Bear-related newbie knitting questions

[seriouspenguin]

So I finished my first bear, which looks more like a kitty than a bear, but I think that's OK. And now I'm working on Bear #2, which I've decided to do all in garter stitch and try to do a separate sweater or scarf or whatever

Comments

[zoje_george]

I use doubled yarn all the time. Hmmmmm.

Well, I usually have both balls of yarn, and if you've got your yarn in skeins instead of balls take it back to the yarn shop and have them ball it, near each other. The yarn will naturally tend to wind around itself as I knit, but when it comes time to turn it, I try to turn it opposite at the end of each row. This is easier to do when you've got a right side and wrong side of the knitting (or keep track using your cast on end). Just a left/right thing, turn to the left, next row turn to the right and so on.

Also, you might want to unlock this post so we can direct more knitters here to answer your finishing questions.

[seriouspenguin]

I'm not sure I'm visualizing your right/left thing; I'll probably get it when I have the knitting in front of me, though. I wondered if balls would work better than skeins, too. I'll have to wait until I'm done with this one, then I'll run it over to the yarn shop. It'll be a nice excuse to look at pretty yarn and pet the shop cat. heh.

I unlocked the post, too -- thanks for the reminder; locking posts is just a habit.

Thanks for the suggestions! Please do let me know when Kitty Bear arrives, and if I did OK enough for him to be a donation for the kids. If not, he can be a cat toy and I'll keep practicing.

Let's see, my entire knitting experience since you taught me now includes four scarves, one hat, a cat toy, and Kitty Bear. But at least I don't have to look up how to knit vs. purl *every* time I pick up the needles.

[zoje_george]

If Knit Wit is still open (where went to get yarns that one time down on the south side), ask her to show you how to keep it untangled.

[seriouspenguin]

I think they are still open, but I've been going to a place off of Vliet that's just a few minutes from home. A very nice lady runs the place (she of the shop cat), so I'll ask her if the place is open tomorrow.

[zoje_george]

Here's some more help:

Seaming

[seriouspenguin]

Oh, thanks, Knitty's explanation was excellent -- I totally forgot they had tutorials! Everything else I looked up used some variation of the same incomprehensible drawings.

[zoje_george]

chesire_c says that you don't allow non-friends to comment on your lj, so that's why no one has commented here, she's provided a good explanation of somethings over at my place.

[geekette8]

1. No idea :-)
2. I seamed mine the right way out and they were fine. There are various different ways of seaming but I just held the two sides together and looped the yarn through the outermost stitch on each side all the way down.
2b. For picking up stitches, if you pick up with a double pointed needle, it doesn't matter which way across you pick them up as you can knit off either end :-) Also if you end up with the stitches backward on the needle you can just knit into the back of the stitch instead of the front for the first row and it comes out the same.
3. It sounds like you're going about it the right way - I don't know any better way to do that!

[seriouspenguin]

I hadn't thought of the double-pointed needles, but that makes so much sense. I also hadn't realized I could just knit into the back of the stitch instead. Thank you for the tips!