X Marks the Scot - An on-line community of kilt wearers.

   X Marks Partners - (Go to the Partners Dedicated Forums )
USA Kilts website Celtic Croft website Celtic Corner website Houston Kiltmakers

User Tag List

Page 3 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 21 to 30 of 44
  1. #21
    Join Date
    24th January 08
    Location
    Oxford/London UK
    Posts
    123
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    I cannot recommend silvers sock class highly enough. The two socks (hose) toe up on one circular needle method is ideal for beginners and is how I did my first pair. I would also highly recommend learning to knit continental style as soon as you possibly can if only because it makes doing rib a dream instead of a drudge. This youtube clip gives a very good demonstration of the process and is the one I've used to teach myself the technique. I'm now doing five pairs of hose simultaneously by virtue of the wonderful KnitPro interchangeable circular needles which allow me to use one pair of needles for all five pairs of socks. Brilliant!! Available, in the UK anyway, from the lovely ladies at GetKnitted who are very friendly and helpful. Hope this helps.

  2. #22
    Join Date
    22nd October 09
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    49
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    That's a GREAT youtube video! Another helpful resource is off the www.knitpicks.com site. There's a "knitting community" tab which takes you to some video tutorials on a wide variety of topic, and will take you from the very rudiments to more advanced work.

    Good luck to any and all who want to pursue knitting. It's a great ride!

  3. #23
    Join Date
    3rd January 06
    Location
    Dorset, on the South coast of England
    Posts
    4,521
    Mentioned
    1 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    If you are just starting out knitting you need to find out how you can do it best - because there is no right or wrong way to knit as long as you get something wearable at the end.

    There are some knitting police who insist that - for instance, someone who finds knitting onto the right side needle difficult should practise until they can do it, rather than trying out knitting in the other direction.

    I prefer to use medium length double pointed needes for socks, as I can keep the stitches for the top, bottom and sides sorted out on separate needles. I have a huge stash of needles as I inherited loads of them from older generations - goodness only knows how many times they have been handed down.

    I find that I get cramps in my fingers using circular needles as the rigid part is so small.

    I use mostly English four and three ply as they make hose thin enough to wear in normal shoes. They are knitted on rather skinny needes, which can make some people reconsider knitting socks when they first see them. Once the first couple of pairs are done, however, the knitting becomes a habit and it can seem strange not to have any to work on.

    Anne the Pleater :ootd:

  4. #24
    Join Date
    22nd October 09
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    49
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    no right way to knit!

    It is correct that there is NO RIGHT WAY to knit. Knitting is fraught with choices. Ultimately, use whatever technique works best for you. Sadly, there are self-proclaimed knitting police, aka knitting nazis, out there who think it's their way, or the highway. Just ignore them, and do what works for you. Maybe reading some of "the yarn harlot's" writings would be helpful. Her name's Stephanie McPhee, and she's got a couple books out that loads of knitter's rave about. She also has a blog out there. She has followers...disciples.

    Eventually, it may be nice for you to have a grasp on all the different techniques, if you are interested in taking your knitting to "the next level". I am a "thrower", but had to learn to "pick" as I started working w/ Fair Isle and other color stranding work. But you don't need to know everything right out of the gate. Find one you are comfortable with....master it, then add to it, if and when you want.

    Additionally, while I learned to knit socks using double-point needles (dpn's), I now use two 24" circular needles, instead, if I am working on a basic sock, with half the stitches on each needle. I still use the dpn's, but for socks that might have a complicated lace pattern. It's just about what you are comfortable using.

    Tip> when working the heel and toe stitches, us a needle that's one size smaller. Your knitting will be denser, and more durable at these areas of higher/harder wear. And...while there is a whole yarn wt class of "sock yarns", those yarns generally are knit on the very small needles - 0,1 and 2 US. But aren't kilthose knit from a bulkier wt yarn? And the yarn used should dictate what size needles you use. For example, my father's tartan hose were knit on size 6US needles, using a dk/sport wt yarn...kind of a wt between the heavier worsted and the lighter sock yarns.

    And whether to knit a sock f/ the cuff down to the toe (top down) vs. knitting f/ the toe up to the top (toe up)? It's 1/2 dozen of one, six of the other. There are advantages to both, but the bottom line is you end up with a sock. I make top down socks, but my friend prefers toe up. She's got a wide size 10 US foot. She's discovered that when she does top down socks, she runs out of yarn before she gets finished w/ the toe. If she starts at the toe and works up, she can finish before she runs out of yarn...it's a bit shorter, but not so aggravating, and she doesn't have to buy more yarn to finish the project.

    If your goal is to make tartan hose, the traditional way is to knit the leg flat (back and forth), not in the round. Use a different strand of yarn - usually loaded on a bobbin - for each different block of color. When you reach the top of the heel, you join the work and start knitting in the round.

