Knitters Corner

It's about as wide as my thigh. I measured it with a $20 bill and it it's about 7 and a quarter inches looks like by my guesstimations. (yes I have thunder thighs)

As for table cloths for plants, heck I could use it as a coaster for my mug. :lol: It's a triangle shaped thing. Upon closer inspection, you can see loads of mistakes in it.
 
Well, yes, but so what? Think what you've learned - you've learned how to decrease. You've unknowingly learned a technique called "short rows," where you don't crochet into every stitch, but turn before the end. It's a technique sometimes used for decoration, sometimes used for fitting, like under the armholes of a sweater. You can see what happens - you get a diagonal line.

So that's what happens when you don't stitch into every stitch - you decrease the length, and you get short rows. Now you know.

Also you know what kind of pattern that particular yarn makes. It comes out with shortish blocks of color, rather than stripes. Good to know.

Now you know you need to count your stitches every row, at least when starting out. I've found that, oddly enough, it's actually easier to do a patterned stitch than to do straight stitches across. With a pattern, let's say a fan where you do 5 dcs, ch1, 1 sc, ch 1, 5 dc, ch 1, 1 sc, across, it's obvious when you get to the end of the row if you've made a mistake, if you don't end up at the right point of the pattern. When you are just doing 20 sc or whatever it is, it can be surprisingly easy to miss the last stitch or neglect to work into the turning chain. So it's good to count every so often, make sure you haven't lost a stitch someplace.
 
All right Dixie! You have a start of a crochet bikini!
 
Dixie said:
But is she left handed like me? (I have to be the different one apparently!)
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You should be able to work it out.

I'm right handed but I was taught by my left-handed grandmother. No problems.

Like I told someone learning to sign left handed, don't think of directions as moving "left" or "right" to your body. Think of directions that move inboard or outboard to your body. If you have printed directions, take a pen and change references from left and right, to inboard and outboard. That will make the directions ambidextrous. Also, wherever directions say left or right hand, change to dominant or non-dominant (ND) hand.
 
Beach girl said:
Well, yes, but so what? Think what you've learned - you've learned how to decrease. You've unknowingly learned a technique called "short rows," where you don't crochet into every stitch, but turn before the end. It's a technique sometimes used for decoration, sometimes used for fitting, like under the armholes of a sweater. You can see what happens - you get a diagonal line.

So that's what happens when you don't stitch into every stitch - you decrease the length, and you get short rows. Now you know.

Also you know what kind of pattern that particular yarn makes. It comes out with shortish blocks of color, rather than stripes. Good to know.
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That's why I liked making granny squares when I was a teen. Also, if I messed up one square, that's all I had to re-do. :lol:

Now you know you need to count your stitches every row, at least when starting out. .. it can be surprisingly easy to miss the last stitch or neglect to work into the turning chain. So it's good to count every so often, make sure you haven't lost a stitch someplace.
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That might be the problem, not making a chain stitch at the beginning of the new row. :dunno:
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Also, I thought about something else. You NEVER crochet into the first chain from the hook; it's always the 2nd chain or later. With straight single crochet, after you do the first chain (let's say 17 ch), turn, sc into the 2nd chain from hook, continue to end. You now have 16 stitches.

Chain 1. Sc into the first sc on the row, which, because of the ch 1 that is your turning chain, again is the 2nd stitch from the hook.

You will always have 16 working stitches, and the 17th one is always the single turning chain at the end of each row. In the case of single crochet, you do NOT work into the turning chain. For anything higher than sc, (like half-double, double, half-triple, triple), you do.

Does that help?
 
Reba said:
Beach girl said:
Well, yes, but so what? Think what you've learned - you've learned how to decrease. You've unknowingly learned a technique called "short rows," where you don't crochet into every stitch, but turn before the end. It's a technique sometimes used for decoration, sometimes used for fitting, like under the armholes of a sweater. You can see what happens - you get a diagonal line.

So that's what happens when you don't stitch into every stitch - you decrease the length, and you get short rows. Now you know.


That's why I liked making granny squares when I was a teen. Also, if I messed up one square, that's all I had to re-do. :lol:

I was making the turn chain but I was probably working into it thinking that's where the next sc would be. I also was working into the next stitch from the hook not thinking it was the 2nd one from the hook. I may try a small patch of 10 or so chains and go up five or six rows and see what that looks like. If its another triangle, I've made a crochet Barbie bikini for my DD. lol.
That might be the problem, not making a chain stitch at the beginning of the new row. :dunno:
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Beach girl said:
Crochet is much easier than knitting, in my opinion, and I generally like the stitch patterns better. You can go dense or lacey, very easily.

