#ME AND MY THRIFT STORE KNITTING NEEDLES AND YARN…

[shiny-miltank]

I had the very rare almost nonexistent two days off from work and decided to step back from the net and take the opportunity to learn something I’ve been holding off since elementary school.

Look at my subpar knitting with so many dropped threads 👌 the experience of having string turn into something is astounding.

[fictionadventurer]

Hobbies need to be accessible. I believe that it’s becoming more and more important for people to have physical hobbies that create real things and develop real skills--giving people a sense of accomplishment and overcoming feelings of helplessness. But so often, it seems like even beginner-level instruction is aimed at making the entry barrier as high as possible.

I was reading this book where this guy argues that people should develop areas of “micromastery” when getting into a hobby. Find one small, achievable, but still impressive task to master, so you have a cool skill to show off (and the sense of accomplishment) without having to master an entire huge area of knowledge. Instead of learning to cook, learn to create a really good omelet. Instead of learning an entire new language, learn to count to ten. And then you have a knowledge base to help you if you want to explore further. Seems very common sense. Very accessible. Learning is for everyone, not just people who want to devote tons of time to a new hobby. But even that guy, in his instructions, keeps telling people to buy the most expensive equipment to have the best possible results. There’s even a point where he says “the more expensive, the better”!

That infuriates me. I am enraged. The guy who’s trying to make learning accessible to the masses is now saying this is the realm only of the rich! It’s telling people to buy into the marketing ploy that more expensive is automatically better! It’s absurd. It’s insane. There probably is equipment that improves the outcome of the final product, but it’s not necessarily the most expensive stuff, and you certainly don’t need the expensive stuff when you’re just starting out!

Yet, tutorials and craft books keep pushing this message. If you want to start drawing, you need an expensive sketch book and seven different pencils and different weights of pen, and the right eraser. If you want to bake, you have to have the best flours and the appropriate sourdough technique. If you want to knit, you better have the expensive yarn. That’s garbage, and it makes things more difficult than they need to be.

When you’re just starting out, you’re learning if you even like the activity. Do I like spending time drawing? Do I even like the process of knitting or woodworking or building model airplanes? It’s pointless to spend tons of money on good yarn only to find that you hate the process of knitting. Pointless to get the good pencils when the process of drawing makes you want to crawl out of your skin.

If you want to try something, just try it! As simply and cheaply as possible. Want to draw? Get a free pencil and a bit of notebook paper. Want to knit? Get a pair of knitting needles from the thrift store and some dollar store yarn. As you get deeper into the hobby, you’ll probably want to upgrade your supplies--but now that you know more about the process, you know what problems can be solved by better supplies.

I was always intimidated by bookbinding--the tutorials always talked about having the right glue and the right book press--until a guy in the comments said, “I use Elmer’s Glue and my laptop.” I could manage that! That was accessible! I got some glue and some big textbooks and made a book! Not perfect, but it wouldn’t have been perfect even if I had the fancy supplies--I was just starting out! And then I figured out that a paper cutter and some kind of tool to smooth the endpapers would be useful. So I got that--as cheaply as possible. I have made books and I have enjoyed it without a huge investment in time and money. And more tutorials need to take that approach. I refuse to believe that we have to give tons of money to the crafting industry. I refuse to believe that we have to be consumers in order to become creators.

[ub-sessed]

Learning to knit on DPNs!

I've had to experiment a bit to find a way to hold the needles so that the extra needles don't get in the way of how I tension my yarn. What seems to work best for me for knitting (I have yet to try this for the purling) is to make sure the two needles I'm working with are behind all the others. I took a bunch of pictures in case I forget:

I put elastics on the ends of all the needles just so that I don't have to worry about dropping a needle while I'm fumbling around, but these Lykke needles are so grippy with this old thrift-store acrylic that I don't actually need them.

The biggest problem I'm having now is losing track of my fifth needle as soon as I put it down. I'm so used to circular needles and having that other needle on a leash!

My other problem is that my tension is super tight. I'm assuming that this will get better as I get used to the technique and my hands relax.

[maleficentmrsofallevil]

Hodge podge

Feeling better, but not paint a room better, so still working through stuff that's been hanging around the house.

I am finally finally going through the fabric hoard I inherited, and man, have I found some gems, including a gallon plastic bag full of silk (!) remnants, a vintage big suitcase full of yarn (acrylic, cotton, wool, and even some angora), and a ton of notions I didn't realize I owned. Cool beans.

Here's a close-up of the disintegrating pleather Switch-a-Witch top:

The skirt is just as bad.

Around *mumble mumble* years ago, I scored a human hair bob wig for $5 at a thrift store. I was a little surprised to see it - I figured those are rare (and pricey), and normally you would gift something like that to someone else. I think it's for a kid, cuz it was dirty. There was pink stuff that looked like gum or chewy candy in it, and the hair was coarse and grungy.

After a brief internet search ("how to wash a human hair wig"), I gently combed out the worst of the tangles, ignored the recommendation to buy specialty wig shampoo, squirted some Pantene Pro-V 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner into a bowl of lukewarm water, put the wig in, and gently squeezed the soapy water through the hair. The water turned a shade of brown that made me queasy.

I rinsed, gently squeezed out excess water, wrapped in a towel to get the wig to damp instead of dripping wet, and then used a silicone-loaded conditioner all over it. I rubbed the conditioner into the hair with my fingers for a few minutes while watching a movie, and then back into the bowl it went for another rinse, squeeze, and towel-dry.

The next thing the instructions said to do was let the wig dry on a wig stand. I don't have a wig stand. I do have a Xin Meng Doll Magical Angel Iris, so I stuck a microfiber cloth over her head and put the wig on top to finish drying. She didn't complain, so I figure it was a decent hack.

