MOL knitters

I found a ton of Koigu on eBay last year, and it became a mission. Sometimes you can get really good prices there, but it's really popular, so the bidding can get pretty furious. I just have to remember to bail out when the price gets silly, but that's hard to do when the competitive spirit takes over. Koigu is awesome yarn, so lovely to work with and nice to wear.

I love that lengthwise scarf. What is that, a slip stitch alternating with stockinette? That's what it looked like at first glance. And those poufs/footstools are awesome! I'd probably make that in a couple of sizes and subdued gray and beige variegated yarn so they would look like boulders sitting around the room.

The problem with the pouf is that you have to stuff it with a comforter. Gets expensive unless you can scrounge those up somewhere cheap. Someone's getting rich selling handknit poufs, and she's not even using down to fill them:
http://www.nova68.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=nova68&Product_Code=FLOCKSPOUFL&Category_Code=

I think the scrappy scarf pattern used to be free. It's a woven stitch pattern: alternately knit one then slip one with yarn forward on the right side, and purl one then slip one with yarn back on the wrong side (even number of stitches). I wish I'd used a softer yarn.

I imagine you could find a really nasty comforter somewhere for a pretty good price...

That stitch pattern sounds simple, I'll have to try it.

Holy crap! I just clicked on that link, and the prices are INSANE! Does anyone actually PAY that much???

I will not rest until I find a way to use FLOCKSPOUFL in a sentence.

And I love that scrappy scarf! I'll bet it would look fantastic if you alternated one neutral color with lots of brights.

And PeggyC, I'm with you on the Koigu, it's probably my favorite.

I've got some old comforters around the house that could use replacing--maybe this is my excuse. I think DWR was selling those Flock things for a while--or trying to, anyway.

For the scarf. I used 1 1/2 skeins of the Noro sock yarn; cast on 400 (!) stitches. The rows took forever. I left the ends dangling and tied them for fringe. Are you on Ravelry, Peggy? Lots of gorgeous examples, including some from the Koigu.

Peggy--that looks like linen stitch to me. A good way to use a bunch of scraps. I'm making a linen stitch cowl right now with some leftover madelinetosh merino light. It requires zero concentration, which makes it a good carry around project. There's a churchmouse pattern for a linen stitch scarf that uses 4 colors. i think it's great for leftover sock yarn.

The blankie I'm making is the shelley kang one. I hestitate to say I'm "making" it. I'm just making squares out of leftover yarn whenever I make something out of fingering weight yarn. Right now it would be a blanket for a barbie.

I'm shy about handing out my Ravelry ID on a public forum since it has my picture all over it, but if anyone wants to connect there I'd be happy to exchange info by private message!

I use Ravelry to get ideas and find free patterns and errata, but I haven't set up an ID or any of that. Probably should.

Zucca, what do you think of the Noro sock yarn? I found it to be a little scratchy... but maybe it mellows after you knit it up and wash it once.

PeggyC said:

ARGH. I did very well with the cable portion of the cowl I'm making, and I got cocky. When I got to the lace portion of the pattern, I didn't bother to set up a life line, and wouldn't you know it... three rows into the lace pattern, I made a mistake I couldn't recover from. Whole thing frogged, because I couldn't figure out how to pick up from any of the lace rows or the cable rows. Too twisty.

Oh, well. Time for a break, then back to work, and this time I'll set up life lines every six rows or so.

*sigh*

Please tell, what is a life line and how do you set one up? If it is what I think it is, I could have used this many times over.

It's just what it sounds like: a line that saves your life! You take a piece of scrap yarn in a contrasting color, thread it through a yarn needle, then put it through every loop that's on the needle across the row. That will hold the stitches in place at that level if you have to frog your work for any reason, limiting the amount of work you need to re-do. When I've fed the line through the entire row, I leave it long enough so I can tie a loose knot in it, end to end, so it won't slip out no matter what. When you're done with the project or start a new life line farther along, you can just unknot it and pull it out. But if you end up having to frog, the lifeline makes it easy to feed the needle back through the loops by following the line.

Frances--that Churchmouse pattern is in my cue (along with zillions of others--it's kind of a wish list more than a queue).

Definitely the Noro sock yarn is too scratchy, Peggy, at least for a scarf. I gave the scarf to my mother, but she has a cashmere scarf, and I'm afraid mine just hangs on the hook, even after several trying-to-soften-it washings. So what to do with my remaining half-skein? Don't tell me to start making hexipuffs!

Good idea with the knotting of the life line. I also recommend having two going, just in case, as with the shawl I'm making, you find you can't even put in a lifeline properly--at least you have another to fall back on.

Thinking about knitting some hot water bottle covers for the holidays. My daughter is always cold at bedtime. Maybe this would help? Or are they just way too cold by morning? There are lots of patterns on Ravelry. Again, though, the yarn used would have to be very soft. Suggestions?

One word for Noro sock yarn: Potholders.

I'm afraid that with lace, I wouldn't even be able to thread a life line, what with all the yarnovers and such. On my last lace project, I put in a clip-on marker after every single repeat of the lace pattern, so I was forced to check it at every repeat. That way, if I screwed up, I would know right away because the stitch count would be wrong, and I would be able to go back and fix it. That trained me into much more vigilant lace knitting. I love those projects, but they really are a beeyotch.

