As a new knitter, I have completed three simple hats and one cowl using a slip stitch pattern. Next I would like to learn new textured stitches such as the ones described in Hamlyn’s The Knitter’s Handbook (p.30, if you happen to have the book). Examples are moss/seed, moss/seed rib, Irish moss/seed, diamond seed, roman stitch, chevron, basketweave, single twisted rib, and farrow rib.
I thought it might be fun to make a throw blanket with squares that each use one of the textures I’m learning. However, I looked up the number of skeins required for a standard 50x60 throw, and it said 10-12 skeins of worsted weight. That is a LOT of yarn, especially since my local store offers beautiful hand-dyed yarn that isn’t cheap. I hesitate to buy that much all at once, in case the project ends up feeling like too much of a commitment and I don’t finish it. On the other hand, I’d hate to buy just a few skeins and then get really into it and not be able to get the same yarn to continue.
Any other suggestions for what I might try next in order to grow my skills? I’ll confess it’s been nice to have small projects I can complete before I get tired of them. But I don’t necessarily want to make hats forever!
What do you think you’d really like to make, really like to keep and enjoy?
You can learn knitting skills on any project. For instance the stitch patterns you’ve mentioned would look lovely in a throw but you can also learn to work them in dish cloths, wash cloths, or just swatches that you knit and undo. If you really want a throw then wanting it will probably give you enough motivation to keep going, the joy of each new stitch and section and the excitement of seeing the pieces joined and coming together. If you don’t really want the throw it might feel like a chore you have to get through before you’re allowed to move on to the thing you really want. Maybe you’d prefer to make a sweater? Or slippers? Or a soft toy? You can make anything.
With the amount and cost of yarn for a throw. I’m sure the hand dyed yarn is lovely and worth the price, but you don’t have to buy expensive yarn for every project. I’m a budget knitter and buy budget friendly yarns. I would stress too much about making a sweater which cost £200-£300 in yarn and I’d just be disappointed if it wasn’t perfect whereas if I can make a sweater for £50 it would cost that in a shop and probably not be as nice as my hand knit, I’m often pleased with myself for making a sweater for under £20 and really happy with the outcome.
You could make something smaller with the beautiful yarn, or find a lower priced yarn for the throw.
Or a budget yarn for a sweater (which might also need 12 skeins) with a gorgeous patch pocket and matching cowl in the hand dyed yarn.
Infinite options (which is always my problem, just way too many things in my ‘must make’ list).
Several years ago I used super cheap dishcloth cotton to make a bunch of cloths in different stitch patterns. I thought I’d never use them but actually they are used a lot now (as dish cloths, floor cloths, seperaters between pyrex and ceramic dishes in the cupboard so they don’t clank) and I absolutely love them. The cotton was hard wearing and a bit hard on my hands knitting so I needed breaks from it but that cotton is really good for cleaning cloths. Next time I might use a softer cotton and make face wash cloths.
This is all very helpful, @Creations , thank you! I thought about dishtowels, actually, as a way to play with the stitch patterns. I’d need to locate the right kind of cotton, and am mindful of your experience that the cotton was a bit hard on your hands. We also have a hefty supply of dishtowels already… Do you really use your hand-knit babies to clean floors??
That said, I do love the idea of the throw blanket… I wonder if I can find somewhat less expensive yarn that I’d love to work with and look at when the project is done.
Some day I also really want to knit a sweater, but I’m afraid of making mistakes. Figured I should practice more on easier things first. Though perhaps with inexpensive yarn I could try. Hmm.
Yes I really do use them to clean floors, or anything! I’ll admit they sat unused in the kitchen cupboard for quite while and I admired the stitches and cables I’d tried. There was a reluctance from others (my Little Mister, and my cleaner and carer) to use such lovely hand knit items to just clean with but eventually everyone relaxed. The cotton is hard wearing and the stitch pattern really helps to scrub at lime scale without being harsh. Mine are around 20cm square but all different sizes due to different patterns and stitch counts (you’d need to swatch each stitch to ensure you got squares of equal size for a throw, no need with cloths)
You may or may not find the cotton hard on your hands, some yarns and needle sizes can give me some hand pain and need to be limited. Others I can knit all day, no problems.
If you want to knit a sweater, vest, tank, Tshirt, just go for it. We will help.
Maybe have a look at some lower priced yarns, it reduces the anxiety over making anything big whether that’s a throw or a top. There are a wide range of prices in all different fibres, and also often some great online sales too.
You could do a sampler scarf–less of a commitment than a whole blanket, and not nearly as much yarn. In either case you need to be aware of the repeated stitch counts for the different patterns, so that you get the same-size blocks. One pattern might be a 6-stitch repeat, which can work with 4-stitch repeats, but not so easily with a 5-stitch repeat, depending on how wide you want the blocks.
Thank you. I see that 8 of the 9 stitch patterns I mentioned in the OP are divisible by 48, which should form a basis for uniform squares if I knit consistently, right? Curling edges are a variable I hadn’t considered. If I sew the squares together, would this still be an issue? Do I need to block each square? Still learning here…
Upon reflection, the sampler scarf is sounding like a good idea (and it doesn’t hurt that we have single-digit temps here in Vermont!). For a 48-stitch-wide scarf could I put a few stockinette rows in between each sample, rather than binding off each sample and then sewing them together?
Yes, you could, although stockinette curls. You could do a few rows of garter, maybe? It’s also common to do edges in garter to combat the tendency to curl. Or I-cord edges can also help.
I discovered linen stitch recently it looks lovely and doesn’t curl, have a look and maybe use it as an alternative to stockinette or garter. It’s firmer too,m garter can be a bit floppy in my opinion although it is used a lot in patterns.
With the stitch count, it isn’t just your tension which effects the end size of a square, it is the stitch pattern itself. You could get frustrated if you thought it was all down to tension,. Some stitch patterns are smaller or bigger even on the same needles which the same are and same knitter. Just as example a lace on 48 sts will be big as it stretches out, a cable or series of cables would be small because the cables pull the stitches together. Those are sort of extreme. Even garter and stockinette are different sizes, but you can put them together successfully.
My only recommendation, and it’s not what to knit but what fiber to use, is to consider care instructions for the yarn. If the yarn is hand wash, lay flat to dry it might not be the best choice for an afghan/blanket. Then again, it might be just right for you. A baby sweater is small, can be knit with less expensive yarn, teaches the basics of sweater knitting. Mistakes are not something to be feared, they will happen. I consider them learning opportunities or at least an opportunity to exercise my vocabulary.
A baby sweater with inexpensive yarn is a great idea! I am going to do the sampler scarf next and will put this idea on my “what’s next” list. Thanks. Oh, and I agree that mistakes are learning opportunities – maybe you know the acronym AFGE. It would just be better to make those mistakes on smaller, cheaper projects if at all possible, which is why the baby sweater is such a good idea.
Downsizing to a lap blanket is a good idea. Remember that patterns don’t show up as well in variegated yarn. I would use the expensive hand dyed yarn on a smaller project. You can also consider acrylic yarn. That can be a nice alternative. If you are doing a scarf and are concerned about the edges rolling, add 4-5 garter or seed stitches on both sides.
It would just be better to make those mistakes on smaller, cheaper projects if at all possible, which is why the baby sweater is such a good idea.