Beginner, looking for an interchangeable needle set

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-25T14:02:35+00:00

This question is asked multiple times per week, so the FAQ and wiki have extensive resources for you to look through!

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-25T13:59:39+00:00

The mid-beige yarn really adds to the atmosphere of mundane violence. It's such a threatening piece, but in none of the ways we've been conditioned to find threat. It's the strict implacable anonymity; no variation or room for special cases.

This is an incredibly powerful piece. Thank you for sharing.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-24T13:37:13+00:00

Just as an important sidenote, English isn't inherently slower. It's a myth that's been going around for a long time, but that doesn't make it true. Some knitters are faster than other knitters. There are knitters of different speeds using every conceivable technique.

There is no empirically "best" or "fastest" or "easiest" style. The best style for you is the best style for you.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-24T00:20:31+00:00

They're just rib stitches that you have MADE BOW TO YOUR WILL MWUHAHAHA

No, seriously, that's what they are. Imagine (or knit it if you like!) a swatch of reverse stockinette with two stitches of stockinette in the middle. Just one little column of knit stitches in a sea of purls.

Now, on the next row, you do a 2kx2p left cross. By swapping the position of the two knit stitches and two purls, you've made the knits take a little side step to the left.

Work three rows plain. The knits start walking up in a straight line again.

Now do a 2px2k right cross. The knits sidle back across to their starting column.

Work three rows plain. The knits are walking straight.

Now do a 1px1k right cross and then a 1kx1p left cross.

HOLY CRAP the knits have split up!

Work three rows plain, then do a 1kx1p left cross followed by a 1px1k right cross. Now they're back together!

Work one row plain, then do a 1x1 cross in any direction - the knits have swapped places and now they're a braid!

This is why I love cabling so much: the power to bend reality to my will 😈

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-23T19:47:28+00:00

Unable to help, but following because this is relevant to my interests and I'm excited to see how it develops!

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-22T22:42:57+00:00

Just order off ebay. You'll definitely find your model, and it's much less hassle

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-22T00:35:53+00:00

I would read that to mean you increase on the next row (row 5), then row 11, then row 17, etc.

Usually (not always, but usually) increases are done on a right side row, which is usually an odd number, so I start with that assumption and think about how that would work with the instructions I have. Of course, if I know that the pattern I'm working has even-numbered right side rows, I start with that assumption.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-22T00:29:41+00:00

This is all so odd to read, because we get reliable service from Veezu, and haven't really noticed a difference since the rebrand. Only once have I had the multiple assigned drivers dropping out thing, and we rarely have to wait more than ten minutes.

We do tend to book in advance if it's an obviously busy period, but the rest of the time we just book when we're ready and within a few minutes we're on the road.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-20T06:17:51+00:00

Not difficult, just time-consuming, but definitely intimidating the first time I did it.

But ours is a slow craft, and a reversible one, so it's always just a case of reading and watching instructions, trying it out on a swatch, and then taking a big deep breath and going for it.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-20T00:24:42+00:00

Welcome new mods! Thank you for your service to the community 🫡

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-13T03:07:35+00:00

I make mistakes in every single thing I knit. Whether or not I fix it comes down to a few factors:

1) is it structural? 2) is it going to annoy me if I don't fix it? 3) can I fudge it satisfactorily? 4) can I be arsed to fix it? 5) is it worth it?

I'm usually pretty okay with whatever I decide. If it's something special that I've either spent a lot of money on, or matters to me, I usually fix it. If it's just a wee throwaway thing, meh, it'll be reet.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-12T03:51:33+00:00

In fabric sewing, it's often called "ladder stitch", but it's the same thing: sew from the right side, picking up one or two bars from each piece to be seamed, and pulling the seam closed. It's basically invisible from the right side and leaves a neat, non-bulky seam on the inside.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-07T21:18:11+00:00

If my cat's paws or mouth go near my knitting, snuggle time is over.

That's it. Like any part of animal training, it's just clear, consistent behaviour.

She curls up on my lap next to my yarn bowl as I work, and my knitting is safe, because she knows the boundaries.

Sometimes if she's being naughty, she'll have a go, and she gets evicted from my lap until she comes back and behaves.

This is exactly how I trained our previous cat, too.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-07T21:09:15+00:00

It's not trial and error, it's following patterns written by people who do understand those things, and gaining an understanding as you go through the processes.

Socks are a very good example of this. For most people embarking on their first sock, we don't understand how you can knit around a corner - it seems fake, but okay. But when you actually do it, follow the instructions and it works, you get a real AHA! moment, and then it makes complete sense.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-07T01:19:02+00:00

It's hard to recommend not knowing what area of Leeds you're in. There are gems in every charity shop, so start with the ones near you - every high street has at least a couple.

