Can anyone tell me, or give me a link on how to do a fishnet stitch? Thanks!

Current Mood: curious
Current Music: 3/10 Full Show-Free FM 106.7 WJFK - CBS Radio - Washington, D.C.-Penn Jillette

Hi! I've enjoyed reading posts here for a while, but finally I have a question of my own to pose...First, though, by way of introduction: I'm a Latin teacher, and I've been knitting off and on since I was little, but more and more recently. Especially purple and gold hats, those being the colors of Latin club.

Anyway, I've decided it's time for a new Roman costume. I want to make it based on this statuette of Minerva/Athena, complete with her symbols of the aegis and the owl. Looking at the aegis in that picture, I started thinking how it looks like a little knit capelet...thus, the wacky idea of knitting my own aegis! And a knit owl too, because that'd be much more fun than just buying a toy owl to carry around. Not at all historically accurate for a Greco-Roman goddess to have a knitted aegis, but hey, she's the goddess of handicrafts. Knitting seems appropriate. :-)

So, for the owl, I found this pattern but I'm not crazy about it. I know there are books of knitted toy animals out there; do any of them contain a good pattern for an owl, preferably less cartoon-y and more realistically shaped? Or does anyone know of any other owl patterns?

For the aegis...That's generally depicted as bearing the head of Medusa; you can see her face in the picture over Minerva's left shoulder. I'd love to be able to incorporate a Medusa-head pattern somehow into the aegis. I've never done intarsia, but maybe that would work? Or duplicate stitch? Or a purl-on-stockinette-background pattern? Or...what I think I'd like best, could one somehow knit Medusa in lacework, just in that one corner of the aegis-capelet?

Thanks for any ideas and suggestions you can offer!

Current Mood: pensive

I've been knitting for a bit but i've stayed in my comfort zone (knitting, purling scarves) But i'm ready to do something new. I'd rather not buy supplies i have a bunch of balls of yarn (assorted colors, not really more than one medium sized ball of each color) and straight metal needles. I just don't know where and how to go next (a new stitch? a new project? what kind of project?) And yes i've read all of the community memories etc i just want some personal opinion (and maybe a link or two) of where to go next. Any advice would be nice.
thanks a million

I just got a great deal on a cone of Jagger wool. (75 cents(!!) at a thrift store) However, I don't really understand the numerical weight system. This is 1/18 yarn. I know that it's laceweight or even a bit lighter, but I was hoping that you all could help me understand the finer points of this weight system, or point me to some resources.

I have googled, but haven't managed to use the right key words, apparently.

Thank you!

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Current Mood: relaxed

My sister's baby shower is today, and I knit most of the gifts that I'm giving her. Here are some photos: ( blanket, Fuzzy Feet, etcCollapse ).

I received 1 ball of Regia 4-Fadig sock yarn in a swap, and I'm loving the mitts that I'm knitting with it, but not loving the $6.50 per ball that it costs. The thickness of it is exactly right for what I'd like my socks to be, and according what I could find about the Regia (215yds/50g) and according to the KnitPicks site, the KnitPicks sock yarns should be close to that. However, I have some KnitPicks Essential (231 yd/50g) that I ordered around Christmastime, and it is MUCH thinner than the Regia. I'd say only maybe about 1/2 to 2/3 as thick as the Regia I have. Since they're similar in composition (75% wool and 25% acrylic/nylon), I guess that 16 yard difference is making a huge change in the yarn's actual thickness.

Has anyone handled Regia 4-Fadig and KnitPicks Sock Garden (or Landscape or Memories or any of those that are the same yarn by different names) that could tell me if they're similar thickness? This seems like a really stupid question, but I was unpleasantly surprised at the thinness of the Essential when I got it. The Sock Garden/Landscape/Memories yarns are 220 yd/50g, so maybe they'll be closer? I see that Parade is a bit thicker, but I remember hearing some less than favorable things about it, and I'm not too fond of any of the colors.

I have some difficulty knitting teeny yarns at a tight enough gauge to make a useful sock, and being able to knit a pair of socks for myself for $12 rather than $20 would be easier on my fairly tight budget.

I made the merino sheep from Kath Dalmney's World of Knitted Toys for a baby shower last year and I had a lot of the yarn I used left over so I decided to make another one for myself.

The yarns are all Japanese and I don't have the labels anymore. I didn't have enough of the textured yarn so I shortened the body, which I actually like better, but I also couldn't use textured yarn on the legs so I did those completely in the smooth yarn.

Here it is:

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I want to make Knitty's Bad Penny with a soft cotton-blend type yarn (I'm thinking of more warm weather-type top), and know many of you have completed this project with beautiful results.

I've checked the LJ search thingie and found a few semi-helpful references to yarn substitutions, but wanted to pose the question to a larger group.

Also, I searched around for the nifty google map with LYS posted, but couldn't find it. I hate when I forget to save a link! Does anyone have it handy?

Many thanks in advance!

Finally finished! These took me 6 days of dedicated knitting, and they are also my 3rd consecutive pair of Jaywalkers. I love the pattern, but I can safely say it will be a long time before I make them again.

These will be a gift for a family friend who is currently fighting cancer. She loves weird socks and these seem perfect for her. I made them using the 'princess foot' technique, which means that I did the entire sole in reverse stockinette because the knit side is softer to walk on. It actually came out looking pretty cool with the self striping yarn because the reverse side has the nice, horizontal purl lines.

I'm going to hand wash them with some Aussie 3 Minute Miracle conditioner and block them a little before wrapping them. I really like how they turned out.

Now, I'm about 1/4 of the way through the cabled newsboy hat I'm making for Amanda with the wool I hand-dyed. I'm really striving to concentrate on one project at a time if it's a gift for someone. It seems strange to have only one item on the needles, though, so I think I'm going to start the Print o' the Wave shawl for Mom, though I'm still not sure which needles to use. The Denise cords may be a little too sticky for the wool/silk laceweight yarn, but the Addis are too slick and too dull.

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock "Bee Stripe"
Needles: 32" #2 Addi Turbo circ
Pattern: Jaywalker by Grumperina

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Hello, all - I never had a problem just joining my work when in the round, but I'm taking a sock knitting class just now, and the teacher has a special way of "making the join more secure", and it involves adding one extra stitch when you cast on. That extra stitch ends up on the last needle (4th in my case, 3rd in other cases), and somehow, I'm supposed to knit into that, slip it, pass it over, and some such. She's shown me twice, and I can't remember it. At All.

I could just join it the way I usually do, and then go to town, but I want to try to learn this new technique. Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about, and can they talk me through it, or send me a link to a website explaining it, please? PRETTY PLEASE???

( Here's the Sock I've started, in the class.Collapse )

Current Mood: confused

Ok, I keep hearing about steeking. I've kind of gathered that it's for Fair Isle, and that it involves cutting your knitting. But my mom and I would like more details. What exactly is it? And why would anyone want to cut up their knitting?!

Hi Guys,
So I have 5 skeins of Patons Voodoo in pink, and am wanting to make something cute for a 4 year old. But since the yardage is minimal (33 yards) on it I can't think of something to make. She won't wear the scarf her grandma made so I don't want to go that route. Any one have any good ideas or patterns?

Hi folks!! Been a long time since I posted- I have been knitting quite a bit, but not finishing as much. And my digital camera was broken, so until I purchased my new and improved model, I couldn't post FOs anyways. But here's a few from the past weeks, to whet your whistle. Feel free to check out my blog (Mikaiya) for more photos and random knit ramblings. I have a bunch of projects that are nearing completion, so I might even blog regularly for the next few months.

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