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ozknitter
Permanent Resident
Australia
3248 Posts |
 Posted - 05/13/2006 : 6:12:13 PM
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Hi,
One big hug coming over the oceans. (I'm assuming you are in America).
That is what knitting is all about, sometimes it is meant to try us, that is how we get better at things, by trying different things. Just think you will be the new expert on that yarn and what needles to use from now on.
Could you not go back to the Yarn shop and ask the lady there to steer you on the right track?
Hope you have a Happy Mother's Day.
Knit in peace and harmony.
Rose in Melbourne, Australia. |
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Pam Zingler
New Pal
USA
8 Posts |
Posted - 05/13/2006 : 7:32:43 PM
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| Oh, please read my post on sock issues.....I cant tell you how many things I've abandoned or ripped. I think we all have projects we just get more enthused over than others. I seem to have better luck with vests or sweaters....take heart. |
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scraffan
Permanent Resident
1844 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 07:45:34 AM
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Yes I am in America.
Mastered the suede. I am half way through the scarf. Sometimes if I try too hard at something I can not do it. I put it down and did two dishclothes and went back to it. :)
The scarf is better looking then I thought it would.
I will check out your post on socks.
I have not been brave enough to venture on to anything with double pointed or circular needles. Although Circular needles and cable hooks will be covered in up coming knitting classes. Tomorrow will be the cable hook.
Karen |
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collegeknit
Warming Up
USA
51 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 07:54:31 AM
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I know how you feel!! Right now I'm working on a pullover and I'm not happy with it. Also to make matters worse my second sock came undone while I was binding off. Now I have to re-start it!
Collegeknit
Julie Sparkuhl |
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scraffan
Permanent Resident
1844 Posts |
Posted - 05/20/2006 : 08:18:59 AM
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Julie,
I cringed when I read about your sock coming apart. It is one thing when you want to "frog" something, but when something "frogs" on its own...that hurts.
I hope your sock comes out good and stays together when you bind off.
You just gave me another reason to stick with blankets, dishclothes, and scarfs.... :D
scraffan
Karen |
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KnittingCommuter
Chatty Knitter
USA
278 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 09:22:59 AM
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Reading this chain has made me feel so much better. When I see that really experienced knitters also make boo boos, it makes someone like me realize that there is still hope for me. Funny thing, I had thought of attempting an adorable lacy bolero-type sweater. I think if there had been a straight knit row in the pattern to rip back to I would have given it a try. I figured though with all those yarn overs and no row to rip back to, I would be frustrated to the point of tears in no time. I think the advice of a simple lace scarf is excellent and that's where I will start trying to do lace. What a great supportive community of knitters in the Forum
Ducky's Mom |
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gwtreece
Permanent Resident
USA
7254 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 1:49:11 PM
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The best advice I ever received about lace was to check my work frequently. I have found so many mistakes quickly because I have taken the time to count my stitches every few rows.
Wanda
My Blog
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scraffan
Permanent Resident
1844 Posts |
Posted - 05/22/2006 : 6:28:33 PM
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I have not attempted lace yet.
Although I do yarn patterns with twists, turns, yarn overs, cables, etc. (not back to back like listed here) but the key is counting.
I find after I do a hard row and then try an easy row say just plain knit I still count because I am afraid I will get over confident and drop a stitch because I am not paying attention.
Karen |
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sgoldfried
Seriously Hooked
Canada
769 Posts |
Posted - 06/22/2006 : 05:43:06 AM
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good morning
l am sending lots of hugs to you i feel the same way
but i am never going to try lace knitting again
sylvia |
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llinn
honorary angel
USA
1650 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2006 : 10:31:32 AM
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Got to be obnoxious and throw my two cents in.
Everybody Duck!
I see an awful lot of people twisting in the wind over lace. There are 2 basic problems working a lace design. One is fixable. One is not.
You have to count. OVER and OVER and OVER and OVER ad infinitum ad nauseum. Can't cure that. Can't get around it. Use a notebook, scribble in your pattern book or write on the palm of your hand with permanent marker, but count and WRITE IT DOWN.
Until you are good enough to READ knitting stitches themselves.
