The Crafting Thread - Show Us What You've Made!

[seela]

Thanks for linking it, that helps me give a better answer. I'm pretty new to crochet myself, but have fallen in love with local natural wool and nerded out about animal fibers. It is a blend, which is great news for you! The wool and cotton content will make it more durable and I think more resistant to pilling. Alpaca is super soft, but needs to be handled with great care! It's softer than even the French Merino I just used, but also more delicate.

I'm hoping you already knew this, but that will want hand washing. There is a chance putting it in the washing machine could ruin it. And before you run away scared, I have the secret sauce for hand washing: no-rinse soap. It's a thing. It will change your life for hand washing anything.

The most popular brand of no-rinse soap is Eucalan and that is what I use. It can be hard to find, but I have seen yarn shops and specialty lingerie stores carrying it. Check online too, but the price is jacked up on Amazon, at least in Canada. I've seen small bottles in the drugstore near the braces, and I've heard baby stores carry it. You can find it if you know where to look, basically.

I use an old cooler as my wash basin for large items, it's easy to put it in the bathtub, then pull the plug to drain afterward. Or if it's really big, just use your whole bathtub. Small stuff can be done in the sink or any old plastic bin you have.

Add your soap, add your water, and gently submerge the item. You can squish it down in the water gently, and try to make sure it's sitting fairly flat, not scrunched up on itself. Let it soak however long it says on the soap's label, or longer. Squish a bit again if you like. Drain the water. I like to fill the basin again as a quick rinse because it makes me feel better but you do not need to rinse.

Then, as tempting as it is to wring it - resist that urge. Folding and squishing is ok, folding and rolling loosely should be ok, just try to avoid stretching it or handling it roughly because wool relaxes when wet, and alpaca is alpaca wool. The cotton content should help here, but the overall idea is to get the water out gently without distorting your beautiful work. A blanket will be heavy when wet. You should be able to feel a difference in stretchiness when it is wet vs dry, the amount of difference will tell you how careful you need to be.

Now you're going to make a sandwich. A towel sandwich, that is. Do it on the floor, and step on it. Get someone else involved and have some fun with it. Up and down steps, squish squish, avoid rubbing. Imagine you're stomping grapes or something.

Then lay it out flat to dry somewhere, ideally not in direct sunlight.

Handwashing with no-rinse soap is also great if you own pricey bras, or if you have delicate lingerie. Non-crochet/knit items can be scrubbed while soaking. But maybe don't step on a bra with underwire.

Hope this helps!

Thanks! This was really thorough and I’m sure someone else will benefit from your post as well.

I knew it’s hand wash only when I bought it. And I was okay with it, because there’s a big basin in the laundry room of my building and a special drying room where I can leave it to dry. And in winter I suspect snow washing is a good option to freshen things up, that’s what I do with wool carpets/rugs.

A friend of mine who taught me to knit has told me a lot about different kinds of blends and what they’re good for, but this yarn I bought without her guidance because it has to be bought so quickly. It did get her blessing, though. And I’m really loving how the blanket feels so far! I can’t wait cuddling under it in winter. It’ll go straight in storage after it’s finished, because it’s way too warm for summer use.

I’ll look up no rinse soap, that sounds really good!

 

[MaggieTheUnicorn]

Thanks! This was really thorough and I’m sure someone else will benefit from your post as well.

I knew it’s hand wash only when I bought it. And I was okay with it, because there’s a big basin in the laundry room of my building and a special drying room where I can leave it to dry. And in winter I suspect snow washing is a good option to freshen things up, that’s what I do with wool carpets/rugs.

A friend of mine who taught me to knit has told me a lot about different kinds of blends and what they’re good for, but this yarn I bought without her guidance because it has to be bought so quickly. It did get her blessing, though. And I’m really loving how the blanket feels so far! I can’t wait cuddling under it in winter. It’ll go straight in storage after it’s finished, because it’s way too warm for summer use.

I’ll look up no rinse soap, that sounds really good!

No-rinse soap is amazing for hand washing! And the towel sandwich method will keep it from taking for-fucking-ever to dry because you can get more of the excess water out.

