Ask Ms. Knitty (and pals)

[Zahra Ovaci]

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AccentualWolf

Can you block knitted items that are made with acrylic yarn? If so How do you do it??

Acrylic doesn't block. Since it's plastic, it kinda will just stay in the shape it knits up to. Any natural fiber (silk, cotton, wool, angora, alpaca, linen) will block with no problems.

Acrylic can't be blocked, but it can be "killed". I haven't done it myself, but this is the theory as I understand it. Basically you stretch it like you would for blocking, then steam it with an iron (without touching the yarn or using crazy-high temperatures or it'll melt), and this relaxes and changes the fibers (what with being plastic and all), and is supposed to give them great softness and drape. I came across this recently on a shawl knitting list, thought I'd pass it on smile  

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Yugure no Tasogare

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Yugure no Tasogare

joining rounds for circular object, working on making the body of an amigurumi

Sorry, have been without my computer for a while. Okay, joining a round: Well, you start the round with a chain which will count as a single crochet; when you come back around to that chain, you want to make a slip stitch in it to "join" the round. I'm hoping that makes sense.... it's hard to tell rather than show. Let me know if you'd like a more detailed explaination!

yes, I would please. what is a slipstitch anyways?

Okay, this tutorial is using double crochet, but it's really the same for single crochet. It puts pictures to the primitive explaination I gave above.

http://barney.gonzaga.edu/~aburton/crochrnd.html

And here we have pictures of how to make a slip stitch!

http://www.crochetcabana.com/stitches/ltc-stitches-ss.htm

Those make things a little easier?  

[Yugure no Tasogare]

@_@ unforunately no..... I'm still confused as hell.... wouldn't the chain added to things change the row's count?  

[Catcheen]

Yugure no Tasogare

@_@ unforunately no..... I'm still confused as hell.... wouldn't the chain added to things change the row's count?

Not at all. That chain is raising the row up to the next level. It's acting as a single crochet.

If that still doesn't help, you might try going to a yarn shop near you for a hands on explaination. Some things are easier to see in action rather than explained in text. *grin*  

[Yugure no Tasogare]

so you count the chain stitch as the first single crochet?  

[Catcheen]

Yugure no Tasogare

so you count the chain stitch as the first single crochet?

It depends on the pattern. Some patterns yes, some you count it seperately. Just as long as you are consistant and have the same amount of single crochets plus your chain every round, you should be just fine. Unfortunately crochet patterns aren't usually written in a uniform manner like most knitting patterns so there's a LOT of room for interpretation, but one thing I've learned is even if it sounds wrong, trust the pattern and just do what it says. (Note: that doesn't work when there's a mistake in the pattern; so it's a kind of catch-22) But yeah, as long as you don't fluctuate between counting that chain as a single crochet and NOT counting it, you'll be fine.  

[Yugure no Tasogare]

thanks ^^

I finally finished making the limbs but I can't figure out how to sew them on without wrecking the head and body  

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Yugure no Tasogare

thanks ^^

I finally finished making the limbs but I can't figure out how to sew them on without wrecking the head and body

If you figure out how, let me know, because no matter what I try, I get sloppy limb attachment.  

[Holy Fundip]

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john_deere_tractor

okay, I feel incredibly stupid asking this but how do I slip the first stich? Because my edges look funky too, and I pretty much make scarves, so they need to look representable.

All ya gotta do is put your needle into the stitch like you're going to knit, but just slip it onto that needle. For a slightly different look, you can put your needle in as if to purl, but either way, make sure to stay consistant throughout your piece. Hope that helps ya!

yes it does thank you!  

[Zahra Ovaci]

Whoo, okay. So, got some laceweight in (I heart handpaintedyarn.com) and am ready to cast on for the crazy lace corner. Only problem being, of course, the fact that it's knitted lace - pattern every row, not every other row. Is there a way to do a cast-on that won't give me an extra stockinette row in the grafting thereto? Or should I just resign myself to it?  

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Zahra Ovaci

Whoo, okay. So, got some laceweight in (I heart handpaintedyarn.com) and am ready to cast on for the crazy lace corner. Only problem being, of course, the fact that it's knitted lace - pattern every row, not every other row. Is there a way to do a cast-on that won't give me an extra stockinette row in the grafting thereto? Or should I just resign myself to it?

You could try a provisional cast-on (http://www.stitchdiva.com/custom.aspx?id=4 cool if that's the kind of thing you might be looking for. That way you could just kitchner stitch it shut. Will that maybe work in your design?  

[Zahra Ovaci]

Well, that would still give me a row of plain knitting, at the graft. Unless I could try to graft it in-pattern? O.o I think that might make my head explode.  

[hyper_azn_girl]

ok, i ave a question:
my grandma got this wonderfulwater bottle holder. It is made out of plastic grocery bags and it can be washed easily. I tried to make it by crocheting it (turned out horribly)
I looked at my grandmother's bag recently, and it doesn't look crocheted. I would take a picture of it and post it here, but i don't have my digital camera installed.
any suggestions of what else i could try?  

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hyper_azn_girl

ok, i ave a question:
my grandma got this wonderfulwater bottle holder. It is made out of plastic grocery bags and it can be washed easily. I tried to make it by crocheting it (turned out horribly)
I looked at my grandmother's bag recently, and it doesn't look crocheted. I would take a picture of it and post it here, but i don't have my digital camera installed.
any suggestions of what else i could try?

Well, there's always knitting or weaving? You could try knitting a small tube in the round.  

[Catcheen]

Zahra Ovaci

Well, that would still give me a row of plain knitting, at the graft. Unless I could try to graft it in-pattern? O.o I think that might make my head explode.

Yeah, I was thinking grafting in pattern....

*goes and gets the 409 and some paper towels to clean up explosion*