Oh, wow Helena! That looks like something I’d buy in a department store. ooOOoohhh
I think I meant single crocheting, Hello Again. Getting my terms mixed up. Where you crochet a row, flip the work and crochet another row alongside it, using the holes from the row you just stitched.
But I have to say… KNITTING, WUT? I found a really good video for how to cast on with both needles. In less than half an hour, I learned how to cast on and casted on a row of 35 stitches. I think I’m going to go with the knitting for right now, since it seems more simple (you only have to count once, at the beginning of a project, instead of every single row) and more structured. I’m aware that there are great consequences for dropped stitches, though
This is so exciting! I’m going to learn the knit stitch next, then a garter stitch. All aboard the train to Scarfytown… toot toot!
Some people “take” to knitting or crochet, more one than the other.
IMHO, knitting is FAR more complicated and difficult (two sticks… plus string… wait I only have two hands!?) but that’s only my opinion. I had people tell me they can’t crochet because it’s too difficult, while I find it to be dead easy so… clearly its a personal thing.
Unfortunately you can’t knit socks on standard straight needles. You need double pointed needles (DPNs) or circulars. People tell me its easy, but I’m an utter failure at knitting my attempt went about like you’d expect.
Either way, rock out with your crafty self!! They are both wonderful skills to have and hobbies to pursue.
I love making socks, and always have a pair going, and they’re not as hard as you think – but they’re not super easy, either. Make a few scarves, maybe a simple sweater, before you tackle them.
Yeah… as soon as you’re comfortable with knitting back and forth, learn to knit in the round because OMG NO PURLING!!! And once you can do that, you’re ready to tackle socks. If you use a toe-up, short-row-heel recipe, there are really only two new things for you to master to make a sock:
The Turkish cast on, which is the fastest easiest cast-on in existence and ideal for toe-up socks, and
Short rows, for knitting the heel. Now, short rows are like riding a bicycle, it does take a while to figure out, but once you’ve got it it’s cake.
For your future reference, my recipe for socks that always fit my size 8.5 female feet* is:
1.25mm circular needles (2, I use two circs for knitting in the round)
Standard sock yarn
Turkish cast on 14 sts to both needles, knit one round to secure.
(K1, Kfb, k across to last 2 sts, Kfb, K1) on both needles on every round till you have 22 sts on each needle
(K one row, repeat increase row above) on both needles till you have 32 sts on each needle
K till sock’s foot is within 2 inches of your heel
Transfer 2 sts from each end of one needle onto the other; work heel on needle with 36 sts
Knit wrapped short rows back & forth till you have 12 free sts, then increase wrapped short rows
Re-distribute sts evenly on needles
K till cuff is as long as you like; I knit till it’s even with the toe when I fold the sock in half, then add about 1.5 inches of K2P2 ribbing
Cast off, weave in ends
Sock!
With a standard weight sock yarn like Lang, Jawoll, Regia or Pattons. Some sock yarns like Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock are thinner and need more sts while several like Shelridge Farms Soft Touch Ultra and Blue Moon Fiber Arts lightweight are thicker, and need only 28 sts on each needle.
I knit socks with superwash yarn that has nylon content. I have so many that I wear them exclusively all winter. Care isn’t too bad–I have a lingerie bag hanging by my hamper and they go into that, then the bag goes into the washer. I then hang them to dry instead of putting them through the dryer.
Welcome to the world of fiber arts! I started out teaching myself how to crochet because that’s what my Mom did when I was a kid. I made lots of scarves and hats but kept longing to learn how to knit because I wanted socks and sweaters too (I know you can make those with crochet but I like the look of knit sweaters more). I was baffled for the longest time by the two sticks and string and making stitches. There’s no hook! How do you make stitches? But with the help of a LYS and you tube videos I finally got the hang of knitting and never looked back. I’ve knit socks and scarves and hats and shawls and shrugs and plan on moving on to sweaters now. I think I still prefer crochet for blankets though, it just seems easier and much more practical to crochet a blanket rather than carrying the whole weight of a blanket around on your needles.