That laundry and drying room sound super handy to have! Wool generally doesn't need a ton of care beyond a very occasional wash because it's naturally odour resistant, which is one of the cool parts about it.

Glad to hear you have a friend guiding you, that's always helpful. There are so many kinds of yarn!

 

[seela]

The third sock I’ve ever made is ready and I did it all by myself without asking for any help. Which lead to problems which lead to some wonky weirdness here and there, but it’s okay. I made it by myself!

Now I just have to make a pair. It likely won’t match because I’m hoping to avoid some problems I had with this sock…

I still have some difficulty keeping the tension even when I move from one needle to another. Hence the looser stitch in the middle of some of those squares. Oh well, I’ll learn.

I also want to learn to make the toe differently. I’ve been taught the easiest possible way and it works fine, but with this pattern I made up, a different kind of toe would look a little better.

 

[BiBunny]

The third sock I’ve ever made is ready and I did it all by myself without asking for any help. Which lead to problems which lead to some wonky weirdness here and there, but it’s okay. I made it by myself!

Now I just have to make a pair. It likely won’t match because I’m hoping to avoid some problems I had with this sock…

I still have some difficulty keeping the tension even when I move from one needle to another. Hence the looser stitch in the middle of some of those squares. Oh well, I’ll learn.

I also want to learn to make the toe differently. I’ve been taught the easiest possible way and it works fine, but with this pattern I made up, a different kind of toe would look a littlediverting!

You have officially knitted more socks than me! I've made one pair so far, lol. But I'm in awe of anyone who can knit on needles because I simply can't do it right. So you're doing fantastic in my book!

Currently, I'm back to working on my shrug. I'm only about 11 rows in, so it's going to be awhile before I have anything to show for it!

 

[seela]

You have officially knitted more socks than me! I've made one pair so far, lol. But I'm in awe of anyone who can knit on needles because I simply can't do it right. So you're doing fantastic in my book!

Currently, I'm back to working on my shrug. I'm only about 11 rows in, so it's going to be awhile before I have anything to show for it!

The sock turned out better than I expected! I ran into trouble many times but I didn’t want to ask for help so there are some rather interesting spots there where I got creative in how to solve the problem… At one point I had a different amount of rows on the needles because I had forgotten to do a thing and that lead to me being on the “wrong side” of the piece and I had to knit in the other direction a little bit to be able to get back to the “right side”. I’m not sure if it would have been a problem in the long run to have the row count be uneven or not, but somehow I managed to even things out eventually.

Have you tried knitting on needles the European way or the American way? Not sure what the actual terms are… But when I see Americans knitting on TV, they always do some loopy thing with their hand, like they move the yarn somewhere somehow… It looks complicated to me, but it really probably is just a question of what you’re used to, so maybe trying both ways might be a good idea before you decide that knitting on needles is something you can’t figure out?

For me the key definitely was having a good teacher who was able to explain things and keep me calm when I thought I had fucked up royally. It’s become painfully obvious to me that my mom is not a good teacher, so no wonder I didn’t learn anything and hated knitting when she first tried to teach me when I was a kid.

And another helpful thing at the very beginning was to use the kind of needles that are attached by a cable. That way you have only one end where you can accidentally drop the stitches off the needles.

 

[BiBunny]

The sock turned out better than I expected! I ran into trouble many times but I didn’t want to ask for help so there are some rather interesting spots there where I got creative in how to solve the problem… At one point I had a different amount of rows on the needles because I had forgotten to do a thing and that lead to me being on the “wrong side” of the piece and I had to knit in the other direction a little bit to be able to get back to the “right side”. I’m not sure if it would have been a problem in the long run to have the row count be uneven or not, but somehow I managed to even things out eventually.

Have you tried knitting on needles the European way or the American way? Not sure what the actual terms are… But when I see Americans knitting on TV, they always do some loopy thing with their hand, like they move the yarn somewhere somehow… It looks complicated to me, but it really probably is just a question of what you’re used to, so maybe trying both ways might be a good idea before you decide that knitting on needles is something you can’t figure out?

