Any knitters in the house?

LivingDork

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Since I saw a gardening post in here, and there's no arts&crafts section, this thread seems the most appropriate for domesticity-related questions.
:)

I'm just wondering if there are any other writers with a passion for knitting floating around in this forum. What I'm wondering is whether anyone else makes projects inspired by their characters? Or, conversely, if you knit projects inspired by movies and books you like?

Examples of this could include, for example, a Harry Potter house scarf, any of the many knit projects featured in the Twilight movies (Scoff if you must, but some of those patterns, like Rosalie's hat, are pretty cool-looking!), the Scott Pilgrim snail hat, a Doctor Who scarf, anything with a Star Wars or Star Trek insignia added, or modeled after a character, like a hat with Yoda ears. (And yes, I have made everything on this list myself, LOL).

My story has taken me into the winter months, and I can't help but imagine specific styles on my characters. Is it weird to knit something for an imaginary character?
 

icerose

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I tried to knit once, it was supposed to be a washcloth. It ended up looking something like this:

*****
******
*******
*********
*********
*********

It finally leveled out in the end but the first half of it grew with each new row. I am playing around with a knitting dolly, that's fun making those cords. I do want to learn how to knit again and try some harder projects now that I'm older. I do a fair bit of crocheting but no patterns or anything fancy. I'm a visual learner so unless I can see the stitch I can't do it. And I can't follow written patterns with the symbols. Those might as well be morse code for how well I can read them.
 

kikazaru

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Ha Icerose, your dishcloth looks exactly like the baby blanket I once crocheted - I kept forgetting to work "up" at each end. The "baby" was 16 by the time I finished it.

I used to knit a fair bit. I hated following patterns so I'd find a sweater I liked the proportions of, and then just use that as a pattern rather than reading one. Now I find that I've gotten away from it but I still have enough yarn to open a shop. When I do knit I do so to keep my mind occupied and it's small projects like dishcloths, scarves and I've been gearing up (for almost 2 years) to make a shawl with some fabulous Bernat yarn I got on sale - shades of blue and black with huge slubs. There are just not enough hours in the day.
 

MaryMumsy

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I don't knit (I know how, I just don't enjoy it) but I crochet a lot. There is a member around here somewhere called K1P1 who has written and published at least two knitting books.

MM
 

MissMacchiato

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I knit and crochet. I haven't made anything inspired by my characters but I have made several items from the Harry potter movies - an enormous gryffindor scarf and a hat worn by hermione in one of the movies. It's an interesting question, I have no idea what my characters would wear. I'll have to think!
 

Thump

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I taught myself to knit so I could make myself a gryffindor scarf >__< that was before I could discriminate between acrylics and proper yarn...

I love knitting, so gar I've made socks for all my family, wristlets for a sis, cardi for mom and vest for myself.
I haven't been knitting much lately, but I also havent been writing much either >_<
 

LivingDork

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To Thump: How heartbreaking, to go through the work of making a huge house scarf and then realize after it was done that acrylics, while beautiful for color, are not the same thing as wool.

Also, my current WIP is a shadow knitting piece of David Tennant as the Doctor with a sonic screwdriver. I am a massive dork.

TO MissM: Is is that lovely grey eyelet one? If so, I have made covetous eyes at that hat many times.

MaryM: I crochet too, but knitting is my true fiber love. I'll have to look around for the knitting writer.
 

MissMacchiato

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Lol, yes, the grey eyelet one! It's a free online pattern actually, I can post the link if anyone wants it. It was a surprisingly easy knit.

My gryffindor scarf is acrylic, it would have cost hundreds of dollars if it was wool, since it's about 6 feet long, and double thickness *grin*
 

Lauretta

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I love knitting! I made 2 hats, 2 scarfs and 1 purse so far since last September. I'm a member of Ravelry which I find great for projects, help and such!
 

JanDarby

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I knit. Mostly charity pojects -- kids' mittens at Christmas time, preemie caps and chemo caps the rest of the year.

I hadn't included knitting in any of my previous projects, but I'm working on a post-apocalyptic mystery, and recently decided the protagonist would be a knitter, in addition to her other traits. It seemed like a good (and necessary) post-apocalyptic activity. Except I don't think she's going to have access to all the nifty yarns that are available now, so it'll be more a survival thing than a fun thing.
 

VP_Benni

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I knit and crochet A LOT... I've been able to crochet since I was seven, and knit since I was eight, so not quite a decade... I've been looking up new patterns to try all day actually, so it's kinda funny that I stumbled across this thread... :D

~Amber~
 

muravyets

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Chalk up another knitter here. :) I haven't been doing it as much as I'd like lately, but I like to experiment, go off pattern. My last project was a reversible cable scarf that came out really nicely, and before that a no-pattern cabled poncho out of this WONDERFUL hand-dyed baby alpaca that I got as a present. This year's birthday present was this *swoon* gorgeous *swoon* Malabrigo merino mix that I can't wait to find a project for.

I haven't joined Ravelry, but my mom practically lives on it. She's one of those knitters who know all the Noro colors by number. ;)

ETA: I haven't worked knitting into any of my stories, but I'm thinking about it. I write magical fantasy and horror inspired by folklore, and there're so many textile references in folk tales. Sleeping Beauty and her spindle. The Six Swans with the magical shirts made from nettles - I'm convinced those shirts are knitted. I have instructions for knitting closed pockets for including good luck charms into knitted fabrics, and other things. Yeah, I need to work on that.