Sounds like you’re a natural since it feels good to you instead of frustrating. I think knitting is harder but like others are saying, it feels different to different folks. Just remember, yarn and books are like potato chips…it’s hard to stop at just one.
I just bought some yarn yesterday for the first time in a loooong time. If I can see the durn thing, I’m going to make my older bro and SIL an afghan for Christmas. It’s a super easy pattern: Q hook, using double strands, single crochet in BACK loop—makes them really soft. (It’s called a Waterfall.) I was wondering how I’d see the end of the rows now but your all’s tip on using paper clips has got that solved, I think.
I’d never heard of raverly before and have sent in my sign-up request.
I’ve got a shopping bag full of crochet thread that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to use. I’d be willing to trade/give away, whatever. Hate to see it not go to use. I’d been making miniature bowl & pitchers, vases and such and was planning on making tiny flower petals. Any suggestions on what I can do with it? (I’m so glad this isn’t the Pit; I’ve just left myself wide open to several options. lol)
Congratulations on finding a relaxing, satisfying hobby. Yarn lovers are cool.
Once you’re on Ravelry there are a lot of charity groups you can donate to. There are also for sale/trade groups and even groups specifically for fans of thread crochet where you might be more likely than average to find someone interested. (there’s even a SDMB group, though it isn’t very active). Another option is to call around to local community centers - someone might have a community handwork program eager for donations.
Is this a pattern for Lion Brand Homespun? If yes, I’ve seen the pattern - very pretty! I like the ridgey look you get with back loop only. Even with a big hook an afghan is a big project! You’re so sweet to do this for your bro and SIL.
Hello, Hello Again. lol Yep, you’re exactly right—Homespun. It was one of the easier patterns I’d ever used so thought I’d break myself back in with that one. I remember it as being really fast. Better be! But having a deadline means I’ll keep at it. Looked thru the site a little, listened to the tutorial. Heard about trading etc. and I hadn’t thought about calling around locally; that’s a good idea. Have to exchange the yarn tomorrow—not the exact shade I wanted. Itching to get started today but maybe I should clean a little since I’m gonna be busy for awhile…ty you all so much for the ravelry link.
Knitting scares the beewhoobies out of me too. But I started crocheting about six months ago and jumped right into amigurumi, so I’m naturally attracted to itty bitty circular knit projects, which apparently require FOUR double-pointed needles and at least one extra appendage. No, nuh-uh, no way. Except… I really really wanna learn how to make these. Hnngh.
Aw man! I don’t have any more room in my stash for this. I’m all about super cheap acrylics, but I’d love to get some really nice natural fiber or blends on clearance or discount just to try them out.
Maybe I can squeeze in a few more skeins. Yarn is compressible.
Ergonomic hooks are the shizz. I was reluctant to try them at first, but after breaking my E and F hooks I broke down and got a Clover E hook with an ergonomic handle and rubber thumb grip. It’s much more comfortable and shows no signs of bending, since the stress point is deep inside the handle instead of at the thinner flattened thumb grip of a standard hook. I’ve never worked with anything bigger than a G hook though, and they look pretty sturdy once you get past 5mm, so maybe it’s not that much of a problem unless you crochet like you’re braiding rawhide (like yours truly – sometimes I have to run a tapestry needle through my single crochet stitches to open them up enough to get the hook in.)
Investing in a set of hooks isn’t a bad idea either. Having a wide range of hooks immediately available lets you switch sizes out easily, especially if you’re having gauge issues, and just having extra hooks available can be a prompt to try new techniques out. I never had any thought to doing Irish crochet (or anything with crochet thread at all) until I happened to see some really striking patterns online, and since I had all these teeny-weeny steel hooks handy, I could just jump right in. If I knew then what I know now, I’d probably have laid down the cash for a full set of Clover Soft Touch hooks, but I went with a Boye Crochet Master steel and aluminum set instead, which have worked out pretty well so far. (I’d also have invested in some cotton crochet thread instead of using up all my embroidery floss, but that’s another story. :smack:)
ETA: I just got my first Addi Swing (a shaped ergonomic hook) and I am definitely loving it.
