"big" wool knitting (Gift for girlfriend)

#1

Hello!
I’d like to start out but stating I know absolutely nothing at all about knitting except for some simple rectangles my grandmother taught me to knit when I was 7 (cherished memories never go away).

While walking through an arts & crafts store, my girlfriend mentioned that she wanted to try a knitting project with thick wool. All I know regarding this is that she couldnt find a bundle with thick enough wool at this store. I dont know if “thick” is the right term, but im guessing she wants something to do large weaves with for a blanket? I’m trying to think of a good Christmas gift and my idea was to order the wool, large needles and basically everything she needs to just go right ahead and make what she wants to make! Would I also need some sort of board/loom?

Any recommendations on an all-inclusive knitting setup for large/thick weave projects would be greatly appreciated, thank you :slight_smile:

#2

Nice gift! This will be a confusing answer for a non knitter, but here goes…

“Wool” is often a generic term for yarn, but is also a fiber type (sheep). Do you know if she wants sheep wool or some other fiber? Real wool can often felt when washed and if it’s something like a blanket she may want to be able to wash it in a machine. In that case you’d like want acrylic or and acrylic/wool blend. Or some other wool blend. Check the labels for washing instructions. Super wash wool can usually be washed.

That said… bulky or super bulky yarn is probably what she wants. If she wants to knit a whole blanket she should use circular needles in a long length for that weight yarn. You can’t knit a whole blanket on straight needles. The yarn label will tell you the suggested needle size.

If all else fails get her a gift certificate to a yarn store or generic gift card that can be used at any store that sells yarn.

#3

Thank you very much for the reply! It seems I have a lot more research ahead of me haha. I did hear her mention sheeps wool but im certain she would prefer to have something washable. Thank you for the feedback! I’ll spend some time on these forums and if all else fails, the gift certificate is something I hadn’t thought of, and I could pair it with another gift, but i haven’t given up yet :stuck_out_tongue:
Time to see if I can get more details from her without giving up the secret!

1 Like
#4

Could she be wanting one of the arm knitting blankets made with roving?

#5

That seems like it might be it! I did a google search on that and it seems like that might be what she was talking about. I also noticed large “giganto” blanket projects where people employ PVC pipes as knitting needles to make large weaves, maybe something along those lines? Is there a popular gauge of yarn I should be looking for? Maybe something along these lines:
giant-super-chunky-wool-knitwear-blankets-anna-mo-fb__700

#6

I don’t know much about it except what I’ve learned from searching. I think you definitely want wool. Since the strand isn’t spun into yarn it relies on felting to one degree or another to stay together.

#7

If that’s the case then be aware that roving felts like crazy. There are a couple recent threads here in the forum about arm knitting and knitting with roving. Not trying to deter anyone, but as one user found out it gets pilled and felty just from knitting it. They do look cool though.

#8

you could possibly do it with super-wash roving, it might work out better