I posted previously about my WIP (work in progress-you will all learn knitting terms when I'm done muahahahahaha!) and I'm here to (finally) post some pics of my FO (finished object). And since it took so long, an extra special piece too. And I'm also posting information about how to keep your favourite knitted items in their original shape (natural fibres tend to stretch, shrink, etc.)
Here it is:
And here is another piece that I finally got to finishing. I apparently have an abnormally long torso so I had to cut it into two pieces, pick up the stitches, knit a few more inches (I think I did 6 or so-it's supposed to go down onto your hips) and then reconnect the two pieces. I did that right before the center "corset style" ribbing.
The ribbing looks a lot more intimidating then it actually is. The pattern called for it all to be done in one colour, but how fun is that? But it's just repeated on the sleeves:
Now I need to block it. This is useful for any of you who have a favourite sweater that's made out of any natural fibre that gets stretched out or shrinks *a little.* What blocking does is makes the sweater the size and shape you want it to be. There are a bazillion different ways to block a knitted item, but I'm only gonna tell you the way I like to do it.
First, find a flat surface that you can keep the piece on for a day or two (though you can put a fan on it to decrease the drying time), get some pins (they sell blocking pins, but I use regular old sewing pins), and some towels (or a blocking board).
Second, hand wash your item in lukewarm water NOT HOT! Remember to support the item from the bottom or else you'll stretch it all out. Squeeze the water out w/o twisting or wringing. Roll it in a towel or spin it in a washing machine to remove excess water.
Finally, lie it down on a towel and gently pat it or stretch it into the dimensions that you want it to be and pin it down. Usually the towel can hold it on its own unless it's shrunk a fair bit in which case you definitely want to pin it.
Let it dry (this is where a fan or near a breezy window comes in handy, or even outside if there's not too much sun. I leave my stuff in a part of the yard that gets little to no sun all day.)
So there you go. Cheers
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Tricoteuse....
I just love repeating it. LostClown writes:
Aside from the finished objects, which are lovely, what is the experience of knitting like? I remember my cousins knitting, and it looked rather high-tech. Patterns, various kinds of needs, plastic thingummies to slide into the work... How do you keep all that in your head? Seems rather non-linear!
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
OMG That's beautiful!
I'm sooo very jealous! I've recently gotten into sewing but knitting scares me -- I'm just not very good at reading/understanding the diagrams so what you're doing seems like magic to me. My own "skills" are limited to being able to crochet kufis and yarmulkes. lol. At any rate the complexity and beauty of your work is amazing.
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
it's not that hard
It's all a variation of 2 stitches: knit and purl. Once you get those down, you've got it. And when you knit on circular needles or double pointed needles you only need to knit.
The plastic thingamajigies are there to make things easier. If they're stitch markers then they usually tell you where you're going to start and stop a chunk of the pattern so you don't have to count (I'd go insane). I have plastic counters that if I have to do a specific amount of rows instead of say 6" of knitting then I use them and turn them for every row so they count the number of rows for me. I also make little hatch marks on my patterns to keep counts of other things. Right now I'm working on a tube top where I have to repeat a pattern 7 times so each time I finish I will draw a line next to the part telling me how many times to do the pattern. If I got lost I could probably count, but that's again more work then I want to do.
I know this sounds like a lot, but I find knitting really relaxing and exciting and this is a pattern I fell in love with so I'm excited to do it, but the pattern is only over 24 stitches and it's on circular needles so the rest of the time I can space out. Same with the top and bottom. Knit 3, purl 3. Your hands just get used to it. I was watching a movie with my math geek last night. I don't even need to look at my hands any more and I've only been doing this about 3 1/2 years. I also am an on and off knitter (school gets in the way.)
I get stuck on all the finishing stuff because I have to pay attention to it and it's not exactly fun, so I have about 4 projects on Ravelry listed as unfinished even though they are all knitted up. I need to weave the seams in and block. *sigh* That's the part that sucks. But I have a pact with a friend who's like me to finish all out UFOs (unfinished objects) by the 15th.
*shrug* I don't know if that helped. I guess I was just trying to explain that it's not as hard as it seems. It's kind of like making stuff with clay. Anyone can do it, but the more you do it the better the things you make look.
Go Hillary or Go Green!
- “I do not think that word means what you think it means"
Le Bloc ou le mort!
Should we hassle you until th 15th?
We could put up pictures of puppies...
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
tnjen
I don't do charts. I can't read them either.
Go Hillary or Go Green!
- “I do not think that word means what you think it means"
Le Bloc ou le mort!
Hee
Did someone teach you how to knit? One of my friends taught me how to crochet in a circle and that was enough for me to be able to make the aforementioned kufis and yarmulkes but when I've looked at crocheting books to learn more I've just ended up confused and the knitting stuff looks way more complicated. Unfortunately, I moved away before I can learn more from her. How did you learn?
