[Lesley Silvester]

I was glad to hear that you hadn't given up even if you have had a break. Great experience working in the wool shop. You must have met some fascinating people and it sounds really busy in there. There are so few wool shops around now that it must be a good thing for those that are left. I have to go to the other side of Telford to buy wool (about 25 minute drive) where there are two wool shops within yards of each other.

[Ina]

There are more wool shops than there used to be... Couldn't believe it when I first came to Scotland - surrounded by sheep, and can't buy wool anywhere! The "wool shops" that there were only sold acrylic... (There was one type of "wool rich" stuff in the shop in Aberdeen around 14 years ago; that was 50% wool... The rest was pure plastic.)
It all changed when I went to Shetland for the first time. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven in Jamieson's shop! All pure wool - all grown and processed in Shetland - and all the colours of the rainbow and a few more. Now I don't need to import wool from Germany any more. (I had also ordered some natural rare breeds wool online, from Wales, I think.)

The existing wool shops seem to have improved, too - and there are a few more. But it's still mostly fancy stuff with special effects, not "proper" wool - and so bl**dy expensive, that it would be out of my reach even if I wanted it.

But now I work in a shop that also sells "wool" - and I see what the customers want. Nobody ever asks about the material; double knit to them means double knit pure acrylic. Sad, really. It's the same with any other stuff - nobody asks about the material, and that would be the first thing I'm interested in: is that shirt/those trousers/that pair of knickers pure cotton or what? Yesterday I had a customer for the first time who asked for socks made of pure wool... The best I could offer was 65%.

[RUSTYME]

Yes Ina , it is insane mate , i live in wales where there are more sheep than people , yet real wool is only available if you have money to burn .
Fleeces are just about a throw away item for many farmers .
I  used to be able to afford cotton , linen , wool clothes , so there was no need for me to grow the cotton , flax , wool , although i did because i could , and may need to one day . That day is here .
Stepping off the merry go round has , to an extent , pulled the rug from under my own feet regarding setting things up , but i am nearly there now , so may just as well carry on as i am .
 Free , home grown cotton , flax , hemp , wool  = free clothes and no chemicals  . Nearly there  , even if the knitting is a bit wobbly atm , i don't give in !

[Ina]

Cotton in Wales? Might you not struggle a bit with that? I know somebody who does that in Australia...

And hemp - just watch out the law doesn't act stupid again... They don't know the difference. (A lot of other people don't either, so you might get raided by folks out for a good time. ) Linen should be ok, I suppose!

[RUSTYME]

I have grown cotton here in wales . I got about 3-4 oz per plant ish . I think it can be hit and miss though .
I would mainly grow flax though , i know that grows without problems here . Cotton will just be a 'see how it goes' thing .
As for hemp , as long as nosey parker muppets keep away , there won't be any problems . Plod can raid me as much as they want ,at worst all they could do is fine me for not applying for a license . But most likely they would just cut it down if they were in a bad mood .
I don't need acres of any of the base plant , cotton , flax or hemp , just an area  150'x50' or so and half a dozen sheep , would provide all i need .
I could get all the wool i need from farmers , but i don't get any meat then .
6 sheep give me all the meat i need , plus a lot more , all the wool i need plus any sheepskins i need .
Even with the small area for growing and so few sheep , i will end up with a surplus .

[Lesley Silvester]

When I lived on Isle of Arran, Scotland a lot of people thought that it was where Aran jumpers come from (they are from Aran Isles in Ireland) so a number of shops catered for that misbelief. One gift-type shop was selling 100% Arran wool with added nylon. 

[RUSTYME]

Got hit by migraine last night , but managed a few rows of knitting before i couldn't see .
I managed  a few decreases too , is that how it is said  ?
The stitches on the knit row still being tight , made it hard to use 2 stitches at the ends , but with a bit of twisting and pulling , i did it , and it looks ok .
 Trying on a purl row was  a bit hysterical .
I kept dropping the 'new' stitch on the rh needle as i slid it through the 2 on the lh needle . 9 out of 10 attempts just fell off , easy to do it again though .
 Migraine is easing atm , so hopefully i will be able to do some more tonight .

[Lesley Silvester]

Probably best to leave it until the migraine passes. If it's any consolation, I find it harder to purl two together (P2tog) that knit two together (K2tog). You'll get there. 

[ellied]

Hmm, well I went back yesterday and it was a lovely group but I'm a little disheartened again.  I had come to a row that required 10 sets of K2tog and YO on one side of the central markers and 10 sets of YO and SSK on the other.  Turns out I had odd numbers rather than evens both sides, both more than 20 but not the same, probably a result of the earlier guddle about wool winding on a yarnover between knit and purl and purl and knit respectively.  I'd made an extra 3 one end but even the other was wrong.

