[SallyintNorth]

lol, I am loving this thread!

Russ, you are making fantastic progress!  What a star!  Don't worry about the extra stitches; that happens to us all. When you get to knitting where it matters, just knit two together to lose one whenever you realise you have acquired an extra one   For now, don't worry, just keep on practising.  And writing about it !   

Ellie, I feel for you!  I had the same experience knitting my first 'fancy' (a few YOs and SSLs) shawl.  At the time I finished it (and it's not much bigger than a neck warmer, really), we were working out how to price handmade goods.  One person said you charge materials plus £1/hour.  So I said, "Oh, well if I sell this shawlette, that'll be £16 for the yarn and um... calculating... £1000 !!"   

It uses about 400 yds of yarn; I reckon I knitted 3 miles!!

And yes, a big problem is that the stitch markers 'travel', especially over yarnovers.  I think what I do now is always have my stitch marker before the yarnover on the knit row where I make the yarnover, then when coming back on the purl row, be aware that I should come to the yarnover first, followed by the stitch marker. If I hit the stitch marker before the yarnover, I know it's 'travelled' and I can pull the yarnover loop through and purl it before transferring the stitch marker.  (Hope that made sense, shout if not and I'll write it up step-by-step.)

Another tip is to have stitch markers only just big enough for the needles; it has to have enough room for you to be able to transfer it from one to the other, of course, but the less extra space there is the less likely it is to 'travel'.

If they're still being naughty, you can make individual removable stitch markers using bits of sewing cotton or yarn wrapped around the stitch before where you would put the stitch marker, and tied.  Leave these in until you finish the garment, then just untie or cut and remove.

Good luck!  We'd hate for you to have to leave the country or adopt a new identity because you can't face your knitting group again!  lol

[Bionic]

Ellied, keep going. You are definitely on the right track. The things that you and Russ have described are where we all started, it was just a long time ago for me. But I do remember there were many holey things made before I got it right. The only way to 'get it' is to persevere.


Russ, you sound as if you are getting on ok. I am wondering when we can place our jumper orders 

[Dogwalker]

I can't even remember when I learned to knit, I seem to have always been able to it was that long ago.

We had to do 'lent' blankets for Oxfam at high school.  Each year group knitted squares and made up a blanket.
Those capable made baby clothes, which I started on cos I got bored of squares.

One girl in our year had to make her own blanket cos her knitting was so loose and holey we all refused to include her squares in the class blanket..  Didn't matter how hard we tried to help her she couldn't do them any better.

[RUSTYME]

I did rows 4 , 5 , and 6 last night . Still got 34 stitches . I had a couple of mishaps but they were just dropping the 'new' stitch as i bring it through from back to front , but at least i see them go and can work out how to sort it out .
Tension is definitely going to be my problem , one of many no doubt !
The stitches on the needle are too tight , making it hard to get the rh needle through . Most are ok , but some are really tight . I have to move them right up to the tip of the needle to get the other one through .  Being aware of doing this , although not sure exactly how ? , i am managing to get them a bit more even and less tight .
I will just carry on with the 34 stitches , as it makes no difference how many are on there atm , but it is handy to know how to get rid of the spare ones .
 I think we are on a par Ellie . I just keep blundering on , regardless of what it looks like , and although it looks like knitting , it is rough !
Just measured the knitting and it is 5 1/2" wide and 3/4" long , plus the stitches on the needle .
I can just make out the pattern of the 'stitch' now . At least there is a pattern to be seen , lol .
I seem to be holding the needles somewhat like a knife and fork now . This feels comfortable , no more cramp anyway , and i am not leaving dents in the needles anymore , not gripping so tight .
 I tend to sort of prop the rh needle on my lap when i am putting the yarn round it ready to make the new stitch . I am using index finger and thumb to guide the wool round the needle . I think ? That may be where i am making the tight stitches .
In general things are going ok . I will change to purl soon , then after i have done equal rows of each , i will alternate rows .
I am glad i am not the only one learning Ellie , don't worry though , i am not in the least bit competitive . You started actually making something from a pattern  , i am just making a thing , not an item .
My 'thing' will get undone and re knitted until i know what i am doing and can get it at least half decent .

[Dogwalker]

Remember it's hand spun wool so won't be totally even anyway.  My spiinings not that good.

If I were you I'd keep that piece when you start another so you can compare and see your improvement.
It's surprising how quickly we forget and get too self critical.

[Bionic]

Russ,
Its a pity you can't post pictures as I would love to see it.
 
