Okay, tell me if you think this is silly...

Now that you ladies have totally scared me off making a sweater for fear
that I could spend months on making it and then discover it didn't fit,
I discovered from *somewhere* a mailing list where they have a
knit-along for a knitted dishcloth of a different pattern every month.
It seems to me that perhaps I could build my confidence with those small
projects for a few months before I tackle something huge. (then I could
put them all together for lightweight sofa throws or something if I
didn't want to use them all as dishcloths, right?)

I am sort of totally self-taught and have never read a pattern, knit
ambidextrously, etc., and learning how to knit conventionally and to
follow a pattern is a big hurdle to cross.

So does it sound st*pid to start with small things like that or not? It
seems to me like it might be the knitting equivalent of telling people
who want to learn to sew to start with tote bags, pillows, etc.,
because they are more forgiving.

OTOH, if I want to stay way out on my off-the-beaten-path position, I
also saw knitting pattern software that takes what you can do and gives
you a schematic type of thing to follow in whatever way you are knitting
to do what you want. Seeing as though I have pattern drafting software,
knitting pattern software would only seam a reasonable next step LOL
(and it's cheaper -- I think it was like $50).

Any ideas?

So does it sound st*pid to start with small things like that or not? It
seems to me like it might be the knitting equivalent of telling people who
want to learn to sew to start with tote bags, pillows, etc., because they
are more forgiving.

No, starting with small projects where gauge doesn't matter is less
frustrating than spending months knitting something large with which you are
not happy or doesn't fit. If you use different yarns for these projects, it
will also give you an idea of what type of fabric each fiber will produce.
Knitted purses are a good learning tool. You are actually making something,
gauge really doesn't matter, and you are learning to read patterns.
http://www.garnstudio.com/lang/en/kategori_oversikt.php there are tons of
free purse and accessory patterns here, just click on the accessories link.

OTOH, if I want to stay way out on my off-the-beaten-path position, I also
saw knitting pattern software that takes what you can do and gives you a
schematic type of thing to follow in whatever way you are knitting to do
what you want. Seeing as though I have pattern drafting software,
knitting pattern software would only seam a reasonable next step LOL (and
it's cheaper -- I think it was like $50).

Any ideas?

http://www.knittingsoftware.com/sweaterwiz.htm would be my choice of
software for designing knitting patterns which are easy to understand. Over
the years I have used several design programs, from expensive (Design-A-
Knit) to free and Sweater Wizard is the one I end up using the most.
It is written by a knitter, and tech support is great.
Just a satisfied user, no connection to the company.
DA

Melinda wrote:

Now that you ladies have totally scared me off making a sweater for
fear that I could spend months on making it and then discover it
didn't fit, I discovered from *somewhere* a mailing list where they
have a knit-along for a knitted dishcloth of a different pattern every
month. It seems to me that perhaps I could build my confidence with
those small projects for a few months before I tackle something huge.
(then I could put them all together for lightweight sofa throws or
something if I didn't want to use them all as dishcloths, right?)

Exactly. With this kind of thing you could make some using cotton yarn
for use as dishcloths - my handknit dishcloths last a lot longer than
store-bought ones - and others as sampler squares using whatever yarn
you have lying around.

I am sort of totally self-taught and have never read a pattern, knit
ambidextrously, etc., and learning how to knit conventionally and to
follow a pattern is a big hurdle to cross.

So does it sound st*pid to start with small things like that or not?
It seems to me like it might be the knitting equivalent of telling
people who want to learn to sew to start with tote bags, pillows,
etc., because they are more forgiving.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Since your time is limited, I would
think it would be better to work on smaller things that likely won't
lead to disappointment if they don't turn out as expected. I know I'd be
rather miffed if I spent months working on a sweater that ended up not
fitting the way I expected. Especially when you're building skills and
confidence, it's better to get some good results early on. I know a lot
of people who jumped right into that dream sweater only to give it up
when it wasn't going well.

OTOH, if I want to stay way out on my off-the-beaten-path position, I
also saw knitting pattern software that takes what you can do and
gives you a schematic type of thing to follow in whatever way you are
knitting to do what you want. Seeing as though I have pattern
drafting software, knitting pattern software would only seam a
reasonable next step LOL (and it's cheaper -- I think it was like
$50).

