Clueless at the LYS

[auntiem]

I like the sock yarn that makes patterns for you - that I'll pay for since I hate doing intarsa and the thought of doing it on DPN makes me cringe.
I'll confess that at 60% off I "saved" myself $97 - but I do have enough yarn to finish all my xmas presents and then some.
I went on the last day when it was 70% off and it was a zoo! A polite(ish) zoo, but a zoo none the less. I ended up not getting anything because most of what was left was that crazy eyelash and goofy yarn.

Erin - try knitty.com for directions on the figure 8 cast on - once you get the hang of it it rocks! That way you can knit toe up and not worry about running out of yarn.

I have some yarn that can be dyed before or after knitting and I'm considering knitting socks then dying them with Kool Aid as an experiment.

[Bella_Vixen]

I've heard conflicting reports about whether socks were the easiest or the hardest things to knit.

::

[myswtghst]

I have some yarn that can be dyed before or after knitting and I'm considering knitting socks then dying them with Kool Aid as an experiment.

Just a heads up, when I dyed my hair with Kool Aid, it tended to run whenever it got wet or washed, though it did make a lovely cherry smell whenever I blow-dried it. I'd recommend RIT, or other actual fabric dye.

[Shabo]

Just a heads up, when I dyed my hair with Kool Aid, it tended to run whenever it got wet or washed, though it did make a lovely cherry smell whenever I blow-dried it. I'd recommend RIT, or other actual fabric dye.

You will get better color that lasts longer if you use regular fabric dye, but Kool-aid can be used as well. The difference between dying hair and dying fiber is that when you dye fiber, you can use a dye set chemical that will prolong the color.

And if anyone is looking for yarns (or dyes) in the greater Boston area, my mom sells a few, and she can spin custom yarns if you have fibers you want to make into yarn. (I'm still working on her website though, so for now, we'll have to limit to the Boston area.)

[Severen13]

YARN!!

I knit and crochet. You can never have enough yarn. I admit that I'm something of a yarn-whore

There are no yarn stores close to me, only specialty yarn shops that sell stuff like cashmere yarn from Uraguay for $50.00 a skein. So I have to order online, or buy up a stash when I go visit my family. I bought $250.00 in yarn on my last visit.

[auntiem]

I've heard conflicting reports about whether socks were the easiest or the hardest things to knit.

::

In the beginning it is like wrestling a hedgehog trying to knit on double point needles, but once you get the hang of it - it is very addicting! I have more than a dozen sock patterns bookmarked as we speak. Bonus - if you give a knit scarf to someone they may say "neat" but if you give them socks you knit by hand - they think you are magic!

[Shabo]

Well, yeah...

But scarves are a heck of a lot easier to knit!

[Reyneth]

Well, yeah...

But scarves are a heck of a lot easier to knit!

Ok then, can you help me?

My mom has "hired" me to knit scarves for her fellow teachers for Christmas. I raided the JoAnn's clearance section Monday night and came away with (novelty) yarn for $.97 a ball! But there's enough for TWELVE scarves! Good lord almighty I'm never going to be done in time!

[Shabo]

Ok then, can you help me?

My mom has "hired" me to knit scarves for her fellow teachers for Christmas. I raided the JoAnn's clearance section Monday night and came away with (novelty) yarn for $.97 a ball! But there's enough for TWELVE scarves! Good lord almighty I'm never going to be done in time!

How many scarves do you need to do? I like to knit while I'm watching TV. It makes the knitting go by faster, as long as you have a mindless pattern going where you don't need to count stitches too closely. Plus it gives me something productive to do while I'm sitting on my toosh. There's plenty of good scarf patterns that you can do. Do you want to make them all different or all the same? Are you looking to do stripes or just one color per scarf?

[Banrion]

Shabo, where in the Boston area are you, and do you teach people how to knit?? I have been wanting to learn to knit for a while, but no one I know does it. Now, I am 4 days into quitting smoking and really need entertainment for my hands. If you prefer, you can PM me.

[tollbaby]

Easiest way to make a large number of scarves in a short time period is this: buy bulky/chunky yarn, size 15 needles, cast on 12-18 stitches, depending how wide you want the scarf, and just do garter stitch all the way through (knit on both sides). If you use one of those nifty textured yarns, it will look a lot fancier (the kinds with thicker & thinner bits, or with fuzzy bits on them... the eyelash stuff is a PITA to knit with, so don't choose it for a quickie project you have a deadline for).

With one ball of chunky yarn, you can make a scarf in an evening or two (takes about 2 hours, all told). I made one for my aunt last Christmas that I started on Christmas eve

[Erin]

YARN!!

I knit and crochet. You can never have enough yarn. I admit that I'm something of a yarn-whore

There are no yarn stores close to me, only specialty yarn shops that sell stuff like cashmere yarn from Uraguay for $50.00 a skein.

I learned to crochet first. (been crocheting since I was 6, I'm now 38)

Crochet is what keeps me sane, and keeps me from killing people.

I only learned to knit about a year ago. I had a vision problem (went half blind about a week after I figured out how to knit) and then decided that I needed a challenge and knitted a scarf, in the dark (I had to sit in my bedroom with most of the lights turned out) It's an ugly scarf, but I like it.

So for the past year, I've been using my scrap stash while learning new knitting techniques. I've made lots of swatches...and about 3 more scarves.

I'm lucky that I have about 20yrs of scrap built up (didnt start my yarn stash till I was in my late teens) and then I have both of my grandmother's stashes too. (maternal grandma was more into the expensive stuff, so I've not dipped into her stash much) and I also lucked out and got my paternal grandmother's pattern stash. I just have to figure out my grandmother's code for her slipper pattern she created. She didnt write patterns out in the normal way, so I've been trying to deconstruct a lone slipper to figure out her pattern and trying to compare it to her handwritten "pattern" for the slipper. I wish I had gotten her to teach me the slipper pattern.

[Tutorgal]

I taught myself to knit using this website: www.knittinghelp.com

It is absolutely fantastic. She puts up video close ups of herself demonstrating just about anything in the world you could possibly do regarding knitting. Between the written instructions and the videos, everything kinda clicks. There is also a forum and everyone is really helpful and good about answering questions.

www.knitpicks.com has mostly natural fiber yarns, including a cashmere blend, silk blends, alpaca and a good quality merino. Nothing is more than 6 bucks a skein and most are cheaper. I find that the craft store yarns are really in the same price range and are not nearly as nice (the natural fiber/blend ones, no acrylic only at knitpicks). Also, the interchangeable circular needles are great and inexpensive.

*restrains self from ordering tons of stuff right now*

[auntiem]

knitpicks rocks! Darn them and their "free shipping for orders over $45".

[Tria]

Ok then, can you help me?

My mom has "hired" me to knit scarves for her fellow teachers for Christmas. I raided the JoAnn's clearance section Monday night and came away with (novelty) yarn for $.97 a ball! But there's enough for TWELVE scarves! Good lord almighty I'm never going to be done in time!

I could help for a share of the profits. :P