Rainbow High combs have teeth too close together (they kept pulling out hair), so I used a Fail Fix brush to smooth out the hair. I like it:

But also, I now know why it was donated instead of gifted. The wefts are super thin. If you don't have the hair styled just so, you can see straight through the wefts to the cap underneath. Imagine trying to convince a kid to keep their wig styled just so. Yeah. I'd have donated it too.

I think I'm going to Jayne Mansfield it and use some basting stitches to tack it to the other wig underneath. There's a LOT of space between wefts, and the cap underneath is a mesh, so I might try tying on some plastic hair to add more color, too.

I looked into doll knitting, and I found a suggestion I want to try: shrink the weight of the yarn and knitting needle gauge from human to the scale of doll you want. So if a human gauge sweater is (I don't know if this is right) 16 stitches over 10 cm, to make a 1/3 scale version, smaller needles and finer yarn would result in 48 stitches per 10 cm for a 1/3 scale doll (16 x 3), 64 stitches per 10 cm for a 1/4 scale doll (16 x 4), etc.

Turns out you can get all sorts of free people knitting patterns with lots of colors and designs from places that sell yarn. They want to sell yarn, and if you want to convince someone they need to buy something, well...

Kitty. (Free pullover sweater pattern from Lion Brand yarn company) You can oh-so-conveniently choose your size and order all the yarn you need for a person. That's some clever marketing, Lion Brand.

[tinyshe]

Garden Report & Frugal Living 24.04.12

Today we managed to get a bucket of sand from the beach before the weekend rains appear. Also planted in pots some old seeds, really crammed them in thickly because I am so late and not sure if they will even germ . Note to self: harvest dates are important especially if you have a tendency like me to over purchase/horde seeds/trade seeds. And make sure they are sealed well! I spilled a great deal of Peshawar poppies because inner glaceing bag was haphazard and another bag of some sort of bean was in open plastic (is that mold or inoculation?). I planted out the beans thickly in a glow box not wanting to take up space for about 75 bean plants. If they come up it will indeed be a pleasant surprise! and even more if the voracious creatures stay off! So here is what is planted:

Peshawar poppies

calendula

early cabbages (hope they won't bolt)

purple broccoli (hoping for cooler grow season so no bolt)

yellow mangels/beets

pole beans

spring onions

guava seed (saved seeds, idk but I am guessing they may be pineapple guava from fruit we receive every year)

giant prague celeriac (giant celery root)

white pickle cucumber

tiger toms (red paste toms with green stripes)

flat leaf parsely

basil (genovese/sweet style)

I have some black polish radish that is suppose to be sweeter than the spainish variety but those I need to direct sow.

The ants are still in grow box #2. I thought I had gotten them out last year but no such luck. I will need to find some terro boxlettes.

The purple asparagus has quickly sent up a spear. No sign of any others. I collected seeds off of it last year and I really should plant but I'm not sure I can commit to the slowness of it (about 8 weeks to germinate!).

There is so much I want to plant this year but I need a major clean and if I get settlement, there may be enough for roof but the tear off will generate a huge amount of waste and even with tarps down, many things will probably die due to impact and workers' boots so definitely can not do guerrilla gardening along the flower beds and shrubbery.

Currently foraging lilac blossoms. I dry them and place in jars for tea.

The quince is just loaded with blossoms! I have never seen this many flowers! We love quince so hoping for good pollination and much fruit. The red fleshed apple is starting to bloom as is the pears -- yes, the little asian pear may pull through! The raspberries are also starting to bloom. The pots I propagated last year need to find homes or be planted. I need to pull weeds from the white currant transplants. This is the year I need to transplant my little persimmons I grew from seed if they survived. They make a long tap root first so its essential to find a good spot -- no moving them around!!

Once again, too slow on the pruning! The birds are setting up housekeeping. The collared doves once again are trying to nest in the garden. I'm hoping that the neighbors will mellow out. They are becoming more aware of the songbirds that frequent my thicket (there really is a method to my madness... for some things).

Frugal tip: do you knit or crochet? do you want to learn but don't want to commit to a large project? got an old t-shirt? with a pair of cloth scissors, cut your t-shirt into a continuations ribbon about the width of your little finger or half that width. Roll your t-shirt 'ribbon in a ball. From the thrift store or if you have a crafters borrowering library get like maybe number 6-8mm knit needles/ crochet hook. Most craft stores also have economy priced needles/hooks if you want to invest and learn. You can knit/crochet a 'sample' sqare and use it as a wash cloth for your dishes. You can do this trying out new stitches as well with cotton yarns (look in thrift stores, rummage sales and craft discount sales). This way you are learning a new skill, recycling a spent object and hopefully being enthused and having fun. It might even become a hobby!

So my friends, get outside! Grow a garden, get a hobby and grow yourself in the process!

[lightlyknitted]

Start crafting on a budget

So you want to get into knitting/crochet or any number crafts and don’t know where to start? Or you’re on a budget and worried about spending a bunch of money on something you might not like?

There are a few places you can go to find discounted supplies. It will take just a little bit of work and dedication to get there. I’ve listed a few places to start below in order from what I think are cheapest to more expensive.

Local buy nothing groups

Hands down, the cheapest way but might take the longest. If you have a facebook profile (or make one specifically for the groups), asking a local for free and for sale or buy nothing can be a great place to get a start. Just remember to be polite and follow the group rules and it could lead to some good bargains. Because these groups are heavily dependent on you I can’t really recommend any good ones. Even in craft supplies don’t pop up in these groups my local free and for sale groups often help me find #2.

2. Yard sales/Estate Sales

Yard sales or Estate Sales can often be a treasure hunt, much like buy nothing groups. If I am looking for vintage materials or simply older craft supplies I will prioritize Estate Sales. This is because of an important distinction, estate sales generally happen after a death or a sudden move. Estate sales can have good deals but it’s important to remember this doesn’t always happen – some estate sale organizers will raise prices if something has a high resale value online. Generally I haven’t seen a big increase in yarn or already finished projects.

(One estate sale I went to even offered doilies and linens up by the bag.)