Ellied, You have no such excuse so we expect to see whats going as the project progresses. 

[RUSTYME]

Good idea Dw , hadn't thought of that , will do .
Luckily i can't post pics Sally . I did work out how to upload to photobucket from the mobile , but sending pics costs money , none spare for mobile credit atm . Even texting pics costs , i get 400 free texts on ee dolphin , but not ones with pics in them it would seem  ! Being nearly off grid does  have certain technical and monetary limits lol .

[Ina]

You are both doing great! it's so much more difficult learning something like this when you (and your fingers) are somewhat older (and stiffer...) I remember the first object I knitted, at age 4 - a "blanket" for my dollie... Somebody cast on for me, and nobody needed to cast off, as the blanket seemed to be getting smaller along the line automatically! 

And I never used stitchmarkers, I just rely on counting. I do a lot of that, as I am a bit anal about having the same number of stitches at the end these days...

[ellied]

Well I got told I needed markers and what kind, they're wee orange loops of rubber as the alternative ones looked massive like safety pins and huge plastic clips but it is the yarnover that is travelling Sally you're right so I will try and work out where it should come and look for it - 'fraid I was just focusing on reading and working out what to do not what I was doing it to in the way of a stitch, I think counting would help if the pattern said knit 4 and you should be at a marker rather than knit to marker and then slip it and do something else..

Chance of photos is minimal Bionic - it lives in a single row of 6 cast on most of the time and each attempt (another this morning) is ripped out within the first 6 rows each time   And beyond that I have huge difficulty with photobucket as I have to email photos from my phone to my laptop to avoid charges like Russ mentioned, emails are free.  Then download the photo onto the laptop from the email account, go on photobucket and find the right place, manage the upload, then go back and click links to find the code to copy into a message on here.  Complete faff and I've less patience with it than with the knitting andthat's saying something!

As for tension, my problem is the more usual kind rather than the uniformity of a few rows of knitting, mainly because I don't have a few rows of knitting to worry about its tension.  Just the kind that give me a headache:  A nice neck wrap would perhaps be useful for winter, but which year's winter remains to be seen!

Go Russ, I'm glad not to be the only one that hasn't knitted for decades - the group is supposedlyall levels but 3 of them are part of a guild, two were knitting wool they'd spun themselves, and one of those was using a wheel in the group while chatting and advising the other one about using the cross thingy they wrap it round to make a long loop to twist..  Sorry no technical expertise to describe better but both were seriously talented, the rest were knitting and chatting away and I was by far the most novice present.  Having undone what they saw me do I am needing to get 20 rows back by next week, or no way am I going!

My mum was one of those that could knit, chat, watch TV and drink a cup of tea before it went cold too - nonstop every night for donkeys years and a weekly knit & natter group she was one of those members always there and doing charity work with odd balls of wool in fairisle for Romanian orphans or whatever   Very scary to even contemplate attempting, even tho I'm sure she'd have loved to think of me having that in common with her   Ah well, better late than never, but 6 stitches knitted for 2 rows, surely at least that far.. nope!

[Ina]

I grew up with the story of my granny who could knit socks in her sleep... Fell asleep once and only woke up when she ran out of wool - with a very long sock in her lap!

I've never been as good as that, nor do I have any ambitions to get that good. 

[RUSTYME]

Bugger ! I got to 10 rows and something went very wrong . Couldn't work out what had happened so took it off and started again , lol , i knew things were going to well .
No probs though , i am enjoying doing it and until the last row , all was going well , as i say , too well .
So here i am , back at the start , but this time i know what i am doing , to a degree anyway .

[RUSTYME]

Got 4 rows done again , much neater than the first 10 already , that is encouraging .

[Bionic]

Russ, I would say its very encouraging. Especially as you seem to be enjoying it. There is nothing worse than trying to do something that you don't like.
Once you get the hang of it perhaps you could knit yourself a hat. It would come in useful for you and you would feel a sense of achievement in completing a project before you tackle a jumper.
Carry on 

[RUSTYME]

Made up the 10 rows again , much faster without trying to be , each row of 30 stitches   taking about 5 minutes .
The little bit is really totally different to the other one .
Changing to purl will be the crunch time i think , lol .
I did think of making a hat for my first item , but i don't wear hats ! Got 2 or 3 here already that i have never worn , oh well , another won't matter .

[Bionic]

But this will be a totally different hat. One you have knitter yourself. Can't get better than that.