There's not a whole lot to report today. I had a busy exhausting week so didn't do much knitting. I did work on Lindsey's scarf some and am up to about 12 inches of that, and did a few rows of the baby bib. Yesterday I also watched my DVD, the how-to on increasing section, and practiced that a little. While I watch the Packers today I will probably keep practicing that and work on Lindsey's scarf.
My birthday is in less than 2 weeks and I'm expecting from hubby either Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd or I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Socks by Cynthia Guggemos and then I'll make a trip to the LYS and get some sock yarn and whatever needles I need and hopefully will be successfully (?) knitting socks by next month! Until then I feel like I'm just piddling around but that's okay because I'm still learning. I am ready to get into some "real" knitting soon though!
I've been a little bit discouraged thinking about how my new knitting hobby won't be cheap and I don't really have much money to spend. I've always crocheted using mostly Red Heart acrylic yarn and Sugar and Cream cotton, but I want to use better quality yarn for most of my knitting projects. Just how many skeins of yarn at how much per skein does it take to knit a sweater anyway? How about a pair of socks? A tote bag? A poncho? (I KNOW this varies widely, but on average, for a good quality yet not top of the line yarn.) Those are some of the things I know I want to make in the future. I also want to get started using circular needles. How much are those, how many different sizes do I need? I'm seeing dollar signs everywhere and have no idea how I will afford much of this. Any tips? Any input on that subject?
I may not be doing much real knitting but I am happily listening to my knitting podcasts every day! Right now I have alternating episodes of Sticks and String, and Stash and Burn, on my iPod. My goal is to get up to date on these 2 podcasts, and then do the same with a few more, and a few more, until I am at least somewhat up to date on all of them, then start all over again!
Happy knitting!
My birthday is in less than 2 weeks and I'm expecting from hubby either Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd or I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Socks by Cynthia Guggemos and then I'll make a trip to the LYS and get some sock yarn and whatever needles I need and hopefully will be successfully (?) knitting socks by next month! Until then I feel like I'm just piddling around but that's okay because I'm still learning. I am ready to get into some "real" knitting soon though!
I've been a little bit discouraged thinking about how my new knitting hobby won't be cheap and I don't really have much money to spend. I've always crocheted using mostly Red Heart acrylic yarn and Sugar and Cream cotton, but I want to use better quality yarn for most of my knitting projects. Just how many skeins of yarn at how much per skein does it take to knit a sweater anyway? How about a pair of socks? A tote bag? A poncho? (I KNOW this varies widely, but on average, for a good quality yet not top of the line yarn.) Those are some of the things I know I want to make in the future. I also want to get started using circular needles. How much are those, how many different sizes do I need? I'm seeing dollar signs everywhere and have no idea how I will afford much of this. Any tips? Any input on that subject?
I may not be doing much real knitting but I am happily listening to my knitting podcasts every day! Right now I have alternating episodes of Sticks and String, and Stash and Burn, on my iPod. My goal is to get up to date on these 2 podcasts, and then do the same with a few more, and a few more, until I am at least somewhat up to date on all of them, then start all over again!
Happy knitting!
6 comments:
Hi Eileen. Not sure of the cost of circs. I use double pointed needles and work from the cuff down. You need about 100 gms of fingering wt. yarn to make an adult pair of socks. Not sure how much for childs. But I used the leftovers from 100 gms for the baby socks I just made. I have gotten a lot of my sock yarn on e-bay fairly cheap. I refuse to bid more than $10 for a skein. Usually $6 or $7 and if you watch the shipping costs that helps. Ponchos etc varies have to just look at the patterns. Good luck. Keep us posted.
By the way---I learned to knit socks with wool ease worsted and size 4 needles. I always cast on on 2 needle size larger to have more give on the cuff. Also it is recommended not to use 100% acrylic yarn d/t it causes feet to sweat. Happy knitting
Check out the on line stores for some real bargains. I especially like Knitpicks.com. Their Options needles are fabulous to knit with, and they have some store brand yarns that are really inexpensive. I'm making the Hemlock Ring throw from brooklyntweed in Knitpicks Swish Superwash, and it ran me about $25 for 770 yards, which I didn't think was too bad.
First, happy almost birthday! As far as yarn is concerned, it really is hard to tell you how much yarn you need to make stuff - it really depends on how tight or loose your knitting is. The most important thing is to always knit a swatch to check your gauge, that way you can then figure out how much you really need.
Be careful not to buy too much "expensive" yarn. Sure, the quality can be a bit better, but the price is sometimes just over the top. I knitting Maya a beautiful sweater using a Debbie Bliss part Cashmere blend yarn, but it cost WAY too much and I regret buying all the yarn just for a baby sweater. I am currently working on a sweater for my older daughter Leah and using Lion Brands Cotton Ease - three skeins for $15 plus it's washable. You can't beat that!
Stephanie
www.mesocrafty.wordpress.com
I use the knitpicks ciculars, after trying several of the other cheaper brands. They work wonderfully and are inexpensive. Just buy what you need a bit at a time. For a learner, I am going to suggest you might want to start out with the wooden tips they just came out with. I love the nickel ones, but they are pretty slippery.
Also, be careful where you shop. Some local LYSs are pricey. Nothing wrong with that, but it's easy to pay too much for something when you are swept up in the moment. Compare prices of yarns online so you know where to start.
I don't do sweaters for adults because of the cost and time factor. I like the smaller projects that can be done for 20 bucks or so :)
I'm very careful about the yarn I buy because it can be expensive. I only buy yarn when I have a pattern for it. Because of that I don't really have a stash of yarn. I've bought yarn from etsy.com and on sale at yarnmarket and sandrasingh.com. My family including myself have big feet so I have to buy 2 skeins of yarn. I looked and found that Fearless fibers on etsy has the most yards in 1 skein of sock yarn....about 560 yds. Is $18 but I only have to buy 1 skein of it. Sandra Singh has had Lornas Laces on sale for 8-9 dollars. I look for yarns on sale.
Now I like really like Addi Turbo circular needles. They're expensive but do come with a lifetime warranty if anything happens to them. I only have a few in the sizes I most use. US 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10.5. I just bought a 40 inch one in US 8 because I want to start knitting lace shawls.
I look for patterns to use in the needles that I have and in yarn that I can substitute thats not expensive.
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