Yard sales can have a good selection but it’s important to know that this doesn’t always mean unused craft supplies. If you find one of these listings online, it would be a very good idea to check any photos listed or the description to see if you see supplies that might interest you. For some yard sales, you can try haggling, I am not sure on estate sales, but that might depend on who’s running it.

3. Second Hand stores

Second hand stores can include your local thrift stores and or chain thrift stores (ie Goodwill, Salvation Army ect). These stores will vary each week in what is offered, in person. Prices are generally good, it can depend on your location and who’s running it. I’ve found that the chain stores have raised their prices to be a bit more for yarn bags than they used to be but some mom and pop shops will give you bags for cheap.

Another option is to go the online second hand store route, like Ebay, Craigslist or shopgoodwill.com. Ebay can be good for lots of things and for more vintage patterns / old and out of date booklets. A lot of the things on these stores might not be brand new or fresh but might be a bit cheaper than starting fresh.

4. Dollar Store

Now, if you have a Dollar Store near you there is a good chance they’ll have a decent starter selection of yarn and knitting needles and crochet hooks. There are a few different types of yarn and because each ball is $1.25. I wouldn’t recommend this for the long term for at least normal acrylic because it’s a bit more expensive to shop the Dollar Tree than the sale section of a box store.

The needles and hooks are pretty limited in sizes so I highly recommend looking at a second hand shop for those.

5. Sale section of your local big box store

The sale section of an online retailer or big box store is another great place to look for discount craft supplies. The yarn selection can be great and the coupons can be used for other notions. I personally like Joann's or Michael's for big box stores but for online retailers I like knit picks. Your local yarn store (if you have one near you), is also a great place to get help or find other crafters. Some even carry budget friendly yarns. (I personally like Berroco as a budget yarn!)

[unstitched-heathen]

I'm back working from work and it's been slow so I made a Thing! Technically two things...

My office gets really really drafty and my hands are icy by the time lunch hits so I figured I'd make myself some fingerless gloves! Then I had to scrap the original pattern I picked because it turns out I don't have any needles below 3.5mm... It was a sad day but my Xmas wishlist gained a new item :D

Anyways, until now I've only known how to regularly cadt on, knit, purl, M1L (but I had No clue what it was called), K2T, a very basic cast on for button holes, and yarn over.

Doing this pattern, I learned how to do a German Twisted Cast-on, M1R (and the difference between it and M1L), the backward-loop cast-on and the P2T bind off.

-> Fun fact: Did you know that the M1L and M1R instructions are VERY different for lefties? (Like following the M1R for righties gives you a M1L for lefties and visa versa!) I didn't the first time around :D Thank you left-handed knitting youtube for helping me with that one!

Anyways I know the tension was all screwy for the bottom cuff on the right but it was my first one and I really think the yarn just quit trying after I frogged it so many times lol

I had am absolute blast though, and my hands will thank me on Wednesday when I'm back to it :3 (Also my daughter demanded requested a pair so I guess I'm gonna be hitting up the thrift store for more DK yarn :3)

[yarnings]

So when I was writing my yarn store AU, I had Jenny own only pre-metric knitting needles, to indicate that, while she knits enough that she hasn’t given them away to her kids, she isn’t really big into knitting, and doesn’t see any need to purchase supplies when she has her mom’s old needles there, even though the vast majority of my audience won’t get that detail.

I did debate over this, because I wasn’t sure if that was realistic, because surely she’d have lost some, or had them break (Maybe they were all old enough that they were metal instead of plastic? Or maybe she never uses circulars?) Heck, I didn’t even know if people other than me still have pre-metric needles lying around. (I have the size 10′s that my great-aunt sent me about a quarter century ago, along with some baby yarn, and a “learn-to-knit” book. Pretty sure everything else I have is either metric or US)

GUESS WHAT I FOUND AT THE THRIFT STORE YESTERDAY! Yep, I lied above. I picked up a set of size 6 needles to add to my “4.5-5.5mm needles for teaching” And there were a bunch of other needles in other sizes that weren’t what I needed but weren’t metric. (Of course, I did pick up a pair of needles that were labelled 6, but were actually metric and I didn’t notice, because they were bigger than the 4.5mm needles, and when you’re trying to watch a bored kid and a “may get bored at any minute” kid you don’t notice the difference between 5mm and 6mm.)

[pbandjesse]

So even with my enthusiasm that today would be great it did not turn out as good and productive as I was hoping. This started last night.

Soon after I finished my post I fell apart. My body was aching so bad and my skin hurt and James says I was moaning in pain in my sleep. So that is very cool and chill. I kept them up a lot and my sleep was just not very restful.

I woke up to give James a hug when then we're leaving. I got up to use the bathroom and would fall asleep for 3 more hours.

I felt. Slightly better. Not a lot. I would feel nauseated and weak for a lot of today. I would try to do things. I picked a few things up. And I had a little cheese and crackers pack for breakfast while I did my knitting.

And I was in a good mood all things considered. Sweetp and me hung out and cuddled up in bed. It was windy out and it was nice to have something to do with my hands.

I thought I would work on some knitting machine tubes for bears. This did not go well.

I think I have already broken it because no matter when I did I could not easily make a tube. It was constant getting caught on it's needles and the hand crank was just making a horrible grinding noise. And I was able to move the hoop by hand but it is not ideal, fun, or easy. So I was a little frustrated.

I spent some time hanging out with Sweetp in the living room. I rested. I thought about sleeping but couldn't get myself to settle down. Instead just watched videos. I made a silly TikTok. I had lunch.

After I had lunch I was a little unsettled. I felt so sad. Just so down on myself. My chest hurt. My arms hurt. I was just not having a good time. I told James and they said they would come home but I wanted them to go see the last baseball game of the season and that coming home wouldn't make me feel better. It would make me feel guilty.

So instead I decided I needed to get out of the house. I drove out to Glen Burnie to walk around value village and get taco bell.

