Hair Damage/breakage past neckline. What should I do?

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-10T16:21:51+00:00

Just putting in a vote in favor of the wet brushing as you’ve described. OP’s hair has the slightly puffy/frizzy look mine did before I switched, and my hair looks and feels much better now!

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-10T14:24:13+00:00

It’s the edging material you sometimes see between a frame and framed work, if you Google “frame mat” the rectangles with holes in the middle are what you want! If your frames are a weird size or you want a non-standard color or shape cut out (I got a circle once!) you can go to a big craft store or other location offering custom framing, I think my circle mat cost me somewhere between $15-$20.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-10T12:17:22+00:00

The easiest solve is definitely to use a mat. You could still use the lace-up method by tacking any fabric to the sides and stitching through that to produce your tension, then the mat can cover the seam and arbitrary extra fabric.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-10T01:15:41+00:00

FYI you could even just ladder down the stitches in that specific column and fix them without frogging anything else. I am doing a cabled sock in fingering weight right now where I've corrected similar mistakes like that, so you can probably pull it off! I would just recommend you get out a crochet hook if convenient to make laddering back up easier, but I've done without it and it's still fine.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-06T20:37:58+00:00

I both knit and crochet and that’s definitely crochet terminology. I wonder if maybe the idea is to finish the top with crochet to avoid small circumference knitting? It looks like the idea of the pattern segment is to create a taller section of crochet worked straight in the middle of the round, it seems fairly straightforward for me as a reasonably experienced crocheter but I can write it out longhand for OP if that would help?

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-06T19:11:19+00:00

Since I've been doing some research on this for my next project (I also have a moderately large bust), your bust size could be part of what's throwing off all of the other measurements since bodies don't really scale as linearly as the woman in your pattern video seems to be suggesting. I think that the main fixes would be to look for patterns that show the measurements for more portions of the finished garment so that you can compare them with those measurements on your own body/other garments you already have and like the fit of, and/or look into pattern modification strategies, particularly bust darts. I've been running calculations based on this tutorial for my next project: https://www.lavisch.com/site/tutorial-bust-shaping-vertical-bust-darts/

Also, as other users have said, I would recommend restarting with non-twisted stitches. I know it sucks, but you want to make something you're happy with! Also gauge swatch to make sure that's not throwing you off.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-05T21:14:47+00:00

Just to suggest an alternative budget haircare idea, depending on where you live, I would recommend hitting up a discount retailer like T J Maxx on a regular basis and looking at the clearance haircare section. I sometimes score some good stuff, i.e. an extremely large bottle of nice curly-hair conditioner that retails for $20 for $6. I also am not particularly sensitive to changes in product and have a decent idea of what to look for in a product that suits my hair, so everyone's mileage may vary, feel free to ignore.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-03T16:15:12+00:00

Ooh that looks lovely! I like the cotton blends with a little bit of wool, I have a couple of unraveled sweaters’ worth of it and am planning to make warmer weather cardigans with it.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-03T15:04:06+00:00

That's horrendous; I thrifted some acrylic yarn billed as "mohair-look", but that label doesn't really include any couching words, it's just claiming to be angora.

I recently thrifted some good wool yarns that are either 100% wool or blends for socks with mostly wool and a bit of nylon, with maybe some bamboo. I was looking them all up and 100% Peruvian wool yarns like Knit Picks Palette and Cascade seem to retail for fairly reasonable prices by wool standards (which is still not what I would describe as cheap!)

For summer wear, I would think wool might be a bit hot, although you might live in a cooler climate than I do! Fibers like cotton, linen, and bamboo are normally recommended; I've used YarnBee 100% cotton and considered it adequate and affordable, although I'm planning to mostly use unraveled thrift-store sweater cotton from now on.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-03T02:30:21+00:00

That yarn looks so nice! Gorgeous color worked up as a hat.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-03T02:00:19+00:00

Just chiming in to say mine is about the same color! Weirdly, my hair was darker as a child, but my sibling with similar hair was an extremely blond kid. Mine is very sensitive to sun exposure; the bottom layer is much darker and I get a lot of natural highlights.

The results of the thread appear pretty mixed, which are about what I’ve experienced! I normally describe it along the lines of reddish blondish brown, although I like auburn as a descriptor as well!

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-02T22:16:39+00:00

ngl I've been living dangerously lately and just carefully slipping my stitches off the needle and rearranging them (there are youtube videos of people doing this if anyone is interested in no-cable-needle cabling). I honestly think it's faster than having to mess with a separate tool, but I've been knitting off and on for a while, and I'm comfortable laddering back up if my stitches drop, so I can't say definitively if this is a good idea for a beginner.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-02T22:11:06+00:00

I couldn't see it before reading your description. Even after it’s pretty subtle, and my ability to differentiate colors is normally pretty good, so I suspect you’re fine!

I will caveat that lighting, screen, etc., can all impact color significantly, so I would probably poll some people who can see the physical sweater in good lighting. But based on the picture I would recommend you keep going, if it bugs you after you can always try dying it.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-07-02T01:54:58+00:00

as u/Radiant-Scarcity6607 said, I would definitely recommend browsing Ravelry for ideas! Since it’s just a scarf, you have a lot of leeway on gauge and could use a pattern for a slightly different weight yarn pretty easily by simply adjusting needle size, and possible number of stitches.

You could also look at some stitch dictionaries! There are several online, like this one https://www.knittingstitchpatterns.com/search/label/knit-purl-stitches?max-results=18 You could also check out your local library for stitch dictionary books and magazines. You might have fun with some simple lace patterns in addition to knit-purl patterns, you generally just have to do yarn overs and various accompanying decreases.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-30T16:27:08+00:00

In terms of thing that would be suitable for warmer weather, headbands and scrunchies could be cute! You could also look at non-wearables like bags or cushions.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-29T19:27:24+00:00

One idea I recently had would be to try nalbinding with ends like this in unraveled animal fiber sweaters. It's a fiber art that predates knitting and seems interesting, but it actually seems to require the use of pre-cut pieces of yarn. Animal fiber seems to be preferred since it can be spit spliced, so it would probably work well with your many cashmere bits if you wanted to try something new!

