K3tog: ILx Knitting 3

One of the 4-H llama clubs at Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool was called the Spitters Club.

I also saw one sheep stick his face into the business of a lady sheep in the next pen.

I am really thinking of using the Maryland Sheep and Wool as an excuse/reason to visit my family in MD & VA.

Holy cow, I love knitting. The class was great. We only learned the knit stitch (will learn purl next week), but it is so much fun. I feel like a traitor, but I like this much better than crochet, and it's easier on my hands, as I tend to hold a crochet hook like somebody is trying to take it away from me and stab me with it. I'm trying to train myself to hold my knitting a little more gently.

This sounds ridic, but my main problem so far is that during class, I was too good. I only made one mistake, so I didn't really learn how to fix mistakes. Now that I'm on my own with a ball of yarn and a work in progress (a scarf!), I am fucking up left and right and I have no idea how to fix things. I did learn how to "unknit" so I'm basically stopping after every row to inspect so I can go back and unknit to the point that I screwed up.

I am also not entirely sure about the anatomy of a stitch. Like, with crochet, I can look at the work and see exactly where something is off and decide what, if anything, to do to correct it. With knitting, I'm not sure what everything is supposed to look like, so that makes it harder to tell if I'm doing something right.

Our classes come with free drop ins between classes, so I could go back for help, but I'm going out of town this weekend so I'm kind of on my own with my pretty blue yarn.

Anyway: color me converted. Knitting is the best.

Awesome! Glad you are digging it.

The lady who taught me knitting said "the best thing you can learn in a knitting class is how to fix your mistakes."

When I first learned to knit I counted the stitches on my needle at the end of each row & I'd only have the right number like half the time.

Three times last night, I knit three rows and then pulled them out and started all over again because I saw something I'd fucked up. Then on the bus this morning, I thought I had it going on and I just showed what I'd done to my coworker who was like, "Oooo dropped stitch right here at the beginning. You should just pull it out and start over."

I totally blame my Lisa Simpson complex. In a classroom setting, I get so eager to please a teacher that I overachieve and in this case, end up not learning what I really need to learn.

I am taking that class with Jenny (her idea) and it's so much fun! I especially loved being able to "shop" for my yarn before we started our scarves. :-D

i have way too many projects :-( frog? helllluuuuup

you can fix a dropped stitch with a crochet hook. it's kind of awesome. if you're feeling desperate about it between knitting classes, you're welcome to stop by and i'll show you, jenny. (or sarah!)

recently i have tragically lost my reasonably-sized crochet hook, and i've discovered that you can do a kind of picking up stitches-psso kind of thing with dropped stitches that does the same thing. but it's a PITA. i really need some fucking crochet hooks. i have some coming in the mail at some point, tho.

i've even figured out how to pick up dropped stitches with CABLES. omg. one-stitch cables, but still. (i have no patience for thick cables--my sanity will not abide that shit)

Jules, I have a shit ton of doubles of crochet hooks. I obsessively cataloged them on Ravelry, so if you look and see that I have doubles of a size that you want, let me know and it's yours.

Yeah, I was about to say that ("RONG!") but then I noticed she said she dropped the st from the start. I think. Anyway I don't mind dropped sts in stockinette. :-)
I would love to know how do to granny squares but beyond that I am so not interested in crochet. Apart from maybe finishing dresses or whatnot with a crochet border.

I can't believe my knitting course is now in its third year. That said, I didn't really do much opf it since I was too pregnant or Elisabeth was keeping me busy. I do think I'll re-enroll after next year. Next year is the last year. I'm not sure what we'll do then. *shrug*

Girls, what are your fave needles?

metal. knitpicks are best for circs, but they don't make fixed-cable circs in size, say, SIX. which annoys me greatly. not everyone is a sock knitter!

i have some addis in 3 that seem ok but i honestly don't see what the big deal is about them. a friend gifted them to me used.

i kind of hate bamboo, tho i have a bunch of bamboo needles.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2631/4230397701_4945681645.jpg

I think I have Second Mitts Syndrome. lol. These are the Bella Mitts. I renamed'em Dexter Mitts cause Twilights sucks ass.

I really like Lantern Moon straight needles. I want. More. Lots more. Clover? Meh. Not anymore. Metal's great (again, used to dislike).
For DPNs/soxor knitting I prefer metal cause I'm such a tight knitter.

