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nikkitheknitter 
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 Topic: Learning to knit
Posted: 25 March 2008 at 4:27pm |
Right, so Rach has expressed an interest! Woooo! (People should know by now not to mention knitting otherwise I go a little enthusiastically mad!)
www.knittinghelp.com is fabulous place to start and has videos to watch as well as explanations of knitting terms etc.
As far as starting out, I'd get some 8ply yarn and 4mm needles (Everyone else in the world calls 8 ply 'double knit' or DK - we seem to have weird names for things) - perhaps flat needles to start with (the normal ones). I'd also go for pure wool as I am a purist when it comes to fibres and hope to drag you all along with me! *muhahaha*
A pattern to start with to get your head around knitting would be a dishcloth. Dishcloths are usually knitted in cotton (so bear that in mind if you actually want to use your dishcloth).
Tiny Birds Soaker is an easy soaker pattern on flat needles - for this you need to know how to cast on, knit and purl, increase and decrease. www.knittinghelp.com will show you how to do all these things.
Yayyyyyyy! Knitters!
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Bizzy
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 5:03pm |
so I could knit a dishcloth? do you need a pattern for them or is it just a square.
(i love my knitted dishcloths!!!  )
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Paws
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 5:15pm |
I'm with you on the pure wool thing! I hate the cheap crap, feels awful!!!
I just finished a really basic jersery, I'll have to take a picture but all you really do is knit a whole bunch of squares and sew them together....easy peasy! 
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Rachael21
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 5:16pm |
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lol I'm getting all excited now.
None of that made any sense to me but I'm sure my mum knows the lingo.
Nikki you don't happen to know anyone in chch who can spin wool do you? We have a fleece sitting here ready to be spun but don't know anyone.
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muppet
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 5:18pm |
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I second knittinghelp.com - it taught me pretty much everything I know! (which isn't actually much to be honest).
Also, try knittingpatterncentral.com for heaps of free patterns.
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Bobbie
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 6:01pm |
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Oh you're making me want to dig out my abandoned knitting from last year. I got the weirdest desire to knit while I was pregnant.
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peanut butter
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 6:17pm |
 Bobbie wrote:
Oh you're making me want to dig out my abandoned knitting from last year. I got the weirdest desire to knit while I was pregnant. |
So did I...but never finished
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kiwivic
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 7:51pm |
I got into knitting a couple of years ago when I was pregnant and I love it! I started out knitting Leo a newborn cardigan, then I knitted a jersey for my friend's 3yr old girl, a scarf for my sister, a chunky knit jacket for Leo (1), a tiny bolero for a friend's newborn girl, a basinette blanket for my sister's baby, then a cardigan for Grace (4) and now I'm doing another baby bolero 
Attached are a pic of the jacket I did for Leo and the first baby bolero I made.
Vic xx
 
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nikkitheknitter
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:02pm |
Deb - you sure can knit a dishcloth!! You can just knit a square if you want, it'll do the job just fine. If you want to get fancy there are a heap of free patterns on the net.
Rach - hrmmm... someone that spins? I don't know of anyone in CHCH  I know of someone in Dunedin! But not very well.
Gen - I definitely wanna see a pic!
Maybe I should start posting stuff around here to drag you all to the dark (knitting) side. 
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nikkitheknitter
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:05pm |
Oh yeah, and I started knitting while preggo too. Got a couple of rows done which got progressively smaller and then longer again - no idea how that happened!
Only started properly about a year and a half ago. Now very much love it and can't wait to knit a trillion things for Hanny pants. I even got comments on the plane from the air hostesses/cabin attendants the other day - they loved Hanny's little dress. (A tad proud... )
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Bizzy
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:07pm |
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wow - is that all - i thought from the longies you sent us you had been doing it for aaaages, cause they were so fab!!!!
must try the dishcloth thing, i have heaps of knitting cotton that belonged to my nana...
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nikkitheknitter
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:12pm |
Aw thanks Deb  To tell the truth... longies are the easiest thing to knit ever!! 
And yeah, definitely give it a go! It's so cool being able to use stuff you made yourself
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Rachael21
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:32pm |
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what are longies?
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nikkitheknitter
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:34pm |
Knitted baby pants that go over cloth nappies... or just as pants. But good over naps
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Bizzy
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:34pm |
RachandJack wrote:
what are longies?
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long wooly pants... check out the cloth bots thread in the pic gallery cause i just posted a pic of eden in a pair...
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nikkitheknitter
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 9:35pm |
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Rachael21
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Posted: 25 March 2008 at 10:01pm |
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oh man they are the cutest things ever. I can't wait to get knitting now
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aimeejoy
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Posted: 26 March 2008 at 8:51am |
I love love love the longies you knitted Nikki - you did a fab job! No holes or anything like my knitting!!! I esp love the little frilly bottoms...
I also got the knitting urge while preggy but gave up cos it was taking too long
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Aimee
Hannah 22/10/05
Greer 11/02/08
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kiwivic
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Posted: 26 March 2008 at 1:42pm |
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Nikki - I love your longies. Can you recommend a pattern for an 18mth old boy?
Vic xx
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mummy_becks
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Posted: 27 March 2008 at 12:09am |
I love longies too, my nana is knitting me a few more pairs to have over the winter.
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I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived!
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Learning to knit