This was the perfect amount of activities. There was traffic out to the thrift store. But that was okay. And when I got there I had fun looking at stuff. I found a beautiful carved wood flower wall art piece. It even has a handwritten card in the back explaining the types of wood. It's so cool and was only $3.

And I got some more thin yarn to see if that would help my machine.

But the best and silliest find is my new mini steamer trunk. With goose pattern. It's so good. It is so silly but I love a goose with a bow. Makes me think of a 90s kitchen.

I struggled a little to carry my goose box. So I headed out after I found that. And went over to taco bell.

I decided to try a few things. Mixed results. My little bean taco is still the best. But I also really liked the cheesy potato bowl I got. I didn't love the cheese roll. Or the potato taco. Which was boring. But I was disappointed in my cinnamon twists which tasted like Windex and were horrible. No idea why sometimes they taste so bad.

I was feeling really tired out. So I was glad to go home.

I got back here and would spend the rest of the night on the couch playing with yarn. Still not great luck with the knitting machine. I think I just need one that is stronger because it's for kids. But I would just work on a regular knitting circle and I'm going to see if I can use those to make some bears. They will be bigger but I think it will be cute if it works. Though they take a lot longer.

James came home from the game a little tipsy and silly and very sweet. They smelled bad but I was still excited to see them. They would hang out with me on the couch until I decided to cut their hair and help them figure out how to style it. They looked so handsome and I love them so much.

I took a long bath. And would paint my toes. And now we are in bed. Thankfully most of my pain has gone away. My legs and skin still ache. But I will survive. I hope tomorrow the sun comes out and it's a little warmer so I can accomplish more.

Wish me luck everyone. Take care of yourself. Sleep good.

[wastelesscrafts]

Knitting 101:

Introduction:

Want to learn a cool new skill? How about knitting? I know it looks intimidating, but I promise it's not. I'm the most dyspraxic person you'll ever meet, and even I can do it.

What is knitting:

Knitting is a craft technique used to turn yarn into fabric. Essentially, it's nothing more than making a bunch of loops. As knitting uses loops instead of criss-crossing threads like weaving does, the resulting fabric is elastic. Knitting is usually done on needles, though loom knitting is also possible.

Other techniques to turn yarn into fabric are nålebinding (an old as balls yarn manipulation technique employing a tapestry needle) and crochet.

Supplies:

The bare minimum requirements to get started are yarn and a set of knitting needles in a matching size. Check your yarn label to see what needle size it requires. It didn't come with a label? Try to guestimate your yarn weight and go from there. A general rule of thumb is: the thicker your yarn, the thicker your needles should be.

As a beginner, start out with a pair of straight needles. There are other types of needles like circular needles or double-pointed needles, but keep those for after you've mastered the basics. Check out this guide on types of knitting needles if you're curious.

There are many types of yarn too, but for your first project just stick to one you find comfortable to touch. Check out this guide to yarn types if you want to know more.

Other items you may find useful as you progress in your knitting journey are a stitch counter, a cable needle, stitch markers, stitch holders, a tapestry needle, a crochet hook, and maybe even a yarn bowl. But let's keep those for for a more advanced tutorial. :)

You can buy needles and yarn from almost any craft store. However, the goal of this blog is to avoid buying new things, so here are some zero waste alternatives:

- Ask around if anyone has supplies you can borrow, or maybe even leftover yarn. A lot of knitters always buy an extra skein of yarn when starting a new project in case they need more than estimated. This often leaves us with a collection of random skeins. Maybe one of your friends has some extra skeins lying around?

- Trade yarn with fellow knitters. My friend and I save up all of our spare bits of yarn and trade them with each other whenever we run out of inspiration.

- Thrift stores are your friend! I have knitting needles in almost every available European size, and the entire collection only cost me €5 because I got them from the thrift shop's craft corner. You'll also frequently find unused skeins of yarn in thrift stores.

- Online thrifting is also a good option. I recently got €100 worth of yarn for €35 on Vinted because someone had bought the wrong type of yarn for a project and decided to resell the lot online. There's also a lot of people selling leftover yarn from past projects online.

- Ask around in freecycle groups. You'll likely bump into people who picked up knitting as a hobby once but didn't like it and are now stuck with supplies they don't use.

- If you're really adventurous, you could also browse second-hand shops for knitted items made from a yarn you like, and unravel the yarn at home.

Patterns:

The best place to get knitting patterns is Ravelry. It's THE place to be on the internet for everything knitting related. If you make a free account, you'll get access to tons of knitting patterns (both paying and free), a yarn database, and fora where you can ask any knitting-related questions.

Check if your local library has any books on knitting. If it doesn't, then check out an online library such as Archive.org. You'll find a lot of free vintage knitting patterns there.

Allfreeknitting.com is also a good source for free patterns, and so is Knitty.com.

If you have dyscalculia/dyslexia or any other reasons why reading a written-out pattern may give you trouble, I can highly recommend Pierrot patterns. Pierrot is a Japanese yarn brand that has a ton of free knitting patterns on their website which rely on schematics rather than text. Most have been translated to English, but even the original Japanese ones are fairly easy to follow as the instructions are visual rather than written.

Basic stitches:

Let's look at some of the most basic stitches you'll need to know to get started:

[ID: blue swatch: stockinette stitch; green swatch: garter stitch.]

Cast-on: a cast-on is a technique to get your yarn onto your needles when starting a new project. There are many different types of cast-ons that will give different effects, but let's stick to the most basic cast-on for now.

Video tutorial for a basic cast-on

Text tutorial for a basic cast-on

(Note: if you find this specific cast-on difficult to do, try out a different one. There's plenty of options.)

Knit: the knit stitch is the most basic stitch in knitting. On the right side of your work, it looks like a little v. On the wrong side of your work, it looks like a little -. Most knitting projects will use this stitch. If all of your rows have been knit with the knit stitch, you get the garter stitch. This is the easiest way to knit.