Tell the truth, it's hoodoo magic witchery isn't it?
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
Yes it is
It's like Mickey and the mops. (At least that's how I feel about my yarn stash these days with all the people sending me yarn from my Just Hillary group on Ravelry.)
Actually a lot of my friends at one house would always be knitting and I asked them about it and they gave me the Stitch n'Bitch book, so I learned from a book, but now I pick knit, or knit continental style which someone at a knit night showed me. (They didn't like that I picked it up right away, but it's a billion times easier and now I purl like everyone else which wasn't true when I was a throw knitter (what most people picture when they think of knitting).)
Go Hillary or Go Green!
Powered by Yarn
- “I do not think that word means what you think it means"
Le Bloc ou le mort!
I knew it!
Is the Stitch n'Bitch book easier to read? A lot of my problems come from the way the diagrams/illustrations are done. I've found some that make sense to me but the vast majority of books have diagrams, illustrations, and instructions that might as well be in Klingon as far as my brain's ability to interpret them goes.
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
Breathtaking
They're works of art. Thanks for showing them.
Magical -
that's always how knitting seems to my three-dimensional-impaired brain. How in the heck did anybody ever think of it?!
Your finished objects are lovely. I'm all envy.
Policy not party!
Hee -- I'm a crocheter, and I read a little Klingon. TNJEN:
Qa'pla!
The key to not crocheting in a circle is very simple. Make longer chains for your base (that's the first bit you do, the slipknot endlessly repeating) and don't close the circle. (Don't go back into the fifth or seventh stitch; go on to the end of the chain measure you want, chain one more and turn in that extra loop, then start back along the straight chain.)
I made a couple of these using rainbow-neon nylon mason's twine to take camping. They're great -- they never get left behind; and they're easy. The first one will take you a couple of days and you'll be frustrated enough to quit a dozen times; by the end of the 2nd one they'll be nearly automatic, and you'll be stringing them together into lap quilts, etc.
We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
We can admit that we’re killers … but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
1 John 4:18
Sweet!
...er I mean, QA TLHO'!
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
Allow me...
... to discuss something I can speak volubly upon.
Start here, to learn how to use an adjustable ring (a loop, basically) to work your starting row of stitches without gaps or puckering.
Next, for a crocheted circle, work each round with the increased stitches *nested* within each other. Each starting chain-3 stitch acts as the first double crochet of the round.
round 1: ch 3; 15 dc. join with a slip stitch the last dc to ch 3 stitch. 16 dc made.
round 2: ch 3, 1 dc in same dc stitch from previous round; 1st dc pair made. 2 dc in each dc of previous round. join last dc to ch 3. 32 dc made.
round 3: ch 3; dc in same dc stitch; 1st dc pair made. *dc in next dc; 2 dc in next dc.* Repeat ** until end. join last dc to ch 3. 48 dc made.
also see here:
http://crochet.about.com/library/weekly/...
What this pattern begins is the development of double crochet stitch increases above each round of past increases. Soon there will be 2 dc between a 2-dc increase, then 3 dc, then 4 dc. Before then, however, the tension will make the circle buckle. With the ply and the working of stitches, yarn can act similar to a coiled spring; google "Crocheting the Hyperbolic Plane" for works that exploit this tension to demonstrate geometric principles.
That's why in between these increasing rounds one would throw in a round of plain double crochets, with no increases, to smooth things out. Read the patterns out there for hats; most feature cylinder shapes which develop the crowns similarly.
The key? Experiment. Like any good knitter or crocheter would stitch a swatch for gauge (*snort*), use the yarn and the hook and your ability to focus and produce even stitches to see how *you* do a crocheted round. Until muscle memory and peripheral vision kick in, it will be hard -- with meditative time dedicated to learning, it will get easier.
Crochetme.com or knitty.com are the places where I recommend newbies to get knowledge. Very friendly, lots of pics, lots of easy projects to work.
And: No Shame about your tools. Use Acrylic, Wool, fiber spun from your favorite cat or lover's breastmilk, it don't matter, just work it until you like it.
Wow, corrente really is the
...bestest blog evar. The sheer amount of helpfulness, knowledge, advice, etc. on this (and everything else too) is simply amazing. I'm starting to get this crazy notion in my head that I just might be able to do this. QA TLHO’ cg.eye!
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
One last thing: There's no shame in poor tools, but get
good ones if you can.
Hooks: Susan Bates and Clover stick to gauge best. If you buy/inherit old ones, buy a metal/plastic hook gauge, in which you stick a hook to tell what size it is.
Stick with sizes F - H, at the beginning; a too-large hook makes you feel sloppy, with worsted-weight yarn, and too small a hook will cramp your wrists. If you gotta use plastic, don't be surprised if you like the lightweightness of them. Again, borrow, buy at tag sales, don't spend big money until you know what you work well with.
