So I got a set of Hiya Hiya interchangeables (small, 2-8) from my sister for Christmas! I already have a set of Knit Picks Options that I have been working with almost exclusively this past year, but she only recently discovered how serious my knitting "habit" has become, and I think she thought she'd surprise me. ;D So sweet. I've been pretty curious to give these a try anyway, so I cast on a new project with the size 2s almost as soon as I got home.

And.... well, as I had commented my suspicion previously (I think to lakesidetiger, who also got a set recently?), I am indeed having a HECK of a time keeping the needles screwed down while I'm working!!! It seems like every WS row I need to retighten. And it doesn't seem to be any particular defect of the needle or cable; it just won't stay tight as I knit. So far I do like the swivel function of the cable end, but it doesn't seem to be doing as much to help keep the needle tip screwed on as I was hoping. Has anyone else with these needles experienced the same problem? Are there any special tricks for tightening the tips down that you guys have found helpful?

My version of a review of these so far:
- Tips are pretty blunt compared to the KPs; I would even say they're blunter than normal Addis. I'm a fan of sharper points myself.
- Steel finish needles rather than nickel plated, so they're not as slippery as KP Options or Addi Turbos.
- The swiveling cable join is GREAT!! And the cables are nicely flexible. But the join between the cable end and the needle tip is NOT as smooth as the KP join. No matter how tight I screw the needle tip down I still get a slight hitch/snag when I pass my stitches over the seam between tip & cable, and also at the cable end itself because of the slightly bulbed shape.
- Don't forget these needle tips are shorter than the KPs and Addis! As lakesidetiger said, it takes a little getting used to; the edge of my palm was a little sore after the first day. I feel like these put a little more stress on your fingers/grip because of the shortness, but YMMV.
- The beautiful carrying pouch is super handy! I've already transferred my KP tips into the extra slots, and the cables and end holders etc all into the little zip pouches. I'm a fan.
- Mostly though, as I was kind of expecting, not having a key to tighten the needle tip down is proving to be a real problem for me. I supposed I could use some plumbers tape or a dab of seam goo to help seal the screws temporarily, but it seems like such a PITA! I'm pretty tempted to switch this project over to a diff set of needles entirely. It could just be these size 2 tips in particular, and the larger tips may be easier to tighten, but I don't know how much use I'll be able to get out of this set as it stands.

Also! ( A couple of FOs so this isn't such a rambling text-heavy post! )

http://fishie.net/blog/?p=107

My roommate and I have made a stashbusting pact. Once we have both met our goals, which we have verbally declared to one another, we are going 50-50 on a Webs Grab-Bag. And after finishing a sweater made out of lace-weight, I have been churning out projects like no tomorrow and am actually knitting down some stash.

I have a soft-spot for Tuesday Morning yarn. It’s always cheap, and sometimes it’s actually good. I’ve had some Queensland Collection Bengali for a couple years now that I have not done anything with because it was just too cool to use. That kind of thinking never bought anybody a grab bag, so I’ve started using it up. Case in point of the type of thinking that is helping me stash bust: December 23rd. I think to myself, “You know, you should probably make your mom a new scarf.” I did make her a scarf back in the day when I was a fairly new knitter and had no idea what I was doing. It was nice from what I remember, and you couldn’t even tell all the stitches were twisted because I used two kinds of acrylic held together. On the 23rd, I was looking at my drawer of Queensland Collection, and realized that one of the colors I had three 88-yard balls of (perfect scarf yardage) was in her favorite colors.

I scanned Ravelry for quick and simple scarves, but I didn’t see anything I liked. I pulled out a stitch dictionary, found something cool, and the rest was history. I finished the scarf in two days, despite being gifted Portal and getting 3/4 of the way through the game on the 24th. I named the pattern Striata after my zebra loaches (Botia striata–yes, I’m a fish nerd. Why do you ask?) because of the striping effect of the slipped stitches and because of how the colors ended up striping. I had a bit of yarn left over and decided to do some fringe, which I normally think is quite tacky but in this case decided it was necessary to use 100% of the yarn.