Video tutorial for the knit stitch

Text tutorial for the knit stitch

Purl: the purl stitch is the second most basic knitting stitch. It looks like a - on the right side of your work and a v on the wrong side of your work: it's the exact opposite of a knit stitch! If you purl every row, you also get the garter stitch.

If you alternate between rows of knits with rows of purls, you get the stockinette stitch: the basic knit stitch most commercial sweaters and t-shirts are made of. And if you alternate between a knit and a purl within the same row, you get ribbing, which is great for the edges of your work.

Video tutorial for the purl stitch

Text tutorial for the purl stitch

Slip stitch: the slip stitch is literally what it sounds like: you slip a stitch from one needle to the other. This stitch can be used for many reasons, but beginners will mainly use it as an edge stitch. By not knitting the first stitch of your row, you'll create a neater edge for your work.

Video tutorial for the slip stitch

Text tutorial for the slip stitch

Bind-off: binding off your work, also known as casting off, is a technique used to finish your work and to get it off your needle without unraveling it. There are many different techniques to bind off your work, but let's stick to the most basic one for now.

Video tutorial for a basic bind-off

Text tutorial for a basic bind-off

Other stitches you'll find useful as you take on more adventurous projects:

Increase: increasing means adding new stitches to your work. This technique is used to shape your work. There are many different types of increases, but as always we'll stick to the most basic one for now.

Video tutorial for a basic increase

Text tutorial for a basic increase

Decrease: decreasing means subtracting stitches from your work. This technique is used to shape your work. There are many different types of decreases, but as always we'll stick to the most basic one for now.

Video tutorial for a basic decrease

Text tutorial for a basic decrease

Yarn over: a yarn over means wrapping your yarn around your needle before working a stitch. This technique will also increase your amount of stitches, but unlike the above techniques, a yarn over leaves a hole. This stitch is used a lot in lace knitting.

Video tutorial for a yarn over

Text tutorial for a yarn over

Knitting gauge:

How do you know how many stitches to cast on for a project? Will your project even fit you? To figure this out, you need to know your yarn's gauge.

Imagine a 10x10cm (4x4 inch) square of knitting. This 10cm swatch will have a specific amount of stitches per row, and a specific amount of rows. These two combined are your knitting gauge.

Every knitting pattern will specify which gauge you need to knit the pattern in the intended size. A gauge will consist of two numbers, for example 22x30. This means the pattern's intended gauge is 22 stitches and 30 rows for a square of 10x10cm (4x4 inch) of knitting.

Your personal knitting gauge is defined by the yarn you're using, the size of your needles, and your own personal knitting tension. This means you'll have to make a gauge swatch for every new yarn/needle combination you're using.

Most commercial yarns will have a gauge estimate on their label. If the sizing of your project doesn't need to be super accurate, you can often just go by this estimate. Do keep in mind that your personal gauge will often differ from this estimate, though.

Don't be scared by swatching! It's easier than it looks, I promise! And don't worry, you won't be wasting any yarn doing this. You can always unravel your swatch once you're done, or use your swatch as a dish cloth.

How to knit a gauge swatch

How to measure your gauge swatch

Easy beginner project:

Let's make a scarf! Just a straight no-nonsense scarf, nothing more.

Get your yarn and your needles and cast on the amount of stitches needed to get the width you want your scarf to be. How do you know how much stitches this will be? Either check your yarn's label, make a gauge swatch, or guestimate how much you need by trial-and-error. It's just a scarf, sizing isn't super important.

Row 1: slip your first stitch, then knit every stitch until you reach the end of your row. Turn your work around.

Row 2: slip your first stitch, then purl every stitch until you reach the end of your row. Turn your work around. This will give you a stockinette scarf.

Want to make things even easier? Forgo the purling and just knit every row: this will result in a garter stitch scarf.

Repeat these two rows until your scarf is your desired length, then cast off.

Conclusion:

You've done it! You've made your first knitting project! Have fun wearing your scarf! Need more practice? Scarves make great gifts, and certain charities will take your scarves to hand out in winter, too.

Knitting takes practice, but it's not as hard as it looks. There's tons of options once you've got the hang of it: scarves, sweaters, hats, tops, blankets, gloves, bags,...

Good luck, and feel free to show me your work!

[rarebritney]

hi winnie, sorry if youve already answrred this before, but how did you learn to knit? i like to sew, but knitting sounds like a fun alternative for when i don’t want to sit down at my machine, so i was wondering if you have any tips for picking it up!

It's ok!! I learned mostly from the internet and from a few books. I have never had someone show me how, and picked it up reasonably quickly though I hit a few road blocks! my advice would be to watch Tiffany Liew's knitting 101 video, then use verypinkknits channel for help with technique! Also stitch & bitch is a good book you can often find in thrift stores that has really good diagrams. I would recommend starting with chunky circular needles, like maybe a US size 10 or above bc it's easy to see what you're doing with bigger needles and yarn. Also circular needles are just more useful bc you can use them to knit in the round or in the flat (knitting in the round makes a tube, like a sweater or sock... They're all tubes!) Once you start trying to learn it can be frustrating but don't give up bc eventually it will click and it's so rewarding!

[makinguselessthings]

do you have tips for someone who wants to start knitting (ie with no experience)?

I get this question a lot and my response is usually the same, so I hope that these tips are still helpful!

1. The internet. In this time of a global pandemic, it will honestly be your best resource for information. Videos, tutorials, books, etc. Websites like Purl Soho have simple beginner projects that are really cute and they have great tutorials.

2. Find someone you know who knits (or does the craft you want to learn). My mother learned from her mother, and I learned from my mother. This might not be something you can do right now, but it never hurts to ask.

3. Check in with your local community. Your library, local yarn shop, or craft store might be offering virtual or in-person classes. This opens up the option to meet other people in your area who knit, and then you might be able to join in on some knit nights, which are a hot spot for great tips and tricks!

