Any knitters in the house?

dirtsider

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My local Michael's, Joanns, and Hobby Lobby all pretty close to each other. It's a bit easier to get to the Michael's and Joanns as the Hobby Lobby is in a strange location. You can walk to the Hobby Lobby from the mall parking lot, just not drive to it unless you get on/off the highway. That and a couple other issues make me less inclined to go there.

But I agree - it seems that the instore selection is getting smaller by the week. It's also annoying that you can place a special order for yarns while you're in the store. You have to go online and do it yourself. I don't have a cell phone that has internet access since I just use it to text a friend or in case of emergency.

I'm a little annoyed with some wool yarn I picked up. I had made some wool blankets for myself and now they're coming apart because there were a couple weak sections in the yarn. I didn't think much of it when I was making the older blankets but now I'm getting hole that I have to mend now. It's partially my fault since I saw the weak points initially. Sigh.

At least the wool yarn I get from a small vendor is better quality. I buy those in small bunches/orders since they ~are~ expensive. But I love the yarn and the colors which are due to small dye batches. I usually buy this yarn for either scarves but I'm making a 'rag-bag' blanket for myself from the yarn that catches my eye at the yarn festival this vendor sells at.
 

CindyGirl

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I'm a little annoyed with some wool yarn I picked up. I had made some wool blankets for myself and now they're coming apart because there were a couple weak sections in the yarn. I didn't think much of it when I was making the older blankets but now I'm getting hole that I have to mend now. It's partially my fault since I saw the weak points initially. Sigh.

At least the wool yarn I get from a small vendor is better quality. I buy those in small bunches/orders since they ~are~ expensive. But I love the yarn and the colors which are due to small dye batches. I usually buy this yarn for either scarves but I'm making a 'rag-bag' blanket for myself from the yarn that catches my eye at the yarn festival this vendor sells at.[/QUOTE]

It makes me crazy to find weak spots in a work in progress! I recently learned to splice my ends so my work looks a little neater. I'll be ordering my wool on-line from now on I guess.
 

K1P1

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I know people who buy handknit sweaters at thrift shops, unravel and skein them, wash the yarn, and then use it to knit something new. You can get a whole sweater worth of yarn for just a few dollars this way.
 

CindyGirl

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I know people who buy handknit sweaters at thrift shops, unravel and skein them, wash the yarn, and then use it to knit something new. You can get a whole sweater worth of yarn for just a few dollars this way.

Wow. I would not have thought of that. Great idea!
 

dirtsider

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I know people who buy handknit sweaters at thrift shops, unravel and skein them, wash the yarn, and then use it to knit something new. You can get a whole sweater worth of yarn for just a few dollars this way.

I've heard of this but haven't done it myself. On the extreme other end, I know where I can get unwashed fleeces if I ever decided to learn how to spin the wool myself. I think the price was pretty reasonable but I would have to ask again. I do have hand carders but only have drop spindles.
 

CindyGirl

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I just ordered new wool on line. It just arrived. Tonight, I'll begin a new project. Got that new project vibe in my blood now.
 

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Yay, Cindy! I've almost finished the first sleeve of my first sweater. I'm proud. :) And I've also just received some sock yarn in lovely colours: green, orange, and one variegated blue yarn (self-striping... I'm a bit anxious about that).
 

CindyGirl

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Yay, Cindy! I've almost finished the first sleeve of my first sweater. I'm proud. :) And I've also just received some sock yarn in lovely colours: green, orange, and one variegated blue yarn (self-striping... I'm a bit anxious about that).

I made extra thick wool socks for my family but have never tried sock yarn. I haven't tried self-striping yet. I've seen a hat pattern on Lion Brand that looks cute.
 

dirtsider

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Finished off the afgan for a friend. Hopefully, I'll be seeing him this weekend. Went back to work on a stashbuster afgan. I don't think I'll have enough yarn to make it the full length I usually do (looks like color is no longer made and it's variegated so it's hard to match). But it's not earmarked for anyone so I'll give it to a charity.

I do have a couple of other projects started that I can pick up once I'm through with this one. But they'll probably take longer now that the gardening season's started. I do need to get back to work on my story as well. Especially since I have a better idea of where to go with one of the WIP's.
 

Raindrop

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Made a pair of socks with toes, for my mum's yoga sessions. It was like knitting gloves for feet, lol. The wiggly toes are too funny. I may have to knit a pair for myself!
 

CindyGirl

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Made a pair of socks with toes, for my mum's yoga sessions. It was like knitting gloves for feet, lol. The wiggly toes are too funny. I may have to knit a pair for myself!

