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Yarnalicious
Chatty Knitter
104 Posts |
 Posted - 05/09/2004 : 7:42:40 PM
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Definitely finishing!
Shelley |
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SerMom
Permanent Resident
Canada
6412 Posts |
Posted - 05/09/2004 : 7:49:33 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by GFTC
Try this for long tail cast on: take the # of stitches, divide by the gauge, multiply by 3, and add a few inches for insurance. For example, 64 stitches, divide by 8 (gauge:8spi), times 3 = 24. Add 6 inches = 30. Measure 30 inches and cast on. You should only have to do it once!
Thanks to Maggie Righetti for that tip.
Even easier is using 2 ends, either the inside and outside, or 2 balls. Then you don't even have to think about it. I wish I'd known this trick when I was making Luanns gauntlets, which I had to cast on about 5 times for one reason or another.
As I've posted many times, I have made it my mission in life to figure out a way to avoid all sewing. I also dislike weaving in ends, especially in cotton, which I seem to be using a lot of lately!
Barbara
Remember, we're self-selecting!
My photos:
http://photos.yahoo.com/sermomca
My new blog:
http://sermomknits.blog-city.com/ |
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sallyjo
Permanent Resident
USA
2401 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 03:20:42 AM
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Tinking. Tinkadoo! or is that tinkapoo?
happiness is highly underrated |
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RoseByAny
Permanent Resident
USA
12598 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 03:36:07 AM
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Definitely the very beginning and the very end.
Casting on - not so much for the tail, because I'm pretty good about estimating, but I get so neurotic about counting out the stitches correctly then (if you get the count wrong in cast on, you're done for!) that I end up counting them about 15 times
and
Weaving in - I have to remind myself that there are relatively few people inside my sweaters, and not sit there for hours, straining my eyes, trying to hide all signs of the join. I never can do it satisfactorally - knitters would see them (others wouldn't) and then just when I think it's done, I tug at the sweater to put it on, and out pop some stray ends. Yuck
"Choose your friends by their character and your socks by their color. Choosing your socks by their character makes no sense, and choosing your friends by their color is unthinkable."
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DietchGirl
Sustaining Member
USA
517 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 03:54:59 AM
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Add me to the "I hate seaming/weaving in ends" club. 
Felicia in NYC
"This is mohair." "Mohair", he said and placed the furry ball on his head. "Mohair for me?" - from a very funny moment with my boyfriend in a LYS.
Yarn Fast started on 2/22/04 (no yarn purchases until Stitches East) |
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Danae
Chatty Knitter
Australia
124 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 04:16:43 AM
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Hmm, hard to decide between swatching and finishing. I have issues with the Gauge Gods ;)
Donna
UFO Queen
http://avocadia.net/randomknits/ |
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lindsey tighe
New Pal
48 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 04:27:16 AM
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| picking up dropped stitches!!!!! |
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spin_or_knit
Permanent Resident
USA
1203 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 04:58:19 AM
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| I hate seaming, and I've not even done a lot of it. I'd just rather knit in the round and avoid seaming altogether. I don't like weaving in ends either, but that's not as bad as seaming. |
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geekgirl
Chatty Knitter
USA
220 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 05:52:37 AM
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Wow- I never thought of casting on, I always get excited the cast on! Come one- no one else finds picking up stitches tedious?
I'll let you all know how much I like/dislike seaming after I finish the sweater I'm working on. Everything else I have made on circs from the top-down, so I haven't had large seaming jobs yet.
fun! -Wendy |
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Chequamegon
Chatty Knitter
231 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 06:52:54 AM
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I hate double points. . . which is why I won't knit socks. But, I want to do make mittens someday so I know I will have to get past this avoidance of double points.
Wendy, I kind of like picking up stitches. The first time I picked up a neckband I just looked at the jegged edges and thought "here goes" I was so amazed how lovely it looked when I finished. Picking up stitches is similar to crocheting in some small way so maybe that is why I don't mind it.
Mary |
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fillyjonk
Permanent Resident
1127 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 07:02:53 AM
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Five things that get to me. A lot of these are ones where something "bad" can happen if you make a mistake, and mistakes are potentially easy to make...