Any ideas?

Since the software will customize to your abilities, this sounds okay to
me, too. I would still start with smaller items and work my way up, if
only because you don't have hours a day to spend knitting. I don't have
that kind of time at the moment, either, so most of my knitting time has
been spent with socks. I just started a nice scarf in Classic Elite's
Posh - 70% silk, 30% cashmere, bought at a blow-out sale for 50% off; I
can't afford the regular price on this yarn - and I can pull that out
and do a few rows here and there when I get the time. Anything major,
like another sweater or jacket, would have to wait until I manage to
create those 40-hour days I've been working on for the past few years
g

The Other Kim
kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom

Melinda, if you were to go back on this board (which I don't recommend)
you would find I have often recommended beginners to get a book of
dishcloth patterns - there are some fairly cheap ones at some of the
"big box" stores - buy some pretty acrylic yarns and get busy. The
great thing about this is that (1) each square can be knit in a
relatively short time (2) you learn to knit various different stitch
patterns, and (3) You can knit as many or few as you like, and make them
into a lap robe or afghan.

Once when I was making an afghan for my son, I wasn't sure which way I
wanted to arrange the squares so made a few extra. At the end I had
four left over, so stitched them together to be an afghan for his cat!.
The cat loved it, and slept on it right until his demise.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Olwyn Mary wrote:
Melinda, if you were to go back on this board (which I don't recommend)
you would find I have often recommended beginners to get a book of
dishcloth patterns - there are some fairly cheap ones at some of the
"big box" stores - buy some pretty acrylic yarns and get busy. The
great thing about this is that (1) each square can be knit in a
relatively short time (2) you learn to knit various different stitch
patterns, and (3) You can knit as many or few as you like, and make them
into a lap robe or afghan.

Once when I was making an afghan for my son, I wasn't sure which way I
wanted to arrange the squares so made a few extra. At the end I had
four left over, so stitched them together to be an afghan for his cat!.
The cat loved it, and slept on it right until his demise.

There's actually an excellent site with dozens of pretty dishcloth
patterns at http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbou.../knitting.html

sue

suzee wrote:

There's actually an excellent site with dozens of pretty dishcloth
patterns at http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbou.../knitting.html

wow..... *swoon* Afghan, here I come.....

Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply wrote:
suzee wrote:
There's actually an excellent site with dozens of pretty dishcloth
patterns at http://www.jimsyldesign.com/~dishbou.../knitting.html

wow..... *swoon* Afghan, here I come.....

They can actually be made larger for scarves or baby blankets too....

sue

The Other Kim wrote:

Since the software will customize to your abilities, this sounds okay to
me, too. I would still start with smaller items and work my way up, if
only because you don't have hours a day to spend knitting. I don't have
that kind of time at the moment, either, so most of my knitting time has
been spent with socks. I just started a nice scarf in Classic Elite's


I am sort of sock-phobic right now. Tried to make some a number of
years back (knee socks because I have no need for any other kind of
sock) and after a few months I ended up with one sock that didn't fit.

I am a great believer in knitting a sampler of all of the techniques
required for a sweater before actually knitting the sweater. I like
Jacquelyn Fee's book, "The Sweater Workshop", but there are others.

The concept is that you practice all the required skills either as swatches
or in making "teddy bear" sized sweaters first; sort of a 3-dimensional
swatch. There are three advantages to this approach.

1. It is small so you can do it fast. And, you can do it over, and over
until you know that skill cold, and do not have to worry mucking up your
precious sweater. (Working out the details yourself rather than referencing
one of the books on doll clothes ensures that you work out all the details
on your precious sweater. Also, the construction details in the books on
doll clothes are not quite that same as for an adult sweater.

2. You can use "cheap" yarn. Often you can buy an ball or two of yarn for
much less than 1/10th the price of 10 balls of matched dyelot yarn sold in
packs for knitting a sweater. And, you are not going to be wearing this, so
it can be a nice color that does not really suit your complexion, or does
not go with other clothes, or a yarn the might pill, or bleed, or.... I use
whatever is in the stash, and I have yet to hear my Teddy Bears complain
about their new sweaters.