ETA: and then when you figure out how to unravel thrift store sweaters, the world’s your oyster for fancy yarn on a budget. (google unravel sweater" you’ll find a number of tutorials)
My girlfriend and I once quickly drove away from lover’s lane. When I walked around the car to open her door, there was a bloody crochet hook hanging on the handle.
I’m a knitter who has slowly moved from being more or less afraid of crochet, to kinda wishing I knew how, but always having too many knit projects on the needles to spare any time to struggle with crochet.
Socks aren’t hard. I personally like top down ones, rather than toe-up ones. And often err on the side of slightly too complicated lace, rather than simple rib.
And I usually knit socks on dpns.
And because I spend too much time on Ravelry, have recently(ish) started started spinning, and dabbling in dyeing. I’m still at the toss the yarn (or knit object) in the pot with Kool-Aid stage of dyeing, but I can see the lure of more complicated stuff . . .
I appreciate the sock advice, although I have no idea how to read pattern notation yet. It’ll be a couple months (and several pairs of new needles!) before I get that far, probably.
Knitting really just makes sense to me. I do kinda feel like a dumbass because I’m so O_o about crocheting… but but, crocheting is just hard. Knitting is just easy. (People are weird!)
So far, I just know the knit stitch (I plan to add one new stitch per project), and I like the two-needle cast-on best of all the ones I tried. Last night I made a few rows for practice, and noticed I was accidentally gaining 1 stitch per row. Couldn’t figure out why, until I read about some common beginning knitters’ pitfalls. I figured out that I was accidentally counting the loop at the start of a new row as a stitch, and fixed the problem.
So I ripped out the practice stitches and started fresh today. Annnd, this is the start of my 30-stitch wide garter-stitched scarf. It represents about 2.5 hours of work. No dropped stitches yet, knock on wood! But there’s still a very long way to go. It’s not perfect, but I hope to fringe it and hide the rough edges. Overall, it’s a **much **more awesome accomplishment than I expected as a complete novice. I just hope 180 yards of yarn is enough to make a full scarf. Otherwise I’m going to have to worry about buying a new skein that matches, and this was the last of its color on the sale rack.
I suppose I can see the argument that knitting vs. crocheting is a matter of which just “calls” to you. But I don’t see any reason why someone can’t succeed at knitting if they really want to, by watching the videos I linked (they are superb). I mean, I went from knowing absolutely NOTHING about knitting to cranking out 2 inches of work, in less than 24 hours. Unless you’re a southpaw, then it might be harder
Homespun is awesome! I just made a knitted afghan for a friend’s baby shower. Friend’s 3 year old daughter has insisted on sleeping with it ever since! I don’t think the baby’s getting a look in on that one. Its just so soft and snuggly.
If you run out of that shade, you could just pick out a complimentary color and add to either end. Also, if you slip the first stitch of every row (put the needle through the loop, don’t knit it, just slide it to the right hand needle) your edges will be a bit smoother.
I do have some black and a bright blue, which wouldn’t be horrible if this skein runs out early. How would one go about adding stitches to the beginning (the cast-on side) of a completed piece of work? I haven’t looked up how to do that yet.
Also, thanks for the slip-stitch advice. They recommended doing either that or super-tightening the first stitch on a knittinghelp.com video. I decided to try super-tightening them (because the concept of skipping stitches makes me nervous), but it doesn’t appear to be working.
You’re not really “skipping” the stitch, it’s just a different type of stitch. And as for adding onto the beginning, you would “pick up” a stitch in every cast on stitch. The easiest way to do that is with a crochet hook. Hold the end in front of you and put your hook into the first cast on stitch. Slide it onto your knitting needle, and repeat with remaining stitches. Then attach your yarn and knit as usual. There are probably sites that can explain better that I can, but it won’t be difficult. Good luck! And make sure to add pictures when you finish as well
I’m going to learn the knit stitch next, then a garter stitch. All aboard the train to Scarfytown… toot toot!