Download Striata for Free

The pattern is both written out and charted, and easily adaptable for any weight of yarn. The chart reflects my using aran weight yarn, but the written directions will accommodate any stitch count that is a multiple of 6. The slipped stitches add an interesting texture, as well as making this a VERY fast project.
Ravelry page is here.

Stay tuned and I might actually make a real blog post!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Craftastrophe/~3/11qfOcN_6uI/

http://craftastrophe.net/?p=5008

Forget the flies. This pig head is the ruler of all Devil Pigs.

This is one of my favorite jugs I’ve ever made–he doesn’t have horns, but I still group him with my Devil Pig Jug series. He is the boss of the Devil Pig Jugs.

Like Boss Hog, right?

Big Pig Head Whiskey Face Jug made with local slip and ash glaze

Ha! Boss Hog.

Get it?

Whiskey face,

definition: what your face looks like after a night of whiskey and roofies, a la Hangover.

I think that’s about the same look I’d have on my face while trying to conceal my horror if this happened to be one of my Christmas gifts.

{source}

Not the same, but still fun:

• TIMES UP! TIMES UP! TIMES UP! CONTEST: Win a Brother P-Touch Label Maker!
• TIMES UP! Giveaway! Hangman Necklace
• GIVEAWAY: Fail Whale: Part Deux! TIMES UP!
• TIMES UP! GIVEAWAY!
• GIVEAWAY!: Cozies, Done Craftastrophe Style (NSFW)

I'm embarrassed to say that even with all the knitting I've done over the past few years the only time I've ever changed colors is a top band on wristwarmers or socks. It scares me. *blush*

I REALLY want to do this pattern: http://stitchnsnitch.wordpress.com/2009/02/27/jacobs-knucks/

I've looked at youtube videos on how to carry the secondary yarn and I get that, but do I really need to do that with the secondary color just being this little bit of paw? Or does it make sense to cut the yarn and weave in tails? I feel silly asking this, but I really have no clue when it comes to working in two colors. It seems like a waste to carry the yarn around for just this little bit, but I will bow to the experts here and do whatever I'm told. I'm easy that way. ;)

Thanks in advance! I'm headed out for the evening but will check replies first thing when I get home. :)

Hey all!

I'm playing with a pattern for a top-down hat, and the pattern says that after an inch or so of 1x1 rib to "bind off all stitches." I've played with three different bind-offs and none of them have stretched enough to get the hat easily on over my head. I've tried binding off knit-wise, binging off in pattern, and binding off with k2tog, slipping the right needle's stitch to the left needle, and repeating.

What bind-off do you recommend for top-down hat brims?

I got a gift card to WEBS for Christmas, and I really want to make Jared flood's Girasole. I've been debating which yarn to get, but I know I want to make the blanket version (so a worsted/aran weight yarn).  The yarns that fit best in the gift card amount  are the acrylic/ acrylic blends... if I used those would I be able to block the finished product to see the lace well enough? Or am I better off using wool, even if I have to pay extra out of pocket?

Thanks for any advice!

http://www.grumperina.com/knitblog/archives/2009/12/stockinette_and.htm

Nothing is better suited for hours in the car than some stockinette and garter stitch.

And nothing suits stockinette and garter better than handspun yarn! Four baby hats, all cranked out in the car. I still need to put the finishing touches on these, and then I'll tell you all about them!

I made Knitty's Camden for my sister for Christmas, and I love it so much I want to keep it. (For some reason when you click the link, Knitty has it wrongly tagged as "Mangyle," but it's the right pattern.)

( Pictures and stats. )

My framily loves me. They really do. This holiday season has sucked in more ways than one. I've been unemployed for a little over two years now and have been knitting for about a year. My fiance was diagnosed with sarcoidosis (and they really don't like that diagnosis--doctors have been fighting over who gets to treat him)all about six months ago. This year has been hell in a handbasket.

