Is anyone else knitting anything right now?

[Katya]

It seems like very few people are good at both.

Blast. Does that mean my chances of becoming good at knitting are slim? [sigh]

I'm pretty good at both.

Pics or it didn't happen.

[Katya]

I could be good at both, but I really don't like knitting and as such don't practice. I don't crochet much either, but I enjoy it much more.

Yeah, I think this is the real issue, that the mindsets behind knitting and crocheting are so different that people tend to prefer one or the other, and consequently don't get good at both.

All of which remind me that I need to learn to crochet (better) so I can crochet someone a Christmas present.

[Whistler]

I like crocheting but I've never tried knitting. Is knitting knots instead of loops? Do you have to count more?

[Katya]

I like crocheting but I've never tried knitting. Is knitting knots instead of loops? Do you have to count more?

Knitting is still loops, but it's entire rows of loops. In crocheting, you generally have just one "live" stitch at a time, meaning that you have one stitch that you have to keep your hook through so it doesn't unravel. In knitting, you have an entire row of live stitches and they all line up on the needle until you need them. (Tatting, fyi, consists of knots instead of loops.)

I guess I would say that you have to count more in terms of knitting being generally less freeform. I've learned to "read" my knitting, so I don't have to count as much as others might, depending on the pattern. (But then, I used to cross stitch a lot, so I don't really mind counting.)

[bobtheenchantedone]

I've been working on my scarf long enough to not need to do much counting. Hooray! I hate counting.

[ahem.]

(Tatting, fyi, consists of knots instead of loops.)

Oh man, tatting! I haven't done that in years! Of course, I was never very good at it. I could use the straight needle fairly easily, but I had major issues with the shuttle. My sister was making all these cute little doilies, and I was jealous and just gave up after a few weeks.

Come to think of of it, she was always better than me at stuff. And I'd always get jealous and give up. That's basically what happened with origami and candle making and knitting and paper twirling and photography, and cross stitching... THIS IS WHY I DON'T HAVE INTERESTING HOBBIES!

[Katya]

(Tatting, fyi, consists of knots instead of loops.)

Oh man, tatting! I haven't done that in years! Of course, I was never very good at it. I could use the straight needle fairly easily, but I had major issues with the shuttle. My sister was making all these cute little doilies, and I was jealous and just gave up after a few weeks.

Come to think of of it, she was always better than me at stuff. And I'd always get jealous and give up. That's basically what happened with origami and candle making and knitting and paper twirling and photography, and cross stitching... THIS IS WHY I DON'T HAVE INTERESTING HOBBIES!

It sounds like you need to learn to fail. (I'm no one to talk. I'm terrible about avoiding things I know I'll be bad at and I've been thinking about that a lot, lately.)

[Dragon Lady]

My aunt just moved and got rid of a bunch of stuff. So I just inherited a large amount of crochet patterns from the early 80s. Some of them are appropriately hideous. (Did people really wear pom pom vests? [shudder]) But things like toys and afghans and scarves and such are still pretty decent. So I have a lot of big plans ahead. I'm hoping to start making a bunch of stuff, then setting up an Etsy shop. And praying I can figure out how to market it well enough to sell stuff.

But first I have to finish Yellow's afghan I made him for Christmas. It's motivation. I've actually got more done in the past week than I have in the past 8 or 9 months. Have I told you guys about his afghan? I maybe didn't in case he read this thread. I made up a pattern for a pixelated Mega Man afghan. I'll post a picture when it's all done. Cuz it's pretty dang awesome.

[Kissables]

I love knitting. I haven't done much since coming to college, but I have had a ravelry account for a while. Some of the cooler things I have made are below.

The heart is somewhat anatomically correct, and I am a science nerd so I love it.

The scarf was not planned to pattern like that, it just happened, which is what makes it really cool.

The cap sleeve shirt is not all the way finished in that picture, but I made that when I was 15 and used to be that skinny. Now it might fit one of my legs.

