Posted by itzie on 2006-10-23 01:11:15
Post Subject: Can anyone explain/find this type of yarn?
Hi - I am looking to do this really cute pillow made with giant yarn, but don't understand knitting terminology very well. (on page 85 of "the home guide to Craft") - can anyone explain it to me or show me some on the internet?
Posted by Muddymay on 2007-11-19 14:02:22
Post Subject: Felt Help, please!
This will be the first time felting for me. I feel confident in the actual process. Tried it by hand (rubbed it briskly under hot running water) last night with a small swatch so i got an idea of what I was doing. It went over really well. So I got some great chunky green wool yarn today and want to knit a "beanie" hat on size 15 needles. So my question is how do I figure out how many stitches? This weekend I started and finished 2 hats on those same needles same thickness of yarn, I started with 46 stitches and that fits mine and my boyfriends head perfectly. (Had done another one at 50 and it was slightly baggy.)
Sooooo how do I figure this out?
Posted by goddesshanna on 2006-12-27 17:09:48
Post Subject:
cables show up best on yarn with good stitch definition. generally a good smooth wool yarn shows them off best. don't worry about using a bulky yarn, it'll look just as good but big. you definitely want to consider your yarn when you get a cable needle since they come in all sorts of materials (and shapes) and metal might be too slippery and fall out.
Posted by mandyrberry on 2005-10-20 12:50:53
Post Subject: stinky yarn?
I got a box of wool yarn on ebay for a song and was so excited to get it. untill i opened it. It smells like 25 year old smoke filled room. Do i just let it air out for a while, wash it in wool wash now, or after i knit it up?
it is so stinky
mandy
Posted by h_pets360 on 2006-08-10 14:26:03
Post Subject:
"She won't teach you unless you're using 100% wool yarn (it doesn't matter to her if you're allergic). She actually berated one of her student in front of the whole class for not using 100% wool yarn."
Not only is that ridiculous snobbery, it's s-t-u-p-i-d. So there. Sometimes you need a non-wool yarn. Grrrr. Esp with the allergies bit.
I read this knitting book that had some pretty neat ideas in it. But there's bits that I hated. She delves into these stories about how awesome she is, how in tune with nature or how inately talented she is. and she wrote how she can't stand to have anything but natural materials near her because they feel irritating to her hands. Some wonderful man-made yarns are ridiculously soft, and for someone to disdain them just because they're not made out of cute little goat belly fur is ridiculous.
Posted by jera on 2007-02-11 17:49:05
Post Subject:
I have seen crochet blankets at the thrift store as well,and have also found bags of yarn too. Also Tuesday Mornings sometimes has bags of yarn like 8 to 10 skeins for $5. At Gardenridge I got 100% wool yarn for like 25 cents. I look high and low for deals on yarn. Garage and estate sales are also a good place.
Posted by Craftasaurus Rex on 2006-08-09 10:02:26
Post Subject:
I've been avoiding the two major yarn shops in Philly, Rosies and Sophies, because I've heard a lot of snobbery goes on there. I had a friend who went to a knitting circle at one of them, and they didn't say one word to her. Not even "hey, welcome!" And forget it if you bring something to crochet, or if you have acrylic yarn.
There's also a teacher in my area that a lot of people go to for lessons, but she's a TOTAL snob. She won't teach you unless you're using 100% wool yarn (it doesn't matter to her if you're allergic). She actually berated one of her student in front of the whole class for not using 100% wool yarn.
Sorry, this is a bit off topic, but the snobbery thing is something that really puts me off to shopping in yarn stores.
I work in a bead / yarn store in south Jersey, and sometimes it's the customers that bring in the snobbery ("I don't need any help, I've been knitting for 15 years thank you").
Posted by chromegrrrl on 2006-08-15 02:37:25
Post Subject:
There's also a teacher in my area that a lot of people go to for lessons, but she's a TOTAL snob. She won't teach you unless you're using 100% wool yarn (it doesn't matter to her if you're allergic). She actually berated one of her student in front of the whole class for not using 100% wool yarn.
I love wool and I am so happy with wool, but that attitude is itchier than the itchiest nastiest rug Aunt Lydia's rug yarn-- that woman is a blight. The yarn snob thing should be good, fun, tongue in cheek-- a nicer yarn can encourage a frustrated new knitter or perk up a pair of tired old hands-- but yarn (or yarn snobbery) should never ever be used for evil; to make people feel bad for being allergic, or frugal, or having moral reasons for not purchasing a particular kind of yarn.
Personally I'm only distressed by yarn choices only when they are mine and it does make me sad that some people are allergic to wool (or rather engineered by nature to enjoy silk or cotton or ramie or something else totally delicious and touchable)
I like the Yarn Garden in Portland OR, and Have You Any Wool in Salem OR-- both places are fun and the staff are nice and helpful and child friendly (important because the other knitter in the house is a 9 year old boy)
Posted by cannibalsandwich on 2005-01-28 13:49:00
Post Subject:
If you want it to be washable, you may have to stick with synthetics. You could also pre-shrink/felt the wool yarn you have in hot hot water, but it may shrink a little more later.
The nylon lace that comes packaged as bias tape would be neat used as beading string.
Posted by brown-eyed-girl on 2004-12-20 16:42:04
Post Subject: Dye Your Own Yarn?
Anyone out there dye your own yarn? Know anyone who does? I have the opportunity to purchase a large lot of high quality wool yarn that felts wonderfully for a white yarn, but the real draw to the yarn is that it can be dyed and used as well. I'm trying to get a feel for how many dye-it-yourselfers are out there before I dedicate the space and money on this stuff for my shop. Any thoughts?
Posted by Heliotrope on 2004-11-12 11:05:39
Post Subject: Hiring someone to knit a project for me?
Advice needed!
I want to make a cool wool throw for my couch, but I've never learned how to knit. So, I was thinking of putting up a sign in my local knitting shop to see if I could hire someone to figure out a pattern for and knit my design.
The design is fairly simple...just a roughly 30" by 60" rectangle (ideally with a long fringe on both short ends) with a geometric shape in a contrasting color in the middle...so I'm wondering how difficult this would be and roughly how long it might take someone to make it, since I have no clue. I can spend no more than $150 or so on this, so I'm wondering it's a realistic/feasible idea, or if I should just give up and go buy a throw...
I don't even have any idea how much yarn this would require and how much good wool yarn costs! Can anyone give me any feedback on cost of materials, amount of labor involved, how much it would be fair to pay someone for the labor, etc??
Posted by stella on 2004-12-10 21:11:15
Post Subject:
you can get good felting wool yarn for way cheaper than Landscapes, but you'll have to go to a real yarn store. Landscapes is usually $5.99 for 50-gram ball around here, and you can pick up a 100 gram ball of Nature Spun or the like for the same price.
i do like Landscapes, though. i made a cute hat for my baby cousin with it. i didn't felt it.
Posted by neodruse2 on 2008-02-13 00:33:27
Post Subject: felting big crochet project?
Hi - I found your posts doing a google search for info about felting and crochet.
I''m interested in experimenting with some 100% wool yarn I have. I am planning on creating a blanket using crochet and then ''felting'' it. I was wondering if anyone had done something like this and if there were any precautions I should take when washing it in a front loader? I remember reading somewhere that sometimes the filter in the washer can get clogged. . . . .
Posted by Nancy Flynn on 2005-03-04 16:42:39
Post Subject:
i love acrylic! i agree with athena about lion brand being very nice-- soft and not itchy and comes in good colors. i like acrylic for small projects like hats, mittens etc.
however, if i was investing a lot of time into making a sweater etc. I would probably invest in proper wool yarn.