3. You can make mistakes and continute on knitting without worrying about
getting everything perfect. You are not going to be wearing it in public so
a few mistakes do not matter. This saves frogging. I hate frogging. I
would rather knit a few 6"x6" swatches from waste yarn, and get my sweater
right the first time, then have to frog even a few rows of something that I
am intending to be a finished product


Then, your teddy bear sweaters can double as gifts. Maybe not the first,
but there are at least a dozen different ways of constructing a sweater.

Aaron

"The Other Kim" wrote in message
...
Melinda wrote:

Now that you ladies have totally scared me off making a sweater for fear
that I could spend months on making it and then discover it didn't fit, I
discovered from *somewhere* a mailing list where they have a knit-along
for a knitted dishcloth of a different pattern every month. It seems to
me that perhaps I could build my confidence with those small projects for
a few months before I tackle something huge. (then I could put them all
together for lightweight sofa throws or something if I didn't want to use
them all as dishcloths, right?)

Exactly. With this kind of thing you could make some using cotton yarn
for use as dishcloths - my handknit dishcloths last a lot longer than
store-bought ones - and others as sampler squares using whatever yarn you
have lying around.

I am sort of totally self-taught and have never read a pattern, knit
ambidextrously, etc., and learning how to knit conventionally and to
follow a pattern is a big hurdle to cross.

So does it sound st*pid to start with small things like that or not? It
seems to me like it might be the knitting equivalent of telling people
who want to learn to sew to start with tote bags, pillows, etc., because
they are more forgiving.

Sounds like a good idea to me. Since your time is limited, I would think
it would be better to work on smaller things that likely won't lead to
disappointment if they don't turn out as expected. I know I'd be rather
miffed if I spent months working on a sweater that ended up not fitting
the way I expected. Especially when you're building skills and
confidence, it's better to get some good results early on. I know a lot
of people who jumped right into that dream sweater only to give it up when
it wasn't going well.

OTOH, if I want to stay way out on my off-the-beaten-path position, I
also saw knitting pattern software that takes what you can do and gives
you a schematic type of thing to follow in whatever way you are knitting
to do what you want. Seeing as though I have pattern drafting software,
knitting pattern software would only seam a reasonable next step LOL (and
it's cheaper -- I think it was like $50).

Any ideas?

Since the software will customize to your abilities, this sounds okay to
me, too. I would still start with smaller items and work my way up, if
only because you don't have hours a day to spend knitting. I don't have
that kind of time at the moment, either, so most of my knitting time has
been spent with socks. I just started a nice scarf in Classic Elite's
Posh - 70% silk, 30% cashmere, bought at a blow-out sale for 50% off; I
can't afford the regular price on this yarn - and I can pull that out and
do a few rows here and there when I get the time. Anything major, like
another sweater or jacket, would have to wait until I manage to create
those 40-hour days I've been working on for the past few years g

The Other Kim
kimagreenfieldatyahoodotcom

"Melinda Meahan - take out TRASH to reply" wrote in
message ...
Now that you ladies have totally scared me off making a sweater for fear
that I could spend months on making it and then discover it didn't fit, I
discovered from *somewhere* a mailing list where they have a knit-along
for a knitted dishcloth of a different pattern every month. It seems to me
that perhaps I could build my confidence with those small projects for a
few months before I tackle something huge. (then I could put them all
together for lightweight sofa throws or something if I didn't want to use
them all as dishcloths, right?)

I am sort of totally self-taught and have never read a pattern, knit
ambidextrously, etc., and learning how to knit conventionally and to
follow a pattern is a big hurdle to cross.

So does it sound st*pid to start with small things like that or not? It
seems to me like it might be the knitting equivalent of telling people who
want to learn to sew to start with tote bags, pillows, etc., because they
are more forgiving.

OTOH, if I want to stay way out on my off-the-beaten-path position, I also
saw knitting pattern software that takes what you can do and gives you a
schematic type of thing to follow in whatever way you are knitting to do
what you want. Seeing as though I have pattern drafting software,
knitting pattern software would only seam a reasonable next step LOL (and
it's cheaper -- I think it was like $50).

Any ideas?

As I recall, you said previously that you can only allot small increments of
time for knitting. So joining a dishcloth knit-along seems like a smart
thing to do. Yes, you should be able to sew or crochet them together for a
throw or pillow cover providing they are all similar in size.

--
Jan in MN