For me the key definitely was having a good teacher who was able to explain things and keep me calm when I thought I had fucked up royally. It’s become painfully obvious to me that my mom is not a good teacher, so no wonder I didn’t learn anything and hated knitting when she first tried to teach me when I was a kid.

And another helpful thing at the very beginning was to use the kind of needles that are attached by a cable. That way you have only one end where you can accidentally drop the stitches off the needles.

I'm glad the sock turned out better than you thought it would! It's always nice when that happens.

They call the European way the continental method here, and I haven't tried it. I've only done it the American way. I may very well give the continental way a try because it can't be any harder than the way I've been doing it. And, yes, you're absolutely right about using the needles with the cable--it keeps you from dropping stitches off both ends!

I actually enjoy knitting with the looms, but it does limit you in some ways. You can only make, say, blankets as wide as your loom is. If you want them any wider, you have to make them in pieces and sew them together, which I am horrible at. So I may try knitting on needles the European way, next time I decide I want to knit something. Can't hurt, at any rate!

 

[BiBunny]

Also, this is a pic of the shrug I mentioned I was working on earlier in the thread. I picked it back up and started crocheting on it again yesterday and today, and this is what I have so far. The hole in it is where the sleeve is going to go, eventually.



I know it's not very practical, color-wise, but I do have a solid purple dress I can wear it with, in addition to white and black tank tops. So it won't be totally useless. I just thought the colors were gorgeous and wanted to make something out of this yarn.

 

[IrisAlthea]

Love the colours in the shrug Bunny!

They call the European way the continental method here, and I haven't tried it. I've only done it the American way. I may very well give the continental way a try because it can't be any harder than the way I've been doing it. And, yes, you're absolutely right about using the needles with the cable--it keeps you from dropping stitches off both ends!

I had to google to see how the different knitting styles are done. The continental style is what we learn in school here.
The lady in the tutorial I watched pointed out that it might come easier if you learn to crochet first or do that more as in her case and it mskes sense to me when I watc the different techniques.

I’ve never tried to knit with the connected needles, but learned to do mittens and socks on four needles.

Like this:


Or easier to see though just 3 needles for the thumb:


Since there are fewer stitches on each needle, they were never very close to the edges.
While I never fell in live with knitting, it worked reasonably well for a beginner.

 

[BiBunny]

Love the colours in the shrug Bunny!

Thanks!

I had to google to see how the different knitting styles are done. The continental style is what we learn in school here.
The lady in the tutorial I watched pointed out that it might come easier if you learn to crochet first or do that more as in her case and it mskes sense to me when I watc the different techniques.

I’ve never tried to knit with the connected needles, but learned to do mittens and socks on four needles.

Like this:
View attachment 2225726

Or easier to see though just 3 needles for the thumb:
View attachment 2225727

Since there are fewer stitches on each needle, they were never very close to the edges.
While I never fell in live with knitting, it worked reasonably well for a beginner.

That is interesting, that the continental style might be better for crocheters. I am going to have to give it a try! I haven't tried double-pointed needles yet, either, which is something else I'd like to learn to use if I can ever figure out the whole knitting on needles thing.

 

[BiBunny]

So I just watched an entire 40-minute video on YouTube about how to knit in the continental style by an adorable little German man. Y'all...I haven't tried it yet, but it looks so much easier. I'm going to dig out my needles from my crafting cabinet tomorrow and give it a try.

 

[BiBunny]

So I'm trying the continental way. It's a lot easier. It still remains to be seen if I can knit this way because I didn't start really making a mess until I started trying to make ribbing the other way. And I can only do the knit stitch this way so far. But I learned it way faster than I did the other way, so maybe that's promising! Thanks for the idea, y'all!

 

[BiBunny]

Daddy told me last night that I should have a tail. All the kitty tails I've seen are ugly, though. Is it weird that I'm thinking about making my own kitty tail and letting him figure out how to attach it to the plug? LOL.

 

[seela]

The blanket is ready!

 

[BiBunny]

The blanket is ready!