TNJEN: majQa' -- N/T
We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
We can admit that we’re killers … but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
1 John 4:18
Klingon-speaking knitting geeks....
Only at Corrente....
I think I'll stick to French, thank you very much.
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
You've got to admit
...it's fairly awesome!
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
it's extremely awesome
bestest. blog. evar. srsly.
tnjen
Yes I found Stitch n'Bitch to be fairly easy to follow, though my purl stitch came out differently then the norm. Most knitting patterns come with instructions and they'll tell you what the strange letters and numbers mean. I don't do charts as I said before, they're like Greek to me (and I only do Greek in using them for physics or math.)
I'd say check it out from the library and give it a try. You can usually find needles and yarn cheap (crappy yarn, but when you're learning who cares, right?) at Goodwill or any other thrift store. A lot of my needles actually come from thrift stores. So for about $2 and a book from the library you can try it out for yourself.
Go Hillary or Go Green!
Powered by Yarn
- “I do not think that word means what you think it means"
Le Bloc ou le mort!
Thanks... I'll check it out
I've got some old yarn from my kufi/yarmulke making days and I think I may even already have some knitting needles around here somewhere. I bought a bundled crochet needle pack a few years ago and IIRC there were some that were for knitting -- if I haven't lost them that is. :)
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
Another resource: Magazines.
If the magazine isn't in a foreign language or from the UK (UK/Australian patterns use different conventions to describe the basic crochet stitches), then the back of each one should have a basic stitch, casting and yarn primer. The American magazines are very good at giving details for beginners, and about rating patterns by difficulty.
KNIT.1, the Interweave mags, and anything by Family Circle or Vogue would work -- but check the patterns first. If they look complicated, or require yarn you're not comfortable with, don't buy 'em, even if you go into a yarn shop where everyone says you can do it. *They* won't be detangling that angora at 12 o'clock at night because you couldn't see where a stitch was dropped....
Beautiful work!
Thanks for showing us.
Are you posting the pattern?
I vote: Correntewire tutorials!
Could you make a video showing how to do this? We could post it, right?
Yes, we're a rocking blog!
I second that vote
...and vids or pics to go along with it would be the cat's meow.
PB 2.0 - Supplement the wonk!
Vids and pics are great, but patterns are intellectual property,
boo. Ravelry has patterns that use the Creative Commons (and 'just plain take it') conventions, but there are fiber designers who hope to earn a few bucks from their work.
Information wants to be free, and we can learn together the principles behind making fabric as we go that tailors to the body, but let's be sensitive to the fact that the pattern might be copyrighted.
I think a knitting tutorial would be great
and it would follow right along with our many gardening posts, as well as FeralLiberal's tutorials on Seed Starting and winemaking.
Yes, please! Maybe the video could be subtitled in Klingon?
[x] Very tepidly voting for Obama [ ] ?????. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.
"First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, then you win." -- Mahatma Gandhi
"Reading Klingon -- THAT'S hard!" -- /Capt. Montgomery Scott
And I get a headache thinking about subtitling stitchwork charts in Klingon ... it's enough of a bear translating 'em out to English.
Some common "stitch" abbreviations:
alt = alternate
approx = approximately
BP = back post
BLO = back loop only
BPdc = back post double crochet
beg = begin, beginning
CC = contrasting color
ch = chain
cl = cluster
cont = continue
dbl = double
dtr or dbl tr = double triple
dc = double crochet
dec = decrease
dir = directions
dk = dark
dnt = do not turn
ea = each
ex sc = extended single crochet
fig = figure 1 (picture of stitch)
FLO = front loop only
FP = front post
FPdc = front post double crochet
fig = figure 1 (picture of stitch)
fo = finish off
foll = following
gm or gr = grams
gr = group
hdc = half double crochet
hk = hook
htr = half triple crochet
in = inch
inc = increase
incl = including
inst = instructions
lp(s) = loop(s)
lt = light
MC = main color
med = medium
mm = millimeter
no. = number
oz(s) = ounce
pat st = pattern stitch
pc st = popcorn stitch
prev = previous
rem = remaining
rep = repeat
rnd = round
rs = right side
sc = single crochet
sk = skip
sl st = slip stitch
sp = space
st(s) = stitch(es)
tch = turning chain
tog = together
tr = triple (treble)
x times = (such as repeat 5x)
ws = wrong side
yo = yarn over
There's a start. Knitters, how do the conventions differ in your art?
We can admit that we're killers ... but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes! Knowing that we're not going to kill today! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
We can admit that we’re killers … but we’re not going to kill today. That’s all it takes! ~ Captain James T. Kirk, Stardate 3193.0
1 John 4:18