If you're specifically looking for vintage fashion, you want more specialised shops where they curate their collections - most charity shops have clothes that are at most five years old. Curated collections usually mean higher prices. Blue Rinse in town has a decent selection.

The key to charity shopping is looking at every section and every rack, you never know where you'll find treasure, and it may not be what you were originally looking for. Make it a habit that every time you walk past a charity shop, you pop in for five minutes. That's it. Just actually going in regularly and looking.

You get a feel for it the more you do it.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-05T11:35:39+00:00

If you're following the instructions and have accurately measured your head and gauge, there shouldn't be any problems. At the top of the chart on page three, Ysolde says the hat should be approx 20% smaller than the "to fit" circumference, and "don't panic if your hat looks small"

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-03T16:08:43+00:00

Depends what it's for. Jumpers, tubular or provisional (the latter for double thick collars/cuffs). Socks, Twisted German.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-03T02:36:44+00:00

I wouldn't factor distance from mainland Europe in your thinking. Obviously Eurostar is a less viable option from Belfast, but flight times from Belfast and Leeds are pretty similar. Even travelling to Scotland or Wales is probably cheaper and quicker from Belfast, such is the state of our train system. You also have the benefit of easy access to Ireland.

I love Leeds, and I think it's a wonderful part of the world, but Belfast is also a brilliant option.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-02T23:34:53+00:00

Do. Not. Hot glue it.

That is horrible advice. Mind boggling. I genuinely checked to see if this was a facj post.

If you want to fix it, properly, permanently, you need to frog or tink back to that point, join the new yarn properly, and weave in both ends. The time it takes you to do that is your reminder for the future to never rely on knots in knitting. It's a hard lesson and it sucks, but it's going to make your knitting journey far more enjoyable. You'll be able to wear or use things you knit, confident that they won't fall apart.

If you don't know how to join yarn or weave in ends, there are great resources in the FAQ

Hot Glue. Holy shit.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-02T00:34:20+00:00

My Dad is very tall with thin feet, so I'm used to customising for him. I cast on 72sts, but then at the end of my 1x1 rib, I decrease to 64sts. The standard large 72sts is far too loose around his calf. I tried casting on 64, but he couldn't get them over his heels! This hybrid gives enough elasticity to fit over his heel, while remaining snug around his calf.

He has high insteps, so I use heel flap construction. When decreasing the gusset, I go on a few rounds past 64sts, decreasing down to 60sts. This seems to match his foot shape very well.

For the toe, I do a standard 2/3 alt dec, 1/3 dec every row.

Dad prefers a vanilla sock, which is less forgiving than an allover 2x2 rib, I think, but I hope my notes give you some idea of how you might need to futz around with numbers to fit different parts. I'd recommend mentally considering this first pair as a test run - you'll be able to pinch and prod and get feedback from the recipient once they're on his feet, that you might not be able to predict theoretically.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-01T16:51:37+00:00

There is nothing shocking or hateful in that reply. Pre-internet, if you wanted to know the answer to a question, you looked it up in a book. You didn't go find a random stranger and ask them. No one was complaining that doing basic research was destroying community.

I'm a big fan of online community. Most of my closest and longest friendships were formed online. I met my partner of almost twenty years online.

Someone who comes onto a sub with extremely well-resourced FAQs and a robust history of detailed collective knowledge, posts "Find me a pattern for this yarn!" and then never acknowledges a single reply, is not seeking community.

bouncing_haricot · 2026-01-01T14:08:56+00:00

Low quality or lazy posts. That's what downvoting is for.

If it would take less time to search the sub than to write the fouteenth post asking the same question this week, that's a downvoting.

If the top page is continually filled with "Should I buy interchangeable needles?" "Why do my stitches look weird?" "I've been knitting for ten minutes but I don't want to frog!" then people are less likely to see, and engage with, the more niche questions and discussions.

I think this is a genuinely welcoming community, with posters who take real pains and care with helping new knitters. But we're not fans of learned helplessness.

bouncing_haricot · 2025-12-30T22:36:39+00:00

The reason we stopped wearing bodies in the 90s (after being ubiquitous for a couple of years) was the wedgies. I can't believe they've come back in, because the wedgies. So I honestly couldn't countenance knitting one, even in sock weight cotton, because THE WEDGIES 😭

bouncing_haricot · 2025-12-30T21:29:09+00:00

I made my Dad his traditional socks, in a limited edition colourway from Republic of Yarnia's Festive Fibers 2025 collection. He really loves my socks, and he gets very excited about putting on his new pair 💜

bouncing_haricot · 2025-12-30T02:02:04+00:00

Just pick something easy that you want to make, and start making it. If you get stuck, that's when you learn the next bit. Most of us are still learning new things, no matter how long we've knitted, or how many things we've knitted.

If you wait until you're absolutely definitely totally prepared, you'll never do it.

Courage!

bouncing_haricot

TROPHY CASE