Love it! The stitches look great, and the colors are really nice, too.

 

[BiBunny]

I had the brilliant idea that I would loom knit my mother these socks for Mother's Day, along with some actual purchased presents, too. The ones I'm making are light gray and purple.

Let's see if I can actually manage to get them done by Mother's Day, lol.

 

[IrisAlthea]

I had the brilliant idea that I would loom knit my mother these socks for Mother's Day, along with some actual purchased presents, too. The ones I'm making are light gray and purple.

Let's see if I can actually manage to get them done by Mother's Day, lol.

Those would totally be an actual present to me.

 

[seela]

I had the brilliant idea that I would loom knit my mother these socks for Mother's Day, along with some actual purchased presents, too. The ones I'm making are light gray and purple.

Let's see if I can actually manage to get them done by Mother's Day, lol.

Oh cute!

I started to knit a pair for my green sock yesterday.

 

[BiBunny]

Actually, there has been an interruption in the Mother's Day sock-making. I realized I haven't gotten my aunt anything for her birthday yet, so I'm hurriedly looming a pair of slipper socks for her. Don't have enough chunky yarn to make a whole pair, so I'm doing it with two strands of regular yarn instead. Two different colors, too, because I didn't have enough of any one yarn to make two socks with two strands, lol. So either these will be super-cute or a disaster. I'll keep y'all posted, lol.

 

[hulmule]

Wow , great talent ! you all !

 

[BiBunny]

I finished the first slipper sock for my aunt. This is it and also the loom I used for it. It's a 24 peg loom.

I used this tutorial to make them. I'm not a fan of how there are holes near the heel because of how the pattern is designed, but it was quick and easy, and I needed quick and easy, lol. I can see some other places where it's not quite right, either, but maybe it'll do.

 

[seela]

I finished the first slipper sock for my aunt. This is it and also the loom I used for it. It's a 24 peg loom.

I used this tutorial to make them. I'm not a fan of how there are holes near the heel because of how the pattern is designed, but it was quick and easy, and I needed quick and easy, lol. I can see some other places where it's not quite right, either, but maybe it'll do.


View attachment 2229791View attachment 2229792

It looks great with the two colors! I’m still completely baffled that you’re able to make a sock with a round thing like that but I just gotta believe.

I think holes around the heel are a feature of most socks. I’ve been studying various knitted socks lately and many of them do have a little hole on the ankle where the heel thing starts.

 

[BiBunny]

It looks great with the two colors! I’m still completely baffled that you’re able to make a sock with a round thing like that but I just gotta believe.

I think holes around the heel are a feature of most socks. I’ve been studying various knitted socks lately and many of them do have a little hole on the ankle where the heel thing starts.

Thank you!

That makes sense about the holes at the heels. Now that I think about it, even store-bought socks have slightly larger holes at the heels. I just felt that the ones on that slipper sock were rather large.

I'm going to finish the other one in the next few days and then go back to making my mother's socks on the Flexee loom.

 

[BiBunny]

So I finished the slipper socks and went back to working on the regular socks on the Flexee loom. I ended up messing them up and just starting over completely. But that was fine because I wanted to make some changes to the pattern, anyway. I changed the ribbing to a K1P1 rib instead of a K2P2, which I think looks better, and I made the cuff a little taller. The first sock is about half-finished now and actually does look like a sock (much to my surprise)!

I'll post a pic once I finish!

 

[seela]

So I finished the slipper socks and went back to working on the regular socks on the Flexee loom. I ended up messing them up and just starting over completely. But that was fine because I wanted to make some changes to the pattern, anyway. I changed the ribbing to a K1P1 rib instead of a K2P2, which I think looks better, and I made the cuff a little taller. The first sock is about half-finished now and actually does look like a sock (much to my surprise)!

I'll post a pic once I finish!

What are 1K1P and 2K2P? Please and thank you.

Edit: duh, knits and purls of course, got it now. I’m so dumb.

 

[twister947]

What are 1K1P and 2K2P? Please and thank you.

Edit: duh, knits and purls of course, got it now. I’m so dumb.