I knit a hat (Knitty's "Coronet") and it turned out a little bit big. I am thinking of trying to shrink/felt it just a tad to get it to firm up and be the right size. Is this a terrible idea? Any ideas on technique (boiling water, washingmachine, etc)? The yarn is Cascade Cash Vero, which is 55% Merino, 33% acrylic, 15% cashmere -- with that ( Read more... )

What's is the difference between a sock and a slipper?

Is it the thickness of the fabric? Construction? Or something else?

I'm experimenting with Wanderer. The construction is different from a heel flap so I'm hoping my husband has less issues pulling it on his foot. He wants the sole to be double thickness which is one of the ways I'm playing. ( Read more... )

Halp!  I managed to get a few drops of candlewax on the sweater  I'm currently knitting.  I've searched and found ways to get wax out of other items (paperbags + warm iron), but I want to make sure this won't damage the alpaca yarn.  Anybody else ever done this?  Any tips?  This is the first sweater I've knitted, and I'm afraid of damaging the yarn ( Read more... )

Hi everyone,

I've searched and searched and tried multiple ways of seaming the side of a sweater I'm knitting (Duo-toned Cardi from Vogue Knitting Fall 2009 issue). It's not in garter stitch, but it's similar, being that in row 1, you would: knit 1, knit 1 in the row below, knit 1, knit 1 in the row below, etc.
Row 2, you would: knit the entire way ( Read more... )

So I'm in the middle of making some felted mittens for a friend. I want to embroider them with some extremely simple Jacobean style flowers, and I have a few questions on the specifics ( Read more... )

So, at a fiber festival last year, I bought an oz of cashmere from a goat named Deiter.  After I got done laughing and shouting "Touch my monkey!", I decided I wanted to knit something with it, to honor that series of skits.  However, I can't seem to find anything that rings true.  Has anyone seen any lacy patterns that might work?  I'm thinking ( Read more... )

I'm having trouble with a pattern. I've never followed a lace chart before (I've done plenty of lace, just not using a chart). The pattern is from Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders-- pg. 220-221, Lacy Leaf Alpaca-Angora Hat. I looked up corrections and there aren't any, however there are plenty for other patterns in the book (over 1/4 of the patterns ( Read more... )

I'm wondering about slipping stitches.  Specifically, I've noted that a lot of patterns are emphatic about whether you should slip a stitch purlwise or knitwise.  I assume they do so because it makes a difference in the FO, so I wonder what a knitter can assume when there are no explicit instructions.  My inclination is to always slip knitwise, ( Read more... )

I'm going to order a set of 75 DPNs; that's 15 sizes ranging from 0 to 15. The company offers two different lengths-- 6 in. and 8 in. and I just can't decide which to order. The DPNs I have now are 7 inches, which seem perfect, but I can't get that length at such a great deal or in so many sizes. I've never worked with really large DPNS before, so ( Read more... )

I am knitting some knee socks, and I worked the sock elastic (in a 1x1 rib) in with the yarn like normal, but it made no observable difference. Am I missing something in using it?

Thanks!