My teacher said to NOT swatch for sock knitting. I mean, I can, but she says it's not necessary. WAH?

uhhh, how is that not necessary? socks are the only thing i've ever swatched for in the round. i've had socks knitted for me several times and none of them fit quite right, so i'm kind of afraid of gauge with socks. and the one i started is languishing in my knitting bag.

i'm curious about lantern moons--people seem to really like them. most of my straights were bought cheap/inherited from people, but maybe i'll buy myself some nice ones one of these days.

What yarn is that Nath?

I love those mittens, I made myself a pair & they're great bcz you can wear them over a jacket. Actually, I wore them last night to Stitch & Bitch and a lady I'd never met greeted me by saying, "oooh, bella mittens."

Julia do you not like interchangeable circular needles? Any reason they need to be fixed?

i've never tried interchangeables, because i sometimes hear things about them being difficult and figure i'm better off with fixed circs. plus, i generally have enough projects going at one time that i want many pairs of circs.

am i just being stubborn?

IMO interchangeables kick ass! I have a Denise set and some KP interchangeables. The joins are smooth & inconspicuous, the needles don't fall off the cables or come detached or anything. Sometimes w/the Denise set I have had a problem of this plastic thing that connects different lengths of cables coming apart, but that's only when I am like tugging at it, fucking around w/it or generally treating it wrong.

I *love* interchangeables bcz you can made the cable longer or shorter, or change the size of your needles, without having to move the stitches onto a different needle or use another circ. ie if I want to bind off with a bigger needle, I just shove all the live stitches to the cable & swap out the tips, easy & quick. Or if I want to try on a sweater as I'm going, I just add some length to the cables, which I can then easily remove after trying on (way easier than moving the whole damn thing to scrap yarn). So awesome. Plus they are easier to keep organized than fixed needles.

Also getting a set is a wicked fast/cheap way to have like almost all the needle lengths + sizes in the entire world. If you don't mind doing your str8 knitting on circulars this is an extra bonus, too.

No, you're smart, J. Addi Clicks are okay, but the cord has come undone (?) once and, honestly, I don't need circs so much. I've been going back to my reg metal needles (Prym and such).

A; the yarn is Manos del Uruguay Wool Clasica.

Julia, I think my teacher is a bit "off". She had never heard of afterthought heels. I mean, I understand she's not interested in English/American knit related stuff, but COME ON if you have knitted for a few decades, you should know about afterthought heels! I asked her about the very tiny holes in my short row (socks) and she advised to do SKPO instead of p2tog. Hmm, but then it slants the other way or am I wrong? I can never "envision" these de/increases and how the frigging slant. I thought a SSP would be the thing to do?

They are having a big sale in a LYS. SEVENTY PERCENT OFF. But damn it I promised my friend to come to Antwerp. Damn. Maybe next week I'll go. So far this "no yarn in 2010" seems to be undoable: I might visit a shop in Antwerp. They have some great stuff, like Habu. Tempted to check that out.

I think she doesn't fuss with gauge because most socks are done in rib. She didn't even mention a fancy patt! Then it matters less. also, if you are more or less a "regular" knitter, you don't need to care so much about gauge. Fior me it is relevant as I'm a tight knitter. But weirdly I think my tension is changing. Well, not weirdly, I know it does but it is strange when your gauge matches the one in the patt more or less. lol

The LYS here is closing (*sniff*). I don't have any $$$ so I haven't gone but apparently people are getting all vultured out at only 30% off. Like my friend went & said another lady snatched stuff out of her shopping basket right in front of her face. wtf? I'm gonna wait 'til stuff is at least 50% off to look.

SKPO would slant to the left, i think, nath, same as p2tog. tho i can't tell you jack about sock heels.

snatching stuff out of someone else's shopping basket? duuuuude. fistfight at the LYS.

I think I"m gonna cry myself to sleep: 70 procent off. Some skeins are less than a euro. Then again do I need more yarn (yes). lol
Stealing out of a bag? WTF. That's just crazy.

Yeah, as I was doing it in my head, I realized that SKPO does slant the same way.

Will 2010 be the year I feel a bit more secure about my knitting skills? Doubt it.

you see how you can do that in your head? you *should* be more secure about your knitting skills. it took me a long time to be able to visualize like that.

People have done nothing but bitch & moan about the LYS here but I will miss it. The only other place to get yarn is Hobby Lobby, which I don't like shopping at bcz I generally don't care for their politics, and also 95% of their yarn is gross.

There will be no place in town to just get a skein of honest, attractive 100% wool anymore.

j, yeah in my head. in reality my knitting looks shit. lol

a, order online!

i have seen pics of your knitting, nath, and i say you are RONG. it looks fine!

i order everything online, and then i sell stuff on rav if the colors/whatev aren't what i expected. i buy just about everything on sale in the first place, and mostly break even that way.

or i shop ppl's rav stashes. that can be dangerous.

