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Newbie's current projects

Hi, this is so exciting to communicate with knitters again!! None of my friends/family understand...

CULTURE SHOCK: I was in yarn shock yesterday - I hadn't been yarn shopping for a VERY long time and went into a JoAnn's yarn section the other night. Aaagghhhh! Incredible! I could not believe the types of yarns now available - colors - textures - creativity - wonder of wonders!! I also went to Halcyon Yarn Shop in Maine - knitting heaven!!!! Has anyone else had the experience of being away from knitting and then going back to find all these changes....

MY PROJECTS: Just finished:

- For 85 yr old Aunt Lottie - Lap blanket using a Red Heart worsted weight variegated yarn in muted blues/pinks/purples. I used a simple ss/reverse ss alternating blocks with a garter stitch border. I loved the colors in the yarn, but didn't like the way it worked up, and it's not very soft. I've liked a lot of RH yarns, but not this one.

- For a new friend: Scarf in a double seed stitch using Patons Viking yarn (100% wool chunky in a dark brown - I think this is an old yarn - I got it on sale years ago - $1 for a 100gm ball - can you stand it!!?? I'd bet it's good for felting.) This is not terribly soft, but I know it's warm - I used it many years ago to make mittens for my boys when they went to "Deep Freeze" camping trips with the scouts - tenting in January in the Adirondacks. What brave boys!

- For my step-grand daughter: two needle mittens using cotton candy (pink) Red Heart Hokey Pokey.

Current projects:

-- For my brother's unborn grandson: Short sleeve, raglan baby sweater in stocking st using Hokey pokey robin's egg blue with different colors for the ribbings. 1/2 done!

-- For my step-grand daughter: sweater in color blocks using Red Heart Hokey Pokey knitted with an off-white Sirdar denim. i used the white for the ribbings, and since I won't have enough to do the same size blocks for the sleeves, I will do the sleeves in the white with thin stripes of the colors.

2/3 done!

-- Sweater for my son in a Sirdar aran pattern using Paton's Canadiana. 2/3 done!!

-- Socks for me using Paton's Canadiana - this is my first time using dp needles - one sock is 2/3 done. I thought I could never do this!!

-- Red two needle mittens - one done

-- For step-grandson - Red and black scarf - if I can figure out what stitch to use! Any suggestions for scarf for a 10 year old boy? They seem to grow up too fast!

-- In knitting fellowship, Susan

*************************** Knitting is a haven, a safe place where one can touch history, dance with art, and create a peaceful life.

---Nancy Bush, author of "Folk Socks"

Reply to
Soozergirl
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There have certainly been some improvements in acrylics. I have found some old leftovers from years ago and they feel unpleasant compared to some of the newer yarns - though my old favorite, Orlon[TM], can stand up to the best.

My experience with Red Heart has been that it is thicker than some other acrylic brands and that it softens noticeably once it is washed.

I just made a stocking cap to use up a lot of small leftovers of old fingering weight yarns, eight rows of a color and two rows of a dark blue between each color section, finished off with a tapering end of all dark blue. I managed to balance the color weights with an almost-random order, and had just enough left to make the tassel.

=Tamar

Reply to
Richard Eney

Yes - I've had a lot of luck with acrylics, but this one was pretty scratchy, although it was still fun to work with. Sometimes I like the look and feel of the yarn while I'm knitting, but not the finished product. Go figure... Susan K

Reply to
Soozergirl

Yep, me. I learned to knit at 14 and made things regularly for years and years until about 13 years ago. It's the new yarns that got me back into it, and now I've discovered different techniques. And I have a lot of stash yarn I've held on to all these years, so it's been pretty cool.

sue

Reply to
suzee

Some of the new acrylics, like the larger, cheaper ones, are still as scratchy at the old ones, but many are nice and soft.

sue

Reply to
suzee

The cap sounds nice - did you use all similar weight/texture yarns or mix them? I like to take two very different strands and knit with them. Years ago I went to a mill ends shop that had huge cones of threads, and used those with worsted weight yarn - got some interesting effects with that.

Susan K

Reply to
Soozergirl

I try to match weights as much as possible. Sometimes it isn't really possible, when using up random scraps and odd balls, even with acrylics there are differences in actual size between "worsted weight" yarns from different companies. It's less important when doing stranded color knitting, because the two yarns double up, but in stripes different weights can be very noticeable.

But the biggest decision is always: tassel or pompom? ;-)

=Tamar

Reply to
Richard Eney

Reply to
Soozergirl

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