Then count anyhow because it's easier to avoid mistakes than to fix them.
All the K2tog, SSK, PSSO, and much other confusing abbreviations are designed to subtract stitches and to slant the decrease either left or right. YO's add stitches.
Some times it helps to write out a row of instructions and then to write underneath what you are doing. YO means +1, K2tog means -1. Work across the row and then add up the +1's and -1's. The net result (most of the time) should be zero. You haven't increased or decreased the number of stitches. (Presuming the lace pattern is on an even piece, if you're working a triangular shawl you have to account for the normal increases)
Now write the line again--and study a good picture of the lace. K2tog creats a decrease that will lean towards the right. SSK and SKP both create a left leaning decrease. You can also get a left leaning decrease by K2tog through the back loop without doing anything fancy. So go through the line and replace other decreases that lean left with K2tog TBL.
Now there are (generally) only 3 kinds of decreases you will ever deal with in lace. K2tog (right lean) K2tog TBL (through back loop)(Left lean) and a double decrease to make a point usually written as Slip1, K2tog, Pass Slip St Over.
Yarn OVers make a place to knit on the next row to add stitches back and create holes-space to make the lace design.
Until you get pretty good at it too, always pick a lace pattern where you knit back or purl back evenly. It lets you check your stitches every other row easily and makes it easy to fix an oops. Any lace pattern can be dropped into a pattern that uses a different lace pattern generally. Lace is a stretchy, wider than stockinette stitch and pretty much any lace can substitute for another. You must check the number of stitches for repeats though. Some patterns work over a multiple of 6 or 9 or 12 or 25 or whatever and adjust so you have an even number of repeats.
It really isn't really hard. It can be annoying though and if counting constantly bothers you, don't do it. There are thousands of already made things to buy. Knitting is purely for fun. You might love the pure mindlessness of socks and can find a knitter who loves lace to trade who hates making socks.
Later
Lin |
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Dances with Needles
Chatty Knitter
197 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2006 : 3:36:28 PM
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one thing more: put a marker before the beginning of each motif, and after each vertical repeat thread in a lifeline. then if you do have to rip you have a stop.
DWN |
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suek137
Chatty Knitter
340 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 10:03:21 AM
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If I ever needed a hug in...it's now! I am working on the Flower Basket Lace Shawl. This is my first ever lace project and until this morning, it was going beautifully. All repeats are done and I started on the edging. I'm sitting and knitting when my miniature dachshund decided she needed to sit with me (pretty normal occurrence), so I put my knitting down and picked her up. Picked up my shawl to resume knitting and saw that a bunch of stitches were dropped. I actually started to hyperventilate and was completely frozen, terrified to move and possibly drop even more stitches. I took a deep breathe and went and grabbed a handful of dpn's and started to try and pick up as many stitches as possible. I then called my long distance knitting buddy and she helped my calm down. Now I'm tinking back. Don't know how many rows I have to tink yet, but probably about 4. That's a lot of tinking as this shawl has about 300 stitches.
And needless to say....the dog is sleeping peacefully through this whole ordeal. |
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llinn
honorary angel
USA
1650 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2006 : 11:14:06 PM
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We need a knitting or fiber superhero. You could shine an approriate symbol into the night sky and the SuprYarn B***H would fly through the air, miraculously picking up dropped stitches in a single bound, stretching or shrinking sweaters to fit their intended and blasting husbands who request enormous afghans, pick out the pattern and then reject the finished product, into unrelated molecules
She could have DPKN in her hair and her bra stuffed with alpaca fiber. She would stand for truth, justice and the principle that you cannot have too much yarn. |
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abt1950
Permanent Resident
3019 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2006 : 12:02:00 PM
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((pmack17)) hugs from here too. Everyone has their own knitting beasts to conquer. Lace doesn't bother me too much (except when I make a mistake & start scraming), but put a sock pattern in front of me & I cringe in terror.
One piece of advice--this is probably obvious, but with lace patterns it really, really helps to do a gauge swatch for each pattern. That way you work out some of the kinks & figure out the logic of the pattern before you start the real knitting.
Anne
Knit long and prosper |
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