BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Knitting What's on your needles

This is always fun to know what everyone is working on. For me I'm working on:

1. A pair of socks using Wendy Knits basic sock pattern.

2. A pair of socks using the toe up method in Cat Bordhi's New Pathway to Knitting Socks book.

3. A Clapotis from Knitty

4. A fan and feather scarf

5. A striped sweater from an old issue of Vogue (I'm changing the neckline and putting in a zipper instead of buttons).

6. A cable crew-neck sweater, that I somehow made the armholes too small, so I'm not sure how to fix without ripping it back, I may cut it and adjust.

How about you?

I am four very loooong stripes away from finishing my log cabin blanket. That project will definitely give you insight into your level of commitment!
I just started the Candleflame shawl with the free pattern on Ravelry. It is fun so far!
After those, I need to make flip mittens with skulls for my daughter. It will be my first attempt at two colors at once.

Well I am crocheting a Nappy cake right now but after that hubby wants me to knit him an afghan. I thought I would make different patterned squares about 12" each in a square and then sew them all together. I have alot of stash he wants me to use up so it should be quite colorful! Linda

I'm working on Christmas gifts. I have a beret in the works for one daughter and a lacy pattern scarf for another.

After the holidays, I have some baby blankets to work on but I've started one already.

I always have at least 2-3 books I read at the same time and when I did beadwork, I used to have several projects in the works at the same time. Guess it will be the same with knitting-lol

I'm working on Christmas gifts too. Wish I'd started sooner! I'm just learning to knit and I'm happy to find some easy patterns that I can make which look really nice.

I'm making my daughter a hat right now out of alpaca yarn and I think she'll really love it.

I had never heard of a "nappy" cake before and had to go google it. Is it for a shower?

Pictures please if you can!

I made my son an afghan, and I doubled the yarn and used larger needles, I think US size 13's, although a bit hard on my wrists when the blanket got big, it went really fast.

argh! Well, I was working on a shawl. I have to start all the way over from the beginning, because I can't follow the pattern well enough to just frog it back. I tried "unknitting" it for three rows, but that got messed up too. Ack.

If it was a lace shawl, and I suspect it was, two things, my first lace piece I started over 10 times before I got it right! and two have you heard of life lines . They kept me from restarting 11 times

ooooo...what is a life line?? I am glad to hear that I am not alone. It was beautiful until I was ONE stitch short and unable to fix it.

Edit: I googled lifeline. I will definitely be doing this. Thanks for the tip!!

Good luck. I really need to leave my computer

A pair of socks using Wendy Knits basic sock pattern. These are coming along.

Very nice! I especially like the colorwork. Did you have to line up the stripes or is it self-striping?

I wish I could knit socks....I get lost when you have to do the heel. I suppose I'd need lessons. I like your socks and the color is cool.

You know, although I do know a lot of people who knit socks and have watched them, my best resource was Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's book Knitting Rules, she explained it really well with her basic sock recipe. You may want to start there and then if you don't have a local resource, see if there is a YouTube video that may help; I went to YouTube and typed in knitting socks and a lot them show up.

Good luck and give it a try!

Self striping and my daughter is wearing them inside out, since the purl bumps hurt her feet!

I learned with the "Easy Sock Pattern-Toe Up" by Cathy Crome. It is honestly, easy. You do the heel exactly the same way as the toe in this pattern with short rows.

I picked up a piece that I started knitting years ago and am attempting to finish it. It is an afghan in several colors, but I ran into a problem. I cannot find the extra skeins of yarn I bought for it and what I have with it is not enough. The yarn is a discontinued one. So I have purchased some of this from ebay but every skein I have received is a lighter color then the ones I have in the piece.

So I am thinking about finishing up the section I am now working then doing the next section in these lighter colors. That should be interesting. This is a no pattern afghan. Just something I made up years ago. It got put away in storage when some family moved in for two weeks and wound up staying for two years.

I actually had to deknit six rows to remember what I was doing. Now it is moving along fine if not slowly.

I have also been working some loom knitted hats, with little crocheted toppers, and getting my knitting machines back up and working. I needed to make room for more machines, including a Passap Duo 80 with deco (punch card) unit. Nice machine but big. It takes up a lot of room, but does lovely stitches.

I started a new scarf using the Block (Dice) pattern. After a few rip outs, it worked better with a small garter stitch border (just 2 stitches). I'm thinking about trimming it on the sides with blanket stitch. Adding the border made the edge blocks look oversized. Perhaps the blanket stitch in my accent color would correct that.

I've tried blanket stitching before on double sided fleece fabric, but it didn't turn out too well. Any tips for using that on a garter stitch border?

I recently picked up Stephanie's McPhee's Knitting Rules book at the library and have to buy my own copy! It's terrific. I loved the chapter on hats, which I'm currently knitting for the grandkids. She's so funny too that the book is entertaining to read as well.

I've finished 2 hats, with scarves to match and one set to go. Then it's on to scarves for the daughters. I have about 4 projects going at once tho, depending on what I feel like working on.