But that's besides the point. My sister in all but blood got me thee hanks of Dyeabolical's In the Navy cotton slub sport weight yarn. Another friend of ours dyes this line. It's nummy in ways I can't describe. I want to knit myself a sweater with this yarn, but I only have straight needles, 13 inches in length.

What would be a good pattern for me to use? The only other things that I've knitted are a Barbie puke scarf for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, a baby bib, and several washclothes. Right now, I'm knitting a cowl with Noro's Cash Iroha yarn in color #93 (another gift).

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

I bought a Denise set and wanted to try my hand at using circulars for the first time. I also wanted instant gratification, so I used bulky yarn and made up a hat as a I went along :)

( Three pictures... )

Continuing my campaign for brightly-coloured winter wear ...

Pattern: Temptation Top-Down Socks, a free pattern by Wendy D. Johnson (a basic sock pattern that I love because the heel doesn't require picking up stitches)
Yarn: Schoppel Wolle's Crazy Zauberball. This yarn not recommended for people who have an obsessive need for socks to be identical twins ... I'm addicted to the stuff because I love the fraternal twin look.
Needles: Two 2mm Addi Turbo circular needles
Details: Both socks were knitted at once using the two-circ method. A little patterning was added by borrowing the ladder and mock back seam sections of Katherine Misegades' Gusset-Heel Gansey Sock (another heel style that requires no picking up of stitches, BTW). I also once again used the final row of the Gansey Sock's heel instructions instead of the Temptation Sock's final row to avoid holes (there are more detailed notes on why I do this in my FO post for my first pair of Temptation socks in this community, and also on my Ravelry project page for those same socks)

While this is my fifth pair of completed socks, I consider them the first pair where I've really figured out the knitting side ... by dropping down to 2mm needles and then following the directions for a size larger than I would normally make, this naturally loose knitter has finally achieved a fabric with what I consider to be the right combination of firmness and "sproing" (I think the slick Addis help too ... they make me pull my stitches tighter in paranoia of them slipping off the needles ***grin***). I'll be doing the smaller needles/larger size adjustment for all my future socks.

( And now, the important bit! )

I recently purchased a front loading washer and it has produced felted clogs with a problem.  The first time I felted a pair, I set the machine for extra wash, extra rinse, regular spin.  One cycle.  They ended up looking like little tennis balls (picture below, the green and yellow pair.)

The second pair, I put them in for 2 regular cycles, no extra anything (I used hot wash, cold rinse for all of these, and added jeans and towels for agitation).  These are the light blue with dark cuffs.  I have included a pair felted in my old top loader for reference. 

What I want to know is what I can do to prevent the increases in the soles from indenting and getting all bumpy like that.  I googled it and got the advice of  using everything from jeans and towels to flip flops and  tennis balls for agitation,  wash it all by itself, use a lingerie bag, don't use a bag, etc.  I expect I'll have to experiment in the end, but I'd like to have a clue to preventing that crinkling of the soles so I'm not wasting two days of knitting with each experiment...
( the visual evidence )

After the input I got here, I decided to use the  "Diamond Gloves" pattern ( www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/diamond-gloves) substituting the Chinese symbols for the elements in place of the diamonds. ( pictures, of course )

With socks, if they're bunching where the ankle and top of the foot meet, what needs to be adjusted to remedy it? Do I need to decrease more rows in the gusset? Do some crazy (long) short rows along the bottom/sides?

(I've finally worn my first pair and I followed Silver's Sock Class to make them. They turned out great, but I'm looking to customize the next pair to avoid the extra bunching bit at the ankle. I'm pretty good at making stuff up as I go along, but I hate frogging, so I like to get it right--or close to it--on the first try.)

This all started with the KnitPicks Andean Chullo pattern from their 2008 Winter catalog (I think..it's been a while!). The moment I saw it on the page, I *knew* it was the hat I had been searching for. (Don't look at me like that - I'm sure every knitter, at some point, has had one of those moments.) I thought about it, dreamed about it....and went to order the kit.....but Knitpicks was backordered. So, I saved it to my cart, and went on about my life.

