The FastDay Forum

I have just started subscribing to a new part type magazine called The Art of Knitting. It includes needles & wool with teaching knitting by learning different stitches knitting squares that will make up into a multi-coloured throw. I already know basic knit, purl, cast on & cast off but am rather useless at following patterns. Two years ago I bought the wool to make a red Sarah Lund ( she was the Scadinavian detective in The Killing ) type jumper that is knitted on circular needles that is mainly stocking stitch but continues into a patterned yoke. I still haven't started it because I didn't want to ruin what could be a lovely jumper. Also with losing weight I don't know whether to wait until I get to my goal weight to choose a correct size or when I feel more confident knitting just use all the wool & make a big sloppy one? It is a casual style !
Is anyone else a basic knitter?

I used to knit years ago and could follow a pattern - sort of - but haven't knitted for ages as I absolutely hate sewing all the parts together! My mother-in-law, now sadly deceased, used to be brilliant at sewing up and used to do it for me but perhaps I should get knitting again and just face up to sewing it together myself.
Good luck, it's great to learn a new skill, whatever your age.

[Tracieknits]

I'm a pretty advanced knitter

I was just at a knitting workshop about fit, and the presenter was saying you really have 40 lbs leeway in a sweater before it's just unflatteringly large or small. She actually wrote a book called "Knit to Flatter" and has a website called MakeWearLove.com and you can enter your measurements and the dimensions of your yarn swatch and her program will generate a sweater pattern to fit you exactly. I recently did this and I have received so many compliments on the sweater, it's crazy. Here's a photo, now keep in mind that I'm 60 pounds overweight and I don't think I look it in this sweater. I have a *much* smaller waist than hips (almost healthy ratio, despite my obesity) and the pattern accounted for that and nips in nicely.

The one thing Amy Herzog showed us in the Fit to Flatter workshop about yoke sweaters was that you want to make sure the pattern goes down low enough to include your bust area. if it ends above your bust area, you end up looking saggy and bulky. If it goes down to your bust area, it looks 1000 times better!!

Thank you StowgateResident & hopefully also keeps the little grey cells active
In the magazine it talks about pinning out a knitted piece to uncurl edges & then putting a damp cloth on top & even ironing on a cool heat to sort of set its shape. I haven't got to the sewing things together yet but have done in the past with rather lumpy results so I hope that I will get better with everything. There are tutorials on their website that are helpful.

Thank you Tracieknits your sweater looks brilliant you are clever! But I should have guessed from your name that you like knitting! silly me
I will look at that website.

[carorees]

I knit but also detest sewing up as it always looks lumpy and holey . I generally stick to socks these days and use a toe up pattern that requires no stitching at the end.

[Tracieknits]

@Carorees do you want me to find you a tutorial on seams? They key to proper seaming is to align stiches and make your sewing stitches act like knitting stitches to get a pretty seam. But I can also teach you tricks for knitting sweaters with as few seams as possible. Cardigans are especially easy - you can just cast on all of the stitches and then separate the fronts and back once you get to the armholes (you'll need stitch holders for this). Then all you have to do is seam the shoulders. You can pick up and knit the arms without any seams at all

I knit but also detest sewing up as it always looks lumpy and holey . I generally stick to socks these days and use a toe up pattern that requires no stitching at the end.

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Caroline your socks look gorgeous & very comfortable
I am hoping that I may be able to knit some baby bootees for when my granddaughter arrives. I will try & take a photo of the Sarah Lund sweater that is in the round to upload. It seems to have few seams.

I have tried to load the pattern photo & it's too big & I don't seem to be able to reduce the pixels on my iPad. Sorry I'm not good at this!

I make scarfs and hats. I also make knitted flowers which I learnt to do a few weeks ago. At the moment I am trying to knit a monkey. When I come across a term I am not sure about I put it into you tube and find it. I am hoping to learn to crochet this way over the next few weeks.

I used to knit, but I was so slow that by the time I finished a garment I couldn face wearing it. I revived my crocheting skills for baby blankets for the grandchildren, but that is about as far as it goes.

I love the socks, @carorees, and your cardigan, @Tracieknitswhich is very flattering. You passed on a good tip about the pattern on 'Fair Isle' type jumpers. I have two and always feel much better in one than the other and I have just realised that its all about where the pattern comes on my bust! If you find a tutorial on sewing up, please could you put it on here because I would like to try it. I have to confess to an unfinished baby cardigan lurking in my knitting basket which was started for my oldest granddaughter - who is now nearly six! I may unravel it and knit some dollies clothes for her and her sister!

Stowgateresident on the website artofknitting.co.uk they have a sewing up knitted things tutorial as well as others. I don't think you have to register to view them I am currently knitting a square in chequerboard stitch to add to the multi coloured throw all the practice squares will make. I would also love to learn to crochet because a family crochet baby blanket was attacked by moths & I need to repair the hole! I can darn & will try that but I suspect crochet would look better.

[Tracieknits]

Here is a good tutorial on basic seams:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpRJzMBXjqY

And this tutorial is good for when you're seaming stitches that are perpendicular to each other. This one is useful for shoulders too - you want to do the "v"s like she shows, but on both sides of the shoulder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuTlNae-EtM

Here is a good tutorial on basic seams:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpRJzMBXjqY

And this tutorial is good for when you're seaming stitches that are perpendicular to each other. This one is useful for shoulders too - you want to do the "v"s like she shows, but on both sides of the shoulder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuTlNae-EtM

Thank you Tracie that is very clear & easy to follow & I have saved it on my iPad
This shows why my previous attempts at sewing up have been lumpy!