4. Do not worry about your tools. You don’t need to buy expensive yarn, needles, patterns, or anything like that! I highly suggest picking up your stuff from a thrift store. Obviously, knit with a yarn you like and feel excited to work with but don’t waste money on anything when you are first starting out. You can always update your gear later on when you have a better idea of what you need. 

5. There is no “right way” to learn. Find the method that works for you and that keeps you excited and happy. I knit backwards, it took me ages to decipher a pattern, and like eight years of knitting before I attempted a sweater. It takes a long time to grow your skills. But a lot of patience and many, many scarves later you will find your comfort zone. 

Ok, that's it! Go forward, learn to knit and I hope you have a lot of fun!

[ub-sessed]

Favourite knitting notions:

Little tiny elastics: They make great stitch markers because they're cheap, they come in a ton of colours, and I can cut them if I accidentally knit them into my work.

Clover Bamboo Knitting Repair Hooks: The crochet-hook end doesn't make a very good crochet hook, but it works, and the pointy end is great for getting into tight provisional stitches or dropped stitches.

Disc brand crochet hook: The only hook that I can somewhat reliably grab the yarn with.

Knit Picks Options Sunstruck interchangeable needles: Very pointy, perfect slipperiness for acrylic and wool, nice pale colour makes it easy to see yarn. Cable is kind of stiff, so not good for magic loop. Bit of a bump at the join, so yarn gets a bit caught up. A bit too pointy for splitty yarn.

Prym Ergonomic knitting needles: Perfect for learning how to knit, especially with slippery yarn or Norwegian purling, because they're fairly grippy, not too flexible, and the teardrop shape makes it easy to catch the yarn. Also the cable is super flexible.

Cheap bamboo fixed circulars that I found at the thrift store: The cable is silicone so it's super flexible, and the join is perfectly smooth. They're super pointy and not too grippy.

Homemade cake winder: basically just a paper towel roll with a slit cut in the end. Effectively free, easy and fun to use, and so satisfying.

Needle book that I knitted for my yarn needles: I lost this, so I'm going to have to make another one!

Notions that are just OK:

Clover Quick Locking Stitch Markers: I love the fact that they look like little sheep, and it's handy to have stitch markers that can be opened, but this brand often comes open on its own.

Retractable measuring tape: Easier to use than a non-retractable tape, but I wish mine weren't round: it doesn't stand up very easily.

Least favourite knitting notions:

Straight knitting needles: Too long! Difficult to manipulate.

Cable needles: I have a tremor that makes it hard for me to manipulate three needles at the same time.

Blunt metal knitting needles: too slippery, don't catch yarn.

Plastic knitting needles: Too bendy, too grippy.

The cute little embroidery scissors they sell at the cash: Very pretty, but the handles are so small that my fingers get stuck in them.

Kai embroidery scissors: Too big to fit easily in a small bag, too pointy (they catch on stuff), and they don't cut well. But the handles are comfortable.

Lightbulb stitch markers: I have a tremor that makes it hard for me to open and close these, and they're so tiny that they're hard to see on my knitting.

Dark coloured knitting needles (or any knitting needles that are the same colour as my yarn): Make it too hard for me to see the yarn for complicated stitches or splitty yarn.

Unique brand dangly row counter: Too loose, turns by itself while I'm knitting.

The cheap plastic yarn needles that come in kits: Too bendy, not sharp enough.

Clover interchangeable bamboo needles: Nice and pointy, but the tips are too short for me, and the join isn't smooth.

HiyaHiya interchangeable bamboo needles: The tips are too short for me, and the join isn't smooth.

Any stitch marker that can't be cut or opened, because I sometimes knit my markers into my work by accident.

Yarn bowl: My yarn lives in the project bag so I can bring it anywhere, in a centre-pull cake.

Cake winder: I can't imagine ever knitting enough to justify the cost and space for one of these, when an empty paper towel roll will do the job almost as well.

Knitting notions I'd like to try:

Flox: Little tiny 2.5mm bamboo needles joined by a short piece of flexible cable that stays in the shape you put it in.

Knit Picks Colorwork Snap Bag: Has snaps to keep your working yarns in order.

Wool needles with a little plastic loop instead of an eye: However I have read that they break or get flattened.

Barber Cords: I HATE picking up provisional stitches from a piece of yarn, but Barber Cords are ridiculously expensive, so I just picked up a random piece of silicon tubing, and next time I need to do a provisional cast on I'm going to try that.

Folding thread scissors: I don't like having pointy things in my project bags.

Knitting needle case

Knitting thimble/yarn guide ring: For when I'm knitting with more than two colours.

Addi Long Lace Rocket knitting needles: For knitting with polyester, because they're supposed to be very slippery and quite pointy.

Lykke DPNs: For knitting simple things in the round with splitty yarn, because they're kind of grippy and not too sharp.

Hook or U-shaped cable needle: Because I find straight cable needles too hard to work with.

Yarn gauge

Needle gauge

Split ring markers

Tulip bamboo knitting needles: Tulip makes the best sewing needles, so I figure their knitting needles are probably good too. And they seem to have a perfectly smooth join.

Merchant & Mills Wide Bow scissors: Not too long, with super big handles that my fingers won't get stuck in.

Short transparent ruler.

Locking stitch markers that aren't made by Clover: Because the Clover ones are hard to manipulate, and they sometimes come open by themselves.

Higher quality dangly row counter

[etraytin]

Quarantine, Day 270

December 7

Back into our normal routine today, school for the kiddo, book writing for Husband, and doing various stuff for me. I got up to make sure Kiddo was all set up for school and had breakfast, then stuck around awhile to make sure he was actually getting the work done. So far so good, it seems! Morning was putting stuff away and knitting, nothing particularly exciting. It was kind of nice to have some nothing-particularly-exciting to do. 

