K3tog: ILx Knitting 3

Yes, sorry, that's Chris Cunningham. I know him & RDJ look very alike, but he's the dark-haired one and RDJ is the ginger.

So do you reckon, based on the thickness of the yarn, whether that is a Lopapeysa or a Fair Isle or someone's girlfriend knitting an awesome custom design?

Hrrmmm, guard hairs - I am going to have to look up this lopi yarn, it sounds interesting.

Lopi is weird, it feels like it's made of human hair, kind of. Here's a (blurry) pic of my husband in a hat I made him that is made of Lopi:

http://images4.ravelry.com/uploads/Abbigail/19579176/yarn_shots_004_medium.JPG

I can't tell what his sweater might be made of bcz of pics' resolution. Could be anything? I hope he found it at a thrift store or something, because if someone custom made me a sweater with little T-rex arm sleeves like his has, I'd be sad. It does look home-made, though.

http://a.imageshack.us/img153/4691/03soundvision2.jpg

Fair isle is a colour knitting technique. Stranding (because of the running strands on the wrong side). Can use dozens of colours but only two colours per row. The other is a sweater made in iceland. Has a specific yoke form both sides the same.
That one he is sweater is pretty easy to make.

Also lopi yarn is water deterrent (?)

That is a very cute hat, but I could be distracted by the cutesness of the young man modelling it. ;-)

Here is a higher res pic of the jumper:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/masonicboomk8/4821451139/sizes/o/

(linked coz it came out of photoshop huge - but the original pic doesn't seem to have been very good quality so I'm not sure it helps.)

I assumed the sleeves were just pushed up, rather than it being actually T Rex-shaped, but now you mention it, it does sit pretty high on his hips so it probably wasn't made for him.

i made a hat from lopi, too. i like itchy yarns. it came out a little big for me so i gave it to my brother.

OK, going by Nath's post, it's not a Fair Isle, then, because close up reveals it's got 3 colours in each row - black, white and grey.

But it's sort of mottled in the yoke bit, like Mr. Abbot's hat. Hrmmm.

Yes fair isle is only two colours per row. Weird because it looks like fair isle!

Also lopi yarn is water deterrent (?)

All wool is water resistant.

I know but they do sth to make it non absorbant or sth. I forgot

about a third done with second sock. i can get so tired of socks but i think they are the most useful project. and i only ever want to make plain stockinette socks. i'm starting a job where i'm gonna get real paid soon so i let myself order some sweater yarn, might do this one modified to be shorter and tighter: http://needled.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/manu.jpg
i don't like baggy sleeves.

I have to say her owls sweater came out wrong twice. My friend also got a bad result. Way too short. Apart from that I think she makes awesome things.

my owls sweater fits! but i had to remove one of the short row dips, i'm short-waisted

Oh shit I forgot to mention: the children's version.

So I'm now at KnitCamp. It has turned into a fucking disaster as the organisers didn't get the workpermits in time for the american teachers. On Ravelry it has turned into a Rubberneck thread: reading one particular thread on the KnitCamp forum is a lot of fun. I posted something positive and of course got a gazillion disagrees. But y'know they are right in a way: this has turned into a disaster. Lots of classes fallen through or reorganised. But they are also wrong: just roll with it, have fun and take another class. Which I am. :-)

I just spent an epic week making a "bolero" (just looks like a short-sleeved cardigan) to wear to my sister-in-law's wedding. I can't believe what I can get done if I stay up until 2 a.m. every night.

I just started a sock on two circs and I think I'm a convert. I was getting really tired of all the picking up & putting down of DPNs.

I am going to learn double knitting in November!

i did a couple pairs of socks on one circ and then i went back to dpns! never done 2 circs. still working on that last pair because i started a sweater. maybe i'll go back to it this weekend.

This puppet from the new Knitty really creeps me out

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEdf10/images/chowALT3.jpg

Okay what the fuck is that?

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1315/5101382391_827837a7d0.jpg

Finished this in a couple of days. Gonna make another one with Noro. Yipee.

You are so good at stranded knitting, Nath! I still haven't given it a shot.

My favorite yarn store in town is having a pretty sweet sale today, I am waiting for my big fucking headache to subside so I can go check it out. (The cool thing about Tucson is it has five more yarn stores than Las Cruces did, (5 + 0 =5))

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/5121332452_ca5ef11ce8_z.jpg

Finally finished the Terra (by Jared Flood). It looks nice - still has to be blocked - but is a pretty boring knit, tbh. Also, his pattern writing can be confusing at times: my version of the pattern neglected to say that you had to keep the three garter edge stitches, which was later corrected/added. I know a bit of lace knitting so I knew you had to keep it going, but others were of course confused.

Abbott, stranded knitting (in the round) is dead easy. Have a go, you'll discover it is especially easy with norwegian patterns. I made the above pattern in a smaller version with black and noro. As I had leftover from the black skein, I decided to make one for my mom.
Then again my drops mittens is MEH. It looks okay but I hated that they didn't include a fully chart for the mittens. Next up will be space invaders mittens for my husband.

Started lady february sweater.

i was doing the manu cardigan but i was so frustrated at how different my gauge is when i purl that i decided to quit. i need to learn to steek so i can knit cardigans in the round. i am doing the lightweight pullover instead using berroco ultra alpaca light. it's going very fast. even when all the stitches are knits i still knit unevenly somehow but it'll come out when it's blocked i guess

Harbl, you should do a KAL with me:

http://images4.ravelry.com/uploads/LuckyinKy/18070904/CCW11209--0422_medium2.jpg

Isn't this lovely????

