I think your niece is going to love that octopus. It looks like you used a chenille or something similar? It looks super soft. Where did you get the lights for it?
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Calling all knitters and other woolly things.
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and how are the lights put into the main piece?
Wow, I thought “glowing pink” as in the vivid colour, but the actual lights are a whole different level - gorgeous!
I’ve never used Heartland, is it soft? I quite like using acrylic, it doesn’t shrink. Of course it doesn’t really block, either! My main concern with yarn is will it be itchy and will it pill. Only ever known one that didn’t pill.It is Lion Brand Heartland. It is acrylic aran weight, but I wish it were wool. The pattern is a top down by Knitatude.
I have made a few of these, but this time left out a ring of eyelets on purpose.. It will be my last time making it.
Knitatude
www.knitatude.ca
The yarn I use is Bernat blanket yarn. It is not only softer, but it takes less time to make a bigger animal. The lights I got from Amazon. These are the exact lights I got. They are basically wire and lights so they were a lot easier to manipulate.
I stuffed the lights into the legs. The pink parts of the legs are separate from the white, so the lights are between the layers. The battery pack is under the head.
It is soft, not pilly and definitely not itchy. The reason I prefer wool over acrylic is that it stays as it has been knit up while wool can be tweaked and molded as you know. You'd like it if you are looking for soft The plies do separate at times if you use a pointy tip.
BTW y'all probably know, but there is a site that compares yarn. You just enter the name of the yarn and it will give you other yarns that are excellent to good matches as to fiber, gauge, etc. Be careful as to feel, and texture though. example: they say Heartland is an excellent match to Vanna's. NO WAY! One is soft while the latter is rough and scratchy!
yarnsub.com
Yarn Substitution
YarnSub is a free and independent tool to help knitters and crocheters find workable substitutes for discontinued or hard to find yarns. It has a large database of yarns from all the major manufacturers and many smaller brands too.
I’ve seen that site! Never used it - I tend to buy yarn and then look for a pattern, lol.
I’ve never known a yarn that doesn’t get splitty!
I’ve never known a yarn that doesn’t get splitty!
Sometime I see a pattern and the suggested yarn is too$$$. So I go there for something comparable and affordable.
Now that’s a good idea!
I discovered the hard way that a designer can create a pattern for a particular worsted wool promoted by the dyer or the company and when I tried it in acrylic or a wool from an animal other than specified the fabric is not the same. The sub thing doesn't always work for me,but it is a handy tool.
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It's really helpful
GranolaLouise
. I'll often avoid doing something because of the wool that's required.
GranolaLouise
. I'll often avoid doing something because of the wool that's required.
I don’t think I’ve ever used a specified yarn! It’s mostly yarn first for me.
When I did the Morgana shawl, I took a some samples of a few different brands of thread and took some macro pictures of them. I knew there might be some slight differences, but was amazed when I saw the very clear levels of quality.
DMC was far superior; tighter, consistent thickness (no thin spots), and very smooth (which was important for how much was running through my fingers. Of course, being produced in France makes it a bit more expensive.
Still, I figure it’s worth it if I’m making something that I want to last a while, and that I’ll be running a lot of through my hands.
DMC was far superior; tighter, consistent thickness (no thin spots), and very smooth (which was important for how much was running through my fingers. Of course, being produced in France makes it a bit more expensive.
Still, I figure it’s worth it if I’m making something that I want to last a while, and that I’ll be running a lot of through my hands.
Oh wait, I did use a pattern for the yarn it was meant for a couple of times - Hayfield Journey jumpers and cardigans. I’ll never use that yarn again. Inconsistent in texture - the blue and pink colourways softened up after a few washes, the red stayed abominably scratchy, and the stuff pills like you would not believe. Fail, Sirdar, fail!
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Well, I'm trying to teach myself and so far the results have been kind of meh! But I'm learning, and aside from if and when I get frustrated, it's actually very relaxing. I haven't had nearly the time I want for it, but a little bit at a time is starting to pay off.
I saw this earlier today and thought it needed to be in this thread, too.
I saw this earlier today and thought it needed to be in this thread, too.
“Kind of meh” is jolly good for a first, not to mention first self-taught, effort - go you!
(Thank goodness my dratted iPad has deigned to connect to my phone again, I couldn’t use it at all yesterday and reading sites on a phone is no good at all.)
I just used Malaga from Hobbii.com to make a few things and it never split. It is being discontinued, so I've bought a couple in every color they haveI’ve seen that site! Never used it - I tend to buy yarn and then look for a pattern, lol.
I’ve never known a yarn that doesn’t get splitty!
No ideas what I'll make yet, of course, but it was so cheap I couldn't resist ($3.75 us).
re splits: It helps to use rounded needles rather than pointy I find. I LOVE the Denise needles, but they don;t do well with acrylic because they have that 'squeaky" feeling with acrylic on acrylic.
Rounded tips tend to be easier on the fingers, too, I find! My favourite are the old Milward ones.