In the afternoon, Husband went to the doctor for a follow-up on his infection, he  is doing better and just needs to keep doing what he’s doing. I went out then to the thrift store for my last errand of the week before we totally lock it down, because kiddo needed pants very badly. There was a price list on the rack with the boys pants that said the pants were $1, but when I got to the counter, they charged me $2 each, insisting that only little kid pants were $1. I paid, but then I went and got the sign saying specifically that boys pants to size 14 were $1, and I told them that it was okay if they’d raised their prices, but they should fix their sign. I did not ask for a price adjustment because charity thrift store, but I did really feel like they needed to know. I don’t want to Karen at people who are literally working for zero money, but I have also been in the situation where spending a dollar extra per pair of pants would’ve been a big deal for me, and I would have been embarrassed at the register if I tried to buy clothes and they cost more than I thought. I was in a position where I could raise the issue without having to go through the agony of getting a refund from the charity thrift store or put back clothes I really needed, so I raised it. In a nice way though, and nobody seemed upset or mad or anything, but you know how it goes with social anxiety and having to dissect every interaction after you have it. Anyway, I was also able to find some nice yarn and a couple pairs of very pretty needles that I didn’t need but were 50 cents a pair, so overall it was a good trip. 

Tonight was also very mellow, the guys played (or watched) Fallout and I knit while listening to some fiddle music and the first episode of a Twitch stream about a Vampire the Masquerade campaign that was very, very funny. I thought it was a little weird at my folks’ place how they watch TV every night after dinner, but I guess we have our own entertainments here every night as well. And thank god they are not Hallmark Christmas Movies! 

[angelicspaceprince]

Dewey x Crafter Reader Headcanons

Ive fallen down a rabbit hole of crafting and I can't get up. Help me. I write hcs to help save my soul

I'll also edit when I have computer access so then there is a read more button or whatever they're called, I can't find it on mobile

Wrote directly onto the tumblr app so if there are any mistakes that's why. No betas, we die by our spelling and grammar mistakes here

You were a crafter before you met Dewey, having taken up most crafts by the time you were 17

Sewing, needlepoint, embroidery, cross stitch, knitting, crocheting

You'd experimented with them all and even though each one had its merits, you definitely had your favourites

Then life happened. You had to start working, unable to attend college, and soon you had no time to craft. If you were awake, you were working

Mostly low paying jobs to cover rent, bills etc, taking on as many shifts as possible

It was actually during one of your shifts you met Dewey

You started working at a local music shop, mostly serving and organising CDs when a very excited Dewey rocked up, wanting to find the newest release for one of his favourite bands

You got to talking and realised that you had similar music tastes and, even though you really wanted to get to know him more, you had to remain professional. You were still on the clock

Luckily for you, however, you were invited to go see a group of local bands performing to celebrate your friend's birthday

You recognized Dewey the moment he stepped on stage and was in awe at his musical skill

You figured it'd be weird to go up to him and start talking because a) if he didn't recognize you then having a stranger come up to you and say that you remembered him from work would be odd and b) if he DID recognize you from work that'd be even odder

You didn't want to give off stalker vibes, so you stayed at the bar, content just to leave it

Dewey, however, saw you in the crowd and had a different plan in mind

Still riding the adrenaline high from being on stage, he walked straight up to you

"I don't know if you remember me, bu-"

"I remember you."

"Oh."

You both blushed heavily as you shift in your seat. "Drink?" You offered. "I....I liked talking to you earlier, I'd like to talk some more."

Dewey positively beamed at that, sitting down next to you as you effectively start ignoring your friend's birthday party celebrations in favour of talking to the man in front of you

The rest, as they say, was history

You ended up dating pretty quickly after you first met, moving in with each other after only dating for 6 months

It was an accident, you had your power cut off (again) and it was the middle of winter. Dewey offered you a warm place to stay temporarily and after 4 weeks of looking for a new apartment, he just said "you're already living here, just move in with me."

It made things easier, now there were two people contributing to bills

Rent was never paid in full, but something was always sent in

Patty wasn't impressed by that but Ned wasn't as fussed, just happy to have something coming in

It helped that he really liked you and felt that you were a good fit for Dewey

Even though things still remained tough, you were happy just to have a roof over your head and someone who loved you

When Dewey started working for Horace Green, things became easier

Bills were paid with his paycheck, yours became groceries and fuel money

Even then, for the first time in a long time, you had spare cash

Most went into savings but being able to afford your own Netflix account? Felt amazing

Despite having a bit of extra money, some habits were hard to break.

You rarely bought clothing from anywhere but thrift stores and Walmart, Dewey prefering Walmart but essentially doing the same thing

Unfortunately, that meant the clothing you had bought wasn't always the best of quaility, especially when Dewey was the one wearing it

Just the nature of his jumpy, clutzy, accident prone and slightly messy self meant you were constantly buying him new shirts and mending his sweater vests

To be honest, it was getting old

You'd also been missing crafting for a while so. Two birds, one stone

The next time you were in Walmart alone, you grabbed yarn and knitting needles and on the few days a week you were home alone, slowly you started to knit him some new sweater vests, using an old one that was beyond repair as the template to make sure each one fit

The first one was just a plain, fadded red to get yourself back into practice before slowly beginning to add simple designs similar to the few he owned now

Then a couple of weird themed ones, a couple of his favourite bands, one with music notes in the design, one that was birthday themed, one with mini guitars, whatever amused you and you thought would amuse him, you knitted onto the sweater

Each vest took three weeks to make. By the time his birthday came around, you had made him ten new vests, having kept it a secret the entire time

You were super nervous when he opened up his present, but the giant smile on his face was worth it, excited with the concert tickets you managed to get for the two of you (in the pit, of course) and with each new sweater, he got more and more excited

"These are amazing babe! Where did you get them?" He asked as he got up to try his favourite (the one with a replica of his Gibson knitted around the bottom) on

You go quiet. "I....uh.....I made them."

