Knitting - help and advice super thread!

looksee

I have a wooden ironing board which was made for me (in Kenya!) over 40 years ago. The top is rather wider than standard boards and it is covered with a random assortment of fabric and blanket which gets changed every few years. It is very suitable for pinning both dressmaking and knitting to the top with angled pins and then steaming/blocking/pressing is easy. Admittedly not everyone has this facility, but that's my secret, no special kit at all! (My eldest daughter has claimed that she is to inherit the board, its still in perfect condition and solid as a rock, so she might even get it!)

duckling10

ABajaninCork wrote: »

I always have problems with space when blocking my pieces before making up.

I've seen a blocking kit (mat, pins, etc.) on eBay for £22. Seems like quite a lot to me, but wanted to ask:

Are these kits worth it?
What's the easiest way to block? I don't have the space (or the patience!) to pin out the damp pieces and wait for them to dry.

Can you share any tips with me, please?7

TIA

I see some people use the foamy ABC jigsaw floor mats that you can get in toy shops, or maybe you have one in a cupboard somewhere?
easy to use, and then when you're done, easy to put away...

LoonyLovegood

My American housemate is the one who showed me how to block properly, I just do it on a towel. Lay the garment down, pin into shape, spray with water, leave to dry.

cofy

For blocking I use an old matress from my sons cot. When the garment is pinned I just stand it up in the hot press.

kandr10

I never blocked my things before!! I'll add that to the list of things to get better at. Does it make a big difference?

janmaree

I've heard of using large sheets of styrofoam board, you see the white sheets of it being applied when a house is being built. It's a clumsy size but very light and easy to push pins into, I guess it could be stored under a bed when not in use. I don't really block things either unless it's fine thread crochet and then it's a must or the pattern doesn't show to best advantage.

LoonyLovegood

One thing it's made a massive difference to is my beekeepers blanket. I'm not stuffing the hexipuffs, and blocking makes them so much nicer.

tea and cake

Hi,
I'm a beginner knitter. I am just starting this sirdar baby blanket pattern 1903.
The pattern says to cast on 3 stitches(this bit I can do!) and
row 1- yfwd, k3.
Row 2-yfwd, k4 and the pattern continues like this. While I know what yfwd is I'm not sure how to do this stitch at the start? I can do it if I k1 and then do yfwd,I'm just a little confused.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

ABajaninCork

Sounds as though you're making a blanket corner up. The yfwd will in fact increase the stitches. Are you doing this pattern every row, or are you purling alternate rows? Post up the pattern, and we can take a look...

tea and cake

ABajaninCork wrote: »

Sounds as though you're making a blanket corner up. The yfwd will in fact increase the stitches. Are you doing this pattern every row, or are you purling alternate rows? Post up the pattern, and we can take a look...

Thanks for the reply!
The pattern looks like this...

tea and cake

It's ok,I figured it out!!Thanks so much for your help!ðŸ˜႒

duckling10

ABajaninCork wrote: »

I always have problems with space when blocking my pieces before making up.

I've seen a blocking kit (mat, pins, etc.) on eBay for £22. Seems like quite a lot to me, but wanted to ask:



TIA

just adding that I was in Aldi today and, for 19.99euro, they have packs of 6 large foam pieces that make a floor mat, each one of the pieces are large enough to use as a blocking mat, so one pack could be shared between 2 or 3 knitters. (6 pieces for 19.99 altogether)
And the pieces have small circular holes in them, which would also help the damp knitted piece to dry.
Apparently blocking really does help to get a knitted item into the right shape and size, and is very important if one knits lace.

kandr10

Great idea on the foam mats! Thanks.
Can I ask, if you have, say a sleeve, that's all curled up at the edges, would you press it first and then block it or just block it?

LoonyLovegood

Just block it, and then see if it needs pressing afterwards

Gatica

duckling10 wrote: »

just adding that I was in Aldi today and, for 19.99euro, they have packs of 6 large foam pieces that make a floor mat, each one of the pieces are large enough to use as a blocking mat, so one pack could be shared between 2 or 3 knitters. (6 pieces for 19.99 altogether)
And the pieces have small circular holes in them, which would also help the damp knitted piece to dry.
Apparently blocking really does help to get a knitted item into the right shape and size, and is very important if one knits lace.

LOL! I was just pulling up the thread to put up this exact info! I picked up the mats in Aldi for blocking - not realising they were 20 quid til I was up at the til, I dunno, I just assumed they'd be cheap like everything else in Aldi, i.e. about a 5er, in any case, I didn't want to put it back then and got em anyway. However they'll be handy for blocking a shawl I'm knitting at the mo as I can't see any other items at home being large enough.

kandr10 wrote: »

Great idea on the foam mats! Thanks.
Can I ask, if you have, say a sleeve, that's all curled up at the edges, would you press it first and then block it or just block it?

I just uncurled the edge of a cardigan on Sunday. I used some muslin to cover it (bought it in Mothercare and following instructions for the wool yarn, used setting 2 on the iron) then with the steam on ironed over the muslin and it stretched out the curled up edge really nicely for me.

wmpdd3

I use an old changing Mat too, it lives under the bed!

I have a wool acrylic mix scarf, 20 / 80 , and it will not lay flat, I have blocked it twice with steam, then wet it and left it for 48 hrs, still it curls, what's the next level of blocking?

janmaree

Would your scarf lend itself to being folded in half and stitched up? It would be narrower of course but narrow scarves seem to be very popular these days, judging by all my pattern browsing! Just a thought because it seems you've done what you can already.