    Too much information? Clear as mud? It's really pretty intuitive once you have the mechanics down.
    Last edited by sockknitter; 22nd December 09 at 10:49 PM.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    9th August 07
    Location
    Triad Area, North Carolina
    Posts
    299
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Okay, I think y'all have given me the courage to try knitting my own hose. My mom taught me the basics of knitting when I was in High School and wanted a wool balaclav, but couldn't justify the cost of buying one. I have knit dish rags and scarves for my wife over the years. (VERY intermittently.) Now of find some yarn.
    I knew there was a reason I left my circular needles in my bag when I packed for the holidays with the in-laws.

  6. #26
    Join Date
    5th November 08
    Location
    Marion, NC
    Posts
    4,940
    Mentioned
    2 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    You should be able to find a few good yarn shops in the Triad. I'd suggest starting with a worsted-weight yarn first, then graduate to the finer ones.
    And use DPNs. (4 will work just fine.)
    --dbh

    When given a choice, most people will choose.

  7. #27
    Join Date
    29th April 07
    Location
    Columbia, SC USA
    Posts
    2,132
    Mentioned
    1 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Quote Originally Posted by piperdbh View Post
    I'd suggest starting with a worsted-weight yarn first, then graduate to the finer ones.
    And use DPNs. (4 will work just fine.)
    Ditto on the worsted weight.

    However for a novice sock knitter on DPNs, the second sock can be nerve-wracking. Am I going to be able to make it come out matching the first one? were my notes good enough???

    On my second pair, I transitioned to two at a time on 2 circulars. I love my DPNs, but for socks, I like the reassurance of 2 at a time.

    Presently flirting with toe-up socks...
    Ken Sallenger - apprentice kiltmaker, journeyman curmudgeon,
    gainfully unemployed systems programmer

  8. #28
    Join Date
    22nd October 09
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    49
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    socks 2 @ a time

    I usually knit sleeves two-at-a-time, for the same reason. Like to duplicate the shaping at the same time/same place. But never thot to do it w/ socks.

    I end up counting...number of rows of ribbing, # rows f/ ribbing to top of heel, # rows f/ heel to beginning of toe shaping. and I pull socks out of the laundry and am surprised to see one longer/shorter than its mate. Was it my yarn tension? was it the yarn? was it the sock gremlins? will anybody notice? (NO!)

    good luck! keep us posted on your progress, both good and bad.

  9. #29
    Join Date
    16th May 08
    Location
    forgotten
    Posts
    923
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    Difficulty - the first thing I knit were socks.
    Suggest that you knit some baby (small) socks to start. This way you can try all the techniques without a large investment of time. Knit one small sock and then try another technique, to find what technique you like.

    I like toe up knitting starting with Judy's Magic Cast-On using 2 circular needles. At the heel I like is short row (about half way now the page). I think toe up short row easier than a top-down heel flap because I screw up picking up the stitches of the flap.

    Don't forget tube socks, no heels, not as comfortable as custom knit heeled socks.

    In knitting there is only one (maybe two) stitches. The knit stitch this is the only stitch all others are just variations on this stitch. The purl stitch is the back side of the knit stitch.

    NOW: Please remember that once you have mastered knitting socks you MUST maintain the mystic of how hard they are to knit.
    If you see abbreviations, initials or acronyms you do not know the Xmarks FAQ section on abbreviations may help.

    www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/faq.php?faq=xmarks_faq#faq_faq_abbr

  10. #30
    Join Date
    22nd October 09
    Location
    Boise, ID
    Posts
    49
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)
    That's a perfect example of knitting having multiple ways to do things.

    I'd rather knit top down, heel flap, turn heel and pick up stitches. At this point, it's brainless to me....requires zero thought.

    I can and have done the short row heel, when the pattern or yarn (looks great when using two colors of yarn) calls for it, but I ended up ripping it out a few times because I lost track of where I was, what I was doing, how many times I'd done it....blah!!! And that's the point where I take a breath and pull out the monstrosity I created, close myself off from the world and concentrate.

    The short-row heel actually looks more appealing to me...that's the irony.

Page 3 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast

Similar Threads

  1. Sock (hose) knitting loom
    By Friday in forum DIY Showroom
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 2nd September 09, 11:03 AM
  2. Knitting pattern for kilt hose?
    By Doomsday in forum DIY Showroom
    Replies: 17
    Last Post: 3rd June 09, 04:48 AM
  3. Hose knitting question
    By cacunn in forum DIY Showroom
    Replies: 13
    Last Post: 24th April 08, 09:27 PM
  4. OI! Dreadbelly! hose knitting pattern.
    By Warlock in forum DIY Showroom
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 13th February 07, 09:30 AM
  5. Knitting argyle kilt hose
    By Socceroskcsdk in forum How to Accessorize your Kilt
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 31st May 04, 05:30 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

» Log in

User Name:

Password:

Not a member yet?
Register Now!
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v4.2.0