Stitchboard Admin message #361
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 20, 2014 at 6:01:20 PM
 
Sherry,

LOL, let me guess...no ironing acrylic!    I can't say I disagree with you there.  I hate - no, despise - ironing.  It's such an unpleasant chore.    This is why I like no-iron work shirts for my husband.  I refuse to be a slave to an ironing board!

Sigh, been there, done that on the nicely pressed outfit, too...ugh, the price is too high, though! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #363
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 21, 2014 at 10:21:44 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #2)
 
Sherry,

While I'm a fan of certain wools, I have to agree that acrylic is a whole lot less maintenance.  I was thinking of that when trying various stitch patterns out to see what gauge they'd produce for a project I had in mind.  It was simply a matter of doing the stitching and measuring, and as you know, my iron is on the fritz, so until I get another one, ironing is a luxury I don't really have at the moment!  It was so nice not to have to put the item aside and say, "will do this when an iron is available."  To start on a project instead of waiting is wonderful! 

Besides, there are many things for which - as we've discussed before - acrylic is fine.  I wouldn't make toys or doll clothes out of wool.  Things that need regular machine washing call for acrylic, and it's nice not to have to worry about laundering! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #365
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 22, 2014 at 9:51:29 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #4)
 
Sherry,

Unfortunately, some wools really are itchy.    "Better" wools aren't...but they're very expensive. 

And you're right about needing special care. 

Awww, thank you...that's so sweet.    Well, I want a very specific kind of iron (what I already have...but working!).  I'm about "wash and wear," too...but I need it for blocking.    Ugh, those bloody cotton yarns! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #367
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 23, 2014 at 4:52:10 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #6)
 
Sherry,

Exactly, sigh.  It's a shame, because cotton is sooooooooo easy to get in a pinch and fairly inexpensive, too.  If need be, I can grab a skein from Walmart at 3am!  And there unfortunately are certain things that can only be made with cotton. 

There are polyester blend yarns?  Wow!  Never knew that!  I'd love to hear about how that goes.    At least it won't need ironing! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #369
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 24, 2014 at 10:49:57 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #8)
 
Sherry,

Wow, I guess the polyester world has exploded!  LOL, whenever I think of polyester, I think of leisure suits! 

The nylon blends do sound interesting. 

Oh, yes, more pricey makes it of limited use, IMO. 

Ugh, hear you on the boutique yarns!  I don't have a desire to play with those, either. 

Cast on 108 stitches tonight for the sweatshirt bottom, using a J hook.  Boye was best for this.  I tried the H hook, but it was too small and the entire doubled stitch wouldn't catch, sigh.  Tried N, but it was way too big.  J was the perfect compromise.  The edging might be slightly too bulky looking, but meh, who cares?

I had to use a very bright light to see well enough to cast on.  That black yarn is so hard to see. 

So we'll see where this goes.  I'm not even half a row in yet, and no idea if my calculations are correct.    But at least it's started! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #371
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 26, 2014 at 12:03:52 AM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #10)
 
Sherry,

Wow, I can't imagine your husband keeping those leisure suits until only 4 years ago!    Is your husband's name Larry, by any chance?  (Obscure reference to Leisure Suit Larry...ROFL!  )

Yes, you're right about those boutique yarns. 

Ugh, I didn't even consider the inline hooks for that cast on!  No way...it would be too hard to see and to catch the stitches!  Bad news, though...I checked three times to be positive I hadn't twisted the join.  Then I noticed the needle was awfully awkwardly placed at the end of a row...I checked it three times again...sigh, it was twisted!  I did probably about three to four rows of knitting and had to tear the entire thing out.  

The slippers sound really interesting!  Do you have a picture?  You should write up a pattern for that! 

I hear you about black yarn.  It's so hard to see the individual strands.    Drives me nuts!  If I had another color I could use...but with a pink shirt with black polka dots, what else could I use?  I like pink and gray, but think gray would look funny at this point.    Pink and yellow sometimes go, but I don't see how it would with this.  Purple...I think that would look odd.  Green...we don't get along, and I think even a forest green, which I do like, would stand out like a sore thumb.

I just don't know of another color that I could put with it. 

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Stitchboard Admin message #373
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 26, 2014 at 9:17:50 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #12)
 
Sherry,

That's hilarious!  (You do know that now in the back of my mind, I will forever be thinking your husband's name is Larry! )  Well, at least he knew what was truly important for all of those years... 

It's so hard...technically, it's a chain with loops, but it's still next to impossible not to twist.  I don't know...if this happens again, I may just knit a row or two flat and join after that.  I'd rather not, but if I can't do it from the first row on a second try, that's the only option. 

That was my thought on the pink...it would be difficult to match that shade, so why bother?  Black seemed to be the path of least resistance.  I have to say, it matches nicely...and  black is one of my favorite clothing colors...but it's so hard to see!

I'm so glad you wrote the pattern down!    I'd love to see you sell it!    Pictures, shmictures, the pattern is the important part...you can always make another for pictures!  

That puffy fabric paint trick for the gripper soles is so cool! 

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Stitchboard Admin message #375
Re: Tunisian gauge
March 27, 2014 at 11:35:13 PM  (in response to BetwixtTheStitch message #14)
 
Sherry,

I'm thinking maybe that could be salvaged, though...yes, it would have to be recalculated for other sizes...but if you're working to a certain number of inches after chaining so many stitches, then why not use your particular gauge with a "work to" instruction so the rows work out to whatever?

Update on the sweater project.  After working 108 stitches in the round for 2 1/2 inches (without twisting this time), I discovered, ouch, I am not using the larger needles I specifically went out and got for the project!  Worse, I don't know which ones I used to measure gauge.  The "finished" width seems to be larger than the sweatshirt bottom, so am not sure about that. 

Thinking I'll have to rip out again, remeasure gauge with the correct needle, remeasure the bottom of the shirt (perhaps I stretched it a bit...it was hard to get the tape measure around, but maybe I just line it up and measure one side, then double it, that will produce a better number), redo the gauge numbers and then try again. 

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