He looked over at you like you just admitted you had found a cure for cancer

You'd neglected to tell him of your crafting past, it never came up so you never said

Now, however, he was keen to see you craft

He never even dared to try it out for himself, but enjoyed watching you knit or crochet without looking at your work, watching TV or chatting to Dewey as you just continued to work

Every year, he got at least two sweaters from you, and you made sure to knit a sensible one and a silly one

What amazed you was the fact that Dewey seemed to have fewer accidents

He took extra special care of all of the stuff you make him, never spilling so much as a drop of coffee on them and tried his best not to get them snagged on the one sharp part of the doorway into his office

One day he came home, nearly in tears

You were folding up laundry but you dropped everything and came rushing over, thinking the absolute worst but instead he simply pushed something into your hands and said "I'm so sorry"

Turns out, he took off his vest when he came in to play a song with the kindergartners, something he now does daily as part of his role as music teacher

He didn't notice one of the kids grabbing it and wandering off with it

It was covered in paint, one of the Gibsons were cut out and the yarn was beginning to unravel, despite clear attempts to keep it from doing so

It was ruined

You hush Dewey as you pull him close and reassure him it's ok, you can make him another one

It took a while to settle him, he treasured everything you made him and he allowed one to get ruined

But once you assured him it was fine and you knew it was an accident, you ended up spooning in the couch as you mentally start planning the new sweater

A month passed when he found a wrapped up parcel on his desk

He was running late, didn't have time to grab a coffee and accidentally grabbed his vest with a massive hole in the back rather than one of your handcrafted ones

Still, he made it to the classroom before any students arrived, so he quickly opened it up and a huge smile plastered its way onto his face

A new sweater vest that was near identicle to his ruined one, a bit cleaner and better designed than the old one

You'd also made him a pair of socks, something you'd been experimenting with, with the AC/DC logos on the side

He found the note at the bottom 'Hope you have a good day. I love you. Y/N. P.S. These are not allowed near the kindergartners ❤'

He quickly changed into the sweater, feeling so much better than he did 5 minutes ago

The socks became his lucky socks and he'd wear them to his gigs, stating that it was like you were up there with him

He shushed you when you pointed out that it meant he was technically stepping on you, telling you "you know what I mean" before giving you a kiss

He'd give you requests for scarves, beanies, the lot. Socks were for bed or performances only, apparently, but everything else was worn whenever

You even made beanies and scarves for members of the band who wanted them, each having the School of Rock logo on it plus the kid's name

Dewey loves wearing and telling everyone about the stuff you make because he thinks it's absolutely incredible you're able to create something like this

And he treasures everything you make him

Most importantly, he's there to listen when you rant that the yarn isn't working like it should, or just about crafting problems in general, and be an ear as you problem solve an issue and is there to celebrate the victories when it finally works

Gets really good at yarn shopping too, picks up the brands you prefer and learns to read the packaging labels

Just

He loves the fact you can create something just like he can

[macgyvermedical]

The Weird Hat Adventure

I don’t know if you also live in the northern hemisphere, but two days ago it suddenly got chilly and decided to snow. That snow then had the audacity to stay intact on the ground for several hours.

Rude.

Anyway, in order to push back on the winter that awaited me, I needed a good winter hat. But I had an entire day of time to make this happen, and in the last few months I’ve been trying my damnedest to create as little demand for new products as humanly possible. Now, that’s fine, and my personal code does allow me to shop at any secondhand or antique store, as well as commission goods from independent creators/sellers (which is how I got my gloves) and accept gifts of new items. All of these gave me ample opportunity to either 1. Purchase a used hat from a secondhand retailer, 2. Commission a hat from a nice shop down the street, or 3. Ask to be gifted a hat for candlenights from a friend or relative.

But, as the true millennial I am, I decided that I also want to bulk up on my apocalypse skill. I was gonna learn how to knit myself a hat.

In the past, I had knitted (and unfortunately gifted) many a terrible scarf, but honestly my knitting skill does not hold up much beyond that. I’ve heard that hats are kind of the next step up in the knitting world, and wanted to try my hand.

So then... how does one come across balls of secondhand yarn? I wondered this to @alliemackenzie28​ who suggested thrifting and then dismantling a sweater. After perusing the two closest secondhand stores to me, I was shocked and appalled that neither had a suitable sweater for this. Also rude.

I came home and thought about it- I may not have had yarn, but you know what I did have? T-shirts. As a college student and former college student, t-shirts are thrown at you constantly. Most of them are advertising very specific university interests and are therefore useless for anything but wearing around campus (because on campus everyone else is also drowning in useless free t-shirts and its a no-judgement zone) or art projects.

I selected these t-shirts out of my stack because neither of them fit me and I liked the colors:

I then cut those t-shirts into strips and stretched the strips, creating the following two balls of t-shirt yarn:

I started knitting it, but realized it was killing my 6mm knitting needles. The pattern (as well as the thickness of the t-shirt yarn) I was using required 10mm needles and in hind-sight, I was having a lot of trouble because I cast on probably more stitches than I could possibly need, and was knitting them super tight:

So proceeded to visit another 3 thrift shops in my area to find larger and/or sturdier knitting needles. I did not succeed. Instead, I found multiple home goods shaped like the poo emoji, a weird doll with letter beads spelling “WORSHIP CHOCOLATE” as teeth, a life-sized cardboard cutout of Gale from The Hunger Games, and these horrible turtle-baby (parody?) lawn statues, and if I had to look at them, so do you:

Anyway, I returned home, saddened but not discouraged. I unravelled and then cast-on again, this time consciously looser, and continued my quest. It worked! It was killing my fingers, but it worked!

Woot! Less than 4 hours later, I completed my hat. I will definitely use this as a rough draft, and when the skin on my fingers heals, make another, better hat with the correct size needles and with some knitting trickery on the bottom edge to keep it from rolling up, but here it is!

Ta-da!