For crochet, all you're doing is wrapping your yarn around the hook one or more times, and pulling yarn through a loop, over and over again. Couldn't be easier.
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I prefer crocheting...now if I could just finish the granny-square afghan I started back in ?89? :shock:

When I tried learning to knit (from my mom or sister), I had a habit of ADDING stitches, not dropping them. Agh. So I decided crocheting would be my "talent" - because it's easy to retreat and fix mistakes.
 
Beach girl said:
Hmmm.... I don't think I'd agree with you on that. You can have plenty of complexity in design with crocheting. Try looking at patterns for filet crochet, or any work done with the small steel hooks. You use very thin thread for that. Look at Clunes lace patterns for some ideas of complex patterns.

It's all personal preference, of course, but there is plenty you can do with crochet if you want to do intricate designs.

My Italian grandmother crocheted, and I'm proud to have some of her work. She did tiny, intricate filet crochet patterns for table mats and that sort of thing. She was past 90 when she died and nearly blind, and she was still crocheting almost right up until the end. You never saw her hands empty - there was either a Rosary or a crochet hook in them more often than not, whenever she was "resting."
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My mom made tableclothes. I have one she made me when I got married. She also made the table scarfs, doilies, etc.
 
Stunningly gorgeous knitted sweater:

Howlite

Do any of you follow "Craftsy?" It's a great site, and if you sign up, every day there is a special on yarn. Today's is on Malabrigo Silky Merino, DK weight. I am trying to resist, since I spent all afternoon organizing my knitting books and current stash. For those who still have room in their craft cupboards to buy more, their yarn deals are pretty good - 25 to 33% off, usually, and they showcase some yarns that include some luxury blends.

Edited to add: if you are on Facebook, sign up to "like" "Crocheting Club" (maybe there's a knitting version, too), and you'll get the daily offer.
 
So, how is everyone doing on getting their Christmas presents done?? Dixie, did you take another stab at doing your crochet?

I am just about finished with my presents, but I want to do two more, for my new niece-in-law and my niece-in-law to be.

So I want to ask for suggestions. I don't really know these two young women very well, but I want to just give them a smallish gift. Both live in Michigan, so there is a long hat/scarf-wearing season there.

What would you rather receive: hat; scarf; thin shawl that can be bundled up into a scarf in winter, spread out as light-weight shawl in summer; heavier, winter-weight shawl, or a warm cowl (maybe with hood?)

I liked these patterns: Key Hold Scarves, Crocheted Scarf Pattern

(Keyhole scarf: nice and neat under a coat, can still be worn indoors),

or this one: Eternity Wraps Crochet Pattern

(Eternity wraps: can be pulled up around the head when it's wintery, windy and snowy, and/or worn inside; both look warm and snuggly.)

What do you think? Especially for those of you in cold-weather states, do you have an opinion on which you'd rather have, if you were the recipient? (Of all the suggestions, that is, not just the two patterns I linked - but opinions on those patterns much appreciated, too.)
 
Eternity wrap. It's almost medieval in concept. Anybody should love that one.
 
I have something packed in storage that is like the Eternity Wrap that I knitted about 5-8 years ago. It was done in a think chunky chenille with size 11 needles. I then used the same pattern stitch and made about 15 scarves for a thing going on at the church I was going to at that time. I also made another 25 of them for the Women's & Children's Residential treatment center that I did billing for.
 
KristinaB said:
I have something packed in storage that is like the Eternity Wrap that I knitted about 5-8 years ago. It was done in a think chunky chenille with size 11 needles. I then used the same pattern stitch and made about 15 scarves for a thing going on at the church I was going to at that time. I also made another 25 of them for the Women's & Children's Residential treatment center that I did billing for.
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Wow!! Very impressive.
 
How long did each one take you? I find knitting slower than crochet, usually, but with a chunky yarn might not make much difference.

I'm just about finished with a knitted scarf I'm making for my niece, which is going very quickly. I learned a new stitch: Twisted Drop Stitch, and wow, is that speedy!
 
Beach girl said:
How long did each one take you? I find knitting slower than crochet, usually, but with a chunky yarn might not make much difference.

I'm just about finished with a knitted scarf I'm making for my niece, which is going very quickly. I learned a new stitch: Twisted Drop Stitch, and wow, is that speedy!
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Each one took about 1-2 hours. Mine was with the chunky, the others were with 2 strands of a 4-ply. Cleaning out the stash.
 
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