PeggyC said:

One word for Noro sock yarn: Potholders.

What? What about socks?

I don't do much lace, being prone to errors, but I read somewhere that dental tape works well as a lifeline because it is slick and won't catch. PeggyC, you don't need to thread it, just run it along the row right where your needle cable is.

mergele, there are so many gorgeous and soft sock yarns available (knitknack has a great collection) that I wouldn't bother spending time knitting socks with Noro, which is pretty but very scratchy.

I thought the issue was no one wanted to wear Noro sock yarn against the skin because it was scratchy? I wouldn't even do that to my feet.

JR, I use a yarn needle to feed the yarn through each loop along the length of the needle or cable.

I just had to scrap an entire cowl project. I just couldn't come back from my error. It was very sad.

That first link to etsy has a scarf on the right hand side of the screen. I didn't realize we were in etsy and I was hoping to get the pattern not buy it! :-(

That's very weird, Melissa. The Etsy link was for purchasing the pattern ($2); someone must have bought it. You can also buy it through a Ravelry link (search "scrappy lengthwise scarf"). I have the pattern, but what are the ethics involving pattern sharing? I shared the stitch on this thread. You just need to figure out how many stitches per inch you'll get in your yarn, so you can decide how many to cast on--you can probably get an idea from looking at other people's Ravelry projects as well.

Bummer about the cowl. My shawl has been scrapped so many times that my family now just roll their eyes. Sure would love to finish it, but I don't think I'll embark on another any time soon if I do. I also have an hourglass sweater that has been worked and reworked from the arms on up too many times. Should have looked at the Ravelry feedback on that one before making it. Grrr.

It was the scrappy hug large I wanted the pattern for. I know someone who would wear that almost every day. I'd love to make it for them.

okay--gotcha. Looks like you could figure it out with another shawl pattern. It looks like it has a purl row every four or five, right? Maybe the seller will give you the pattern if you contact her.

Would you knit a pigeon, or a rat?

As for the scrappy hug, you can search Ravelry for a free download (painted desert kerchief) of a triangular scarf that would be easy to adapt. Simply change the pattern stitch from stockinette to linen stitch. (I can't post the PDF here because it's too big, but if you PM me with your email address, I can send it.)

HOLY cow! It turns out I am obsessed with knitting hats now. I can't believe how fast they go and how easy they are, once you get the hang of double-pointed needles. I felt like I was all thumbs the first time, but now I'm making hats for everyone in the family for Christmas.

Peggy - Hats are even faster if you use a small circular needle. I can bust out a hat in a few hours if the pattern is simple.

Check out Wooly Wormhead for unusual hat construction methods and shapes. Some are just odd, but there are a lot I like. A Ravelry group knits two a month together.
http://www.woollywormhead.com/

So cool, j r. I love those. I'm about to embark on the most boring beanie ever. Zuccateen is not into hand knits at the moment but needs a hat. I am planning on making a super soft, super generic beanie. Anyone got a particularly soft but manly dk yarn to recommend? I thought I'd just go with Rowan Cashsoft or Debbie Bliss Cashmerino. All I want to do is use madelinetosh, because I've been dying for an excuse to buy some.

Ditto what lynnb said about circulars, Peggy. I use two when it gets too small for one. Anything to avoid double-pointers for me.

Edited to add in the letters left out when I posted from my mobile device.

Rowan Calmer is nice for hats. It's cotton, so nobody can complain about itchy wool. Another trick I've done is to knit a wide lining in cotton to fold under the beanie so that the wool doesn't come in contact with your forehead. You and I know that some wool isn't scratchy, but not everybody agrees.

Oh, I definitely use circulars for parts that have enough room to use them. I've tried the "magic loop" technique, but believe it or not, I prefer the DPNs. That came as quite a shock.

Zucca, feel the Madelintosh before you buy, because I found the DK weight to be a little rough against the skin. The cowl I made out of it is softening up, but I didn't really enjoy working with it.

One wool that isn't in the slightest bit scratchy is the Koigu KPPPM. Sock weight, of course, so it takes forever to make anything big, but it feels SO good. I also love, love, love the Manos del Uruguay silky blend. Gorgeous colors and a wonderful feel and drape.

Come to think of it, the Manos silky blend is DK weight, Zucca. Try that...

Thanks for the heads-up about madelinetosh dk, Peggy. Guess I'll save it for another day. I have made some nice hats out of Rowan Calmer. Love it, but want something warmer. Don't think he'll complain about the itch--he's just replacing an old school-logo beanie that got too small. Maybe I'll try the Manos silky--sounds nice. Do you know if Knitknack carries it?

I made a couple of crazy hats for my daughter and her friend out of Spud and Chloe Sweater last year and a double-knit Celtic beanie for my brother out of Mission Falls 1824 wool-- both great for hats and not too itchy but not the weight I'm looking for!

The Mission Falls DK weight is called 136 (for the yardage, as opposed to 1824, which is the stitch and row gauge for 4 inches):
http://www.yarn.com/webs-knitting-crochet-yarns-mission-falls/webs-knitting-yarns-mission-falls-136-merino-superwash/