Awww Abbott I have endless sympathy for you. Hobby Lobby is the pits! If there's anything you ever want, I will happily go to a LYS here (we have like five of them... it is an embarrassment of riches) and send you things.

Sarah A. was so OTM about the yarn shopping part of our class being awesome.

The lady who taught me knitting said "the best thing you can learn in a knitting class is how to fix your mistakes

truth bomb

I finished the Owls sweater yesterday. I hadn't tried it on along the way (which made LeeAnn, the lady who taught me knitting, literally punch me on the arm when I told her), but I put it on before finishing the collar & it fit great. Didn't even make me look like a chubby chub, which I worried about w/the bulky yarn. THEN I blocked it & the thing got freaking giant in the water, which gave me some panic. It got about 4" longer and is now a little too big in the yoke, but it looks ok.

btw my grandma saw some stuff I made for my family as xmas gifts (a monkey toy & a pair of mittens) and is actually *impressed* by a skill I have. This is incredible. My grandma gives out like four compliments a decade. Nothing impresses her. She especially hasn't said a good thing about me or anything I've done since I quit being Mormon so this is...this is just epic.

That is cool about your grandma!

My grandma doesn't want to wear one of the pairs of socks I made her because the pattern is "so fancy"!

Do you find that more endearing or frustrating?

It's cute, mostly. I guess she will wear them as regular socks rather than bed socks.

I frogged a ton of shit. Should frog more. It's like throwing stuff in the bin; it makes me feel better somehow. lol

I am pretty sure my gauge/tension has changed, loosened. Which is natural I guess, but weird nonetheless.

OMG I bought some yarn the other day. A pair of knitting needles. A book. 125 euros! WTF! Okay, it was all fancy yarn (combo of say silk and merino). My friend was utterly shocked. lol.
On tuesday I'll be going to the big sale at a LYS. I think I'll probably spend about 50 euros. Not more.

I LOVE the Kaffe Fasset Regia sock yarn. I can't recommend it enough

finished my hat! it seemed so tiny but stretched out a lot with washing.

http://images4.ravelrycache.com/uploads/juliaa/20282777/IMG_5344_medium.JPG

It turned out really cool!

Julia, that looks great!

i like that, are those real cables or fake cables?

thanks!

those are real cables--that small, they can be done without a cable needle easily. i think there's a way of doing fake tiny cables in the round but it seems just as easy to do real ones, if not easier.

Who's going to knit camp in Scotland? I am so tempted to go. Well, I think it's expensive for my hobby but Thom's saying I should go.

Isn't he a sweetheart?

What do you do at knit camp?

On the one hand, knitting and Scotland sound awesome. On the other hand, "camp" sure brings back some bad childhood memories.

Oh, have I said that we learned to purl? This means we can do stockinette stitch, which makes me feel like a real knitter. Tonight is our last knitting class, which is kind of a bummer. We learn to bind off, and maybe something else.

Hold on, it's already the last class? This is confusing. Well, I guess it's not like my four (turned into a five) year course. Honestly there are some major disadvantages to my teacher. I showed her the sock I'm doing. It's a plain stockinette sock (from Nancy Bush book) with a dutch heel. My teacher basically refuses to accept anything that's not her thing. She has all these fixed ideas about decreasing, sock type,... Christ. The weirdest is her not recommending a swatch for a sock! WTF! So noone does it (except me lol).

Abbott, I will probably enroll in courses by Jared Flood (his Girasole project, Baby Surprise Jacket YAYAYAYA). Also NANCY BUSH. WOOOOOOOT. If there's still place available of course. First day will be an introduction to lace knitting. I don't know, honestly, I think I'm too crappy to enroll in this thing. But ah fuck it, why not! Some other Belgians are probably joining. Question is: do I take the deluxe room? The ensuite room is a STUDENT ROOM. Finally I can complete my education. lololol

Yeah camp sounds sucky

I can get not swatching if you have made lots of socks before & generally know the yarn/needles you're working with, but not for the first time you're trying out socks! Insanity!

You are not too crappy to enroll, Nath. I've seen the lace type stuff you've done on Rav. It's good! It sounds like loads of fun. I say do it!

It was just a three-session class for very beginning knitters. Basically taught us how to hold needles (not like a crochet hook!), how to make a slip knot, how to cast on, how to knit, how to fix our fuck-ups, how to purl, and how to bind off. They offer other classes that focus on specific projects - http://www.sisterartsstudio.com/adult.html - although some of those are a little out of date.