True Love!

[Brandi]

I knit a lot! And a couple weeks ago I decided to treat myself and buy some really nice yarn.
They have a type of yarn they whind into a hank. Hard to explain but anyway you are supposed to whind into a ball. Well I didn't know this and it is the first time I have delt with it like this. Well long story short I REALLY messed it up trying to figure it out. My dh looked at me and said I was making a mess. I was ready to call it a loss. He is now sitting in front of me with yarn all around him,fending off cats and letting he's ice cream melt to fix it for me. I told him we could just forget it, no big. He won't let it go. It was a huge mess too. He's so cute sitting there doing this right now. And i was so mad about the mess he made yesterday and then he does this. Sigh.

[KnottedYet]

Aw, that's sweet!

Winding the yarn into balls was always one of the best parts of getting ready to do a sweater. There was somthing about taking those hanks and looping them around my toes and unwinding/rewinding that yarn... The first time I'd touch that new yarn!

I used to carefully knit strands of my hair into each sweater I made.

[Brandi]

I would love to learn how to knit a sweater! Oh knotted it is wool yarn by the way! I bought it for a hat. It is a junky lavendar yarn.

[KnottedYet]

Wool yarn is lovely to work with. My favorite for years was a brand called "Brown Sheep." It had such a nice texture! And it smelled good.

I need to start knitting again. I was given some beautiful wooden needles for Christmas/Hannukkah.

[Bikingmomof3]

My favourite yarns to knit with come from Norway. If I do buy yarns in the US, I will use Galway, Brown Sheep, or Cascade 220.

I almost exclusively knit sweaters. Most of my patterns come from Garnstudio or Dale of Norway. These patterns can be purchased in the US, but I usually buy them in Norway.

[Blueberry]

Oh - I feel for you I usually beg my LYS (Local Yarn Shop) to wind it for me

I have a hank of sock yarn (eek) that didn't come from my LYS that I haven't knitted for the sole reason that it's in a hank, and I can't imagine what a bear it will be to wind into a ball....*sigh*

CA

[wannaduacentury]

I knit a lot! And a couple weeks ago I decided to treat myself and buy some really nice yarn.
They have a type of yarn they whind into a hank. Hard to explain but anyway you are supposed to whind into a ball. Well I didn't know this and it is the first time I have delt with it like this. Well long story short I REALLY messed it up trying to figure it out. My dh looked at me and said I was making a mess. I was ready to call it a loss. He is now sitting in front of me with yarn all around him,fending off cats and letting he's ice cream melt to fix it for me. I told him we could just forget it, no big. He won't let it go. It was a huge mess too. He's so cute sitting there doing this right now. And i was so mad about the mess he made yesterday and then he does this. Sigh.

Yes I've been there. I bought some wool yarn recently and had yarn all over the place too. Didn't have the cats helping though or dh. I really like the organic cotton/ wool natural fiber yarns, really cool texture.

[Brandi]

Well now that we are on this subject maybe one of you can suggest something for me. My dh wants a sweater as I wrote above. He wants a chunky yarn ,tweed like with specks of color(good for hiding any stains). What yarns would you suggest i take a look at. I don't think wool will work unless I can machine wash it. I don't like washing things like that by hand. So any suggestions on this. I looked up the yarns knotted and Bikingmomof3. They are really nice as a matter of fact there are two up for bid on ebay i am thinking of getting just for hats.
My friends Aunt said she would help me do my first sweater. But she is cheap with the yarns she picks.
If I am going to make asweater and put in the time I want it to be special.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Well now that we are on this subject maybe one of you can suggest something for me. My dh wants a sweater as I wrote above. He wants a chunky yarn ,tweed like with specks of color(good for hiding any stains). What yarns would you suggest i take a look at. I don't think wool will work unless I can machine wash it. I don't like washing things like that by hand. So any suggestions on this....
If I am going to make asweater and put in the time I want it to be special.