I wish I had a tip, but my hand sewing skills are not great. I'll ask around, but hopefully in the meantime some will offer a suggestion or two.

Isn't she great I have all of her books!

I have been obsessively knitting these cute tiny socks. They are very popular among my friends, can't keep enough of them around. I just posted a new batch on my website and my Etsy store, Buffalo Girls. Enjoy!

NOTE: New users are not allowed to add links/urls nor images of any kind to their posts or signature!

I just finished a mobius neck warmer last night. I have no idea how to insert an image here or I'd put a photo of it.

If the photo is already on your website, click on it to display the link and copy the link.

In the reply window (not Quick Reply) click on the photo icon under the smilies. (4th from the left) Select non-floating image. If your pop-up blocker is on, you will need to disable it temporarily. A window will pop up for you to paste the photo link into.

Hope this helps.

I'm going to try the photo thing-lol. Here's my first felted purse, which I just finished yesterday.
Felted Purse

Ok, it didn't work. What did I do wrong?

Okay, I fixed it, I think you should have picked the symbol of the earth (second from the left in the full screen window), since you were linking to a webpage and not a picture.

It is a great looking purse by the way!

Thanks Marge!

I realized during this that I wasn't providing links for the photos on my blog, which is a mistake because people often find me via google images.

I love my purse. I'd like to do some felted hats next.

My needles: I am making hubby an afghan from all my leftover yarn, he didn't care what color it is he just wanted me to use up my stash ( I think he is sick of looking at the bins of yarn in our extra bedroom) It is actually quite pretty so far, it is made of 9" squares of different designs. Very nice.

I also have a cabled purse for my friend on needles that I work on when I get tired from working on the afghan.

when I am done with those I plan on making my grandsons these great winter hats that I found on the Drops Design Spring/Summer collection of 2010. They are made in flag colors, very nice.

Your stash afghan sounds pretty! I need to do that. I like the idea of making squares and putting them together.

I'm doing 2 afghans right now to give as gifts. I'm not into complicated patterns but if the pattern is too easy, the afghan seems to take forever!

I know you said in a different post you mostly knit internet pattern, but check out the log cabin afghans from Mason Dixon Knitting, it is garter stitch, but looks pretty interesting.

On my needles: I have gotten hooked (needled?) on wash cloths and bib. My fav site is DownCloverlaine

I'll soon be doing some wash cloths that have a nurse's theme to them ... my roomie is fixin' (yep, that's a Texan, we use fixin') to graduate from RN school.

I've started practicing some new stitches by doing dishclothes in soft cotton, and then giving them as hostess gifts, they are very well received.

Marge, I didn't see a link about your latest newsletter but loved the tips on how to get a handmade finished look!

I'm going an afghan right now and using large needles and double yarn and it is taking a toll on my wrists. I'm taking breaks from it and working on a light, lacy scarf.

I was at a conference recently and they were saying the bigger needles were easier for those with arthritis, but I found them extremely hard on my hands and wrists and I don't knowingly have arthritis.

Pictures?

[img:left]http://spinningalpacayarns.com/free-afghan-knitting-patterns.html/p1010005[/img]

Hope I did that right. That's my blue afghan. It's getting kind of heavy.

I do have osteoarthritis in my wrists from years of beading and computer work so it's hard on my wrists now to knit. I find that smaller needles and projects are easier on my hands, actually.

Well, I can't ever get the photo inserted into my post but the link is there anyway.

I'm working on the second leg of a pair of stretchy pants for my 6 month old grand daughter. This project is helping me remember how to knit again, after being away from needles for more than 20 years. It's been lots of fun.

Oh, good luck to you! Babies are so fun to knit for.

joanj - I've found something that works great on my fingers and wrists when they get stiff from knitting. It's called Hylarub and is available at Health food stores. It contains some type of natural acid and emu oil. About a year ago my wrist flared badly. I was in the local store for something else and the owner gave me a sample. After 3 applications my wrist was not only OK, I was doing yardwork at my daughter's house! A little bit goes a long way. I do have arthritis in my fingers from 20+ years of accounting and it helps them as well. Hope this helps.

As for my needles, more scarf and hat sets this year for St Labre Indian School. They had a really hard winter so I'm working on thicker scarves and loving the reversible stitches. My MIL taught me how to do cables. That had to wait until I got proficient at knitting normal, not twisted. I need to rent a good Al Pacino movie and start a scarf with cables. For some unknown reason, I can learn a new stitch best while watching a suspense flik.

Socks, socks and trying a new sweater. Although as the summer is here, not a good idea.

NOTE: New users are not allowed to add links/urls nor images of any kind to their posts or signature!

I am working on a One Button Cardigan .

my current project is the sirdar pattern 1772 for my 1 year old grandaughter


I will soon be able to start sewing it up

I have a sweater (secret gift), socks, gloves and a scarf in my current work in process basket.

I'll try to get some pictures up.