Monthly Fiber Arts Thread - February, 2022

February 1, 2022 | Diana in Wisconsin

[MomwithHope]

Sure mattress size is 4 1/2” X 6 1/4”

[MomwithHope]

Thanks! Very relaxing to make. Winter is craft time around here.

[gleeaikin]

Years ago I did a little bit of knitting but then stopped. More recently I learned crochet. I still have trouble following patterns, but I love crocheting freehand. I have now made over 200 hats and sold some of them. I keep inventing different patterns, and have so much fun with the various colors of yarn now available. I have debated trying to make some other clothing, but have not because it seems too time consuming. Rather than trying to read a pattern, I have thought of buying a paper pattern, and crocheting pieces and laying them on the pattern as I work to maintain the size of each part. Since I have made afghans withh granny squares, I could then connect the pieces like I did with the squares.

[gleeaikin]

If you naturally pull a bit tight, you can also try using a larger crochet hook. This is why at the beginning of a pattern they often suggest crocheting a block something like 4 inches square. Then you can figure how many stitches you need to get a certain measurement. You can try various hooks until you get one that gives you the looseness you seek and calculate how many stitches will give you the measurement you want.

[gleeaikin]

If you naturally pull a bit tight, you can also try using a larger crochet hook. This is why at the beginning of a pattern they often suggest crocheting a block something like 4 inches square. Then you can figure how many stitches you need to get a certain measurement. You can try various hooks until you get one that gives you the looseness you seek and calculate how many stitches will give you the measurement you want.

[gleeaikin]

Wow, those squares are really small, what kind of fabric did you use? Also what seam allowances. I imagine 1/4 inch would make it too thick, and they really look good.

[MomwithHope]

All cotton calico and 1/8 seam allowance. And a good iron.

[Jamestown1630]

One of the problems I’ve had is yarn substitution.

I have lots of patterns from old copies of McCall’s Needlework and Crafts, which was my favorite craft magazine decades ago; but a lot of those yarns aren’t produced anymore.

There are yarn substitution tables on the Internet; but I’ve never been sure of them, especially since I haven’t really known all the terms.

I found this tonight, which might be helpful to others in the same situation:

https://www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/c/article/how-to-figure-out-yarn-substitutions

Hey! While working on this post, I discovered that some later issues of McCall’s Needlework and Crafts are on archive.org. But they’re on ‘log-in and borrow’ which is a feature I haven’t used and don’t know anything about:

https://archive.org/details/pub_mccalls-needlework?&sort=-week&page=1

[Chicory]

With crocheting too tightly, that is a huge problem, and I solved it by giving a slight jerk or tiny extra pull away with the hook as I draw the yarn out of the loop. I do the same thing with knitting.

I tried to teach myself to knit for years from a book a neighbor gave me. Then I got kind of good, like just beyond rank beginner, but since I moved a few years ago, I have not knitted much. I just started again a few nights ago, and then this thread popped up!

As a crocheter, knitting drove me round the bend even after I had figured out how to loosen my stitches. It just seemed unreasonably complicated, and the needles slipped around as I looped the yarn around the needle.

Luckily, I found continental knitting 😃 To me, this is the solution for crocheters learning to knit. The yarn goes over your left index finger, and that finger cooperates with the right needle so you just grab the yarn and bring it through like crochet.

[Jamestown1630]

I’ve been curious about Continental, since it’s rumored to be faster and more efficient.

I actually first learned basic knitting - casting on and what I guess waa just a garter stitch - from my aunt, who made beautiful things; but I was very young then, and forgot it all. I took up crochet and learned from a book when I was about 20.

I’ve always thought it was funny that anti-German sentiment in the mid 20th century extended to giving up on Continental - I guess it was a form of ‘virtue signalling’. But a craft or science is what it is, no matter where it came from:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_knitting

[Chicory]

Wow, we gave up continental because of anti-German sentiment!?!? Like liberty fries, I guess.

Anyway, using continental, I was able to knit faster than my knitting buddy for a while, but in looking into the matter for you, I found out I was “twisting” my stitches by wrapping them the wrong way round the needle. That is easy to fix for knitting, harder for purl.

[Jamestown1630]

I think I have a knitting book by someone who did Continental. Since I’ve had so little experience, maybe I can try both and see which works.

[Qiviut]

Red Heart posted this scarf on their FB site & I fell in love with it .... the pattern is on Etsy. Here's the link - worth looking at because the whole scarf is so pretty: Amelia Scarf Pattern

I've been into cables lately (put one on a pair of arm warmers) so I like that detail, but what really intrigued me was the 'background' stitch .... what is it? It's not a "moss" stitch, but looked similar. So I searched 'moss stitch variation' and lucked on it right away. It's a vintage stitch, the Irish Moss Stitch.

I knitted a pair of arm warmers using this stitch & they worked up beautifully. There is texture to the stitch so the arm warmers will be thicker and ... ta da! .... 'warmer' than the usual stockinette stitch. I'm currently knitting up another pair for a March birthday present.

Irish Moss Stitch Links:

Irish Moss Stitch Knitting Pattern for Beginners

The pattern is a very simple 4 row repeat & you'll get lots of practice with knits/purls. I hate K1, P1, but it's been good for improving my knitting speed.

BTW, she has a stitch book that can be ordered (Amazon has it, too) that I think I'll end up getting. I'm always looking for new stitch patterns & while I have a couple of books on crochet stitches, I have none for knitting.

[Qiviut]

"people that love yarn and fabric of all kinds."

I think, are called "cats."

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I ended up with 50 pairs of knitted fingerless mittens last year & so far this year, have 8 ..... all my yarn balls are disappearing and I still CANNOT FIND THE CAT!! :-)

[Chicory]

Let me know how it turns out. I have a problem with some of my fingers hyperextending and I am having a lot of trouble getting the purl right. I am curious if it is just difficult or if the problem is with my fingers.

(I just found out I had been doing the purl wrong)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wow. Just, WOW! How organized!

[Qiviut]

Oh my ... this unfortunately will never be possible at my house. If I ever move & can luck into some “dedicated” space for my ‘crafts’, maybe ...... however, any move will most likely be to something smaller, not larger.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I TRY to stay organized, and I do to a large part, but ‘craft stuff’ is always an issue for me, too.

Wonder why more homes don’t come with designated Craft Rooms?

There’s our Million Dollar Idea! :)

[Qiviut]

I just saw this on FB .... pretty cute. Posted by Mikey Sellick (Crochet Crowd). I tried to find a non-FB link to the video so everyone can see it - it’s a public post so maybe non-FB can see it .... pretty cute (give it a sec or two for Susan to start singing)!

https://www.facebook.com/TheCrochetCrowd/videos/522193365838618/

Here’s the explanation on the post:

“Official Crochet Frog Song. For those who don’t crochet, Frogging means to Rip It Ripit... When you make a mistake, you have to rip out your work. So it’s slang saying Ribbit Ribbit, called Frog or Frogging. When you lose at Yarn Chicken, means you run out of yarn right at the end of the project. Sung by Susan A Pitman. It’s our final farewell for our Crochet Cruises.”

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The Crochet Cruises were super popular, but the WuFlu probably put an end to them & it appears they’re not starting them back up.

[Qiviut]

Hmmm ... just noticed all the pics using FB links are “disappeared”. I’ll have to try something else in the future.