Finally doing the Lady February Sweater. This is so fucking easy.

That goldfish vest is awesome!

haha i couldn't possibly make that. i struggle with just one color.
but lol i like never finish sweaters and i just ordered yarn to also make the mediumweight pullover for when i'm done with this one. i got excited that malabrigo makes a superwash now because i would not make a sweater from regular malabrigo due to the pilling.

I just made a short-sleeved cardigan out of Malabrigo silky merino but I don't think it will ever get cool enough to wear it. I didn't know they made a superwash!

yeah it's called rios, i guess they started this summer. i just made a hat out of the regular merino worsted, i hope it holds up. i wanna make this too and hide in the cowl http://www.flickr.com/photos/19304313@N03/4921058494

The scarf I made out of their regular merino is annoying as hell because not only does it pill up, but the little pills are magnetically attracted to my favorite wool trenchcoat. It gets little yellow fluffs all over everything, it's terrible. But I have a hat out of their merino I like: it's v soft, and it does not touch any of my clothes, so there's no problem with sticky pills.

i knitted a bunch of the cowl neck today and somehow my stitches became straight and even about 3 inches in. the first 3 inches are bumpy with random loose stitches. i hate how that happens but it'll fix after a soak i suppose

I should really have posted this at Halloween I guess. Awesome knitting powers (or maybe one of you knitting experts will tell me that actually it's really easy and I shouldn't be so easily impressed?
http://bencuevas.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/img_9373.jpg?w=518&h=776
From an artpiece called Transcending the Material by Ben Cuevas.

i think any one of us *could* knit all those parts if given a pattern but it would be the biggest pain in the ass. especially those tiny little teeth and the vertebrae. i think the design & assembly is the impressive part. like how does one decide where to begin when knitting a skull, idk

omg that skeleton is AWESOME!

Harbl, really, stranded knitting in the round is DEAD EASY! I am just afraid of steeks. But I am gonna start that sweater. Finish? Who knows. lol.

skeleton is really amazing.

my knitting never looks perfect u_U

I am making some socks for my husband's stepdad – Jesus Christ, I swear this is the last time I make fingering weight socks for a man.

they
never
end

I decided to Just Keep Knitting the tops of the pair of toe up socks I started last April, to see how tall they would get before the skeins ran out. I'm still working on them - so boringzzzzzzzzz. But I am finally ribbing the cuff.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4126/5197484727_b9bff8d79a.jpg

Behold my Merry Go Round hat. I didn't do it intarsia wise, the crown. Fuck intarsia. But for the rest this was a breeze. A bit too easy, so I made some mistakes cause I was so absent minded. lolol

Also, love top down knitting. I made Shalom which is worn with much pleasure by MOI. Doing one from Cathy Carron's book. The pics frm the book are horrendous but I love the designs. Sadly this stockinette shit is boring the fuck out of me. Yep, I even start swearing. lol

i am always, always impressed by your knitting, nath

My youngest daughter as well: she demanded one for herself. So I cast on a second one (slightly smaller).

Oh sorry, I want to say: thanks! But I am merely the executor, it's the designer who has to be thanked. :-)

:)

Top down knitting is the best. For the first time in my knitting experience I am knitting things that fit well. It's amazing. And no seaming! You can cast-off and wear immediately! I've just used various formulas you can find online, but I've recently invested in this book which I'd also recommend. It has all the formulas, and covers top-down constructions with set-in sleeves and even saddle sleeves.

I want to make a nice yoke jumper - I bought the Paper Dolls pattern on ravelry, but this 'bottom-up' thing? Meh, meh and more meh. And the designer is THIN and there is a lot of feedback that the pattern is also TOO THIN. Also on this list is the cityscape cardigan. Steeks! I want steeks!

However, I am knitting another Laura Chau project on 2.75mm needles which is likely to take the rest of my life, so I won't buy another pattern for a while. IT WILL BE WORTH IT WHEN I AM FINISHED. Just in time for the Royal Wedding...

Katie M on 29 April
http://www.elizabethannedesigns.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/knitted_wed.jpg

yeah, that city scape thing rules! i also love twist collective. they have some great things!

my teacher dislikes top down because the stitches are upside down. *siiiiiiiiiigh*

i absolutely do not understand how to crochet. i know this is a knitting thread, but it applies because i was trying to learn to crochet embellishments for a knitting project :/

Ugh I tried to learn to crochet and it was awful. You need better manual dexterity than you do for knitting imo

Crochet isn't difficult, but if you try to learn with complicated stuff, it's difficult to learn. I tried learning repeatedly since about 2000, and I only got as far as a simple single crochet stitch. And that's handy, for doing a neat border on knitting sometimes.

And then I found a dishcloth pattern a couple of years ago that was one stitch. The pattern has a link to the YouTube video for doing half double crochet stitch:

http://www.designspongeonline.com/2009/03/diy-wednesdays-crocheted-cotton-dish-scrubbers.html

Since you're doing the same thing, you get used to it and it becomes much easier. And you learn about which stitches to work to avoid unintentional decreases and the like. When you make mistakes, it's much easier to rip back a few stitches than it is with knitting.

And crochet is really, satisfyingly fast. I'm a reasonably fast knitter, but crochet is naturally much faster. This was my first crochet project, made in an appropriately ugly color to please my grandmother:

http://images4.ravelry.com/uploads/juliaa/7399621/warshcloths_medium2.jpg

those are beautiful