I had a pair of socks like this when I was a kid...in rainbow colors.
 

pixieval

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Hi, I'm new, but I saw the crafting board and had to check it out! I am an avid crocheter, and I used to mod at the website craftster.org I had to step back when I went back to college. Kids at home, crafting, and school was too much all at once. I am excited to see other crafters over here. I actually tried to sell crochet stuff for a while on etsy, but competition is crazy. then I tried to sell crochet patterns on etsy and ravelry, I made enough to pay the netflix bill each months, so can't complain. ;)

Jumping into the sock conversation- I knit, barely, but I can. Socks stress me out like whoa. I have crocheted a pair of socks with sock yarn and they were not comfortable because of crochet, not the yarn, I am sure. I adore knitted socks.
 

Raindrop

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I quite like crochet, too. I made a cowl for my mum, but haven't done much since.
 

CindyGirl

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Do eeeet! You know you want to. Non-matching socks rock.

OK, I will as soon as I finish the shawl for my sister, the hat for my husband and the lap blanket for my mother...really, I have to get a grip on this multi-project problem of mine.
 

CindyGirl

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My husband's friend came over and admired a wool scarf I made for my husband. He'd like one. You know what I'd like? The blanket ladder I downloaded the directions for, that I have been nagging my husband for two years to make. This fellow is a carpenter....hee hee. He's getting a scarf and I'm getting a blanket ladder. ***Big smile***
 

dirtsider

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My husband's friend came over and admired a wool scarf I made for my husband. He'd like one. You know what I'd like? The blanket ladder I downloaded the directions for, that I have been nagging my husband for two years to make. This fellow is a carpenter....hee hee. He's getting a scarf and I'm getting a blanket ladder. ***Big smile***

Sounds like a fair trade. :lol: I have some wool that I've picked up some time ago, specifically to make scarves. I should start making them with the fall coming on soon. On the other hand, I recently finished a blue afgan for one friend. I'm currently working on a green afgan for second friend which is about half-way done. It's going a lot quicker than the blue one due to the type of yarn used (it's thicker). I doubt I'll have it done by the next time I see this friend but I should have it done the next time round. The wool scarves are portable projects so I can take that with me and work on them at the LARP.
 

CindyGirl

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I love easy portable stuff I can do on lunch hour or while visiting. Minimal counting and stuff. I save the more involved projects for home in my comfy chair.
 

dirtsider

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I love easy portable stuff I can do on lunch hour or while visiting. Minimal counting and stuff. I save the more involved projects for home in my comfy chair.

I usually kept a portable project in my car, just for that purpose. Well, more for waiting before a movie at the theatre, especially since the bag can serve as a seat holder.
 

CindyGirl

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My husband's friend came over and admired a wool scarf I made for my husband. He'd like one. You know what I'd like? The blanket ladder I downloaded the directions for, that I have been nagging my husband for two years to make. This fellow is a carpenter....hee hee. He's getting a scarf and I'm getting a blanket ladder. ***Big smile***

I finished the scarf last weekend and my blanket ladder arrived tonight! I love it. I also love this trade business. I'm going to try mittens next.
 

Evelyn Michelle

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I've just started getting into knitting and made 2 smallish dishcloths. ^_^ They're small, especially since I've been crocheting for so long that I'm able to make flat-out clothing. But I've been wanting to teach myself to knit for so long I'm just glad to say I've finally made something. What were you guy's first projects?
 

Tazlima

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Lol, I have a bit of a story about my first knitting project.

I was sixteen and visiting my grandmother for several weeks one summer. I spent a lot of that time fixing and painting things around her house, but the rest of the time, I was bored stiff, so I asked her to teach me to knit. She was happy to teach me and gave me some books of patterns to pick one to learn on. The books, though were all 30-40 years old and most of the patterns were, how do I put this nicely... fugly.

Finally, though, I found something that I thought looked really cool, so I went to her, said, "This is what I want to make," and showed her the pattern for a zebra-striped sweater.

"Oh, Honey," she said. "That's really advanced. Wouldn't you rather make a scarf or a potholder or something?"

"Not really. We already have potholders at home, and it never gets cold enough to wear scarves (I lived in Arizona at the time). I already checked all the books, and this is the only thing I like."

To Grandma's credit, she basically shrugged and was like "suit yourself."

So she taught me to knit and purl, and how to change yarn color when I passed from one stripe to the next, and I left with a decent start on the project. Long story short, it took a long time (I'd forget it for months on end, then pick it back up when I was bored), but my freshman year of college, I finally finished that sweater, and now, *mumble, mumble* years later, I still have it, and it's still awesome.
 
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