I kept thinking about that hat....and the more I thought about it, the *less* I liked it. The shape wasn't correct - it was basically a multi-colored watch cap. The colors weren't right for me (even the alternate colorway they had was...not me)...but I still wanted it. I even called KnitPicks and asked them if I could create my own kit - but they said no, it ONLY came as the 2 kits, you couldn't (at that time) buy the pattern separate.

Well, OK then....I started looking for an alternative. I looked at a TON of chullo patterns...and finally hit pay dirt with the Blossoms Chullo by Deja Knits. THAT was the perfect hat.......except for the motifs. :lol: I immediately bought the pattern....and started trying to figure out what I was gonna do with it.

( What I did with the pattern - it got long! )

I had to share this with someone - since you really can't go out and accost people on the street to show them your latest project. And my husband was really getting tired of my "Isn't this the coolest hat EVER? I love the earflaps - isn't it *cool*! I'm glad it's cold....." :rotflmao:

Just a heads-up, Joann.com is having a sale on yarn, every skein is on sale. They also have needles/hooks/notions/etc on sale too.

I am seeking opinions on switching 100% pure alpaca for 100% pure wool which is the yarn that is suggested yarn to knit a heavily cabled cardigan. Is this a good idea?

I have not yet knit with pure alpaca and am wondering if this yarn can be substituted for wool with success. I'd hate to spend weeks knitting only to find out that I should have stuck with wool

Thanks for your input.

For Christmas, my wonderful, but woefully needle-craft ignorant sister gave me three skeins of a lovely angora/wool blend. Unfortunately, she tore off the price label on all three, which also tore the brand label. I'm wanting to check this yarn out on Ravelry for ideas, but I have no idea what it is, my searches come up with nothing matching, and the LYS she bought it from is closed till Tuesday.

Under the cut is a photo of the label, in case anyone can recognize it. The unripped parts read -

Made in Italy. Suggested needles US 6 (4mm), suggested tension 22st x 30rows, 25g ball 125 yards. Content - 70$ Angora, (maybe)30% Wool(...this is where the rip starts, and i don't know if it may have a bit of a third fiber in it). Below the rip where the brand is - handwash only, max temp 30C, handle with care. suitable for dry cleaning with special treatment, advice should be sought from professional dry cleaner. cool iron, max 110 C, do not use chlorine based bleach, no tumble dry.

The label is baby pink with brown lettering (my camera phone is awful). The yarn itself is a lovely grey lavender/orange/pink variegated color, and for an angora yarn, it doesn't shed too bad. Its about a DK weight thickness.

( mystery yarn label )

How does one safely rip out a few rows on circular needles? I'm a newbie with knitting in the round and need to go about 5 rows back, but I'm afraid to ruin the whole project.

Pattern: Instant Gratification Scarf
Yarn: Three skeins of Araucania Yarns "Magallanes" in colourway 303.
Needles: One 5.5 mm SRK bamboo circular
Details: I cast on 40 stitches and carried on until I was out of yarn; scarf is about one foot wide and a smidge over eight feet long. Because of the significant difference between the thickest and thinnest parts of the yarn, I worked stitches with the thin sections extra-loosely so that they wouldn't pull the scarf in. The patten lives up to its name ... the twisted drop stitch is very easy, goes by at light speed, and shows off this thick/thin yarn very nicely. Yarn note: Magallanes has no dyelots ... my three skeins (which were the last three orphans on a clearance shelf) had perfectly matched hues of green, but one skein was predominantly of that colour while the other two had greater amounts of cream, grey/green, and black/brown. I opted to use the greenest skein in the middle and the more varied skeins at each end ... the skein changes are detectable when the scarf is laid out flat in bright light if one is looking for them, but not when in its natural state of being draped/wrapped around shoulders/neck.

( Green and snuggly )