New here, and all the questions I have been saving up.

I don't know how it is with knitting, tried it but just wasn't that in to it. But I have found with crochet, if I am having trouble with crocheting the thread too tight, I go up a hook size or two.

Use bigger needles.

It is.

You don't need a wheel. Look up "drop spindling"

I use my handspun to knit my own socks all the time. 3-ply hard-spun worsted-type yarn, fine enough for the finished yarn to pass through the eye of a size 5 cotton darner. What's your question?

Technically PASHMINA is cashmere. The use of the word as a noun for what is essentially a large scarf is one more example of how English bastardizes the rest of the world or genercizes (is that even a word? sayeth the curmudgeon). So yes, cashmere is nice to work with. I know very few people who are able to hand spin cashmere as finely as is required for the scarves known as "pashmina"; such yarn is typically mill-spun and mill-woven, then machine-finished. Knitting with such fine yarn to make such a large project would drive me nuts, although I might weave with it.

I've seen a few patterns that call for the use of three colors in a single round, none that require 14. Entrelac doesn't count because the knitter is only working with one color at any time.

Go to the library, check out some basic knitting books, practice, practice.

Welcome Kitty! Stick around - you'll find all kinds of answers to questions you didn't even know you had (laugh).

fine wool thread to make

Yes it is - there are a few sock knitters here (I'm one of them) who usually use "fingering" or "sock" weight yarn sold in 50 or 100 gr balls for socks. The gauge is usually around 28-32 stitches on a 4" square, using 2.25 mm needles. For most of my sock projects I use a yarn composed of 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon. These socks can be thrown into the washer/dryer without harm. The wool content keeps your feet toasty, the nylon keeps the heels/toes from wearing through.

Shelagh

Hi Kitty, and welcome to the group. I'm also a tight knitter, so I go up a needle size for ALL my knitting. You can get some really nice sock wool, some with lovely patterns - looks like fairisle, but isn't. I use that ALL the time, but have also made some socks for myself in a 5-ply crepe - that is 5-ply for us here in New Zealand. Charmaine

Welcome, Kitty. I knit socks, and love the finer wool ones. The lod fashioned hunting socks are great too, but for everyday use, I like the thinner ones. If you want to knit a bit looser, just try slightly larger needles.

Higs, Kather> Hi all,

Or more stitches around, and knit the inside first, to fit. Then knit the outside on needles at least 2 sizes bigger, so it doesn't compress the inside.

There are some good tutorials on spinning on the net. Be sure to look on the Google "more" features to find the weblog search.

I once made a sweater that had a lot of complex intarsia; in two places there were 14 strands in a single row, but as you said, no more than one strand was being used at a time.

If you want to work down to thin dress-sock gauges, I'd recommend first knitting some plain, regular socks with superwash sock yarn. It doesn't matter what size they come out - they'll fit somebody somewhere, and you're doing it for the experience. Then swatch with smaller needles. Lately, JoAnn's has been carrying a package of very thin aluminum double point sock needles; I think size 1 is the largest in the package. When you're using size 0 comfortably, get some laceweight yarn and swatch with that, using smaller needles until you get a swatch that is thin enough for you.

Oh, and you can stop and knit a hat or something else anytime. Knitting isn't something you have to do! But it can be fun to stretch your abilities even if the only visible result is a really fine doll scarf.

=Tamar

Hallo Kitty welcome to the GOOD group ,,,

Kitty have you heard about swatch>Hi all,