[Dragon Lady]

I've been crocheting up a storm lately. I found a toddler hat pattern that I really like (which includes a crocheted flower. Or rather, 3 stacked on top of each other), so Dragon Baby's gotten 3 of them, plus I've made two more as gifts. Then a former coworker saw them on my blog and has ordered 3 more from me and showed another former coworker who ordered 3 more. Yipes! And awesome! Also I made my mom a rug for Christmas. Just have to finish sewing in the ends. I hate that.

For Christmas I have my brother's name. I think I'm gonna make him, his wife and his three kids hats. I'd like to kind of theme them. Like my brother should get a BYU hat, his wife a U hat, (yeah, there's contention in that family) my nephew a John Deere hat, etc. I could just do the colors, and I may end up doing that. But I think it'd be awesome to be able to put the John Deere, Y, and U logos on the hat. Any ideas on how I can do that?

[Katya]

For Christmas I have my brother's name. I think I'm gonna make him, his wife and his three kids hats. I'd like to kind of theme them. Like my brother should get a BYU hat, his wife a U hat, (yeah, there's contention in that family) my nephew a John Deere hat, etc. I could just do the colors, and I may end up doing that. But I think it'd be awesome to be able to put the John Deere, Y, and U logos on the hat. Any ideas on how I can do that?

Can you make the hats and then add a block Y and U using surface crochet? (Maybe chain-stitch the outline and then fill it in?) The John Deere logo would be harder to manage that way, but it might still work.

[Katya]

I'm currently working on a scarf for my friend for Christmas and a hat for a baby who's due just after Christmas. And a recent thread on Ravelry has inspired me to make a Batman-themed project, but I don't know what shape that will take, yet.

[Dragon Lady]

Can you make the hats and then add a block Y and U using surface crochet? (Maybe chain-stitch the outline and then fill it in?) The John Deere logo would be harder to manage that way, but it might still work.

Hmm… I don't know how to surface crochet. But maybe something to look into?

[Katya]

Can you make the hats and then add a block Y and U using surface crochet? (Maybe chain-stitch the outline and then fill it in?) The John Deere logo would be harder to manage that way, but it might still work.

Hmm… I don't know how to surface crochet. But maybe something to look into?

I think it's just a chain stitch, but you crochet through the surface of whatever you're working on, so the chain stays on the top. Here's a tutorial, if my explanation doesn't make sense: http://morepjs.blogspot.com/2009/08/sur ... orial.html

[Foreman]

It seems like very few people are good at both.

I'm pretty good at both.

Pics or it didn't happen.

Holy crap! I never saw this...if I knew I'd been called out, I would have done something about it.

Well, poor photo quality and lighting aside, here are a few pictures.

My hat:

hat.jpg (28.74 KiB) Viewed 6767 times

A scarf (no picture of it complete, sorry):

112808_2137[00].jpg (29.16 KiB) Viewed 6767 times

Not bad for my first knitting project, eh? Cabling and everything!

If anyone's interested, I can look for some other pictures of my work...I'm pretty sure my crocheted Batman beanie is the greatest thing I (or anyone else) have ever done.

[bobtheenchantedone]

Ooo, I like the scarf. I like cabling myself, so even though I chose a bad yarn for cabling (black with a multicolored thread running through it), I'm doing cabling on my scarf. Just for practice, you know?

[Dragon Lady]

Someday I'll do cabling. Then again, someday I'll do a lot of things. Just gotta find time!

[Katya]

If anyone's interested, I can look for some other pictures of my work...I'm pretty sure my crocheted Batman beanie is the greatest thing I (or anyone else) have ever done.

Oooh, I want to see the Batman beanie, too! I've been trying to think of a good Batman project ever since I read a Batman-related thread on Ravelry.

[Dragon Lady]

For Christmas this year I'm making 5 hats (though it'll probably end up being 6 because I really struggle getting sizes right when I make up patterns (oh crap! I was supposed to buy another skein of yarn today. Oh well. I'll get it tomorrow.)) and 2 stockings. And I want to finish the afghan I made Yellow for Christmas last year. Not to mention the non-crochet gift I need to make.

Luckily, most of my actual Christmas shopping is done. Now it's just the making of gifts.

[Dragon Lady]

7 hats done! 1 to go. (Two more got added since my last post. One for Dragon Baby and one for my VTer's son. Though, I'm getting paid for that one.) Then on to all the other projects.