#knitting questions

[riminii]

I want to make my dad a big, warm shawl, because my mom keeps wrapping hers around him when he's chilly, and he seems to really like it. But, I need something else more 'manly' to call it, because ain't no way my father is going to accept a shawl. Any ideas?

[rt8815]

Attention advanced knitters! I have a question!

I'm knitting a Deadpool and Wolverine sweater, and I've decided one of the sleeves will sport slash marks and claws.

I really like the idea of steeking where the slashes will go, but I've never steeked before. (The one steeking project I have has been in timeout for a couple of years, so I've never reached the actual "Oh dear god what am I doing *slicey slicey*" step.)

I know that the whole strip of extra stitches that make up the steek are there to give it room to curl without taking from the body of the knitted item (I hope I worded that coherently).

But I dunno about extra stitches for the Wolverine slashes. They're not running the entire length of the sleeve, and I already have to increase periodically at both ends.

I also plan to knit basically garters (in black) to go behind the slashes, for depth and to keep out a draft 😅

What do you all recommend?

[the-wanderers-world]

Ok. For everyone that knows how to knit, is it a good idea for me, an absolute newbie to knitting, to learn how to knit a scarf? Like is it a recommended project for beginners? Because I want to try knitting and I am thinking of making a scarf, just because I like scarves and it is winter right now. Just a simple scarf, that's all.

[brittlikestoknit]

random knitting question.  when i make socks i prefer to do them cuff down and use the Kitchener stitch to graft the toes... there is never a seam on the inside or anything like that.  i recently used the Kitchener to graft the shoulders of a sweater and there was a seem on the underside? 

does anyone know why? 

[emilysidhe]

Hey!  I’m trying to learn Continental knitting after being an English knitter for many years, and I’m still struggling but keeping with it, but I wanted to know - 

Continental knitters out there - I have to look at what I’m doing because I’m not good at it yet, right?  But eventually, I’ll build up enough muscle memory to do it without looking and can go back to watching TV or even reading while knitting and just glance down occasionally to check that everything’s still going well?  Or do you have to watch what you’re doing in Continental knitting, like you do with crochet?

[whitehareknits]

Hiya! I saw your GO scarves and beanie and I thought they looked GORGEOUS!!! I was wondering how you kept your Beelzebub scarf from curling because whenever I use the stocking stitch it curles waaaay too much.

Ok. I just tried to answer this and Tumblr did a burp. (So we'll probably see the original post pop up the second I go through typing this one out)

ANYWAY! It's a magic trick!!!! Or at least I thought of it as one when I found out about it. I didn't use a stocking stitch at all. It's actually a 1x1 rib stitch! The ribs are small and even so they just kind of accordion together and give off a smooth surface like a stocking stitch. Only this one is better! No curving, two sided, and has great stretch.

It's actually a really useful stitch pattern to just have in your pocket. It's perfect for hat brims/mittens/sleeves/hems. A great way to add stretch to something you want to cling in place, like a beanie on a head.

The only thing I would keep in mind is that you will need more stitches than you think. Because the size difference between the piece at rest and stretched, is pretty significant.

[my-head-is-too-full-to-learn-new]

Knitting advice needed

I'm currently in the process of knitting a jumper to kwep me occuppied this lockdown. The pattern involves picking up stitches mid-row, with the pattern instructing to pick up the thread lying between the needles and backstitch. This is probably me just being a bit dim, but I've been trying it out and definately don't think that I'm picking up the same thing each time. I haven't found anything online that seems to be dealing with a similar thing, more picking up stitches from cast-off edges rather than mid-row. (That may just be me looking for the wrong thing) Anyway, I was wondering if any knitter out there had any advise on what I should be lifting up.

Any advice is appreciated

[biowearables]

I really want to try out some of your projects but I’ve never read a knitting chart before, any advice? Thessian toque in particular.

How to read knitting charts!

Personally I love knitting charts, they’re a map of the project I can SEE instead of trying to use my imagination. I’m way better at understanding the physicality of a project when I’m reading the chart, rather than a written pattern.

I found a really clear video on YouTube that walks you through reading a chart complete with visual aides. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv6ls-lZM_s&feature=youtu.be

But since I sometimes hate watching videos instead of just being able to scan some written instructions, I’ll try to write up the basics, and I’ll talk about the Thessian Toque pattern specifically.

Knitting charts are a visual representation of a knitting pattern as if you are looking at the RIGHT SIDE of the work. That means when you’re reading them, you start at the BOTTOM RIGHT corner of the chart, then read the first row from RIGHT to LEFT. 

The next row will be a row on the WRONG SIDE of the work, which if you’re working a pattern flat (as in the Thessian Toque) you read the row from LEFT TO RIGHT.

If you’re working your pattern in the round, you always read every row from RIGHT TO LEFT since you are knitting back to the first stitch of the previous round every single time.

There are generally numbers along the bottom reading from RIGHT to LEFT which indicates which STITCH in a row you’re working. I additionally included a line of numbers going the opposite direction so you could read the same thing for the WS rows. The chart will also have a column of numbers up the side indicating which ROW you’re working in the pattern. Generally charts start with a RS row, so all the odd numbers are RS rows, all the even numbers are WS rows. 

After understanding the flow of the chart, the next thing you have to understand is the key. Charts all have little symbols they use to represent the different stitches involved in a pattern. Each box generally represents one stitch, and the symbols in it will tell you which stitch it should be. If you’re working with multiple colors, as in the Thessian Toque, it will also tell you which color yarn to use. 

I know the symbols on the Thessian Toque look stupidly complicated, but that’s largely a result of me trying to wrestle Google Sheets into something that resembled the really nice charts you find in printed books. Occassionally in my pattern you have a box that represents multiple stitches because trying to draw them to actual size distorted the chart to the point where it looked really weird. I think? It’s been 5 years, it’s hard to remember what my thought process was when writing that thing now. ;)

Particular to the Thessian Toque (and any charts with increases or decreases) the row of stitch numbers at the bottom don’t actually work when you start adding NO STITCH placeholders. A cell numbered 5 will actually be stitch 4 if you had a decrease the row before and a stitch is missing. And you have to add the NO STITCH placeholders because otherwise the charts start to look super weird and unreadable, particularly if you have increases or decreases in the middle of a row. I admit that because there are a bunch of weird increases in the Thessian Toque, the stitch number in that chart for anything other than the first couple of rows is inaccurate. Sorry!

My suggestion for you  is to use the fact that it’s a spreadsheet to your advantage. Select the bottom right cell with your cursor, and then you can arrow your way through the row to see how many stitches of what you need to knit, and you can move your cursor through the row as you go to help you track where you are without always recounting the stitches on your needles. (At least, this is what I did when I was writing it.)

Use markers if you want to remind yourself of particular places in the pattern you need to remember, or to remind yourself whether you’re on a RS or WS row. In my personal opinion the chart isn’t the hardest part of that pattern, it’s the written sections where you’re doing short rows to get the tips of the tentacles to curve in the proper direction. I’m so sorry about those. ;)