Gatica

From what I understand natural fibres "relax" when soaked and lend themselves to being reshaped, i.e. blocked. I'm guessing then in that case that unnatural or acrylic fibres won't cooperate as well.
If your blend is only 20% wool, then I would suppose that the 80% here is the uncooperative type of fibre that would be difficult to force into a different shape after knitting. I stand to be corrected by someone more expertly though...

LoonyLovegood

Well the steaming works for 100% acrylic items...Maybe pin it, spray it with water, let it dry and see how it goes?

Gatica

ok, then how about curling it in the opposite direction?

duckling10

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I use an old changing Mat too, it lives under the bed!

I have a wool acrylic mix scarf, 20 / 80 , and it will not lay flat, I have blocked it twice with steam, then wet it and left it for 48 hrs, still it curls, what's the next level of blocking?

good idea, changing mats are available fairly cheaply in some discount stores I think. Guineys, Dealz, maybe....

re your scarf, I wonder why it is curling? And in what way does it curl? Could it be the dreaded Stocking stitch Curl?
Stocking stitch is notorious for curling inwards along the sides of a knitted piece. Blocking and pressing probably won't remove the curl permanently, it will curl again, especially when washed. The curl doesn't matter when the pieces are to be sewn together, eg, jumper back to jumper front, as the fact that the pieces are then sewn together will prevent the curl from expressing itself.
But in a scarf, there is nothing to stop the curl. If this is the reason, you could knit a garter stitch band around the sides of the scarf, by picking up stitches, and knitting etc, or knit a band separately and sew it on.
To avoid the problem from the beginning, one can incorporate a garter stitch edge in a scarf, maybe 4 to 6 sts at each edge knitted KNIT every row.
Sorry if this does not address your problem, and/or if you know all this already and I am insulting your intelligence!:)
liz

wmpdd3

Yeah, its the stocking knit curl. I knitted it on the machine so I'd have had to do the garter stitch by hand on the edges and I didn't.

I always do when I hand knit and it sorts the edges.

I'll try once more, I'll wash it and then pin it for 48 hr s after that, I'll rip it back and start again.

Lesson learned.

ABajaninCork

How much are the changing mats in Guiney's? I'm bidding on some of those foam tiles that kids use on eBay and also thinking of getting some t-pins but they're hard to come by in Cork City. Any idea where I could get some without paying a bloody fortune in postage for them?

wmpdd3

Bit left field, but:

There was a jigsaw in tesco playschool section that was 26 foam mats, it was reduced to €4 about 2 months ago, you might be lucky in Mahon or Douglas.

like this one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/alphabet-playmat

I cant use t-pins with the changing mat, only straight dressmakers pins, the plastic cover is too tough.

duckling10

what about searching online on adverts.ie or donedeal.ie for secondhand foam mat/camping mat/changing mat?
or searching the local charity shops for the mats secondhand?
personally that would suit me, I know I can give them a wipe with something like hot water and a splash of Dettol or Fairy liquid, before I use them, so I wouldn't be worried.
but everyone to their own, of course!

duckling10

ABajaninCork wrote: »

How much are the changing mats in Guiney's? I'm bidding on some of those foam tiles that kids use on eBay and also thinking of getting some t-pins but they're hard to come by in Cork City. Any idea where I could get some without paying a bloody fortune in postage for them?

At the weekend i saw a foam hopscotch mat for sale in Tesco Limerick (Roxboro) for 6.99euro. It has 10 tiles in the pack, each tile was just about 12inches square,so 10 sq ft of foam mats, which I would presume can be made up in whatever shape you want, not just Hopscotch.
There are foam rollable camping mats in Aldi (I think, or was it Lidl) coming in next week or so , for 6.99. Another option, maybe, but maybe the mats would roll too much, even when spread out flat?

Pandalaura

Hi,

I'm hoping to knit a throw for a double bed in moss stitch. Does anyone know of any good patterns to follow or have any advice?

Thanks

Pandalaura

tea and cake wrote: »

Hi,
I'm a beginner knitter. I am just starting this sirdar baby blanket pattern 1903.
The pattern says to cast on 3 stitches(this bit I can do!) and
row 1- yfwd, k3.
Row 2-yfwd, k4 and the pattern continues like this. While I know what yfwd is I'm not sure how to do this stitch at the start? I can do it if I k1 and then do yfwd,I'm just a little confused.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Tea and cake I'm also doing this blanket!!!
It looks lovely when you get four leaves together

wmpdd3

Pandalaura wrote: »

Hi,

I'm hoping to knit a throw for a double bed in moss stitch. Does anyone know of any good patterns to follow or have any advice?

Thanks

:0 buy a machine!

I guess you will be working in sections, the size of which depends on the needles you want to use, personally I'd knit 12 inch square panels, at 6ft by 6 ft thats 36 panels.

I think any bigger and you'd struggle ot maintain tension. Have you costed the yarn? After spending so long knitting something like that I'd want it to last a lifetime so research how the yarn wears, I'd but a ball and knit a sample and wash it a few times.

Gatica

Pandalaura wrote: »

Hi,

I'm hoping to knit a throw for a double bed in moss stitch. Does anyone know of any good patterns to follow or have any advice?

Thanks

I saw this one on Ravelry and just fell in love with it!
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/beehivewoolshop/fabulous-winter-white-blanket - No pattern unfortunately...

There are some other though if you're willing to trawl through their gazillion patterns:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/search#craft=knitting&view=captioned_thumbs&query=blanket&availability=free&sort=best&pc=throw|other-blanket (filtered by throw and other under blanket, free knitting patterns)

This one looks quite simple: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/divine-throw