ETA2: In fact... *gets an idea and makes a quick change to WIP* Thanks for the inspiration! :D
 
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LivingDork

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To Laura: Thank you for mentioning ravelry! It's such an amazing resource!

To Murayvets: Ravelry is heaven! That grey eyelet hat pattern she's talking about? On there. My Dr. Who shadow piece? Same thing. Knitting nettles? Whoboy, your hands would be swollen! I've been trying to add little hidden pockets in hats and things, and they often turn out lumpy. :(

To JanDarby: That's kind of where I am. I feel like knitting is a very practical hobby to have, especially in Michigan. Even more so in a post-apocalyptic setting, right?

To Miss M: There is one other kntting resource you need, and that is Knitpicks! Throw that in your search window and check out their wool of the andes. I made a scarf that sounds quite similar to yours for about $30. That's way more than acrylic would have cost, of course, but darn reasonable for wool.
 

Yasaibatake

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*raises hand timidly* I'm learning how to knit, do I count?

Okay, so I technically learned back in high school. A friend taught me how to cast-on and the knit stitch, but then she moved. I had to Google how to bind off :) I made a bookmark first because it was small and very non-threatening. I moved onto making a few plain scarves when I was in college because I figured they were just bigger bookmarks :D Then I dropped it for a little bit and now I'm coming back to it. My ambitions are soooooo much bigger than my abilities at the moment, but that's how you learn, right?
 

VP_Benni

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*raises hand timidly* I'm learning how to knit, do I count?

Okay, so I technically learned back in high school. A friend taught me how to cast-on and the knit stitch, but then she moved. I had to Google how to bind off :) I made a bookmark first because it was small and very non-threatening. I moved onto making a few plain scarves when I was in college because I figured they were just bigger bookmarks :D Then I dropped it for a little bit and now I'm coming back to it. My ambitions are soooooo much bigger than my abilities at the moment, but that's how you learn, right?

As long as you know how to hold the needles and attempt to make the yarn sort of look like something, I'd say you count. :D

~Amber~
 

Yasaibatake

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As long as you know how to hold the needles and attempt to make the yarn sort of look like something, I'd say you count. :D

~Amber~

That is an eerily accurate description of my knitting! :) heehee
 

Cranky

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Knitter here, too. :) I always have at least one dishcloth on the needles, heh. It's probably the most useful skill I've picked up besides computers and cooking, and I'm dead serious about that.

Socks, dishcloths, hats (when you've got little people, they always go missing!), stuff like that. I keep meaning to knit a proper pair of oven mitts, but I can't seem to figure out how to knit in the round on double points worth a damn, so until I can find a pattern worked flat that I like, I'll just make do with machine made ones.
 

VP_Benni

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I keep meaning to knit a proper pair of oven mitts, but I can't seem to figure out how to knit in the round on double points worth a damn, so until I can find a pattern worked flat that I like, I'll just make do with machine made ones.

I'm with you on the double points. =/ I'm using them right now, actually, but it took me a few minutes to remember how to do it... It gets easier once you have a few rounds done, but if you're not careful in the beginning it can look like a mess...

~Amber~
 

LivingDork

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TO Cranky and Vampyre Pricess: DPNs (double-point needles) and circular knitting is WAY easier than you think! I put off learning it for almost 6 months, but once I did, it was a breeze.
Hint: It's almost impossible to cast on with DPNs. Use a straight needle or circulars when you cast on, and add one stitch. If your hat pattern calls for 90 stitches, you'll end up with 91 on the needle. Then, you carefully distribute them evenly between your needles (or just even them out on the circulars, checking to make sure it isn't twisted). One needle will have an extra stitch. You'll slip the extra, last stitch you made from the needle it's on to the one directly next to it. Then, you'll lift the stitch behind it over and off, as though you were doing a standard bind-off, but just for the one stitch. Viola! You have a circular piece! Now you just have to follow the pattern! A place marker/row counter will definitely come in handy! There are some really helpful youtube videos, too! (Also, of course, Ravelry!)

I recommend cables, too, as something that looks impressive but is actually shocking simple to do. :) Color knitting really is APIMA.
 
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sammyig

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I knit and crochet too.

I've been making Harry Potter scarves for a long time. Recently I made a werewolf hat from the vampire knits book- it was really easy, cute, and fun.
 

VP_Benni

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TO Cranky and Vampyre Pricess: DPNs (double-point needles) and circular knitting is WAY easier than you think! I put off learning it for almost 6 months, but once I did, it was a breeze.
Hint: It's almost impossible to cast on with DPNs. Use a straight needle or circulars when you cast on, and add one stitch. If your hat pattern calls for 90 stitches, you'll end up with 91 on the needle. Then, you carefully distribute them evenly between your needles (or just even them out on the circulars, checking to make sure it isn't twisted). One needle will have an extra stitch. You'll slip the extra, last stitch you made from the needle it's on to the one directly next to it. Then, you'll lift the stitch behind it over and off, as though you were doing a standard bind-off, but just for the one stitch. Viola! You have a circular piece! Now you just have to follow the pattern! A place marker/row counter will definitely come in handy! There are some really helpful youtube videos, too! (Also, of course, Ravelry!)

I recommend cables, too, as something that looks impressive but is actually shocking simple to do. :) Color knitting really is APIMA.

After about 600 tries, I managed to get something to not look terrible on the double pointed needles. :tongue It wasn't as hard as I thought, but with only six stitches to work with on the first round, it was a little confusing... >.< Never thought about slipping an extra stitch over... Might try that soon :)
Cables are fun to work with! :D

~Amber~