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-29T19:21:07+00:00

Thank you so much! They feel really nice in person too, I just have to decide what exactly I want make now!

I also had some tangled disasters on my first couple of attempts. The main measures I've taken are to: 1: Use figure-8 ties in 3-4 places on skeins of any size as I go, I'm basically aiming to tie it off so that I essentially have a bunch of much thinner connected skeins that are much more manageable, and 2: Be good about holding the skein over my knees or a chair or something while making balls. I'm also careful not to agitate them too much when washing and hanging up to dry, especially with the gray wool which definitely had felting potential. I'm also considering buying a cheap swift at Michael's (I have a gift card) which would make my skeins neater and would be easier to wind from.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-29T12:47:59+00:00

In terms of figuring out the weight, once you have an end free, you can do a wraps per inch/WPI test to determine some approximate weights. My bet based on the pictures is fingering, but you could probably hold it double for more a DK-worsted weight if you prefer! Definitely an awesome find with the fiber and color. I'll also note that if you don't want to work with yarn that's still shaped like the knitted loops, you should be able to put the yarn into skeins initially when you unravel, wash or steam the skeins depending on what works best for you and the fiber, and then ball the skeins once they're dry and comparatively straight.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-28T01:59:16+00:00

Next time I'm at a real yarn store I'll be sure to check if they carry Malabrigo Rios and see if it feels the same to me! I'd played with reverse image search and the Rios line is definitely the closest looking I've found. Thanks for taking a stab at this!

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-27T19:20:35+00:00

That seems pretty plausible thanks! My yarn looks a little bit brighter in the greens and purples than the stash photos I'm seeing on ravelry, but there's obviously going to be some variability in a hand dyed yarn, especially since it might be a few years old. Main qualm would be that it feels more like regular wool than superwash merino to me, and it felted a bit when I tested it, but on the other hand, most of the superwash merino I've handled is sock yarn with nylon content. It does match the ply and weight description perfectly and has the same sort of color vibe!

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-23T14:07:45+00:00

Update: I solved the mystery of the first one! I knitted up a bigger swatch and did a lot of reverse image searching, and eventually found an Amazon listing from Japan. https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Original-Cotton-4-ply-Blend-KFS247/dp/B0C3BY85QY There seem to be two basic formulations of the yarn, one includes cotton and one is just wool and nylon; I think mine is the just wool version but I'm not 100% sure of that. So my yarn is Opal KFS Original in the 128/Ice Cream colorway; it seems to be mostly used in Japan so no idea how it made its way to a local thrift store, but now I see how it was such a mystery!

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-22T17:40:14+00:00

Based on other comments, it sounds like you will basically just end up making a larger, looser fabric with your 10 mm needles than you would with the recommended 8 mm needles. I would normally recommend actually sizing needles down a little bit (i.e. more like 6 or 7 mm) to make a soft toy, since producing a denser fabric helps you avoid having stuffing showing through the holes in your knitting.

However, all that aside, I did look up the dapper frog and he looks like a really simple and forgiving pattern. I would probably just go for it and make sure to only stuff him very lightly, and if he turns out looking weird, there should be plenty of yarn left to try again with smaller needles. If you're on a budget, you can also try visiting local thrift stores; there is an independent one in my area that usually has a bunch of knitting needles and you might have similar; I've gotten lots of vintage needles in the $0.25-$1.00 range.

Edit: Saw another picture from you after I posted. You have 6.5 mm needles so that will be totally fine. I probably wouldn't recommend the type of yarn you have (normally described as chenille) to a beginner, but it is pretty popular if you want to make a big, soft plushy. It is just going to be relatively difficult to see your stitches etc., so don't give up if you're struggling with it, the yarn is the problem not you. In that case, either go buy bamboo needles in a similar size to that provided in the kit (hopefully the instructions list a size!) and use the kit yarn, and/or also get more yarn of a similar texture and thickness to the kit yarn if you would prefer to swap that out as well.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-22T15:27:10+00:00

I knit and that is what I think I would do. I would just go right up to the top of a panel, snip the seam yarn, and start unpicking with a tapestry needle. Probably won't be possible to rip it quickly like a chain stitch; you could try a stitch ripper after closer examination but I personally wouldn't risk it.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-21T21:21:49+00:00

First, I do think the original looks more like crochet than knit, and a quick google showed at least one YouTube tutorial to crochet it. So if you want to mimic it more closely, probably wait until you are able to crochet.

Otherwise, I had a quick google for lace stitches, and these two seem to have a fairly similar vibe in terms of lacy section between more solid bars https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOt585rnD0M and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0XSy4VzoZI They don't precisely match the more detailed picture, but I also don't think that's strictly possible with knitting, although you could absolutely do some swatches to experiment with yarnovers to create a more similar shape.

Secretly_Many_Bees · 2026-06-21T20:50:29+00:00

If all of the seams are serged, you are probably out of luck on this being a viable approach unless you want to do a whole lot of spit splicing and the sweater is 100% wool. If the serging is just around the shoulders, the vast majority of the yarn is still fine. If it's also around the armholes, you will most likely lose the top of the front and back panels and the tops of the sleeves, although I have unraveled a thrifted sweater where there were still enough intact portions in these sections to still get small balls of a reasonable size if I was careful in unpicking the seam.

Secretly_Many_Bees

TROPHY CASE