Casting on, when there's oooooodles of stitches - like when a cardigan is being knitted all of a piece, so you have to cast on something like 185 stitches in worsted weight. I always lose count, and now I have to make a hatch mark on paper every time I complete ten, so I can stay on-count.
Seaming, especially in bulky yarns...I try to find floss that matches (don't like to seam with the yarn when it's a bulky) but I can never get it perfect, and my seaming is not perfect, so sometimes the floss shows.
Picking up LARGE numbers of stitches, like to do an edging or a cardigan button band - ugh. (I don't mind it so much on socks - there it's just 18 or 16 and that's not so bad. It's the evenly-spaced-down-the-front that gets me, I'm always afraid I'll miss a point and will have a gap on a very public part of the sweater).
Weaving in ends. That's probably the one I hate the most, so much so that I have to REALLY want a Fair Isle or Intarsia project to even contemplate beginning it.
I also hate sewing on buttons to the point that I have the Chinese Vest from Folk Vests sitting in my projects pile - it's all done and seamed up and everything (even the ends are woven in) but I still have to put the buttons on (and they are shank buttons to boot, which is doubly bad). |
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jade
Permanent Resident
USA
1543 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 07:05:39 AM
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I'm in the I-hate-finishing club too. I don't start new projects until the current ones are off the needles, but that doesn't mean they're blocked, sewn, finished off. Right now I have 5 completely knitted, mostly finished sweaters which need buttons (2 jackets), some underarm stitches grafted (2 sweaters knitted in the round, so no other sewing), zipper sewn in (1 jacket).
I don't much like picking up stitches, but I regard this as part of knitting so I get it done as soon as possible. Yesterday I picked up 300+ stitches for the front bands and shawl collar of the jacket I'm making. It's a man's size XL so pretty big and bulky. I just have one more row to knit, then I cast off. Whew!
But my pet knitting dislikes are: intarsia and bobbles. I resigned myself to bobbles when they're really important to the look, but I draw the line at intarsia.
Cheryl |
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jade
Permanent Resident
USA
1543 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 07:08:39 AM
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Almost forgot.
quote:
I am wanting to knit a "Dale of Norway" ski sweater but I only have an old 2001 catalogue. Does anyone know of another good source for "Dale of Norway" patterns/yarn/kits?
Marlene - try Bea Ellis at http://www.beaellisknitwear.com/.
Bea (there is really a Bea!) is Norwegian and has the best selection of Norwegian yarns and patterns in the US (recommended by Dale themselves). No affiliation etc.
Cheryl |
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cats
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
503 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 07:44:29 AM
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| Definitely weaving the ends in. I don't much care for sewing pieces together either. When I made some purses for my nieces (ages 3 and 6), I crocheted the sides together rather than sew them and got the loose ends on the inside where they'd never be seen since I put a fabric liner in them. |
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spin_or_knit
Permanent Resident
USA
1203 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 07:49:11 AM
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| I actually *like* picking up stitches. |
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jrwhiskey
Gabber Extraordinaire
373 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 09:04:05 AM
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I would say sewing up, but I've successfully been able avoid this by knitting in the round
I really can't stand frogging socks w/small gauge ... as I stink at getting all the stitches picked up again
Julie in central MD |
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GreysMom
Chatty Knitter
USA
348 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 09:06:55 AM
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Another vote for seaming and finishing. yuck. Couldn't hate it more. I will make anything I can in the round, just to avoid seaming. Makes for kind of weird potholders, but what are you gonna do? he he he
Kim |
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Tuppence
Chatty Knitter
USA
140 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 09:25:08 AM
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I agree that casting on is a pain, but I really dread the very first row of pattern (ribbing, whatever) after the cast-on because there's no previous row to use as a guide and it's so easy to make a mistake.
For some reason I don't really mind doing the seams, maybe because it means the project is almost finished. 
- Marie, NW of Chicago |
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jennywhite
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
595 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 10:52:34 AM
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| I don't like finishing... well, once I start I kinda have fun seaming, but it's hard to have a project basically complete but in pieces. I feel like I should be done... I hate trying to figure out how many stitches to cast on - I always miscount so there's lots of trial and error. |
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rozcar
New Pal
USA
36 Posts |
Posted - 05/10/2004 : 11:02:23 AM
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Weaving in! Ugh, I shudder just to think of it.
Roslynne
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