So, tho I would have happily made more sets of even stitches, I asked how to lose one each side to make the odd stitches go away.  And after looking, someone just ripped the whole lot back and cast on again, and someone else reknitted the 20 rows properly so I could have a second go at row 21 from the right starting point   I nearly cried but was across the table and couldn't stop her in time, she honestly was trying to help but what I got back was someone else's knitting, not mine, and it made a difference to me, tho she said I'd already knitted all those rows so it wasn't fake in that way. 

Still, because she'd meant well, I did the next 5 rows, which were mostly straightforward.  And came to the next complicated one and already had one extra on one side, which someone else spent 15 minutes taking back that one piece and repairing without pulling out the rest.

So now I could start the complicated row but I don't feel it is my knitting any more, with 90% done by others and the last 10% repaired spending more time than it would take them to knit the whole piece several times over..

I don't want to be ungrateful, I do enjoy the company and it is all very kindly meant.  But I came home feeling something akin to a child that wants to tie her own shoelaces herSELF and is very frustrated having things done for her over and over

Not really sure what to do now, learn to be helped as I am obviously heading to old age rather than a young one who will become more independent rather than less over time.  Or rip it all back and do it my SELF, good bad or indifferent, just to spite my face as it were..  If I wanted to wear a scarf someone else had made, I'd buy one cheaper than I bought the one ball of wool, so is it really childish to feel bad claiming someone else's work as my own if and when I ever get to the end of this?

[Bionic]

Ellie, I can understand this from both sides. Those helping probably thought that the confusion over the number of stitches was making things worse (which it probably is) and that getting you back on the straight and narrow again would be the best thing for you. Having said that I do understand what you mean about the knitting not being yours now.


If you aren't adverse to starting from scratch again you could leave what they have done on a set of needles so that you can go back to it for their teaching purposes, and start again yourself I.e. Have 2 pieces going.


When you feel more comfortable with either piece you can then take the other piece out and use that yarn again.


Don't worry if you don't have another set of needles the same size. You can put the spare knitting on any old needle temporarily or even thread a piece of yarn through so that you don't loose the stitches.


Have a think about it and see if it would work for you.


Good luck

[Ina]

  Ellie, I understand your frustration... I would probably have thrown a tantrum in your situation - how dare they just take over MY work, good or bad - or I would have walked out, never to return!

But Bionic's advice makes sense.

[SallyintNorth]

I completely understand how you feel too, Ellie.     And I would want to rip it back and start again, so that it was all my own work .  So I think I would do as Sally suggests, and have one that is all my own work, and one that I practise on, and make mistakes on!, and take to the knitting class

What I am wondering is whether there is some tutorial you can find that will teach you all these stitches and techniques on an exercise piece.  Have you had a look at Craftsy, and KnittingDaily?  As well as the classes and videos you have to pay for, both have quite a few free eBooks and videos.  KnittingDaily does have a 'Lace Knitting' eBook, which I think probably does have simple scarf patterns to get you started.

When I did my first 'fancy shawl', I ripped it back no end of times.  Each time I re-did it, the bit I had done before got easier... so in the end I just decided to not mind how many times I re-did it, it was all learning.  And by the end of knitting that shawlette, I was very comfortable reading lacework charts, finding those stitch patterns in my knitting, dropping sections to fix a stich 5 rows down and re-forming using a crochet hook - so it really had been worth it.   

But I did use lifelines when I got to the end of each section and was confident I had it right .  If I were you, I would use lifelines, and leave them all in, so if you do end up at the knitting group with someone wanting to rip back again, you can tell them 'only to the 3rd lifeline' - and then after they've helped you, if you feel you should, you can rip back to the 3rd lifeline again and re-knit the section you've been working on.

   You are making progress, so don't give up. You'll get there.  And you'll feel so proud of yourself when you do!

[Dogwalker]

How upsetting.  I think I would have walked out.
Well done for sticking with it and Sally's suggestion sounds very wise and the way to go.
Two pieces on the go and lots of lifelines.
Good luck.

[RUSTYME]

Yes Ellie , i am the same , it has to be 'mine' , done by me , otherwise there is no point , may just as well go buy whatever it is .
Keep going , i am sure you will get there .
I am still doing stocking stitch !
Decreasing at the ends but just on knit rows atm . Purl decreases were doing my head in , i just kept watching the stitches fall off , time and time again . Exactly why i do this , what i am doing wrong , will become clear  at some point , but for now i'll stick with learning the knit decrease  and pop the odd purl one in now and then ,
just the way i have to do things , but i get there , usually .
 

[Louise Gaunt]

Ellie, I think I would have decked the woman who pulled out your knitting and redid it for you, that is a) unhelpful and b) really quite rude. I like the idea of having 2 sets if knitting on the go. Keep at it, you wil suddenly find it starts to make sense, and can then proudly wear something that us all your own work