ar, CA
(Zone 9b)
January 06, 2008
07:48 PM Post #4368700
| Another great source of free knitting patterns and discussion forums is knitty.com. Click on the patterns:
http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEwinter07/index.html
Check out the Monkey sock pattern. This one is currently very popular among members of my knitting group.
http://www.knitty.com/issuewinter06/PATTmonkey.html |
gardenobsession
Yorktown Heights, NY
January 06, 2008
09:48 PM Post #4369286
| Hello,
I just found this fourm. Glad to see all the knitters out there. I have been knitting for almost 40 years. It is great to talk to fellow knitters. Re: the comment about circular needles - there are definitely many advantages. As long as you keep track of when you complete a row, it is great because you always knitting on the front side of the project. I find it more efficient to knit than purl and using circular needles avoids having to purl. The way to keep track of the rows is by using a plastic ring that slips over the needle. It should be placed on the needle after casting on but before starting to knit.
I generally use circular needles for sweaters and knit dresses. If you start at the bottom of the garment, you can knit the whole thing in one piece until you get to the armholes. Then you can split the front and back, knit up each side separately to create appropriate shape for the back and neck. After finishing each side of the body of the garment, sew the shoulder seams together. Then you can use a smaller length of ciruclar needle (but same gauge as what was used for the body), pick up stitches from the around the completed armhole and knit the sleeves back down to the wrist. This results in a sweater with just one seam at the shoulders. |
ViolaAnn
Ottawa, ON
(Zone 5a)
January 07, 2008
01:05 AM Post #4370099
| Another marker that I've found just as good as the circular ring is a yarn ring made by tying a piece of yarn around my little finger. I never could keep the plastic rings and I always have scraps of yarn. Use a colour that contrasts with what you are knitting.
Ann |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
January 09, 2008
04:28 PM Post #4380579
| Well, I finished my boucle scarf! It went well, and wasn't too hard to work with as long as I kept the stitches loose. I am now using boa yarn to make another scarf...it was difficult starting off, but once I got used to it, it is going a lot faster than the first. I am making this one skinnier. After that I have some mohair yarn in two different colors that I may make another scarf so I can practice alternating colors. Thanks for all the help and ideas. I'll try to get a pick of my first scarf to post...
Kristie |
ViolaAnn
Ottawa, ON
(Zone 5a)
January 09, 2008
05:48 PM Post #4380929
| I'm looking forward to seeing that pic.
Ann |
elsie
Lafayette, NJ
(Zone 6a)
January 09, 2008
06:18 PM Post #4381035
| I'm looking forward to seeing that picture too. Be careful with the mohair or any yarn with those wispy fine pieces - if you have to take the knitting out it can be really difficult.
You can combine two totally different yarns and get really interesting looks in a scarf.
I think the eyelash yarns make some really nice scarves. All of the ones I made for Christmas presents were appreciated. One co-worker thought she lost the one I made her - her daughter was wearing it to school and everyone thought it was cool. |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
January 12, 2008
02:01 PM Post #4391779
| Lol, I misspelled pic...*sigh. Anyway, yes I will try to get a pic...I gave that one as a gift to a friend, who happens to have a camera. I suppose I would be close to done with my other scarf, but my lovely children unraveled my ball of yarn and got it all tangled up. I've been working for three days trying to get a gigantic knot out so I can start again. It is very hard to take out if you have to...I had started out crocheting, and had tried crocheting with the boa yarn, and it was too hard...I can't rip that one out...and now I can't get this stupid knot out either. I have it worked out to just one little, tight knot that I can't get out. I think I may just cut it, I don't know yet.
I will try to get pics!
Kristie |
elsie
Lafayette, NJ
(Zone 6a)
January 12, 2008
02:17 PM Post #4391813
| Kristie, is the knot in the eyelash yarn? Just cut it - you will never see the knot in the scarf. Leave some long-ish ends so you can weave them in. |
kls_01
Champaign, IL
(Zone 5b)
January 12, 2008
10:14 PM Post #4393692
| it's boa yarn...I eventually did cut it, which was frustrating because I had worked it down to one little knot, but I couldn't get it loose. I ended up just tying the cut pieces back on to the yarn and it worked out fine...since its' so "hairy", you can't see the knot, just like you said. |