Brandi I would suggest a "washable wool"- some call it "superwash" wool. It's 100% real wool that has been treated so it will not shrink badly in the wash cycle like other wool. But you should still avoid hot water and don't dry it in the dryer- lay it out to dry.
Real wool cannot be treated roughly like acryllic yarn. But the beauty and specialness of real wool is worth it. Real wool keeps you warmer than acryllic wool, it breathes better, wicks sweat away better, and doesn't get BO. It's natural lanolin repels dirt and rarely has to be washed.

I strongly suggest you go to an actual yarn store and they will help you with finding a pattern you like and finding the appropriate weight and type of wool, and they'll also calculate how much wool you'll need and what size needles, etc. All this help is invaluable. Often a good wool store will let you return any unopened/unused hanks of yarn you have left over (don't take off the labels or roll into balls until you are sure you will use that next hank). Usually if you have bought the yarn there, they will also help you with any problems you encounter while knitting the sweater.

[Geonz]

(Just make sure he's not allergic to wool. I love how wool looks... but not how it makes me feel... I prefer breathing )

[kaybee]

Okay, how did you folks who are great knitters LEARN to do it? And how long did it take to get to the point where you felt like you knew what you were doing?

My sixth-grade teacher taught me the basic stitch, but not how to properly cast on or cast off, so last year I bought myself a book and started teaching myself to knit properly. I can now cast on, cast off, knit, pearl, increase, decrease, do cables, and read simple patterns, and have a closet full of scarves, but still feel like a knitting dummy. I started a class at the local college last night called "Knitting: Beyond Scarves," that was advertised as teaching a new knitter to move past rectangles. All the other ladies had their projects picked out and were planning to make sweaters and little tank tops and really cute things, while I had no idea what I wanted to do because it seems so overwhelming -- like learning to hammer a nail into a 2x4 and then being told "Okay, now let's build a house." Fortunately, the instructor has a great personality, and is willing to work with each person on her own level, and the other ladies are really nice, but I feel like a remedial student in an honors class!

KB

[Bikingmomof3]

Well now that we are on this subject maybe one of you can suggest something for me. My dh wants a sweater as I wrote above. He wants a chunky yarn ,tweed like with specks of color(good for hiding any stains). What yarns would you suggest i take a look at. I don't think wool will work unless I can machine wash it. I don't like washing things like that by hand. So any suggestions on this. I looked up the yarns knotted and Bikingmomof3. They are really nice as a matter of fact there are two up for bid on ebay i am thinking of getting just for hats.
My friends Aunt said she would help me do my first sweater. But she is cheap with the yarns she picks.
If I am going to make asweater and put in the time I want it to be special.

Start with these: http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-tweed.asp

I wash my sweaters in the washing machine.

Also check out:http://elann.com/

Edit: Dale of Norway makes a few superwash wool yarns that do not feel, um...unnatural. The only time I use a superwash yarn is if I am making a baby blanket. There are a lot of wools out there and varying prices. Since this is your first sweater, I suggest going with Brown Sheep or Cascade 220. Both wash and wear beautifully and last forever. As well as getting more wool for your money as well as a huge colour selection and decent prices.

If money is no object, I will happily direct you to yummy yarns.

Once you find a pattern, it will tell you how much yarn you will need. Garnstudio has some gorgoeus free patterns online.

Happy shopping.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Start with these: http://www.cascadeyarns.com/cascade-tweed.asp
...Since this is your first sweater, I suggest going with Brown Sheep or Cascade 220. Both wash and wear beautifully and last forever. As well as getting more wool for your money as well as a huge colour selection and decent prices.

Yes I can second the recommendation for both Cascade brand and Brown Sheep brand. Both are good wools at reasonable prices.

[Brandi]

bikingmomof3 direct direct me pleasssssse!!!!!!!

[Bikingmomof3]

bikingmomof3 direct direct me pleasssssse!!!!!!!

Alright. Baby steps. Remember you may need 20+ skeins. Okay, begin here:http://www.theyarnco.com/brand_display/29